The Eleventh Year by Monique Raphel High Page B

von Ridenour!”
    â€œYes, isn’t it? Mama broke quite a few hearts in her day, it would appear.”
    â€œIt would appear.” Bertrand de la Paume sat down familiarly and patted the other side of the sofa for the young man to join him. Deftly he extracted a gilt-tipped cigarette from a leather case, inserted it into an ebony holder, and lit it. Then he passed the étui to Paul, who took one for himself. The chevalier lit it for him with a natural ease. Paul was conscious of being covertly examined, but, oddly, he did not mind the scrutiny. The man intrigued him too.
    â€œI have also heard of you from your mother. Our lovely Charlotte thinks that you are gifted in the arts. I wonder…”
    â€œI can’t draw worth a sou,” Paul stated honestly, motioning toward the book of famous sketches that the other had been looking at when he had interrupted him.
    â€œThat isn’t what Charlotte meant. You see, I’m an art dealer. I go to the provinces and purchase paintings that are on sale there, and I resell them to collectors. But for years now I’ve been feeling the strain of all this coming and going. Tell me—how would it strike you to go to work for me?”
    Totally taken by surprise, Paul felt his body go rigid, taut. “But again, I am not an expert. I couldn’t tell you what to sell a Matisse for, or a Bonnard. I’d have no idea whatsoever!”
    De la Paume shook his head. “No, no. I’m the expert, remember? What I need is a young runner—somebody with impeccable taste, who’d do the traveling for me. You would bring home the paintings, and I would judge their worth and sell them at the proper value.”
    â€œStill—I might come back with something of no value at all!”
    Narrowing his brown eyes, the chevalier slowly shook his head. “I very much doubt that,” he concluded.
    Paul suddenly felt excited. No one had ever thought him worthy of anything—and now this stranger was offering him a job.
    Looking up, he found the other still smiling at him. There was a touch of irony in his expression. “Come now,” the chevalier said. “Put on a topcoat and let’s go. We’ll go out to dinner, the two of us. Then I shall take you to meet Martine, my lady of the moment. You’ll enjoy her company.”
    â€œWouldn’t you rather—be alone with her?” stammered Paul.
    â€œHeavens, no! Martine is an interesting specimen. In her day she gave pleasure to all the golden youth, to all the men of Parisian society. She made her rounds, fairly and equitably. Now she’s being frightfully faithful, and it’s starting to annoy me. Please—come with me. You need to meet one of the genuine charmers of the Belle Epoque!”
    Paul breathed deeply and looked away. “But I already know one,” he declared. “My mother—remember?”
    There was a small silence in the Chinese sitting room. Then, casually, Bertrand de la Paume acquiesced with a nod of the head. Paul rose, his legs weak. All of this had been too much. But he would follow. He would let Bertrand, Chevalier de la Paume, form his education.

Chapter 3
    E lena wasn’t at all surprised at what Fania had to propose. Her only question had been when the sisters were going to come round to asking her. They were once again eating, this time a fine luncheon in the hotel dining room, when the older Adler sister said:
    â€œWe’ll miss you, Princess. It’s been a joy to have these conversations. You’re younger than we are, but Genia and I haven’t had many friends of our own. Mama died when we were children, and when Papa passed away this year, he left us without human ties. Our father was very possessive. We had our governess, and later on a paid companion—another Jewish girl, of the same background as ours. Whereas you are somehow different.”
    â€œThe prince was one of the tsar’s own