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The Chateau
Karen Aldous
Can young hearts ease a restless spirit?On the shores of stunning Lake Geneva, Gina Remy is celebrating her brother’s wedding – when the figure of a woman appears hovering above the water, beckoning to her. Ghostly visitations do not happen to Gina - a self-confessed control freak with her own successful property business, she prides herself on being level-headed. But as she is tormented by dreams and visions, her perfect life begins to unravel, and she knows she needs to help this ghost find peace if she’s to get any of her own!Enter Ollie Martin, an Anglo-Swiss property developer who’s sexy as hell and knows it. His arrogance annoys Gina, but he’s the only one who will take her seriously… and the closer they come to understanding the quest the ghost has set for them, the closer they get to one another…
Can young hearts ease a restless spirit?
On the shores of stunning Lake Léman, Gina Remy is celebrating her brother’s wedding when the figure of a woman appears hovering above the water, beckoning to her. Ghostly visitations do not happen to Gina – a self-confessed control freak with her own successful property business, she prides herself on being level-headed. But as she is tormented by dreams and visions, her perfect life begins to unravel, and she knows she needs to help this ghost find peace if she’s to get any of her own!
Enter Ollie Martin, an Anglo-Swiss property developer who’s sexy as hell and knows it. His arrogance annoys Gina but he’s the only one who will take her seriously.
The closer they come to understanding the quest the ghost has set for them, the closer they get to one another.
Also by Karen Aldous (#uaf0199fb-f1f3-50ab-9109-bf860a82e5f0)
The Vineyard
The Château
Karen Aldous
Copyright (#ulink_3fe51cba-070f-54e4-8204-4aea7c1a8e60)
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Copyright © Karen Aldous 2014
Karen Aldous asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © October 2014 ISBN: 9781474007818
Version date: 2018-09-19
KAREN ALDOUS
Inspired by novelists such as Jilly Cooper and Barbara Taylor Bradford many moons ago, Karen never lost her passion for writing. It always got put on the back burner though with stories and articles fuelling the Aga rather than going in the mailbox. Gaining life experience and confidence has been crucial and she feels raising her three children along with being in the property and travel industries have not only brought material for her writing but have allowed her to indulge in her favourite pastimes.
Karen currently lives on the edge of the North Downs in Kent and owns a website design business but she craves nothing other than earning a living from writing romance. Her dream!
She still gets a kick from travelling and seeking that property bargain but her husband and family – particularly her three grandchildren – along with Bertie her golden lab continue to steal her affections. There’s barely enough time to go round, she admits, but their love and support never wavers and without them and her fellow writers at The Write Place and the RNA, her aspirations may never have flourished!
Acknowledgements (#uaf0199fb-f1f3-50ab-9109-bf860a82e5f0)
A massive thank you to my lovely editor, Lucy Gilmour, Victoria Oundjian and the team at HQ Digital. Their belief and faith confirmed dreams really can come true. My huge appreciation also goes to all the amazing and dedicated book reviewers, bloggers, fellow authors and readers who do a spectacular job in helping spreading the word for authors.
Special thanks too for members of the Romantic Novelist Association and The Write Place Creative Writing School who have also provided such a wealth of advice and support. I’ve made some lovely friends at both these organisations and long may they continue!
Dedication (#uaf0199fb-f1f3-50ab-9109-bf860a82e5f0)
To the three most special little people who continue to inspire me…my three grandchildren, Macy, Hayden and Spencer xxx
Contents
Cover (#u81a95a69-5c04-560c-b91c-d8c6881532e9)
Blurb (#uf52c11cf-e985-5831-96ad-f55fd804349e)
Book List
Title Page (#u41b5ac92-ffc0-5df8-936a-a0b78b389952)
Copyright (#u6aff99fe-c284-5c36-808a-4bab418ba627)
Author Bio (#uf06802a7-ad2f-53bc-835b-9e4bf0d81939)
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#uaf0199fb-f1f3-50ab-9109-bf860a82e5f0)
‘Max, you’re not obliged to come to the wedding, in fact, I’d rather you didn’t. You’re just full of bloody excuses all the time so fuck you.’ Georgina Remy slammed the bedroom door hard.
