Darkest Longings (9 page)

contemplating her future with Francois de Lorvoire.

Solange and Monique visited the Chateau de Montvisse

on several occasions. Monique’s hostility remained as

obdurate as ever, and the fact that Claudine was so

obviously entertained by the way Monique disagreed with

everything she said, only succeeded in making matters

worse. The Comtesse chose not to notice her daughter’s

attitude; her way of dealing with anything unpleasant, as

Claudine had come to realize, was simply to pretend it

didn’t exist. Already Claudine had become inordinately

fond of Solange, delighting in her dotty little ways and

outrageous comments -which were mostly directed at

Celine.

During these visits Francois was never mentioned; it was

as if all concerned - with the exception of Claudine - were

embarrassed by his abrupt return to Paris. Claudine knew

he was there because her father had told her so during one

of the frequent telephone calls he had made since his own

departure for the capital. From Francois himself there had

been no communication at all, a fact that both annoyed and

pleased her. On balance, she thought she was probably

more pleased than annoyed, for she had a great many

decisions to make before she saw him again. For one thing,

she had no intention of being thrown like the last time - or of

allowing him the final word. Next time they met, she would

be the one to take control of the situation, and she would

make certain he understood that under no circumstances

would she tolerate his appalling manners once they were

married.

The other problem Claudine felt she must sort out before

much longer was Monique’s dislike. She knew now that

Monique was two years older than her, that she was devoted

to her two brothers, and that she had had a very poor time

of it romantically. When Celine told her this last fact,

Claudine was surprised, for Monique’s wealth and

position obviously made her an excellent match, and she

was also remarkably attractive. Still, if Monique’s character

was as like her elder brother’s as Claudine suspected, it

was hardly surprising she was still unmarried. Nevertheless,

she was determined to win Monique’s friendship,

though it wasn’t going to be easy, she mused now, eyeing

Monique as she sat beside her mother on one of the

Japanese sofas in Celine’s favourite drawing-room.

Monique was balancing a cup and saucer in her hands, and

looking haughtier than ever in a pastel-rose flannel suit,

silk stockings and short-veiled hat.

‘I’m so delighted that you have fallen in love with our

countryside, cherie,’ Solange was saying. ‘I must say, I don’t

think there’s a place on earth to beat it. Have you been for

many walks?’

Claudine turned her eyes from Monique to smile

affectionately at the Comtesse. ‘Yes, lots,’ she answered,

‘but I have to confess I try to avoid the long grass as I have a

mortal dread of snakes.’

‘Oh, but I lave snakes,’ Monique cried theatrically. ‘They

are such graceful creatures, so beautiful.’

‘Perhaps, then,’ Claudine said smoothly, ‘you would care

to come for a walk with me, Monique, help me to conquer

my fear.’

Monique’s small nostrils flared. ‘But I am so busy at the

chateau,’ she answered, tossing her head in a way that made

her sleek black hair bob gently on her shoulders. ‘I really

don’t have time for walks. However, I’m sure Maman would

be only too happy to oblige.’

‘What?’ Solange cried, turning her head rapidly between

Claudine and Monique. ‘Oblige? Of course, anything, cherie. Absolutely anything.’

‘Then that is settled,’ Claudine said, with an impish grin.

‘And perhaps,’ she added, avoiding Celine’s eyes, ‘while we

are walking Solange, you might care to tell me about your

son Lucien. He’s the only member of your family I haven’t

yet met.’

Celine sighed inwardly. Wasn’t that just like Claudine?

She obviously hadn’t missed the silence that had so far

surrounded Lucien’s name.

‘Ah, Lucien!’ Solange trilled. ‘My boy. My baby. He is

coming home tomorrow.’

‘Maman, he came home yesterday,’ Monique reminded

her gently.

‘And where has he been?’ asked Claudine.

Monique’s lips puckered with annoyance. ‘He’s been in

Spain, fighting with the International Brigade. Lucien is a

born soldier, he has no time for frivolities.’

