Darkest Longings (61 page)

his love shoot straight through his heart.

‘I heard voices,’ she said, looking at him.

He smiled, and keeping his eyes on hers, said, ‘Erich, I

don’t believe you have ever met my wife. Cherie, may I

introduce you to Erich von Pappen.’

‘Madame la Comtesse,’ von Pappen said, walking over to

her and taking her hand.

Francois smiled again as he saw her confusion. This was

probably the first time anyone had referred to her by her

title, and it was also the first time since the day his father

died that he had shown her any affection. But he had done a

lot of thinking over the past few days, and had now reached a

decision. He hoped to God it was the right one, for it

entailed telling her everything. It would be a tremendous

burden for her, he knew that, but of all the qualities she

possessed, the two he admired perhaps the most were her

resilience and her determination. Later, no doubt, von

Pappen would accuse him of insanity for listening to his

heart rather than his head, but that would only come once

Erich was over the shock of seeing him do something he had

never done before - which was to trust a woman, and more

particularly, a woman he loved.

‘Come and sit down,’ he said, surprising both Claudine

and Erich. And as she walked uncertainly towards him, he

patted the cushion beside him and pulled her into the circle

of his arm. ‘I’m sorry if we woke you,’ he murmured, kissing

the top of her head as she rested it on his shoulder - and he

almost laughed to see the astonishment on von Pappen’s

face.

He knew that for a while Claudine would be too dazed to

take in much of what they were saying, but he would go over

it again in detail when Erich had left. For now, he could feel

the barrier he had built around himself over the past few

days begin to reerect itself-this time to include Claudine.

And he was amazed and gratified by how right it felt.

‘Have you any messages for me?’ he said to von Pappen,

who had returned to his chair.

‘You mean from… ?’ Von Pappen’s eyes moved incredulously

to Claudine.

‘Yes, I mean from von Liebermann,’ Francois said,

keeping his eyes on von Pappen and at the same time

running his fingers lazily through Claudine’s hair. ‘Erich,’

he added, looking down at her, ‘is my courier.’

She nodded, remembering now where she had heard the

name before. Louis had mentioned it the day the lorries full

of boxes arrived.

‘Go ahead, Erich,’ Francois encouraged.

‘Er well, yes,’ von Pappen stammered. ‘Er, he sympathizes

over the loss of your father, but would like you to

return to Berlin within the next week.’

Claudine stiffened, and Francois hugged her. ‘His

condolences are somewhat out of place, Erich,’ he said. And

suddenly he wished Claudine wasn’t there to hear this; he

would have liked to break it to her more gently. ‘The

General, by way of Halunke, is responsible for my father’s

death.’

Claudine gasped, and von Pappen’s queer face froze.

‘But it was a heart-attack,’ von Pappen finally uttered.

‘Beatrice said that he had a heart-attack in the chapel.’

‘He did,’ Francois confirmed. Then reaching out for the

envelope on the table, he handed it to von Pappen. And

when von Pappen saw what it contained, he was clearly too

stunned even to twitch.

He looked at Francois, and when Francois nodded,

passed the note to Claudine.

‘I will explain it later, cherie,’ Francois told her. ‘I don’t

know how Halunke managed to bring on the heart-attack,

but that’s clearly what he did,’ he went on. ‘And just as

clearly, he wanted me to know it.’

Von Pappen sucked in his round lips and bowed his head

thoughtfully. He didn’t like what he was hearing. Things

were starting to add up in a way he didn’t like at all. But for

now he would say nothing. Although Francois was suffering

from the temporary insanity of trusting his wife, he was

willing to stake every franc of the considerable salary

Francois paid him that she knew nothing about Hortense de

Bourchain - and he was most definitely not going to be the

one to tell her.

When he lifted his head again he saw that Francois was

whispering to her, their faces so close that for a moment he

thought they were kissing. Then, as Francois’ hand took

hers and their fingers entwined, von Pappen could feel the

magnetism between them as though it were alive in the air.

Quickly he averted his eyes, wishing he could remove his

entire self with such speed and silence. Of course he had

always known that Francois loved his wife, he could even

pinpoint the day Francois had realized it himself. But he had

never dreamt that Francois would let it get the better of him

like this.

Hearing Francois give a low, intimate laugh, he fumbled

in his pocket for another cigarette. It was only as he lit it and

stole another quick look at them that he realized Francois

was laughing at him. And when he saw the way Claudine’s

magnificent blue eyes were glittering, how her full lips, so

red and enticing, were parted in a smile, he found himself

wondering how Francois had managed to resist her for so

long.

‘Are you going back to Paris tonight?’ Francois asked

him. ‘Or would you like to stay here?’

‘I think I’d like to get back, thank you,’ von Pappen

answered. ‘If I leave now I should be there by dawn.’

‘As you please,’ Francois said, getting to his feet. ‘I’ll see

you out.’

‘Are you sure this is wise?’ von Pappen hissed, as Francois

walked him round to the nursery landing.

‘I take it you’re referring to my wife?’ Francois answered

with a smile. ‘Well, the answer is, I don’t know Erich - but

I’m going to tell her anyway. She has a right to know.

Meanwhile, tell Elise I shall be in Paris sometime in the next

few days, but at the same time prepare her for my hasty

departure. And Erich,’ he said, as he pulled the door open,

‘thank you for looking after her.’

Von Pappen blinked, then turned to cross the bridge into

the forest. Not only was Francois de Lorvoire’s wife one of

the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen, he thought,

but she must also be a remarkable woman. In the space of a

few short days she had changed her husband beyond

recognition. Never, in all the time he had known him, had

he seen Francois display anything approaching the kind of

tenderness he had shown that night.

