Immortal Beauty (11 page)

“What is behind it?” The worker was truly curious now.

“Ah, that is the question at hand isn’t it?” The Comte stuck the end of his torch in the wet clay and Simone followed his actions. Together they moved to the side of the stone and began to push in earnest. At first nothing happened and then slowly the stone began to role. They pushed harder and the stone rolled off toward the center of the room where it fell on it’s side with a loud thud. Dust fell from the cavern ceiling and the ground shook for a second. The dust was like a snowstorm and for a few minutes neither of the men could see anything around them. When the dust settled the two men could see there was a small opening in the side of the wall.

“Another cave?” Simone sighed in a heavy breath.

“Maybe it is a temple of untold treasure!” The Comte said with a hint of amusement in his voice. “I’ll go in first. Hand me that torch and wait for me here.”

“But Sir, it could be dangerous.” Simone sounded genuinely concerned.

“What is life Simone except for a series of dangerous predicaments and the clever ways we get out of them?” He smiled at the man.

“Too true my Lord!” They both laughed. The Comte took the light from Simone’s gnarled hand and ducked down low to fit through the opening. At first he could see nothing but he could hear the dripping sound coming from within. He stood still for a moment letting his eyes get used to this new darkness. He thought he detected movement. He held his torch up high and could see the source of the sound. In the center of a large cavern was a small pool of water. The water looked gray and slightly luminous. From the ceiling of the cave water was dripping slowly into the pool. He thought he detected movement again but there could be nothing living in this sealed up place. It must have been covered for centuries. Just how long he could not even begin to imagine. Then he heard a different sound; a faint rustling noise. He whirled around to his right and he heard Simone’s voice.

“Is everything alright sir?” He sounded worried.

“I’m just fine Simone, I’ll be out in a minute.” He looked around again and this time his eyes were adjusting better to the darkness. He slowly became aware of the sound of someone breathing. Impossible! But there it was, faint but regular. He moved toward the sound and almost screamed as the light from his torch fell upon the face of a beautiful woman with wild red hair. She was staring at him and he suddenly saw that she was naked. Her beautiful body was as bare a s a newborn baby and glistened in the soft light. She slowly started to smile at him and her beauty was absolutely disorienting. He had been to the court of Versailles and the most intimate and wealthy circles of all of Europe and he had never encountered such a beautiful woman as this. How could she be here? There were endless questions running around his mind and he tried quickly to regain his sense of composure and logic. There had to be an explanation he just didn’t know what it was yet. This would all have to wait. For now he had to get her out of this hole and make sure she was alright. He had to get her past the workers as he couldn’t afford a scandal of any sort. These were dangerous times and his enemies would love to know about the beauty in the cave. He smiled back at the mysterious stranger.

“Are you alright Mademoiselle? He tried not to stare at her magnificent figure. She simply stared back at him as if he were the oddity. “How did you get in here? Are you in some sort of trouble?” Nothing but a blank stare answered his questions. Maybe she was in shock. He yelled out to Simone. “Simone! I need you to go back and get me some blankets and a coat. Say nothing to anyone. Send them away. Tell them to come back after lunch. Tell them I want to spend the morning exploring the caverns and tell them they are still getting paid. Do you understand me?’ His voice sounded very strange to him.

“Sir, what is it? Is everything alright?” The man sounded very worried.

“Just do as I say Simone!” His voice thundered with authority and anger. Simone dared not disobey. He scrambled back down the long hall made of clay.

