‘What are the conditions of which you spoke?’ she asked.
‘Have you a white garment?’ he enquired. ‘If not we must procure one for you.’
‘My night robes are white.’
‘That will serve, but it must be a clean one; and you must wear naught else, even jewellery, so that you must take off your rings and remove those earrings from your ears. We shall need the light of three candles, no more and no fewer. And a bright fire should be burning in your room. A little before midnight I will come to you and, on the hour, administer the potion.’
She gave him an uneasy look, ‘Monsieur, I gather that it is to my bedroom that you propose to come. My maid will be sleeping in the adjacent room. Our voices might rouse her, and thinking someone had broken in upon me she would alarm the house. Were you found with me that could provoke a most terrible scandal.’
‘Then you must speak to her beforehand and tell her that you are expecting someone. You could say that a courier with a letter from the First Consul is expected to reach Bordeaux tonight, and you have given me instructions that at whatever hour he may arrive I am to bring the letter straight up to you.’
‘That would suffice,’ Pauline agreed thoughtfully. Then she looked down at her plate and went on in a low voice, ‘But, Monsieur; although I assume your intentions to be honourable, is it essential to the magic that I should appear before you near-naked in a night shift? I’d find that most embarrassing.’
Roger smiled across at her, ‘Madame, I appreciate the delicacy of your feelings and am happy to reassure you on that point. You can remain in bed and receive the potion there. Should you feel that modesty demands it, draw the sheets up to your chin. The position you are in will make no difference to the efficacy of what I shall give you.’
For a long moment Pauline hesitated, then she said, ‘I would give much to be free of my memories of San Domingo. Will you swear on your heart that this potion of which you speak owes nothing to the Devil?’
Roger crossed his heart. ‘Madame, I swear it.’
‘Will I find taking it very unpleasant?’
‘On the contrary, you will at first find it so stimulating that you may beg of me a second draught; but later you will feel deliciously relaxed and fall into a sound sleep.’
‘So be it then,’ she nodded, and beneath the light black veil she was wearing the candle light caught the gold of the short crisp curls with which her head was covered. Rising from the table she went on, ‘I’ll speak to my maid as we agreed, see to it that there is a good fire burning and no more than three candles alight. Then I’ll expect you a little before midnight and take this magic potion which you promise will work such wonders. Meantime I thank you, Monsieur le Colonel, for this excellent supper and your kindness to me. Talking with you while we ate has made me feel almost human again.’
Well satisfied, Roger kissed the hand, still showing scars from the sores that had marred it in San Domingo, that she held out to him and bowed her out through the door that led to her bedroom.
Returning to his own room he spent the best part of two hours there. At first he tried to concentrate on a book, but after he had read several pages twice over, found that he had absorbed hardly any of their contents. His brain refused to function except in forming mental images of the beautiful Pauline in scores of different circumstances and positions.
At last the time of waiting was over. By then the inn had fallen completely silent. Quietly he made his way along to Pauline’s sitting room. His heart was beating furiously and he knew that he was taking a wild gamble with his future. Another few moments would decide. Either he would be holding her divine form in his arms and she would be returning his kisses, or she would rouse the house, bring people running and declare he had assaulted her. Then he would have to run for it himself and somehow escape to England; for it was certain that when Napoleon was told of this attempt to ravish his favourite sister, he would have every police agent in France hunting for le Colonel Breuc to throw him into prison.
Crossing the sitting room he knocked gently at the bedroom door. For a moment there was silence, then, in a low voice, Pauline called, ‘Entrez, Monsieur.’
In the bedroom a bright fire was burning, its flames flickering on the ceiling. Three lighted candles were set on the dressing table. Pauline was sitting up in bed leaning against her pillows, no longer enveloped in her black robes and the veil that had half hidden her features. Her face was thinner than when he had last seen it fully and the light of the candles caught the gold in the short, crisp, boyish curls that now covered her head. At the sight of her loveliness he drew in a sharp breath.
