Remembered by Tamera Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

afternoon sun, giving the appearance that someone had lit a candle deep within them.
    With every thump of her heart, the whirring inside her head grew louder. “Breathe, Véronique, breathe. . . .” Her mother’s voice rushed toward her from years long past.
    Véronique gulped in air and tried to push herself back inside. But her arms refused the command. She teetered. The town of Willow Springs started to spin, and everything became a blur.

CHAPTER | THREE
    H ER BREATH LEFT IN A RUSH . Véronique felt herself falling. But in the wrong direction.
    “Mademoiselle Girard!”
    Arms came about her waist and pulled her backward.
    “Mademoiselle Girard!”
    A hard jolt to her backside helped clear the fog in her head, and gulped breaths discouraged the whirring. Véronique blinked several times, aware now of being sprawled on the floor, with someone close beside her.
    “Are you all right, ma’am?”
    The panic in Lilly’s voice unleashed a barrage of emotions. Véronique’s throat tightened. She massaged her pounding temples, touched by the girl’s concern but also warm with embarrassment. “ Oui , I am fine. Though I am most grateful you came when you did.”
    Lilly’s arm loosened about her waist even as she hastily repositioned her skirt over her legs. But not before Véronique saw the brace extending up the girl’s calf and thigh.
    Lilly hesitated, and then motioned to the window. “If I might be so bold, Mademoiselle Girard . . . what were you trying to do over there just now?”
    “I think I was trying to look out the window.” Véronique shrugged, the order of events still sketchy in her mind. Slowly, the memory of the man’s laughter resurfaced. “You were correct, Lilly. This room does provide a nice view. It’s—” she paused, wanting to get the phrasing right—“a mite easy on the eyes.”
    Lilly glanced from her to the window and back again. “Well, I’m not too proud to say that you about scared me to death, ma’am. I knocked, you didn’t answer, and I came in to find you hanging out the window.”
    Véronique considered the two of them on the floor and could barely stifle a giggle. What must this girl think of her?
    A gradual smile softened Lilly’s shock. “I take it you don’t do well with heights, ma’am. Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve put you in a room on the first floor instead.”
    “ Non, non . I do not wish to move. I like this room very much.” Summoning an air of nonchalance she’d mastered years ago in defense against Christophe’s tireless wit, she shrugged again. “Heights are not that bothersome to me . . . as long as I do not look down.”
    ————
    The boardwalk, deserted an hour earlier when they’d first entered the dining room for breakfast, now teemed with morning shoppers. “Monsieur Colby, I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. You have been most kind and attentive.” Véronique opened her réticule to retrieve the bills, hoping he wouldn’t argue the point.
    They’d met for breakfast at the hotel. The pancakes, cooked thin and crisp around the edges and served with jam to spread between, reminded her of crêpes back home, and the sausages had been plump and delicious. She’d also enjoyed a restful night’s sleep, thanks to Lilly having drawn a warm bath for her, followed by the late meal she’d shared afterward with Monsieur Colby. She’d half expected his friend might join them but she hadn’t seen the man since Lilly had come to her rescue.
    She held out the money. “ S’il vous plaît , Monsieur Colby, I would like you to have this as a token of my gratitude for your services. You have worked most diligently on my behalf.”
    “No, ma’am. I’m not takin’ that.” He took a step back. “That French fella, Descantes” —his pronunciation prompted Véronique to smile—“he already paid me exactly what I agreed to at the outset, and I’m not takin’ a penny more. Wouldn’t be right. Anyway, I’d hardly