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Authors: Susan Lewis
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her
to pull herself together, then offered her a hand to help her
to her feet.
‘Tell me,’ she said, as she tried not to notice the way his
hand swallowed hers in its grip, ‘do you have a sense of
humour? The stories they tell about you in Paris suggest you
might.’
‘There are very few things that concern me, Claudine,’ he
said, letting go of her and starting to walk on. ‘And society
gossip is not one of them.’
‘Then, may I venture to ask what does concern you?’
‘No.’
When they had reached the water-garden again,
Claudine stopped at the fountain and sat down. For one
alarming moment she thought Francois was going to walk
on, but he halted a few paces away, keeping his back to her.
‘May I ask how you received the scar on your face?’ she
said.
‘No.’
‘Am I allowed to ask anything at all?’
He turned slowly, but made no move towards her as he
said, ‘Inquisitiveness is not a quality I find attractive.’
‘Do you intend ever to be anything but rude to me?’
‘That depends very much on you.’
Not knowing quite how to answer that, she sat quietly,
hoping he might say more. At last, to break the silence she
asked, ‘Do you know my father well?’
ill..
‘Yes.’
‘Do you like him?’
‘I have a great admiration for him.’
‘Well, couldn’t you at least be civil to his daughter, then?
Especially if she is going to marry you.’
‘If there is to be a marriage between us, Claudine, then it
will be one of convenience only. Beavis is fully aware of
that.’
‘Must it preclude friendship?’
He looked away, but she could tell that her question had
annoyed him. ‘Why does it have to be you who marries,
then,’ she went on angrily, ‘if you hate the idea so much?
You have a brother, couldn’t he have rescued you from this
obviously repugnant state of affairs?’
At that he gave a shout of mirthless laughter, and his eyes
gleamed balefully as he turned to look at her. ‘From the
moment you meet my brother,’ he said, ‘it will be one of the
greatest regrets of your life that he won the toss of the coin.’
She frowned. ‘The toss of the coin?’
He merely smiled, but this time there was something so
pernicious in the smile that though he was standing several
feet away, she felt herself shrink back.
‘Earlier,’ she said, ‘I thought you hated me. But I was
wrong. You despise me, don’t you?’
‘Does it matter what my feelings are for you?’
‘If I’m to marry you, then of course it does!’ she cried.
His eyes were suddenly harder than ever as the thick
brows pulled together and the wide nostrils of his beaked
nose flared. ‘If you care about such trivialities, perhaps you
should return to England before your disappointment
becomes an embarrassment to us both,” Vie said, and sliding
his hands into his pockets, he turned and walked back to the
house.
Claudine was still sitting at the fountain when Celine came
to find her half an hour later. In that time she had managed
to overcome the worst of her fury, but her sense of outrage
was still so strong that she had not yet dared to go back into
the house. She was stunned by the effect he had on her was
still having. It was almost as if he had molested her, as if
his monstrous presence had actually invaded her - though
their only physical contact had been when he touched her
hand. She was confused and hurt, she wanted to repay him
for the way he had insulted her. But she wanted more than
that; much more.
She started as her aunt’s shadow fell across the water; for
one dreadful moment she thought he had returned. But
when she saw Celine’s anxious face looking down at her, she
got to her feet, smiling brightly and holding out her hands.
‘Sitting here all alone, cherie?’ Celine asked uncertainly as
she took her hands. ‘Where is Francois?’
‘Didn’t he rejoin the party?’
Celine shook her head, and Claudine smiled as
to pull herself together, then offered her a hand to help her
to her feet.
‘Tell me,’ she said, as she tried not to notice the way his
hand swallowed hers in its grip, ‘do you have a sense of
humour? The stories they tell about you in Paris suggest you
might.’
‘There are very few things that concern me, Claudine,’ he
said, letting go of her and starting to walk on. ‘And society
gossip is not one of them.’
‘Then, may I venture to ask what does concern you?’
‘No.’
When they had reached the water-garden again,
Claudine stopped at the fountain and sat down. For one
alarming moment she thought Francois was going to walk
on, but he halted a few paces away, keeping his back to her.
‘May I ask how you received the scar on your face?’ she
said.
‘No.’
‘Am I allowed to ask anything at all?’
He turned slowly, but made no move towards her as he
said, ‘Inquisitiveness is not a quality I find attractive.’
‘Do you intend ever to be anything but rude to me?’
‘That depends very much on you.’
Not knowing quite how to answer that, she sat quietly,
hoping he might say more. At last, to break the silence she
asked, ‘Do you know my father well?’
ill..
‘Yes.’
‘Do you like him?’
‘I have a great admiration for him.’
‘Well, couldn’t you at least be civil to his daughter, then?
Especially if she is going to marry you.’
‘If there is to be a marriage between us, Claudine, then it
will be one of convenience only. Beavis is fully aware of
that.’
‘Must it preclude friendship?’
He looked away, but she could tell that her question had
annoyed him. ‘Why does it have to be you who marries,
then,’ she went on angrily, ‘if you hate the idea so much?
You have a brother, couldn’t he have rescued you from this
obviously repugnant state of affairs?’
At that he gave a shout of mirthless laughter, and his eyes
gleamed balefully as he turned to look at her. ‘From the
moment you meet my brother,’ he said, ‘it will be one of the
greatest regrets of your life that he won the toss of the coin.’
She frowned. ‘The toss of the coin?’
He merely smiled, but this time there was something so
pernicious in the smile that though he was standing several
feet away, she felt herself shrink back.
‘Earlier,’ she said, ‘I thought you hated me. But I was
wrong. You despise me, don’t you?’
‘Does it matter what my feelings are for you?’
‘If I’m to marry you, then of course it does!’ she cried.
His eyes were suddenly harder than ever as the thick
brows pulled together and the wide nostrils of his beaked
nose flared. ‘If you care about such trivialities, perhaps you
should return to England before your disappointment
becomes an embarrassment to us both,” Vie said, and sliding
his hands into his pockets, he turned and walked back to the
house.
Claudine was still sitting at the fountain when Celine came
to find her half an hour later. In that time she had managed
to overcome the worst of her fury, but her sense of outrage
was still so strong that she had not yet dared to go back into
the house. She was stunned by the effect he had on her was
still having. It was almost as if he had molested her, as if
his monstrous presence had actually invaded her - though
their only physical contact had been when he touched her
hand. She was confused and hurt, she wanted to repay him
for the way he had insulted her. But she wanted more than
that; much more.
She started as her aunt’s shadow fell across the water; for
one dreadful moment she thought he had returned. But
when she saw Celine’s anxious face looking down at her, she
got to her feet, smiling brightly and holding out her hands.
‘Sitting here all alone, cherie?’ Celine asked uncertainly as
she took her hands. ‘Where is Francois?’
‘Didn’t he rejoin the party?’
Celine shook her head, and Claudine smiled as
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