Another couple of weeks rolled by languidly without a dull moment till the time came when Ariadne has run out of excuses to extend her vacation. She realized she was in heavy losses, having been away from her business for such a long time. Finally, on the eve of her departure, Ariadne declared her plan for a new spa in Paris and the consequent invitation to Arizona to celebrate little Eugenia’s imminent birthday. Lucien’s eyes lit up the moment Ariadne talked about staying back in France. In Ariadne he found the perfect muse of the dying city. Ariadne was a singular desert cactus adding a dimension and a point of perspective to a vast stretch of sandy nothingness. Lucien was a probate officer. His profession was the least popular among lawyers. All throughout his career, he had to interrupt the mourning of a bereaved relative to transfer property ownership. He was an imperative bane among his clients. He reminded them of the greedy capitalism that had engulfed the world. He was a metaphor for a world that considered it more important for financial matters to be dealt with before grieving the loss of a loved one. Lucien was the harbinger of memories of the beloved deceased devoid of love and emotion. For Lucien, he saw another side of the coin. He had catered to clients who were only too happy to bid their beloved a hasty goodbye for a mansion in the country or a few thousand dollars or euros in their bank accounts. He had witnessed how he was welcome to households where the members were sure of their sudden inheritance and were simply interested in the materialism of it all. The poet in Lucien detested it all and he desired for a reprieve that was hardly within his reach. The decadent morality of the privileged repulsed him and he wished to see something that broke away from the shackles of public morality and sought comfort in honest private morality. In a world of neglect, hate and cruel professionalism, Ariadne was a breath of fresh air. She was not one of those hypocritical creatures salivating at the mention of a rich inheritance; neither was she an emotional fool who treated every memory of a sad event with cold formality. Ariadne had a sense of balance about her. Her life of compelled debauchery did not repel Lucien. He found a candid honesty about it. She did what she had to do to survive. It did not matter to Lucien how many blowjobs she had given for money or many men she had sold her body to. Lucien was won over by Ariadne’s innocence that had been preserved after all that she had been through. Lucien had found Ariadne to be a strong woman and strength in a woman was always an appealing quality. Lucien listened to every word carefully and assured her that all legal matters would be handled with utmost care. He seemed hesitant to celebrate Eugenia’s birthday in Arizona. But he promised to come over for Christmas and celebrate it together, hopefully as a family.
Ariadne Silver gave herself over to the Alice living inside her head and wandered off to a Wonderland lit by a wine-dipped French moon. She spoke to Lucien about the deepest and darkest secrets of her life and listened to every whisper and gasps that came out of Lucien’s mouth. She was mesmerized by her audience, undone by love. She was balancing her life on two different trapezes. Her mind was split in a civil war between Alice and Ariadne. Little Miss Silver had no idea who would overcome whom. Lucien’s side of the story was a bit different than that. He was indeed a nobleman, a proud son of one of the oldest families in aristocratic France. His family lost authorial control of the state with the Revolution and were forced to remain content with a titular honor. Lucien was moderately well off. He and his wife broke up over a “difference of opinion” that Lucien never elaborated on. Ariadne did not ask twice. She was leaving France for Arizona. Her heart bled for the boulevards and the clement Mediterranean sun. She wanted to go on a long drive before heading for the airport the next day. She wanted to take in all of France in a spate of moments. The evening sighed with nostalgia of a freshly dead afternoon. Ariadne had to go on a long drive right then. Perhaps they could stop at the cathedral Lucien had often mentioned in his childhood stories. Sleep could wait, Ariadne had memories to make.
