Having the Frenchman's Baby

by Rebecca Winters

  “Well, we’re together now.”

  “And we’ll never let anything separate us again, even if we work thousands of miles away from each other.”

  A look of compassion entered Rebecca’s blue eyes. “So now tell me about the man you’re in love with.”

  Rachel needed no urging to reveal it all. When she’d finished, her sister got up from the bed to look down at her.

  “I don’t care if his ex-wife lies in that coma for another ten years. Luc has a right to know he’s going to be a father again.

  “With my disease, I doubt I’ll ever be able to have children. They’re a gift, Rachel. You don’t know how lucky you are.

  “Go to him and tell him the truth. That’s all you need to do. The rest will take care of itself. He helped make that baby. You can’t hold that back from him. If Grandfather were still alive, he’d tell you the same thing.”

  Rachel nodded. Her eyes darted to the Black Beauty book he’d given her. She’d brought it from the flat to show him she still had her treasured gift.

  She reached for it. “Do you still have your book, Rebecca?”

  Her sister gasped softly. “I—I brought Sleeping Beauty with me when I stopped in New York for my passport. I don’t know why I did. It’s at Stephanie’s.”

  Rachel smiled sadly. “I think we both wanted to feel closer to him. But you know something? He gave us the wrong books.

  “You’re the true equestrian in the family. I’m afraid I was always dreaming of a far-away kingdom and a prince who would take me to his castle and love me and only me for ever.”

  She set it on the bed. “Now it’s time to put childish things away.”

  “You’re right, sister dear,” Rebecca said softly. “We have a funeral to help plan.”

  With their arms around each other’s waists, they left the bedroom in search of Emma.

  When it came time to put a flower on their grandfather’s silver-blue casket, Rachel sought Rebecca’s gaze. By tacit agreement they both got up from the chairs. Clasping hands, they walked beneath the graveside canopy to his final resting place.

  “We’re together, Grandfather,” Rachel whispered.

  “You don’t have to worry about your two beauties any more,” Rebecca said in a hushed voice. “Be happy with Grandmother.”

  Tears trembled on Rachel’s lashes. “When you see our mother, tell her we love her.”

  Rebecca squeezed her hand before they both placed a white rose on the lid of the coffin.

  Maybe it was because they were twins and could read each other’s minds. Whatever it was, no words needed to be said for them to head to the black limo they’d come in.

  The driver started up the motor and drove them back to the mansion.

  “Look—” Rachel cried out when she saw a huge spray of pink roses on a stand in the dining room. “Those must have arrived too late to go to the cemetery with the other flowers.”

  “They’re absolutely breathtaking.” Rebecca walked over to read the enclosed card.

  She took so long, Rachel said, “Whoever sent them must have been a very close friend of Grandfather’s.”

  Wordlessly Rebecca handed it to her.

  Mystified by her behavior, Rachel read the inscription.

  Rachel— If Louis were still alive, he would have wanted to send these flowers in remembrance of a friendship forged through a mutual love of the fruit of the vine. Ironic that it took place during a time of war.

  William Valentine will live in all our hearts as we know he lives in yours.

  With great affection, Giles, Solange, Luc and the family of Chartier et Fils.

  Rebecca came to stand behind Rachel. She put her hands on her shoulders.

  “You do know you have to tell him.”

  Yes, Rachel did know, but not for a while. There was something she had to do first. She and Rebecca had talked about it.

  When Wednesday came around and Rachel couldn’t find Max in his office, she headed for the kitchen.

  Sure enough she discovered him and Emma with their heads together. No doubt they were talking about their father’s eruption upon learning the contents of the codicil to their grandfather’s will.

  Under the circumstances, Rachel had no compunction about following through with certain decisions she’d made. Her reconciliation with Rebecca had given her the strength to do what she had to do.

  “Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join in?” she teased.

  Both heads turned in her direction.

  “Feel free,” Max said with a smile. “One guess what we’re talking about.”

  Max could take care of himself. But Emma looked worried. Rachel had always felt protective of her younger half sister, and never more so than now.

  “What are you doing at the restaurant this early?” he asked.

  She switched her gaze to him. “I’ve come to say goodbye, and thought I’d do it before everyone reports for work.” Mainly their father who wouldn’t be arriving for at least three more hours.

  Emma blinked. “Where are you going?”

  “You haven’t told her yet?” she asked Max.

  He folded his arms. “Come on, Rachel. You didn’t really mean it.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I really did. I’ve already cleaned out my office. It’s ready for the new wine buyer, whoever he or she is.”

  “You’re leaving Bella Lucia?” Emma cried out, aghast.

  “Yes. I’m going into restaurant management.”

  Emma shook her head. “At the restaurant in Mayfair or Knightsbridge?”

  “Neither.”

  Emma looked absolutely bewildered. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m leaving Bella Lucia for good. I have tentative appointments to talk to some restaurant owners in New York. Rebecca and I decided we’d like to live closer together.”

  She saw a glimmer of approval in Max’s eyes. “Good for you.”

  “I’ll be posting a letter of explanation to Dad when I leave here in a few minutes. He’ll get it tomorrow or the next day.”

