Beneath the Parisian Skies

by Alli Sinclair

  Before she had a chance to say anything more, Yves exited the apartment and she was left in the empty room, the only sounds traffic on the street below and the rustle of the curtains.

  Despite her grief for Aiden, she’d managed to form a relationship of sorts with Yves, and his departure tied her heart strings in knots and left her feeling hollow, like her greatest supporter had deserted her. But he’d said he’d come back, right? All she could do was wait it out until he returned.

  Walking into the bathroom, she smiled. If she had to wait, it might as well be submerged under a tower of warm bubbles.

  * * *

  A loud knock at the door startled Lily out of her nap under the fresh sheets and she grabbed the bathrobe and hastily donned it. Outside the sky had turned an inky blue and the lights cast a bright glow on the street below. Jeez, how long had she slept for?

  The knocking intensified and she rushed to the door and yanked it open.

  ‘Oh!’ She stumbled back, disappointment melded with happiness, mixed with caution.

  Natalie waved a bottle of Australian shiraz, waltzed over to the bench and grabbed a couple of glasses. Lily stuck her head out the door but there was no sign of Yves.

  ‘He said to tell you to enjoy the wine and that it would be better if he stayed away while we talked,’ Natalie said, as if the whole debacle in Lille had never happened. Typical.

  ‘You saw him? Where? When?’

  ‘I ran into him in the foyer. He was on his way up but then he saw me and we had a long, long conversation in the bar next door.’ Natalie poured two glasses and handed one to Lily.

  Lily took it, had a sip then placed it on the bench. ‘Listen, you can’t come in here acting like nothing happened in Lille, or that your attitude towards me for the past two years hasn’t been out of line.’

  Natalie concentrated on the wine in her glass, took a large gulp, then said, ‘You’re right.’

  ‘About?’

  ‘All kinds of things.’ She sculled the remaining wine in her glass. ‘Shit. Maybe Yves should have bought a couple of bottles.’

  ‘God, Nat! That’s not Yves’s fault! You probably grabbed the bottle from him without asking.’

  Natalie’s head jerked back, as if she’d been slapped in the face. ‘Is that who you think I am? Some selfish cow?’

  Lily bit her lip. Anger and hurt made a lethal combination, and it would do her well to try to keep calm. Quietly, she said, ‘You broke my heart when you didn’t turn up today.’

  ‘I’m sorry about that.’ Natalie filled her glass to the brim.

  ‘If you were truly sorry and wanted to fix things between us, you would have been at the train station in Lille.’

  Natalie lowered her eyes and mumbled, ‘I was leaving it to the last minute, but I miscalculated and missed the train.’

  Just like Yves had predicted. ‘Bloody hell, Nat, why do you have to make everything into a big drama?’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ This time Natalie’s eyes met Lily’s.

  ‘You’ve already said that.’

  ‘No, I mean I’m sorry about everything. I know I’ve been unfair on you, especially when you’ve tried to talk with me but I’ve had a lot going on and—’

  ‘And I am your sister, for God’s sake! We should be supporting each other, especially when our lives are topsy-turvy.’ She studied Natalie and even though Lily was still angry, her heart went out to her. Natalie had once been renowned for the cheeky spark in her eyes, her coquettish smile, her adventurous spirit and zest for life. But all that was now gone. ‘What’s happened to you?’

  ‘Lots, but first, I need you to understand how sorry I am, okay? Yves put a lot of things in perspective for me.’

  ‘Yeah, he told me the gist of what he’d said in Lille.’

  Natalie gave a small smile. ‘He has a penchant for the dramatic, too, huh? But he’s right. I took it for granted that you’d always be around to nag me and…’ She inhaled deeply. ‘I was wrong in so many ways.’

  Swallowing hard, Lily said, ‘You have hurt me beyond measure.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘And I’m still upset that you weren’t there for me when I needed you most. There are some things you’ve done and said that I doubt I’ll ever forgive you for, but you are my sister and I want us to find a way to pick up the pieces. Do you think it’s possible?’

