by Serena Janes
Perhaps they were too old, too experienced, he supposed, to get excited about other people’s messy little lives.
But then Ellen surprised Edward by taking him aside and confiding that she thought it was a real shame that Luc had been caught up in such a mess.
“I may be old but I have to admit that more than once during the week I found myself looking at Joanna and remembering what it felt like to be young. She was a handsome woman, and Luc too good looking for any woman to ignore. Anyone could have guessed there’d be trouble,” she said to Edward. He felt a little uncomfortable in this role of confidante as she continued.
“I feel a little sorry for Luc, who’s been kind to Thomas and me. It seems she played him for a fool. But it’s all very predictable, don’t you think, human nature being what it is.”
She took Edward’s arm and strolled down the platform, away from the others. “You know, our own daughter, married with children, once got herself into a pickle with a co-worker in her law office. The affair tore the family apart, set brothers against sister, and Thomas against his only daughter. Our poor grandchildren suffered terribly, their father relegated to twice-weekly visits. When it had all ended, our daughter was left with no husband, no lover, no job, and a mass of problems with her children and the rest of the family. It was a real shame, I’ve often thought, but no amount of warning had been able to dissuade her from gambling everything she had on the excitement of an adulterous affair.
“What can you do?” she asked as she looked up at Edward. “Just love them, I suppose.”
“Yes. Just love them and let them make their own mistakes,” Edward answered. His heart warmed to this woman whom he’d mistakenly thought was cold.
Then he spied Luc. He looked terrible, Edward noted as he stepped back towards his wife.
When Luc walked up to the Arnolds to wish them goodbye, each formally shook his hand and thanked him for a lovely time. Neither showed any discomfort speaking to the man who looked so different from the one who had met them at the Hotel Deux Rivieres ten days earlier. Luc helped them carry their luggage onto the train, and waved them off.
Edward then turned to Ron and Marcie Davies talking in low tones as Ron finished his cigarette before boarding the train. It was clear they were both more interested than the Arnolds in what had happened over the last few days. Edward hadn’t spent much time with Ron but he knew he was always a police inspector, even when off the job. Ron’s particular interest lay in the potential of various parties for criminal activities, he once told Edward. He saw the world only in terms of those who obeyed laws and those who did not.
Right now he was telling his wife that Luc seemed to be a man who could bend a few restraints now and then. “Adultery is minor,” he said to Marcie. “Maybe Luc killed James. Maybe Joanna’s waiting, hiding, until we all leave. Then she and Luc can run away to a foreign country, and live in exile.”
Marcie rolled her eyes and looked at Edward, who had stopped short when he realized the private nature of their conversation.
“Or maybe James killed Joanna,” Ron continued, ignoring Edward and grinding his cigarette out on the floor. “If so, does Luc know? He certainly looks distraught. Or maybe Joanna killed James—with or without Luc’s help. It’s been known to happen. Either way, Luc will be implicated.”
Edward came closer and held out his hand to wish Ron goodby. Ron took it absentmindedly, but kept muttering, as if to himself. “Or maybe Luc killed the both of them? I should make inquiries when I get back to the office.”
Then Ron evidently snapped back into the present and heartily pumped Edward’s hand as he said goodbye.
Ron turned away and walked over to Luc, hand extended for another round of enthusiastic shaking. He slapped the Frenchman on the shoulder, telling him what a great fellow he was, what an enjoyable time he and Marcie had, even though Edward suspected it was a lie. He probably couldn’t wait to get back to work.
Marcie, on the other hand, was clearly dying of curiosity. One look at Luc yesterday morning and they all knew something had gone terribly wrong. Edward could see her romantic nature imagining that James and Joanna had made up—Joanna having fallen to her knees in supplication and tears—James forgiving her and taking her back to Paris for a romantic sexy week in a first class hotel overlooking the Seine. They would conceive their first child there, and go home to get married and raise a happy, healthy family.
