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Paris: The Novel

Paris: The Novel

Titel: Paris: The Novel Kostenlos Bücher Online Lesen
Autoren: Edward Rutherfurd
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history of the place, it was always the image of Napoléon, bidding farewell to his guards in the courtyard, before he left for exile, that came into his imagination each time he approached it.
    “Tell me,” he suddenly said as they reached the gates, “did your father give you any warnings before you came to France?”
    “He gave me all sorts of advice. Things to do, things not to do.”
    “What did he tell you to do when you met respectable young Frenchwomen?”
    Frank looked a little taken aback.
    “Well,” he answered cautiously, “he told me to be careful to treat them with the same respect I would an American girl from a family like ours. We’re pretty conservative, you know. But he said the French were even more so.”
    “A girl like Claire, for instance.”
    “Yes. Well, she’s quite English, but it’s the same.”
    “You wouldn’t want to make an enemy of her family.”
    “No, I wouldn’t. You don’t think I’ve behaved improperly toward her, do you?”
    “Not at all. I shouldn’t have let you wander off into the night with her, but I’m sure no harm was done.”
    “Absolutely none. I promise you.”
    “I believe you. You realize she’s in love with you?”
    Frank looked astonished.
    “Claire?”
    “She watches you when you’re not looking. You fascinate her.”
    “Oh.”
    “You like her?”
    “Very much.”
    “But you are being careful.”
    “Very.”
    “Whereas my sister’s different.”
    “I’m not sure what you mean.” Frank looked awkward.
    “You couldn’t shock me if you tried, my friend. Most young men think it would be fascinating to have an affair with an older woman, and my sister’s very attractive. She’s widowed. She can look after herself. No difficulties with her family, no complications. I think she quite likes you. You remind her of your father, obviously. You’re very young, of course. She wouldn’t want to make a fool of herself. But … who knows?”
    Frank said nothing.
    “But if by any chance you decide that you wanted to court Claire—in a respectable way, of course—then you cannot sleep with her mother. It would be a very bad idea, and I will not allow it. Do you understand?”
    “Yes.” Frank looked a bit shaken. “I hadn’t been thinking of … courting. I mean, I had no idea she was interested.”
    “And you were afraid to flirt with her. Which left her mother.”
    “I wouldn’t put it like that. Her mother is remarkable …”
    “I didn’t say you shouldn’t have fallen in love with an older woman. It’s quite usual, you know.” Marc nodded to himself. “France is a sensuous place, especially in summer. The warmth of the Mediterranean travels north, where it is diffused and softened. It’s all in the music of Debussy, I should say.”
    “I think I understand.”
    “Well,” Marc ended cheerfully, “choose one woman or the other, but not both. Let’s get back for lunch.”

    It was the end of the first week of September that Luc asked Louise if she’d like another client. She had three so far. One man she saw once a week, the others every two weeks. All three were middle-aged, respectable and rich. The first, the diplomat, lived in a handsome apartment in the broad avenue that led down from the Arc de Triomphe to the Bois de Boulogne. The second lived in the somewhat austere, fashionable quarter between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. The third in an elegant apartment on the rue de Rivoli that interspersed modern, chic comfort with pieces that might have come from Versailles.
    By spending two or three nights a week with interesting men in impressive surroundings, she now had all the spending money she needed, and was saving more than a thousand francs a week. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was more than she could have made in any full-time employment. And Luc, who was getting the same, must be saving even more from her activities.
    She understood now why girls became whores. If you could get the right clientele, the money was good, very good, and it was nice to have it.
    “If you add this man, who’s a charming fellow,” Luc pointed out, “you’ll almost double your savings.”
    “Where do you find them?” she asked him, not for the first time.
    “I’ve built up so many contacts over the years,” he answered with a shrug. “And you’re a great success. You have class, which is hard to find. People are talking about you.”
    “One more is all I want, Luc.”
    “Understood. The arrangement will

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