  CHAPTER

  24

  ‘Oh, Lil.’ Natalie closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. ‘There is so much water under this bridge.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘There’s just so much you…’ Natalie let out a long breath then straightened her back. ‘Yes, of course I want us to find a way to reconnect. That’s why I’m here.’

  Relief swept through Lily, although her gut told her to be cautious. ‘This is going to be a long path and not always smooth. Are you ready for it?’

  Natalie nodded, her bottom lip trembling. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks and Lily rushed over, enveloping her sister in her arms. Nat’s painfully thin body shook as she gulped back the sobs.

  ‘Oh, Lil, you have no idea of the mess I’m in,’ she said into Lily’s robe.

  ‘I have a fair idea.’

  ‘It’s only the tip of the iceberg.’ Using her sleeve to wipe her nose, Natalie said, ‘I don’t understand how you can still love me. I’m such a terrible person.’

  ‘What have you done?’

  ‘I slept with someone thinking it might help me get the role of Viktoriya.’

  Lily’s eyebrows reached skywards and she waited a few moments before saying anything. ‘Why would you do that? You’re talented enough to get the part.’

  ‘It’s a cliché, I know but…’ She shrugged.

  ‘Who did you sleep with?’

  ‘The artistic director.’

  ‘God, Natalie.’ It didn’t escape Lily that the whole fight she’d had with Aiden was because he’d accused her of flirting with the artistic director. Of course, Lily hadn’t the slightest interest in him—oh my God. It was the same guy. Lily felt sick. ‘Why on earth would you do such a thing?’

  ‘Because Carolyn bloody Waterstone is my biggest rival and I have to do everything I can to get one, or three, up on her and—’

  ‘So you used your body instead of your talent? That is just so…’ Lily couldn’t finish the sentence.

  ‘Low, I know. What made it worse is that I later found out that Carolyn bloody Waterstone had done the same.’ Natalie sniffed. ‘The bastard played us.’

  Lily resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. ‘So you are back at square one. I hope it was worth it.’

  ‘He was an excellent lover, if you must know.’

  ‘I didn’t need to know, but okay, whatever you say.’ Lily tried to quash images of the artistic director making moves on her sister. Urgh. Quietly, she said, ‘I don’t understand this person you’ve become.’

  A steady stream of tears flowed down Natalie’s pale cheeks. Lily reached over and gently wiped them away with her thumb.

  ‘It’s been hard, you know?’ Natalie sniffed. ‘Being over here and wanting to pick up the phone and talk with you but not knowing where to begin. And then there’s the whole Cristian fiasco.’

  ‘What about him?’ When Natalie didn’t answer, Lily pressed on. ‘What did you hope to achieve by harassing him? If the police hadn’t given you a warning you wouldn’t have made it back to Paris and would have blown your role completely.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have made a difference,’ Natalie mumbled.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘Obviously it does or you wouldn’t have hauled your butt all the way to Lille.’

  Natalie fiddled with the hem of her shirt, hesitating for so long that Lily thought she’d chickened out. Eventually, Natalie said, ‘I found something in Viktoriya’s diary that connects her to the Cheverin family.’

  Lily feigned surprise, knowing any mention of her hav
ing read those diaries could push their tenuous relationship over the edge.

  ‘So you had the diaries?’

  ‘Yes. I had them all along.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’

  Natalie shrugged. ‘I don’t know, I just…I felt a connection with them that none of you could ever understand. It was wrong of me to take them and not say anything, and I am sorry for that, even though you won’t believe me.’

  ‘I don’t know what to think about anything at the moment, Nat,’ said Lily.

  ‘I know there’s a lot for you to take in and I’m doing my best, okay? When this ballet came up I showed the director the diaries. I was hoping that it might give me an edge in winning the role.’

  ‘Like sleeping with the artistic director…’ Lily mumbled.

  ‘It was a stupid mistake, okay? Jeez, Lil, haven’t you ever done something you wished you hadn’t?’

  Lily pursed her lips.

  ‘Look,’ Natalie continued, ‘the diaries helped but they still weren’t enough. By the way, it only occurred to me recently that Viktoriya only kept a diary when she was with the ballet. Nothing after that.’

