Read Online Paradise Found by Dorothy Vernon - Free Book Online Page A

has been in my favor. Sorry about the pun, I couldn’t resist it.’
    Zoe laughed along with her. ‘Not many people can. I’ve got used to it. The favorite one is about my face being my fortune. For obvious reasons, the one I dislike is fortune hunter.’
    Hannah nodded. ‘You can’t be called much of a fortune hunter in nailing Tony. Now if it were Matt! Even the combination of your names—Fortune and Hunter—points to it. I wonder what would have happened if Matt had seen you first,’ she speculated.
    He did and nothing happened, Zoe thought as she felt the color rising under her skin. She would have been open with Hannah, because Hannah was the sort of person who invited the truth, but for the fact that she still hadn’t got round to telling Tony that she had once been friendly with his uncle. If only she’d told him at the beginning. It was the kind of confession that, the longer you put it off, the more difficult it got.
    â€˜Zoe,’ Hannah was saying. ‘Now that’s a pretty name. It’s the equivalent of Eve, which is the Greek word for life. You’ll certainly add a bit of life to Les Charmettes.’
    Zoe didn’t miss the wry intonation. Hannah was quick. She knew she would have to be careful not to arouse the woman’s suspicions, that is, if they weren’t already aroused. ‘Thank you, Hannah.’
    â€˜I wasn’t being gracious. I meant it. As you see, Pierre has brought up your baggage. Do you want any help in unpacking? I could send Monique up, or better still, Yvette, who is nearer your age.’
    â€˜Thanks, but no. I prefer to do it myself. I feel quite spoiled enough as it is with all this.’ She waved her arms expansively.
    â€˜I’m glad you like it.’
    â€˜I couldn’t help but like it.’
    â€˜That’s nice. I’ll leave you to it, then. Come down when you’re ready.’
    With that Hannah went. What a delightful person Matt’s mother was. The thought brought a gentle sigh to Zoe’s lips. It was relevant, and more than a little disturbing, that she thought of Hannah as Matt’s mother and not her fiancé’s grandmother.
    There was an easy atmosphere at Les Charmettes, and Zoe fitted in as if she had always belonged. Hannah’s select circle of friends made Zoe feel very welcome, and they liked her as much for herself as because she provided the diversion of a fresh face. Especially one so ‘young and pretty’, to quote André Dupont, a widower who seemed to be one of Hannah’s most frequent visitors and who was the grandfather of the Camille whom Nerissa had mentioned. André Dupont asked Zoe if she had met Camille and looked slightly surprised when she said no. ‘With any luck, Camille will pay me a visit while you are still here. If not, you must get Tony to introduce you two when you return to England.’
    â€˜I will most certainly do that, monsieur,’ Zoe had promised.
    André Dupont was perhaps a couple of years older than Hannah. Had they been slightly younger, would a romance have blossomed between them? Zoe wondered.
    When she mentioned as much to Tony, he looked dubious, but he didn’t dismiss the notion out of hand. ‘They’ve always been friends, even when grandfather and Monsieur Dupont’s wife were alive. I would have thought they were too devoted to the memory of their respective partners to consider remarrying, but you never know.’
    â€˜What’s Camille like?’ Zoe inquired.
    Tony sent her a sharp look. ‘What do you know about Camille?’
    â€˜Only that she’s Monsieur Dupont’s granddaughter. He was telling me that she lived in England, and he thought you might have introduced us.’
    â€˜Oh, I see.’
    â€˜So tell me what she’s like.’
    â€˜Charming enough, I suppose,’ he said, shrugging to convey indifference.
    â€˜Attractive?’ Zoe