Tess tried not to laugh and give her husband away as she watched him stealthily approach Suzanne. She watched as Suzanne ducked behind the stout pedestal of a table, peering around it to search for her father, unaware that he had moved directly behind her. The sound of a child’s laughter behind her caused Tess to turn away from the window, and she smiled at the sight of her daughter toddling awkwardly across the floor, away from Alexandre, who was pretending to chase her. She added that the ton was still reeling from the shocking events at Aubry Park, but that, she had added in a wry postscript, would last only until the next shocking event came along. The dowager informed them that she had decided to stop hiding herself away in Northumberland and had gone to London for the autumn. But they had returned to Saint-Raphael in time for the harvest, and had arrived to find a letter from Margaret awaiting them. He and Tess had returned to Saint-Raphael for a quick wedding before journeying to Florence for Alexandre's exhibitions there and a month-long honeymoon. The magistrate had been sent for, and once the dowager countess had explained the situation, emphasizing that Alexandre had acted in self-defense, he had been allowed to go free. Margaret had been right about the aftermath of Nigel's death.
Life, she realized, was very much the same for people. To produce great wine, the fruit had to suffer. Alexandre had told her that grapes didn't do well if their life was too easy. Tess watched from the window of Alexandre's studio as workers in the distance scurried like ants on an anthill amid the vineyards of Château Dumond, harvesting the grapes. And there was something purposeful about the man’s quick stride and squared shoulders that made her uneasy.It was harvest time in Saint-Raphael. ad gotten off to a rather bad start when introduced, but Sophie had quickly asserted her authority, poor Betsy had capitulated without so much as a whimper, and now, after only a few days together, the pair seemed boon companions.Ī movement by the gatehouse beyond the pasture caught her attention, and Tess tensed as she watched a man turn to come up the lane to the château. There Betsy and Sophie were grazing, free to move about now that Alexandre had repaired the fence.
A long time, she reflected, since she had been able to appreciate a man’s strength instead of fearing it.Īfter a few moments, her gaze shifted past him and past the tumble-down courtyard wall to the pasture. Resting the basket of folded laundry on her hip, Tess paused by the open window to watch him, noting with pure womanly appreciation the flex and play of his muscles as he worked. To quickly assess the difficulty of the text, read a short excerpt:
What reading level is Prelude to Heaven book?
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