Immortal Beauty (The Immortals)

by Thomas McDermott

  Once Ellen got to the lobby Claude was there to greet her. He smiled politely and ushered her to the slim black limo. She relaxed into the black leather seats and took in the aroma of the car. It smelled like money. These last few days had been so strange and full of so much luxury that Ellen felt she had been pulled into another dimension. A dimension where money means nothing because everyone in this new place had more than they could count. Now she was being whisked away to Celine’s penthouse to be treated like royalty. It would be like she and Celine were roommates at least for a little while and for once Ellen would know what it was like to move in her world. The car sped off through the crowded streets of Paris moving through the traffic stealthily like a race car on a track and Ellen began to think again how strange a turn her life had taken. She must have dozed off for a while when she sat up with a start and looked at her watch. They had been driving for nearly an hour. She looked outside to see the car speeding along the highway in the country. Where on earth were they going?

  “Claude! Claude! She rapped on the window in front of her but there was no response. “Claude where are we going?” Panic began to rise inside of her and an awful thought arose in her mind that maybe Marcus was telling the truth after all. She couldn’t jump out of the car as it was going about eighty miles an hour. Maybe Celine meant she was taking her to her country home. Yes that must be it and Ellen was just confused. She relaxed a little and looked out the window again to see if she could recognize anything. She saw a sign for the town of Orleans and realized the car was getting off the highway. Of course, it was her gorgeous estate in Orleans. The fabled 14th century home complete with towers and a moat! It had been featured recently in one of the swankier home décor magazines from the states. Ellen had been there a handful of times but never saw beyond the foyer into Celine’s office. She sat back in the warm seats and wondered if her bit of bad luck wasn’t now turning around into something she could never have imagined. She felt a little like Cinderella at the moment and after everything she had been through she let herself play little princess for the rest of the night.

  In her office Celine sat at her polished desk and was speaking on her phone. She brushed her untamed mane away from her forehead as she spoke in quiet tones.

  “Yes. She is on her way to you. You are to proceed as planned.” She listened while the other party said something. “No I don’t care! You knew about this from the beginning. Don’t tell me you’re having doubts now. You can’t afford to have doubts with the money I’m paying you. Just go ahead with the procedure it’s no big deal. We are back on schedule.” She hung up abruptly and took a moment to stare at the limitless reflections on her walls. Her green silk dress clung to her body the way she liked it. She was glad to have Ellen back but her thoughts bristled with anger and revenge. How could Marcus move against her when he knew what it meant? He knew what the consequences would be and still he had the gall to openly engage her in hostilities. He would have to pay. He would pay little by little as she would begin to destroy his life. First she would begin with the ones he loved so very much and then when he was wracked with grief and guilt she would attack. She knew that in a few hours she would have that damned interview with Taylor. Maybe it was time to let him know what was going on in the lab. Maybe it was time to get him on her side before Marcus could persuade him otherwise. She could make him see that she was no villain. They had always gotten it wrong. She was the one trying to set things right and they were the ones who were corrupted. They had no idea what they were dealing with. They never did. Marcus with all of his talk of morals and philosophy and as for Sasha she had to get her out of the way before Marcus could intervene. She was the biggest risk by far and had to be eliminated. She picked up her phone again and dialed.

  “Yes? It’s me. It’s time to capture the sparrow and put her in her cage.” She hung up delighted with herself. She had wasted no time in her counter attack. Marcus wouldn’t know what hit him. She went back to staring at herself in the mirrors looking for any imperfections and as usual she couldn’t find any.

  BETRAYAL

  Sasha dreamed. Once again she was in the great house built into the hill. Once again she was mistress of the manor and she was sitting in a beautiful bedroom at the gold painted vanity. She always loved little birds and they could be seen everywhere in the house; carved into the very vanity she sat at and painted on all the teacups. There were even times when she threw parties that she would have her hairdresser place a few stuffed birds in her hair. It was always such a success with the other ladies from her circle. They adored Helene and were always present at her salons and gatherings. She was a member of the powerful court and it would have been foolish and even dangerous at times to ignore her, but they all came to her house on their own accord and waited endlessly for the post to bring them news of some fete she had planned. She was graceful and kind and so beautiful and much to the envy of those in her closest circles she never aged. Her friends were always pestering her for her beauty secrets and she always put them off with talk of exercise. Ladies did not take in physical activity and were delicate creatures that couldn’t be seen doing something so masculine as walking in the woods for hours as Helene did. Even this did nothing to tarnish her reputation. The wealthy were expected to be eccentric and she delivered everything that was expected a lady of her position. She sat in her room and stared off into space ignoring the reflection in front of her. Besides she knew what she would see; flawless skin and no signs of aging. It had begun to lose the initial magic it had once promised. She could not control the fire that was burning in her chest tonight. Things had gotten wildly out of hand with the general population and Paris was no longer safe for any of them. Horror stories of attacks on the wealthy became a daily occurrence. Helen was afraid to leave the confines of her estate these days and dreaded the necessary trips to Versailles for fear that someone might ambush her carriage. Her nerves were on edge and the only thing that kept her form losing her mind was that Etienne had a plan. They were going to escape before the violence became too intense. They were going to flee to the south where he had a small home in Perpignan on the sea and they would stay there until the madness was over. She was planning her escape in secret and only her closest servant Honorine knew about the plan and had insisted on going with her. Nothing could keep the faithful woman from caring for her mistress’ needs. There was no point in arguing the matter and for the first time in months Helene began to feel a sense of hope. She powdered her face once again to give it that unblemished look and placed a beauty mark on her left cheek. Her wig was in place and she was satisfied with her efforts. She just needed the right jewelry to go with her ivory colored dress that flowed outward like a fountain from her waist. She decided on diamonds, for any colored jewel might detract from the simple color of the smock and the diamonds would sparkle giving off the ambience of gaiety. That was what she wanted most of all tonight, to appear as if nothing at all in the world were the matter. She had to keep everyone fooled just for a few more days before she made her escape. She was to meet Etienne outside of Paris on the road to Versailles. They would keep up the charade of visiting the royal enclave in the country and at the last possible moment veer off the main road and make their way south. She couldn’t believe the her entire world were on the brink of collapsing and she really could not have been less bothered. All that mattered were that she and Etienne get away from the madness that had infected all of Europe. There was so much talk of revolution and upheaval that she couldn’t take it any longer. All she wanted was to be left in peace and spend her days and nights with the man she loved. A knock at the door released her from her thoughts.

