Darkest Longings (47 page)

Monique knew only three of Karol’s friends, and they

had a good deal of trouble over the spellings, but Claudine

took the list back to the party and began to ask about Karol.

No one knew where he was. She stopped for a word with

Monsieur Reynaud, the French Finance Minister, and was

just turning away from him when she became uncomfortably

aware that someone was watching her. Fear shot

through her: the man in the Lorvoire forest had followed

her here to Paris … And then, as her body began to tingle

in that horribly disturbing way it often did when under his

scrutiny she turned round, and found herself staring

straight into Francois’ eyes.

Until that moment she had not understood just how

afraid she had been for his safety, or how badly she had

missed him. Now seeing him, all she wanted was to run to

him, hear him tell her that he was all right. But she remained

where she was, strangely unable to move.

He made his way through the crowd towards her, and as

though she was drifting somewhere apart from herself, she

watched him come, feeling his black eyes sink deep into hers

and hearing her breath whisper from her lips.

‘What a fortunate man I am to have such a beautiful wife,’

he murmured as he reached her, bringing her hand to his

lips. ‘These are the diamonds my father gave you today?’ He

fingered the bracelet on her wrist. ‘He always has had a

remarkable eye for quality.’

There was an ambiguity to his remark that Claudine

thought she understood, but she said, ‘When did you arrive

in Paris?’

‘Earlier today. I’m afraid I had business to attend to

before…’

‘What business?’

‘Business.’

‘Don’t treat me like a fool, Francois!’ she snapped,

suddenly angry. ‘I want to know what’s going on. I have a

right to know. If you have put my son in any more danger.’

She broke off as he tilted her face up to his.

‘Our son,’ he reminded her.

For a moment her eyes were locked on his, and she felt

her lips parting as though waiting for his kiss; but then,

slapping his hand away, she said, ‘If you’ve put him in any

more danger Francois…’

‘He is in no more danger than he was before.’

‘Then where have you been? Everyone has been looking

for you …’

‘Ah, so you did overhear the conversation in my father’s

study today. He thought you did.’

‘Then would you mind explaining… ?’

‘I’m not explaining anything in the middle of a crowd

like this. Now, I rather feel the desire to dance with my

wife.’ And taking her by the elbow, he led her into the

garden.

She could hardly believe what was happening to her.

With one hand he held the small of her back, and with the

other he twined his fingers through hers. Her body’s

response to him was so strong that she could barely move.

‘You don’t appear to dance as well with me as you do with

others,’ he remarked. ‘But that is hardly surprising.’

She looked up into his face, but as he started to smile at

her she turned quickly away.

‘How is the situation at Lorvoire?’ he asked, after a

minute or two.

‘To be truthful, I’m not sure,’ she said, mentally shaking

herself out of her trance. ‘I still have the feeling of being

watched - but Armand doesn’t seem to feel it at all. He

thinks whoever it is has gone away. Has he?’ she asked,

when Francois didn’t answer.

‘I’m afraid I don’t know, cherie.’

She faltered at the endearment, and anything she might

have been about to saw was snatched from her mind.

‘Have you come across any strangers at Lorvoire?’ he

asked.

‘No,’ she answered. But then, thinking about it, ‘Actually,

there is someone. His name is Claude Villiers. He’s been

organizing boules tournaments.’

Francois nodded thoughtfully, then returning his attention

to her, he pulled her closer and said, ‘I shall have him

checked out. I can’t have anything happen to my beautiful

wife, now can I?’ His white teeth flashed a smile. ‘Armand is

taking good care of you?’

‘Yes,’ she breathed, feeling hopelessly dizzy at the way his

body was pressing against hers. She blinked, trying to bring

herself back to reality. This couldn’t be desire she was feeling,

not now, after all this time, when she had fought so hard to

conquer it and when Armand had shown her what it was to be

truly loved. Yet the feel of his legs moving against hers was

quickening her heartbeat and locking the breath in her lungs.

She looked up at him, and her heart turned over at the harsh,

disfigured face that tonight seemed so strangely alluring.

He was looking down the length of his nose at her, his

thick black brows ironically raised. ‘If you continue to look

at me that way, ma chere, I shall feel obliged to do something

about it.’

It was as if all the blood in her body had suddenly rushed

to her loins, and she found herself clinging to him as though

trying to stay on her feet.

‘In fact,’ he went on, ‘since our home is filled with guests I

shall indeed have to come to your bed tonight. However, I’m

not sure I feel inclined to make love to a woman who whores

like a peasant with my own vigneron.”

He grabbed her as she made to break away. ‘Does

Armand know that you lust after your husband?’ he said,

laughing.

‘You’re insane if you think that!’ she spat, ‘I loathe and

detest you, and I don’t care who knows it!’

‘Evidently,’ he remarked, looking around to see who had’ heard, but as she made to wrench herself away again, he pulled her back. ‘I haven’t finished.’

‘Let go of me!’ she seethed. ‘Let go or I’ll scream!’

‘Scream by all means, if you want everyone present to

witness your face being slapped.’

She was silent, staring stonily past him as she waited for

him to continue.

‘Where is Monique?’ he said, after a while.

‘Inside.’

‘Then I want you to go to her and tell her that Kalinowski

will not be coming tonight.’

Claudine’s eyes shot to his. ‘How do you know? Where is

he?’

‘There will be no engagement,’ he continued, as if she

hadn’t spoken. ‘Kalinowski has returned to Poland and I

have no reason to believe that he will set foot in France

again.’

‘What? Why?’

‘Because I have seen to it that he will not,’ he answered.

‘Break the news gently to my sister. I believe she thought

herself in love with him.’

