All That Glitters (7 page)

As they entered the palace they were duly impressed with the ornate golds and marbles, and a ceiling rich in colorful scenes from bygone days! Nothing else could possibly translate the impression that Louis XIV wanted to give when he enlarged his father’s hunting lodge, which later became known as Versailles.

The splendor of the park and the formal gardens designed by Le Notre; the breathtaking beauty of the Hall Of Mirrors; the brilliance of the grand apartments, whose furniture sparkled with its gold trim in Louis XIV style, and changed decor with the coming of spring or the return of winter; the priceless paintings; the park scattered with statues and fountains; and the sparkling water illuminated with rainbow colors in the sun as it cascaded over the rocks—all this truly was a jewel among Chateaus, taking them back to the fifteenth century with its pomp and ceremony!

It made them reluctant to leave, even after being there for three hours, but it provided a respite from their deep concern over Cammie.

It was time for dinner when they returned to their hotel. Dusk was hanging over Paris, and the lights were just coming on all over the city. The evening was balmy with the temperature around seventy degrees Fahrenheit, so they decided to eat at the sidewalk cafe just around the corner from the hotel—the same cafe where Hildy, Jenny, and Peter had eaten breakfast every morning so many years ago, and where they had first met Zack.

The next day Zack visited the library again, but found nothing more in his research, and the day came to depart for the wine country.

Reservations had been made on the same barge they had traveled on twenty-one years ago—La Litote—and they were all looking forward to it—especially Cammie. She had heard so much about how her father and mother had met along the Burgundy Canal and fallen in love, and she couldn’t wait to see it. It will be so romantic for Francois and me! she thought—just like Mom and Dad.

She felt sure that by now they had reconciled to the fact that she was going to marry him, and she even felt, with the wishful thinking of youth, that maybe her mother had begun to like him.

* * *

But no matter how hard Francois tried to win Hildy over, the grave doubts that she had about Cammie marrying him remained.

There was much gaiety at lunch in anticipation of the trip. Hildy was looking forward to the train ride that she remembered so vividly as being breathtakingly beautiful, and now she could share it with Cammie. She tried hard not to let the fears that kept haunting her interfere with their enjoyment.

The train left as soon as they boarded. As they rode along, Hildy looked out the window. She could see the foliage in an array of bright colors reflected in the Burgundy Canal as they passed over it. She motioned to Cammie to come and share this gorgeous scenery that remained the same, in spite of the passing years.

Cammie gasped with pleasure. “Oh, Mom!” she exclaimed, “it’s just as beautiful as you said!”

Soon they reached Burgundy and boarded the bus that would take them to La Litote. In fifteen minutes they were at the canal.

“There it is!” Cammie cried. “La Litote!”

Hildy smiled at her enthusiasm. There it stood, as majestic as ever, looking centuries old. If this were the Nile, she thought, you’d almost expect to see Cleopatra herself standing on the deck. Its reflection in the canal was as clear as crystal.

An artist stood on the shore painting the lovely scenery. Hildy stared. Could it be? She looked closer. It was! Andre, the artist Jay had hired twenty-one years ago to paint the backdrops of Roger Fielding’s musical, was sitting there working at his easel! “Jay! Zack!” Hildy called to them. “Look!”

Jay stared. “I’ll be!” he exclaimed. “Andre!” he called as the three of them walked over to greet him.

Andre left his painting and ran to meet them. “Ah, Madame Stuart!” he exclaimed as he held out his arms. “How good to see you!” He kissed Hildy on each cheek, and shook hands with Jay and Zack. “I have thought of you often! How have you been?”

Hildy laughed with delight. “We’re fine!” she said. “We’ve been married for twenty-one years and have a beautiful daughter. She’s twenty years old now.”

“Oui, I know,” he replied. “I have seen her many
times in the musicals.”

“Cammie!” Hildy called, motioning for her to come over. “We want you to meet someone!”

“Come on,” Cammie said to Francois.

Francois looked in Andre’s direction, and hesitated.

Cammie pulled him by the hand, but he resisted. “You go,” he told her. “I’ll see you on the barge.” He turned and headed toward La Litote.

