Free Darkest Longings by Susan Lewis Page B

me, did you ever meet the Simpson
    woman, Claudine?’
    ‘Only once,’ Claudine answered. ‘We were introduced at
    a charity ball. She was rather pleasant, I thought, but it’ll be
    a long time before the English forgive her for stealing their
    king.’
    ‘In my opinion,’ said Solange, ‘the English should count
    themselves lucky that they have one at all. France has never
    been the same since the Revolution.’
    As Celine and Claudine struggled to choke back their
    laughter, Monique rose from the sofa. ‘I think,’ she said
    stiffly, ‘that it is time Maman and I were leaving.’
    ‘Must we, cherie?’ Solange protested.
    ‘Yes, Maman, we must.’
    ‘And we were having such fun,’ Solange grumbled as she
    pulled her reedy frame up from the sofa.
    ‘If you like,’ Claudine said, ‘I could drive you back to the
    chateau in my car, Monique, and your mother could stay a little longer.’
    ‘Your car, Claudine!’ Solange interrupted. ‘Oh, I’d just
    love to have a ride in your car!’
    ‘Oh no,’ Celine muttered under her breath.
    ‘And I’d love to take you,’ Claudine said, giving up on
    Monique. ‘Shall we race them Solange? See who gets to the
    chateau first? - Monique and your chauffeur, or you and me
    in the Lagonda?’
    ‘How splendid!’ And Solange, flushed with excitement,
    made for the door, Claudine following after her.
    For several moments after they had gone, Monique stood
    still in the middle of the room, her face pinched with resentment. Celine walked over to her and slipped an arm
    round her shoulders. ‘What is the matter, cherie?’ she said
    kindly. ‘You are not normally unfriendly, but you have
    hardly uttered a civil word to Claudine since she arrived.
    Why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?’
    Suddenly it was as though something inside Monique
    had snapped. ‘If you must know, then I don’t want her to
    charm my family or to make friends with people in the area,’
    she cried. ‘I don’t want her to like them or them to like her.
    If they do, she’ll never leave. And she can’t stay, she can’t!’ She tried to pull away from Celine, but Celine, gently lifting her chin, forced Monique’s tear-filled eyes to meet her own.
    ‘It’s Lucien, isn’t it?’ she said.
    Monique’s lovely face was suddenly tortured by anguish.
    ‘Come along, cherie,’ Celine said, ‘come and sit down.’
    ‘But Martian. Is she safe with Claudine in that car?’
    ‘I can assure you that they will arrive at the chateau in one
    piece.’ Celine led Monique to the sofa, then sat down beside
    her. ‘Claudine may be a little wild at times, but she is not
    completely lacking in sense.’
    ‘Unlike Maman,’ Monique said ruefully.
    Celine chuckled. ‘And neither is your mother as dizzy as
    she would have us all believe.’
    ‘I know,’ Monique sighed. ‘It’s just her only way of coping
    with it all’
    Celine bowed her head, then reaching out for Monique’s
    hands, she took them between her own and said, ‘You’re
    afraid, chine, aren’t you? You are afraid that Claudine will
    fall in love with Lucien.’
    Again Monique’s eyes were swamped by tears as she tried
    to turn away.
    ‘It’s all right, I understand,’ Celine soothed. ‘I know how
    much you love Francois, how much you love both your
    brothers. But you must try to forget what happened with
    Hortense, cherie. It was an accident.’
    ‘Of course it was an accident! How could it have been
     
    anything else? Oh, I know what everyone was saying at the
    time, but Lucien couldn’t help it, Celine, he didn’t mean
    things to turn out the way they did. He loves Francois as
    much as I do. They are close, as close as brothers can be.’
    ‘That is true,’ Celine acknowledged. It was perhaps the
    one thing she admired about Francois, his devotion to his
    family. ‘But now you are afraid that the same thing is going
    to happen again?’
    ‘Aren’t you?’
    ‘No,’ Celine lied. ‘And neither is Beavis. He and