The Beautiful Ones - Silvia Moreno-Garcia Page 0,3

are you lodging? My cousin’s house is in Saint Illare.”

“I think you’ve asked another bold question,” he informed her.

“Is it, really?”

Her words were candid and he found himself amused by the naivety. Rather than schooling her with a scowl and a clipped yes, which normally suited him magnificently, he gave her a proper answer.

“To the east. Boniface. Not as smart as your cousin’s house, I would wager,” he said.

“Boniface. Is that so you can remain near the theater?”

“Indeed.”

“I’m sure it’s smart enough. Boniface.”

As the dance ended, a young man moved in their direction, his eyes on Antonina. Hector was going to incline his head and release the girl, but on contemplating the look of pure panic that crossed her face, he did his best to suppress a chuckle and instead asked her for a second dance. She accepted and told him the man who had been moving toward them was poor Didier. In the end, he danced a total of three dances with Nina, but since two of the three were lively stevkas, they did not speak more than a few words.

After he had thanked her for the dances and strolled away, Étienne Lémy and his little brother, Luc, wandered over. Étienne was Hector’s age and Luc a handful of years younger, though looking at them, people always swore they were twins, so alike were they, both possessing the same blond hair and stylish mustache. They furthered the illusion that evening by wearing matching gray vests.

“There you are, you devil. I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Étienne said, clasping his shoulder. “For a moment I thought you’d left.”

“Not at all. I was dancing,” Hector said.

“We saw. With Miss Beaulieu,” Luc replied.

Hector did not realize until then that the girl had given him only her first name. He had not bothered to inquire further.

“Beaulieu?” he managed to say.

“Surely you’ve heard of them. Gaétan Beaulieu. She is his cousin,” Luc said. “You have not met Gaétan?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure.”

“You must. He has the most magnificent wife imaginable, the most beautiful woman in all of the city, Va—”

“Valérie,” Hector said, interrupting him.

“Yes. You do know them, then?”

“We both had the chance to meet Valérie before she was married to Gaétan, when she was in Frotnac,” Étienne said, maneuvering Luc by his elbow and turning him around. “Luc, why don’t you dance with Mari? She’s our cousin and looks quite alone.”

Luc glanced at a young woman standing by a mirror, the picture of a wallflower. The youngest Lémy made a face as though he had swallowed a lemon. “For good reason.”

“Go on, Luc. It is your burden as a gentleman.”

“She is a third cousin, and you know Mother keeps buzzing in my ear about her, driving me to madness,” Luc protested.

“The more reason to dance with her,” Étienne pressed on with a voice that allowed no further reproach.

The younger man let out an exasperated sigh but went in search of the lady.

As soon as his brother was at a prudent distance, Étienne spoke, his voice low. “You should not consider it. Not even for a moment.”

“Consider what?” Hector asked. Antonina Beaulieu hovered not too far from them, milling about a small circle of people. He wondered if Gaétan resembled her. He’d not seen a picture of the man. Did he sport that dark hair and the long fingers that might have belonged to a pianist? Beaulieu! A thrice-damned Beaulieu.

“Don’t act the fool. Valérie Beaulieu. You lost your head for her,” Étienne said.

“Ten years ago,” Hector said coolly, attempting to conceal any emotion in his voice.

“Ten, but I still recognize that look,” Étienne assured him.

Hector did not reply, his eyes following the movements of Miss Antonina Beaulieu across the room. He made up both an excuse and his exit after that.

CHAPTER 2

Nina could not say that she was truly taken with Loisail. The possibilities the city offered were exciting and it was a lively place, but there were many rules she did not understand, many people whose names she could not remember, all the protocols and details only the seasoned resident could grasp. Furthermore, she missed her mother and her sister. She missed her home, which was not as elegant as her cousin’s but which struck her as more inviting. She missed her beetles and her butterflies and was horrified when she considered all the species she would not be able to collect that spring.

But despite her homesickness, Nina understood that this was a great opportunity. The time spent in Loisail would allow her to