That was on odd thing to say, Claudine thought. ‘What

kind of frivolities do you mean, Monique?’ she asked mildly.

‘I mean romance,’ Monique responded, not in the least

fazed.

Claudine smiled. ‘Then he is like his brother.’

‘Exactly.’

‘And does he look like his brother?’

There was an awkward pause. ‘Lucien,’ Celine answered

at last, ‘is an exceptionally handsome young man, Claudine.’

Claudine turned back to Monique, and not even attempting

to suppress the laughter in her voice, said, ‘A handsome

young man, and wedded to the army. What a tragedy for

French womanhood!’

Again there was a long, uncomfortable silence. It was

Solange who broke it, announcing suddenly: ‘Hitler’s

Celine’s cup hit her saucer with a clatter, and swallowing

hard to stop herself from choking, she said, ‘He is?’ Her eyes were dancing. ‘When, cherie?’

‘I’m not certain, but I heard Francois telling Louis just

the other day. I can’t quite decide which room to put him in.’

‘Maman,’ Monique said patiently, ‘I don’t think Francois

meant that he was coming to stay - at least not at Lorvoire.’

‘What a relief!’ Solange cried, ‘I find it so difficult to

refuse anyone hospitality, but I’ve heard such dreadful

things about the man, haven’t you, Celine? What he did to

all those poor people in Gibraltar a few weeks ago! It’s

quite beyond me why the British put up with that, you

know.’

‘You mean Guernica, Maman,’ Monique told her. ‘And

Guernica is in Spain, it has nothing to do with the British.’

‘Oh. Well, the point is, the man is German, which doesn’t

do much to commend him to anyone, does it?’

‘I think Francois is mistaken about him coming here,’

said Celine. ‘Paris is full of scaremongers, but I’m surprised

at Francois. He doesn’t normally go in for that sort of

gossip.’

‘Well, all I know is that Francois and his charming friend

Charles told Louis that Hitler was coming. I know, because

I was listening outside the door.’

‘Solange!’ Celine laughed. ‘You are the only person alive

who could describe Colonel Charles de Gaulle as charming!

But I can assure you, cherie, France is perfectly safe now

that we have the Maginot Line. There can’t be any question

of Hitler coming.’

‘Unless of course Francois has invited him to Lorvoire,’

Claudine remarked to no one in particular.

‘I consider that remark in very poor taste,’ Monique said

acidly. ‘To suggest that Francois even knows Adolf Hitler-

‘But Francois knows everyone!’ Solange declared. ‘He

meets them when he is taking our wine for them to taste.

Why, he’s even met the King of England, that lovely

Edward.’

‘Edward is no longer the King of England, Maman. He

abdicated at the end of last year.’

‘So he did. Tell me, did you ever meet the Simpson

woman, Claudine?’

‘Only once,’ Claudine answered. ‘We were introduced at

a charity ball. She was rather pleasant, I thought, but it’ll be

a long time before the English forgive her for stealing their

king.’

‘In my opinion,’ said Solange, ‘the English should count

themselves lucky that they have one at all. France has never

been the same since the Revolution.’

As Celine and Claudine struggled to choke back their

laughter, Monique rose from the sofa. ‘I think,’ she said

stiffly, ‘that it is time Maman and I were leaving.’

‘Must we, cherie?’ Solange protested.

‘Yes, Maman, we must.’

‘And we were having such fun,’ Solange grumbled as she

pulled her reedy frame up from the sofa.

‘If you like,’ Claudine said, ‘I could drive you back to the

chateau in my car, Monique, and your mother could stay a little longer.’

‘Your car, Claudine!’ Solange interrupted. ‘Oh, I’d just

love to have a ride in your car!’

‘Oh no,’ Celine muttered under her breath.

‘And I’d love to take you,’ Claudine said, giving up on

Monique. ‘Shall we race them Solange? See who gets to the

chateau first? - Monique and your chauffeur, or you and me

in the Lagonda?’

‘How splendid!’ And Solange, flushed with excitement,

made for the door, Claudine following after her.