“Francois? What’s wrong?” she called after him.

He didn’t answer.

She shrugged her shoulders and joined her folks.

Hildy put her arm around her. “Andre, this is our daughter, Cameron. Cammie, this is Andre, the painter your father hired to paint the backdrops of Roger’s first musical.” She looked around. “Where’s Francois?” she asked.

“He went to the barge,” Cammie told her.

“Oh,” she said, turning to Andre. “Cammie is engaged to Count Francois Dubonnet,” she explained.

Andre stared in Francois’ direction with a look of disapproval. Or was it fear? Or both? His whole attitude changed. He covered his face with his hands and turned his head away, until Francois was on the barge.

After acknowledging the introduction, Cammie left to join Francois.

Hildy waited until Cammie was no longer within earshot. Then she turned to Andre, more troubled than ever. “Andre, I get the distinct impression that you don’t approve of Francois.”

Andre hesitated. “Oh—well—”

Jay turned him around to face him. “Andre, what do you know about Francois that we should know?”

Andre hedged. “He has a bad reputation. He’s quite a playboy, and he’s made many women very unhappy. I would not like to see him do that to your beloved Cammie. How did she meet him?”

“At the casino in Monte Carlo,” Hildy told him. “She went there one night with a friend.”

Andre nodded. “I am not surprised. He is there a lot. He must have known who she was. Did he—how you say—pick her up?”

“I guess that’s what you’d call it,” Jay replied.

Andre looked grim. “He was probably looking for an opportunity to meet her. He may have had some reason. He’s quite a schemer. I don’t think you should trust him.”

Hildy looked worried. “Cammie is terribly in love with him,” she said. “Or at least she thinks she is.”

“She’s so young,” Andre said. “She’ll get over it.”

“In three weeks?” Jay asked. “I don’t think so. That’s when she plans to marry him.”

“Can’t you forbid her?” Andre asked.

Jay grimaced. “I’m afraid not. She’s over eighteen, and that’s not how we do things in our country.”

Andre looked very disturbed. “Then I will pray for her. I’m afraid she may be in for—how you say—a rough ride.”

Hildy turned pale, and Jay put a steadying arm around her. Zack stood by, listening but saying nothing.

“I didn’t mean to cause you any worry,” Andre said, “but it’s better to know now than to find out too late.”

* * *

The first departure signal came from the barge, and Hildy and Jay said goodbye to Andre. But Zack stayed to question him some more. “Andre, is there anything you’re not telling us?”

Andre fidgeted nervously with his brushes. “I didn’t want to say too much in front of them, but I know he would stop at nothing—” he hesitated, then whispered—“not even murder, to get what he wants.”

Zack’s eyes narrowed. “What makes you think that?” he asked.

Andre looked toward the barge. “I’ve said too much,” he muttered. He began to gather his easel and paints.

This puzzled Zack. Why is Andre leaving
so abruptly? he wondered. He didn’t want to lose Andre
till he got some answers. He felt this was crucial.
“What can we do?” he asked him. “Cammie is determined
to marry him. And he wants her to give up
her career to take care of the many duties he
says she’ll have to fulfill. It’s almost as though he
wants to isolate her from us.”

Andre looked skeptical, and continued packing his things as he answered Zack. “There are not that many duties for a Countess,” he muttered. Suddenly he stopped packing and faced Zack. “I would hate to see her involved in any of his schemes. If he were caught it would not be unlike him to blame it all on her. No, I don’t like this at all. Maybe he’s looking for a convenient scapegoat.”

The final departure whistle from La Litote interrupted Andre, and Zack knew he had to leave. He shook Andre’s hand warmly. “It’s good to see you after all these years,” he said as he hurriedly left.

He boarded La Litote, heavily burdened with worry. What was Cammie letting herself in for? He decided not to say anything, even to Jay, until he had a chance to do some research in Nuits. But he was more than worried—he felt helpless.

How he wished he could take Cammie aside and give her a good talking to, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. He had no proof of anything except for what Andre had said, which was rather vague. He hadn’t mentioned any people or places or things, so Zack still had no concrete proof of anything he told him.

