Read Online A Sudden Change of Heart by Barbara Taylor Bradford - Free Book Online Page A

slender, with widely set, bright green eyes, blond hair stylishly cut, and an almost cherubic face, hardly lined at all. There was something very girlish and pretty about her, even though Laura guessed she must be in her early seventies or thereabouts.
    Jacqueline was standing in front of the fire in the
salon vert,
pale green in color, and she smiled back at Laura and hurried forward.
    “Hercule!” she exclaimed. “So nice of you to come, and to bring your friend.”
    Hercule kissed her on both cheeks and said, “I am so happy to see you, Jacqueline. And may I present Laura Valiant. Laura, this is the
Comtesse
de Antoine-St. Lucien.”
    “I am delighted to meet you,
Mademoiselle
,” Jacqueline said, shaking Laura’s hand.
    “And I you, Countess,” Laura responded, smiling atthis perfectly groomed and elegantly dressed diminutive woman.
    “May I offer you something? Coffee, tea, a drink perhaps?”
    “No, thank you,” Laura said.
    Hercule shook his head. “Nothing for me either, Jacqueline. But thank you.”
    “Then do let us sit down,” the countess replied, smiling graciously and leading them across the room to a grouping of comfortable chairs near the fireplace.
    Almost at once, Hercule began speaking to her about the château near Loches in the Loire Valley, where she was having some repair work done to the roof. This gave Laura a chance to look around.
    Her eyes scanned the room quickly, took in the eau de nile walls, the pale green silk upholstery on the chairs and sofas, and the matching taffeta draperies. The pale green walls made a soft and beguiling backdrop for the paintings in the room, which included a Bonnard, a Degas, and a Cézanne. And, of course, the Renoir, which was hanging above a
bombé
-fronted chest set against a small side wall.
    Laura was itching to get up, to go and look at it, but her natural good manners forbade this.
    It was Hercule who suddenly rose and said, “Ah, the Renoir, Jacqueline, I must look at it again, if I may.”
    “But of course, Hercule,” she answered. “Please do, and you also, Mademoiselle Valiant. Please, go and see it.”
    “Come, Laura,” he said, turning to her. “I know you are eager to look at all of the countess’s works of art.”
    “Yes, I am,” she admitted.
    They walked over to the Renoir and stood gazing at it, both of them entranced by its beauty and grace.
    Hercule said, “I have seen this many times over the years, Laura, and I must admit, I never tire of it. But then, Renoir was the great master, as we both know.”
    “And this is just gorgeous,” Laura murmured, sounding slightly awed. Nonetheless, she could not help wondering if her Canadian client would find the painting too small. In her dealings with him in the past, he had usually favored larger canvases. On the other hand, the painting was a little jewel; the skin tone of the model glowed like luminescent pearl under the picture light, and the woman truly came alive, as did the landscape and the pool near the rock she was seated on. Laura hoped that her client
would
buy it.
    After another moment or two lingering in front of the Renoir, Hercule took hold of Laura’s arm and drew her across the room, first to look at the Degas, then the Bonnard, and finally the Cézanne. All three paintings were, like the Renoir, total perfection, prime examples of the artist’s work. Laura couldn’t help wondering if any of these were for sale, especially the large Cézanne.
    Eventually they went and joined the countess in front of the fire, and Laura turned to her and said, “The Renoir is exquisite, and so are your other paintings, Countess. It is quite an experience to be in a room that contains four such masterpieces. A room in a private home, I mean.”
    “Merci,
Mademoiselle Valiant. You are very kind, and I must say, they are all paintings that make me feel happy when I look at them. But then, I have never liked anything that makes me sad or depressed. I have the need to be uplifted