When their lips parted, he said, “And that, mon trésor, is why I never tire of showering you with fine things.”
“You do an excellent job of spoiling me.” The words were there, telling him how much she loved and appreciated him, but her tone was lacking. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want him to know she was feeling bored because she didn’t have anything to do, aside from dressing and adorning herself with the expensive clothes and jewelry that Andre constantly gave her.
“What is it?” He crooked his finger under her chin.
“I think I need a hobby.”
“A hobby?”
“Or a job.”
“A job?” Andre’s eyes nearly crossed. It made Tasha laugh.
“I don’t have anything to do, Andre.” She shrugged. “I’m not the sit-around-and-do-nothing kind of girl. I need something to occupy myself with during the day.”
“We have a movie studio at our disposal,” he said. “Or at least we will in two months. Shall we find a project for you to star in?”
As appealing as that would’ve been to her a year ago, it didn’t carry the same weight now. She hesitated and glanced away. “I seem to have lost that bug.”
“Okay…” His voice trailed off and his eyes darted back and forth. He sucked in a breath, and said, “Why don’t you come to work with me?” His eyes brightened as he said it. “Help me run Mont Claire. I need someone I can trust. And who better than you?”
“You mean it?” Tasha’s hopes escalated. Working alongside Andre—well that, she just realized, was now her dream.
“I do.” He gave her a nod and a smile. “And we can start now. I was just coming to tell you that I have to go away on business, to prepare to take over Mont Claire. But now, instead of merely traveling with me, you will join me as not only my wife, but also my business partner.” There was a giddiness in his demeanor now. “There is much to do. We’ll be gone for several weeks.”
Tasha swelled with eagerness. The prospect of running a billion-dollar corporation with Andre made her feel more alive than she had in months. “I’m probably going to have lots to learn.”
“And I will gladly teach you,” he said. “But I think you’re going to be more useful than you know.” He winked at her.
“This is so exciting. When will we leave?”
“Soon. The day after tomorrow.” His eyes made a powerful contact with hers. “We’ll be gone several weeks. You’ll want to get started packing.”
“Several weeks as in three or four? Or more like a couple of months?”
“More like a couple of months.”
“That’s a lot of business to attend to.”
“Mont Claire has a great number of holdings.”
“Boy, I’ll say.” She glanced around the room. “So I guess I should pack a little of everything?”
“A lot of everything.” Andre chuckled. “I know you have your favorites, and by all means bring those. If you discover you need anything later, we’ll buy it while on the road.”
Tasha had to admit that she liked directing packing more than the actual packing. Last evening, she’d given her maid Rose and a couple of the other house maids a list of the things she wanted to take, and this morning they were filling her suitcases.
That left Tasha with some time to go into Marseilles and pick up a few things. She was sure she could pick them up on the road, but half the fun of going away was picking up last minute items. She left word of where she was going with Rose, and headed for the garage.
On the ground floor, Tasha learned that all three chauffeurs were already out. Andre had said something about hiring another driver, but as of yet, it hadn’t been done.
“That’s okay,” she told Parker. “There are other cars in the garage, right?”
Parker nodded.
“Well, have one of them brought around for me. I’ll drive myself.”
“If that is Madam’s wish.” Parker headed for the garage.
Tasha went back to the central stairway and headed up to the second floor’s main entrance to wait for the car. She reached for the doorknob, but changed her mind, deciding to check with Camille to see if she wanted to join her.
She trotted up the stairs and headed for the nursery, figuring that’s where she’d find Camille. In her place, that’s where Tasha would be.
Peeking her head into the room, she saw Camille sitting in the rocker, holding Juliana. The lights were turned down, soft music filled the air, and the baby was sleeping peacefully. Seeing the glow emanating from Camille’s face, Tasha smiled.
“Hey…” Tasha whispered, standing in the doorway.
“What’s up?” Camille asked in a hushed voice.
“I’m going into town.” Tasha tried to match her tone. “Wondered if you wanted to come with me. We could do lunch.”
“I wish I could,” Camille said. “I’m interviewing today.”
“Interviewing? Interviewing for what?”
“A new nanny.”
“A new nanny?” Tasha was starting to feel like a parrot. “What happened to Cecily?”
Camille hesitated. “I wish I knew. She up and quit.”
“Really?” Tasha’s voice showed her confusion. “I got the feeling she thought herself rather grand working here.”
“Maybe she found something else that she thinks will make her feel grander.” Camille chuckled.
Tasha pushed away from the doorjamb. “Okay…well, you know Andre and I are leaving town tonight. We’ll be gone a while,” she said with a bit of remorse. Tasha hated leaving behind her one true friend. “Stay in touch, okay?”
Camille got up and put Juliana in her crib, covered her with a light blanket, then turned toward Tasha. She sucked in a breath and moved toward her. “You and I,” she said, reaching for Tasha’s hands, “are going to be seeing plenty of each other. We are family now, after all.”
Tasha shrugged and tried to ward off the tears pooling around her eyes. “I’m just being a big baby.”
“You and I have been friends for so long…”
“Yeah, and isn’t this what we’ve always dreamed of?” she asked herself as much as Camille. “To be married to two brothers so we’d officially be in the same family.”
“Yeah.” Camille laughed. “I guess neither of us considered that marrying rich brothers would mean lots of time away from home.”