  ‘I hadn’t realised but now you mention it…Perhaps that’s why our great-grandmother only spoke about Viktoriya while she was in the ballet. Maybe they lost contact afterwards.’ Lily shrugged. ‘Who knows? It’s speculation, right? So did you tell the powers that be in Bohème who you are?’

  ‘That I’m Yana Nardin’s great-granddaughter? Of course I did. I’m using everything I can to get this role, especially when Carolyn bloody Waterstone is sniffing around.’

  ‘Who is she, anyway?’

  ‘Arch nemesis and chameleon. I’ve never seen anyone—not even you—able to take on any role and make it hers so easily. She’s so very good and I’m petrified she will swoop in and snatch the role that should be mine away.’

  ‘Disappearing just before auditions isn’t going to help you any.’

  ‘Yeah, I know but I had to strike while the iron was hot and I had a plan that would thwart any fear about losing the role to Carolyn bloody Waterstone.’

  ‘Why can’t you believe that your talent alone will get you through?’

  ‘This is more than just a ballet, and you know it.’ Natalie cocked an eyebrow. ‘Do you realise that our great-grandmother glossed over a lot of it? She made it out to be some beautiful fairytale when in actual fact her mentor was going through hell.’

  ‘I’m not so sure it was that—’

  ‘You have no idea!’ Natalie’s voice was shrill. Quietly, she said, ‘Sorry. I’m just very passionate about this.’

  ‘I can see.’ It wasn’t unusual for Natalie to obsess over things. It had served her well, especially in her career, but having sex to help get a role was crazy, even for Natalie.

  ‘So what made you go to the Cheverins?’

  Natalie let her head fall back against the couch and closed her eyes, as if meditating. ‘There were some drawings Picasso had made for Viktoriya’s ballet and it was believed they were lost in a fire. Others think the paintings disappeared with Diaghilev’s other possessions.’ A small smile graced her lips. ‘But I discovered that Cristian Cheverin has Picasso’s drawings for the costumes of Viktoriya’s ballet.’

  ‘How did you figure that out? Surely if they’d existed people would have discovered them by now.’

  ‘Because of this.’ She reached for her phone and scrolled through the images. Clicking on one, she turned it around so Lily could see.

  Cheverin sat in a wing-backed leather chair, crisp white linen shirt undone at the neck, legs crossed, a glass of whiskey and ice in one hand. A glint shone in his eyes as he looked directly at the camera, giving the impression that he was open and honest. The photo had been taken at an angle but just to the right, hanging on the walls, were a couple of framed drawings that looked very much like Picasso’s costume designs.

  ‘Where did you find this?’

  ‘L’article did a story on his family history a short while ago. There are lots of holes in their ancestry so the journalist had tried to piece together the puzzle. Unfortunately, he had no more luck than previous historians and biographers.’

  ‘Just because his family has gaps in their history doesn’t mean they’re dubious.’

  ‘Doesn’t mean they aren’t, either.’ Natalie took the phone back and placed it on the coffee table. ‘When I asked Cristian about the drawings he said he’d found them in a box full of ballet programs that his great-uncle had stashed in the attic. Cristian liked the drawings so much he had them framed.’

  ‘Does he know their value?’

  ‘It’s Picasso. How could he not?’

  ‘How on earth did the Cheverins end up with them if they belonged to Diaghilev? That’s so…odd. Did you explain to Cristian why the ballet needs them?’

  ‘I did and he got weird about it.’ Natalie rested her feet on the edge of the coffee table. The bunions and calluses on them brought back memories for Lily and a twinge in her toes reminded her of the long-lasting injuries she’d inflicted on her body in the name of creating beauty in dance.

  Putting on her logic hat, Lily said, ‘Surely Cristian would have loaned them to the ballet so they could use the drawings to make the costumes authentic.’

  ‘You’d think so but I was met with a firm no.’

  ‘Does Bohème know about any of this?’

  Natalie held up her hand. ‘Can you just hold up on the twenty questions? It’s a long story but you’ll hear all of it, I promise.’

  Lily had at least another five questions bursting to escape but she held them in.

