“Your fan club had a good time with you today,” Nadia said gratefully as her mother handed her the glass of white wine she had poured for her. Nadia noticed in spite of herself that it was Chassagne-Montrachet, Nicolas’s favorite.
“They’re so well behaved and very sweet. Venetia’s boys exhaust me, but I have to admit, India always makes me laugh. She’s such a funny child. She told me I should paint my office red, when she came to visit me. That way people could see my hair better when I sit in front of a red wall, and I’d look prettier.” They both smiled, and Nadia took a sip of the wine and relaxed. It was nice having her mother there to talk to. She hadn’t been as militant about Nicolas as Nadia had expected her to be. She was being surprisingly tolerant of their respective confusion, and Nadia admitted herself that the situation was a mess.
“I love it when you get to spend time with them. I wish we lived in the same city.” Nadia missed seeing her mother and sisters regularly. Venetia came to Paris several times a year to buy fabrics or see the couture shows. Athena went to Italy more frequently than she came to Paris, although she did visit Paris about once a year. Olivia never came to Europe. When she had time off, she and her family went to their house in Maine, where they all went sailing on a small sailboat they loved. Her husband didn’t like coming to Europe, and Olivia never came alone. Nadia was too busy to go to New York very often, except to shop for her clients.
“I don’t blame you for living here. If I ever retire, I might spend a year or two in Paris,” Rose said dreamily. “I’m usually on such a tight schedule when I come.” At sixty-six, there wasn’t the vaguest sign of her retiring. She was still moving at full speed, on top of her game, and the heart and soul of Mode Magazine. She was feared and revered by everyone in the fashion industry. She could make or break a designer if she wanted to, and enjoyed helping new young talents just starting out, by what she said about them.
“I always wanted to have a marriage just like you and Daddy. You were so good together and so supportive of each other. And you looked like you had fun,” Nadia said wistfully. “I thought we were well on our way to that, and then all this happened. I’d like to think we can recover from it, but I’m not sure we can. I don’t know if I can ever forgive Nicolas. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
“Some marriages recover from worse things,” Rose said gently. “I don’t know if yours will or not. Time will tell. And you’re right, your father and I did have fun. I knew he was ‘the one’ the moment we met. We were in love until the end.” She smiled, thinking of her late husband. She thought that in Nadia’s life, a lot would depend on what Nicolas did now, and if he stayed with Pascale after she had the baby or made a graceful exit as fast as he said he would. “It’s not a good situation, but people sometimes forgive some pretty awful stuff. Or not. I’m sorry you have to go through it.” Nadia acknowledged what she said with a nod.
“Me too. Seeing you makes me feel human again. Just going out to dinner with you and the girls makes a difference, and feels normal. I’m so tired of talking to Nicolas about it. It’s our only subject of conversation now. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a desert island and can’t get away from it.”
“What are you doing this summer?” her mother asked her.
“I don’t know. Everything is up in the air. We always go to the château for July and August. He says I can go without him if I want to. I suppose he’ll be with her somewhere if he’s not with us. The girls will be upset if he doesn’t come. I can always leave for a while and let him be there with the girls. I don’t want to be there with him and pretend that nothing happened. It’s all so awkward.” Rose nodded. It was more than awkward. It was hideous.
Rose had a small house in Southampton, where she spent weekends in the summer. It was a busy time for her. She sometimes came to the château for a few days if she could get away.
“I wish my sisters would come,” Nadia said thoughtfully.
“Why don’t you ask them?” Rose suggested, and Nadia liked the idea.
“I think I might.” Nadia smiled at her. They talked until after midnight and stayed away from the hot topic. Nadia slept peacefully that night. It seemed odd at her age, but she felt safe just having her mother there.
When Nadia woke up in the morning, she found her mother in the kitchen, having breakfast with the girls. She had made French toast for them, which reminded Nadia of her childhood. Her mother used to make French toast or pancakes for them on Sunday mornings.
They went for a long walk along the Seine after breakfast. Rose loved digging through the bookstalls and finding old books in French. Then they went back to the apartment. She was leaving that night to go back to New York. It had been a short visit but a good one, and had given Nadia relief and perspective. She didn’t feel so alone now. She knew her mother had to get back to work, and was grateful Rose had made the effort to come for the weekend.
Sylvie and Laure were sorry to see her leave when she said goodbye to them and promised to come back soon. She was just hugging Nadia when they heard a key in the lock, and Nicolas let himself into the apartment. He looked startled to see them standing there, as though he wanted to back out the moment he saw Rose. She stood looking at him with her piercing blue eyes, as though he were an intruder and didn’t belong there.
“Oh…I thought you’d be gone by now,” he said, which only made it worse. He had assumed she’d leave in the morning to get to New York at a decent hour. But she was taking the latest flight she could, not to lose a moment with her daughter.
“I’m taking a late flight,” she said coolly. “Were you trying to avoid me?” she asked, and he felt like a truant schoolboy facing the headmaster. He had never found her frightening, as he did now. They’d had some good times together, but he knew that was impossible under the circumstances. He was The Enemy now.
“I didn’t want to intrude on you and Nadia. She said you were leaving today. I just came by to say good night to the girls.” He had a deep tan, and it was obvious he’d been in the sun all weekend.
“Do you always let yourself in without ringing the bell now?” Rose said coolly, implying that he no longer lived there. The girls had thrown their arms around him as soon as they saw him, and Nadia looked uncomfortable at the exchange. She was afraid of what her mother would say.
“I live here,” he said quietly.
“Really?” Rose responded, as though that was a ridiculous answer. “I think that’s very generous of your wife.” A muscle tightened in his jaw, but he didn’t respond to his mother-in-law. Sylvie and Laure gave their grandmother a last hug and bounded off to their room then.
“I’ll come back later,” Nicolas said directly to his wife, not wanting to engage with her mother, and assuming he’d be welcome.