To Win His Heart

by Rebecca Winters

  Still in pain from Luc’s latest cruel strategy to keep his distance from her, she told the guys she would love to. Why not.

  They were an odd mixture of Croatians, Germans and Danes, all of whom knew a little English. For the next hour she had a great time while they teased her and laughed over her mispronunciation of words.

  The one named Lars told her they were moving on to a discotheque and asked her to come. Though he seemed nice enough, she knew a guy on the make when she saw one.

  Claiming fatigue, she declined with a thank you and ran into the water. Not to be daunted, Lars followed after her. By the time she’d reached the Gabbiano, he caught hold of one foot as she was climbing the ladder.

  “Seriously.” She turned to him. “It’s late.”

  “Tomorrow you sleep. Tonight you party.”

  Before she could say another word, hands of steel gripped her upper arms and lifted her bodily into the boat.

  “Take your party elsewhere.” Luc’s forbidding tone and presence had the guy doing a back flip away from the ladder. He took off like a flying fish.

  Olivia had to admit she was relieved. But she refused to give Luc that satisfaction or tell him she was sorry if he’d hurt his leg helping her get away from Mr. Hands. Instead, she hurried below.

  Nic was in the galley. She said hi as she rushed past him to get some things out of her suitcase.

  After her shower she dried off and put on a new pair of cotton lounging pajamas that were perfectly modest. When she opened the door to the passageway and started for the stairs, Luc was leaning on his cane, blocking her exit.

  His eyes played over her damp curls before wandering to her mouth. She could imagine him kissing her like he had done the other night. Her body turned to fire.

  “You made a wrong turn. The cabin’s the other way.”

  “I’m going up on deck to enjoy myself.”

  “Not tonight, and not in that outfit. The deck is Nic’s domain after eleven at night. Considering the long day he has put in, he’s bushed. Not that you would care about his exhaustion.”

  It took every bit of willpower to hold on to her control. “Apparently you’re not that worried about it, either,” she struck back, deriving pleasure from seeing the way his lips formed a pencil-thin line. “I had no way of knowing he would put himself at your disposal at a moment’s notice without concern for his own welfare.”

  “Well now that you do, I suggest you climb up in your bunk so we can all go to sleep.”

  “You can try,” she said in a husky voice. With great daring she raised up on tiptoe to brush her lips against his. “There’s more where that came from. All you have to do is call out my name in the night. I promised your mother I would accommodate your every wish.”

  Frozen gray shards stared back at her. “You didn’t fool her you know.”

  “Of course not. She has to be an exceptional woman to have raised a son as brilliant, troubled, paranoid and dense as you, and still be alive. If Monaco gave out a prize for the best mother in the Principality, she would win hands down. Good night, my proud Falcon who flies alone. Sweet dreams.”

  She went to bed and pulled the covers over her head. The routine established a pattern for the next three days; sailing lessons interspersed with water sports and good food.

  It was the perfect regimen to keep from thinking about Luc who lay around on deck with his nose in a book. Except for spotting her when she went waterskiing, he pretty well ignored her. Any remarks were addressed to Nic. Mostly they discussed theories about who stole the family jewel collection.

  In the evenings Nic took Olivia to the local bars and they danced or walked the streets of the little towns of Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, all part of the Cinque Terre region.

  Snorkeling in and around San Remo’s grottos had been an especially memorable experience for her. Luc joined them for part of a morning. Though he wasn’t any friendlier to her, he seemed to enjoy the exercise and knew all the little secret spots where the tourists didn’t go.

  The next day they docked at Nice and spent time exploring the Chateau D’Eze positioned thirteen hundred feet above the impossibly blue water. By the time her head touched the pillow that night, she slept the sleep of the exhausted.

  Unbeknownst to her, Nic had taken advantage of the wind during the night. While she was oblivious, he’d sailed them past Monaco. When she looked out the window of the cabin the next morning, the unforgettable vista of Cannes lay before her eyes.

  She still had a hard time believing she’d been to places on the Riviera she’d only seen in movies and books.

  Per usual Luc had gotten up early and prepared their breakfast. Since it involved no heavy lifting, that was the one job he could do using his cane without straining his leg too much.

  The three of them ate on deck while the two men laid out her walking itinerary for the day with Nic. Tomorrow they’d be moving on to Marseilles, then Perpignan. In the days that followed they would sail to the famous ports along the Spanish coast.

  Olivia’s greatest fear was that they would reach Marbella before Luc showed any sign of wanting to be alone with her. Maybe if she bought him something he would really like, it would soften him up a bit.

  When she and Nic went ashore, they spent a full morning sightseeing, but after lunch at the Carlton on the famous La Croisette seafront, she asked him to take her to a book shop that catered to science fiction buffs.

  If he thought it a strange request, he didn’t say so. For several hours they both poked around the huge store that sold new and used books.

  Nic was big into linguistics and heraldry.

  During their walks she’d discovered he was an expert on bloodlines and primogeniture. In fact he was writing a book on it in his spare time.

  While he found himself some fascinating reading material, she asked the man waiting on her to look up the latest novel about robots. She risked buying Luc something he’d already read, but maybe she’d get lucky.

