Authors: Thomas McDermott
“Georges! What are you doing here?” He didn’t want to hear the answer as a sense of dread began to creep up his spine. He could see horror in Georges’ eyes and he felt as if he were going to be sick.
“Sir. I don’t know how to tell you this.” The bent man was obviously crying. “It’s the Comtesse and the young ladies…they’re…..they’re dead sir!” The old man collapsed to his knees and began a stream of incoherent prayers. Marcus could not move. He willed his limbs to move closer to Georges but they would not obey him. He could only stare forward at the now forgotten portrait of his seductress. When his lips finally formed words they came out in a dry crackle.
“How? When?” He had just left them hours ago. This was unfeasible. George managed to pull himself together enough to say.
“It was poison mushrooms that someone had mixed with the others. It must have been an accident but they had the mushrooms in their meal tonight….” George began to cry. “Oh Sir…they’re gone!” He collapsed once more into sobs and gestures of prayer. Marcus looked at his trusted man and saw the obvious signs of grief. Georges was liked very much by his wife and his girls. They adored his gruff and friendly demeanor and sometime teasingly called him The Bear. He turned his gazed toward Celine who was caught unawares. His heart froze as he realized there was no emotion at all. It was a numb look, almost of boredom. As soon as she sensed him looking at her she broke into tears. Maybe it was just the shock but he couldn’t stop the idea that arose in his mind. He realized for the first time that he had no idea who this woman was and what she was capable of. He shook in despair and in fear. He was being punished. God had set him up to make him happy only to take it all away. He knew it was too good to last but never had he expected such a horrible thing. He couldn’t look at Celine right now. He fell onto the floor with Georges and covered his face. God was making him pay for his lust and his greed. He released a curse from the hill like the superstitious men had believed and now the curse was set free to walk among them and wreak it’s chaos on all their lives. As much as he tried to push the thought from his mind he could not help himself but think that somehow Celine was behind all this. With his family gone Celine could take on the role of Comtesse de Sevigne and infect the court with her magic and her charm. What had he done? He heard Celine whisper to him and felt the silk of her dress brush against his face.
“Don’t worry darling. I’m here.” The words left him frozen in fear as he gave way to the inevitable grief that came rushing from his broken heart.
ELLEN
Virginie carried the breakfast tray up the long pink marbled stairway. She turned left at the first landing which opened up into a long dark hallway with many doors of a dark an richly polished wood. At the third door on the left hand side she paused long enough to knock gently three times. When she knocked again and still there was no response she gingerly pried open the old brass handle and let herself in. It was a sumptuous room full of antiques and lovely watercolors on the walls. In the middle of the room was a superlative canopied bed with long swaths of dazzling gold and pink gauze material that moved with the air diaphanous and light. All the furniture in the room was painted gold and most of it looked like it was from the eighteenth century. There were no signs of any modern electronic devices anywhere in this lovely chamber. In the middle of the bed lay a woman with her hair all disheveled and she was drowning in the sea of blankets and pillows with only her tiny head peaking out. She was still asleep. Virginie placed the tray on a low table near the bed and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows which were covered by a heavy blue velvet drape. She slowly opened the drapes to reveal the morning sunlight peaking in from the gardens. She sighed at the sight. What she wouldn’t do to have a room like this one. It was a time capsule to another time in Paris when there were still things like grandeur and beauty to be found in every home and in every salon. She had read stories about these times since she was born and raised in the city and romanticized heavily through her younger years with all of the rich history unearthed in every stone and every building of Paris. The first time she saw this home she was paralyzed by it’s beauty. From the sweeping staircase that drew her into it’s cavernous interior to the grand orangerie with a wall made entirely of doors and windows of hand blown glass leading out onto a garden that must have been designed by one of the greats like Le Notre or some such artist who drew their designs in the soil of the wealthiest homes. Not to mention all the antiques. Marcus must have bought the house with all of it’s original furniture as every room was filled with one of a kind furniture from all over the world and most of it over two hundred years old. Nothing was out of place. Whoever had spent years filling this house with beautiful things must have been someone of the most exquisite taste. The Louvre would have a field day with some of this stuff. She pulled herself from her daydream and looked back at the sleeping woman and gently tried to rouse her.
