— What for?
— To love me.
Benedict strokes Claire's forehead, then the white wick, then closes his eyes. Claire kisses him, lets herself be invaded by the soft and humid heat.
— We're receiving you said, call Benedict back.
— They'll wait. Come here, you, I want you now, orders Claire.
Claire takes off her nightgown, and sticks her body as close as possible to Benedict's body. The couple embraces tenderly. Benedict puts his hand on Claire's back and makes her shiver.
He kisses her on the neck.
— You bite, mister...
— I'll be careful, so...
Benedict begins to swallow Claire's pointed nipple and then ventures a little further down. Claire throws herself into her husband's deep and naughty gaze and lets herself go.
A little later, at the end of the morning, Benedict uncorked a bottle of Bandol that he had put in the fridge. Théophile is back from Montreal, where he works for a revolutionary video game company. He's here for the holidays and is in charge of the American-style barbecue. His ribs are to die for, but today, lamb is on the menu.
Meanwhile, in the mas provençal, Claire comes out of the bathroom, naked, with just a white towel tied in her brown hair. She opens the dressing room and looks for her little sky-blue dress, then changes her mind, she takes the red one. Red is the color of passion, brotherhood, and revolutions. Today is a special day. It is the commemoration of the fall of Michèle Desrivières. So she will wear red.
As she puts the seventh plate on the long wooden table in the garden under the arbour, Claire suddenly has a feeling of déjà vu.
— They're late, aren't they? Ask Benedict for Claire, who's checking his smartphone.
— Yeah, it's okay, we do, too.
— The barbecue is ready, I'm going to get a bit ahead," Theophilus says from the bottom of the garden.
— Do it, son, you're the master of the grill!
— The Master!
Claire smiles.
— Lana! Come help me set the table!
— Oh, leave her alone, it's okay.
— No, I want her to come help me.
— But it's okay... she'll come.
Suddenly, the bell rang.
— Ah! Finally!'' says Claire.
Running out of the house, Lana runs out to look for the guests.
— I'll get them !" Lana rejoices.
A woman, elegant and redheaded, with straight hair, gets out of the car, followed by a five-year-old boy.
— Victoria ! throws Lana at him and throws herself in his arms.
Suddenly, Erwan comes out of the vehicle.
— The most beautiful!
— it's me ! Lana said.
Claire's stepping forward decisively.
— Well, is that when you get here?
— The bakery was crowded...
— Come on, don't just stand there.
— The cake's frozen, we'll leave it outside.
Erwan, his wife, Lana and Henry the youngest are enjoying Theophilus' marvellous lamb chops. Benedict restores the levels of the excellent wine, which he immediately puts back in the ice cubes.
Erwan has some important news to announce.
— I recently got some information from a friend, it turns out that she was the lover for a few years, of the butler of the Elysée Palace, under the Desrivières regency.
— Isn't that right? Claire exclaimed, handing Benedict his empty glass.
— Yeah, and the most amazing thing was what he'd tell her on the pillow when he'd had too much to drink.
He takes his time, and continues to serve the wine.
— Come on, stop the suspense! The French want to know! adds Benedict, hilarious.
— According to him, Michèle Desrivières did not die the day the Governor of Paris was seduced.
— What? - Almost choking, Claire.
— No, according to him she died three days before. He bragged that he put her in the fridge himself.
— Are you sure you want to say that in front of the kids?
— Yeah, that's right, they're done anyway. Go play!
— That's not fair! I was there too!" Lana exclaimed.
— I'll tell you, but go take care of Henry, he's the reason we're saying this.
— Promise, Mom?
— Yes, I promise.
Once Henry's little ears are out of reach, Erwan continues his story.
— There are very few of us who really know why she died with her heart exploded. It's obviously not a grenade... but I always thought that the cockade had had a problem and she jumped late!
— Of course, that's what happened, right?
— No, and that's why the coroner's findings are still classified.
— But wait, that doesn't make sense, she did talk to the nation, right? On television.
— Virtual, entirely reshaped by Artificial Intelligence.
— Like your voice when I really thought it was you...
— Exactly, confirms Erwan.
— So, she died on the night scheduled, right?
— Yes.
— But that's crazy!" Theophilus resumes Theophilus.
Suddenly, Claire, leave her smile.
— But then... Who ruled France for three days? The Governor of Paris said the Elysée was practically empty when they liberated the Palace. There was no one left.
— Excellent question, Claire. A number of people have continued to pretend she's alive... and we don't know who.
THE END
I warmly thank Thomas Martinetti, Jenane Wahby, Céline Seignol and Estelle Martinolli for their proofreading and corrections during the writing of the saga.
Thank you for purchasing
THE LAST PRESIDENT 3: Revolution
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As the characters and situations in this story are purely fictional, any resemblance to existing or former persons or situations can only be fortuitous...
THE LAST PRESIDENT Trilogy 3 out of 3: Revolution
Revision from french version of 5 January 2018
Notes
[←1 ]
King Louis XVI died on 21 January 1793, Place de la Concorde, Paris.
[←2 ]
Tonkin, is a name formerly used to designate the northern part of present-day Vietnam.
[←3 ]
In the French Constitution of 4 October 1958, Article 16 authorises the President of the Republic, in case of necessity, to exercise a temporary dictatorship.
[←4 ]
The author counts the primaries for a first round
[←5 ]
The grant is a tax on goods. In 1789, the increased severity of this octroi was one of the causes of the Revolution; a few days before the storming of the Bastille, the insurgents set fire to the barriers of the octroi.
[←6 ]
In France, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces is responsible for the employment of the armed forces.
[←7 ]
It is a private circle of the greats of the Western world who have been working in discretion since the end of the Second World War.
[←8 ]
Part of the upper edge of the upper lip located at the philtrum.
[←9 ]
In the French Constitution of 4 October 1958, Article 16 authorises, in case of necessity, the President of the Republic to exercise a temporary dictatorship - whose exceptional regime is here renewed indefinitely.
[←10 ]
The 121st Motor Train Regiment was created on 1 October 1920 in Mainz from the sections of the army's motor service, which inclu
ded the prestigious "Taxis de la Marne".
[←11 ]
In his 1943 book, published by XO Editions, Max Gallo wrote "if the union is carried out according to Roosevelt's diktat, then it is the end of French sovereignty. It is whispered that [he] has a project for sharing the world and that Churchill, with a few nuances, accepts it." In short, they wanted to cut France to pieces.
The Last President- The Complete Trilogy Page 17