Chapter 4
I
The cathedral of Strasbourg stood tall and pristine before the eyes of Lucien and Ariadne. They betrayed their sleep for a long road trip and a visit to the cathedral. As a child Lucien would often visit this place. The Strasbourg cathedral was a place of rest and peace. Lucien had a lot of unanswered questions in his life. The silent walls of the cathedral would whisper the secrets of resilience in Lucien’s ears and he would feel guarded against his insecurities. On her first visit, Ariadne was struck with awe and humility. She tiptoed along the soundless corridors and into the main hall of prayers where a gigantic statue of the crowned Virgin Mary stood sternly in her ivory majesty. Ariadne felt safe and provided for. She was standing in God’s house with Lucien as her companion. She could not have hoped for better. The organ in the cathedral stood soundlessly still, bathing in the filtered light of tainted glasses. Lucien walked towards the organ and grazed his fingers on the wooden body of the organ. He let out a deep sigh and told Ariadne how much he wished Eugenia could play at the choir service of the Cathedral. She may have been physically disabled but Eugenia was an exceptional musician whose compositions and effortless rendition could reach the misty shores of paradise and make angels weep. Ariadne immediately knew what she would have to do. Eugenia would have to have the best musical training. She started believing herself to be a parent and an equal custodian of the little child’s fate. Ariadne realized what motherhood must have felt like to her mother and wondered why she chose to kill herself in a pool of blood and vomit. They told her that her mother was a raging alcoholic and a hopeless junkie. All she had to look forward to in life was the next visit from her peddler. It was said that the day before her mother’s body was found dead, a lot of people had threatened her on issues related with debts and insolvency. The example of a mother that she had did not contribute enough to sharpen Ariadne’s instincts of motherhood. She had grown to teach herself to hate the idea of a mother. With time, the memories of her mother’s drug induced amicability were replaced by a general hatred for her mother’s addiction. She blamed her mother for all her misfortunes. She had not wanted any children and was quite convinced that she would make a terrible mother, till she met Eugenia. The ancient walls of the cathedral provided comfort and refuge to the confessing soul. Within the hallowed grounds of the Church, Ariadne swore to take responsibility of little Eugenia because that was the only way true talent and art could be appreciated. She would not let financial strain destroy the life of another little soul. She had a first-hand experience of what could happen to a youngster whose talents were not nurtured. Eugenia was born fairly on the right side of the Wonderland and she would continue advancing the sunny pathways of her mythical Wonderland of music. Eugenia had to go to the best music school that Ariadne could afford. Besides, it would buy her more time with Lucien and his family. Lucien had so much more to offer to their relationship than Ariadne could ever dream of. Lucien introduced her to art, fine poetry and refined wine. Lucien would take the bemused Ariadne to the opera house and teach her about the various folds of theatre and entertainment. Lucien was the first man Ariadne walked with after landing on this foreign land. Everything that Ariadne so admired about Paris and therefore France was because of Lucien Valier. His impeccable knowledge of the history of the city and his correct guidance about the points of interests made it possible for Ariadne to taste the true flavors of France. Without him, the entire tourism administration would crumble down like a house of cards. All Ariadne had to provide was financial security.
Lucien and Ariadne spent several more minutes drinking in the details of the cathedral’s architecture before Lucien decided they had enough and went to the nearest park for some fresh air. Once at the park, Ariadne could see the sky again and feel the Mediterranean wind splashing against her face. Ariadne admired the impeccable companionship of Lucien and his exceptionally humanitarian traits. She finally decided to come clean with Lucien Valier, a few hours before leaving for home. She confessed her love for Lucien and declared her devotion to little Eugenia’s musical education. She was
not just attracted to Lucien’s physical attributes but drawn by his disarming charm and scintillating grace. With the evening grass and a drunken moon as her witness Ariadne confessed to Lucien how much she loved the evening and the people she was with. She narrated to Lucien her struggles while growing up and stated how she had always hated men and kept them at a distance. The more Ariadne tried to disarm Lucien with her feminine dominance, the more Lucien smiled and succumbed to her affection. Lucien was the first guy Ariadne ever fell in love with properly and wanted him to spend the rest of his life beside her, switching suns between Paris and Arizona
II