“Miss….Miss? It’s morning now and I’ve brought you some strong French coffee and some rolls. I thought you might like to eat in bed.” The woman heard her quiet assuring voice and looked vaguely in the direction of the maid. For a moment she looked bewildered and then the appearance of recognition showed on her face. She gave the French woman a wan smile and said in a sleepy morning voice.
“Oh good morning Virginie. That was really kind of you. You can leave it here. I think I will eat right here in bed.” She seemed reluctant to stir herself any further and for a minute Virginie thought she had fallen asleep again.
“As you wish. When you feel up to it Monsieur Dellassandro would like to speak to you on the terrace. But please don’t rush yourself. He gave me explicit instructions not to rush you. If you don’t want to meet with him until later you just tell me. O.K.?” She smiled and began to walk out the door when she heard Ellen’s thin voice ask.
“Do you think I’ll have to stay here much longer? I mean I have to go back to my apartment sometime. Everyone must be worried sick by now.”
“I’m sure I don’t know Miss. Monsieur will have all the answers you need. I will let him know that you are up.” She left the room before Ellen could ask her anything else. She had no idea what was going on and that was how she liked it. Marcus paid her three times the salary she could get anywhere else and she knew that part of the money involved her minding her own business. Even when things got a little strange as they did from time to time at Rue Raynouard.
Back in the elegant room Ellen sat and stared at the coffee while pondering her own fate. Who could have imagined that her entire life would turn into one of those cheap novels she was always reading. Her new neighbor introduced her to Marcus after they had met the other afternoon. He knew all about her and her position at Celgen. What he told her left her very cold and very afraid. She could not believe that Celine would ever do anything to harm her yet he had so much overwhelming proof stating otherwise. She was alarmed and confused and thousands of miles from home. There were files taken from Celine’s computer outlining a plan to abduct Ellen the night before the launch of the new line. It was all so very unreal yet there was a part of Ellen that was excited that finally something real and very exciting was happening to her. No matter what happened from this moment on Ellen would never be able to say again that she had lived an uneventful life. This was the stuff that movies were made out of. There was corporate espionage and secret plans and people for hire all who seemed at the moment to be centered around Ellen plain and dull. Marcus immediately offered her a job as his assistant asking her to name her own salary. He wrote her a bonus check for fifty thousand Euro either way if she took the job or not she got to keep the money and told her that she could stay at his luxurious home for as long as she like even after she was out of danger and Celine were handed over to the authorities. It was all so fantastic that she had a hard time believing this wasn’t some elaborate hoax. Her life did not seem like hers anymore and she wasn’t sure how to respond to all of this sudden change. But the knowledge that Celine had planned something illegal and maniacal frightened her timid soul to the very core. She slowly drank the delicious coffee and ate one of the flaky buttery rolls that can only be found in the finest patisseries in Paris before she made any attempt to leave the sumptuous bed. Finally she roused herself and walked over to the windows to peer out into the garden. On the terrace below she could see Marcus talking to his personal physician who also had a room in his home. The man was old but wise and Ellen liked him immediately. The strain from all of the excitement had taken a toll on her fragile nerves and the last few days felt as if she had no energy left and spent most of her time sleeping or lounging on one of the sofas on the terrace. The maid had opened the window a crack to let the fresh air into the room and she could hear the voices to the two men seated at a table below. They too were having their breakfast and were obviously old friends enjoying the warm weather and the sunshine.
“How is she? I mean is she stable?” Marcus was asking the ancient physician.
“Oh yes, I’m sure her nerves are just fine now. I don’t see any more need for the sedative.” She barely heard his lean old voice.
Sedative? Ellen’s heart began to beat loudly in her chest. Why on earth had they drugged her? All of a sudden her mind flew into overtime and she began to connect the imaginary dots in her brain. This was all too good to be true; the house, the job, even the perfect Belle Epoch bedroom with it’s perfect bed were part of the con. Marcus had to be a competitor of Celine’s and they had spirited away Celine’s right hand telling her gruesome lies and feeding her poison. Maybe they had gotten information from her while she was being drugged and she didn’t remember. She thought of the many times Celine warned her of the corporate spies and intrigues that surround the billion dollars beauty industry. Even in a city as civilized as Paris unspeakable things happened all the time in the world of business and money. Celine told her that business was simply another form of war and everyone was fighting each other constantly to be the best and to make the most money to trample opponents beneath them on their way to being the best. She had been duped. She had been so naïve and realized that Celine must be frantic wondering where she was. She had left no message or word ahead to anyone, instead she had trusted this stranger with promises of cash and glamour and travel. Her ambition to lead an exciting life had clouded her judgment and she wasn’t thinking clearly. She had to get to Celine right away. She strained her ears To listen to more of the conversation. Anything she learned could now be of use to Celine and the police. The men were still talking about her.
