“Of course I will! I can’t thank you enough. Will you please gift wrap it for me?”
She was so thrilled with her purchases, she couldn’t stand still. As soon as he handed it to her, she put it in her purse and hurried outside to a tête de taxi. When she said the Decorvet Domaine, the driver nodded and they took off for Vosne-Romanée.
En route she received a text from Ginger.
I was right. He did get to your romantic soul. Forget everything I ever said. I couldn’t be happier for you.
Tears stung Abby’s eyes to have her friends’ blessings.
When the driver reached the gate, he made a phone call and the doors swung open to let them through. She gave him directions to the petit château and paid him before getting out of the taxi.
For the rest of the day she did work on the internet. First she looked up the University of Burgundy located in Dijon and discovered that the humanities and sciences were well represented on the main campus with law, medicine and literature in separate buildings. She didn’t know if she could ever get a teaching position there, but it wouldn’t hurt to inquire.
Then she looked up where to get French lessons. Abby could go many directions, but thought it might work to hire a private tutor. She found the names of three qualified instructors and phoned them for more information.
After saying she would get back to them, she fixed herself some food from the kitchen and then sat down to watch TV. But she could hardly concentrate while waiting for Raoul to get in touch with her. She knew he wouldn’t be coming over, but when it got to be nine o’clock, it surprised her that there’d been no phone call.
It wasn’t until she climbed in bed and set her alarm for six a.m. that she received the long-awaited text.
Tomorrow every dream of mine is going to come true.
She sent a text back.
Get a good sleep, beloved. You’re going to be loved the way no one has ever been loved before.
After putting the phone on the side table, she buried her face in the pillow, whispering his name.
* * *
Raoul waited near the landing pad at the Dijon-Bourgogne Airport in the Maserati. He rechecked his watch. Five after seven. The helicopter should be here by now. Mon Dieu...if anything unforeseen happened to her at this point, he wouldn’t want to go on living.
He was ready to contact his pilot when he saw the helicopter approach. The second it set down, he got out of the car and hurried toward the door even though the rotors were still going. His pilot opened it and there stood Abby who cried out his name and climbed right out into his arms.
“Dieu merci you’re here.” He covered her face with kisses. “Another minute and I would have lost my mind.”
“You’re not the only one.” She kissed him with enough passion to rock him back on his heels.
“Let’s get you in the car with all your things and I’ll drive us to the hotel near the city hall where you can change.”
With the help of his trusted pilot, they stowed all of her things. Raoul waved him off and got in behind the wheel. He shot her a piercing glance. “Are you ready?”
She reached for his hand and squeezed her answer hard.
Once they reached the hotel parking, they took only the things she’d need for the ceremony and hurried inside. Everything else would stay locked in the car.
He’d gotten them a room on the second floor near the elevator where they’d both change. Raoul had ordered breakfast. They ate quickly. As soon as she disappeared into the bathroom with her garment bag, he put on his white dress shirt and formal gray suit.
Then he waited with pounding heart for her to emerge. When she walked out a few minutes later, he couldn’t catch his breath. Her dress, made of the finest white Chantilly lace, covered her from her neck to her wrists, and followed her curving shape to her knees. On her feet were matching lace high heels.
“Abby—” His voice shook.
He took one white rose from the white rose bouquet he’d had made up for her and tucked it behind her ear.
Abby’s green eyes roved over him hungrily, feeding his desire. “I’m the luckiest woman in the whole world.”
Raoul handed her the bouquet of roses and her purse. “Let’s go get married.”
A taxi waited for them out in front of the hotel and drove them to the entrance of the city hall. As he helped her out to the pavement, a volley of whistles sounded. She literally stopped traffic as they walked up the steps into the building.
He cupped her elbow and walked to the room where Deputy Mayor Judge Tibault was waiting for them. The older man couldn’t take his eyes off Abby. After introducing them to the two witnesses who’d been brought in from the other room, he winked at her. “No wonder Raoul wanted the banns waived. If I were thirty years younger...”
Abby blushed and clung to Raoul.
“If you’re ready, then stand in front of my desk and hold hands.”
She put her bouquet on a chair, then placed her right hand in his.
“Abby Cederlof Grant and Raoul Capet Regnac Decorvet, do you both come together of your own free will in the prefecture of Dijon on this ninth day of June to be united in marriage?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Raoul? Do you take Abby to be your wife?”
“I do”
“Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, through the good and the bad, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?”
“I do”
“Abby? Do you take Raoul to be your husband?”
“I do,” sounded her tremulous voice.
“Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, through the good and the bad, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?”
“Yes,” she said emotionally.
“Abby? Hold out your left hand. Raoul? Repeat after me. Abby Grant, I take thee to be my wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you. With this ring I thee wed.”
