And nobody else ever would.
* * *
Sophie was with Zara when Luc finished his scouting mission and called Tilly to let her know he was ready to meet the bride.
The lead hairdresser was adding the final touches to a masterpiece of loose braids and twists of Zara’s long blonde hair, which had been drawn into a central braid that traced her spine. Tiny tresses had been teased free, cut to different lengths and then curled into ringlets to frame her face and add to a rustic, natural style that was only a little more formal than the messy bun of the ‘wake-up’ shoot. Hairpins decorated with tiny silver leaves and pearls were being positioned as Luc entered the room.
Every head turned and a silence fell that felt like a collective breath was being held. He took his hat off as he came into the room and his sunglasses were already hooked into the neckline of that black tee shirt that fitted like a second skin. When had Luc developed this… what was it?Charisma? An ability to enter a space and simply take command.
The small voice in the back of her head had a scornful note.
As if you didn’t know exactly what kind of spell this man was capable of casting…
The change in the atmosphere was astounding. For Sophie it created an unwelcome tension with a hard knot forming in her stomach, but a rapid scan of the people closest to her revealed that the entrance of Le Phénix was having a very different effect on other key players in the room.
Zara was frozen mid-gasp, her hands clasped under her chin, her eyes huge. Raven held his camera aloft but he wasn’t looking at it. Perhaps he’d captured Zara being thrilled that this famous photographer was here – forher– but now the camera was sinking and he was simply staring at the man whose sheer presence seemed to be sucking the oxygen from the room.
Was he aware of a similarity that only emphasised differences? Was he seeing the embodiment of what he’d been striving to project as his own? But there was nothing Goth or contrived about Luc’s image. He had no need to dye his hair black or wear chunky silver jewellery. He was simply born to wear black and exude a confidence that came from not giving a damn what others thought of him. He was the effortless epitome of a rebellious bad boy, right down to the aviator sunglasses hooked on to his tee shirt.
For just a heartbeat, Sophie could see something totally unguarded in Raven’s face. Something so strong she might have taken a step back if it hadn’t been hidden so quickly that she had to wonder if she’d imagined it. She couldn’t interpret what it had been. It could have been disgust. Or the complete opposite.Desire?
The bridesmaids recovered first, looking away from the newcomer to exchange meaningful glances and smiles with each other. Raven’s face was again reflecting that air of ennui he had probably been cultivating since puberty, but he was moving closer to take photographs of Luc greeting Zara.
‘What a superb choice of venue,’ Luc was saying. ‘Greg’s so sorry he can’t be with you on this special day but I promised I will honour his commitment. I’ve found some stunning backdrops around the château and gardens. Let me show you.’ He held a very professional-looking digital camera so that she could watch him scrolling through some images.
‘The chapel is key, of course, but look at these stairs and the outbuildings – the old stables and thispigeonnier.Vraiment joli, oui?’
‘It looks perfect… but…’ Zara caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she gave Luc a glance that should have melted any man in her vicinity.
Apart from Raven, apparently. He was still watching Luc, who had a polite half-smile on his face.
‘But…?’ he coaxed Zara.
‘But what Ireallywant… as well as the usual shots, which I know will be completely amazing… is something that only Le Phénix could pull off.’
Good grief, Sophie thought. Was Zara actually batting her eyelashes?
She was certainly dropping her voice to an intimate, low tone but Sophie was close enough to hear every word.
‘Something that will gomega-viral,’ she whispered. ‘For both of us…’
Sophie’s gaze flicked to Luc’s face in time to see the spark of connection. An interest in why he was here that hadn’t been there a moment ago. A glow of something that she could feel in her own gut. Something deep and personal and usually so well-hidden that nobody would ever see it and, even if they did, they would have no idea of its significance. Or power.
But Sophie did.
The spear of sensation deep in her gut came from nowhere and was almost overwhelming. For a nanosecond it was no more than an echo of that glow in Luc’s eyes but then it exploded and somehow managed to reach every cell in her body in less than a heartbeat.
No…
This couldn’t happen. She was not going to allow it to happen. Which meant she had to do something rightnow. Because she could feel that spell drifting towards her. Still a breath away from settling on to her skin but already touching every one of her senses. Good grief… it felt like if she touched her tongue to her lips, she would be able totasteit.
Sophie had reason to be thankful that Luc’s presence was still commanding everyone’s attention. She was quite confident that no one had noticed her slipping out of the room.
5
No one viewing the romantic images on social media of Zara and Joseph exchanging heartfelt vows in front of a six-hundred-year-old stone chapel needed to know that the couple had actually married nearly a month ago in Vegas and this whole ceremony was symbolic rather than legal.
The dream of a wedding in Provence did not usually include the civil ceremony that happened in the municipal chambers of a city or town because of the administrative hoops that had to be jumped through. The couple would have to reside in the commune where the wedding would take place for at least thirty days prior to the marriage application, wait the ten days after the marriage banns were published and then request a date for the actual ceremony to be available and try to match it to the real venue they wanted, like the Château d’Orval.