“Do you think she believes us?” The doctor was asking between sips from his delicate blue and white china cup. There were little bluebirds painted on the rim.
“Of course she believes us! We have the proof and have shown it to her several times. The least I could do was offer her a job to get her over to our side. I have no idea how much of the truth she knows. It may be too late.” His voice trailed off at the last sentence as if he were loathe to speak it. Marcus sounded so smug and sure of himself and to think she had been swept off her feet by his money and charm and devastatingly handsome looks that can be found rarely on an older man. She even fancied at one time they would fall in love and this would be her home away from the tedium of corporate life. She still couldn’t’ believe what an idiot she had been and was thanking the powers that be she had found out before it was too late. Whatever that meant! She had to escape now. She started to tremble and was torn between the desire to listen to more and urge to get out while they were still occupied. The desire to flee won out and she hurriedly donned her simple garments. It didn’t take more than a minute before she was completely dressed and ready to run. As she placed her hand on the well polished brass there was a knock on the door which almost made her faint with fright.
“Miss, would you like me to draw you a nice hot bath?” It was Virginie.
“No thank you. I think I’ll just take a long hot shower and then join Mr. Dallasandro. Could you please let him know I won’t be too much longer.” The trembling voice sounded foreign to her as if it were coming from someone else. She just hoped she had bought herself enough time to get out of the enormous house without being seen.
“Very good Miss. I shall relay the message.” She heard the footsteps grow fainter and fainter down the hall. She made herself take three really long and really deep breaths before moving. She looked around the room for anything she could take to Celine to give credence to her bizarre story. There was nothing but opulence everywhere she looked and she couldn’t bring herself to take one of the priceless antiques. Besides what would that prove? That Marcus had good taste? She remembered the check in her purse. That would be good enough. They could find out more about him if the bank account were real. Celine could pull strings too, Ellen had seen her skirt around the law many times before with her endless supply of cash. She turned the knob slowly and cautiously she peaked her head into the hallway and saw that it was deserted. She looked behind her and there was nobody there either.
“It’s now or never.” She whispered quietly before stepping out of the room from a fairy tale that had just come crashing down all around her. She tip toed down the carpet running the entire length of the long corridor and prayed she wouldn’t be seen. She quickly thought of asking someone for more towels if she was found. But there was no one in sight and she half ran to the landing before looking around again and saw that the coast was clear. Luck was on her side and she ran up the three flights of stairs to the front door praying there was no alarm to be triggered. She reached for the heavy door and saw a simple lock with a knob which turned to the left with a loud click. She panicked at the sound which echoed down the stairway and she bolted out the door onto the sidewalk not bothering to close the door behind her. She was disoriented for a moment finding herself in the bright sunlight on a crowded street in the middles of a modern city. For three days she had been living in a dream in a château from an ancient world and had all but forgotten that she had been in the heart of Paris the whole time. The sights and sounds shocked her into action and she hastily began running down the street knocking into a few people without bothering to say excuse me. She didn’t have time for manners. She wanted to look back to see if anyone were following her but she was too frightened. She remembered the tale in the Bible when Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. She could not suffer the same fate. She would make it back to Celgen and back to her tiny apartment that she loved and back to her simple lovely life. The dream was over and now she realized just how stupid she had been. Celine might be furious with her but she had not revealed anything to Marcus that she was aware of and besides she barely knew anything anyway. She knew how Celine liked her coffee and which was her favorite table at most of the restaurants in Paris but she knew nothing of the business. She probably needed to get her blood tested to see what they gave her. She prayed it wasn’t anything like truth serum. She saw a sign for the metro and ran down the stairs into the hub of people rushing about. She had a ticket already in her purse and her shaking fingers pushed it into the slot. She wouldn’t feel safe until she was out of Passy and back into the business district where Celgen had it’s offices. She was too excited to sit down on one of the available seats of the train. She clutched the metal pole and stared outside to see if anyone had followed her. Nothing seemed out of place. As the train sped off she felt as if she were going to die of a heart attack but started breathing long and deep until she was well away from the danger she had put herself in.