Francois was still grinning to himself as he walked back

into the sitting-room. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I imagine I’ve got a lot

of explaining to do now.’ He turned to look at Claudine, and

the smile fell from his lips.

She was standing before the dying embers of the fire, lit

only by the amber glow of a lamp behind her, so that her

hair, cascading over the blue satin on her shoulders, was like

the blaze of a setting sun. She was so beautiful that all he

could do was look at her. She turned to face him, almost in a

dream. She could hardly dare to believe the depth of the

love she sensed in him now. She had waited so long, had

wanted him so much, and now he wanted her too.

Suddenly an overpowering surge of longing swept

through her body, and as if he felt it he moved swiftly

towards her, lifting his arms to take her. As their lips met, he

eased her head onto his shoulder, pulling her body round so

that he could untie the ribbon at her throat. She moaned

softly as he drew the robe from her shoulders, then gasped

as his hand lifted her breasts free of her nightdress. She

looked down at what he was doing, but he took her chin and

lifted her mouth back to his. Then, as he pushed his tongue

between her lips and sought her nipples with his fingers, a

sudden blaze of passion soared through her and she fell

against him, sobbing. He pushed her nightgown to the floor,

running his hands over the satin smoothness of her thighs.

‘Oh Francois!’ she choked as he drew her to him.

‘Francois. Please! Take me here. I want you now. Oh my

God!’ she cried, as his fingers found the opening between

her legs.

‘Be patient, my darling,’ he whispered, and lifting her up

in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom.

‘I want to see you,’ she murmured, as he laid her down on

the bed, and she reached out to turn on the lamp.

She watched him strip away his clothes, feasting her eyes

on the powerful muscles of his arms, his shoulders, his

abdomen. And when he removed his trousers a cry escaped

from her lips as she saw the sheer magnitude of his erection.

‘Francois,’ she sobbed, as he lay on the bed beside her

and she turned to push herself against him. ‘Please! Don’t

make me wait any more. I want you now.’

The turbulence in her voice so inflamed him that he knew

he could not hold back any longer, and quickly he rolled her

onto her back, pushed his legs between hers and positioned

himself over her. Then, sliding a hand under her hips, he

lifted her to meet him, all the time looking down into her

face. He eased himself slowly, slowly into her, watching her

eyes widen and her head press back into the pillow as he

filled her. But before he reached the full depth of penetration,

he pulled back and started to push again.

‘Yes, oh, yes,’ she moaned, arching her back to take more

of him, but again he pulled away. Then he thrust himself so

violently into her that she screamed. He pulled back, and

thrust again, and again and again until the storm of their

passion broke, engulfing them in a love and desire so all

consuming that it was though they had become one. Her

nails dug into his back, her legs encircled his waist, and her

breasts bounced over her ribs as he slammed into her harder

and harder. He held himself up on his arms and they

watched him pump in and out of her, so savagely, so

hungrily that her breath stopped and her limbs started to

lose power.

He was shooting sensations through her that shattered

and exploded and soared into every corner of her body. She

was on fire, she could neither see nor speak, all she knew

was the unbearable, exquisite sensation that burned around

the pulsating stem of his penis. She tried to hold onto him,

tried to utter his name, but her breath wouldn’t come and

her arms fell away as the blinding rapture of what he was

doing shuddered through her in great spasms of ecstasy.

Then she heard herself sobbing, knew that her head was

twisting from side to side. Then his mouth was crushing

hers, his hands were pushing her legs wider, and as he

began to thrust into the core of her orgasm it burst against

him, gripping him, pulling him, commanding the seed from

his body.

‘Claudine,’ he groaned. ‘Oh my God! Claudine. God

help me!’ And with an agonized cry he ground into her with

such fury, knowing such ecstasy, that the seed spurted from

him. His heart was thumping, his skin glistening with

perspiration, and still his seed came. He pulled back,

pushed into her again, waiting for the blinding climax to

leave him.

When finally it did he lay over her for a long time,

struggling to regain his breath and feeling her heart pound

against his. He held her tightly in his arms until the strength

started to return to his limbs, but when he tried to pull away

she clung to him, holding him with her legs. ‘No,’ she

murmured, ‘don’t leave me. Don’t go.’ And as her fingers

slipped down over his buttocks and pushed between his

legs, he knew that he was going to take her again.

Quickly he turned her over, raised her buttocks and

buried himself to the full length of his penis. Again she cried

out, screaming through clenched teeth, and he took her

heavy breasts in his hands, tugged hard at her nipples,

squeezing them between his fingers, then pulled her face

round to his and sucked greedily at her lips. Then, as he

started to circle her clitoris with his finger, she pushed her

face into the pillow and sobbed.

A long time later she lay sprawled across him, her arms

and legs entwined in his and every pore of her body still

tingling with fulfilment. He watched her try to lift her head,

but she was still too weak and he chuckled as she gave up.

She sank her teeth gently into his arm and idly he traced his

finger through the crease between her buttocks. The bed

was in turmoil, but he managed to wrench a sheet from the

chaos to cover them. Then finally she managed to pull

herself up, and looked down at him with eyes that were still

dazed.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ she whispered. ‘I never knew it

could be like that. I never knew … Oh, Francois …’

He put a finger over her lips, and lifting his head from the

pillow, took first one nipple, then the other gently into his

mouth. Then, pulling her down beside him and turning her