Dreaming of Manderley by Leah Marie Brown

Author:Leah Marie Brown [Brown, Leah Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-11-03T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

“Close your eyes.”

“You’re serious?”

“Absolument.”

Xavier has pulled to the side of the road again and is dangling a black silk eye-mask, the same type of eye-mask found in the gift shop of the Hôtel Le Majestic.

“You want me to wear an eye-mask?”

“Oui. I have planned something special for you and I do not want the surprise ruined before we even get there.”

I take the mask, hold it to my eyes, and fasten the Velcro straps behind my head. Xavier makes sure I can’t see anything, before driving on. We aren’t driving for long when the car stops and Xavier kills the engine.

“We are here,” he says.

“Can I take my mask off?”

“Soon.”

The driver’s-side door opens and closes. My stomach flutters with nervous excitement. What could Xavier have planned? Slow dancing and sipping cocktails in a cave by the sea was the most romantic experience I have ever had and I can’t imagine what could top it.

My door opens. Sultry, sea-scented air invades the compartment, moving over my skin as seductively as the layers of my gossamer gown. Xavier helps me out of the car. I am wobbly after the vodka cocktail and disoriented without my sight. Xavier wraps his arm protectively around my waist. We begin walking over what feels like a garden path of brick pavers bordered by grass. Every second step, my heel sinks into soft ground.

“Relax,” he says, squeezing my waist. “I have you.”

I listen for clues that might reveal our location, but hear only the soft thwack-thwack of palm fronds blowing in the breeze and waves hitting the shore somewhere in the distance.

Finally, Xavier stops walking, puts his hands on my shoulders, and turns me around. “Voilà,” he whispers in my ear, his warm breath teasing my hair. “We are here. You can take the mask off and open your eyes now.”

I reach behind my head and unfasten the eye-mask. When I open my eyes, I discover I am standing on a wide gravel path facing a beautiful Napoleon III–style château with whitewashed façade, blue painted shutters, wrought-iron balconies, and a mansard roof. The gardens surrounding the château are filled with towering Aleppo pines, waxy-leaved magnolias, citrus trees heavy with fruit, and oleander bushes. I have never been here, but I recognize it as easily as I would recognize my family home in Charleston. We are standing on La Grande Allée leading from the sea to . . .

“Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc!”

“Oui,” he laughs. “We are at the Hôtel du Cap. Are you happy? Is it a good surprise, then?”

“Are you kidding me? Do you know how many postcards my aunt sent me from this hotel? I still have them tied up with the ribbon from the box of chocolates she sent me from the hotel’s chocolatier.” I impulsively throw my arms around Xavier and hug him like he’s the Macy’s Santa. “This is the best surprise you could have given me.”

He laughs again and kisses my forehead.

“Thank you, Xavier.”

“You are welcome.”

I turn back around and stare at

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