The Beautiful Ones - Silvia Moreno-Garcia Page 0,55
began to visit them, unsure if he was a gentleman of high enough stature to deserve the attention of the Beaulieus. Perhaps Hector felt the same, and now faltered.
Whatever the reason for his shyness, Nina knew she’d done right and soon everything would be well. They would be together; this was clear. It was as if she could read the imminent signs in the water and the rustling of the trees. She pressed a hand against her lips and smiled.
Nina took her time walking back to Oldhouse, and when she went past the stables, she heard the dogs barking. Luc Lémy was attempting to shoo them away, but they only barked more.
“Here, now. Here, boys,” she said, and the dogs immediately ran toward her, wagging their tails.
She bent down to pet them.
“Thank you for that,” Luc told her. “I don’t know how you do it. Every time these devilish creatures see me, they try to bite a chunk out of my leg.”
The dogs were huge; they were meant for herding sheep, but gentle with children. She chuckled. “Mr. Lémy, they wouldn’t bite you. They must simply like you.”
“Believe me, Miss Beaulieu, they despise me.”
“Maybe you are a cat person.”
“Heavens, that sounds even worse. Horses, Miss Beaulieu, there’s a reliable animal. Put a bridle on it and enjoy a ride, that’s my kind of pet. Better yet, place them in front of a carriage and be done with it. Or a motorcar. That is a fine invention!”
He shook his head. Mr. Lémy and his brother Étienne were both brilliant creatures with their blond hair and their amicable smiles. Luc in particular was the portrait of the city dandy, his clothes always impeccable, looking as if he’d just shaved and gotten a haircut no matter what time of the day it was. He smoked tiny black cigarettes, which he carried in a silver case, and had a way of flattering every woman. Even her old aunts, reticent creatures, thought him a charming fellow.
“You can’t ride a motorcar here, Mr. Lémy. It would get stuck in the mud within five minutes flat.”
“You are correct about that,” he said, as if surveying the road that led to Oldhouse. “That is precisely why Loisail is the best city in the world. Who heard of a land without motorcars?”
“There are plenty of places without motorcars. Besides, you are going to Bosegnan.”
“Yes,” Luc said with a roll of his eyes. “Land of shellfish.”
“You, sir, are the worst man I’ve ever met. If you keep criticizing the countryside, I shan’t invite you back. Why, look at the sun. It shines wonderfully today. You wouldn’t deny it’s a marvelous day for a stroll. Who’d want to be stuck inside a motorcar?”
Luc scoffed and kicked a pebble away. “A marvelous day, no thanks. Two days ago I forgot to wear my hat when I went for a ride, and now look at my face. I look like an overcooked shrimp.”
“Nonsense,” she said.
“It is true. We are not all as lucky as you, who seem to glow every time a stray bit of sun touches your face. No, summer in Montipouret does not suit me.”
She almost felt like informing him that he’d have to stomach one more summer in the countryside, or at least a couple of summer days, since she believed the Lémys would be invited to her wedding the following year. The Beaulieus married in Oldhouse. Even Valérie had yielded to this custom. The civil ceremony had taken place in Loisail at the insistence of the bride, but the religious marriage had been outside, behind the house, with long tables covered with the whitest linen set for the wedding lunch. Nina recalled the excitement of that day and that she had been allowed to have a whole glass of wine for herself.
Valérie’s dress had been a thing of wonder. White silk and satin, a bridal veil of antique lace, a bouquet of white flowers in her hands, and a diamond fringe necklace that was expensive and extravagant. The people of Montipouret spoke of it months after the wedding had concluded. How Nina wanted this, the pomp, the toasts, her picture in the papers. The mockery of her youth had made Nina a little desperate for a certain type of social success. Besides, she was a romantic. Her heart was ripe for strong emotions.
“Don’t despair, Mr. Lémy. Come now, come here,” Nina said, calling to the dogs as she went inside to ensure they would not follow him.