Paris by William Roberts

Author:William Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parthian Books
Published: 2018-09-03T19:30:28+00:00

13.

Alyosha was lying on his bed when he heard the front door open and voices cross the hall. He sat up to listen, then went to the top of the stairs, but there was nothing more to be heard. As he padded downstairs, he noticed the thick protruding vein on his left foot, like a snail under his skin. That was the price for tramping the streets of Paris.

He went over to the parlour door and opened it, then froze, as the couple quickly drew away from each other. His cousin blushed deeply, and half turned her shoulder, her pregnant stomach very obvious. The young man jumped to his feet, but then just stood there awkwardly, and Alyosha felt that he should say something, but no words came. Larissa started fussing with the sofa cushions, and eventually said, ‘I thought you were thinking of going out for the afternoon.’

‘I had thought of going for a walk,’ Alyosha answered, ‘but I went to rest instead.’

Nobody knew quite what to say next. In the end, Alyosha managed to say, ‘You’ve no need to worry… I won’t say anything.’

‘Not even to Margarita?’ asked Larissa, a little too hurriedly.

‘Not even to her…’

‘Thank you. Alyosha, this is Simon – Simon, Alyosha, my cousin…’

‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ said her lover, shaking his hand.

It was the maid’s half-day, so Larissa made the three of them tea in the kitchen, as they tried to keep up the rather stilted conversation. Alyosha learned that Simon Schlünz was a junior doctor at the Charité Hospital, and had recently saved Larissa from being attacked – or worse.

‘No, I’m not a Berliner, I come from a place called Schwalmstadt in Hessen… There’s a castle’

‘And a Spring Fair,’ prompted Larissa.

‘Yes, quite a famous one. Sells all sorts of things…’

Alyosha watched his cousin hanging on his every word.

‘…pots and pans, crockery, fruit and nuts and foods of every description…’

There was admiration and love in her expression. After her initial embarrassment, she seemed pleased to be able to share him with someone else.

‘What about you?’ asked Simon presently. ‘You were badly beaten, Larissa tells me?’

‘These things happen.’

They smiled at each other, and then Larissa put her hand to her stomach as she felt the baby kick.

Bruno’s baby, or Simon’s? Alyosha wondered.

He felt he was trespassing on their time together, so he told them he would take that walk after all.

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