I need names, places, actual events, he
thought. Francois’ love of gambling and womanizing was bad enough,
but Zack’s flesh crawled as he remembered that Andre said
Francois would stop at nothing, not even murder, to get
what he wanted. What could he have meant? What did
he know?

As Zack stood on the deck of the barge, he looked in the direction where Andre had stood, but he was gone. So was his easel, so Zack knew he wouldn’t be back.

That’s strange, he pondered. It’s only eleven o’clock in the morning, with lots more hours of light left to paint by. Why did he leave in such a hurry? Seeing Francois must have frightened him away, Zack figured. But why would Andre be afraid of Francois? Did he know him?

There were so many unanswered questions, and Zack was impatient to get to Nuits and see if he couldn’t uncover more information about Francois’ background. It was obvious that Andre had kept something from him—something very important that might have given him the proof he needed. Perhaps on the way back I’ll see him again, Zack mused, and get him to talk.

As soon as they had all unpacked, the finest French champagne was served on deck. It was a gala affair, but Zack could tell by the looks on Hildy’s and Jay’s faces that the joy of being on La Litote again was badly damaged by what Andre had told them.

“What’s the matter, Zack?” Jay’s voice interrupted Zack’s troubled thoughts as he joined him at the railing. “You look so serious,” Jay continued. “Did Andre say something else about Francois?”

Before Zack could answer, it was time for the ceremony of untying the ropes in preparation for leaving the dock.

More champagne was poured and the Captain held up his glass.

“Here’s to a wonderful time! Bon voyage!” he toasted.

Zack frowned. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could be as merry and carefree as the bubbles dancing in this champagne glass? he mused.

* * *

Jay, Hildy, Jenny, and Peter stood at the railing on the opposite side of the barge and watched as they pulled away from the dock. It was just like old times except for their concern about Cammie, who stood hand in hand with Francois as the barge started to sail down the crystal clear canal.

Hildy had a sudden urge to slap his arrogant face.

Zack was tempted to choke the truth out of him.

And Jay wondered what was going on in Zack’s mind. He was sure Andre had told him something that he hadn’t told them. He was determined to corner Zack the first chance he got.

Dinner wasn’t the happy occasion it should have been. Cammie didn’t seem to notice. She had eyes only for Francois as she stood by the rail with his arms around her.

CHAPTER X
 

The next morning Zack arose, feeling as though he had been hit by lightning. He was anxious to get to Nuits and look at some more records. If what Andre had told him about Francois was true, then Cammie was engaged to a very unscrupulous man—a man with no principles—little Cammie, whom he had known since she was born. He recalled holding her tiny body in his arms. He felt as protective toward her as he did toward Hildy.

He met the others on deck at eight o’clock. It was sunny and warm—a perfect day for eating outdoors. The birds were singing, hurdy gurdys were playing along the shore, monkeys were dancing, and one would think that no problem could possibly exist in this special ambience. He eyed the shore in desperation, but to no avail. Although there were a few artists painting on their easels, Andre was nowhere in sight. Maybe he knew just where La Litote would be this morning, Zack mused, and he was trying to avoid Francois. But why? It remained a mystery.

Zack looked over at Cammie and Francois, who were totally engrossed with each other. But all he could think of was what Andre had told him. He watched as Cammie stretched out her arms as if to embrace everything she saw. He turned away, hating to think what it would do to her if what Andre had said was true.

“This is fabulous!” she cried, her eyes shining with joy. “It’s even better than you told me. I love France!”

“Well, it’s a good thing,” Jenny grinned, “because this is where you’ll be living.”

Peter walked over to the breakfast buffet where Zack was standing and spoke to him in a low voice.

“Jenny told me that Francois insists she give up her career. Did you know about this?”

“Yes. Jay told me.”

Peter looked deeply disappointed. “I wanted her to star in my next film. Where am I going to find someone else who’s half the performer she is? I wonder how long she can stand being away from her work. She loves it so much, and she’s so talented. I only hope she knows what she’s doing.”

Zack grimaced. “I’m not at all sure she does. I’m not giving up yet.”

Hildy’s and Jay’s appetites had deserted them.