Love and Splendor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 5 (2 page)

She held her breath against the fury churning within. Finally, when she felt in control, she said, “Why do I have to have a husband? Children? Why can’t I have a career and a lovely social life of my own? Why do I have to live for other people?”

He looked at her incredulously, as though he had never really seen her
before.
“You—you don’t want marriage? A family?” He shook his head, sure he had not heard correctly. “Why—why, what kind of career is there for a woman except a family?”

Her lips parted to speak but then she shook her head and laughed softly, sadly. “Don’t you see, Perrine? I seek that answer myself.”

He gave her a look of both bewilderment and anger but turned to lead her back inside.

Together, they walked among the magnificent and ornate Second Empire architecture, the lavish decor of classical statues and sculptural groups. They passed through the Italian loggia with its roofed gallery, open and supported by great white marble columns.

They began their ascent of the grand staircase of gleaming marble steps, the balustrades carved of the finest onyx. Lining each side were the resplendent soldiers of the
Garde Républicaine
, in their fabulous full-dress uniforms of scarlet and white, gold helmets gleaming in the light of dazzling crystal chandeliers, sabers drawn.

All about were the elegant costumes of the Paris elite, and to Dani, it was a fairytale world. Entranced by the opulent surroundings, she was oblivious to Perrine’s pouting, as well as the admiring glances of those who saw her and acknowledged silently that she was easily the most beautiful woman in attendance at the sumptuous showplace.

They found their seats. Dani turned her full attention to the performance, ignoring Perrine’s now and then sideways glances of perplexity. He made no effort to hold her hand as he had done earlier. While she would have liked his friendship, she knew, sadly, that their relationship would end after this night. He wanted total possession, and the thought of such a fate filled her with cold dread and muted anger.

He took her home in silence. They reached the sidewalk that led through the ornate wrought-iron gates. Glittering lanterns of brass and glass adorned the surrounding brick wall. Ahead loomed the imposing two-story mansion, its windows smiling a warm, illuminated invitation to enter.

“Would you like to come in for a brandy?” Dani politely offered. “I’m sure my father is still up and would enjoy your company.”

He shook his head, gazed pensively toward the house for a moment, then gave her a wretched look as he said, “I do love you, Dani. Believe that. But I can’t go on like this. Seeing you. Being with you. All the while aching because I’m afraid there’s no hope. He shook his head, sighed. “I’m afraid I’m not the sort to just keep hanging on and wishing. It’s useless and frustrating…and painful,” he added with a shudder.

Dani nodded. “I understand, Perrine. I’m just not ready for marriage to you or any man. Maybe I never will be.”

He stiffened. In the mellow glow of light, anger shone in his eyes. “Then you’re trifling with me,” he accused.

His voice had risen, and in proportion, so did Dani’s ire. How dare he make such an insinuation? Good Lord, did all men think merely because a woman accepted an invitation that they were a candidate for the position of wife?

“I resent your implications,” she said sharply. “I asked for nothing more from you than your friendship. If you consider that ‘trifling’, then you’re sadly mistaken.”

She lifted her skirts and turned to swish angrily through the open gates.

At once, Perrine contritely called, “Dani, wait…I didn’t mean it. I just love you so, and…”

His voice faded amid the furious roaring in her ears as she hurried on up the sidewalk, up the stairs, and past the waiting doorman, a bewildered expression on his face.

She entered the circular foyer, with its marble floor, the walls papered in pale green satin with designs of ivy in a darker shade of velvet.

Standing patiently, she allowed Cletus, the butler, to take her white fur wrap, then she moved toward the burgundy carpeted stairs that curved upward to the second-floor landing. To either side stood a pair of carved wood and gilded pedestals, supporting a pair of bronze and ormolu candelabra.

When she reached the landing, she turned toward the left, to her quarters, but suddenly Kitty cheerily called out to her from the direction of the other wing.

“Dani, good evening. Didn’t you invite Perrine in for a nightcap?”

