She eased away from his hard body. “I need to get the coffee cup in the sitting room. Your mother came while you were gone. She brought you a gift. It’s on the table in the kitchen.”
Raoul hurried through the villa where he found Alain finishing off another strawberry. He kissed the top of his son’s head. “Thank you for everything, Delphine. If you’ll take him up to bed now, I need to talk to Cami.”
“Of course.”
“Bonne nuit, mon petit.” He gave Alain another kiss before they left the kitchen.
Cami sank down on a chair while he opened the package.
“This is incredible,” he murmured. “My mother has retrieved these without my having to resort to a court order to get them. I’m pleased beyond words.”
“What are those?”
“The journals Jerome willed to me.”
“Oh. That’s wonderful!”
“Nothing could make me happier. I need them for the new business I’ve started. My mother knew how important they are to me and must have prevailed on Sabine to let me have them and the paintings.”
“It sounds like your mother loves you very much.”
“Mother hasn’t known what to make of me for years.”
“Why is that?”
“My father has never approved of my way of thinking about life and we’ve never seen eye to eye. Unfortunately he has intimidated her for years. I’ve rarely heard her express her true thoughts. She’s afraid to say or do anything that will upset him. It took a great deal of daring for her to bring me those journals.”
“But they belong to you!”
“True, but my father didn’t want to lose Sabine. She fought the divorce, and held those journals and paintings back to use for leverage. My father loves the prestige of the Murat money and influence. He tried to make me hold on to Sabine at all costs. He even had my gran’pere declare me the CEO so I wouldn’t divorce her. He held out against hope. That’s the reason he refused to tell the truth to the media.”
Finally Cami had the answer to that question. “According to the newscast, she brought millions to your marriage.”
He nodded. “My father can’t bear to see me part with all her money. One day she’ll be an heiress. Her parents feel the same way about the Fontesquieu fortune. Being married to me, she had access to some of it.”
“Does your father know about Sabine’s lie to you?”
His dark head reared. “No one knows except Sabine, the doctor, Dominic and Nathalie, Arlette and now you.” And Cami’s mother. “That’s the way it’s going to stay. The ugliness over money and power in this family has gone on long enough. My father, along with Sabine and her parents, have done everything in their power to keep us together, but it’s far too late.”
“I love your mother for doing that for you.”
Their gazes met. “It’s a miracle she was able to convince Sabine to return the paintings and the journals to me. Naturally the news will get back to my father, and Maman will pay a price for it. That’s what concerns me.”
“It’s obvious she was willing to take the risk. That’s because you’re her only son and she has never stopped loving you. You have to know the truth of that deep down.”
“I do. I think this was her way of giving me a peace offering. I told her recently that I would be leaving the business soon.”
“I don’t know how your father ever let you go.”
“He had no choice.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’ve told you about him. There’s no hope where he’s concerned. I’ve refused the CEO position. That, plus my divorce, has hardened his heart. When I said goodbye, he didn’t try to stop me.”
“How tragic for him, but I know your mother couldn’t feel the same way. Oh, Raoul—you should have seen her eyes when she glimpsed Alain for the first time. They were flooded with tears. I had the distinct impression she was seeing you when you were his age. You both look so much alike.”
“That’s the reason Nathalie had such a hard time trying to figure out which Fontesquieu was Alain’s father.”