Lewis cheered her up with some light-hearted banter and a terrible joke. Bryony pulled such a comical face that he almost drove into the side of the road laughing at her expression. The mood changed again and each entertained the other with ridiculous jokes until, chuckling loudly, they arrived at Vannes.
‘Is that the bumblebee car near the gate?’ asked Bryony.
Lewis looked over and groaned. ‘There can’t be two cars with that design.’
‘And that’s the tabby car and that one over there looks like one belonging to another team,’ she added, pointing at one covered in stars.
‘How did they all get here so quickly?’
‘Must have worked out the clues before we did.’
They parked and searched for the crew at the gate Porte Saint-Vincent Ferrier that led into the well-preserved medieval streets of the walled town of Vannes.
‘It looks stunning. We really should stay on in France after this show and come back to explore these places more thoroughly,’ Lewis suggested. A smile tugged at Bryony’s lips. It was an appealing thought. Lewis caught sight of Nina standing with a television crew and nudged Bryony. ‘Cameras at two o’clock.’
‘Roger, I have eyes on them,’ Bryony replied and they hurried towards the crew. ‘Bryony! Lewis!’ yelled a high-pitched voice. Bryony turned and located Oscar waving his arms like a windmill. He beetled over to them, Biggie Smalls trotting by his side.
‘Wait till you see,’ he gushed. ‘I couldn’t believe it.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Bryony.
‘I know what he means,’ said Lewis, a dark cloud flitting over his face. A fair-haired man in tight black jeans and a short-sleeved Lacoste shirt with his back to them was doing a piece to the camera. He faced them and Bryony gasped.
Oscar was at Bryony’s elbow. ‘Isn’t this a surprise and a half? I’ll see you later. We’re going to grab a late lunch. I spotted you arriving and wanted to see your reaction. It was exactly the same as mine. I was speechless. I went all giggly and shy. Jim had to do all the talking. Must go. Have fun with the professor!’
Professor David Potts, the delicious host of Mate or Date, was in his thirties, fresh-faced and slim. He had an air of boyish enthusiasm as he pointed out various landmarks beyond the gate yet his dark-blue-framed glasses gave him a sense of gravitas. He turned in their direction. ‘And here come the other pair of contestants who have correctly guessed their clue. Welcome, Lewis and … Bryony,’ he said smoothly, taking her hand, flipping it and planting a kiss on the back of it. Bryony’s knees went weak; her mouth flapped open but she was unable to articulate any words.
‘So, you worked out that Vannes was the capital of the Morbihan,’ read Professor David from his autocue. ‘But did you also know the Place des Lices, which once hosted jousting tournaments, is now the venue of an open-air market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings? This is a truly beautiful town and we’re lucky to all be here on such a wonderful, sunny day.’
He looked away from the camera for a moment and frowned. ‘Can we change that last bit? It sounds too twee. Can we say, “This is a truly beautiful town and not to be missed if you come to Brittany?”’
‘Okay, Prof,’ replied the man behind a large microphone.
Another man stepped forward. ‘Take it from “So, you worked out that Vannes was the capital of the Morbihan.”’
Professor Potts spoke his lines once more. A crowd of tourists and visitors had gathered and was watching the filming with interest. Bryony had recovered a little. She could see Oscar, a sandwich in one hand and Biggie’s lead in the other. Obviously, Oscar was another fully paid-up member of the Professor David Potts fan club.
‘And I have a question for you. Are you ready, Bryony?’ he asked. She tried to drag her attention away from his sparkling blue eyes that seemed to be searching her thoughts. ‘What are the citizens of Vannes called?’
Bryony’s throat was dry. She could not concentrate for a second then the answer flashed into her mind.
‘They’re called “Vannetais”,’ she replied, wanting him to be pleased with her response.
‘Excellent! You certainly know your stuff, Bryony.’ Her insides turned to liquid at each mention of her name. He had a way of making her feel there was only the two of them in front of the gate. She smiled. He returned it and her stomach somersaulted once more.
‘Would you like your next clue?’ he asked, as if hoping she would say no and stay with him here, in this moment.
