A Marriage Betrayed by Emma Darcy

Author:Emma Darcy [Darcy, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Contemporary, Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Published: 1999-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Another loss. "Was Colette close to her stepfather or his children?"

Kristy asked, wondering if those connections could have been helpful to her sister.

"Auguste was kind to her, but not close. His sons were much older than Colette. They were not really part of her life."

No one for her twin to confide in then, Kristy concluded. She had been right last night. Colette would have felt very alone. Though she shouldn't have with Armand's family all around her, living under the same roof. Clearly there had been an estrangement with Armand—and the fault behind that was very murky— but what of the other family members? Had no one befriended her?

Well, she was going where she would find out, Kristy thought, embracing an even stronger sense of purpose. It wasn't only the children who would get her attention at Crecy. Something had been very wrong there for Colette to feel driven to go to Geneva, especially since her husband had told her there was nothing to be found.

In a valiant attempt to ignore the disturbing presence of the man beside her, Kristy watched the beautiful countryside they passed on this route through the Loire Valley to the heart of the Cognac country.

As lovely as the scenery was, her mind kept turning to their destination and what she'd be faced with.

Wine was Armand's business, and it was undoubtedly very very profitable to live as he did. When she'd asked about Crecy this morning, he'd explained it wasa village, next door to the chateau, housing a whole court of craftsmen to work the vineyard and tend the wine. Carpenters, painters, bricklayers, mechanics, gardeners, tilers, electricians, plumbers, and farmers; all lived there with their families.

The chateau itself, unlike many chateaux in the district, had always been lived in by some branch or other of Armand's family, going back to when it was built in the first decade of the nineteenth century. It served not only as a home for the Dutournier line, but as a centre of entertainment for special occasions.

Wealth, power, very high social status, pride in his reputation and his heritage...Armand exuded it all. His family undoubtedly would, too.

Had Colette felt intimidated by it, crushed by it? Kristy vowed she wouldn't. She had a place there as the children's aunt. The poor relation, maybe, but still an important relation.

Poor... she frowned over that description, wondering if Armand had insisted on the designer clothes to wipe out that image, to actually help her fit in more easily. Was it a kindness or did he have some other stronger motive? The shock of your resemblance to Colette... he had said last night. What did he expect that to evoke? From whom?

I'm being used, she thought.

Nevertheless, it did get her into the lives of Colette's children.

And no way would she allow herself to be abused!

It $as late afternoon when the Citroen turned into the tree-lined driveway which led to the superb stately mansion which was the Chateau Crecy-Dutournier.

Kristy was prepared to expect a certain amount of old grandeur, but the building still took her breath away.

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