Page 46 of Daughters of Paris

‘The concierge last night. Living in one room all alone with no one who loves me.’

Fleur turned, confused at sudden change of subject. ‘You won’t. You are rich and beautiful. Well, richer than most people nowadays anyway. Of course you will meet someone.’

‘So will you,’ Colette assured her. ‘You’re far prettier than me.’

‘I haven’t really thought about looking as I don’t have the chance to meet anyone.’ Fleur frowned. Anyone besides the group in the café. ‘That’s what I meant last night, about our lives being on hold. Isn’t there anybody you have met when you go out dancing? I don’t mean Germans, of course.’

‘Of course not!’ Colette sounded genuinely horrified and Fleur wanted to believe she meant it. ‘No, there’s no one. Is it too much to ask for a handsome rich man to fall into my lap?’ She raised her eyes upwards as if expecting one to fall from the sky.

Rich. Of course. Fleur let out a breath. Colette wouldn’t be interested in Sébastien in that case.

‘I would just like someone I can talk to, who loves me,’ she said. ‘I don’t really care how handsome he is as long as he is kind.’

‘I would like mine to be a little bit good looking. I know I am shallow, but I can’t help it.’

Colette grinned disarmingly and Fleur found it hard not to be charmed. That was one of Colette’s talents, of course.

‘I know you can’t. But I like you anyway.’

‘Do you?’ Colette looked at her in surprise.

‘Yes. I know we aren’t as close these days, but I am glad you are here. I’m very glad you were there last night, too. Thank you for saving me.’

Colette blushed. She pressed her lips together then looked up with a guilty expression.

‘I didn’t tell you everything about last night. Sébastien kissed me. It was all part of the pretend quarrel, but I enjoyed it and I kissed him back. I’m sorry.’

Fleur’s stomach twisted. She forced a smile she didn’t feel. ‘You did what you had to do. Thank you for telling me.’

‘Do you like Sébastien?’ Colette asked.

Fleur gave Colette a sidelong glance as her heart tugged in two directions. She could say she did. Colette, for all of her selfish ways, had a streak of kindness so it was probable she wouldn’t show any further interest in him. But wouldn’t that be worse? Knowing that she only had a chance because Colette gave up her interest? And did she even have a chance? Sébastien had let her down when she had tried flirting, though when he hugged her as he had the night before she couldn’t help but wonder if one day…

‘Doyoulike him?’

It wasn’t an answer, but of course it gave Colette the opportunity to talk about herself.

She flicked her hair back from her forehead.

‘I’ve only just met him. How could I possibly form any opinion of him? I’m just pleased that he came to help us. He will keep it secret, won’t he?’

‘Of course he will. That’s one secret you do have to keep. For ever. We all do.’

The enormity of it frightened her and her eyes filled with tears. ‘We killed someone. It was an accident but someone is dead because of us. He must have had a mother somewhere.’

Colette curled her lip. ‘I don’t care. He wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t done what he tried to do. He deserved it. I bet he would have behaved like that with German women too.’

Fleur gripped Colette’s hand. ‘You sound so hard.’

‘I can be hard if I have to be. You just don’t ever see me have to be.’ Colette jutted out her jaw. ‘I think if we are going to survive this war, we need to become harder.’

Fleur absorbed her words. Colette was not hard and would never be. When had she ever had to make difficult choices? It was all bravado but made her feel a little better knowing Colette was trying.

‘I’ll try,’ she said.

Colette squeezed her hand. ‘We both will. Now, I need to change and go say hello toMère. No doubt she’ll think I was out all night with a man – if she noticed me missing at all.’

She left, yawning against the back of her hand.

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