As he advanced to her bedside her eyes held his. They were wide with anticipation and excitement at the thought of the magic potion he had promised to bring her.
He was wearing a chamber robe and had nothing on beneath it. Suddenly he threw it off and stood naked and erect within two feet of her. She gave a gasp, but before she could speak he smiled and said:
‘I have not lied to you. I have within me the magic potion that you need.’
16
The Stolen Honeymoon
It was not long after midnight when Pauline gave a happy sigh and exclaimed, ‘Oh God, how good it is to be possessed again by a man!’
Pulling her towards him, Roger buried his face in her neck for a moment then gave a laugh, ‘ ’Twas that you needed, most beautiful of all the beauties. And when you wake tomorrow you’ll find all your joy in life restored.’
Clutching him closer she said quickly, ‘I’ll not sleep yet. Remember you promised me a second draught of your magic potion; though I little thought then how you meant me to receive it.’
‘You shall have it, sweet, and a third; and yet another as dawn breaks over Bordeaux. I wonder, though, that you did not suspect my intent; for though I spoke a riddle I had in fairness to give you the chance to read it aright.’
She laughed. ‘You fooled me utterly. ’Twas your talk of magic, three candles only, a bright fire, a deep sleep and to awake relaxed. Then when I saw you standing beside my bed! Such a fine figure of a man, so handsome and so—so virile, how could I resist?’
It was that upon which Roger had counted, and it had been his only card. Had she rejected him he would not have attempted even to kiss her, let alone force himself upon her. Knowing by repute her passionate nature and that for two months at least she had not been made love to he had gambled on the sight of him naked being alone sufficient instantly to stir her hot southern blood. And her reaction had been that for which he had hoped.
She had suddenly stretched out a hand to grasp him. Next moment his mouth had been glued to hers. There had been no amorous dalliance, not a word spoken between them. Both she and he had been seized with a brainstorm that resulted in a wild scramble. He remembered tearing aside the bedclothes and her great eyes moist and gleaming in the light from the candles as she threw herself back then pulled him down upon her. Next moment they had been locked in a fierce embrace ending several minutes later in sweet oblivion as they together died the ‘little death’.
Turning slightly in his arms, she whispered, ‘You are prodigious brave, mon Colonel. Do you realise the risk you ran? Had I not felt on the instant a desperate urge for you, I might have screamed for help. Then, even had I later had the wish to pardon you, your outrageous conduct would have come to the ears of Napoleon; and he has had people shot for less.’
‘I know it; but having counted the cost of failure my yearning for you overcame my fears. The very sight of you has sent me half crazy with desire ever since I first set eyes on you at Montebello.’
‘Can that be true? I was then but a chit and getting over my schoolgirl infatuation for Fréron.’
‘You were the loveliest baggage for your age in all Italy; or Europe for that matter.’
She leaned over and gave him a long kiss, then said, ‘How truly delightful it is to hear you say that you have been in love with me for years. It makes me far less shamed to think t
hat I gave myself to you without even the demurs demanded of my sex by convention. And I’ll confess now that more than once when you have paid your respects to me in Paris I’ve caught myself thinking that I’d enjoy going to bed with you.’
Then this night was decreed by Heaven. Though I’m mightily flattered that you should have had such thoughts of me.’
‘I’m not alone in that. When women are together the subject is always men and I’ve heard several confess that they would welcome your attentions. But in Paris you are looked on as a prude.’
‘Indeed!’ Roger laughed. ‘I’m far from that. But I find little pleasure in casual romps with ladies only passably good-looking, and there are few who are perfect enough to rouse in me ardent desire.’
‘Another compliment. If words were all, you would make a gallant any woman would dote on. But if we are to enter on an affaire I need to judge you by your deeds, and our first joust was too fierce and swiftly over for me to assess your mettle by it.’
Pushing her from him, Roger slipped out of bed. Startled, she sat up and cried anxiously, ‘Don’t leave me. What is it? Have I offended you?’
