La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower (14 page)

“Is that all? There’s no danger of that,” Zack assured Peter. “Greg hired me over the phone. He has no idea what I look like. And he doesn’t know I’m traveling with you. Greg knows me as Dan. As long as you keep calling me Zack, there’s no way he’ll guess my identity.”

Peter extended his hand to Zack. “It took a lot of courage for you to tell us this. I appreciate it.”

Zack turned back to Hildy. “Are you okay with this?” he asked. “If you’re at all uncomfortable with me, I’ll leave.”

Hildy reached out to him. “Of course I trust you, Zack! You’ve proven yourself by telling us all this. You certainly have made me feel safe. You’re my friend, Zack, and I’d hate to lose that.”

Zack was relieved. “Thanks, Hildy. I feel a lot better getting this off my chest. Don’t you worry about Greg. I won’t let him anywhere near you.” He paused, then grinned at her. “You know, we have something in common, you and I. We’re both using an alias.”

Hildy grimaced. “Let’s hope we won’t have to much longer. As soon as I prove in court that Greg stole ‘The Ginger Jar’ from me we can both come out of hiding. And that can’t be too soon for me.”

“Well!” Peter said as he rose to his feet, “I guess that’s enough excitement for one day! We’d better get some sleep.”

They retired for the night, ready to do more filming the next day at the Chateau de Rochefort.

CHAPTER XIX
 

When Hildy woke early the next morning her heart was pounding. At first she couldn’t figure out why, but as she searched the deep recesses of her thought and her sleepiness disappeared, she remembered - this was the day that Jay, and possibly Greg, would be joining them on the barge. And there was that old familiar kick in the stomach at the dread of seeing Greg again. Then the thought of Jay sent her heart on a 10-K run! What a strange mixture of emotions to hit her first thing in the morning!

The thought that Greg might come to the barge with Jay terrified her. Her revulsion knew no bounds, and she prayed that she wouldn’t give herself away. And she hated herself for wanting anything to do with Jay. I’ve got to put a stop to this. But she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Her feelings toward him were growing stronger every time she thought of him, and she knew she couldn’t crush them down much longer.

She lay there watching the first faint beams of morning light push away the darkness of the night. How she wished that something - anything - would push away the uneasy feeling that seemed like a heavy rock bearing down on her.

There was no more sleep for her, so she arose, showered, and dressed. She fussed with her brunette wig longer than usual. Her fingers felt clumsy as she fumbled with her own hair. She mustn’t let one wisp of blond show! Finally everything was in place. She reached for her horn-rimmed glasses just as Jenny knocked on her door.

“Hildy? Are you almost ready?” Jenny called.

Hildy opened the door, visibly upset, unable to hide her panic.

Jenny put her arm around her. “Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. Your disguise is perfect. You know Peter wouldn’t put you in any danger. Besides, Greg wouldn’t dare try anything with us around.”

Hildy gave her a dubious look. “I hope not, Jenny, but I’m scared.” She grabbed her glasses and put them on, hoping desperately that this would keep Greg from recognizing her. Maybe he won’t come, she tried to tell herself, but she wasn’t convinced.

Jenny sat her down on the bed. “Hildy, I think you’re forgetting something.”

“What?”

“You completely fooled Peter with your disguise.”

“You’re right. I did. I just hope if Greg does come that my French accent will cinch it. I really believe that’s what helped to fool Peter. And it should help to camouflage my voice.” She threw her hands up in a helpless gesture. “I just hope and pray that he doesn’t come.”

“I’m curious to see what he looks like in person,” Jenny told her. “Pictures of him are quite good looking.”

Hildy’s lips curled. “He doesn’t look like an ogre or have horns if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s really quite handsome.”

They climbed the steps to the deck where breakfast was being served. As they walked over to the table where the food was spread out, Hildy spied Jay with Greg and a stranger approaching the barge. “You won’t have long to wait,” she told Jenny. “Here they come!” Her hands trembled as she double checked her wig.

They filled their trays and sat down at one of the tables. Peter and Zack joined them. Hildy’s appetite had deserted her, and when she picked up her fork, she almost dropped it.

Peter, noticing how nervous she was, put his hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “Greg will never recognize you. It’ll be okay.”

The three men boarded the barge and climbed the steps to the upper deck.

“Good morning!” Peter greeted them. “Have you had breakfast?”

“Not yet,” Jay told him. “We wanted to get here before you left for the Chateau.”

Peter gestured toward the spread. “Help yourself,” he said. “There’s plenty of food and coffee for everyone. We have bacon and eggs, pancakes, Danish pastries - whatever you want. Don’t be shy.”

Hildy hid her face, then realized this was foolish. You have to face Greg sometime. Don’t be afraid!

As soon as the men had filled their trays, they sat down at a table near by, and Jay proceeded to introduce everyone.

“I’d like you to meet Gregory Wilcox, and Andre, the artist I hired to paint the backdrops.” He gestured toward Hildy and the others. “This is Hildy Swenson, the composer of the new musical Peter is filming. And Peter Graff with his fiance, Jenny Gordon. And this is Hildy’s agent, Zack Davis.”

Greg turned on all his charm as he got up and approached their table. He extended his hand to Jenny and Peter. Then to Zack. And last of all, to Hildy.

With great difficulty Hildy managed to return his handshake. He showed no sign of recognition. He doesn’t know me! she exulted. He really doesn’t know me!

The fear that had gripped her lessened its hold, and her heart, which had been racing wildly, slowed down to a normal pace. Her appetite returned almost to normal.

Greg’s hair was graying now, but if anything, it made him look more distinguished. Hildy stared at him and felt nothing but contempt. How could I ever have imagined that I loved this man? The very idea repulsed her. What I felt was nothing but infatuation for who he is. I was so naive! Never again!

