Lovers and Other Strangers Box Set: The Boston Stories (40 page)

    "Allain, as always, my 'ero."

    "La Reine, as always needing one." Holding her was too dangerous. His body would no doubt betray him. He put her on her feet. "You are in an English speaking country now, ma petite reine. We have a lovely letter called an H here. You might try using it, maybe you'll grow to like it." As a little girl she had teased him mercilessly about his ugly English and then his sorry attempts to speak French. Why he had spent the entire summer of his twentieth year at Violet's Aunt and Uncle's practicing French to impress a little girl had been beyond him. That he loved her now he didn't doubt but he could never tell her. She was family even if they shared no blood themselves. Besides there was their age difference. She was fresh, innocent twenty-six, he was a very jaded thirty-eight.

    "Allain, I am so glad you no longer have your glasses. They make you look old and, how do you English say, stuffy."

    "I am sorry to disappoint you but I do still wear my glasses, or at least I did until the driver ran them over." He bent down to retrieve the mangled frames. "How ever knowing my glasses almost always die a painful death around you I took the liberty of bringing a driver for the ride back to the house."

    "Dommage," She smiled wickedly at him. "too bad, we could have had some fun and you let me drive your little sports car."

    "Not if my life depended on it. You forget, I have known you over twenty years and I was one of the poor souls you talked into letting you drive while you were still learning. Never again, jamais plus, jamais plus!

    When they got to the car Allyn breathed a sigh of relief. At least with Harold there they would outnumber her. It almost evened the odds.

    "Harold, this is Marie-Hélène, Violet's cousin from Grasse."

    "Enchanté Mademoiselle."

    "'arold, Vous parlez Francais?"

    "Oui, Je suis Hatien."

    "Harold, I had no idea you spoke French."

    "Yes, sir. I speak it with your sister. Usually when she doesn't want her husband to know what we are saying."

    "But your accent is British?"

    "I moved to the the Bahamas when I was sixteen, sir."

    "Harold you become more surprising every day. And I won the bet, she managed to mangle my glasses well and good."

As proof he handed the broken glasses to Harold as the man opened the door.

    "Then it is good you brought me along, sir."

    "Yes, Come La Reine, let's hope you don't do any damage in here."

    "Bouf, I did not break your glasses, the driver ran them over."

    "True, but they were on the ground because of you."

    "Oui... I'm sorry." Allyn tried to keep his face placid but the smile broke through anyway. La Reine had earned her nickname in part because she never apologized. That she had now, showed maybe she had grown up after all.

    Marie-Hélène stared out the window. She had hoped that Violet would pick her up or she could have gotten a taxi. Allyn Bellows made her heart beat too fast and confused her thoughts. He had when she had been a girl, and as a teenager, and now as a grown woman. She had tried everything to get him out of her system. She had tried dating boys her age but she couldn't ever think of them as anything but boys. She tried older men but they didn't set her heart galloping like Allyn. She smiled as she stared blindly out the window. There was something about his combination of exterior cool and the fire she always saw burning in his eyes. His hair was longer than when he had been to the house last. He had enough gray at his temples now to make him look distinguished. His eyes were the palest blue that could be fire une minute et ice the next. He looked so handsome and commanding in his suit. It made her fingers itch to unbutton him, loosen his tie, see what was under all that expensive wool.

    "Allain, you must be trés chaud in that wool suit. Are you going to work today?"

    "If you can not use an H properly, can you at least say my name correctly. I am English. My name is Allyn, rhymes with tin. You persist in calling me Allain, rhymes with lane. Do you hear the difference?"

    "It is not my fault you pronounce your name wrong. Are you going to work? I am 'ungry for dejeuner. 'Arold? Do you know any bien Vietnamienne restaurants, s'il vous plaît?"

    "Oui, Mademoiselle."

    "Do I get a say, La Reine?"

    "Non, and take this off." She reached across the car to the opposite seat and yanked on Allyn's tie. As she was undoing the top button the car hit a pot hole and she ended up sprawled in his lap. He caught her before she fell over completely but ended up pulling her down on top of him. She was stunned for a second. When she looked up at him his eyes had a faraway look like... he was in love. When she didn't move he pulled her closer.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Oui." She whispered but her heart was going to burst from her chest and it hurt to breathe.