‘Not in the least,’ he assured her gaily. ‘I was but teasing you; and unless other ladies have misled me you’ll find naught to complain of in my staying powers. Before we make a test of that though, I crave a boon of you.’
‘What is it?’ she asked, smiling at him.
‘That you, love, get out of bed, let me remove that white night robe you are wearing and feast my eyes upon your loveliness.’
Without a moment’s hesitation Pauline pulled her shift off over her head and jumped down on to the floor. She was extremely proud of her magnificent figure; so much so that she scandalised her family by acting as a model in the near-nude for the sculptor Canova’s masterpiece ‘Venus Victrix’.
To Roger’s delight she displayed her charms to him with the utmost freedom, standing in front of him with her hands clasped behind her neck so that her breasts stood out in perfect symmetry, then walking up and down the room, dancing a few steps and assuming provocative attitudes. She drew him like a magnet and, his joy in watching her overcome, he took her in his arms, picked her up and carried her back to the bed.
Later he collected from the sitting room the magnum of champagne of which they had drunk only a quarter at supper. Over the wine they talked, laughed and caressed one another for two hours that seemed to pass like twenty minutes. They then made love again, put out the candles and curled up together in dreamy bliss. But there was no dawn party for, in his excitement, Roger had forgotten that it was December so the sun would not rise until late; and he did not want Pauline’s maid to catch him in bed with her mistress.
At about four o’clock, finding that Pauline had fallen into a heavy sleep, he gently disengaged himself from her, slipped on his robe and tiptoed from the room.
When his man woke him at seven, although he had slept for only a few hours, he felt like a giant refreshed and, looking back on the past night, decided that he was the luckiest fellow in the whole world.
He had just finished a hearty breakfast when Pauline’s maid, Aimée, came to tell him that her mistress had passed a very bad night, so she did not feel like setting out for Paris that day, and wished him to cancel the arrangements for her departure.
Knowing very well how Pauline had passed the night, Roger was not at all surprised and was delighted at the thought that this meant for him another night with his ravishing new mistress in their present comfortable quarters; but he gravely asked Aimée to convey his respects and sympathy to ‘Madame’.
The maid was a pretty young person with dark hair and a fresh complexion bronzed by the tropical sun. After a moment she said, ‘I have been with Madame since her marriage to the General and his loss was a great blow to her. Despite her bad night I found her more cheerful this morning than I have seen her for a long time and Monsieur le Colonel will perhaps permit me to remark that I attribute that to his having entertained her so charmingly at supper. Such company is excellent for her and if I can be of any service in encouraging her to spend longer in the company of Monsieur le Colonel, I should be happy to do so.’
To Roger a wink was as good as a nod and he guessed at once that Aimée was aware that he had spent the night with her mistress. With a smile he replied, ‘As Madame will be spending most of the day in bed, no doubt she will allow you a few hours off to do some shopping, and there must be quite a number of things you would like to buy after your years in the Indies.’ Then he fished out of his waistcoat pocket four gold twenty-five franc pieces and slipped them into her hand.
Bobbing him a curtsey she returned his smile. ‘Monsieur le Colonel is most kind, and anyone can see that he is not one of those jumped-up officers but a real gentleman. I feel sure that Madame will be sufficiently recovered to get up this afternoon, and I will suggest to her that she should dine with you.’
Well pleased by this happy understanding with Aimée, which would lessen the necessity for subterfuge in his affaire with Pauline, Roger went out into the town to buy her a mass of flowers.
Before escorting Pauline to the inn, Roger had seen her son, Dermid, but had not spoken to him. That afternoon he found the boy with her. He was a pretty, fair-haired child and would be five in April, but he was far from strong. She had borne him when she was only seventeen, and such an early pregnancy had harmed the health of them both. Roger had, that morning, thought of the boy; so was able to produce for him both sweets and toys, which soon made them good friends. When his nurse had taken him away, Pauline threw off her black weeds and the lovers eagerly embraced to exchange passionate kisses.
