Elizabeth Lane Drums of Darkness (pdf)

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Paul had been.
In an effort to view the picture more clearly, she moved her mind to
a distant point and looked back at herself and at Philippe. Both of
them had been betrayed. Did that justify their becoming in turn the
betrayers?
Claire stretched her legs and threw back the sheet. Ang�lique
was Philippe s wife and the mother of Marie-Th�r�se. Claire was
only an interloper, someone who had slipped into another
woman s place for a few precious weeks. Now that Ang�lique s
sleeping mind was emerging from its cocoon, she told herself,
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Drums of Darkness
there would be no place for her here. She had no right to come
between a man and his wife, between a mother and her child. If
she loved Philippe, if she wanted his happiness, she would go and
go quickly. Perhaps Philippe and Ang�lique could never be happy
together, but while they were husband and wife, she had no right
to interfere.
Claire sat up and put her feet on the coolness of the floor. She had
made her decision the only decision possible.
Philippe was in the garden. When Claire came downstairs she
could see him through the glass panes of the double doors. Squaring
her shoulders, she opened one of the doors and stepped out into the
dawn.
He was standing beside the stone bench, still wearing the same
white shirt and gray trousers he had worn the night before. He looked
as if he had not even been to bed. At the sound of her approaching
footsteps, he turned. She forced herself to look into his eyes.
How s Marie-Th�r�se? she asked him.
Much better. The fever s broken. She ll be wanting you when she
wakes up. His voice was slightly distant. Claire sensed that after the
long, sleepless night, they had both come to the same decision.
She ll be weak for some time, he said, but I think she s out of
danger. He stared down at the cobblestones. His shoulders rose and
fell. Claire . . . he began and trailed off helplessly. She ached to
feel his arms around her again.
Philippe, she said, steeling herself, I m going back to France. As
soon as possible.
The boat leaves in four days. He spoke evenly, without any out-
ward show of emotion. If Marie-Th�r�se is well enough to be moved,
would you still be willing to take her back with you?
Of course.
The sea air will be good for her, I think. He took a few steps down
the path, paused, and gazed at the top of a tamarind tree that grew in
one corner of the garden. Claire?
Yes, Philippe?
If you still want Andr� to go back to France with you, I won t stand
in the way.
Philippe, she answered, drawing a painful breath, I never want-
ed him to go back with me. Not even before I knew.
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Elizabeth Lane
The sun broke over the top of the wall, flooding the garden with
dancing patterns of light and shadow. A pair of macaws, twin flashes
of brilliant color, darted low across the sky.
Do you want me to tell him for you, Claire? He thrust his hands
into his pockets and looked up at the tree again.
No, said Claire. That wouldn t be fair. I ll tell him myself.
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Nineteen
Andr� s fingers closed around the handle of the long, thin brush
and bent the brittle wood until it snapped like a small explosion in the
silence of the studio.
So, he told you.
Somebody had to tell me, Andr�. You didn t, Claire said softly.
Would you have understood, Claire? Or would I have lost you?
You could have given me a chance to understand, Andr�. It s your
not having told me that disturbs me most, not your having been a
morphine addict.
He shook his head. His curls had tumbled down onto his brow and
he looked like a vulnerable young boy. With you by my side I could
have beaten it, Claire. I could have gone back to Paris with you and
never even thought about the stuff again! There d have been no need
for you to know. Now it s too late. He tossed the pieces of the brush
to the floor. I have lost you, haven t I?
Let me be your friend, Andr�. What an empty, trite thing to say,
Claire berated herself. She d handled the whole matter badly from
beginning to end. Now she d hurt him.
That s not what I need, Claire. I need you with me. In Paris. With
you, I can be a success. Without you He sighed and looked down
at his hands.
Don t, Andr�. She shifted her weight on the love seat where she d
been sitting. Don t place that kind of burden on me. It s not fair.
You ve got to be responsible for yourself.
Andr� walked back and forth in front of the easel, his mouth set hard.
All right, he said at last. If that s what it takes to win you, I ll go
back on my own. I ll prove to you that I don t need morphine any-
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Elizabeth Lane
more. Maybe then, ch�rie . . . He ran his fingers through his curls
and sat down beside her. But I didn t think I d have to prove any of
those things to you! I thought you loved me! What a disappointment!
Anxious to end the encounter, she stood up. I m sorry, Andr�. I
wish I could have found an easier way to tell you. She took a step
toward the door.
Andr� was staring at her. Wait! he commanded, seizing her hand
and pulling her back down beside him. I m not finished! He folded
his arms across his chest and looked at her intently. I ll be damned!
He whistled softly. I ve been a blind fool not to see it! Look at me!
Claire sat frozen to the spot. He shook his head and begun to chuckle.
It s Philippe, isn t it! You re in love with him! When Claire tried
to get up, he took hold of her hand and would not let it loose. Don t
deny it! It s written all over you!
Let me go, Andr�. She twisted her hand.
Not till I ve drummed some sense into that pretty little head. Look
at you! You re a fool! You can never have him!
I don t intend to! Let me go!
He put both his hands on her shoulders and held her still. Listen
to me, you child, he said. Ang�lique s Catholic. They were married
in her church. Maybe she couldn t fight a divorce, but her father
would. He d never let Philippe out of it! So unless you re prepared to
be his mistress
Stop it, Andr�!
Not till I ve finished what I have to say! I tried to tell you what
kind of man he was, but you wouldn t listen. Well, you re going to lis-
ten now!
Let me go, Andr�! I don t want to hear it! Claire s lips spoke the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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