between them. “Tonight is our last night together for a long time,” he said softly.
“Maybe not that long,” she said with a wistful smile. She stood and retrieved an outfit from the closet. She stepped into a violet wool skirt and fastened it, then slipped on the matching dinner jacket with rhinestone buttons that Libby had given her. It was another cast-off, but it was still attractive.
“You look beautiful, Danielle.” Max cocked his head. “You did an excellent alteration on that suit. My darling wife, you have an exquisite sense of style.”
She laughed lightly. “I enjoy designing and sewing.”
He puffed on his pipe. “Your triple strand of pearls would have looked nice with the outfit,” he said, a note of guilt in his voice. “I’m sorry now that we sold them.”
She crossed to him and touched his face, and angled his chin up with her finger. She saw sadness in his eyes. “It’s nothing, darling. Let’s just be glad that I was wearing them the day the ship went down. We needed the money for my travel back to France.”
“And soon, for your maternity clothes and medical attention. Perhaps I should have asked your father to wire funds.”
She kissed him lightly, tasting the vanilla-scented tobacco on his lips. “Don’t worry,” she said with a deliberate shrug. “Besides,” she added with a bright smile, holding out her left hand, “we kept the ring.”
“Yes, we did. My mother’s emerald ring. It’s been in our family for many years.” He kissed her again.
Danielle returned to the vanity. The sweet sultry smoke from Max’s pipe curled around the room as she wound her long hair into a sleek chignon and secured it with hairpins.
He stood behind her, his hands caressing her shoulders as he had last night when they’d made love, slowly and tenderly, due to the baby. “You are the only woman I’ve ever loved,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “and I will love you forever.”
She smiled up at him in the mirror, feeling very close to him now. She reached for her perfume and applied the scent between her breasts and on her wrists. She trailed the stopper behind her knees and at her ankles, and finally, applied another dab on the nape of her neck and touched her upswept hair. Even as a young girl, she’d always loved applying perfume, it made her feel feminine, complete, and chic.
Max nuzzled her neck. “That’s my favorite.”
“It’s the one I created for our wedding day.”
“It was kind of your uncle to send your perfumes when we arrived here. Danielle, I must admit now, I might have been a little jealous of your talent.”
Suddenly, the windows rattled. “What was that?” she cried, her hand at her throat.
“I think a door slammed downstairs.”
“I thought for a moment—”
“I know. So did I.” She rotated her neck against the sudden tension she felt. As Max massaged her shoulders, she realized how little time they had left together, and for all their differences and disagreements, how much she would miss him.
Danielle turned back to the mirror and, with a resolute flick of her finger, brushed on a wine-colored lip rouge. She snapped the lid shut and turned to face Max.
“You look exquisite.” He put his pipe down. “May I help you with the cape?”
“Please.”
Max draped Libby’s black mink cape across Danielle’s shoulders.
She whirled around, the scarlet-lined mink cape flaring about her, and stopped in his embrace.
This is the man I have loved for so long, the father of my children. How I will miss him.
She felt him stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“You grow more beautiful every day, Danielle. I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”
As he kissed her again, she felt his hands caressing the silky fur and her blossoming body beneath it, and knew they would make love again for the last time tonight.
“This is like old times,” he said.
“I’d give anything for those old times again,” she
“Maybe not that long,” she said with a wistful smile. She stood and retrieved an outfit from the closet. She stepped into a violet wool skirt and fastened it, then slipped on the matching dinner jacket with rhinestone buttons that Libby had given her. It was another cast-off, but it was still attractive.
“You look beautiful, Danielle.” Max cocked his head. “You did an excellent alteration on that suit. My darling wife, you have an exquisite sense of style.”
She laughed lightly. “I enjoy designing and sewing.”
He puffed on his pipe. “Your triple strand of pearls would have looked nice with the outfit,” he said, a note of guilt in his voice. “I’m sorry now that we sold them.”
She crossed to him and touched his face, and angled his chin up with her finger. She saw sadness in his eyes. “It’s nothing, darling. Let’s just be glad that I was wearing them the day the ship went down. We needed the money for my travel back to France.”
“And soon, for your maternity clothes and medical attention. Perhaps I should have asked your father to wire funds.”
She kissed him lightly, tasting the vanilla-scented tobacco on his lips. “Don’t worry,” she said with a deliberate shrug. “Besides,” she added with a bright smile, holding out her left hand, “we kept the ring.”
“Yes, we did. My mother’s emerald ring. It’s been in our family for many years.” He kissed her again.
Danielle returned to the vanity. The sweet sultry smoke from Max’s pipe curled around the room as she wound her long hair into a sleek chignon and secured it with hairpins.
He stood behind her, his hands caressing her shoulders as he had last night when they’d made love, slowly and tenderly, due to the baby. “You are the only woman I’ve ever loved,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “and I will love you forever.”
She smiled up at him in the mirror, feeling very close to him now. She reached for her perfume and applied the scent between her breasts and on her wrists. She trailed the stopper behind her knees and at her ankles, and finally, applied another dab on the nape of her neck and touched her upswept hair. Even as a young girl, she’d always loved applying perfume, it made her feel feminine, complete, and chic.
Max nuzzled her neck. “That’s my favorite.”
“It’s the one I created for our wedding day.”
“It was kind of your uncle to send your perfumes when we arrived here. Danielle, I must admit now, I might have been a little jealous of your talent.”
Suddenly, the windows rattled. “What was that?” she cried, her hand at her throat.
“I think a door slammed downstairs.”
“I thought for a moment—”
“I know. So did I.” She rotated her neck against the sudden tension she felt. As Max massaged her shoulders, she realized how little time they had left together, and for all their differences and disagreements, how much she would miss him.
Danielle turned back to the mirror and, with a resolute flick of her finger, brushed on a wine-colored lip rouge. She snapped the lid shut and turned to face Max.
“You look exquisite.” He put his pipe down. “May I help you with the cape?”
“Please.”
Max draped Libby’s black mink cape across Danielle’s shoulders.
She whirled around, the scarlet-lined mink cape flaring about her, and stopped in his embrace.
This is the man I have loved for so long, the father of my children. How I will miss him.
She felt him stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers.
“You grow more beautiful every day, Danielle. I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”
As he kissed her again, she felt his hands caressing the silky fur and her blossoming body beneath it, and knew they would make love again for the last time tonight.
“This is like old times,” he said.
“I’d give anything for those old times again,” she
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