A Bordeaux Dynasty: A Novel (27 page)

Pauline nodded and put a measured amount of contempt into her reply.

“That’s great. … I could never do that. That macho stuff, what a bunch of crap! Hope you have a lot of fun!”

“I don’t have any choice,” Laurène protested.

Pauline picked up her pastry again and devoured it greedily, then she delicately wiped her fingers on a small paper napkin.

“Why wait for him to whistle for you? I know that you’re young, timid, and in love. But you’re making things too convenient for him. You’re starting down the wrong path.”

Laurène was watching her, and Pauline pretended to hesitate before explaining, a smile on her face, “Remember the picnic? It’s when you decided to stop being a good little girl that Jules reacted to you. Am I wrong?”

“No. …”

“And that doesn’t make you think? Maybe Jules doesn’t like women who fall into his arms? Maybe he prefers those who resist him? You went home to Daddy like a good girl, and all the while the Laverzacs are wooing their latest plaything, a certain Frédérique, hired the very same day you left.”

Laurène went pale.

“You’re very naïve,” Pauline said with a sigh. “You’re not going to keep him that way. … But I’m sorry to make you feel bad. …”

She was sincere. She took a few bills out of her purse.

“This is on me,” she said.

She didn’t care whether she was Laurène’s guardian angel or the devil on her shoulder. She was giving her advice based on what she would do in her place. She paid for the bill and leaned toward Laurène, who was still silent.

“Make things hard on him,” Pauline said, “or he’s going to crush you.”

The following evening, Aurélien was ready quite early. He still loved the pre-harvest banquet, much more than any other wine industry gatherings. The festive and traditional feast marked for him the beginning of his favorite period of the year.

Though he knew that Dominique and Fernande had already taken care of everything, he peeked into the main living room and then the dining room. And, indeed, the table was set up perfectly. The doors to the library were wide open, and Aurélien decided to sit inside for a moment. He could hear the happy ruckus coming from the kitchen, where Fonteyne’s staff had been invited to eat. Baskets of food and bottles of wine had been taken to the living quarters for the laborers.

Aurélien went over the guest list, handpicked according to the Médoc region’s own hierarchy of wine producers. Alexandre walked in as Aurélien was still trying to figure out the seating plan. He was bringing him the bottles they’d selected yesterday at the end of a long discussion. With ceremony they uncorked the bottles and set them on a pedestal table. Satisfied, Alex winked at his father. The Laverzacs were known for being great hosts, and they relished the role.

Pauline waltzed into the room, looking triumphant. She was irresistible in that chiffon dress of hers, and Aurélien greeted her cheerfully. His daughter-in-law amused him a great deal. For him, she was the incarnation of female frivolity. Louis-Marie and Robert followed her into the library. Then Jules showed up, pushing a very intimidated Lucas in front of him. Lucas still didn’t know whether he’d earned Aurélien’s forgiveness.

Maurice Caze, who couldn’t refuse the invitation but had found an excuse for his daughter not to attend the banquet, was one of the first guests to arrive. But in no time, the library filled with Aurélien’s friends, their bursts of laughter and loud voices. Antoine and Marie’s absence was noticed but chalked up to illness.

The three or four young women who accompanied their parents only had eyes for Jules. Smiling, attractive, he walked around with the self-confidence and charm of a thirty-year-old man perfectly happy to be alive. All the wine producers on hand assumed he would be Aurélien’s successor. Frédérique, a bit uncomfortable and not knowing exactly how to act among that sort of crowd, stayed on the sidelines and observed Jules. Aurélien did the same, amused by the effect his adopted son had on everyone.

Louis-Marie went over to Robert, who was sitting in a corner of the room, bored.

“The biggest evening of the year,” he said. “Remember?”

They raised their glasses and took the time to savor what they were drinking.

“It used to be lots of fun, way back when,” Robert said, playfully. “But then, if I remember correctly, the banquets were pretty tiresome. Now, all of this seems … surprising. I’d kind of forgotten about the importance of the harvest. But all this pomp is really pretty fun.”

“Their excitement is contagious,” Louis-Marie added. “I’m almost sad to leave tomorrow.”

