Casanova and the Faceless Woman by Olivier Barde-Cabuçon

Author:Olivier Barde-Cabuçon [Olivier Barde-Cabuçon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782274636
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Published: 2019-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

‘And so you are in charge of this extremely delicate inquiry into the death of a poor young girl with no face,’ she observed.

‘Alas, I have no clues to follow. Nothing at all, for the moment, I am sorry to say.’

‘Really nothing?’

‘Nothing.’

She was getting nowhere with this stern-faced policeman.

There it is, she thought. One upright, honest man in all Paris and here he stands, before me, when what I need is a sinuous type with a spine like a snake. But integrity may go hand-in-hand with loyalty. He may not be such a bad choice after all. My adversaries stand little chance with him, and if he tips in my favour, there will be nothing more to say.

With that in mind, her tone shifted to a more direct threat.

‘Your role in the police force is quite unprecedented, and it hangs by a single thread: the goodwill of His Majesty the king. Monsieur de Sartine is unhappy at having a new inspector thrust upon him, for strange and unexplained deaths. He holds it against you, as you are no doubt aware?’

She leant closer, and Volnay was overwhelmed by her perfume, as if she had chosen to share the sumptuous bouquet of white flowers, with soft, velvety base notes, with him alone. Her tone was confidential now. That of a person of power, sparing a moment of her precious time to enlighten a subordinate whom she has judged trustworthy.

‘Monsieur de Sartine is plotting to be appointed lieutenant general of police for the whole of France.’

Her gaze lingered over his face, and she added, with a hint of regret:

‘Alas, if he succeeds, it will mark the end of your very particular status.’

She fixed him with a kindly expression, and Volnay knew what she was about to say.

‘That said, everything in this kingdom depends on His Majesty’s goodwill. A word at the right moment is all that’s required… but do any of your friends have the king’s ear?’

Volnay understood very well what she was after. He shook his head regretfully. The marquise’s expression was radiant.

‘What an idiot you are! Why would you not befriend me?’

She spoke now like a powerful minister to a valued but somewhat obstinate servant. Volnay struggled to contain himself as he replied:

‘That would indeed be my dearest wish, Madame!’

Something in her attitude suggested that she had relaxed, very slightly.

‘Well then, Chevalier, enough of this hide-and-seek. Who is the young woman whose face was torn off?’

The victim’s identity remained a relative secret, but Volnay judged that it was known to too many already for the name not to have reached the ear of the most powerful person in France after the king himself. This, then, was a test of his loyalty.

‘She was Mademoiselle Hervé, one of the king’s wigmakers.’

The marquise did not so much as blink, but she rewarded Volnay with the smile of a schoolmaster at the sight of an unruly pupil stepping back into line, at last.

‘What did you find on her body?’

He will lie to me, she thought, but I know now that he has it in his possession!

Volnay was not expecting so direct an opening.

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