  In the end she bought five books. The most recent one dealt with a robot named Cog. Two other books dealing with artificial intelligence had been published in the last couple of years.

  The last two were some of the first books about robots ever published. They dated back to the late eighteen hundreds.

  If nothing else, Luc might find them amusing to read again, if he’d read them, which he probably had. In that case he could have fun picking their research apart.

  When Nic joined her at the checkout counter with three books he wanted, she insisted on paying for everything as her way of saying thank you for all his help.

  Nic accepted with his usual good grace. At four-thirty they headed back to the Gabbiano. Once on board she called down the stairs.

  “Yoohoo, Luc. We’re back!”

  She was excited to see his face when she gave him her gift, but there was no answer. She went below. Maybe he’d fallen asleep.

  To her surprise he wasn’t in bed. If he’d been swimming around the boat, she would have noticed. A little perplexed, she left the cabin and discovered Nic in the kitchen. He held a piece of paper in his hand.

  Beyond his shoulder she noticed Luc’s cane lying across the drop table. Olivia’s eyes flew to Nic’s. Their gazes met.

  “He left you a note.” The nuance in his tone alarmed her.

  Olivia’s mouth suddenly went dry. She knew she wasn’t going to like what she heard. “W-what does it say?” she stammered.

  “I’ll let you read it.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  NIC left the kitchen so she could have her privacy.

  She put the bag of books on the table. Her hand trembled as she picked up the paper.

  My dear Duchess cousin, never let it be said that the Varano cousins didn’t honor their obligations to their long lost relations from that upstart nation across the Atlantic.

  You’re in the best of hands with Nic. He’ll make certain the rest of your ten day trip to the French and Spanish portions of the Rivier
a is fulfilled and memorable.

  For Max and Greer’s sake, let’s agree to go our separate ways without bitterness. I don’t want my first day of freedom from prison to be marked by rancor.

  Knowing you as I do, you’ll probably have success with your new Internet business. After all, you’re one of the very unexpected and astounding Duchesses of Kingston.

  Luc

  She stood there for a long time staring into space. Unexpected and astounding were code words for “freak of nature.”

  This was the end of the road. She’d gone too far. She’d stepped over an invisible line Luc had drawn 155 long before he’d ever met her. Everyone had tried to warn her, but she hadn’t played it like a Duchess.

  Scalding tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Olivia?” Nic whispered directly behind her.

  She wiped at the tears with the back of her hand. “Did you know he was going to leave?”

  “Yes. Today the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. Now that he can drive a car again, he’s anxious to get on with his life. If you’d known Luc before his accident and realized how much he loved all sports, especially skiing, you would understand how hard it has been for him to be restricted in his physical activities.”

  “I can imagine.” She sniffed. “He’s very lucky to have such an understanding cousin who has been his best friend, too. Would you call me a taxi please? I’m going to fly home from Nice today.”

  “If you’ll allow me, I’ll ring for a limo and take you to the airport myself.”

  She loved Nic for not trying to persuade her to continue on with the trip. He would have taken her and shown her the best time in the world. That was because he was kind and honorable.

  “What about the Gabbiano?”

  “I’ll arrange for someone to sail it back to Vernazza. All it requires is a phone call.”

  “Well then. I guess that’s it. Excuse me while I pack and get things cleaned up around here.” Her glance flicked to the table. “What will you do with his cane?”

  “Discard it along with any refuse left on the boat.”

  “Do you care if I keep it?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Thank you.”

  Three hours later her overseas flight was announced in the first-class waiting lounge at the Nice airport. The cane had been taken away as a security precaution and would be given to her once she landed at Kennedy airport in New York.

  Nic gave her one last hug. “Have a safe flight. Give my regards to your sister.”

  “I will.” She raised tear-filled eyes to his. “The next time you see Luc, will you make sure he gets these books? Tell him—” She bit her lip. “Tell him they’re a peace offering from me.”

  He gave her a solemn nod before striding out of the lounge.

  “Etienne? Have you seen my brother?”

  The dark-blond chief mechanic who’d hit on Olivia looked up from the under-chassis he was working on.

  “Luc!” He got to his feet and started wiping his greasy hands with a rag. “No one has seen you around here in a long time. Look at you—walking as if you were never in that accident. Congratulations.”

  “Merci, Etienne.”

  “It must feel good.”

  “It does, believe me. Is my brother around?”

  “He’s out testing the new wheels we put on his car.”

  “How long do you think he will be?”

  “Another hour maybe, but if you need to talk to him, I’ll tell him to come in.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  “Of course. Un moment,” he said before disappearing.

  Luc had called the villa in Positano when he hadn’t been able to reach Cesar on his cell phone. Bianca told him he’d gone back to Monaco to start training for his next race.

  That explained why Luc hadn’t been able to make contact. It was one of their mother’s greatest concerns that when Cesar was at the track, he didn’t check his voice mail until the end of the day. For once Luc could understand her frustration since it was imperative he talk to his brother. The conversation that should have taken place two years ago couldn’t be put off a moment longer.

