Thank heaven for Nic who would be there to help him fight this sickness.
Like Max, Luc had caught the Duchess virus, but unlike his cousin, he’d developed serious complications for which there was no cure.
After another half hour of tossing and turning, he got up to shower and shave. He was just coming back in the bedroom to get dressed when he heard the doorbell ring.
He glanced at his watch. It was ten after ten. Whoever it was, one of the staff would get it, or so he thought. When the bell rang again and again, he suddenly remembered he’d given his help the rest of the week off.
Whoever it was didn’t plan on going away any time soon.
Throwing on his robe, he started for the stairs with his cane. Halfway down he caught sight of Olivia’s long, beautiful legs. She was still dressed in the blue robe and had already opened the door.
“Madame Falcon—”
Hell. That was all he needed.
“Bonjour, mademoiselle. Is my son here?”
“I’m here, maman.”
She entered the house. “Don’t come the rest of the way, mon fils. I only dropped by to see how your leg was doing.”
His elegant, black-haired mother eyed him with concern, acting for all the world as if she wasn’t shocked to discover one of Greer’s sisters on the premises.
With those cheeks a warm pink, and her golden curls in alluring disarray, Olivia looked as if she’d just left Luc’s bed. No doubt it was the same way she’d looked in the dark the night before last when he’d come close to devouring her, all rosy skin and succulent flesh.
Somehow he’d stopped short of taking the last bite. He would have consumed a pit that would have filled his soul with bitterness.
“He’s on it way too much,” his nemesis spoke up before Luc could. “I’m afraid I’m to blame for that. Last night, or should I say at five this morning, I arrived on his doorstep, having just come from visiting Cesar.”
Olivia had his mother’s attention now.
“How is my younger son?”
“I’ll tell you all about him in a minute. Why don’t you go upstairs with Luc and I’ll bring some tea and rolls. I discovered Luc had given his staff a few days off so I volunteered to wait on him.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Not at all. It’s the least I can do to reciprocate. Your sons are the greatest hosts in the world, something they learned growing up with such a wonderful mother. Between Cesar showing me the racing world, and Luc taking me sailing, I’ve been having the time of my life and can’t bear for it to end,” she added before disappearing.
Luc shouldn’t have been surprised a woman with no scruples would make a comment like that to his mother.
“The Duchess triplets are so charming, aren’t they?” Once they reached his room she grasped his face in her hands and kissed him on both cheeks. “I’m glad someone’s here to take care of you this morning. Now lie down and put your leg up.”
She took the cane from him and rested it against the end table while he got back in bed. “The first thing I want to know is, what did the doctor say about your progress?”
“My leg will never be as good as new, but in three more days I won’t have to use a prop anymore.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “One of my prayers has been answered anyway.”
Luc averted his eyes, aware his mother agonized over the fact that neither he nor Cesar had settled down yet. Ever since Max announced his engagement in June she’d been making maternal noises. It had only heightened the tension already existing between him and Cesar.
“Here we are.”
His uninvited houseguest entered his bedroom carrying a tray with everything needed to enjoy a delicious breakfast. No surprise there, either. Olivia was a woman equally at home in the kitchen as the bedroom.
She set it down on the coffee table between the two love seats. “Please excuse me for answering the door in this guest robe, Madame Falcon. I’m washing my clothes as we speak. The Gabbiano didn’t have a washer or dryer.”
“The Gabbiano?”