Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie

Author:Allan Massie [Massie, Allan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Quartet Books
Published: 2012-09-15T23:00:00+00:00

XXII

June 4–19, 1940

‘If the English are running away,’ Alain said.

‘Sailing away, you mean, ass,’ said his sister.

Alain waved the interruption aside.

‘No, but I’m serious,’ he said. ‘Can we continue to fight the war? Without Allies? Can we, papa?’

They were at table, the wireless turned off as soon as Marguerite came through from the kitchen with a dish of pipérade and Bayonne ham. It had become an unwritten rule of the house: that she should not be subjected to news bulletins. But the subject was inescapable; how to find anything else to talk about?

Lannes said, ‘We’ve no means of knowing. It seems that we’re still holding the line between the Somme and the Aisne. But really we know nothing certainly.’

He felt inadequate. A father should, even in the worst of times, find a means of encouraging his children.

The day after his conversation with Marthe he had called on Miriam in the tabac. But it was closed. A notice on the door gave the explanation: on account of a bereavement, the death of the respected proprietor, M Saul Boniche.

Impossible to intrude with his questions on a house of mourning.

Instead he went to the Banque des Pyrenées, cours de l’Inten-dance, where the boy Léon was employed. Reluctant to make his presence known in the bank, he waited at a café from which he could watch its door and intercept the boy when he left. Was it, he wondered, at this same café that poor Gaston had lurked eager to make his pick-up? Léon at last emerged. Lannes followed him as if casually, waited till he had turned into the little rue de la Vieille Tour before calling out his name.

‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘It’s merely that I would like you to give your aunt Miriam a message. I’m sorry to learn of your grandfather’s death.’

‘Is that the message. You don’t need me for that surely? Besides it may be for the best.’

‘No death is for the best,’ Lannes said, ‘though it may often seem so. But, apart from asking you to offer her my sympathy and condolences, I need to ask her some questions, and this isn’t a suitable time. So will you please ask her to get in touch with me as soon as she feels able to do so. That’s all. It won’t embarrass you to be the bearer of a message from me, will it?’

Léon smiled: ‘If it does, then I’ve brought it on myself, haven’t I?’

That was two days ago, and she hadn’t yet responded.

In the evening Alain and Clothilde went out to meet Maurice and go to the cinema. The previous year Marguerite would have said, ‘It’s such a lovely evening, how can you go and waste it sitting in the dark?’ Now she summoned up a smile, told them to enjoy themselves, but not to be late home.

Lannes stretched out on the sofa and tried to read. Impossible: he couldn’t concentrate. The words flickered before his eyes.

He said, ‘Come, let’s go for a walk and perhaps eat an ice somewhere.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.