‘Yes,’ came a gruff reply next to her. She’d forgotten about Lewis. She’d been so enchanted by Professor Potts her mind had ceased to function.
Professor Potts ignored Lewis and pressed a card into Bryony’s hand. ‘I’m sure you’ll work out what the treasure is. And here’s the envelope containing the clue to your next destination. Good luck.’
Bryony took the card as if in a daze. ‘Thank you,’ she stammered.
‘And cut!’ shouted a man dressed in black.
Professor Potts turned away from her. ‘All okay?’ A voice in his ear responded. ‘Great. Time for lunch then,’ he added with a beaming grin. ‘Don’t suppose you fancy joining me for coffee at one of the cafés here, do you?’ he asked Bryony.
‘We need to get to our next destination,’ Lewis said through gritted teeth.
‘We’re allowed an hour for lunch,’ she reminded Lewis. ‘We can get a coffee and then eat our picnic. You were the one who said Vannes was a beautiful place to visit. We should see some of it before we move off.’
‘Yes, Lucas,’ continued Professor Potts. ‘You should visit some of it while you have the chance.’
Lewis threw him an angry look at this obvious attempt to rile him. ‘Bryony, remember why we’re doing this show,’ Lewis hissed in a low voice while Professor Potts removed his earpiece and prepared to leave.
‘But this is Professor David Potts! I know women who’d kill me to go to lunch with him.’
‘He’s no one special,’ Lewis covered up his microphone with a one hand and whispered, microphone. ‘He’s only a presenter. You and I need to work out the clue and get to the next destination if we’re in with a chance to win this competition.’
Bryony bit at her bottom lip. She could imagine what Melinda would tell her to do. Lunch with Professor Potts might lead to something special. She wrestled with her conscience. She was in a quandary, thrown out by the arrival of the delectable Professor Potts. Lewis had been good enough to come on this game show and she acknowledged she had feelings for him too. However, she was unsure if there would ever be anything deeper between them, especially as Lewis was still hurting over Maxwell. She concluded that even if their relationship was platonic, Lewis had supported her wholeheartedly and she owed it to him to stick to the agenda.
Bryony sighed. ‘Thank you for your kind invitation, and coffee would be lovely, but we really must get going.’
Professor Potts took her hand again, sending another shiver through her body. ‘My loss,’ he murmured. ‘Next time,’ he added. ‘Don’t let me down twice.’
Nina hurried up to him. ‘Roland wants to do the piece to camera again, if you don’t mind.’
Professor Potts shrugged. ‘Whatever Roland wants. But let’s get it right this time. I haven’t got all day.’
He released Bryony’s hand. ‘Good luck, sweet Bryony. See you tonight at the live event.’
‘Did he flirt with me or was I dreaming?’ Bryony asked as they returned to their car.
‘He flirted with you. He has a reputation for it,’ said Lewis darkly, opening the car door, clambering in and slamming it shut. ‘What’s our next clue?’ he asked in a flat tone.
‘What about lunch? Our picnic?’
‘I’m not hungry. Come on, let’s get this hunt over with.’
Bryony detected a distinct shift in mood and decided to leave Lewis to sulk. He was probably cheesed off that he was not the object of her attention any longer. Men!
‘The clue for the treasure reads, “Head back in time to the stone age and take a photograph to prove you have visited this site.”’
Lewis pulled out the map. ‘Check the file while I look at this.’
Bryony skimmed through the sheets. The atmosphere was less light-hearted than before and she could not work out what had changed.
‘Carnac.’ She read, ‘“It is the site of more than three thousand prehistoric stone monuments.”’
‘Then that’s where we’re headed.’ He worked out the best and fastest route to the new destination. After a few minutes of silence, he raised his eyes to her. An apology rose in his throat, halted by the cool regard she gave him. ‘If you’re hungry, get something out of the hamper now and we’ll eat it as we drive,’ he said, hoping to ease the tension.
‘No, I’m okay. I seem to have lost my appetite,’ she retorted, wondering if they would still be friends by the end of the day.