‘Gina. Gina,’ Max roared through the closed door. ‘I just feel it’s important to meet these guys on Friday while they’re in the country.’
Gina turned on her heels and flung back the door. Max was before her, in her face. His metallic eyes pleading. She squinted hard at them.
‘I don’t believe you, Max. Why does your charity always have to come first? These people will survive. You’re hardly providing life-saving operations. Haven’t you heard charity begins at home?’ She slammed the door again. ‘This is the same feeble excuse you keep harking back to. Our relationship should come before anything: my business; your charity. You don’t get it, do you?’
‘I do and it won’t happen again, not after this and, as I said, we’ll sit down and plan,’ he shouted through the door.
‘Just…I don’t want to hear it.’ She stepped back. ‘This so-called relationship is going nowhere, Max. Go home.’ She rushed for her suitcase, pulling it out from under her bed and mindlessly throwing her neatly ironed clothes in. She could hear him continuing the fight from the hall.
‘Why are you overreacting? I’ll fly over Saturday morning. I’ll be there for the wedding, I promise. Gina…Gina. I’ve committed to it. I won’t let it happen again. You know I’m looking forward to it.’
A fierce silence sliced through the air. As she forced shoes and toiletries and make-up around her clothes Gina fought hard not to let the bitterness erupt. Clasping her head in her hands, she collapsed on the bed, throwing her head into the pillow. With some distance she could hopefully calm herself. He would probably leave now anyway, he usually did. This was now a regular occurrence. A routine. It was a mockery of a relationship. This wasn’t the life she’d planned, not the Max she’d once known. He’d always been attentive, sharing and keen to have a family and family life. He’d always wanted to be with her and do things with her. She closed her eyes before she heard him again.
‘I’ll be there Saturday morning, darling. I love you,’ he said speaking in muffled tones behind her door. A few seconds later, she heard a heavy sigh filter through the wood before he yelled, ‘See you Saturday.’
After a few seconds, as anticipated, she heard his footsteps echo down the hall. Then the latch clicked telling her he’d left her flat.
‘Good riddance’ she wanted to shout. But how could she ever fall out of love with Max? It would break her heart, and more importantly, his girls’. Was she so wrong in wanting a family when it was something they’d planned?
‘Bastard!’ she whispered.
***
After a frustrating morning with a two-hour delay before her flight, Gina dashed along the lakeside path wheeling her case to the hotel, stopping briefly to clip up her long dark hair away from her increasingly hot, sticky neck. It was just gone three o’clock. She’d text her brother to keep him informed but he wasn’t, it seemed, very forgiving. He’d texted back telling her to hurry.
Despite the stress of Max and her lateness, she at least had taken some pleasure in her journey. As the train had edged round Lake Léman, the view had calmed her. It was her favourite scene in the world and she had chosen a sun-drenched seat on the right-hand side of the carriage from which to savour every aspect of the imposing mountains encircling the vast glistening water. It always made her feel comforted and welcome.
As she reached the hotel entrance, she hauled her suitcase up the small set of stairs and wheeled it across the thick cream carpet, then with a harsh whack, parked it against a marble Corinthian column, looking around for a familiar face. Her mother appeared at once, ushering with her hand. Gina immediately ran to her, past the reception and entered a vast columned vestibule.
‘Gina, thank goodness, we were getting worried. Come,’ she urged, reaching for her daughter and planting kisses on both cheeks.
‘Hello, Mum.’ Gina tossed her oversized handbag over her right shoulder and tightly hugged the petite, blonde woman. ‘I couldn’t get here any quicker. Is James OK or is he in a panic?’
