Violins of Autumn (Lisette de Valmy) by Amy McAuley

Author:Amy McAuley [McAuley, Amy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Published: 2012-06-19T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

Piano music and cigarette smoke invite me inside the Commodore, where gorgeous women hang on the every word of officers attired in smart white dinner jackets, caps, and gloves. The distinguished atmosphere explains why Ludwig and his three friends greeted us in their finest uniforms.

Denise, smoking already and we haven’t even found a table, taps me on the shoulder. I turn face-first into a swirling current of smoke.

“Your eyes are giving you away—you’re thankful to be wearing lipstick, aren’t you?” she says in her mile-a-minute French. “Can you imagine if we had left your hair down? Whatever would you do without me? Frump around like a man, that’s what.”

I crack a nervous smile. “You couldn’t pay me to doll myself up like these women.”

“Too late, my dolled-up friend.”

Ludwig watches us with bewildered amusement. Why, the evening promises to be a downright gabfest, what with everyone unable to understand one another. I, for one, can scarcely contain my excitement.

“Remember, we’re here for the free champagne,” I say to Denise, out of the corner of my mouth. “After a few drinks, we’re leaving.”

The last train of the day departs at eleven o’clock. Taking travel time into account, we need to leave the bar at ten thirty. And, really, how much mischief could Denise and I possibly get into in only an hour and a half?

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.