We sat talking on the patio. Yachts and smaller boats dazzled us with their lights, which sometimes looked like stars that had fallen into the sea. Way off on the horizon, I could see the ghostlike silhouette of a barge, and later, we saw another ocean liner all lit up.
“It’s heading for Barcelona, I’ll bet,” Norbert said.
“Have you been on a cruise?” Paul asked me.
“No.”
“A yacht?”
I shook my head.
“Well, maybe we can arrange for that this coming week. My family’s yacht is in Monte Carlo.”
“I thought your social calendar was full this month, and tonight was your only free night,” Norbert told him.
“Yes, it was,” he replied, keeping his eyes on me. “But that was before you brought me here.”
“I see. Be careful, Roxy. He’s a heartbreaker. That was really his major at the Sorbonne.”
“I’ve racked up a few of those myself,” I said, and they both laughed.
It all seemed so incredible when I considered how quickly I had traveled, not only from New York to southern France but from the roach hotel to an elegant villa to be entertained by sophisticated wealthy men. I was confident that I was more than holding my own with every topic, too, every bit of repartee.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that this could be Mrs. Brittany’s way of testing me in the field. I wondered again how much Norbert really knew about her business and especially my upcoming role in it. Was Paul telling the truth when he said that Norbert knew almost nothing about me? It was difficult to know how I should behave, what I should say, and, most important, what I should agree to do with either of them. Decisions weighed me down.
“You look like you’re falling asleep,” Norbert said. “Paul, let’s let her catch up.”
“Okay, but only if she agrees to my helping you show her around,” he said.
“Why wouldn’t I agree? Two for the price of one?”
They both laughed. I walked them to the door.
“Bonne nuit,” Paul said. He kissed me on the cheek. Norbert did the same.
I watched them walk to the car, and then I closed the door and hurried up to my room. I felt as if I would fall asleep on my feet if I didn’t get into bed soon. It was a comfortable bed, and despite all that had happened so quickly to bring me there, I was feeling good about it now. I had really enjoyed my dinner with Paul and Norbert, and I was looking forward to doing all the things they had suggested. I was confident that even if this was another one of Mrs. Brittany’s tests, I would come through it with flying colors.
Yes, how far I had come.
Smother any regrets or second thoughts, I told myself. There was no turning back for me now.
14
Margery woke me when she brought me a cup of wonderful French café au lait, a small orange juice, a croissant, and jam.
“To start you off, petit déjeuner,” she said.
“Yes, I know. My mother still sees this as breakfast.”
“Oh, your mother is French, then?”
“Yes.”
She smiled. Even though I could see that she was bubbling over with questions, she kept her curiosity chained. She must have cared for other guests of Mrs. Brittany, perhaps other Brittany girls. Maybe even Portia or Camelia had been here. I was sure she knew how Mrs. Brittany felt about gossip.
“I looked in on you twice,” she said. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I thought you might want to be up by now. It’s nearly noon.”
“Is it? I haven’t slept this late for months, maybe years,” I said, sitting up.