Peeking Under the Covers

Chapter 10 continued... He continued, seeing that she was waiting for him to respond. “Then, when I saw myself in Dauphiné, I found that I wasn’t very far from the South, from Cannes, and the temptation was so strong that I couldn’t resist the desire to come here.” “To attend  Carnaval ?” “To see you,” he said in his low-pitched voice. A pink glow rose to Suzy's face. There was not the slightest overlapping implication in André's words. He had expressed himself with his usual simplicity, but something sincere and absolute vibrated there, awakening in Suzy's mind the forgotten memory. For a moment, as she had the first time, she caught a glimpse of the depth of André’s affection which she had rejected without understanding it. But today, even less than in the past, she couldn’t respond to it. Her soul remained far from that of André’s. An anxiety seized her, over the fear that he would speak to her again of the past. “Were you pleased with your day yesterday?” she resumed ha...

Chapter 10 continued... Suzy waited some time for André to arrive. It was such a joy for her to think that she was going to hear about her dear home! The idea had brightened the closing of her day the day before, and it filled her young heart with a joyful thrill as if André's presence had brought her something of the perfume and charm of her home. But the morning was passing and the young man had not yet appeared. She was beginning to despair of seeing him, until André’s card was finally brought to her. She uttered such an expressive “At last! Finally!” that it was a great pity that André could not hear it, for it would have given him such happiness to hear her speak it. But the first words she addressed to him were well worth his coming. “Oh, Monsieur Vilbert! How glad I am to see you!” she said, with a sincere impulse that swelled André's heart. Life appeared to him, in that moment, as luminous as the ray of sunshine that played on the golden heads of the mimosas situated al...

Chapter 10 continued... Suzy found the presence of M. de Flers at Cannes pleasant. Surrounded by strangers, and feeling a little isolated despite Lady Graham's cordial welcome, she had felt real joy at George's arrival. He was a connection with those whom she had left behind in Paris. He knew them, and   she could talk to him about them. They had also both lived the same life at Le Castel, and she felt a deep pleasure in knowing – since she was far from her family – someone to whom she could say, “Do you remember?” and therefore reliving a moment of the past. She also noticed – young women have excellent eyes, after all – that Georges did not dread her company. On the contrary! And indeed, her vivacity, her freshness of impressions pleased the dilettantism of M. de Flers; they interested and charmed him, surprising him, he, who at times, was so jaded. And so, very willingly, he remained with her, finding, in hearing her talk, the same pleasure he had in placing on a canvas, the...

Chapter 10 On the edge of the violently blue sea, which glittered like sparks from the sun, the carriages advanced in two files under a shower of flowers. Anemones, violets, lilacs, and tuberoses clashed in the melee of a joyous battle, filling the air with their mingled scents. For it was a real struggle that was being fought, from carriage to carriage, between the curious refugees on the roads and the intrepid individuals who struggled on foot. They battled with a passionate ardor, but a joyous and chivalrous combat as their projectiles covered the ground with their fragrant petals. And incessantly the carriages passed by, all resembling something in bloom, some of them real marvels that attracted the enthusiastic acclamations of the crowd. “Well done, this team…Look, de Flers,” said a young man in a very elegant group of men, whose supply of flowers—the most respectable—had already been several times exhausted. “But isn't that Lady Graham's carriage? It is, indeed! Here come...

Chapter 9 closes with a sweet moment between André and his mother. At this point in the story, I'm pretty certain André is smitten with Suzy, to the point that he's willing to put his own good name on the line for M. Douvry with the engineering position. But, as we've seen, Suzy is not smitten with him, which poses a problem for our dear André. What would be the best recourse in order for him to gain Suzy's attention? And what about Georges de Flers? Is this the man with whom Suzy is truly smitten... Chapter 10 opens with a scene filled with flowers and Suzy's delight at all the goings-on in Cannes. Let's follow along and see where this goes! Chapter 10: Cast of Characters Suzanne (Suzy)   -- eldest daughter of M. and Mme. Douvry Georges de Flers  -- Suzy's friend Lady Graham  -- Suzy's travel companion André Vilbert  -- friend of the Douvry family Madame (Mme.) Douvry   -- Suzy's mother Monsieur (M.) Douvry  -- Suzy's father