Berenger and Emma had eventually become good friends. The feelings they shared, although contained, had not gone away. He had become her protector, her advisor, the keeper of her secret, her best friend. He loved her and he believed she loved him too, and that was enough for him. He had come to accept that these roles were of more importance than that of lovers. He would sacrifice that relationship for the intimacy of this one. No one else would ever have this place in her life. It was his and his alone. Sauniere had pleaded with her, although it broke his heart, that their careers were too important to jeopardize, especially the opportunity that lay in front her. She had a gift that needed to be shared with the world and he could not interfere with that. They had come to an agreement that hot August afternoon, but only after they made love one last time. It would surely ruin them both if they did not come to terms with their feelings. She had tried in earnest to persuade him to leave with her, and although that is all he wanted to do, he had to stay. He would stay near Quillan to watch over their reason for living.
It wasn’t always easy being Emma Calvé thought Berenger as he sipped his glass of wine and waited for her to join him in the Tour Magdala. Emma and Berenger were going to spend the afternoon together picnicking a few miles from the church. They would be alone and although this held its challenges, Berenger was looking forward to having her all to himself. Today was going to be a good day for him.
The life of a star had its wonderful highs, and as they both knew its dangerous lows. Emma had arrived unexpectedly at his presbytery door three days earlier announcing she would be spending the next week. “Francois darling”, she smiled, “I need to be here with you.” She had kissed him on both cheeks, and headed straight for the villa. Berenger knew the drill. It would be necessary to schedule a couple of receptions to help curb the inevitable gossip that would follow her departure. Always careful in his choice of guests, Berenger invited all local dignitaries as well as the Bishop in the hope that her stay would be seen as a special event for them as opposed to a visit for him.
She had arrived bearing gifts, a new dress and hat for Marie, tickets to the opera in Paris for the Mayor and his wife, a souvenir from her travels abroad for Alfred, and of course, another rare book for Berenger. Her generosity and exuberant nature won the hearts and loyalty of most residents of Rennes -le - Chateau and the surrounding villages. She cared for these people and was perpetually planning the next improvement for the village or donating money to a local cause or family in need. Berenger and Emma could never stop meandering back to their peasant roots, always aware of the needs of the poor. She would provide the cash and Berenger the labour for this home away from home.
The demons that had haunted them over the past eleven years would sometimes scurry away into the corners of this hilltop sanctuary, only to reappear in the streets of Quillan a short time later. The secret they carried had proved to be heavier for Emma than for Berenger. The cause that had brought them together was still strong upon him and he worked daily towards its completion. Emma’s sporadic visits were becoming less often and he feared she was becoming too involved in the esoteric circles in Paris. Rumours were circulating that the occultist Jules Bois was enamoured with her. This handsome and intelligent man was the first of her potential lovers that he truly feared. Berenger knew that he was a constant reminder of the pain that she carried. Jules would be her medication. Emma loved power, and both of these men held their power well. Jules Bois was several years younger than Emma, a writer of some worth he supposed, and had become a bit of a celebrity through the duels he had engaged in with Stanislav de Guaita and Gerard Encausse better known as Papus. He knew Emma would have found this dangerous tradition a highly romantic and erotic exercise. The most obvious challenge was Jules Bois was available and he was not. The picnic and a visit to Quillan was his last hope to dissuade Emma from entering not only Jules Bois' bed, but a far more dangerous world than Emma could possibly understand. She would certainly be used for her wealth and fame in spite of her belief that she carried more weight in the world. His last hope was this visit. He would coax her to go to Quillan this afternoon to help remind her of the strongest reason to stay away from Jules Bois............ her daughter.
0 comments:
Post a Comment