  “Come in.” She commanded calmly. No one must suspect even the slightest hint that anything were out of place.

  “Miss, a messenger has come with a letter for you.” Honorine looked appraisingly at her mistress. She was clearly impressed with all the display of normalcy and admired how calm Helene was in the face of all this insanity.. “Mig
ht I say Miss that you look radiant tonight. The diamonds are perfect.” She smiled and gave Helene her nod of approval.

  “That’s what I thought!” Helene laughed at Honorine and was suddenly so very glad she was coming along with her on her adventure and she took the letter from the old woman’s shaking hands. “Thank you Honorine. Who is this from?” She looked at the envelope sealed with red wax on the silver tray and felt a wave of terror rising up within her.

  “The Comtesse D’Aumont. You remember her, the beautiful woman with red hair. You saw her in court last month.”

  “Of course I remember her. She was so kind to me and wanted to know all about my home here. I never got around to inviting her because of all the bad tidings of late.” Her hand started to tremble a little and she was ashamed for being to weak. If only she could be more assured like Etienne was that everything was going to be fine. For some unknown reason she was afraid of the contents of the letter. It was probably just another invitation to yet another party before the season ended. “Thank you Honorine. That will be all.” She dismissed the curious woman before she could pry in that sly way she had of coaxing information out of her mistress. For some reason Helene felt the letter was not an invitation and could only contain bad news. She tore open the wax seal and read the words written in beautiful penmanship.

  My Dearest Helene, Please forgive this abrupt change of plans. I am currently seeking shelter in Paris at the Comtesse D’Aumont’s chateau on Rue Varenne. You must meet me here as soon as possible. She has been so kind as to offer us a means of transport to Perpignan where we may live our lives as we see fit. No longer do we have to pretend and no longer do we have to be apart. I have devised a plan to get you into Paris safely. You must dress as a servant and take one of your least conspicuous carriages to the outskirts of the city. There you must leave the carriage behind and be sure to draw no attention to yourself. Once in Paris you must make your way to the D’Aumont home and enter through the back as would any other servant. Be brave my darling, our adventure has begun. I know you can do this. Just think of it as a game and it will all be over soon with us as the winners! I anxiously await your arrival. With my undying love…..Etienne

  Why was he at the Comtesse’ home in Paris? Maybe she was helping to protect him from some fresh new violent outbreak in the city. She didn’t have time to mull things over. The time for thinking was past and she rang for Honorine shaking the velvet cord in a terrified manner which sent off a series of bells in the home. Ripping off her wig she grabbed a cloth and began wiping off the heavy layers of make up that she had so recently applied with such skill. A few moments later the servant came to her door and gave out a cry as she saw Helene practically ripping the dress from her body.

  “Mademoiselle! What on earth is happening? Are you alright?” The woman was clearly frightened to see Helene in such a state.

  “Honorine you must help me. There has been a change of plans. I must go to Paris now disguised as a maid and you must help me.” The panic was dripping off of every word. She read the letter out loud to Honorine who gasped and sighed at the contents. Then, gaining control of herself the large woman squared her shoulders back and began to unhook the myriad of buttons on the back of Helene’s gorgeous dress.

  “Don’t you worry Miss. Everything will turn out just fine. It’s just a simple change of plans.” Her hands worked deftly at the bodice.

  “A simple change of plans? Honorine I have to become a servant! I don’t even know where to begin!” She was crying now and desperately wanted to feel safe again in Etienne’s arms.

