Page 39 of Scent of Desire
Radcliff walked up the stone staircase that led to the first floor. The mezzanine overlooked the copper tubs.
A cynical smile tipped his lips. “This property belongs to your fields.”
My eyes opened wildly, and a scream of excitement escaped my mouth. “So, this is all mine?”
“You need a place to make your perfume oils, if I’m not mistaken?” Radcliff arrived at the mezzanine and leaned on the railing of the metallic balcony.
I couldn’t believe this. The fields of flowers in Grasse were linked to the biggest names in the perfume world. It was the only place for a perfumer to be. The climate that hit the land brought magic to the blooms; it was unique in the world. The fields were often bought by an extraction plant, so the flower pickers would harvest the blooms at the first ray of sun to bring them inside the copper tub for their petals to become precious oils. Usually, a nearby villa would—
“This and the bastide next to it belong to you. It’s small but enough for one person,” he added.
“What?” It wasn’t small—it was huge. “It’s perfect! Oh my god! I’m living a dream. Is it real? No way, it can’t be real! This is insane!” A flood of unstoppable speech escaped my lips.
He offered me on a hellish platter more than I could dare to dream about and hope for. But I needed to remind myself that with Radcliff, nothing came without a price. The Devil makes deals, not fairy-tale dreams come true.
“But I shouldn’t accept that…” I murmured, putting my elation to a halt.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t.” With assurance, he gave a sign of his hand for me to come up. “But we both know you’ll never refuse mygift.”
He was right—there was no need to lie. I would accept it without looking back twice. I’d sacrifice everything to build a kingdom of my own. Hell, I’d already sold my soul for a scent.
But still, a part of me wondered why Radcliff would do that for me. Why would he care about my happiness so much if he was truly unable to love someone? No actions were selfless, but I refused to believe this one was only about possession.
“You said if I were to leave, you’d burn the world except for a land of flowers you’d show mercy on. Because you knew that’s where I’d be. Is it your assurance to find your way back to me?”
“We both know I have some controlling and protective tendencies.” Hence, his personal bodyguards guarding the field. “But like I said, this is a gift.”
He understood my dream and the fire that animated my soul.
“I thought the Devil didn’t give gifts?” I teased him, taking the stairs.
“Not when it’s about his queen.”
Queen.That name made my heart stop like a bomb exploding, freezing me into place. I seized the railing, my eyes locking with his. He didn’t shift; if anything, he grew more imposing by his statement, his smell tinting the room of night-blooming flowers and ghoulish skeletal specters. I swallowed, a wave of goose bumps traveling through my face to my legs.
I had probably become scarlet red, imagining myself reigning on a throne of thorny carnivorous blossoms in the midst of hell. I continued climbing up the stairs, and once upstairs, his hand reaching out to me was an invitation I couldn’t refuse.
The moment our hands sealed together, it felt like he was introducing me to his invisible royal subjects, a court of phantoms and the undead.
He gave me a nod, and I leaned forward on the ramp, gazing inside the giant cauldron. The ballerina-pink centifolia roses filled only a few centimeters of the tub. The other two were filled out to the top. I inhaled the scents, a feeling of enchantment and wonder transpiercing me—this was the epitome of spring.
“I want to go inside.” I leaned the most that I could over the ramp, my hair falling to the top of the cauldron. “Do you think I could jump?”
“Not without hurting yourself.”
“Oh,” I breathed, not hiding my disappointment.
“But…” He trailed off. I instantly looked backward at him. Radcliff loomed behind me and caged me in with his arms before his lips curved into a sly sneer. “There is perhaps another way if you look closely.”
He glanced at the cauldron one last time, then to me. I refocused on the tub, squinting, my eyes zooming between every detail until my stare captured a little door at the bottom, halfway hidden by the roses. I gasped, and Radcliff’s arms freed me, allowing me to bolt down the stairs.
I got around the impressive tub, searching for that small door—it wasn’t much taller than a meter at the most. I was truly Alice in Wonderland, but luckily for me, I wouldn’t need a potion to be able to get inside of it.
I stopped in front of the copper door, tilting my neck back to peer at Radcliff upstairs. “Is it locked?”
He leaned his elbows over the railing, his eyes glittering with twisted amusement. I grabbed the handle and turned it slowly. Once the secret passage opened, a few roses fell to the ground. I slipped inside on my knees and enclosed the door behind me to keep the flowers inside. One thing was for sure, Radcliff would never be able to come through it.
I was in the middle of the roses like I was inside my own castle, and my chin quivered under the emotions of happiness that took root in me. I held a few flowers in my palms, sniffing them. I was so ecstatic that I laughed and threw them in the air. I watched the roses fly as if they were shooting stars. Once they fell back, they mingled with my hair, blessing me with their aroma.
