Chapter 1

France, Paris.

Saoirse Montez waited for the bus to take her to the shopping mall. She fiddled with her blackberry and checked Facebook over a hundred times. Utterly bored and with nothing left to do, she sat down on the bench by the bus stop and pugged in her earphones. When you’re gone by Avril Lavigne was playing, and Saoirse found herself singing along with the tune. She closed her eyes and sang with all of her being. It felt so good singing like this. The morning was a sunny one and although the weather was chilly, welcoming December, birds were still managing to chirp and the wind blew trees in a soothing manner.

Saoirse was unaware of all the notes she was hitting.

‘When you’re gone, the pieces of my heart are missing you. When you’re gone the face I’ve grown to love is missing too…’

A limousine she hadn’t noticed pulled up then.

She paused her iPod, a little worried.

The dark windows slid down and there she saw the most elegant looking gentleman. Was that a prince? She wondered. No man of normal class could afford such an expensive looking suit.

When he made his way out, she concluded that he must be a movie star. He looked an awful lot like George Clooney…if possible, he was slightly more handsome. His dark hair was greying at the temples and there were little wrinkles at the side of his eyes.

He was gorgeous, Saoirse conceded, which was a little difficult to admit since she was just 18 years old and he looked well over 45.

He smiled easily. ‘Hello.’ He extended his hand. Saoirse battled over the urge to accept his handshake or keep her own counsel. Those eyes were so mesmerizing however, that she found herself extending her hand as well. ‘What’s your name, sweetheart?’

Saoirse looked uneasy. She turned left and right to make sure he didn’t have a mob of kidnappers lurking about somewhere. There was no reason to kidnap her anyway.

Her father was a butcher and her mother was a housewife who got pregnant at least every other year.

‘Saoirse…Saoirse Montez.’ She swallowed.

He sat down beside her. ‘I’m Edmond Carroll.’ He smiled again. ‘Do you know you have the most beautiful voice, Saoirse? And dare I say the most beautiful face to boot.’

Saoirse was blushing deeply at this point. No one had ever heard her sing. It was just something she did when she was sad or lonely.

Just then, the long awaited bus passed and Saoirse stood up and begun to run after it. ‘Wait!’ she yelled.

Edmond called after her. ‘Saoirse…if you would stay a while and talk with me I’ll be happy to give you a ride to wherever you wish.’

That was too tempting to pass off.

A free ride! And in a limo. Who in their right mind would turn that down?

Edmond smiled at she shuffled her feet back to the bus stop bench.

‘So what do you do, Saoirse? Are you in college?’

‘I just finished high school. I haven’t been able to go to college because my parents can’t afford it.’ She didn’t know why she was telling him her personal problems. He was a stranger, but his eyes were so damn mesmerizing. They were so blue that it was as if they were washing up her soul and cleansing her of all her troubles.

Edmond nodded encouragingly. ‘That must be really sad, my dear. How does it make you feel? Are all your friends off to college?’

Saoirse nodded. ‘It doesn’t make me feel too bad though. I never got the grades anyway.’ She fiddled with her blackberry again.

Edmond nodded again empathetically. ‘If it helps some, I was really rubbish in high school. No college would take me either.’

Saoirse eyes widened. Him? As sophisticated and accomplished as he was?

‘So how did you get so rich?’ she asked and then thought better of her question. Maybe she was being rude to the elegant gentleman.

Edmond took her hands and rubbed them between his larger ones. ‘Sweetheart, everything isn’t about academics you know.’ He inched closer. ‘I had your kind of gift.’

Saoirse drew her eyebrows together. ‘Gift?’

‘Yes. I was born to be a performer. I could sing, dance, act…heck, who needs a degree when they can do all that, aye?’

Saoirse perked up. ‘But…how did you start out? Isn’t it difficult to get recognized media attention?’

Edmond let go of her hands and slouched against the bench. ‘That’s why you are in luck my darling. I wasn’t as lucky as you are, you see. I didn’t find any agencies that wanted to represent me because they felt I was too amateur. I had to start my own agency and represent myself. It was a really long and strenuous process. But you…well. You have me…if you’ll have me, that is.’ His smile was so charming. ‘Will you have me, darling Saoirse?’

Saoirse wasn’t sure what he meant. Was he some pedophile? Suddenly, she became aware of how silly and careless she was being having this conversation with this man.

‘Erm…I need to get going.’ Her voice was barely a whisper. She stood up abruptly.

Edmond’s eyes narrowed. ‘What’s wrong?’

Saoirse looked uneasy. ‘I don’t know you. I should…since you’re a top shot performer, but I’m sorry I don’t.’