  “You leave that up to me Miss. If there’s one thing I know something about it’s how to be a proper servant. You just act like me, maybe with a little less attitude and I’ll take care of your appearance. You have to admit it is a very clever plan. Etienne has found a way to get you safely into Paris. Once I’m finished with you you’ll have nothing to fear. You’ll be safer than you are now I’m telling you that. I’ve been hearing terrible talk in the kitchen. Yes, I think you’re young Etienne has found a brilliant way to spirit you off into safety. The words of the older woman had a calming effect on Helene. “Besides I’m going with you so I will make sure that no harm comes to my lady.” She laid the barely worn gown on the bed and smoothed out a few wrinkles lovingly. “You are going to be my daughter and we are going to the Comtesse D’Aumont’s home looking for employment. It will be simple. You don’t even have to say a word.”

  Helene stood there in her lace undergarments in a daze until her maid’s voice commanded her to action. “Now get the rest of that make up off and I’ll go find you the proper clothes. I think Marie’s will fit you just right.” Honorine left her mistress for the moment and Helene suddenly felt strong for the first time since all of this madness had begun. These were desperate times and now she was involved in a desperate masquerade. She made herself smile and thought that in a year from now she would be telling this amusing story to her friends and they would all be shocked and laugh at how Helene Corbet had dressed herself up like a maid to get into the heart of Paris. She picked up the letter one more time and read it again thoroughly. She still couldn’t figure out how Etienne had gotten himself trapped in Paris. It didn’t matter now. She took the letter and threw it into the fireplace where the soft glow fanned into a bright flame for a few seconds as the only piece of evidence of the affair between the young lovers.

  They made it into Paris with no incident. The weather was turning colder and Helene was used to her furs and many layers of clothing to keep her warm. She shivered as the wind tore through the streets with no mercy. There were signs of chaos everywhere. Storefronts were burned and she thought she saw blood spattered on one of the walls. The worst thing was the smell. It was the odor of death and decay and she kept her hand over her nostrils to prevent herself from breathing in the foul air.

  “Come along Miss. Don’t dawdle, we have work to do!” Honorine commanded her as if she really were watching out for her daughter. As long as Helene kept her mouth shut nobody would hear the unmistakable accent of class and position which would have betrayed her in an instant. “We still have a bit of a walk before us.” She grabbed Helene roughly by the wrist and pulled her along. Helene thought she might be taking the role a bit too seriously. She played along and kept her eyes downward and adopted a subservient manner as her other maids did. Honorine seemed pleased with this and ushered the young woman down the street. They walked along the Seine whenever possible even though it was far colder at least the smell along the river wasn’t as bad. Helene decided she could endure the cold more than she could the stench of humanity and at that moment she realized just how spoiled and aimless her entire existence had been. She thought she was a friend of the people but she had no idea the things they had to endure and today she was getting her first glimpse which had the same effect of a strong slap across her cheek. All over Paris people were starving as the gaunt lifeless faces proved that to Helene. So many people had little clothing to protect themselves and countless of them were missing teeth and she couldn’t believe the stench! It was unbearable to think that people lived like this. There were children in the street corners huddled together to keep warm. Once they passed an angry mob carrying all sorts of crude weaponry made out of farming tools and sticks and such. They were intent on some mission and never even glanced in their direction though Honorine, ever protective of her charge shooed themselves away from the hundreds of men and women who were marching down the street. Something big was happening. Honorine knew that violence would erupt in the city any minute now and was anxious to be off the cold and cruel streets of Paris. They didn’t have much farther to go for the Rue Varenne was just off to the right and she pushed Helene gently through the crowded fairway. They could hear shouting from the distance and it sounded like “Death to the King!”. This frightened Helene more than anything else did. If the people had no respect for the King what would they think of her? She had to make it to the D’Aumont chateau to get
to Etienne. Only he could save her from all this madness. Only he had remained calm in the midst of all the disruptions that had come into their pampered lives. She could see the huge house behind a gate. Madame D’Aumont was known as a friend to the philosophers and the artists. That was how it was possible for her to still live in the city. It was said that she invited the traitors to the royal family into her salon so they could plot and plan without being caught. It was she that harbored the most dangerous rogue criminals of the court. Helene did not really know her at all, she just knew the things that were said about this new Comtesse who had shown up in Paris out of nowhere with more money than anyone could count. She had a vague story of her family lineage and all the papers to prove it but she had never gained entrance into the court. Versailles had turned down every petition she handed them even though they were full of bribes and promises. Nothing seemed to work which only made Madame D’Aumont try even harder. She was talked about and even considered a figure of fun at Versailles. Madame D’Nobody was her nickname. She carried on with all the airs of the upper class but was utterly lacking in the feminine arts and the submissive gentleness of the women of class. She was outspoken and brazen and so very sure of herself. It was this more than anything else that barred her from the inner circles. How Etienne found himself in her midst was beyond Helen except that he had a kind heart and was always giving money to the poor and handing out his old clothing and trinkets that meant nothing to him any longer and meant so much more to someone who had nothing. A pair of his cuff links could feed an entire family for a week he had told her only recently. Maybe it was their concern for the common man that led Etienne to this mysterious woman. Possibly they were engaged in some good will mission when Etienne found himself trapped in Paris. She would find out soon enough. She began to walk up to the front gate when Honorine stopped her.