  ‘If I’d gone to my bosses they’d have wanted me to go through the right channels and by that stage I’d already met Cristian and made headway with him.’ She dropped her gaze. ‘And now I’ve messed up everything.’

  Lily studied her sister, wondering who the hell this person was. Natalie had always had an edge and people either embraced it or ran the hell away.

  She waited for Natalie to continue talking but she’d retreated into silence again.

  ‘Did you sleep with Cristian Cheverin as well?’ The question fell out before Lily had a chance to reel it back in.

  ‘Do you think I’m a slut?’ Natalie sounded indignant.

  ‘I’m not saying anything of the sort.’

  ‘You just implied I slept with someone to get what I wanted.’

  ‘You told me only moments ago you had sex with the artistic director to get the role you coveted.’

  Natalie furrowed her brows. ‘Fine.’

  ‘Fine what?’

  ‘Fine. I slept with him.’

  ‘Good grief, Nat.’

  ‘No need to be so judgemental, all right?’ Natalie had the gall to sound incensed.

  ‘I’m trying not to be, I promise. I just can’t get over why you don’t believe in yourself. So how did you meet him?’

  ‘He’s a patron to the arts so it was relatively easy to figure out which events he’d be attending. I just dolled myself up and ran into him in an art gallery. And, before you get all judge-y on me again, I did it for the greater good of the ballet company.’

  ‘And to get another one up on Carolyn Waterstone,’ said Lily, still not able to get her head around the extreme lengths her sister had gone to.

  Natalie had a faraway look in her eyes and Lily cleared her throat to bring her sister back to the present. ‘At first I wanted to get into his good books so he’d invite me to his place for dinner so I could see the drawings for myself.’

  ‘So when he said you couldn’t borrow them you stole them?’

  ‘Jesus, Lil, I didn’t steal them! Never even attempted to!’ She threw her hands wide. ‘Just run with me on this, okay? So, Cristian is the first one in many generations to support artists. After Erik…well, his family didn’t go near anything that had the slightest artistic bent. Originally I wanted to see the drawings to see if we could use them for the designs of the costumes for Viktoriya’s bal
let and yes, of course, to help cement me in the role.’ She paused and narrowed her eyes. ‘I had no intentions of sleeping with him, honest. It just kind of happened. He’s not exactly ugly, is he?’

  Lily felt far from her comfort zone right now.

  Natalie narrowed her eyes. ‘By the way, how did you know I was in Lille?’

  ‘You texted Penny.’

  Natalie tilted her head to the side. ‘But I never told her I was with Cristian. I just said mystery man.’

  Oh God.

  ‘Lily?’

  Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Lily tried to figure out a way to avoid this but there was no way around it. ‘I read your diary.’

  ‘Jesus, Lil.’ Natalie slumped against the chair.

  ‘I was desperate, okay?’

  ‘That is such an invasion of privacy.’

  ‘I know and I feel terrible, I really do. Just know I did it because I care about you, Nat.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘You’re my goddamn sister, that’s why! I was worried about you despite you being so unfathomably horrible to me. Despite you acting like a…a…’ Lily let the words trail away.

  ‘A what?’

  The challenge lay with a thud on the coffee table but Lily refused to accept it. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘Oh, I think it matters a great deal. Tell me what you really think.’

  ‘Despite you acting like a bitch.’ There, she’d said it. Lily should have felt relieved but instead she felt worse.

  Natalie gazed out the window, her expression relaying nothing. Lily looked up at the ceiling and puffed out her cheeks. So much for making progress.

  A loud laugh punctuated the tense atmosphere and Lily looked over to find her sister in hysterics.

  ‘Oh, Lil, that’s the best you can do?’

  ‘You think this is funny?’

  Natalie stopped laughing, her face sombre. ‘Of course it’s not bloody funny but you have to admit, you’ve never been good with the insults.’

  ‘You say that like it’s a bad thing.’

  Natalie shrugged. ‘You are who you are just like I am who I am.’

  ‘That’s the problem, isn’t it? I don’t know who you are anymore.’

  Natalie hung her head. ‘I don’t think I do, either.’