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.“We’ve had a wonderful night up to that point, no?” He picked up her hand and kissed it.“Let us recapture that happiness.We can sit by the fire, enjoy each other’s company.”Eleni nodded.“That sounds good to me.”Julian seemed relieved, but as he opened the door to the foyer and held it wide to allow her to enter the house first, his brow furrowed as if something still troubled him.She wondered if it had something to do with their argument, or the possibility that she might have actually seen someone watching them from that dark alleyway in the village.She didn’t know what to think anymore.Chapter TwelveEleni dreamed she was submerged in watery darkness.There was no sound, only a shimmering impression of light somewhere high above her.Lying on her back, she floated comfortably, and didn’t become aware that anything was wrong until the light began to shrink away from her.Panic shot through her, but she couldn’t move or even call for help as she sank deeper and deeper into a place of darkness.In her heart, she knew with a certainty that if she didn’t regain control and swim for the surface, she was going to die.Eleni woke up gasping for air, a thin sheet of sweat clinging to her skin.Fear rooted in her chest.She reacted without thought, her hand darting out to her right to find Julian in bed beside her.Relief poured through her when she felt his firm chest beneath her hand.She rolled over to see him sleeping soundly with an arm tossed behind his head.He looked so comfortable—she didn’t want to wake him.Pulling her hand away, she forced herself to get out of bed.After the harrowing dream, she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep right away.She pulled on a robe and left the room, stepping out into the cool darkness of the east wing.After shutting the door softly behind her, she padded through the quiet hall, and as she rounded the corner into the main corridor, a chill feeling of déjà vu came over her.She stopped short.The dark hallway lightened at the farthest end, reminding her of her dream.It was around five in the afternoon—the brightness at the end of the corridor came from the last rays of sunlight falling at an angle through the stained glass window.Blurred shapes in red, blue, and green fell broken across the carpet and the balcony railing.She went downstairs and crossed the foyer to the kitchen, which seemed like a mausoleum without Claudette bustling around in it.She filled a kettle with water and put it on to boil, then went around flipping open cabinets, looking for a cup and saucer, and a tea ball with a chain so she could fill it with tea leaves from the canister by the stove.Minutes later, she carried her cup of tea to the indoor garden and was about to curl up with her tea on one of the loungers closest to an end table when she noticed movement through the wall of glass, a red fluttering that drew her to a stop.Her heart gave a frightened leap when she realized someone was standing on the open patio right outside the solarium.Eleni put down her tea and went to the window.She peered through the large leaves of a hot house palm and to her surprise, saw Claudette and Gisele standing out in the slushy, sun-melted snow, having what was obviously a very heated discussion on the back terrace.Gisele’s red, flutter dress was rumpled, and her hands slashed the air while she talked.Her posture was bent slightly forward as if to hammer home some vital point to Claudette, who stood with her arms crossed, spots of color burning in her sullen cheeks.It must have been important, whatever the argument was about, because Claudette had gone out in a housecoat to take part in it.In all the weeks that Eleni had lived with Julian, she had never seen the woman dressed in anything but her serviceable black dress and khaki apron.Gisele was usually so put together, it was shocking to see her with ratty hair and smudged makeup.She looked as though someone had grabbed her by the neck and given her a good shake.Claudette kept shaking her head in disapproval until at last Gisele seemed to have had enough.She threw her hands up and shouted angrily at the housekeeper, but the words were muffled through the glass, so Eleni couldn’t make out what she said.Gisele turned toward the house and reached for the door to the solarium, and Eleni jumped in fear.She darted a glance to her left, warily eyeing the cup of tea she’d left steeping on the little side table near the lounger, but it was too late to grab for it without being noticed.She took a step back to shield herself from view, moving behind the elephant ears growing in a cement trough.The glass doors rattled open and Gisele strode into the room, her high heels beating a tattoo over the flagstones.Each staccato note stabbed her nerves.Claudette was hot on her heels.“You are living an illusion, can’t you see that? Who do you think will hurt in the long run? It was the same with Marguerite.Have you not learned your lesson? You can’t change the status quo by putting on a red dress.”Claudette tried to take Gisele’s hands in hers, but Gisele shook her off.“You are not my maman!”Claudette looked stricken.Without a doubt, the words had cut her deeply.When she spoke, her voice was low and tremulous.“That doesn’t change the fact that this is not what your maman would have wanted for you.”“Who the hell are you to know what she would have wanted for me?” Her voice hitched.“I know she didn’t want nor expect me to be a servant to anyone.”“That’s true.It’s why she left.She chose that path for herself.You can’t have it both ways, Gisele.” Eleni had never seen Claudette look so fierce.Her eyes were over-bright.“Julian won’t tolerate it.”“Julian loves me!” Gisele thumped her chest for emphasis.“He confides in me.If not for her, I would be his lover.”The fine hairs prickled on the back of Eleni’s neck.Again, Claudette shook her head [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]