Hildy’s only fear now was that Greg might possibly recognize her voice, but she couldn’t keep silent forever.

Greg oozed charm. “We have a lot in common,” she heard him say. “I’d love to see your script.”

Here we go again! But he can’t steal this one. It’s already in production.

She looked him boldly in the eye as she spoke with her best French accent. “You’ll have plenty of chance to see it take shape,” she told him. “We’ll be filming some of the scenes this morning at the Chateau de Rochefort.”

As she spoke, she thought she detected a slight sign of recognition from him. A feeling of dread swept over her as she heard him say - “You remind me of someone. Have we met before?”

She forced a laugh as panic tried to grip her again. Her voice sounded strangely calm, and she wondered why. She felt anything but calm. Her heart pounded so loud she thought surely he must hear it.

But in spite of all this she managed to act nonchalant as she answered his probing question. “People are always telling me that. They say everyone has a double somewhere in the world.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Zack was ready to pounce on Greg. She tried by eye contact to send him a signal that she was okay, and she could see the great effort he was making to keep himself under control. He mustn’t blow my cover!

CHAPTER XX
 

The group left La Litote and boarded the van Peter had hired to take them to the Chateau de Rochefort. Hildy avoided Greg, which was fairly easy with Zack sticking close by her side.

The ride to the Chateau was spectacular. The beautiful fall colors and the flowers along the way were awe inspiring. In a very short time the Chateau loomed up in front of them with its ruins showing all the romantic splendor of a bygone age. Hildy thought of her father and all that he had told her about the wine country. It seemed unreal in its magnificence.

As the filming proceeded, Greg wandered over to Hildy’s side. “Mind if I look at the script?”

She stiffened. “I need it for the upcoming scenes,” she was quick to tell him.

But Greg persisted. “Oh, I’m sure you don’t need these last few pages for a while, do you?”

She tried not to show her annoyance as he reached out and boldly took them from where they rested on her lap. She wanted to put them under lock and key so he couldn’t see one word of script or one note of music, but she assured herself again that he couldn’t possibly steal something that was already in production. She was grateful when Peter came over to where she was sitting and took charge.

“Hildy,” he said in a tone that wasn’t to be disagreed with, “I need the rest of the script.” He reached out and took the pages out of Greg’s hand, smiling politely as he did so. “Sorry,” he said, “I need these for the upcoming scenes.”

Greg looked shocked. He wasn’t used to being denied anything.

When they finally broke for lunch, Hildy knew Greg still had no idea who she was. Let’s hope it stays that way! She was relieved to see Peter lock the scripts in his briefcase where Greg couldn’t get at them.

They all gathered at the buffet table to choose from the array of food that Peter had arranged to be brought from the barge. As Hildy wandered over to one of the dining tables Jay followed her. Zack sat beside her, ready to protect her. This forced Greg to sit across from her. He turned on all his charm, but Hildy was ready for this. Nothing he said had any effect on her. The more she ignored him, the harder he tried. What a con artist he is! she thought.

Then Greg posed a question that caught her completely off guard.

“Hildy,” he asked, “how do you happen to have a name like Swenson when you’re French? You’re a native of France, aren’t you?”

Hildy never thought so fast. “Well, you see - - m-my father was Swedish. He met my mother when his company sent him to France. They fell in love and got married and lived here.”

“Oh. Are they still alive?”

She looked him boldly in the eye. The nerve of him asking me so many questions! What is he digging for? With a great effort she managed a smile in spite of her anger. “I never talk about that,” she told him. “It’s too painful.”

He was silent for a moment, and Hildy thought the questions were over. But Greg didn’t give up that easily. “I’m wondering how you and Peter happened to meet,” he said. “How did you get together on your musical?”

By this time Hildy was extremely annoyed. She was tempted to ignore his question, but thought better of it. There was no telling what he might do if she were to offend him. Or what he might suspect.

“My agent called me,” she explained. “He heard that Peter was looking for a musical to film, and he sent ‘La Fleur Rouge’ to him. Peter liked it, and came here to film it.”

“Have you ever been to the States?” Greg persisted. “Boston, perhaps?”

By this time she wanted to hit him, but she merely said, “I think it would be interesting to visit sometime. I understand it has a lot of history.” Hoping to put an end to the probing, she rose from her chair and went to get more coffee.

At the other table, Jenny and Peter were keeping a close watch on Greg. How fortunate I am to have such good friends who believe in me! Hildy thought. But it bothered her that Jay didn’t have a clue about what Greg was up to.

“Your musical is great, Hildy!” Jay enthused when she returned to the table. “It has a very special quality. It’s poignant, yet strong. A great combination. The melody lines are beautiful. Where did you learn to compose like that?”

Hildy opened her mouth to tell him about her mother, but caught herself just in time. If she kept on, Greg would surely recognize the similarity of her background compared with that of Hilary.

“Oh,” she explained, “I just seem to pick them out of the air. These melodies are there for anyone. I just listen and put them down on paper.”

“That’s true talent!” Jay exclaimed. “Isn’t that what you do, Greg?” he asked him.

Hildy’s eyes widened in disbelief. How can he be so fooled by such a con artist? Then she reminded herself - you were fooled once. It’s really not his fault. Her resentment toward him lessened.

Then Jay turned back to Hildy and dropped a bombshell. “You know,” he said, “your music reminds me a lot of ‘The Pepper Pot.’”

Hildy choked, and Zack handed her a glass of water.

“Are you all right?” Jay asked, quite concerned.

“I’m - - fine!” she sputtered, catching her breath. “Swallowed - - wrong way!”

She rose from her chair. How she managed to still speak with a French accent while she was choking was a puzzle, even to her. I’ve got to get out of here, she thought in a panic. “I need a walk - - clear my head,” she said.