Edward watched Luc say goodbye to Marcie, hugging her briefly, giving her a quick kiss on each cheek. She blinked back a few tears as she told him how much she had enjoyed her holiday. This, too, was a lie, Edward suspected.
He wondered if Marcie had begun to feel a teensy bit uncomfortable about the gossip she’d helped feed over the last week. She wasn’t a malicious woman, he knew. Merely a soft one. It was all too easy for her to be swayed by the enthusiasm of Carol and Iris’s gossiping. She probably went along for the ride, not really disliking Jo, nor particularly interested in whether or not Luc was cheating on his wife. Although she was clearly shocked when she saw he’d removed his wedding ring.
Edward watched her say goodbye to Luc, telling him he was a lovely man, and that his wife was a lucky woman. Luc politely thanked her and turned to Sarah.
Sarah, the sad and lovely Sarah, had been only slightly moved by the debacle, Edward thought. He guessed that her own heart was so bruised she could barely recognize anyone else’s pain.
The older women’s gossip had both intrigued and disturbed her, he knew. Sarah had told him she wasn’t accustomed to gossip. She was a solitary person, working very hard to finish articling and begin her law practice. Gossip and idle speculation seemed a tremendous waste of energy. So did flirtation between married people. The idea of extramarital affairs was ignoble to her.
But in a moment of quiet speculation she’d admitted to Edward that part of her did get some vicarious pleasure from listening to the others talking about love, or lust, gone wrong. The fact that others were suffering in their personal lives helped make her feel a tiny bit better about her own pain, which she believed she would carry for the rest of her life.
Edward watched as Luc gave Sarah a quick peck on each cheek and wished her well for the future. She politely returned the sentiment, but didn’t look back as she boarded the train.
Duncan, however, was deeply disturbed by the events of the last few days. It was written all over his face, Edward noted, as he watched the young Scot approach Luc to say goodbye.
Duncan had made no secret of the fact that he, too, was suffering from a broken heart, the victim of a cheating woman. Last night, with the help of drink, he’d vocally empathized with both Luc and James. An unfaithful woman was the worst thing a man could experience, he’d insisted.
His feelings about Joanna were far more ambiguous, though. He liked her, Edward knew. And neither of them could blame Luc for losing his head over a woman like that.
But the loose talk over the past few days had bothered Duncan. He confessed to Edward that he was shocked at how deeply the gossips had delved into the personal lives of people who were essentially strangers to them. Not having any sisters, and therefore being unfamiliar with the finer points of bitchiness, Duncan said he felt his ears burn when he heard Iris telling Carol and Marcie how she knew that Luc was cheating on his wife by screwing Joanna. The three women combed over the details each had provided as proof—all of it circumstantial—but still convincing enough for them to convict Joanna as an adulteress. He couldn’t understand women, he said.
After wishing him goodbye, Edward watched Duncan shake hands with Luc, their eyes meeting for a moment. Duncan told Luc to look after himself, and thanked him for a great time. He smiled sadly at the older man, but Luc’s face remained impassive.
A small explosion of expletives at the other end of the platform caught Edward’s attention. Peter Stewart hadn’t really been sober since Saturday morning. His wife’s incessant jabbering, which had escalated over the last few days, was probably driving him bonkers, Edwa
rd guessed. It would certainly be too much for his own sanity. Her nonstop speculating, questioning and gossiping were more than irritating. But now Peter’s rants took front and center.
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Luc,” he hissed at his wife, not caring of he was overheard. “The son of a bitch should keep his personal problems to himself. And he should keep his prick in his pants, for Christ’s sake. We’ve paid good money for this trip, and I expect professionalism.”
“Shhhh. Peter! He’ll hear you!” said Carol, casting her gaze around nervously.
“I don’t give a shit. I’m going to write a letter of complaint to the tour company when I get home. I’m going to tell them how their guide let the tour descend into a mess.”