    "Good, if you got hurt... Violet would blame me." The look in his eyes was gone now but she knew what she had seen. Could this man she had loved forever, love her too. He lifted her across the car and put her in her seat. "We will go for some lunch and then if you'd like I can take you by the foundation, no real work to do today but I can show you around so you'll have your bearings tomorrow." He was talking to his knees now.

    "I would like that, Allain." She had to find out if it was true but he would never tell her. He would think he was too old for her and he was too stuffy to do something unexpected. Of course that was part of the attraction, to get him to do all the wonderful fun things he would never give himself permission to. She would start at lunch.

    Harold either deserved a raise or to be terminated. Allyn looked at the wonderful food in front of him. Marie-Hélène had charmed everyone from the waitstaff to the kitchen and the owner had insisted she try all the dishes they reserved for special guests. Allyn had no idea what most of this was but it did look good. Unfortunately, without his glasses he was having a horrible time with the chopsticks.

    "Allyn, you are not eating?"

    "I'm afraid with my glasses broken, I can barely see so..."

    "Oh, Mon Dieux, I forgot. ‘ere I will feed you, it is the least I can do."

    "But I don't even know what I am eating?"

    "That is better, non? Close your eyes, just let the taste guide you." He gave her a hard stare.

    "No tricks, La Reine. I do not want noodles up my nose."

    "Eugh, I only did that once and I was eight years old. I cross mon coeur, no noodles up your nose. Now close your eyes, this will be fun." He looked at her again and she tried to look as innocent as she could. He must have accepted her promise because he closed his eyes and opened his mouth slightly. She couldn't help but smile. She wanted to throw her arms around him for giving her this chance.

    "This is some soup, I'll blow on it so it is not too 'ot for you." She cooled it off enough and then held the spoon to his lips. "What do you taste?"

    "Mmm, chicken broth, lemon grass, butter, other things I couldn't even name."

    "Now try it with your eyes open." She repeated blowing on it and spooned it into his mouth. "Does it taste different?"

    Actually yes, much better the first time. Each of the flavors stood out, this time it was still delicious but all of the flavors ran together some how."

    "That is why it is better to taste wine with the label concealed. It is not just to hide the name, oui? Now close your eyes again and I will feed you some more."

    "You will keep your promise?"

    "Oh, you are impossible! Yes, I will keep my promise." He smiled at her and she saw that flash of fire again. "Allain, why do we fight with each other?" He looked stunned at the question.

    "I don't know, we just always have. From the moment I met you and you told me my English was ugly. You were, five years old, maybe six. You took an instant dislike of me."

    "Oh, that is not true. Well, I was an enfant terrible then but why do we fight now?"

    "It is just what we have always done."

    "I want to stop fighting, I would like to know more about you, just you, not Violet's brother or the head of the foundation. What do you do for fun?" Allyn looked away and took a deep breath. Marie-Hélène watched as he carefully composed his features, she wanted to cry as he lowered a mask over his emotions.

    "I enjoy the symphony and sit on the board."

    "Do you go with a group of friends or is there someone in particular you take with you, a lady friend perhaps?"

    He laughed. "No, I'm afraid I sit alone in my box usually, occasionally I will bring a guest if I am entertaining some one for the foundation. Violet will go with me if it is a Mozart program but she has Michael now."

    "Allain, it sounds very grown up and lonely. What do you do that makes your 'eart beat faster?"

    "I have a sailboat I take out when I want to think. I do have some friends, unfortunately most of them were school chums and they are back in England. I get to see them from time to time and I have colleagues here that I have become friendly with. I'm afraid when I lay it out like this it all sounds slightly pathetic. Really I am very busy with the foundation and I wouldn't have time for a more active social life."

    "But you must want to have a family of your own. How can you do that if you never meet a woman?" She held her breath, she didn't want to hear he already had a woman he loved but it would be better now than later. She promised herself that she would be happy for him if he was already in love with someone else.