Dani felt a rush of need and turned to look at Kitty, peering from a doorway, wrapped in an emerald dressing gown that complemented her lovely eyes. Her hair, the shade of a brilliant summer sunset, tumbled softly about her shoulders.

Dani’s eyes were imploring as she miserably whispered, “May I come in and talk to you, if it won’t disturb Poppa?”

At once aware something was wrong, Kitty beckoned to her. “He’s at the embassy, getting ready to leave for Panama tomorrow. Come in and have a glass of wine.”

As always, Dani was impressed by the beauty of Kitty’s parlor. Since moving to Paris, Kitty had become passionately involved in the study of interior design, as well as art, and as a result, the Coltrane mansion was a showplace of taste and culture. An invitation to visit and view was a prize coveted by the social and government aristocrats of Paris.

Dani was especially fond of the magnificent and imposing Chippendale mahogany secretary bookcase that stood just inside the door, with a beautifully carved swan-neck pediment and its unusual ogee bracket feet. Kitty had said it dated from 1775.

Beside it sat a George I period chair in walnut on elegant cabriole supports, which were decorated with shell-carved knees that terminated in ball-and-claw feet.

To the side of the secretary, on the wall covered in yellow watered silk, hung a fabulous pair of carved wood and gilded two-branch girandoles, decorated with birds, torches, and wheat sheafs, and hung with crystal drops.

Kitty had crossed the room to where she kept her evening bottle of wine on a Chinese altar table with two secret compartments. It was one of her favorite pieces, and she watched, smiling with pleasure, as Dani admired her other pieces…fruits of long hours of laborious searching in out-of-the-way French antique shops.

She poured them each a glass of rosé, then served Dani before gesturing to her newest addition to the room. “A treasure,” she explained proudly as they stood before the painting of a young man and woman embracing as they sat together in a wooden swing, suspended by ropes from an overhanging branch. “I was at a tea last week given in honor of the new German ambassador, and it was such a lovely afternoon, I decided to walk home. Along the way, I discovered a tiny little shop on the Rue Jussieu, and the owner was not learned enough to know the works of Pierre-Auguste Cot. He died in 1883, and his paintings are becoming more valuable each year.”

Dani was appropriately impressed. Thanks to Kitty’s influence, she had herself been studying art for the past year, and she could well appreciate the works of Cot.

Kitty motioned her to join her on the Hepplewhite sofa.

Dani nodded in acknowledgment of the 1786 piece. Kitty had discovered this treasure, covered in blue velvet, with graceful curves and light, slender woodwork, along the Rue Bonaparte. “You are a wonder,” she said. “I’m afraid I’ve much to learn.”

“You grew up surrounded by art treasures,” Kitty was quick to remind her. “I’ve heard that once upon a time the deBonnett family possessed one of the most valuable collections of art in France.”

Dani laughed ruefully. “‘Once upon a time’ is right. I recall when we first went to live at the château, the halls were lined with paintings, but as the Count’s fortune diminished due to his compulsion for gambling, so did the enviable collection of art. By the time he was killed in that duel, the halls were bare.”

Kitty sighed. “Such a waste. But come, enjoy our wine, and I’ll tell you all about your father’s trip.” She went on to explain how Ferdinand de Lesseps, the noted French engineer who had built the Suez Canal, had organized a joint-stock company to cut a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, but the venture had turned out to be costly and difficult. Two years ago, the company had collapsed, and large numbers of shareholders had been stripped of their savings. Consequently, demands were being made for a parliamentary investigation, and Travis had been asked by his government to go to Panama and view the situation in preparation for the hearings because the interests of many American investors were also involved.

Dani listened, but halfheartedly, for she was still quite peeved over Perrine’s remarks.

Finally, Kitty dared to probe. “Something is wrong, Dani. Do you want to talk about it?”’

Dani felt a warm rush of gratitude and poured out all that had happened and her feelings about it.