For several moments after they had gone, Monique stood

still in the middle of the room, her face pinched with resentment. Celine walked over to her and slipped an arm

round her shoulders. ‘What is the matter, cherie?’ she said

kindly. ‘You are not normally unfriendly, but you have

hardly uttered a civil word to Claudine since she arrived.

Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?’

Suddenly it was as though something inside Monique

had snapped. ‘If you must know, then I don’t want her to

charm my family or to make friends with people in the area,’

she cried. ‘I don’t want her to like them or them to like her.

If they do, she’ll never leave. And she can’t stay, she can’t!’ She tried to pull away from Celine, but Celine, gently lifting her chin, forced Monique’s tear-filled eyes to meet her own.

‘It’s Lucien, isn’t it?’ she said.

Monique’s lovely face was suddenly tortured by anguish.

‘Come along, cherie,’ Celine said, ‘come and sit down.’

‘But Martian. Is she safe with Claudine in that car?’

‘I can assure you that they will arrive at the chateau in one

piece.’ Celine led Monique to the sofa, then sat down beside

her. ‘Claudine may be a little wild at times, but she is not

completely lacking in sense.’

‘Unlike Maman,’ Monique said ruefully.

Celine chuckled. ‘And neither is your mother as dizzy as

she would have us all believe.’

‘I know,’ Monique sighed. ‘It’s just her only way of coping

with it all’

Celine bowed her head, then reaching out for Monique’s

hands, she took them between her own and said, ‘You’re

afraid, chine, aren’t you? You are afraid that Claudine will

fall in love with Lucien.’

Again Monique’s eyes were swamped by tears as she tried

to turn away.

‘It’s all right, I understand,’ Celine soothed. ‘I know how

much you love Francois, how much you love both your

brothers. But you must try to forget what happened with

Hortense, cherie. It was an accident.’

‘Of course it was an accident! How could it have been

anything else? Oh, I know what everyone was saying at the

time, but Lucien couldn’t help it, Celine, he didn’t mean

things to turn out the way they did. He loves Francois as

much as I do. They are close, as close as brothers can be.’

‘That is true,’ Celine acknowledged. It was perhaps the

one thing she admired about Francois, his devotion to his

family. ‘But now you are afraid that the same thing is going

to happen again?’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘No,’ Celine lied. ‘And neither is Beavis. He and Francois

have spoken about what happened to Hortense, and he has

no reservations about Francois marrying Claudine.’

‘Then he is a fool! Francois will never love her, they will

never have the kind of marriage you want for her. Do you

know what Francois said to me after their meeting last

week? Claudine was frivolous beyond endurance, and that if

he hadn’t given his word to Beavis he would call the whole

thing off. Don’t you see she’ll marry him, and he won’t love

her, and then she’ll, she’ll - ‘

‘Fall in love with Lucien?’

‘She’s bound to, Celine! Everyone does.’ Monique

buried her face in her hands. ‘I don’t understand why she

hasn’t returned to London. Why is she still here, Celine?

What is she trying to prove by marrying Francois?’

‘I’ve no idea, cherie. That’s a question only Claudine can

answer. But he hasn’t asked her yet. Maybe she will refuse

him.’

Monique took a deep breath. ‘Do you think so? Do you

think she might?’ She sighed. ‘Oh, if only she weren’t so

beautiful…’

‘Are you going to tell her about Hortense?’ Celine said,

after a pause.

‘No. Francois has forbidden it.’

Again there was silence. ‘Lucien will be there at the chateau

when she arrives with Maman,’ Monique said miserably.

Then better they meet now, while Claudine is still free to

make her choice,’ Celine replied. ‘And there is one

fundamental difference between Hortense and Claudine,

Monique, which is that Francois is not in love with

Claudine. So if she should fall in love with Lucien now,

there will be no harm done.’

Monique didn’t bother to answer. There were a thousand

thoughts spinning around her head, and every one of them

was yet another reason why Claudine should not be allowed