‘Some of those stones weigh about fiftytonnesand they were moved from two hundred miles away. How astonishing is that? We’re talking about four and halfthousandyears ago!’
‘We should go there for the summer solstice.’ Hannah laughed. ‘When they let you close enough to touch the stones. Was it the Druids or the Wiccans who used to dance naked to celebrate?’
‘I have no idea,’ Sophie said. ‘But there’s a picture of the participants of 2002 in that book I was reading and quite a few of them were naked.’
‘Maybe we could restart the tradition.’
‘Yes…’ Tom was grinning broadly as he held up his palm to high-five his younger sister. ‘I’d love to seethat.’
There was dancing that night in the small but festive group and Sophie had reason to appreciate the salsa dancing course that Hannah had persuaded her to attend. It felt as if it would have been easy to follow Tom’s lead even without the benefit of any lessons, however. All she needed to do was lean into the firm support of his hand on her shoulder blade and let her body mirror his. She had no idea whether it would work with anyone else at the party because Tom wasn’t about to let anyone cut in.
Right from that very first evening, he was making it obvious that he was smitten.
‘I knew it,’ he murmured right against her ear, late that evening when he’d begged for one final dance. ‘I just knew that you were going to be as wonderful as Hannah made you sound. I think…’ He’d tilted his head and given her the full effect of the smile and that mischievous glint in his eyes. ‘I’m going to marry you, Sophie Spencer.’
Had Luc overheard? Or guessed what Tom might be saying by the way he was looking at Sophie? For some reason, she’d turned her head to find him watching them.
Watchingher…
It wasn’t an admiring gaze by any stretch of the imagination. So why did something deep in her belly feel like it was doing some weird kind of somersault?
Okay… she knew why and it only added weight to the need to steer well clear of him.
For the first time she was realising that men like Luc Moreau might be dangerous but they were also… undeniably fascinating.
4
Maybe that was why it had been so easy to recognise him as he came up the semicircular sweep of stone stairs.
Luc Moreau might be wearing sunglasses on this summer day in Provence, but Sophie could still feel that oh-so-familiar intensity of his gaze. It still felt as if he could see the things she preferred to keep hidden. As if he was the one person on earth who could see through a window into her soul.
And it was just as disconcerting now as it had always been. The warning bells were sounding as clearly as ever.
Other things hadn’t changed either.
He was just as tall, of course.
Just as dark.
Even darker, thanks to those black clothes and that bohemian-looking hat. What was it, a fedora that was old enough to have lost the firmness of the brim? He didn’t exactly have a beard – it looked more like he just hadn’t bothered shaving for long enough to be at the tipping point of deliberate facial hair. He’d filled out in the last ten years, too, judging by the shape of the muscles underneath and below the sleeves of his close-fitting black tee shirt, but it wasn’t the lightning-fast mental catalogue of how Luc Moreau looked that had frozen Sophie to the spot outside the Château d’Orval.
Neither was it the fact that she was seeing someone she hadn’t seen for nearly ten years and had never wanted to see again.
No. It was joining the dots that had shocked her the most. Luc Moreau was the controversial and mysterious Phoenix and she would have to work with him today.Allday.
She hadn’t recognised him from whatever internet sites she’d brushed past in the last year or two but she hadn’t been looking at the photographer, had she? Not when those dystopian wedding photo images that Le Phénix was famous for were so disturbing.
She wanted to turn and run.
No. She wanted this man to turn and simply vanish.
But neither of those things could happen. Because Sophie was responsible for making this day a success. It wasn’t just her business and income she was responsible for. Over the years she had collected a team of people who depended on her. Groups of hardworking locals, like the caterers and cleaners. Friends, like Tilly and Florence and Françoise. And Greg. How long would it be before he could start working again? She had to hold things together so that she would be in a position to help him financially if that kind of support was needed.
It also couldn’t happen because Zara Beaumont knew who was now coming to do her photography today and it was adding a whole new level of excitement. That threat had been real and if Sophie stood in the way of whatever rewards the combination of followers that Le Phénix and Zara could influence, her business would be ruined. It might be ruined anyway but she wasn’t going to go down without a damn good fight.
‘Phoenix,’ Luc said as he reached the top of the stairs and was close enough for her to hear the quiet words. ‘It’s the only name I’ll answer to here.’
Sophie gave a single nod. That was fine by her. Saying his name was like a portal into the past she had no desire to pass through. That brief moment with the wedding dress had been more than enough of a warning. She didn’t want to look at, let alone hear, or, worst of all,touchanything on the other side.