After saying the words, Raoul pulled the diamond ring from his pocket and slid it on to her ring finger. Her eyes took in the three-carat diamond solitaire before she lifted moist eyes to him. They burned with love.
“Abby? Do you have a ring for him?”
“Yes.”
Her answer came as a complete surprise.
“Raoul? Extend your left hand.”
He did his bidding.
“Abby? Repeat after me. I take Raoul Decorvet to be my husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and I promise my love to you. With this ring I thee wed.”
He looked down as she put it on his ring finger. A gasp escaped his lips. The design of the purple gem stones resembling a cluster of pinot noir grapes set in gold shook him to the very core of his body. Was this what she’d been doing when he’d found out she’d left the estate yesterday in a taxi?
“Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions can form a beautiful tapestry, so can your two lives merge together to form a very beautiful marriage. To make it work will take love.
“Love should be the core. Love is the reason you are here. But it also will take trust—to know in your hearts you want the best for each other. It will take dedication—to stay open to one another; to learn and to grow together even when this is not always so easy to do.
“It will take faith to be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring. In addition, it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you both now pledge to share together.
“In so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in matrimony and have promised your love for each other by these vows, I now declare you to be husband and wife. Congratulations. You may kiss your bride.”
“Darling,” she cried as he covered her mouth with his own
. All the love he could ever hope for or imagine was surrendered to him in a kiss that went on forever.
He rocked her body in his arms, never wanting to let her go. But when he opened his eyes, he realized that the deputy mayor, who had a broad smile on his face, was waiting for them to join the world once more.
Raoul looked down at her. “Madame Decorvet. Do you have any idea what it means to call you Madame Decorvet? I think we need to get a room of our own.”
“Just as soon as you both sign the marriage certificate.”
His bride blushed again before they wrote their signatures. Raoul asked Tibault to take some pictures of them with his phone. With that done, they shook the older man’s hand, then Raoul swept his bride out of the room and the building to their same taxi. The driver knew ahead of time where to take them.
Once in the backseat, Raoul pulled her onto his lap, ignoring the flowers and kissed her passionately until they arrived at the hotel. When they got out and reached their room, he carried her over the threshold and followed her down onto the bed.
“I can’t begin to express all the feelings exploding inside me, Abby. All I know is, I adore you, mon épouse. It’s killing me that we have to drive back to the château right now. Once we make our announcement to the family, then we’ll drive to the cottage and forget the world.”
She caressed the side of his jaw with her hand. “I know how important this is, especially for your grandparents’ sake. They love you so much and are waiting. And I haven’t forgotten we were seen by officials who will tell the press. The news of our marriage will be all over French TV by tonight. We have to tell your family immediately.
“I did some research about you. You’re one of the most important men in France.” Her eyes misted over again. “It’s an honor to be your wife. I’m still having a hard time believing that this is really happening.”
“You’re going to know it all right, once I get you home and in my arms. I may never let you go. This ring I’m wearing... No man was ever given a greater treasure.”
“There’s an inscription.”
Excited, he removed it and read it aloud.
After giving her another deep kiss, he rolled away and got to his feet. “The sooner we leave, the sooner our new life will begin.”
Still wearing their wedding clothes, they gathered up their few things and took everything to the car. As they left the city and headed for home, he reached for her hand. “For the first time in my life, I’m seeing my world in Technicolor. It’s all because of you.”
CHAPTER TEN
“THAT’S EXACTLY HOW it feels,” Abby exclaimed. “While you’re driving, I’m going to phone my parents. Can I use yours? I’ll send the photos at the same time.”
Raoul handed it to her.
“First I’m going to take a picture of this gorgeous diamond ring you gave me. I love a solitaire more than anything. How did you know?”
“It has a pureness and reminds me of you.”
Everything he said touched her heart.
By the time she got off the phone, they’d reached the estate and Raoul drove them to the south entrance of the château. Suddenly the gravity of their announcement and what it would mean to his family took hold of her. When he turned off the engine and helped her out of the car, she hugged him hard.
“Don’t be afraid. We’ll just have to give them time. Remember part of our vows? It will take faith to be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring.”
“I know.” She pressed a kiss to his lips. “I have faith in you.”
He checked his watch. “We have ten minutes before everyone will congregate. Let’s go greet my grandparents first.”
With his arm around her waist, he ushered her inside and up the stairs to the second floor. After a knock, he opened the double doors. Lisette had wheeled his grandparents into the main salon. She congratulated them first.
“Ah—” his grandmother cried when she saw them. “That lace is breathtaking. How beautiful you look, Abby!”
“Thank you. It’s because I’m so happy to be married to your grandson. Doesn’t he look handsome in his gray suit?”
His grandfather smiled and nodded.
“Papi? Mamie? May I present my wife, the joy of my life. Look what she gave me.” He walked over to the old man so he could examine the ring.