  At Emma’s look of dismay she said, “Don’t worry. As soon as I’m situated, I’ll phone both of you and let you know where I am and what I’m doing. There’s a realtor who’s in charge of subletting my flat until I know what I want to do with it.”

  “I’m going to miss you so much.” Emma threw her arms around Rachel.

  “It’s going to be a wrench for me too, Emma. I’ve loved working with you and Max. But Rebecca and I need to catch up on years of separation, and with Grandfather gone…”

  Suddenly she was dissolved in tears that always threatened these days.

  After hugging Max, she started to leave, but he called her back.

  Rachel turned around. “What is it?”

  “Since Emma is too modest to tell you, then I will.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Oh, I’ll do it,” Emma muttered. “Unbelievable as this may sound, I’ve been commissioned to be the head chef for a coronation taking place in Meridia in the near future.”

  Rachel flashed her a tender smile. “That’s not unbelievable, Emma. It’s long past time your talents were lauded internationally. A coronation will be a huge media event. You’ll become more famous than you already are.”

  “That’s what I was saying,” Max chimed in.

  “Who’s being crowned?”

  “Prince Sebastian.”

  “Whoa…the playboy all Europe has been talking about? Hmm… Interesting…”

  “Oh, stop—” Emma cried, but her cheeks were flushed.

  “No— I won’t,” Rachel persisted. “We’ve served a lot of royals here from around the world. One of the Meridian royal family must have tasted some of your superb meals and put your name on their secret short list.”

  “Isn’t that just what I said?” Max blurted.

  In a quieter voice Rachel said, “No doubt Dad is walking around like he has been made king.”

  The three of them burst into laughter
.

  “Seriously, Emma. Out of all the great chefs in the world, his very own daughter has attained a singular honor. I’m so proud of you.

  “You can bet I’ll be phoning you constantly for a blow-by-blow account of every exciting detail.”

  Max nodded. “That goes for me, too, Emma,”

  Rachel stared at the two of them. “I really am going to miss both of you. Take care…”

  Before Rachel broke down again, she hurried out of the kitchen and left the restaurant on foot.

  Once she reached her flat, she called for a taxi to take her to the airport for her flight to New York.

  Besides starting a new career, she would call Rebecca’s ob-gyn for a complete check-up. Pending the outcome—because it was still hard to believe she was pregnant—she would inform Luc.

  CHAPTER NINE

  LUC couldn’t believe it was already August eighth, and not a personal word from Rachel.

  One month ago today had been her grandfather’s funeral. The Valentine family had sent a printed thank-you note for the flowers in care of Chartier et Fils. That was it.

  After what she’d shared with him at his house about the dynamics in her family, Luc knew how hard William’s death would have been on her. But she could have no conception of what her silence was doing to him.

  At the conclusion of a business lunch with a first-time buyer from Norway, he excused himself and left for the St Hippolyte winery. On the way, he finally gave in to the impulse to phone her cell. But he received a shock to discover her service had been disconnected.

  Alarmed by that piece of news, he called information for the number of the Bella Lucia on King’s Road.

  This abstinence out of respect for her pain had gone on long enough.

  “Yes?”

  The person who answered sounded young and out of breath. Luc checked his watch. It was two-thirty here, which made it one-thirty in London. Probably one of the staff had picked up, since the restaurant didn’t open until five.

  “I need to speak to your wine buyer. This is an urgent call.”

  “I don’t think he’s come in yet, but I’ll check.”

  Luc frowned. “I’m talking about Rachel Valentine.”

  “Oh. She doesn’t work here anymore.”

  Luc stood on his brakes. “Is she at one of the other Bella Lucias?”

  “No. She lives in New York now.”

  He cursed under his breath. “Does someone at the restaurant have her new number?”

  “I don’t know. Call back tonight when we’re open. I’ve got to go. Sorry.”

  Luc would do better than that. As soon as he’d given Giselle the order from their newest buyer, he’d stop by the hospital to see Paulette, then fly to London this evening and speak to Rachel’s father in person. The man kept a thumb on his daughter and could tell Luc what he needed to know.

  Since their excruciatingly painful encounter in London, he couldn’t sleep, couldn’t concentrate. Until he could see her again and they could really talk without interruption, he’d remain in this nightmarish limbo, unable to go backward or forward. Much more of this and—

  He stopped right there because his thoughts were too black.

  Upon entering the parking area surrounding the winery, he noticed every space taken by tourists.

  Though on some level it pleased him that business was flourishing, he couldn’t summon the old excitement he’d once felt for just being alive.

  This wasn’t living.

  Giselle had been right about that. Existence wasn’t enough, but fate had been serving him up a belly full of it. He’d be damned if he was going to keep on swallowing it to the last dreg.

  No sooner had he driven around the back to let himself in his private entrance than his cell phone rang. It was the hospital. He assumed Yves was in Paulette’s room and needed to talk.

  He clicked on and said hello.

  “Monsieur Chartier? This is Louise.”

  His favorite upbeat nurse, but she sounded subdued, which was very unlike her.

