Page 51 of A Question of Betrayal (Elena Standish)

They were stopped on the narrow footpath at the end of the street, waiting for a break in the traffic. He looked at her carefully, slowly, his face touched with amusement. “A bit more on top, perhaps, but I dare say Gabrielle can arrange it so you don’t actually fall out. Come on, don’t stand there, we must get changed and ready. It’s late…” He took her hand and pulled her forward, into the street, and quickly to the far side, too rapidly for her to argue. He led her to the vestibule of an apartment building and into the rickety-looking elevator. The door closed and the whole contraption jerked and rattled upward.

Elena drew in breath to say something, then realized that she had nothing to say.

They stopped at the fourth floor. Aiden led the way toward the back of the building, then knocked on the door of the last apartment. It was opened after a few moments and Gabrielle immediately looked beyond Aiden to Elena.

“Come in,” she said with perfect composure, as if she had been expecting them. She stood aside for them to pass. She was wearing a simple, dark dress, but it still managed to look elegant. Aiden seemed to know where he was going. Gabrielle did not ask him; instead she looked briefly at him—his face, not his clothes—then followed them both to the large sitting room.

The view was magnificent. Nothing blocked it at this level. A panorama was spread out in front of them, over rooftops at all angles, some softened by trees, others cut by the shining waterways that the setting sun caught like

scarlet ribbons carelessly thrown.

Elena stopped, ignoring both Aiden and Gabrielle, and reached automatically for her camera. Then she froze, realizing what she was doing, taking for granted someone else’s home. “May I?”

“Of course,” Gabrielle replied, laughter in her voice. “As long as you do not name me or give the address.”

Elena stood absolutely still. It had not occurred to her that Gabrielle might also be dangerously involved in secret information. She had supposed the woman was exactly what she appeared to be.

“Thank you,” she said, remembering herself and where she was. “I will put no names on it, should it be accepted.” She turned round and spent the next ten minutes taking photographs at different angles, with different views and exposures. Perhaps one of these would be her defining picture of Trieste? Not the magnificent white castle over the sea at Miramare, or the sunrise on the canal with all its boats, which could so nearly have been Venice, except that the light was different.

When she was finished, she turned back to face the room and saw that Gabrielle was alone.

“I’ve got a gray dress,” Gabrielle offered. “That sounds very drab, but it isn’t. Sequins really lift it. I think a bright color would stand out too much. Make you more visible than you want to be. Don’t worry, the sequins aren’t everywhere. Come and try it on.”

Elena followed obediently. It sounded like nothing she would ever wear, but she had little choice, and making a fuss would be absurd.

Gabrielle led her into a charming bedroom. It was feminine, but oddly severe for such a glamorous woman. What was most surprising was a second bed too small to be hers. It was in the corner, neatly made up for use, and a little rumpled, as if someone had been in it recently. There was a teddy bear on the pillow.

Gabrielle saw Elena’s glance. “My son’s,” she said very quietly. “He has a nursery to play in, but I like to be close to him at night. He’s…only four…” She stopped explaining, emotion powerful in her face, obliterating the sophistication Elena had seen before.

“Your son?” Elena asked, then wished she had not. There was no evidence of a man in this room. It was classic, but very definitely feminine. And the main bed was made for one, two pillows piled on top of each other instead of side by side. One bedside table of fragile glass, and a small bunch of late roses.

Gabrielle walked over to one of the two large wardrobes and opened its door. She reached in and took out a dress on a hanger. It was gray, as she had said, but not a dense or leaden color. There was nothing heavy in it at all. It was more like a veil, and where the light fell on it, it shone a moment of silver, like streetlamps reflecting on mist.

Gabrielle was slender, dark, and genuinely beautiful. What on earth would Elena look like in it?

Gabrielle did not wait for Elena’s consideration. She held out the hanger. “Here, put it on. You don’t want to stand out as being different.” She gave a smile of gentle amusement. “At least, not as if you don’t mean it.”

What has Aiden told this woman about me? Elena had a sudden chill, thinking about it. For that matter, what did Gabrielle know of Aiden? She had a momentary vision of Trieste full of spies, all watching each other and pretending they were not. Watchers and listeners, all trailing each other through the narrow streets and the elegant promenades.

“Thank you.” She took the garment. There was nowhere separate to change, so she hesitated only an instant before taking off her own clothes and slipping on the gray dress. Gray dress? What an inadequate description! It was a gown, not a mere frock. It was so light, she barely felt it slip over her shoulders and down almost to the ground. It was obviously silk. Nothing else felt the same on the skin.

“Oooh!”

She turned round. It was not Gabrielle who had spoken, or rather sighed with wonder. It was a small boy. His hair was soft and fair, his eyes blue, his skin blemishless, as only a small child’s can be. When he smiled, he showed milk-white teeth.

“You like it?” Elena asked him.

He looked up at her through his eyelashes, embarrassed now that she had noticed him.

“Do I look nice?” she asked. “It would be good to have a man’s opinion.”

He gave a tiny little giggle.

“Tell her, Franz,” Gabrielle said softly, her voice filled with tenderness. “Do you think she looks nice?”

He nodded. “Yes, she’s pretty…” Then shyness overcame him and he went to Gabrielle to stand just touching her, where he was safe.

“Thank you,” Elena replied. “Then I shall definitely wear it. If your mother is kind enough to lend it to me.”

---