The Comte looked again at the apparition of a woman. She was studying him intensely. His clothing especially seemed to interest her. His wig, now knocked awry held a strong fascination for her. She timidly reached out to touch the powder white hair above his head. He didn’t move. He dared not as he was afraid of startling her any more but he realized that she was beginning to frighten him. She ran her fingers through the coiffure and then let her hand trail to his velvet coat. She made a slight cooing sound. He quickly removed the coat and handed it to her. She didn’t understand, so he wrapped it gently about her shoulders. This seemed to please her. She fingered the fabric lovingly and gently. All of a sudden she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the water. The pool of water in the center of the cavern became her sole focus. She crouched down and cupped the water in her hands. She beckoned for him to do the same and in an effort to establish some type of rapport with her, he complied. The water was cool and refreshing. He didn’t realize how thirsty he was until he began to drink. All the effort, the dirt and the fright of this new experience left him a little dazed and in need of refreshment. The water began to soothe his mind. He feel better and calmer and he drank more of it until he was full. She had finished drinking herself and smiled at him again. This time the smile wasn’t so vacant. It had the unmistakable look of mischief in it. He couldn’t begin to imagine what her story was. He only knew that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he was going to take care of her somehow. It crossed his mind that he had no mistress at this time and she might just be perfect for his needs if she was not altogether crazy or addle brained. For some reason he didn’t think so because even in this darkness he could see the spark of intelligence behind those shocking green eyes. First, he had to get her out of here and get her properly dressed. He would find out who she was later. For now he made a plan to keep her in one of his newly acquired homes nearby. No one needed to know anything about this. He felt thirst again and began to drink once more. It truly was the most delicious water he had ever tasted. He was glad that this pool was beneath the spot of his new country residence. He decided right then to keep the cavern open and he would have access to this font for the rest of his life. This thought pleased him immensely and he couldn’t help but smile back at the woman who was now playing with the brass buttons on his coat. He rose and slowly showed her how they worked. She was thrilled when she realized their function as if she had never seen a button before and began to fasten the rest of them. Gorgeous laughter peeled from her throat and the Comte thought it was the most beautiful music his ears had ever fastened onto. He tried to quiet the chorus of questions that were battering his weary mind. The answers would come later, for now he had to spirit this woman away without anyone else knowing. First things first. He could not remember felling this excited and exhilarated in his life. An adventure was beginning to open itself up to him and he was more than willing to meet the challenge. Before he left the cavern he filled a leather cask with the water and this seemed to please the woman. Simone finally returned with the blankets and some clothing and the Comte made an attempt to get her ivory skin covered up taking one more draught each from the pool they left the cave together.

By evening the Comte de Sevigne had secured the woman in his small house not far from the construction site. He gave instructions to his servants as to how to treat the strange guest. He explained that she was in shock and was a distant cousin who had sought him out for help. It was of the utmost importance that secrecy was to maintained as he suggested some sort of lovers quarrel involving a duel which was illegal. He told them she was from Marseille and that seemed to satisfy the women working for him. They led her to a bath which she took to immediately. They had quite a time getting her out of the tub but finally she relinquished to their tireless efforts and allowed them to dress her. She was fascinated with the clothing and the jewelry. She absolutely would not don a wig regardless of the struggle. She would not cover her hair. So the women made the most of it and fashioned the red tresses into a chignon that hung low on her neck. When they produced the jewelry the stranger stared in awe. Bright green emeralds and rubies hung from a necklace and settled into the curve of her full breasts. She turned to look in the mirror and gasped. She was beautiful and in that one instant she suddenly remembered everything. She remembered the cruelty that was thrust upon her and she remembered the decades of solitude which had driven her to the brink of insanity. Somehow her mind was clear again and she knew that she was free. She had no idea how much time had passed but obviously things had changed. Her tribe was no longer in existence. If only they had listened to her instead of staging the most brutal of betrayals at the hand of her own father then perhaps they would still be here. The enemy must have prevailed and these people were her progeny. She was surrounded by the descendants of the people who stole her life away. Slowly the idea of revenge began to stir in her now clear mind. In the soft glow of the candlelight she looked like a queen. Whoever this man was she owed him a great deal. She would give him whatever he asked and she could tell by the way he looked at her exactly what it was he wanted. This odd structure he had taken her was unlike anything she had ever seen. The walls were made of a soft warm wood that glowed from the light. There was gold everywhere and fancy furniture all around the room. She smiled at herself in the mirror and thought just how very much she was going to like this new era she found herself in. The women around her were obviously slaves and were there to do the bidding of the master. She planned to become their mistress and gave them her most contented and sincerest of looks. The language sprouting form their mouths was nothing more than gibberish but she would learn quickly. The waters of Locium had sharpened her brain. She reminded herself that she was no mere mortal any longer. For an eternity she had been trapped inside the bowels of the earth and like a mythic creature she had emerged in a new world full of wonder and mystery. She would learn all about this new world and become the mistress of her own destiny. She did not forget her mission. The others who had stolen the water so long ago must still be alive somewhere. Eventually she would find them but before she could fly she must learn to walk all over again and she had all the time in the world to do just that.

