Preview: The Gaslight Inn (Patreon)

This story is available on Amazon. Currently busy with quite a few other things, so it’s taken me slightly longer than normal to edit and proof.

Synopsis: Former Londoner Ruby and her Silicon Valley husband, Jacob, take a two-week anniversary trip to France. In Paris, Ruby, a fashion writer, feels at home, but the second week at a secluded countryside B&B—a working farm—feels different. Their enigmatic host, Manon, a voluptuous Frenchwoman with an intoxicating presence, keeps her true intentions obscured, leaving Ruby to wonder if she’s trying to drive a wedge between her and Jacob. Before the trip ends, Ruby will be questioning not just her marriage, but her true feelings about the simple life.

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Her husband disappeared from view, Ruby felt a coldness creep into her chest as Manon hummed a tune that Ruby couldn’t place

She turned to face the Frenchwoman, who spread the hem of her dress and lowered herself onto the blanket, flashing a kind smile on her lips.

"Why don't you sit down?" Manon suggested, patting the space on the blanket beside her.

Ruby hesitated for a moment, then sat down with a huff. She folded her arms across her chest, the cool morning air nipping at her bare legs left uncovered by her shorts.

They sat in awkward silence for several seconds before Manon broke the stalemate.

“I feel as though we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” Manon began, her eyes unblinking and her voice smooth as silk. Ruby felt a strange tension in the air, as if she were being scrutinized under the other woman’s gaze.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, her voice skeptical.

“Just what I said, ma chère,” Manon replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I have no designs on Jacob. I know that some men act a certain way around me, but I am simply trying to give the two of you an unforgettable experience.”

Ruby searched her face, looking for any hint of deceit, but found only sincerity. Still, she remained on edge. “I’m not threatened by you, if that’s what you think.”

Manon’s smile never wavered. She placed a hand on Ruby’s bare knee. “You needn’t be,” she murmured. “Ruby, you can trust me. You should trust me. You should want to trust me.”

The words hung in the air, thick and sweet. Ruby felt something shift within her, something primal and instinctual that made her want to lean into the warmth of Manon’s touch, to let go of her suspicions.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being played, that there was something more going on beneath the surface of this charming French façade.

Manon’s smile, her plump lips stained red, curved into a playful smile, she tilted her head and stared through Ruby.

“Trust her,” the words echoed in her head.

For a moment, they gazed deep into one another’s eyes, no words spoken, no thoughts thunk.

The picnic basket lay untouched between them, and the smell of fresh bread and cheese began tantalizing her senses. The scent woke her from her stupor and Ruby felt a flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck.

Was she really letting her fear of Jacob’s past ruin their vacation?

Perhaps Manon was right, perhaps she should trust her. Jacob’s history was no one’s fault but his own. And if Manon had gone this long living alone in the middle of nowhere, despite hosting countless other couples just like them, maybe she truly didn’t have any intentions of getting between them.

“Manon… I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting,” Ruby began, her voice quavering. “It’s just—Jacob’s had issues with infidelity before, and I don’t want to see that happen again. I guess I’m just a bit… paranoid.”

“Tell me more,” the Frenchwoman urged, her grip on Ruby’s knee tightening slightly.