The French Aristocrat's Baby by Christina Hollis

hill in silence. Two rebuffs in as many hours were unknown. What on earth had he been thinking about, laying himself open to such an attack? As he strode through the great gates of his chateau he wondered what had come over him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work. The thought of never seeing Gwen again worked on him like a headache. If he picked up a girl, they had a good time and when the evening was over, so was the liaison.
    The only exception to that rule had been Angela. They had fitted together so perfectly it would have been a sin not to take it further. Old money and new ideas, ‘tellystocracy’ and the real thing combined in the most beautiful couple in the public eye. They had been so perfectly matched, it had been a nightmare. One word had kept coming back to haunt him. Duty. Celebrity anchorwoman Angela could not understand why she should respect the Moreau family and its traditions. That had spawned a million arguments, but the final crowbar forcing Etienne and Angela apart had been far smaller, and totally innocent…
    The memory of the day he discovered Angela’s worst deception still had the power to pierce Etienne like a barb. Gwen Williams was obsessed by her career. In that respect she was exactly like Angela Webbington. Why should he be surprised if both women were cut from thesame fabric? With a snort he decided it was madness to have considered making Gwen his mistress. A short affair was one thing. Offering to restrict himself to one woman for an unspecified length of time was quite another. They always put themselves first and others nowhere. One tragic error of judgement in his life was surely enough of a warning.
    It had taken Etienne a long time to start getting over that.
    And now there was Gwen.
    He marched on. The sun was rising higher in the sky by the moment, but Etienne would have been at boiling point if it had been January. He had never lacked for anything in his life, and he wasn’t about to start denying himself now. Whatever happened, he was going to have Miss Gwyneth Williams.
    He stopped—why was she playing on his mind so much? Was it simply because he couldn’t have her, or because she was something special—? No, he baulked at using that word. It was too loaded with meaning. She was totally unlike any other woman he had ever met. That made her…
    He gazed along the drive towards his impressive chateau, trying to think of a description.
    Unique. Yes, that was it. He smiled. She had shown no signs of fawning around his money. Quite the opposite. She had stood up for herself. He couldn’t help contrasting her behaviour with Angela. His ex-fiancée had made a career out of defying him for the hell of it, and the headlines.
    He continued on towards his home, but this time more slowly. Maybe there were faults on both sides. If he hadgiven Gwen time to cool off properly, they might have laughed about their argument. It would have been forgiven in an instant. The making up would have been a lot slower, and supremely enjoyable. He liked that idea. Gwen had a lovely laugh. That wasn’t the only thing he enjoyed about her. She pleased his body in a way more experienced women had never managed. Gwen, in all her innocence, was a superbly generous lover. He remembered how responsive his body had been to her touch, and her delight in it. The simple act of thinking about her made him want her, right here and now. He turned in a crunch of gravel and took two long strides back towards her house. Then he stopped. Striking while her anger was hot had made her reject his offer a few minutes before. It obviously wasn’t the way to tame her. A woman like Gwen deserved careful handling.
    For once, Etienne would have to make haste slowly.
    With a smile, he strolled back home to plan his next move.
    Gwen’s embarrassment was so total she thought she would never recover. She could have cooked crêpes on her cheeks. Etienne had been doing her a favour, but she had yelled first without even