‘What have you done?’ she hissed. ‘Why have you

interfered when he’s asked her to marry him?’

‘He was in no position to ask her. He already has a wife.’

‘Oh no!’ Claudine groaned. ‘But if he already has a wife,

why did he ask Monique to marry him?’

‘Did he?’

‘Well, of course he …’ The words dried on her lips as

she remembered Freddy.

‘Precisely,’ Francois said. ‘I’m afraid Monique has a way of reading things into a situation that simply aren’t there.

But that’s no excuse for the way he allowed her to believe he

was a free man. He is notorious for his conquests, and my

sister, I’m sorry to say, is easy prey.’

The dance ended then, and Francois led her to a shadowy

corner of the garden. As they passed through the crowd

Claudine couldn’t help noticing the way heads turned it was rare to see Francois and Claudine de Lorvoire together in public. Strangely, even after the way he had behaved, she

felt a thrill at the interest they provoked, but then she

snatched her hand from his as her body threatened once

again to betray her.

‘This won’t be easy for you, Claudine,’ he said, when they

were away from the crowd. ‘I know Monique will take it

hard, but I think your approach will be far gentler than mine,

which is why I’ve asked you to break it to her.’

‘Your consideration for your sister does you credit,’ she

said tardy. ‘Will you show your mistress the same consideration

when you ask her why she introduced Monique

to Kalinowski in the first place?’

‘My mistress is not as guilty as you might think,’ he

answered, quite unperturbed. ‘Monique happened to be at

Elise’s apartment when Kalinowski arrived. She made all

the running, I gather, and sadly Elise could do little to stop

her.’

Francois knew that his discussing - and defending - his

mistress in such a matter-of-fact way was incensing

Claudine beyond words. Looking down at her, he saw the

way her breasts were heaving with indignation, the way her

eyes were flashing in the darkness, saw the moistness of her

soft, sensuous mouth. He put a hand on her shoulder and

started to caress her.

She shrugged him off. ‘Are you touching me while your

mind is on Elise, Francois?’ she sneered.

He laughed. ‘Touche. But I was thinking that maybe I will

come to your bed tonight after all, if only to remind you how

repulsive you find me.’

‘I don’t need reminding!’ she spat, and turning on her

heel she stalked imperiously back into the crowd.

The following night Francois’ impassive black eyes were

watching Elise as she entertained Max Helber. As always

when she entertained his guests, nothing was too much

trouble, and he was amused to see German dishes being

served one after the other. She was, he thought, putting up a

remarkably good performance of feigning a first encounter

with Helber.

He glanced at his watch, then set his glass back on the

table and rose to his feet. It was time now for Elise to

disappear, as he had confidential matters to discuss with the

German. Knowing how she would enjoy being seen with the

man whose current success with the economy was likely to

make him the next Prime Minister of France, he had

arranged for her to join Paul Reynaud’s opera party.

Reynaud’s mistress would be there too, and knowing how

much Elise disliked Madame des Portes, Francois was

almost sorry he wouldn’t be there to see the fireworks.

Elise was still listening raptly to Helber’s flowery opinions

on French literature as Francois walked over to the fireplace

and rang for the maid. ‘Fetch madame’s cloak,’ he said,

when she came in.

Immediately Elise looked up, and he could see her

irritation at being dismissed so unceremoniously. Ignoring

it, he poured a cognac for Helber and himself.

‘Francois, may I have a word?’ Elise purred through her

teeth.

‘Certainly, ma chere, if it won’t take long.’

‘It won’t,’ she snapped, and he followed her through into

the bedroom.

‘Well?’ he enquired, closing the door behind him.

‘I wish to know if you will be here when I return?’ she said

testily.

‘No.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t propose to give you a reason.’

The pain she felt at his words showed in her eyes, but her

tone was brittle rather than peevish as she said, ‘You haven’t made love to me since you returned from Lorvoire, Francois - over three months ago. What’s happened? Have I done

something… ?’

‘Elise,’ he interrupted smoothly, ‘surely you don’t need

reminding that you tried to kill my son.’

‘But I thought we had put that behind us! When we were

in Germany …’

‘Are you really so stupid as to think I could forget

something like that?’

‘No, of course not. But…’

‘But what, Elise?’

She had known his coldness so often in the past, but lately

it had begun to frighten her. ‘I would never do anything to

hurt him now!’ she cried ‘I swear to you, Francois. Upon my

mother’s grave I swear it!’

He seemed amused by that. ‘Wouldn’t you, Elise?’ he

said. ‘Then tell me, who is having him - and my wife watched?’

‘You’ve asked me that before, and the answer is still the

same. I don’t know, Francois. Truthfully, I don’t know.’

‘Is it the man who raped you?’

She gasped at the deliberate brutality. Then suddenly he

grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face very close to his.

‘Don’t bother to lie, Elise,’ he said. ‘Just tell me who he’s

working for.’

‘I don’t know! I don’t know who he is, he just came here

and…’

He smiled grimly at her hesitation. ‘Does he have any

connection with von Liebermann?’ he asked.

He knew about her contact with von Liebermann! Again

she shrank from him, and he tightened his grip on her hair

as he saw she was about to deny the association. ‘I am fully

aware of your links with the Abwehr, Elise, so just answer

my question.’

‘Yes!’ she cried. ‘Yes, he has!’

He let her go. ‘Thank you. That was all I wanted to know.

However, you have succeeded in confirming something else

I have long suspected.’

‘What?’ she asked, dreading the answer.

‘That you are unable to keep your mouth shut when

subjected to what our friend Liebermann calls coercion.’

She turned away, too confused for the moment to see

where all this might lead. She expected him to leave the

room, but then he came behind her, and holding her by the