Page 115 of The Seven Sisters

Over coffee in the drawing room, Bel found herself in a three-way conversation with Gustavo and Laurent.

‘When will you return to Paris?’ Gustavo enquired of him.

‘I haven’t made a decision yet,’ he said. ‘It depends on how things turn out, and what opportunities I find here,’ Laurent replied, glancing at Bel. ‘Your mother, monsieur, has kindly promised to introduce me to some possible clients who may wish members of their family to be sculpted. Who knows?’ he said with a smile. ‘I may fall in love with your beautiful country and decide to stay here forever.’

‘Well, if you have secured my mother as your champion and patron, then that may well be an option,’ Gustavo said. ‘More brandy?’ he asked, rising from the sofa where he’d been sitting next to Bel.

‘Not for me, thank you, senhor,’ said Laurent.

Gustavo walked away, and the two of them were left alone together for the first time.

‘How are you, Izabela?’ he asked her.

Bel gazed down at the table, at the floorboards, anywhere so that her eyes did not have to meet Laurent’s. There was a world she wanted to say to him, but could not. ‘I am . . . married,’ she managed eventually.

She glanced up for his response and saw him furtively checking the room to see if any eyes were upon them.

‘Bel,’ he whispered, as he leant towards her as close as he dared from his chair. ‘You must know that I came here to find you. Youmustknow it,’ he reiterated. ‘If you wish me to turn around and catch the next boat back to France, I will. But I want to hear it from your lips. Now,’ he urged her as he saw Gustavo pouring the brandy into his glass from the decanter. ‘Tell me, are you happy with your husband?’

She could not find the words to reply. She saw Gustavo replacing the crystal stopper on the decanter. ‘I cannot,’ she finally managed, knowing the seconds were running out.

‘Then do you still love me?’

‘Yes.’ She watched Gustavo bend down to his mother and whisper something in her ear.

‘Then meet me tomorrow afternoon. My address is seventeen Rua Visconde de Pirajá. It’s an apartment block in Ipanema and I am number six on the top floor.’

Bel consigned it to memory as Gustavo swayed back towards them both. She saw Laurent noticing how drunk he was, and she shuddered as Gustavo sat down next to her, put a fierce arm around her and pulled her to him to kiss her.

‘Isn’t my wife beautiful?’ he said to Laurent.

‘Indeed she is, monsieur.’

‘Sometimes I feel I don’t deserve her,’ Gustavo said as he took another slug of his brandy. ‘As you can imagine, I’m enjoying my first few weeks of married life.’

‘Oh yes, I can imagine,’ said Laurent. ‘And now, forgive me, but I must take my leave.’ He stood up abruptly, and walked away to say his goodbyes to the assembled company.

‘Are you healthy again?’ Gustavo whispered in Bel’s ear as she saw Laurent kissing Carla’s hand.

‘Sadly not, but maybe tomorrow.’

‘A shame,’ Gustavo commented. ‘Tonight I wanted to love my beautiful wife.’

Laurent came back and stood in front of them. ‘I will say goodnight and thank you to both of you.’

Gustavo and Bel rose, Laurent shaking his hand and then taking hers briefly and kissing it.

‘À bientôt, Madame Aires Cabral.’

‘Bonne nuit, Senhor Brouilly.’

Once Laurent had left, the rest of the party began to disperse.

‘Goodnight,querida,’ said Carla on the doorstep. ‘Come and visit me soon,’ she said, giving her daughter a quizzical glance before walking down the steps behind Antonio.

Upstairs on the landing outside their bedroom, Gustavo kissed Bel passionately. ‘I can’t wait until tomorrow evening,’ he said.

Bel shut the door, disrobed and climbed into bed, thanking God she was alone tonight.