“On the contrary, that’s the perfect time to go back to Paris. We’ll have the impression that we missed out on the best part, that we didn’t participate in Aurélien’s great work. …”

They shared a laugh, knowing that both couldn’t wait to get back to their regular lives. Jules, who was passing by them, replenished their glasses with a smile on his face before joining some of the guests.

“When I watch him,” Louis-Marie said with a meditative expression, “I sometimes wonder if I was right leaving Fonteyne fifteen years ago. He knows nothing else and he seems so fulfilled.”

“Are you nuts? You’re not Jules, and you’d have died of boredom. Same with me!”

“Oh, you! You were an academic beast, Mister Prodigy. Big-shot doctor …”

Louis-Marie laughed, but Robert’s mood shifted.

“That’s what you think. Exams weren’t always easy for me, you know. And I owe my career to a fluke, ultimately. My department head’s accident is what made me the guy in charge. It’s not like I had planned for that. I should still be second in command, nothing more, and with a salary that’s not as great. I haven’t taken an exam since med school. The rest was pretty much luck. …”

Robert downed his glass, and Louis-Marie exclaimed, “You’re drinking that like it’s Perrier. Stop it!”

Robert shrugged. Louis-Marie didn’t understand where his brother’s bitterness came from.

“Jules never had to yearn for anything. He never had to fight to get something he wanted. He was never frustrated by things. For him, everything is simple. He exists without questioning himself. He gets what he wants. He doesn’t need a lucky star.”

Louis-Marie shook his head. He agreed to an extent with what Robert was saying, but he thought he was acting uncharacteristically disillusioned. Trying to cheer up his brother, he said, “So then, you think that everything is fine and dandy?”

“Here at Fonteyne? Everything is perfect. Which is a good thing, of course.”

Pauline came over and stood between them, radiant, a bottle in hand.

“Would you like more wine, gentlemen?”

She filled their glasses without waiting for a response.

“What are you two scheming about?” she asked.

Robert turned away, annoyed by Pauline’s cheerful duplicity.

“We were assessing more than scheming,” he said.

He walked away to join a group of guests while Pauline followed him with her eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” Louis-Marie whispered in her ear. “Did you enjoy your vacation?”

“Yes.”

He felt like caressing his wife’s short and shiny hair but resisted the urge. As she was still watching Robert, he said, jokingly, “Are you going to miss your admirer?”

“Bob?”

“His eyes were stuck on you the entire time he was here.”

“Come on! It’s part of the seducer’s act, and he plays that role with all the women. Just think of what happened with Laurène. He should get married, or he’s going to turn into an old bachelor. I’m sure there’s a slew of nurses that would sell their souls to the devil to marry him. … And there we go … Just take a look behind you. …”

Louis-Marie saw Robert talking to Frédérique and handing her a cigarette. He burst out laughing. Pauline did as well, but in an artificial way. Dominique, very elegant for once, came over to them.

“Fernande outdid herself,” she said. “You’ll see.”

Pauline smiled at her and said, “Why do you say Fernande? You’re the one who made up the menu, who bought everything.”

“But I’m not the one doing the cooking.”

Dominique gently took Pauline by the shoulders and said, “I’m going to miss you guys. Not right away, because of the harvest, but in November. It’s going to be so dreary around here then, with Laurène not here anymore and Jules off to England.”

She was so used to living in a busy and loud household that she almost feared finding herself alone between her husband and her father-in-law.

“How come your sister didn’t come tonight?” Louis-Marie asked.

“Because she wasn’t invited,” Dominique said. “Same as our parents.”

A moment of heavy silence followed, and then Jules showed up.

“I think we’re ready to eat,” he said.

Dominique smiled and headed for the dining room.

Then, looking at his brother, Jules said, “Aurélien wants to talk to you. I’ll hang out with your wife.”

Louis-Marie winked and walked away. Jules smiled at Pauline and asked, “Why did you marry him?” His voice was soft, devoid of hostility.

Taken aback, Pauline shot him a look of annoyance and said, “Because I love him, why else? I don’t like that question at all. What are you alluding to?”

She kept glaring at him, refusing to be judged, certain that he wasn’t going to add anything.

“You’re not exactly a model of morality, Jules,” she said. “You’re not treating the people you love very well. Where’s the love of your life this evening?”