It was true. Yesterday Luc had withdrawn his leadership during the day, and left them alone most of the evening. Dinner last night was disastrous. What was supposed to be a celebration turned out to be an awkward and depressing affair. Peter had solaced himself by drinking the lion’s share of Luc’s wine. It was all he could do to get through the night, and Edward thought it probably helped him shut out the sound of his wife’s voice.
So now the Stewarts were heading to London, and after a few days they would fly home to Melbourne. This vacation would leave an unpleasant taste in Peter’s mouth, he’d informed the dinner guests last night.
“And it’s all that American woman’s fault! What a bitch! Cunt! She’s too good looking, and I knew she was trouble as soon as I saw her.”
Edward was shocked at the Australian’s vehemence, and glad Luc hadn’t been present to hear his foul words against Joanna. No doubt Luc would have pasted him one.
Peter was probably jealous of Luc, Edward suspected. Jo had never responded to his flirting, and he probably begrudged Luc what he couldn’t have for himself.
As Carol was eaten up with jealousy for Joanna.
Edward knew that Carol had been the main shit disturber over the last few days. Glenda had said Carol grew absolutely green when she learned Luc and Joanna were having an affair.
Edward watched her now, trying to shush her husband when she saw Luc approaching them.
Carol had seemed slightly depressed since yesterday, Edward thought. Was it clear, even to someone with her limited intelligence, that she and her gossip mongering were largely to blame for the events of the past few days? That Luc was in fact seriously affected by Joanna’s disappearance?
But she didn’t look particularly guilty as she walked up to Luc and gave him a bear hug. After he dutifully kissed her once on each cheek, Carol didn’t let go of his arms. She said loudly into his face that she would never forget him and that she hoped he would have a great summer season with his other tours. She invited him to come and visit if he ever found himself in Australia.
Edward smiled slightly as Luc disentangled himself, thanking her quickly for her kind words. Taking the business card she forced on him, he escaped to say goodbye to Peter, then turned to Edward and Glenda.
Edward and Glenda Evans had been Joanna’s friends, and were intelligent and empathetic enough to feel terribly concerned about the turn of events. They weren’t exactly sure what had happened, but they’d made some educated guesses. Unlike Ron, they didn’t really care that the holiday took a turn for the somber. Instead, they were genuinely concerned about everybody involved.
They, perhaps more than any of the others, suspected that nature was going to have its way. They’d talked it over and interfered once, the day they’d canoed. But they’d soon realized the pointlessness of such actions. Nothing could have stopped Luc and Joanna from coming together, it seemed. So they’d ultimately agreed to mind their own business and withhold judgment. They didn’t approve of Luc’s behavior, and they sympathized with Joanna because of her harsh treatment at the hands of the other women. But now they were worried for both parties.
What had happened to Joanna? Why had the boyfriend arrived out of the blue from the States? They were a little disappointed that they would never know. They were also disappointed they wouldn’t be able to visit Joanna when they went to the Pacific Coast next year. She’d left without saying goodbye.
As Luc walked towards them to wish them a bon voyage, Edward noted again the haggard expression on his face. He hadn’t shaved, and he looked like hell. Like he hadn’t slept. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was wearing yesterday’s clothes, rumpled. There was a purple bruise and a small cut on his temple.
Edward grasped Luc’s outstretched hand firmly and thanked him sincerely for the tour. They made some light small talk for a few moments until Glenda stepped up to give Luc a hug. Edward saw her eyes grow moist as she wished him well. She’d told Edward that morning that Luc must have fallen in love with Joanna. Why else would he remove his wedding ring? He had to be suffering terribly, she’d said.
Edward tended to agree with his wife, and he thought he detected a tremor in Luc’s voice as he wished them a safe journey home.
It’s a sad, sad business, Edward thought as he helped Glenda onto the train.
Yesterday, Sunday, had been a dreadful day for everyone, Edward knew. Luc hadn’t returned to the gîte on Saturday night, so both he and Joanna had still been missing the next morning. The rest were left to entertain themselves as best they could. Eventually a harried Luc appeared after breakfast, apologizing for his absence, and asking everyone to have luggage ready for loading into the van. Then he’d disappeared again until it was time to go.