OLD FRIENDS

The woman in black sat in a comfortable chair out on the large terrace. The sun was shining and she felt at peace. The first part of her assignment had gone very well. In fact, it could not have been better. She had secured the mousy secretary to the house on Rue Raynouard and the unsuspecting woman had believed every lie she was told. She was sleeping upstairs in one of the beautiful rooms overlooking the gardens. Claire had put a mild sedative in Ellen’s tea to make the transport easier. When she woke up Marcus would deal with her. She had done her part and for the first time in over a week she was serene. Dealing with people had never been one of her strong points She much preferred the animal kingdom in all it’s various forms and diversity. The black bird Magdalene was standing on the table nibbling away at one of the small gateau on a delicate white china plate. Claire brushed her hair away from her face. It was a mass of blonde curls that was so unruly there was truly nothing to be done about it. It was so blonde that in the bright sunlight it appeared white. She was beautiful there was no doubt about that with her creamy white skin and eyes so light they were almost violet. She attracted a lot of attention wherever she went, but she never even took notice. She was uncomfortable in this sprawling Mecca of modernism with it’s dirty air and loud noises. She truly felt at home only in the vast forests of the world. Nature was her god and she worshipped with a fervor that would make the most devout Christian feel guilty. She lifted the teacup to her pale lips and drank slowly and purposefully thanking the powers that be for her sustenance. Every little thing that these modern people took for granted she was eternally grateful for. Things were very different now. She had no desire to come to Paris after all these years. It was only after Frankie pleaded with her that she finally gave in. She had ignored Marcus’ calls altogether. As far as she was concerned things were over between them. She made a vow to herself not to get involved in the politics of Marcus ever again. The last time had proved to be a disaster and she had no wish to relive that experience again. It was only Frankie who could seduce the birds from the trees who could make her change her mind. Of all the people she had ever met, Frankie was the only one with whom she had any spark of affection. There was something irresistible about him that could not be denied but there was also a sense of frivolity that always got to her. He viewed everything that happened as part of some colossal joke in the grand scheme of things. All the violence and all of the betrayal that he had faced were just another scene from a play for him. She wished that she could be more like him and be a little less serious. But that was not in her nature. She took everything seriously which made her tedious to be around but she knew that Marcus and Frankie needed her and they had long since built up a resistance to her cold walls that enveloped her wherever she went. She gazed out into the gardens and watched as the flowers swayed in the breeze. To the left she could see the top of the Eifel Tower in the distance. It lay across the river which ran parallel to the end of the property. It was a beautiful park without a doubt. It was practically a small forest of its own with all the chestnut trees that stood indifferently and silently to all the drama unfolding about them. Claire had made her home in the garden and never slept in the opulent room that Marcus always had ready for her. She preferred the ground to the luxurious feather beds and she would much rather look up at the night sky than the plaster ceilings of the old house. She wondered just how Marcus was going to convince Ellen to go back to the States, but she knew that he would succeed. He had the powers of persuasion that never seemed to fail. He got her to leave Argentina to come to this city that she abhorred and participate in a plot that she was loathe to even learn about. She finished her tea and gave Magdalene another little cake.