Kitty listened quietly, patiently, nodding now and then until Dani had finished. Then she said, in what she hoped was not too stem a voice, “I know you want to be in control of your own life, dear, but are you sure you aren’t confusing the struggle for independence with obstinacy?”

Dani blinked, not understanding. “Obstinacy? Why on Earth would you think that?”

“I know it has to be very difficult to learn to make your own decisions when your every thought was manipulated by your Aunt Alaina, but just because you’re now determined to think for yourself, don’t close your heart to love.”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, Kitty.” Kitty sighed, stood, and began to pace about. Dear Lord, she was not this girl’s mother, had not raised her, had only come to know her, actually, this past year. She realized there was a thin line between advice and interference, yet Kitty had never been one to mince words when she felt strongly about something, so she decided to plunge ahead. “Don’t turn your back on the possibility you might truly love Perrine, Dani,” she said. “You may be so determined to be independent that you might be willing to deny that love.”

A furious shake of her head sent chestnut curls flying about her face. “I don’t love Perrine, Kitty,” Dani said firmly, fiercely.

It was Kitty’s turn to be baffled. “But you seem so upset—”

“Yes,” Dani was quick to admit, “upset and angry because he dared to insinuate I was trifling with him. Since when is a woman obligated to marry a man merely because she accepts his company socially? Since when does it mean I’m looking for a husband because I enjoy going out with men?”

Suddenly, Kitty burst into uncontrollable laughter, sinking down on the sofa once again and covering her face with her hands as her body continued to convulse with amusement.

Just as Dani, somewhat miffed by Kitty’s behavior, was about to demand an explanation, Kitty reached out and clasped both her hands tightly. “Oh, Dani, you’re the echo of my own indignance when I was your age. I didn’t mean to laugh, but it just brought back so many memories.

“You aren’t wrong to feel as you do,” she went on. “You don’t owe a man anything except honesty, and not even that if you’re disposed to answer only to yourself. You certainly owe Perrine nothing. Not even an explanation as to your feelings.”

Dani was filled with gratitude but felt the need to confide further. “I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty because I did hurt him, and—”

“No!” Kitty cried sharply. “You are never responsible for what another person feels, only what
you
feel. Remember that you are never accountable for another person’s reactions to your feelings and beliefs.”

She paused to give her a hug. “I love you so much, Dani. You’re the daughter I never had but always wanted, and I want you to be happy.”

Dani grinned from her heart. “I know, and I’m so grateful for a friend like you.”

They shared a second glass of wine, and Kitty once more renewed her urging that Dani travel. “Spend some of your money, see the world, experience all life has to offer.”

Dani assured her she had thought about it but then declared, “The truth is, I don’t want to behave like a giddy-headed debutante, or rich society girl, flitting all over the world with no purpose except having fun. I want a goal. A challenge. A career. I want independence…a life of my own without having to depend on anyone else.”

Eyes glowing with the warmth inside, sired by the wine and the love she felt for her stepdaughter, Kitty leaned to embrace her once more as she whispered huskily, “Then do it, Dani, darling. If that’s your dream, then go out and find it.”

Chapter Two

Dani was awakened just before seven by Lurline, her personal maid.

Sunlight rushed into the room as Lurline opened the white brocade drapes.
“Bonjour, mademoiselle.
Your father would like you to join him on the terrace for breakfast.”

Dani stretched, yawned, smiled with delight. “Wonderful. I was hoping to see him before he had to leave.”

“Shall I draw your bath?” Lurline offered.

“Please.” Dani sat up, stretched once again. She loved the large bed, loved everything about this room. While Kitty had urged her to make the final choices of decor, she had certainly guided her all the way, and the results were, she felt, quite lovely.

The canopy gracefully draping above the bed was of the finest handmade Belgian lace. Nearby was a superb Louis XV
bombé
commode in kingwood, with gilded bronze mounts of the highest quality. Each morning, in season, a bouquet of fresh flowers from Kitty’s pampered gardens was placed on it.