Over dinner Pauline was as gay as a lark, but towards the end of the meal, when Roger broached the subject of their journey, her face clouded over and she said, ‘I have been thinking about us this morning. In Paris I no longer have a house so, for some weeks at least, I’ll have to live with my mother, or my brother Joseph, which will make our being together difficult. Besides, I’d have to continue to wear mourning, and I’ve always hated black. It does not suit me. Why should we not go incognito to some place where we can live for a while openly as husband and wife?’
Roger considered for a moment. Her idea held out to him a temptation to spend several weeks in Paradise; but it could prove extremely dangerous, and he said, ‘My love, it would be heaven; you must remember, though, that you are now a person of great importance—a member of an almost Royal family. If we disappeared ‘tis certain that your brother would set his police to search for us, and when they ran us to earth the fat would be in the fire with a vengeance.’
She pouted, ‘But I do not want to go to Paris. My poor little Leclerc was weak and ill for a long time before he died, so I have been starved of love for an age. When one is only twenty-two that is a terrible state to be in. Somehow we must arrange matters so that you can continue to sleep with me.’
Smiling at her, Roger replied, ‘I think it could be done if you will write to the First Consul. Tell him that you dread having to see again in Paris scores of people who will condole with you and constantly remind you of your loss; that you must have more time to get over it before facing such an ordeal, so you wish to make a tour incognito through some parts of France that you have not yet seen. Happily he charged me with the care of you and to do my best to alleviate your sorrow; and I’d be failing in my duty did I not act as your escort.’
Pauline’s brown eyes with their golden glints lit up as she returned his smile. ‘You are clever, cher Colonel, as well as strong. I will do that. Now, whither shall we go?’
‘I have a small château at St. Maxime that I occupy occasionally. There is no society in the neighbourhood, nor anyone likely to recognise you. To get there we should have to pass through several towns of interest, about which you could later tell your brother, and give him the impression that you had stayed longer in each of them than would actually be the case. How does that idea appeal to you?’
Clapping her
hands, she cried with delight, ‘Bravo! What a man I have found! You have everything. Even a château in the southern sunshine by the sea where we can enjoy together a pastoral life. We’ll set out tomorrow.’
‘What of young Dermid and his nurse?’ Roger asked.
She shrugged, ‘Oh, I’ll send them on to Paris. My mother will take good care of the child.’
‘Then they can go in the coach I brought for you, escorted by my sergeant and his troop. In any case we’d have to rid ourselves of the men; otherwise in every place we lay for the night it would be all round the town in no time that you were the First Consul’s sister. I’ll hire another coach privately, and we must choose a name for ourselves.’
For some minutes they discussed possibilities, then Pauline said, ‘I have it! Spring is in my heart again. Let us be known as Monsieur and Madame Printemps.’
‘Excellent,’ he laughed. ‘Now, what of Aimée? I take it you would not wish to go without her, but if she comes there’ll be no preventing her knowing that we are lovers.’
‘She knows it already. Even if she slept like the dead and failed to hear our gambols through the partition wall, the state of my room when she entered it this morning would have told her everything. ‘Twas considerate of you to creep away without waking me, but you left half the sheets and one pillow on the floor, and the empty champagne magnum on my bedside table.’
With a contrite grimace, Roger said, ‘For that I greatly blame myself. But it was still pitch dark when I tiptoed away and I was so drunk with happiness that my mind was quite bemused.’
‘No matter. The little baggage is entirely to be trusted. She even had the impudence to congratulate me on you.’
Roger grinned, ‘When she brought me your message this morning about having passed a sleepless night, I felt sure she knew the reason. All, then, is well. And now loath as I am to leave you, sweet, I must beg to be excused. Since we’re to start tomorrow, and secretly, I have much to do between now and supper time. Meanwhile, I suggest that you write that letter to your brother, and I’ll give it to my sergeant in the morning.’
The Wanton Princess Page 25
