Free Love On The Vine by Sally Clements

downfall? His fingers tightened around the stem of his glass. Whatever she was up to, he’d discover it.
    ****
    T his day had gone from bad to worse. Bella sat in the cool interior of Etienne’s car and wondered what the hell she’d done wrong.
    He’d been coldly courteous since he picked her up at her apartment, treating her like a stranger.
    She’d put it down to nerves at the evening to come, but his attitude all evening had been inexplicable. No repeat of the passionate embrace he’d given her this morning. No teasing banter. She missed it. When he’d arrived to collect her at the end of the gathering, she’d reached up for his kiss, and the cool brush of his lips against her cheek had shocked as much as a slap would. “What’s the matter?” she asked, relieved her voice sounded cool and steady.
    Etienne stared through the windshield at the road ahead. His large, tanned hands gripped the wheel tightly. “Nothing.”
    A tense silence stretched, but he didn’t elaborate. She pulled in a shaky breath, and pushed harder. “There must be something. You’re ignoring me. Can we talk about it, at least?” This time, she didn’t care if she sounded desperate, she was in much too deep to let this problem go.
    “I’m just tired. And you must be too. We’ll be at your apartment soon.” His jaw clenched in a tight line.
    Bella mustered all her courage. “I want to go to the château,” she said, twisting her hands together in her lap. “I want to talk.”
    “Well, I don’t.”
    A cold shiver danced up Bella’s spine.
    He’d never spoken so rudely. Never been so icily dismissive. Maybe the woman she’d been once would have acceded to his demand and accepted his harshly spoken words. But the relationship growing between them meant more than her pride. “Etienne.” She had to pierce his distain. She just had to. “Please don’t shut me out.”
    He slanted a quick glance her direction through narrowed eyes.
    Desperation clenched at her insides. The growing relationship between them couldn’t end like this, it just couldn’t. “Talk to me.” She heard the plea in her voice, but didn’t care.
    With a brief jerk, he nodded. “I’ll take you to the château, and we’ll talk.”
    The harsh lines of his face might have been carved from granite. Tension thick as fog filled the car between them.
    “And then I’ll take you home.”
    Darkness swathed the château. Etienne flung open the car door, and stepped out. “We’ll talk in the kitchen.”
    His uncharacteristic rudeness had Bella biting hard on her lip to resist shouting. Restless energy buzzed through her veins as she followed him inside. Maybe he’d heard of her father’s poisonous whispering campaign against him. If so, he had no right to blame her. She’d even forced herself to meet with her father to warn him to desist from ruining Etienne’s reputation. The scene that followed had left her shaking but defiant.
    Her father declared she’d never see her mother again if she didn’t apologize immediately.
    Bella loved her mother, but not even her father’s vicious threat would sway her. Her father’s actions were unpardonable, and she’d tell him so, whatever the consequences.
    Etienne flicked on the kettle and flung grounds into the cafetiere, slamming the cupboard shut with unnecessary force.
    Such palpable anger, in another man, might be frightening. But she had nothing to fear from him, he’d never hurt her.
    “So?” He turned and leaned a hip against the counter. “What do you want to talk about so urgently?” He crossed his arms, and stared through narrowed eyes.
    “I want to know why you’re behaving like this. As if I’m nothing to you,” Bella answered in a calm voice.
    “Because you are nothing to me.” His brown eyes burned. “Except a business associate.”
    Her heart hammered in her chest. “And this morning? The kiss? The picnic? Things were very different then.” Her voice faltered, but she swallowed, and