‘I do have a bit of a problem though. I don’t suppose you could recommend or have any contacts with local caterers?’
‘Are the caterers not booked? It is very late.’
‘I know but the ones that were booked have cancelled.’
‘The only person I know is Juliet Garnier. She is the best in the area. She was at school with Yvette.’
‘That’s who has cancelled.’
‘Juliet? She’s very…’ Solange’s mouth crimped into a straight line. ‘That’s unfortunate. But I’m afraid I cannot help you.’ With that she drifted out of the room.
Hattie huffed out a sigh. ‘Can’t or won’t?’ she muttered to herself.
ChapterSeven
Luc rubbed the neck of his T-shirt, pulling off another stray leaf. His skin itched like crazy since he had been out working on the vines all morning with Alphonse, pruning and cutting back some of the fruit to ensure a better crop. As a result, he could feel small pieces of greenery and probably the odd bug that had worked their way under the fabric.
Out of habit he strode towards the stairs, already pulling his T-shirt over his head, desperate to relieve the horrible scratchy sensation, in readiness for his shower. He was just shaking it out and taking the first step up the staircase, when he heard a crash and the Englishwoman’s voice uttering a curse.
He tossed the T-shirt over the banister and jogged towards the noise coming from the dining room. Hattie was wrestling with a stack of plates, trying to remove them from the sideboard without tripping over an upended box on the floor from which knives, forks and spoons spilled.
‘Do you need a hand?’
‘God, yes, please,’ she said, turning around. ‘This is heavier than I…’ Her voice trailed off as she stared at his bare chest, her mouth open. ‘Than I expected. I knocked that box of silver off. Good job it's full of cutlery and not china.’ Her words came quick and fast. ‘This stuff is valuable. It would be awful if I’d bro—’ Clearly realising she was rambling and still staring she deliberately moved her gaze up to his face and he saw her swallow. ‘…broken anything.’
He grinned at her. His muscles were hard won at the gym, he liked to box, and her shocked appreciation ignited a sudden dart of interest.
She shut her mouth quickly, her eyes widening, and she thrust the stack of plates towards him, a faint pink blush tinting her cheeks. He took the weight easily, amused by her discomfort. He wondered what it would be like to kiss Hattie Carter-Jones. She wasn’t his usual type, much gentler and a lot less sophisticated but also a lot kinder.
‘Where do you want them?’ he asked, grinning at her.
‘The kitchen. What?’ She narrowed her eyes.
‘I like the outfit.’ She raised a self-conscious hand to the scarf around her head and glanced down at the denim dungarees, the legs rolled up to reveal bright yellow socks which clashed beautifully with her purple Converse. She looked very cute in a pixie pop-star sort of way.
‘Are you making fun of me?’
‘No, not at all. I like it, it’s quite charming.’
She snorted. ‘It’s practical,’ she said. ‘This place is filthy. I thought I’d make a start in here. I’ve been dusting the surfaces, washing these beautiful dishes. Have you seen them? Course you have, you live here. They’re too lovely to be left out like this. I can’t believe how much stuff there is. The plus is that there are enough place settings for the whole wedding.’
‘Won’t the caterers supply that sort of thing?’ he asked, carrying the plates towards the kitchen, looking back over his shoulder.
‘Ah,’ she sighed heavily. ‘That is a whole other story.’
He put the plates on the side and scratched at his neck and caught a whiff of himself.
‘I really need a shower. Why don’t you tell me in the car on the way to the market? Can you give me half an hour to freshen up.’
‘I could probably do with a shower too…’
‘You’re very welcome,’ he said with a teasing lift of one eyebrow, watching her blush again.
‘I didn’t mean together, I meant … I need one as well. At the same time. Not with you. In the shower with you.’ She closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead.
When she opened them he grinned at her again.
‘Go,’ she said pointing to the doorway.
