Gastien Pt 1 (35 page)

The girl stepped forward. Her guileless blue eyes met Gastien's and she smiled happily. “Hello,
Monsieur
. It is a pleasure to meet a real artist!” They all laughed, including Gastien.

“
Merci
, Vivienne, but do call me Gastien. I am fine with that.” Winking, he continued, “You will find that I am no different from other human beings, except that I have much less money and a lot more paint on my clothes!” He kissed her hand.

“I did not expect you to be so handsome!” she exclaimed without thinking. She immediately turned red. They all laughed again.

“Well, that is a high compliment from someone as lovely as you. I did expect you to be pretty, judging from your mother. I must say, you did not disappoint me.” She was a younger version of her mother, very pretty, but without the elegance yet that comes with womanhood.
Merde,
thought Gastien, another one that would test his ability to keep from getting an erection and embarrassing himself.

Annah then announced, “And this is our baby, Véronique, although she hates being called the baby. She will be sixteen in about six months. She keeps reminding me that many girls still marry at sixteen, and by seventeen she will be an old maid!” Gastien chuckled. Annah smiled. “I do not want her to leave us quite that soon.”

Véronique confidently stepped forward. She was perhaps going to be the most arresting of them all, once she reached full bloom. Already she had a more voluptuous figure than her mother or sister. She looked deeply into Gastien’s eyes. She smiled lazily.

“Gastien, the pleasure will be mine, I am sure.”

Mon Dieu
, thought Gastien, is she trying to come on to me? What a little minx! He would have to be very careful of this one. Refusing to be the first to look away, he met her gaze evenly. Smiling courteously, he kissed her hand.

 “I am honored to meet you, Véronique.” She held his hand a split second too long.

Gazing up at him through lowered lashes she said softly, “I have always wanted to get to know an artist. They seem so interesting! I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

Gastien thought he better take control before things got out of hand. “And so you shall, but only with chaperoning. I would not want your parents to think I was becoming too familiar with you. You are the baby, you know.”

“Gastien, don’t mind her, she sometimes acts way too forward,” warned Jean Luc. Frowning, he said to Annah, “You are too easy on her. She must learn to be more ladylike in social situations.”

Annah replied, “
Oui
, of course, and you know as well as I do that it is an ongoing challenge. Véronique, I must ask you to refrain from driving Gastien crazy with questions tonight. You will get to know him under my or your sister’s supervision. Is that understood?”

Véronique looked coolly at her mother. “
Oui
, Mother. I will get to know him. Under someone’s supervision, of course.”

Her mother continued to look at her. “Very well. Let’s be seated for dinner.” Jean Luc led the way with Annah on his arm. Vivienne followed to the table. Gastien waited for Véronique to follow. She waited just a few seconds so that the others were out of earshot. She looked at him and said quietly, “I am not a baby.”

Gastien met her stare. “And I am not a fool.”

“But you ARE a man.” She smiled that lazy smile again, then proceeded to the table.

Gastien could not believe how impertinent that girl was!
Oui
, he better be very, very careful. Already he was starting to feel the effects of her flirtations.

The dinner was lovely with several courses, including escargot, fresh greens, and a clear broth soup. Then the main course of
homard a la parisienne
was presented by the cook. It was followed up with peach melba, served with coffee. There were so many glasses and different pieces of silverware that the normal person would have been dizzy from it. Thankfully, Gastien had served many times on the second floor of
Le
Procope,
for the most wealthy. He knew what each piece was for, even if he had never used them.

At one point during the meal, Véronique noted, “You certainly put a lot of food in your mouth at once, Gastien. Your must have a very large appetite!” She smiled sweetly.

Gastien blushed. The little bitch! She was succeeding in embarrassing him while alluding to other appetites as well.

Both parents drew in their breath. “Véronique!” Jean Luc barked. “You will apologize this instant! Then you are excused to go to your room. You will go without peach melba!”

