A Sudden Change of Heart

‘Then do let us sit down,’ the countess replied, smiling graciously and leading them across the room to a grouping of comfortable chairs near the fireplace.

Almost at once, Hercule began speaking to her about the château near Loches in the Loire Valley, where she was having some repair work done to the roof. This gave Laura a chance to look around.

Her eyes scanned the room quickly, took in the eau-de-nil walls, the pale green silk upholstery on the chairs and sofas, and the matching taffeta draperies. The pale green walls made a soft and beguiling backdrop for the paintings in the room, which included a Bonnard, a Degas and a Cézanne. And of course the Renoir, which was hanging above a bombé-fronted chest set against a small side wall.

Laura was itching to get up, to go and look at it, but her natural good manners forbade this.

It was Hercule who suddenly rose and said, ‘Ah, the Renoir, Jacqueline, I must look at it again, if I may.’

‘But of course, Hercule,’ she answered. ‘Please do, and you also Mademoiselle Valiant. Please, go and see it.’

‘Come, Laura,’ he said, turning to her. ‘I know you are anxious to look at all of the countess’s works of art.’

‘Yes, I am,’ she admitted.

They walked over to the Renoir and stood gazing at it, both of them entranced by its beauty and grace.

Hercule said, ‘I have seen this many times over the years, Laura, and I must admit I never tire of it. But then Renoir was the great master, as we both know.’

‘And this is just gorgeous,’ Laura murmured, sounding slightly awed. Nonetheless, she could not help wondering if her Canadian client would find the painting too small. In her dealings with him in the past, he had usually favoured larger canvases. On the other hand, the painting was a little jewel; the skin tone of the model glowed like luminescent pearl under the picture light, and the woman truly came alive, as did the landscape and the pool near the rock she was seated on. Laura hoped that her client would buy it.

After another moment or two lingering in front of the Renoir, Hercule took hold of Laura’s arm and drew her across the room, first to look at the Degas, then the Bonnard and finally the Cézanne. All three paintings were, like the Renoir, total perfection, prime examples of the artists’ work. Laura couldn’t help wondering if any of these were for sale, especially the large Cézanne.

Eventually they went and joined the countess in front of the fire, and Laura turned to her and said, ‘The Renoir is exquisite, and so are your other paintings, Countess. It is quite an experience to be in a room which contains four such masterpieces. A room in a private home, I mean.’

‘Merci, Mademoiselle Valiant. You are very kind, and I must say, they are all paintings which make me feel happy when I look at them. But then I have never liked anything that makes me sad or depressed. I have the need to be uplifted by art.’

‘Absolutely!’ Hercule exclaimed. ‘I agree with you, Jacqueline. Now, I would like to take Laura to the dining room, to show her the Gauguins. He is one of her favourite painters. Is he not, Laura?’

She nodded.

Jacqueline stood up. ‘I shall accompany you,’ and so saying she glided across the Aubusson rug and led them down the gallery to the dining room at the far end.

Its walls had been sponge-glazed in a cloudy, dusty-pink colour, and this shade also made a wonderfully soft background for the paintings. In this instance they were breathtaking primitives by Paul Gauguin, three altogether, each one hanging alone. There was one on the long central wall, and the others had been placed on two end walls. The fourth wall in the room was intersected by windows which filled it with natural northern light, perfect for these particular works of art.

All three paintings were of dark-skinned Tahitian women, either by the sea or in it, or sitting in the natural exotic landscape of the Polynesian islands. The dark skin tones were highlighted by the vivid pareos the women wore around their loins, the colourful vegetation and the unusual pinkish-coral colour Gauguin had so frequently used to depict the earth and the sandy beaches of Tahiti. The dusty-pink walls of the dining room echoed this warm coral, and helped to throw the dark-skinned beauties into relief.

Laura was mesmerized. She had never seen Gauguins like these outside a museum, and they were impressive. All three paintings were large, dominant, just the type of art her other important client Mark Tabbart would give his right arm for, as he so frequently proclaimed to her. ‘They are magnificent,’ she exclaimed, glancing at the countess, and before she could stop herself, she rushed on, ‘I would buy any one of these, or all of them, if you would consider selling.’

‘They are the most fabulous Gauguins,’ Jacqueline murmured. ‘Gauguin painted all three in the same year, 1892, and what extraordinary examples of his work they are. I could never sell them, I love them far too much. But even if I had the desire or the need to auction them to the highest bidder, I am afraid, Mademoiselle Valiant, that I could not. The paintings belonged to my husband, and he left them to our son Arnaud and his wife Natalie. I have them to enjoy for my lifetime, but I do not own them.’

