Feeling like she was going to be sick, Carrie slowly turned to face her. “The wedding is off,” she said faintly. “I’m going home alone. So you don’t have to come.”
“What?” Lilley’s loud voice made the baby start to cry.
“Théo doesn’t love me,” Carrie whispered. “He wants his freedom.”
Lilley stared at her, then shook her head. “No. No way! I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“It was a lie.” Carrie looked dully out the window. The château looked empty and cold. Even Provence itself seemed to have lost its vibrancy and color. “The wedding is off,” she said again.
“Did he say why?”
“He said I was clingy.”
Fury etched every line of Lilley’s plump, sweet face. “If that’s how he’s going to treat you, then—then…I quit!”
Carrie looked at her in shock. “But Théo’s your cousin!”
“Distant cousin. And not nearly distant enough at this moment,” Lilley grumbled. Getting out of the car, she moved to sit in the back near Carrie. As she reached across the baby seat to pat her gently on the shoulder, Lilley leaned forward to the driver. “Well, what are you waiting for? The airport!”
Tears of relief filled Carrie’s eyes. She wouldn’t have to face the long flight alone. “Thank you,” she whispered. “But what will you do in Seattle?”
As the car hummed along the road leading from Gavaudan Castle, Lilley Smith settled back in the leather seat and her eyes brightened. “I’ll go see my boyfriend in San Francisco.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Carrie said in surprise.
Lilley’s face fell. “Sort of,” she mumbled.
“I hope you’ll be happy,” Carrie said.
Lilley snorted. “Huh. Don’t worry about me. And Théo will soon regret what he’s done. Believe me, he…”
But Carrie couldn’t listen as she prattled on. Leaning her head against the cool glass of the window, she stared out at the streaks of red flowers and green vineyards streaking by in a blur. She felt limp, like her very blood was burning inside her body, pulsing from the radioactive glowing core of anguish that had once been her heart.
Closing her eyes, she had a sudden sharp memory of his haunted face. “You’ll be better off without me, Carrie… You will find a man who can truly love you.”
The car pulled to a stop. She opened her eyes to see the tarmac of the nearby private airport. Lilley got out first, snapping out the car seat to carry Henry in the cushioned baby carrier. Carrie climbed out behind her, nearly stumbling as she made her way across the smooth, dry tarmac toward the steps leading to Théo’s jet.#p#分页标题#e#
With a shuddering breath, she looked behind her at the beautiful land of vivid beauty and deep love she knew she’d never see again.
A week ago she would have been thrilled to leave here. She now had everything she’d once wanted. Théo would be a part-time father to their son, but Carrie would not be forced to a life of heartbreak as his wife. She didn’t need to look for a waitressing job. She could spend her time raising her son, just as she most wanted. Théo had fulfilled her childhood dream.
The thought made her stop in her tracks. He’d had her in his grasp. She’d been ready to marry him. Why had he shown mercy? Why had he let her go?
One moment he’d been determined to marry her. He’d moved heaven and earth to seduce her. His desire for her had only grown as the week had passed. Then, at the moment of victory, he’d suddenly let her go.
Carrie closed her eyes, recalling his face in the shadowy light of his study. She’d been so overwhelmed by her own grief and pain that she hadn’t noticed the tight expression of his eyes, the hard set of his jaw, the odd pallor of his skin.
“I will always take care of you both,” he’d said. “Your happiness is more important to me than anything. More important than my own.”
She slowly opened her eyes.
Théo hadn’t wanted to let her go. He’d sacrificed his own wants for hers.
Why?
With a ragged intake of breath, she stared out at the magical landscape around her. Provence was full of color again—color so vibrant and rough and bright it hurt her eyes.
Théo did love her. He’d proved that with his actions. He loved her more than she’d ever even imagined.
“Carrie?” Lilley called, peeking around the doorway of the jet with the baby in her arms. “Everything all right?”
In the far distance Carrie thought she saw the Mediterranean. The sun was just starting to lower in the sky like a ball of golden fire against the sapphire sea.