I was filled with excitement. Finally, a guy for Alice. The bees didn’t know who the man was, only that he’d only arrived in Chancellor that morning. But they did have one other interesting bit of information. He’d come to the bed and breakfast in a car owned by Blushing Grape Vineyards. It seemed that everywhere I turned, Viola’s family was in my life. Surely, that meant something.
What mattered most, however, was Alice’s happiness. And for the first time in a long time, we were on to something. All things had their season. Finally, it was Alice’s time.
I pulled my old truck into the parking lot of Lavender Fields Bed and Breakfast just after lunch. It was warm for a spring day, and I saw that the first of Genevieve’s lavenders were blooming. The field next to the Victorian mansion, which was painted the same hue as the flower whose name it bore, was alive with purplish blue flowers. The owner of the bed and breakfast was on the porch watering hanging baskets.
I grabbed the box of honey off the seat. The cardboard box from Tess’ shop was still sitting there. I needed to remember to take it into the house. Lord knows what other treasures Cassidy had missed, and I needed to get those tools cleaned up.
“Hey, Rayne,” Genevieve called from the front porch. Setting down her watering can, she wiped her hands on her apron. In her early fifties, Genevieve had moved to Chancellor around the same time I’d arrived. She was unique, capturing my interest from the start. Most women at least noticed my faerie sparkle, but she barely looked at me. The reason, however, was far from magical. Over time, she’d opened up to me just a little, telling me of a bad marriage which had an even worse end. She’d seen the old Victorian for sale online and decided to come to Chancellor to start a new life. Each time I saw her, I could see her heart was slowly stitching itself back together. But she was still a wounded thing. It was strange what humans did to one another. Faeries never treated each other so roughly, especially not in matters of the heart. Maybe it’s because we knew what delicate organs hearts really were, both physically and energetically. It saddened me to see her in such a state, a perpetually broken thing. Many times I wondered where her fairy godparent was. Next time I saw Ziggy, I would ask about Genevieve.
“Thought you might be running low,” I told her as I carried the box up the stairs.
“Good guess. It’s getting busy. Spring is here again, and with the lavender starting to bloom, I’m booking up early. Come on in,” she said.
Genevieve had restored the Victorian mansion back to its original splendor. Brocade wallpaper, elaborate moulding, shimmering wood floors covered with ornate Turkish rugs, and period furniture decorated the place. A massive wooden staircase at the center of the house divided the space in half. On the left was a lovely parlor painted in pale purple and decorated with charming period chaises, sofas, and even an elaborate birdcage from which two sparrows called to me.
Hello. Hello.
I whistled back to them.
Genevieve smiled. “How do they always know it’s you?”
“The honey. I must smell good,” I replied, following her to the right where a second parlor, which had been turned into a dining room, adjoined the more formal dining space.
“If you say so, but they only do that with you. How odd. So, how many do you have?” she asked, looking into the crate.
“Dozen.”
She nodded. “I’ll go grab some cash if you’d like to grab the empties off the tables,” she said then headed back to the kitchen.
There were two couples finishing up lunch and a single gentleman sipping tea while he read over some papers. I set about picking up the old jars of honey while I assessed the options. Both couples were older and very much coupled. No luck there. The young man sitting with his papers, however, seemed like a good bet. And there was something about him, a certain shine, which told me he was the one. My gut confirmed it, urging me to say hello. It was the same feeling I’d experienced the day I’d met Horatio’s would-be girlfriend, Julie. I’d seen Julie walking down the street among a busy crowd and in that singular moment, I knew there was something special about her. And there was. For one, she turned out to be a pretty talented hearth witch. And for two, she was my best friend’s true love. I’d learned along the way, that when it came to patching up couples, I had good instincts.
“Pardon me?” I said politely as I approached the man. “May I take that jar if you are finished with it?”
The man looked up at me from over the rim of his glasses. I could see I had distracted him from his thoughts. He wasn’t upset, just surprised. I eyed him over. He had wavy reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. Surely handsome enough for Alice.
“Je m'excuse,” he said politely. “Sorry. Excuse me. I was distracted. Of course.”
French. He was French? While his English was perfect, there was no missing the accent.
I nodded and carefully lifted the jar as I glanced at his papers. Thereon, I saw a number of equations and charts. “In town on business?”
The man nodded and gave me a friendly smiled. “Oui. There is a conference at the college tomorrow. Just, eh, familiarizing, myself with my presentation.”
“Your first time in Chancellor?” I asked, trying to amp up some of my faerie sparkle.
He nodded. “In Chancellor, yes. You’re from here? Please…” he said, motioning to the seat across from him.
Bingo. “Thanks,” I said, joining him. “I’m just waiting on Genevieve,” I added, tapping the empty jar.
“The honey? Very nice. It has a very sweet aroma. You must have apples.”
“How did you know?”
The man tapped his nose. “Trained. I’m Luc,” he said then, reaching out to shake my hand.
“Rayne,” I replied, returning the gesture. “Trained?”
“My family…perfumers. We have factories near the lavender fields in Provence. As I was telling Miss Harper,” he said, referring to Genevieve. “I feel right at home here,” he said with a smile.
Okay. Great. He was smart, handsome, and friendly…all good for Alice. But he was from another country. How was that ever going to work? “That’s Chancellor for you. I’ve lived all over, but there is something very special about this place.”
Luc nodded, but I saw a sad shadow cross his face. There was a longing behind his eyes. Something told me that the idea of traveling around until he found some place he wanted to live was quite outside his grasp. I knew the look. Horatio used to have the same shadow behind his eyes. It was the look of a man trapped by his good fortune.
“Here you go,” Genevieve said then, returning from the back. She handed me an envelope. “Ah, I see you’ve met Monsieur Beaumont.”
“We were just getting acquainted,” I replied.
Genevieve smiled then peered over our heads out the window. “Out of time, I’m afraid. Looks like your ride is here, monsieur,” she said, then cast a glance toward the door.
We both turned to hear the front door open. A moment later, the sparrows called to me.
She’s coming. She’s coming.
A second later, Viola Hunter turned the corner.
The moment her eyes settled on me, my heart felt like it had been filled with liquid sunlight. All I wanted to do was race across the room, sweep her into my arms, and plant a kiss on her lips. If only…