Gastien put down his fork. “Please forgive me for saying anything, but do not deny the girl dessert because of me. Please let her stay, overlooking her forwardness just this once. I would hate to think I had spoiled a meal for anyone on my first night here!”

Jean Luc glowered at Véronique. “All right, she stays. But I will have no more of this type of behavior, do you understand?”

Véronique met her father’s stare equally. “
Oui,
I understand.” She turned to Gastien. “Please forgive me. That was rude.”

Gastien looked calmly at her. “No offense taken. You are right, of course. I do take too large of bites. I have spent many months in the past without food. Sometimes I forget that I eat regularly now. However, I also have great control. Now that you have “reminded” me, you will find that I will make sure that I am always in control of my huge appetite.” He smiled sweetly. “Let’s enjoy dessert.”

After dessert, they returned to the seating area off to the side for conversation. He asked about the girl’s hobbies and dislikes, getting to know a little about their personalities. It was also to get them relaxed and talking, in order to make physical observations. These observations would be stored subconsciously and used in his paintings to bring out the features that other eyes would miss if painting, but would notice missing if looking at someone else’s. They would not know what was missing, but would know the painting did not seem right. Gastien never missed a single subtle detail. That is what made him great, instead of good.

After talking with them about an hour, he felt it was time to go back to his cottage. He thanked them for the wonderful meal. “Please tell the cook that
Le Procope
would be jealous if they knew a cook like this was not in their employ.”

Jean Luc walked him to the door. “I apologize again for my youngest. She is a handful! I pity the man who marries her.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Sometimes a person is so headstrong that you are absolutely at a loss what to do.”

“Don’t apologize, I understand. I think she will calm down once she meets the right gentleman,” said Gastien graciously. Ha, he thought, if she does not get knocked up first because of her suggestive ways! I am going to make damn sure it is not me that does the deed, though.

The next day was spent reading, walking the property, getting measured for clothes, and just learning to feel familiar in his new surroundings. Gastien found that the peacocks were quite tame. One could not touch them, but if he sat still in a chair outside they would come right up next to him, searching for bugs in the grass. He rather enjoyed their antics now that he was getting used to them.

Finally, it was Monday and time to start. They had decided that they would start with Vivienne’s individual portrait. She was dressed in a beautiful blue frock that brought out her eyes. Annah was there chaperoning. Gastien made several preliminary sketches. Suddenly he walked over to Vivienne. “May I be so bold as to touch her hair?” he asked Annah.

“
Oui
, certainly. Do what you need to in order to get the best painting.”

Gastien took Vivienne’s hair in his hands and held it up by her head, letting a few tendrils sweep across her porcelain neck. It was thick, almost white blonde hair, with a soft curl to it on the ends.

“Vivienne is young, but already has the start of that same elegance that you possess, Annah. Although I am sure her hair is a source of pride, she is even more elegant with it up. Come, stand in front of her. See what I am seeing.”

Annah moved in front of her daughter. ”
Oui
, I see what you mean! She looks very elegant. Yet, with the tendrils drifting across her neck, it softens the elegance a bit, giving her the look appropriate for a young woman her age.”

“Vivienne? Do you mind if I ask you to wear your hair up tomorrow?” inquired Gastien.

Vivienne stared up at him and then at her mother. “
Non
, that is fine.”

Gastien knew that wearing her hair up accented her eyes and cheekbones. That would make for a truly lovely painting. “Good. Now, it is noon, time for you to go eat. I will need the afternoon to do some more sketching. I will start the background of the canvas as well. I will see you at nine o’clock tomorrow!” He smiled kindly, letting down her hair.

The next morning she arrived with her hair up and mother along. Gastien pulled a few more tendrils out. “Perfect, Vivienne. You look very, very beautiful. Like a Nordic princess waiting for her prince.” He smiled gently. “Will you do me a favor? Will you think about that prince while I paint you?”

“
Oui
,” she replied quietly.

“Good. Over the next several weeks will come the hard part. It is very boring to sit still so long. I will do my best to try to make it go as quickly as possible, but this is a large painting. It will try your patience.“

“I will be patient,” she said, staring innocently into his eyes.