Edward sensed that everyone felt tense and confused as they waited in front of the gîte for him to lead them out of Martel. Madame Guillmont only added to their confusion, as she too had literally disappeared. There was no one to say goodbye to, no one to give them any information.
When Luc returned in the company van with Marc, who loaded the bags and set off, everyone noticed that for the first time that week he wasn’t wearing his bandana. His face was pale and haggard.
It was Marcie who first noticed his wedding ring was missing, and she wasted no time in sharing that information with the rest of the group.
This wasn’t the same Luc, that much was clear. He was polite, but strained, as he carefully apologized again for his absence the night before. In measured words he told them he had to attend to some unexpected personal business. As for Joanna and her visitor, he didn’t know the details, but Madame Guillmont had informed him this morning that there was some sort of personal emergency, and they had to leave the tour early. He never mentioned Joanna’s name again.
So, it became a daylong game of pretending that nothing had changed. There were only eleven walkers now, and a very quiet leader. Conversation was stilted when Luc was within earshot. That didn’t stop Carol from gossiping, but she was astute enough to keep her words from reaching him. She walked most of the day with Iris and Marcie, but from time to time Edward could overhear the three of them inventing colorful and outrageous explanations for Luc’s solemnity and Joanna’s absence.
Their last picnic lunch was a self-conscious affair, finished quickly, and they were all relieved to see Souillac on the horizon early in the afternoon. The special farewell dinner had been much anticipated during the week, but no one felt like celebrating now. Luc had remembered to bring his homemade wine, but it did little to add cheer to the occasion. He drank almost nothing and the abrupt change in his personality left everyone feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious. Then he left immediately after dinner. No one knew where he went, and they all, except for Peter, went to bed early.
Once the Evans boarded the train and settled into their seats, Edward noticed Iris sitting alone in the front of the train car. He hadn’t seen her on the platform, and he hadn’t seen her say goodbye to anyone.
He watched her now, looking at Luc out on the platform. Safely tucked behind a partition in the car so Luc couldn’t see her, she was hiding.
Iris was an odd girl, Edward had thought as soon as he’d met her. And he wondered now if she was capable of feeling shame. If she’d
just minded her own business, and loved Luc from afar like Glenda insisted she did, he wouldn’t look like he did now—wrecked, anxious, ill.
And he wondered if Iris thought she ruined Joanna’s relationship with the nice-looking American who had crossed the ocean to bring her home.
But she looked so sad. Glenda had hinted that perhaps the drama of the past few days brought it home to Iris that she would never experience the passion and joy she had seen in Luc and Joanna’s faces. And now she was as sad as if she’d just lost what they had lost. Never having had it in the first place would probably make her even sadder.
Glenda was an astute reader of her fellow human beings, and Edward concurred with her diagnosis of this particularly sad case.
He turned to his wife and gave her a hug as he felt the train begin to move.
* * * *
Finally, the train pulled away from the station, and Luc was left standing alone. A light rain began to fall. He was so tired he could barely think what to do next.
Throughout the good-byes he’d kept one eye on the watch for Joanna. Twice, a flash of red caused his heart to leap into his throat. He had it fixed in his mind that she would come to him with his red bandana still tied around her neck.
The first time he’d glimpsed red, it was only an umbrella being opened by a girl on the other side of the station.
The next splash of red was even more alarming. It turned out to be a dark-haired woman’s blouse. Another dark-haired woman. Not the woman he was waiting for. Not Joanna.
Two nights before, after a terrible confession to Simone, and a tearful goodbye to his son, Luc had returned to the hotel in Martel. But when he opened the door at just past midnight, he found the room empty. None of Joanna’s things were there. It appeared that she hadn’t used the room at all.
First he was frightened. Then he became angry.
He stormed back to the gîte and woke Madame Guillmont. She told him about James’ surprise arrival.
“The American man took her away, Lucien. They left in a taxi, about six-thirty.”