Read Online Vintage Pride by Eilzabeth Lapthorne - Free Book Online

palate cleanser after the meat, to help aid with the digestion of such rich food. After this comes cheese, then dessert.”
    “Do you eat like this every night?”
    “Only when we have guests, which isn’t often these days. Jean-Luc loved to entertain when Benoît was still here, but now…”
    “Benoît?”
    Thérèse flushed and said nothing further. Ethan realized she must have spoken out of turn.
    “Please, enjoy your food,” she said before turning away to address a remark to Leon.
    Once the cheese board, containing a runny slab of Brie de Meaux, blue-veined Roquefort and mature, salty Comté had arrived, Marcus said, “So, I suppose you’d all like to know more about the legends surrounding the château?”
    “Of course.” Kim sat a little straighter in her chair.
    “Well, as my lovely wife will tell you, the LeBlancs were a prominent family in the region even before they built this place. You remember I showed you the motto on the crest, ‘ forte comme un lion ’? Well, its origin dates back to Oriel LeBlanc, who fought at the battle of Agincourt.”
    “That’s Henry the Fifth, fourteen hundred and something, right?” A couple of years ago, Ethan had briefly dated an actor who’d landed a minor role in a production of that Shakespeare play. He knew little of the history surrounding the story apart from the fact the English had ultimately defeated their French opponents.
    “Indeed.” Marcus smiled at Ethan. “Oriel was described as the finest of all the French knights who gave their life that day. It was said he fought with the strength and bravery of a lion, refusing to surrender even when all hope was lost. Of course, it’s not unusual for an exceptionally courageous man to be compared to that particular animal—we English have our own Richard the Lionheart, after all. But when the LeBlanc estate was established here, a hundred or so years after the battle of Agincourt, a chapel was constructed in the grounds to commemorate Oriel, and a lion’s image incorporated into the family crest so his deeds would never be forgotten.”
    “Could we get a look at this chapel some time?” Dex asked.
    “I’d love to show you around it, but unfortunately it was destroyed by a lightning strike at the turn of the last century. Some of the stones used to build it were incorporated into the walls of our storage cellar. But as a general rule, none of the public rooms here is off-limits to you.” Marcus topped up Ethan’s wine glass, then Kim’s. He held out the bottle to Dex, who refused.
    “But there’s a more recent story that might be of interest to you, too. When France was occupied during the Second World War, the Nazis plundered many of the museums and great houses for their treasures. The people of Épernay remembered how the Château LeBlanc remained safe during the Revolution, and they were sure that whatever spirit had protected it again would do so if the Germans came calling. The Resistance movement was very active in this part of the country, smuggling equipment and passing on information to the Allies, and the LeBlancs were happy to aid them. When an injured English airman bailed out of a burning plane a couple of miles from here, the family sheltered him until he was well. But the really interesting story is that a number of valuable artworks were supposed to have been hidden in the cellars here by a wealthy Jewish family, who intended to flee to England and return once the war was over. Unfortunately, they were rounded up before they could leave the country and taken to Auschwitz. I don’t think I need tell you what happened to them…”
    I’ll say this for Marcus. He’s a fabulous raconteur. Looking round the table, Ethan saw his colleagues were hanging on the Englishman’s words, as keen as he was to learn how this unhappy story ended.
    “The rumor is those paintings are still hidden somewhere on this property. And every time I hear the story, it grows more exaggerated. They owned