The doors closed with a thump and Sophia tensed and squeaked when the car began to descend. When she nodded he moved her in his arms to set her down on his feet. She unzipped his jacket and fleece to slip her arms inside and around his back as she squeezed herself against him. She was trembling once more so he began to hum a tune as he swayed with her in his arms. She looked up and smiled when she recognized the tune. ‘Only You’ by the Platters. She snuggled into his arms and listened to him hum to her as they danced slowly. Catherine and Gabriella picked up the tune and began to hum along with him. Soon Megan and Rachel joined in and Gabriella’s kids were grinning madly as Ben began to sing the words as the rest provided the musical accompaniment. Sophia was blushing madly and squeezed her face against his chest as Ben’s singing became just a little more exaggerated. He wasn’t half bad but he wasn’t great either. As he reached the end of the song he glanced over at Gabriella and caught her attention. She stopped the others and Ben immediately segued into ‘Teach Me Tonight’. Catherine and Gabriella began to laugh then they immediately started humming the tune for Ben. Megan and Rachel weren’t familiar with this song so they could only grin and watch their sister dancing in Ben’s arms. They saw the flush on Sophia’s cheeks and they grinned harder.
Ben segued in ‘Unforgettable’ making Gabriella and Catherine clap and grin as his deep voice was a fair approximation of Nat King Cole’s, though he wasn’t quite as smooth.
When the car bumped to a stop at the ground terminus Sophia pulled back in surprise and saw they were down. She looked up at Ben with grateful tears in her eyes and kissed him.
“Thank you Ben!”
The other passengers were clapping and Rachel helped Sophia get her shoes on as Ben bowed to his fans. They left the cable car and terminus and made their way back to their cars.
“I didn’t know you were such a crooner Ben!” Gabriella teased.
“I typically only sing in the shower but today I felt inspired by my muse,” he grinned as he looked over at Sophia who blushed again but smiled back at him.
The drive to Saint Pierre d’Albigny was beautiful and soon they were driving up the mountainside past lovely homes with breathtaking views of the valley below and the Alps beyond.
Gabriella was reading off directions and Ben guided the fish tank nimbly through the narrow roads until they made a final left and rolled into a wide gravel parking lot. Ben noticed the sign for the chateau was resting on the ground under the signpost where it should have been hanging. Two other cars were in the lot and the building was huge. He grinned at Gabriella and shut off the car. They stepped outside and heard angry yelling. One of the voices was deep, guttural and Ben couldn’t tell what he was saying but it sounded nasty. Two other voices were female and both were angry but there was an undercurrent of fear.
“That sounds like Alexis and Béatrice. I don’t recognize the male voice but he’s making threats.” Gabriella said looking at Ben.
He took off at a run and went around the side of the house to the front where he saw a large heavyset man with a large walking stick advancing on two women holding gardening clippers.
“HEY, FAT MAN! BACK OFF!” Ben yelled and the three froze.
The man’s sunken eyes narrowed as he took in Ben’s size and the nasty scar crossing his face. He snorted and turned to hobble away, as quickly as he could. He leaned heavily on the stick and once he reached the bottom of the property he went through the gate but left it open. The two women turned to Ben cautiously.
“Hi, I’m Ben Shepherd. Your Cousin Gabriella’s neighbor?” he said with a smile. Their faces lit up with smiles and they relaxed.
Just then Gabriella turned the corner of the building and came rushing over to hug her cousin and her wife. “Are you two alright?” she asked. “We heard the yelling when we got here.”
“It was that pig Arsene Dumond! He lives in the property down the hill and he is an evil man!” Béatrice snapped looking down the hill. She had a beautiful accent even though her words were sharp. Ben was entranced by how dark her skin was. She was almost ebony. She was maybe 5′ 5″ and if she topped 115 pounds he’d be amazed, she was so slim! She had a very expressive face, beautiful full lips and she wore her hair very short. He looked to Alexis as Gabriella did the introductions. Alexis had one of those faces that seemed to be meant for serene smiles. Long sandy blond hair currently tied back in a ponytail. Pale blue eyes and a light dusting of freckles across her slim nose. A wide mouth that seemed to have a quirk of a smile on it. She was at least three inches taller than her partner and had a stockier build with wider shoulders and hips. Her button down plaid shirt was having some trouble containing her heavy breasts.
“Ben, this is my cousin Alexis Murino and her beautiful wife Béatrice Renard.”
“This is why Gabriella is my favorite of your cousins!” Béatrice gushed with a huge smile and hugged Gabriella.
Ben leaned forward and pressed his cheek to Alexis’s and Béatrice’s as he shook their hands.
Miriam and Daniel had been waiting by the entrance to the parking lot to flag down Catherine should she not notice the sign that was on the ground. Once Catherine was in the lot the kids came racing around the corner to see their aunt.
“Auntie Alexis!” Miriam squealed as she ran up to her and was enveloped in a hug. Daniel got one too and pulled back to stare at Béatrice. “Gosh, you’re pretty!” he blurted and his face went red as he realized he’d said it out loud. Chuckles went through the group and Béatrice turned to Alexis.
“This is another reason why Gabriella is my favorite of your cousins!” she laughed and hugged Daniel much to his secret delight. She gave Miriam a hug as well and the young woman grinned widely.
Catherine and her daughters made their way around the corner of the house and introductions were made, cheeks kissed, and hands were shook.
Gabriella looked over to a lovely gazebo and noticed it was empty. She looked at Alexis. “Where is Stephanie? She’s not in her favorite spot,” she said with a smile which fell away when she saw a pained looked cross the faces of her cousin and her wife.
“Stephanie is in her room. She rarely comes out any more and she’s been like this for over a month. It’s terrible! She’s lost her interest in her art!” Alexis said and looked to Béatrice who nodded. “She won’t tell us what happened but we think Arsene may have molested her when she was outside by herself.” Gabriella cried out in shock and dismay.
Ben’s head snapped back and his eyes went cold. He started for the gate at the bottom of the property but stopped when Catherine and her daughters rushed forward and grabbed his arms. Catherine got in front of him and pulled his head down so he was looking in her eyes.
“Ben, it’s ok. Come back to us. We’ll take care of it. You just come back,” she said softly. Rachel and Sophia leaned their faces against his arms and they clung to him and Megan hugged his back. Ben’s eyes softened and he looked at the women surrounding him. “What…” he said quietly.