Edmond stood up with a sigh. ‘I may have come across as…’ he hunted for a word in vain. ‘Look Saoirse, I’m not that kind of man. ‘I heard you sing and I honestly believe that you are a talented young woman who would make it in the performing industry. I just want to be your agent, that’s all.’ He rose his hands up in a gesture of peace and surrender.

‘I should talk this through with ma mere and pere.’

Edmond nodded. ‘Absolutely, my darling. How old are you…’ his voice trailed off.

‘Eighteen.’

‘Figured as much. You’re an adult, darling. If this is something you want, you can get it with or without their approval. Here is my card.’

Saoirse looked at it.

EDMOND CARROLL

BRITANNICA AGENCY

MAYFAIR

LONDON

+447 772841154

‘London?’ she queried.

‘Yes, I’m afraid. London was the only place I could find to start off my agency. It’s definitely a long way off for you but you are so very talented, Saoirse and I would hate to see that wonderful talent go to waste. So I’ve decided that if you agree, you will be funded by Britannica agency.’

‘What’s in all this for you, Mr. Carroll?’ all this was seemingly too good to be true.

‘Please, call me Edmond. I’m just trying to be a Good Samaritan. Now about that ride…are you still interested?’

Saoirse had so many questions. If he worked in London, what was he doing in Paris? How had he happened to pass by her bus stop in his limo just in time to hear her sing?

She gave him another wary look but he was too busy lightening his pipe.

Just who was Edmond Carroll?

‘An angel, I tell you!’ Avril Montez shrilled. She paused to put a hand behind her waist and her face crunched up in a little pain.

‘Are you okay?’ Saoirse’s father had been screaming on the top of his voice and had finally managed to work himself into a sweat. He didn’t want his daughter travelling off to some far away land to be a pop star. Heck, could she even sing? By the way, he had witnessed things like this before! His half-sister, Mercedes, had been whisked away at age fourteen to become a ‘model’ and he’d never seen her again. Rumors had it that she’d disappeared after a handsome gentleman had come and offered her so much promise.

Poor young Mercedes’ body had probably rotted away by now with no decent burial.

‘I know men like this. They own brothels far away and whisk little girls to become prostitutes!’

‘But pere, I’m not a little girl!’ Saoirse didn’t want to stamp her foot. Her father was still holding his butcher knife and that got her scared.

‘Come on, Yannis! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Let the girl have a life! Do you want her to die in this sorry excuse of a house you’ve provided her with? In Hollywood she has so much more promise!’ Avril said and then puffed slightly.

Saoirse was slightly worried that her mere was in labor.

‘Oh damn this one!’ Avril wailed. ‘It’s itching to get out.’

‘Well finally you’re admitting it! You’ve been in labor for the past 3 hours. If you would just be sensible and get into the truck so I can take you to the hospital…’

‘I can bear the pain, Yannis! This is my seventh pregnancy. I am an expert at this.’

Yannis rolled his eyes and dropped his knife abruptly on the working surface. Saoirse actually jumped with a little fear when he did that.

Avril’s face scrunched up again as another contraction washed over her. The underside of her gown was wet and the floor beneath her was wet as well. Saoirse had been well conscious during the birth of her last 4 siblings and she knew the signs. ‘Mere…please go to the hospital.’

‘Darlin, this is woman’s work and your mere is an expert at it. Don’t get all fiddled like your poor pere. Look here, Saoirse. I don’t want you wasting your life away like I did…’

Yannis coughed to let them know he was still there and he didn’t like where the conversation was headed. ‘Are you indeed trying to sell our little girl into slavery?’ he countered. ‘We have seven kids but Saoirse will always be special.’

‘Six kids, Yannis. And keep out of this. You’re supposed to be thinking up names for your seventh one.’

‘I don’t even know what sex it’s gonna be.’

‘It’s all good anyway.’ Avril fanned herself irritably. ‘Pick one for a boy and a girl. If it turns out to be either, you can save the other name for next time.’

Saoirse almost shrieked. There were going to be more babies?

The conviction came then. She really couldn’t continue living here.

Adrienne came out then with her thumb in her pink mouth. ‘shawose…what’s happnin?’ she asked with her little four year old babble.

‘Sweet pea, the baby is about to come.’ Saoirse offered. ‘Where are Jean-Paul, Garfield and Marie?’

Adrienne tried to think. ‘Paulie is hanging dresses and Garry is…sleeping. Marie is…’

Adrienne thought for quite a while but couldn’t find the word she needed and Saoirse stepped in.

‘That’s fine, Addie. I need you to get everyone here fast. I have something to say.’ She watched her pere move her mere into the truck and sighed. That would be the last time she was seeing any of them for a considerable while. A pity she couldn’t meet the poor little snicker they were expecting, but living in this family was an extreme mess.

It was all probably for the best.

She got out Edmond Carroll’s complimentary card and called him.