  Before Luc had hung up with Bianca, he’d chatted with her for a few minutes, asking her how things were going. Never one to hold back with an opinion, she launched into a backlog of news about her family and friends, the dog next door that was such a nuisance.

  And speaking of nuisances, she’d had to throw out one of Cesar’s fans who was insane enough to come to the villa. When Luc commented that he thought Cesar brought women there after every race, she started raging at him for suggesting such a thing.

  Luc asked her why she was so upset. She pretended not to understand and said she needed to get off the phone, but he wouldn’t let her go. When he accused her of keeping a secret from him, she cried out he would have to ask Cesar.

  “If you’re talking about Genevieve, I already know about it, Bianca.”

  The older housekeeper had sounded shocked. Then she’d broken down in tears before it all came gushing out, verifying everything Olivia had alluded to.

  As Luc listened, his throat swelled in pain for his silent accusations against his brother, for the two years Bianca had kept her silence.

  Because Luc had believed Genevieve’s lies, he’d refused to let Cesar explain. In consequence their family had suffered needlessly. With hindsight Luc could see that his intransigence had spilled over to his cousins who’d been forced to tread softly around him.

  “Luc?”

  At the sound of his brother’s voice, he turned in his direction.

  “Your cane—it’s gone! You must be three inches taller!” The joy in Cesar’s voice was so heartfelt, Luc felt crucified all over again for the injury he’d caused his brother.

  Cesar stood in the doorway, still wearing his driver’s suit. His dark hair was mussed from the helmet he’d been wearing. It took Luc back years to a time when they were young boys playing Space soldiers.

  Pere Noel had brought them spacemen costumes for Christmas. Luc had immediately transformed his into a robot suit. No matter how many times Cesar begged to wear it, Luc wouldn’t let him.

  Olivia had accused him of always having to be in charge, like Greer. At the time he’d laughed off her comment, but he wasn’t laughing now. Without Luc realizing it, Cesar had grown up to be one of the world’s great Formula I drivers and a successful businessman in his own right.

  But he was a lot more than that. Luc realized he was looking at the greatest brother a man could ever have. If it hadn’t been for Olivia…

  “How about taking a ride with me for a change, mon frère?”

  There was a palpable silence while Cesar’s gaze searched his. He must have seen the pleading in Luc’s because he suddenly broke into a grin.

  “I don’t know. It’s been a while since you’ve sat behind the wheel of a car, but I’m willing to risk it considering it’s you.” The last came out in a husky tone.

  Luc studied his brother. He didn’t deserve this second chance, but because Cesar was the better man, Luc was getting it. “If I’ve forgotten how, I know I’ve got the best there is to help me.”

  “Etienne? I’m taking off with my brother!” Cesar shouted with the kind of excitement Luc hadn’t heard in years. “Don’t plan on seeing me until you see me!”

  “…so what do you think? Try to picture them polished smooth.”

  Piper stared at the rocks laid out on the counter in the kitchen. Then her glance shifted to Olivia. “They’re pretty.”

  “No, they’re not. You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

  Her sister cocked her head. “In theory I think your idea to sell them for paperweights is terrific. Tell you what. Let’s get in the car and go to that lapidary shop on Decater Avenue. We’ll ask whoever’s in charge to give us their honest opinion.”

  Olivia lowered her head. “They won’t be honest. They’re out to make money and will probably tell me the end pr
oduct will look like jewels.”

  Piper poured them both a glass of milk to drink with their sandwiches. She brought them to the table. “You know what I think?”

  “What?” Olivia asked before biting into her bologna and cheese.

  “You’re beginning to sound as cynical as someone else I could mention.”

  “I don’t want to talk about him.”

  “Then how come you brought home his cane?”

  The last bite Olivia took tasted like sawdust. “It’ll serve as a reminder of my terrible judgment. Did I tell you I’m never going to Europe again?”

  “In a year’s time you won’t feel so awful.”

  “What’s happening in a year?”

  “Greer and Max’s first wedding anniversary. I’m sure they’ll throw a big party and we’ll be expected to come.”

  “I have a better idea. We’ll have one for them here. A picnic. Just the four of us. Waterskiing on the Hudson.”

  “In whose boat? We can’t ask Fred or Tom.”

  “We’ll rent one.”

  Piper finished off the second half of her sandwich. “Maybe between both our businesses, we can make enough money this year to buy our own boat.”

  “Yeah.” Olivia would love to prove to Luc she’d made her fortune.

  “Come on. Let’s go see a man about a rock polisher.”

  Olivia drained the last of her milk, then got up from the table. “Thanks for coming with me.”

  “It’s all for one, remember?”

  When she felt her sister give her a hug, Olivia lost it. “I disgust him, Piper.”

  “No, you don’t. It’s the situation that shut him down emotionally. His fiancée committed the unpardonable betrayal by approaching his brother. When you came along and showed so much interest in Cesar, Luc thought he was being betrayed again and you received the brunt of his pain.”

  “But Luc was the one who introduced us! He didn’t have to.”

  “Of course he did. Sooner or later you would have found out Cesar Villon was Luc’s brother. When you were already angry with Luc and his cousins for what they did to us, how would you have felt about Luc once you found out he’d kept that information from you?”