‘I envy you living with them,’ Laura said. ‘They are so beautiful they are…blinding.’

‘Perhaps we should talk about the Renoir,’ Hercule interjected. ‘As you know, Jacqueline, Laura has a client who may well be interested in it, and, of course, there is Claire Benson, who wishes to photograph it on Monday.’

Jacqueline said, ‘Let us go back to the salon vert, where we can sit and discuss everything in comfort.’

Later that afternoon when Hercule dropped Laura off at the hotel, she thanked him profusely, then said, ‘I will phone my client in Toronto, and hopefully I will be able to give the countess an answer by Monday, perhaps even sooner.’

Hercule nodded. ‘That will be perfectly all right, Laura.’ After helping her out of the Mercedes and walking her to the door of the hotel, he said, ‘I shall come in with you for a moment, if I may. I want to talk to you about two things: about paintings. And about Claire.’

Taken aback, Laura stared at him. ‘What about Claire? Is there something wrong? You sound odd.’

‘I think perhaps I sound worried, Laura, but let us not stand here. Please, let us have a cup of tea, or something else if you wish.’

‘Yes,’ she said swiftly, ‘yes, of course, Hercule,’ and she was unable to keep the sudden concern out of her voice as she spoke. ‘I don’t think I want tea. I’d prefer a drink. Can we go to the bar, please, Hercule?’

‘Mais oui, let us do that,’ Hercule replied, and they walked on quietly without saying another word, and went downstairs to the bar. It was only when they were finally settled at one of the small tables in the dimly-lit, rather clubby-looking Bar Anglais that Laura spoke.

‘Why are you worried about Claire? Please tell me, Hercule.’

‘I will, in due course. First, let us order. What would you like?’

‘A glass of white wine, please.’

Hercule beckoned to the waiter, ordered for Laura, and asked for a Scotch and soda for himself. Then he sat back in the black leather chair and said, ‘I’ll get to Claire in a moment. First, I want to talk to you about paintings.’ He paused and added, ‘Something serious about paintings.’

Looking at him alertly, she nodded. ‘Please tell me, Hercule.’

‘It is about Gauguin’s paintings. It is very important that you let me know whenever one comes onto the market in the States. Providing you know this, of course, and if you are interested in it for a client. I am asking you to do this for your own protection.’

‘Of course I’ll tell you. What’s this all about?’

‘There are several Gauguin paintings that are, well…questionable. I know your great interest in him as an artist, and how much you love his work, and I do not want you to make any mistakes. I do not want you to make a commitment without talking to me.’

‘You mean there are some fakes around?’

‘I am going to tell you a story about a Gauguin, and you will find it interesting, I believe.’ He paused, stared at her intently. ‘Laura, this is confidential. What I am about to tell you is for your ears only, it must remain between us. At least for the moment.’

‘I would never discuss it with anyone,’ she reassured him. Her eyes were eager, the expression on her face expectant.

‘Many years ago, there was a collector,’ he began. And slowly, carefully, he recounted a story to her.

She was rapt, hung onto his every word.

When he had finished, he said, ‘Now to Claire. I don’t think that she is well. In fact, I would go so far as to say that she is ill.’

Laura gaped at him, then said, ‘She told me you’d given her a lecture about her weight.’

He nodded. ‘She has lost much weight. She says she has been on a regime. However, it is not so much the weight loss that troubles me. It is…the look of her, Laura.’

Frowning, shaking her head, Laura murmured, ‘I don’t understand what you mean.’

‘Yesterday, at the studio, there was a moment when she was talking to me from the set, and she had…’ He stopped, looked off into space, as if trying to remember something, and then he said, ‘She looked very peaked, no, that is not it. What is the word I am looking for…she looked pinched…drawn…as if the skin of her face were stretched very tightly over her bones.’ He took a deep breath, and added, very quietly, ‘Her face was like a death mask; it frightened me, Laura.’

‘Hercule! That’s awful! An awful thing to say,’ she exclaimed, and shuddered.

The waiter brought their drinks, and they were silent until he disappeared behind the bar again. Then Hercule continued, ‘I have the most terrible apprehension for her. I cannot explain it. You see, I love her –’ He cut himself off, and stared at Laura, suddenly at a loss.