Abby hurried to his grandmother and gave her a kiss on both cheeks. They both marveled over the dazzling diamond.
She grasped Abby’s hand. “I’ve never seen him this happy.”
“That’s what my parents said about me when we sent pictures to them a little while ago. We’re going to have a wedding picture made up for you.”
“We would love it. Abby—don’t let what anyone says or does disturb you,” she whispered.
“I won’t,” she whispered back. “We know you and your husband approve of our marriage. That means the world to us.”
“This is a difficult family.”
“I think all families are, a little.”
She stared at Abby. “I can see you are the right one for him.”
“I’m glad if you think so.”
“I’ll pray for you.”
Her words stayed with Abby as they heard voices in the entry. Raoul reached her side and put his arm around her shoulders. Soon the family entered the salon. She counted at least twenty-five members. She recognized Jean-Marc, Gilles, Paul and Raoul’s father, who sat in his wheelchair, but not anyone else.
The shock on each face told a story Abby would never forget. Raoul’s arm tightened. “Thank you all for dropping everything to come here today. I wanted you to know that Abby Grant, the light of my life, became my wife this morning at the mairie in Dijon by Deputy Mayor Tibault. We’ll be married at the church in Dijon in a few weeks.”
Before he could say another word, she heard a cry and the pregnant brunette woman standing next to Paul left the suite. That had to be Josette.
Her husband walked over to Abby and Raoul. “Welcome to the family.” He kissed her on both cheeks. After giving Raoul a hug, he hurried after his wife.
In the next breath Raoul’s father, with a scowl on his face, barked to Jean-Marc to wheel him out of the room. The lovely older woman who’d been standing next to him—the thin one with the reddish-blond hair who had to be Raoul’s mother—seemed to pale. She looked conflicted before following her husband out of the salon.
“Just a minute, darling,” Abby said to Raoul. Then she ran after his mother and caught up with her in the entry hall. “I wanted to give you this.” She put the tiny wrapped gift in her hand. “I love Raoul desperately and want us to be friends.”
His mother looked utterly bewildered before Abby ran back to Raoul, passing his two aunts and their families who were walking out.
It was like watching dominos fall one by one.
“Congratulations,” said one of the men who resembled Raoul’s father. “I hope you’ll be happy.”
“Thank you, Oncle Pierre.”
The other older man who stood next to Pierre nodded to Raoul. “I must say I’m surprised you didn’t pick a woman of our own nationality, but I wish you both well.”
“Merci, Oncle Lucien. That means a lot. To be honest, love picked me,” he said, kissing Abby’s cheek.
Gilles frowned at Raoul. He said something in French Abby didn’t understand and strode out of the salon behind his father.
Abby felt like she’d been watching a bizarre play, not believing that anyone could sketch characters as unbelievable as these real people. Did inheriting a title truly do this kind of damage?
When his aunt left the room, Raoul pulled Abby into his arms and held her for a long time. She wanted to tell him they should leave here and never come back. No one deserved this kind of treatment.
There were so many things sh
e wanted to say to him, but she knew she couldn’t. This was his life. He’d been totally honest about it. She’d just pledged to love and support him.
Learn and grow together even when this is not always so easy to do.
Those words were part of the vows she’d taken just hours ago. She had to honor them, but she knew it was going to be the hardest test she would ever have to pass in this life.
The sadness in his grandparents’ eyes since the rest of the family had come into the salon haunted her. Raoul had clung to them all these years for a reason. Well now he had Abby too! She would be his rock.
When Raoul let her go, she walked over to his grandfather and gave him a hug. “Now that we’ll be living in the cottage, we’ll come to visit you every day. Raoul needs your help and your wisdom,” she murmured near his ear.
She felt him reach for her hand and squeeze it hard, but she knew he was getting tired. So was his grandmother.
Raoul blew both of them a kiss, then grasped her hand and they left the suite for the car. Neither of them spoke as he started the engine and drove to the cottage. When they arrived, he sat there without moving. “I knew it would be bad, but I can see I should never have subjected you to this.”
“But you’re too honorable to behave in any other way.”
“Why did you run after my mother?”
“To give her a little gift for having the most fabulous son on earth.”
“Abby—”
“Tell me something. Why did your sister walk out like that? What’s the real reason?”
“Father should have made her the head of the domaine. She’s as capable of managing it as I am. When Angélique and the baby died, she didn’t think I’d get married again. With no child to come after me, it would mean their son, Maurice, would be the next one in line. Seeing me married again, she’s afraid we’ll have a baby and that will be the end of any hope she has. Paul’s promotion still won’t bring her what she’d hoped for.”
“But she’s your sister.”
“And we love each other. We’ve shared good times too, but you have to understand that my father’s decision to name me has hurt her and my aunts who are equally capable of running the estate. He sees running the grape business as men’s work.”
Captivated by the Brooding Billionaire Page 13