“Excellent! Let’s begin.” As he posed her, he was already planning the painting.

By the end of the day, Annah asked, “Gastien, would you think me a terrible mother if I let Vivienne come daily unchaperoned? It is hard enough to sit if you are the model. I do have things I should be doing. I suppose that I could ask a servant to chaperone, but really, if I can’t trust you then you should not be here.”

Gastien agreed. “Annah, she will be fine. There are big windows here. Anyone coming by can see that we are conducting ourselves with dignity.” He smiled. “Please don’t worry.”

That night Gastien wrote letters to Father Fournier, letting him know that he had arrived at Jean Luc’s. He then wrote to Mic, telling him that he planned on coming to Montmartre in two weeks to party with him during his two days off. Then he wrote to Nath.

“Dear Nath,

Giselle is beautiful!
Merci beaucoup
for sending the photo to me. I have it locked in my bank box, so that I will always have it. It is hard to believe that I helped make another human being. She is so little and looks so perfect! I would love to hold her just once, but I know that I can’t. Don’t worry that I will try to see her, I am just saying that she means more to me than you might have imagined. I am so glad that she will grow up in a loving, well off home. Please always give her an extra kiss goodnight for me.

I also hope you send more photos on occasion. I am so thankful that you have decided that you will write to me after all. I miss you terribly. Nath, I just can’t believe how often I think of you. I am so glad to hear that you are not unhappy. You are in the place that you should be, and we both know it.

I have gotten a painting gig on the estate of a very wealthy family. It happened just in time, too! The home I had a room in burned to the ground, and the widow died in the fire. The new room I rented for five times the amount was just awful! Roaches, rodents, no running water, it was just steps away from being back on the streets. Then, in July I got notice that the rent would double! As you can imagine, I had spent most of my money getting back on my feet after the fire. I was getting nowhere fast.

Jean Luc and his wife have been so kind to me. They have no idea, of course, how desperate I was. I will be here for at least a year, but you can send letters to
Le Procope
, as I don’t have a definite end date to this employment. I will check there regularly for my mail.

Mic left for Montmartre at the end of last February. I lost you, Mic and my landlady Emma all within a couple of months. It seems that for some reason whenever I start to open myself up to someone they leave. I know it is just circumstance, but it has made me decide to keep my heart even more closed. I don’t think I can stand any more hurt.

I must sound very melancholy now, but you said not to censor my letters, so here you have me in all my finest! Truly, though, I am in a very good place right now. I am being paid well by this family for the year. That means that I will be able to go to Montmartre when I leave here. I will be poor again, but should not have to live on the streets. I imagine I will have to camp out with Mic and his pals for awhile until I figure out what to do. But, that is far in the future. For now I am enjoying luxury.

I even have a flushing toilet! It scared the hell out of me the first time I pulled the chain. I thought a wild animal was coming up the toilet to chew off my
bite
! Good thing I still had it in my trousers. I probably would have pulled it right off when I jumped! There is even paper on a roll to wipe my butt with!

I have the largest bathtub I have ever seen. It is concrete (with running water!) and even a pillow for my head. You know me well, so you know I am in that tub daily. I guess it is because I reeked so badly when I was on the streets. I do love to be clean.

Jean Luc has two daughters, aged fifteen and seventeen. Nath, they both are gorgeous, as is the mother. All of them are white blondes!
Mon Dieu
, how will I survive a year around three beautiful women without compromising my position here? I have to tell you it will be difficult, as the youngest (
Oui
! The fifteen-year-old, believe it or not) is already after me and has the mouth of a “working girl” – I know you know what I mean. I am determined not to sleep with any of them, as I need this opportunity badly. Something tells me I will be using my hand a lot after staring at them for hours on end during their portrait sessions.

I have “written a novel” to you, so I should close. Do you remember the hours we used to spend talking and gossiping in bed after our sex marathons? I miss the talks as much as I miss the sex, Nath.