    "Violet is my family and I am going to be an uncle soon."

    "But for yourself? Allain you can not tell me you live like a monk?" He choked and then started coughing.

    "I don't believe that is any of your business and certainly not something I am willing to discuss with you."

    "Allain, I think you must have loved a woman very much, but she 'urt you." She reached out her hand and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

    "There was a girl once..." She took her hand away. "I don't think I have ever really gotten over her."

    "You should find her. Maybe she has loved you all this time too, non?"

    "Perhaps. I thought you were hungry and all we are doing is sitting here talking. Do I get to feed you something now?"

    "You will not try to get even for the noodles in the nose?"

    "I am wounded Mademoiselle, I thought we were calling a truce to our fighting." Her smile could have dimmed the sun.

    "Bon! Yes, a truce." She closed her eyes and opened her mouth like a bird. Allyn was forced to use his fingers but was able to pick up a slippery dumpling. He held it to her lips as she held his hand in place. She took a tentative bite and then gobbled the rest down. When she had finished swallowing she sucked his fingers into her mouth one by one. She swirled her tongue around each, licking off the sweet spicy sauce. He was transfixed, this was so frankly sexual, an intimacy to be shared by lovers. He wanted to howl, he wanted to devour her, his chest ached with the desire to tell her how he felt. She gave a little shiver of pleasure.

    "Mmm, c'est bon! More please." If she did that again he would lose all sense of propriety and make love to her here in the middle of the restaurant.

    "No, it is your turn to feed me now."

    Ah, it's true. Close your eyes." She lifted a morsel of ginger beef and noodles to his lips. He opened his mouth then captured her fingers with his lips. She gave a small gasp as he nibbled the tips of her fingers to take the food. He looked at her through his lashes and smiled. He was not the only one that this game was affecting.

    "Mmm, the beef is very tender and the ginger and cinnamon have a spicy warmth. The feminine finger tips are a nice touch."

    "Oh, you are 'orrible!" She slapped him on the arm but not so it would hurt.

    "I said I wouldn't fight with you, no one said I wouldn't tease you. You don't have any brothers so you wouldn't know what it is like."

    "I 'ardly think of you as a brother. But two can tease."

When they finally reached the house Allyn cell phone rang.

    "Allyn, are you and Marie-Hélène getting along?"

    "Yes, Violet we have even called a truce to our squabbling. Would you like to speak with your cousin?"

    "Yes please! Put her on." Allyn covered his ears as the high pitched shrieking started. He walked in to the kitchen to save his sanity. La Reine had been gracious and intelligent in the limited dealings with the people at the foundation today. He was surprised by the depth of her knowledge of the workings of it and the perception she exhibited in the questions she asked people. Of course, everyone was thoroughly charmed. Why wouldn't they be she was beautiful and when she focused that 'sunlight through the trees' gaze on you everyone melted, even him.

    It was like the soup she fed him at lunch. Without seeing it, the soup was different. If only he could blindfold her and then let her get to know him. It wasn't so crazy an idea really. He would just need to convince her he was someone else then he could reveal himself, if she actually fell in love with him. It was hopeless and ridiculous. He was no actor, she would be able to tell it was him when he spoke. She wouldn't go out with a total stranger that would blindfold her, maybe he could wear a mask? No. This is absurd. He should just forget about her, she would meet some nice boy her age... and they would spend the rest of their lives together while he watched. It was absurd but if she found out he could always just say that it was a trick he was playing on her. No harm done. It wasn't a good plan and frankly she would never agree to it so what was the harm in trying.

    As if fate was laughing at him Marie-Hélène walked in at that moment.

    "Is my sister coming here tonight?"

    "Non, she said Michel had several days of surgeries planned so they would be sleeping there. I will see her tomorrow at the office. It will be just you and me 'ere for a few days. Violet thinks you will play a 'orrible trick on me. You wouldn't do that, would you?" She actually looked concerned. Allyn couldn't help himself and smoothed some stray hairs behind her ear.