Page 53 of A French Country Escape
This time as they wandered around, Lucas put his arm around Penny’s shoulders and pulled her close in a hug. ‘My future have definitely improve this afternoon; I hope you feel you too,’ he said, planting a gentle kiss on her temple. ‘I will thank the saints of Brittany when we visit the chapel.’
Both were lost in their own thoughts as Lucas drove them home later. Penny, thinking about the way they had bonded back in the Valley of the Saints, was happy to sit and let her impressions wash over her. She knew it was early days but taking the decision to stay in France had, it seemed, kick-started a new life for her in several directions. New home, new business and now a new boyfriend. Lucas too, it seemed, was feeling happy and carefree judging by the way he kept giving her quick, almost conspiratorial glances.
As they drove through the village towards the château, Penny caught him giving her another sideways happy smile.
‘I can see you,’ she said, laughing. ‘Please stop looking so pleased with yourself. People are going to wonder why you’re grinning like a Cheshire cat.’
‘I not care. I want people to know I got the most beautiful girlfriend,’ Lucas said.
‘Ah. Remember what I said earlier about taking it slowly? Can we keep it to ourselves for a bit?’ Penny said quietly.
‘Why? I want people to know about us. Don’t you?’
‘It’s not that I don’t want people knowing, it’s just that—’ she hesitated, ‘—I like the idea of you and me being a secret with nobody knowing about us for a little while.’
‘Again, why?’
‘I need to get used to the idea of you and me being a couple.’ She didn’t add that part of her was afraid of being hurt by him,even though she knew in her heart that Lucas was a totally different kind of man to Rory.
Lucas sighed as he turned the car onto the château drive. ‘Okay, I agree. But do you have any idea how long it will take you to get use to the idea of us?’
Penny shook her head. ‘No. I just—Oh my God.’ She stared, frozen, at the car parked in front of the château and at the man gesturing at, and clearly arguing with, her parents.
‘What the matter?’ Lucas asked, his gaze following hers.
‘Please stop the car and let me out, and then you should leave. I don’t want you getting involved in this,’ Penny said.
‘It’s Rory, isn’t it?’
Penny nodded miserably.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Lucas said, and deliberately putting his foot down harder on the accelerator, he drew up alongside the parked car in a flurry of flying gravel. ‘Come on. Let’s get rid of him forever.’ Lucas got out and slammed the car door behind him. Penny took a deep breath, tried to stop shaking, failed, and got out slowly.
Rory turned and swore at Lucas. ‘What the hell were you thinking, driving up like that? If that gravel has damaged my car, you’ll pay.’ His eyes widened as Penny appeared at Lucas’s side. ‘Penny – what on earth is going on? What are you doing with this… this… creature?’ and Rory brandished his hand in the air irritably in Lucas’s direction.
‘What are you doing here, Rory?’ Penny said through gritted teeth.
‘I’ve come to see you of course. You are my girlfriend.’
‘No, I’m not. We were finished the night you assaulted me.’
‘But you know I didn’t mean it. I’ve come all this way to apologise and to make things right between us so we can start again. Yes?’ The smile he gave her faltered as Penny stared at him without answering.
‘You heard her – she is no longer your girlfriend,’ Peter said. ‘I’ve already warned you once to stay away from my daughter. I suggest you leave now before I call the gendarmes to have you thrown off my property.’
‘I’m quite happy to do that right now,’ Lucas said, taking a step forward.
Rory glared at him. ‘What’s it got to do with you?’
‘I believe any man who assault a woman is not a nice man,’ Lucas said dispassionately. ‘Beside,’ he continued, his voice taking on a hard tone, ‘I am very fond of Penny and the thought of you hurting her make me extremely angry.’ As he was speaking, he took a couple of steps towards Rory’s car and opened the driver’s door. ‘As Peter say, it is time for you to leave and remember, nobody here ever want to see or hear from you again.’
‘What if I don’t want to go?’
Lucas gave a deep sigh. ‘But you do want to go. Only a very stupid person would stay here and wait for the gendarmes to arrive when Penny she tell them about how you assault her.’
Several seconds passed before Rory finally got in his car and Lucas slammed the door shut and stood back. Nobody expected what happened next. After starting the engine, Rory reversed back until he had enough space to suddenly turn and drive forcibly into the side of Lucas’s car, before accelerating away down the drive with his arm out of the car window and making a rude sign at everyone.
‘Oh, Lucas, I’m so sorry about your car,’ Penny said, nearly in tears.
