Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

wealth’s stratosphere: crawfish bisque followed by pan-seared scallops and grouper with champagne sauce , with an appropriate wine accompanying each course.
    Dinner guests paired off. Compton, his fascination with the famous well documented, monopolized Diana while Selene appli ed her abundant charms to Lucier. One would have to be blind and deaf not to see and hear her compliment his heroic exploits in the capture of a killer , and a man would have to have one foot in the grave not to react to her fawning over his every witticism . Lucier responded like the very living, breathing, virile man he was.
    Damn him .
    Diana finished her wine, and the attending waiter refilled her glass. Her face flush ed with annoyance . Why , Lucier barely looked at her all evening, but then Silas Compton never relinquished her for a second. The Comptons were carrying out a planned divide-and-conquer strategy. Slater spoke in hushed tones to Sophia Reyes, his eyes shifting toward Selene and Lucier, then in Diana’s direction. Their gazes met, and she interpreted his apparent amusement at Diana’s forced restraint. She c over ed her wineglass when the server offered a refill .
    After dessert, the party retired to the main living room. A t the other end of the room , Lucier fell into deep conversation with the queen witch, as Diana silently began referring to Selene. Diana latched on to Compton ’s arm , and a slight wave of dizziness hit her . T hen poof! It was gone. What was it about his touch that rendered her lightheaded?
    “Come,” he said. “I want to show you my art collection. Oh, don’t worry about your man. Selene will take good care of him.”
    That’s what I’m afraid of. She shook off her uneasiness and joined Compton , arms l inked.
    “I couldn’t help overhearing, Silas,” Slater said. “You’ve promised to show me your art collection, and so far I haven’t seen it. Mind if I tag along?”
    A flash of irritation sparked Compton’s eyes, but being the good h ost, said, “Of course not, Edward.”
    Slater offered an almost imperceptible nod in Diana’s direction. She breathed a sigh of relief , glad he’d forced his way into their company.
    Compton led the way through his house, pointing out the museum-worthy collection of two Picassos and one each Mir ó , Kandinsky, Cezanne and Van Gogh. A few paintings by artists with names Diana didn’t recognize covered the walls throughout. A small Degas pastel of a horse race caught her eye.
    “Degas is one of my favorites,” she said.
    Compton moved closer to Diana . “I bet you’ll like the next one then .”
    He led her to a framed pastel sketch of ballerinas hanging above a small settee in a sitting room off the main hall. From the feminine décor, Diana assumed the room was Selene’s private domain.
    “Yes, it’s beautiful.” Diana examined the loose sketchy quality of Degas’ later works, as his eyes failed. She’d viewed collections in museums around the world where she performed, but seeing this private collection provided an extra thrill.
    “Degas is one of my favorites too,” Slater said. “Though I prefer his horse scenes.”
    “A difficult choice,” Compton said. He concentrated his tour on the first floor, by-passing the stairways to the upper and lower levels and making no excuses for doing so.
    “Are there more treasures in the rest of the house?” she asked.
    “ A few less valuable pieces . The crown jewels are on the main floor. Only people who interest me are invited to my home, Diana, and I’m quite selective when extending invitations. Maybe I’ll include a codicil in my will to show the collection as an exhibit, but I’m not quite ready to die, so I choose not to project such negative vibes.”
    “It’s a beautiful collection,” Diana said.
    “I’m blessed to be able to afford it. As you may know, I acquired my wealth the old-fashioned way: I worked my ass off.”
    Diana smiled at the comment that brought to mind an old TV commercial. “I ’m honored you’re allowing me to see them. After all, we’ve just met.”
    “ Y ou ’re special,” he said.
    Compton ’s touch on Diana’s arm gave her the willies, almost as if he were trying to hypnotize her. She moved closer to the pastel, freeing herself from his hold.
    “ I came from a poor family in a restrictive Catholic environment, ” he continued, “ but I questioned the dogma when I became more exposed to the outside world. I’m always seeking answers to