  “Yes, Louise?

  “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this when you’ve been praying for a miracle. I’m afraid Paulette died a few minutes ago.”

  What?

  “She died?” he whispered incredulously.

  A shock wave passed through his body. His thoughts reeled as his whole life with her suddenly flashed before his eyes.

  He barely had the presence of mind to stop the car before it ran into the wall.

  “Did the family ask for the machines to be shut off?” He’d thought they’d had an understanding.

  “No, no. Her lungs unexpectedly filled with pneumonia. It happened after my second-to-last check on her. When I came in at the end of my shift, she was gone.”

  Tears trickled from his eyes.

  So now you’re free, chérie. I have my answer.

  Paulette had left this world with the machines still going. She hadn’t wanted to wait until the harvest.

  It was over.

  Silent sobs shook his body. He fought for control. “Has the family been notified?”

  “Yes.”

  He wiped his eyes. “I’ll be right over. Thank you, Louise. I’ll always be indebted to you and the staff for the impeccable care you’ve given her all this time.”

  “It was our privilege.” Now she was in tears. “I can’t tell you how sorry we all are.”

  “That’s very kind. A month ago Giles told me her spirit had left her body. In my heart I think I knew it was true, but I wanted to give it until the end of the summer.”

  “You did everything possible and more. We all admire you. So often I’ve wondered how you’ve managed when I know how much you suffered. You’re a very strong man to have endured this much pain. Que Dieu vous bénisse, Luc.”

  Everything passed in a blur as he rushed to the hospital. He found Father Pourdras in the room surrounded by the Brouet relatives. The priest who’d married him and Paulette had started a prayer over her body now covered by a sheet.

  “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away…”

  The doctor had confirmed Rachel was pregnant and that her due date was March the third.

  After she left his office, she realized she couldn’t put off telling Luc any longer.

  The manager of the restaurant where she was training had been nice enough to give her time off for personal leave.

  Two days later she flew to Paris, and from there to Colmar where she’d booked a hotel.

  If Luc joined her at an obscure little restaurant in the town, they could talk without fear of someone recognizing him. Rachel didn’t want word getting back to Madame Chartier that her son was still carrying on a clandestine affair with her.

  But Rachel soon came to find out that the best laid plans didn’t always work out.

  After she checked in the Deux Couronnes Hotel, she called his cell phone from the phone in her room. If she used her new cell, he would be forewarned by seeing her name on the caller ID.

  Rachel wanted the element of surprise on her side in order to feel she was in control. But the surprise rebounded on her because, instead of picking up, he’d left his voice mail on.

  She debated what to do. It wasn’t as if she were on a buying trip and could set her own time schedule.

  In the end, she called him again, this time on her cell, and told him she needed to see him as soon as possible. It was urgent. Would he please call her.

  At a loose end and frustrated because it had taken her so long to gather the courage to phone him in the first place, she left the hotel to do some exploring.

  The Deux Couronnes sat along one of the many canals of the Petite Venice area. Myriad cobblestoned streets gave the impression she’d entered a bygone age.

  She was once again charmed by the many treasures of Alsace, and it came to her that all this beauty would be part of her baby’s heritage. Now that she’d been to the doctor, her pregnancy had become real to her.

  Was it a little half-Fre
nch boy or girl who was tucked in behind her flat stomach? She wouldn’t know the answer to that question for another couple of months.

  By the time it was getting dark, he still hadn’t phoned and she was exhausted. The doctor had told her exercise was good, but she’d probably overdone it.

  Indescribably disappointed not to have heard from him, she returned to the hotel and ate a quick dinner.

  Maybe he was on vacation, though she doubted it with Paulette in the hospital.

  The most likely reason for his silence was a heavy workload. His schedule included entertaining clients who kept him busy at all hours.

  A case in point was her own arrival in Thann on her first visit to Alsace. He’d taken her on a personal tour of his vineyards after normal working hours.

  Her body throbbed just thinking about her intense attraction to him. It was an experience she would never forget in more ways than one.

  That night had led to another magical night, followed by a month so black, she was surprised she was still alive. And pregnant…

  She needed to tell Luc in person that she was nurturing their baby.

  But if he didn’t call her tomorrow, then the next best thing she could do was write him a letter. If she posted it from Colmar, he would realize she’d tried to see him in person before returning to the States.

  As she got in bed and began composing it in her mind, she heard a distinct knock on her door.

  “Rachel?”

  Her heart gave a great leap.

  Luc! He was here? Now?

  “I—I didn’t expect you tonight.” But she should have known he’d come. He possessed that sixth sense necesssary to a successful vintner. Once he’d seen the hotel’s phone number on his caller ID, he’d put two and two together.

  “You said it was urgent. Let me in,” he insisted in that deep voice that brooked no argument.

  “Just a minute.”

  She’d thought he’d caused her enough pain that her feelings for him had been burned out of her.

  Not so.

  The thrill of hearing his voice overwhelmed her. But following that reaction she felt apprehension. Now that the moment was here, she had no idea how he would react to the news that he was going to be a father. Again.