Page 41 of A Noble Affair
The museum was built with old stones and bricks, its tall windows comprisingsmall, irregular squares of hand-blown glass. There were exposed wooden beams on the ceilings, and worn squares of stone on the floor. Music floated from one of the rooms upstairs, and people were milling through the large gallery graced with elegant paintings. All the canvaseswere of still life, with the exception of two portraits.
There was a series of paintings of comice pears, and next to that were arrangements of fruit and vegetables—watermelon ripped apart with red jagged edges, and onions shedding their outer layers onto a shiny tabletop. Chastity crossed to the adjacent wall with paintingsof kitchen counters with mason jars and water pitchers. Each painting was breathtaking in its cerulean color scheme and realistic detail.
Chastity heard Charles’s voice behind her, and she turned. He was in mid-conversation when he saw her, and he abruptly stopped speaking and took a step forward, his face lighting up with a boyish grin. The gentleman next to him looked startled, and glanced from his face to hers. She hardly had time to register any of this when another man clasped the viscount’s shoulder.
“Charles,” the man called out pompously—in English—as he reached out his other hand to shake. Charles had stepped back slightly, and his profile was visible to Chastity, revealing hardened features. Although she felt she should move away from what did not concern her, she could not.
Charles returned the handshake stiffly, speaking in chilly accents. “I’m surprised to see you here. I assume Manon has told you about the exhibit?”
“We came together. She’s here.” The Englishman gave a forced laugh, swiveling his robust frame to try and catch sight of her in the crowd. “She said you'd be happy to see us and maybe you could show us around your castle later.”
Charles answered in a cold voice. “I regret that I’m unable to at present. If you wish to make an appointment with my business manager, I’m sure he can find the time to show you the château. And now I must—”
“These paintings are magnificent,” the man interrupted, gesturing around the room. “I’ll be buying a couple to put in my country house.”
“This,” Charles replied, seemingly with effort, “is a museum exhibit. The works are not for sale. I’ll put you in touch with the artist’s manager, and you can make arrangements with him. Now if you’ll excuse me—”
“Charles, darling.” Manon came up in a cloud of Poison by Dior, her red lipstick matching the beads sewn into the lining of her white dress. Her blond pixie cut was nothing short of elegant, and her diamond earrings glittered as she moved. Chastity focused on the paintings in front of her again. She heard the actress say, “I couldn’t wait to surprise you. Isn’t it wonderful that Bruce could join me?”
Chastity’s mother sidled up to her, and whispered, “You’re right. His face can change in an instant if he doesn’t like someone.”
“Oh, he likes her all right," she muttered, pulling her mother towards the exit."Manon Duprey is his…Let’s go, Mom. I don’t even know why I came.”
“We can do that, of course, sweetie—if you wish to. Oh, but look. There’s Elizabeth. Let's go and say hello before we leave.” Her mother had met both Elizabeth Mercer and Maude during their visits to the hospital to see Thomas. She steered Chastity over to where Elizabeth was standing.
“Chastity,” exclaimed Elizabeth in a rich, warm voice. “How wonderful to see you out. And you look…beautiful.” She shook her head back and forth, as if amazed by the vision before her. “Are you behind this?” Elizabeth winked at Chastity’s mother—two conspirators.
Sherri smiled. “No, it was Dr. de Brase who invited us. He thought I might like to see some of the town since we’ve been spending most of our time at the hospital.”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “So you see Charles at the hospital then. He told me he would only be working there for a week.”
“We used to,” Chastity said, quietly, “but not so much anymore. It was thoughtful of him to invite us when he’s got so much going on. Mom—Elizabeth, my mother and Iwere just leaving.”
“Oh no, no. You’re not leaving until you have some of the hors d’oeuvres with Maude, Michel and me. They’re holding a table and there are a couple of extra seats.” In a tone that brooked no argument, Elizabeth gestured for Chastity’s mother to lead the way. “How do you find Thomas, Sherri?”
Chastity’s mother spoke over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs. “He does seem to be improving rapidly. The doctor thinks he can come home soon with full-time care.”
Elizabeth turned to Chastity as they rounded the stairwell. “That sounds like good news. Does that mean, then, that you’ll be caring for him full-time?”
“Well…” Chastity chewed her lip. “I did want to talk to you about that. If ourmutuellecovers it, I think I’d like to take advantage of having a specialist come and work with him while I’m teaching—handle his physical therapy and all that. In some ways, I feel out of my depth with him. I’m afraid I’m not the best one to help him overcome the challenges. I just want to be there to love him.”
“Hm.” With a grace inherent to her, Elizabeth faced Chastity’s mother at the top of the stairs. “You know your daughter and grandson better than anyone else. Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“When Chastity first told me about her plan, I'll admit I wasn’t keen.” She considered her daughter kindly. “But if she can get home by late afternoon each day and have someone to share the burden of his moods and struggles, I can’t think of anything better. I think Chastity has a good deal of foresight to know her limits.”
Elizabeth nodded. “That’s exactly what I think.” Then gesturing forward, “We’re in here.”
The jazz music grew louder as they entered the spacious room, well lit with chandeliers. The wait staff was circulating with plates of champagne and hors d’oeuvres, and Chastity glanced at the table nearest her. “Oh no,” she groaned.
“What?” Her mother looked around, perplexed, as Chastity scanned the room. “My dress is the exact color of the tablecloths,” she hissed. It was true. Apart from the usual touches of white, all the tables were covered withroyal blue linen, and all the decorations had royal blue accents.
Maude spotted them at the entrance, and as if sensing her friend's panic, rushed over. “Bonsoir, Chastity. You’re here.” She pecked her on the cheeks and grabbed her hand. Chastity’s mother followed them to the table. “Michel this is Chastity’s mom, Sherri Whitmore.”
“Enchanté,” He rose and greeted the older ladywith two kisses.
On the opposite end of the room, Manon walked through the arched doorway, followed by an entourage of men that included Charles de Brase. His face was stony, as he listened to the gentleman he had been talking to earlier—a man who looked out of place next to the viscount with his orange spiked hair, black leather, and hoop earring. Manon was radiant in her white gown and blond hair, set off beautifully in a sea of blue. Chastity sunk into her chair, cheeks burning.
“So I’ve gotfive guys who’ll mingle with the guests,” Jef said, “and they'll keep an eye on whatever’s going on in the room.I think that’s where there’s most likely to beaction.They’re well trained and will be a good complement to the officers.” Charles nodded, offering no reply.