Jules wanted to say something but couldn’t come up with the right words. He crossed the library and joined Alex, who was talking about how the harvest was going in Mazion with a wine producer from Blaye. Jules absentmindedly listened to their conversation for a while. Pauline’s comment had caught him off guard. He wondered how Laurène was doing right now, back at her parents’ house. He had a sudden urge to see her, to take her in his arms. He waited until Alex was done talking to take him aside.

“Your wife is radiant tonight,” he said. “She should dress this way more often. Marie’s daughters are really beautiful.”

He took a deep breath and asked, “Did you see Laurène today? She’s not too bored over there? She wasn’t too disappointed not being able to come over tonight?”

He felt guilty and worried. Alexandre, far from being reassuring, wasn’t looking his brother in the eyes.

“Laurène …” he mumbled, “I would’ve preferred to wait until tomorrow to talk to you about her. …”

Dumbstruck, Jules waited for the rest, but all Alexandre did was tug at his tie.

“What the hell is going on, Alex? Talk to me!”

“When I left Mazion earlier, Laurène asked me to … drive her to the train station.”

Jules gave Alexandre a blank look.

“What train station?” he asked.

“Bordeaux, of course. …”

Since Aurélien wasn’t far from them, chatting with Maurice Caze, Alexandre guided Jules to a corner of the room.

“Marie will be able to tell you more about it. Laurène had to take a train for Paris. I dropped her off at six or so.”

“Paris? She left for Paris?”

Jules was trying to understand, in vain.

“But, Alex … why?”

“She didn’t tell me anything. She had two suitcases.”

Jules was still trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just learned.

“Call Marie,” Alexandre suggested.

Jules turned on his heels and left the library. Once in the hall, he hesitated. He felt trapped, not being able to leave the banquet. He went to Aurélien’s office, shut the door, and sat in front of the phone. When he found the courage to dial the Billots’ number, Marie picked up after the first ring.

“Good evening, Marie. It’s Jules. …”

He got the feeling that Marie had been waiting for his call. In a low voice, she said, “Hi, kiddo. …”

“You know why I’m calling?”

“Yes, but I would’ve preferred talking to you in person. …”

“I can’t right now. We’re about to start eating. Alex tells me that Laurène left?”

He heard Marie’s heavy sigh.

“Did she tell you anything?”

“Silly stuff mostly. … Something about the harvest and all that. …”

“What about the harvest?”

He’d spoken harshly in spite of himself.

Marie continued, using the same soft tone as before, “Young women have crazy notions sometimes. …Laurène has no patience. She said that you … pushed her aside. Until you were good and ready to take her back. She didn’t like that. I don’t know what she was expecting from you, but she felt like she’d been betrayed. Abandoned. Something like that. …”

Silence followed Marie’s words, as Jules tried to make sense of it all.

With difficulty, he asked, “How long is she going to be gone for? And what is she going to do in Paris?”

“I don’t know. I figure she doesn’t either. It was an impulse or something, and I certainly don’t approve of it. She said that … she’d look for a job once she got there.”

Though Marie tried to be as gentle as possible as she spoke, every one of her sentences was like a slap in the face for Jules.

“Do you know where I can reach her?”

“Yes, the hotel where she booked a room. She decided to do it at the last minute and was extremely agitated. … I couldn’t get her to change her mind.”

Jules jotted down the phone number Marie gave him. He underlined it twice in anger.

“You think that I’ll be able to marry your daughter one day?” he asked.

Marie could hear the distress in Jules’s voice.

“I know that she loves you,” she said, “and I know she’s wrong about your intentions. She thinks that you’re being very … macho. That’s what she said. But those words don’t mean anything. She was angry, and she acted like a child.”

Jules kept quiet for a long time.

“Marie?” he then said in a very subdued voice.

“Yes?”

“I could drive to Paris tonight after the meal. Should I do it?”

“No, Jules. … Don’t. She’s my daughter and I know that’s only the answer I’m supposed to give, but really, take care of Fonteyne. I know what the harvest means and how high the stakes are. Tomorrow morning, you’ll be the first one out of bed and everyone will be counting on your leadership. Especially your father! Nothing should take you away from that. You understand?”