Page 41 of Fake Fiancée, Real Baby
“Well, I… yes, I suppose there’s just been so many other things to think about.”
The chef smiled. “Then I’ll do my best to create something wonderful for you both.”
Claire felt tears welling up in her eyes. Food brought people together. Had it not been for food — the dishes she’d served on board theAurora— Adrien might never have noticed her. A lump rose in her throat, and she was relieved when a sudden ping announced the soufflés were ready. Standing back, she watched as Monsieur Garonne removed them from the oven. They were perfect — risen majestically above the rims of the ramekins, still with the slightest of wobbles.
“They look delicious,” Claire said, as the chef offered her a spoon.
“Ah, but as soon as they rise, they sink.”
There was a metaphor in there somewhere, and Claire wondered if she’d been too hasty in allowing her own feelings to rise. It was easy to fall in love. Or, rather, it was easy to stray towards saying so. On the yacht, everything had seemed so simple. Falling in love had seemed simple. But in Flandenne, with a baby, and with so much else to think about…
“But for a few moments it’s perfect,” Claire replied, digging her spoon into the fluffy rise of the soufflé.
It tasted divine — sweet and light, with a hint of pistachio.
“They can’t be left. Soufflés hate neglect,” the chef said, watching as Claire took another spoonful.
She’d gladly have eaten the whole thing. But the time had come to leave. The car would be waiting. She wanted to slip awaywithout a fuss. It would be known soon enough. The tabloids, the websites, social media…
Why do people care so much?
Claire thanked Monsieur Faronne and left the palace kitchens, hurrying through the back corridors of the palace. It felt strange to be leaving, though it would be just as strange to remain. Claire was beginning to realize she didn’t know where she belonged or what her life was meant to be like. For a short while, she’d glimpsed something different. But it had never been meant to be — not really. She kept telling herself as much, her heart beating fast as she hurried to leave — to leave everything behind.
“Claire?”
Claire paused, closing her eyes and sighing as the familiar voice of the queen pulled her up short.
“Your Majesty,” she said, turning and dipping into a curtsey as she’d learned to do on encountering Adrien’s mother over the past few weeks.
“Where are you going? I thought we could talk,” the queen said, advancing towards Claire, who had no choice but to pause on the corridor beneath a large portrait of one of Adrien’s ancestors.
“I was just… coming from the kitchens. Monsieur Faronne was showing me some of the dishes he’s been creating for the wedding,” Claire said, forcing a smile to her face as the queen approached.
“Adrien tells me you’re not finding things easy,” the queen said, looking searchingly at Claire, who blushed.
She didn’t realize Adrien had noticed. He’d seemed distant since she’d told him she was pregnant — as though he was holding back.
“Oh, I… I don’t know about that. It’s all very different, of course,” Claire replied.
She wanted to run away — to leave all this behind and not be made to face up to the fact of her doubts.
“I understand,” the queen replied. “It was the same for me when I married the king. He was the crown prince then, of course. I wasn’t used to the spotlight. Suddenly, everyone was interested in me. I couldn’t understand it. Why would they care about me? But they did.”
Claire nodded. “But you got used to it?”
To her surprise, Adrien’s mother shook her head.
“No. I learned to live with it. That’s all. I don’t think you can ever get used to it. The life we’re forced to live isn’t one I’d wish on anyone. I can’t even wear the same dress without someone noticing. Everything I buy, everywhere I go, every choice I make ends up with someone commenting on it or deducing something from it.”
The thought was hardly compelling, and Claire wondered why the queen was telling her this if it was an attempt to reassure her.
“But you’ve always carried on,” Claire replied.
The queen nodded. “Yes. And there’s a simple reason for it. Love. If I didn’t love my husband, how could I? That’s what I’m trying to say to you, Claire. It’ll destroy you if you let it. And if you don’t have love, it’s an impossibility. But if you do, the rest doesn’t matter. Not really. You can learn to live with it. Adrienknows that. He’s known it all his life, but perhaps he hasn’t fully appreciated that you haven’t. Ask yourself what you want, Claire. We’re all here to help you, I promise.”
Claire was touched. She hadn’t seen this side of the queen before, and perhaps that was the point. Behind the trappings of wealth and privilege, this family was no different from any other, and what was happening was no different from what happened in so many other families, too. It made Claire think twice about what she was doing, and about her feelings towards Adrien — a man who’d never known different, and for who what was happening now was normal.
“Thank you. I suppose… I just wasn’t quite ready for it,” Claire replied.