A week passed by since Ariadne returned to Arizona. She missed France more than ever now that she was back and would narrate stories about its people and places whenever she got the chance. Before leaving France, Ariadne went through the elaborate documents that transferred the right to ownership of her grandmother’s property to her. The first thing that she did after getting her right to ownership of the house was get a harpsichord for the music room. Everything she did, she did thinking of her immediate future, her family and her child. Ariadne ‘Alice’ Silver loved dreaming about the Wonderland and the Hatter. She loved spending hours at an end over Skype sessions, sometimes selecting a dress for Eugenia, sometimes simply talking to her about sundry issues. She called Eugenia every day and kept herself updated about her wants and needs. After all, Eugenia was going through a tough time in school and required another woman’s advice. Ariadne was glad Eugenia came into her life as a blossoming school girl. She witnessed the growth and gradual development of a young school girl into a woman. She had to go through her transformation all on her own, on the streets, from one customer’s house to another. Eugenia was the picture of the alternative life that Ariadne had wanted. She did not want Eugenia to feel alone in her struggles. She did not want the little girl to grow up without the support of an adult. She wanted to be by Eugenia’s side every moment of her growing up. For Eugenia, Ariadne wanted to be the person she needed while she was growing up. That little girl gave Ariadne a hope for a different life and allowed her to dream of a family that was not dysfunctional or unhappy. Eugenia struck such chords in Ariadne’s heart that she had no idea existed at all. Ariadne grew up fighting for money and stealing food whenever she could manage. She never got a warm and toasty house with a father and mother and harpsichords. She wanted to live the other side of childhood vicariously through Eugenia. Everything was planned for her. Eugenia would take her music lessons and grow up to join the Berkley College of Music. Ariadne would see to it that Eugenia had every necessity required by a girl in order to grow up like a respectable individual in a society. Ariadne and Lucien’s relationship took a defining turn after their separation from France. Ariadne mostly communicated through letters and e-mails and discovered that she had a lot of things to say to Lucien which would not have been possible in person. She hid behind her letters to confess to Lucien her nameless love for him and his family. She remembered the days she had spent in France and longed to go back again. She had to make sure that this time her relocation to Paris would be absolutely hassle free and permanent. Ariadne had a plan up her sleeves. She was tired of the Arizona sun anyway. Soon after Christmas, the documents for the French version of Ariadne’s spa will be ready and she would be able to set up a new business location there. She already had her grandmother’s house in Salers which would serve as an excellent new home for her. Ariadne had no one to hold on to in Arizona and nothing to fall back upon except her spa. Now that she knew the tricks of the trade and understood her business really well, she did not really need to live in Arizona to run the spas. She could run her chain of spas from Paris itself. As days passed by, Ariadne’s obsession with Paris intensified. She started spending more time on Skype than on her daily chores and spent almost every day of her remaining Arizona days thinking and talking about France.
III
Several months rolled by and it was time for Christmas again. Ariadne ‘Alice’ Silver could not wait to hear from her new family. They had promised to come and visit her during Christmas. Ariadne had everything planned out. She wanted to organnize a treasure hunt for her unnamed daughter Eugenia and as a prize of the treasure hunt, she intended to give Eugenia the gift of a proper musical education. Ariadne knew Lucien would be too proud to accept her money and would never approve of it. However, if the money was to be given to Eugenia, Lucien would not be able to object in any way. The plan was perfect. Before leaving France for good, Ariadne had actually taken a substantial tour of the country and found out a lot about its interesting places and locations. After thorough and careful research, Ariadne found out the best music school that would take Eugenia in as an apprentice and guide her to nurture her voice. Ariadne could hear Eugenia’s gargling guffaw everytime she closed her eyes. Eugenia had learnt to play several classical pieces on her harpsichord and would often serenade Ariadne when they were not doing anything substantial. Ariadne fondly recalled how Lucien was surprised when he got back home to see Eugenia and Ariadne giggling between themselves and popular classic western tune for entertainment. The music school was in Rouen and although it was a bit extravagant, Ariadne knew what was best for her daughter. Alice was finally happy with her Chesire cat.
Two weeks before Christmas, Ariadne received a message from Lucien online. They were finally coming down to Arizona on Christmas Eve. Eugenia could hardly wait and it had been a long time since Ariadne met her Hatter. They lived without seeing each other for a long time and this hiatus in their interaction helped Ariadne and Lucien strengthen their relationship. Although Ariadne was a bit skeptical at first and did not really believe she would be able to have a full fledged long distance relationship with a man, she happily admitted herself to the cares of love and found herself in the middle of a serious, committed relationship with her Skype profile. The cynic in Ariadne was losing itself. She bubbled like a little girl who had just received a surprise basket of chocolates. She had turned into a hopeless romantic who was beginning to view the world with rose tinted glasses. She had never dreamt that the place of her childhood dreams would bring about such a lot of happy changes to her person and her life. It was as if Paris was apologizing to her for beginning the circle of a terrible life that she had to reluctantly lead. It seemed the city was making up to her for all her losses. It was difficult for Ariadne to believe that a man as attractive as Lucien would opt for a long distance relationship with a woman living in remote Arizona. She was almost sure she would stop hearing from Lucien in about a month’s time. But Lucien was a different man, a very different Parisian. He would not even look at another woman after Ariadne came to his life and would always spend his days thinking of getting his newfound family together. Like Ariadne, Lucien had no care for the world and loved to exercise his free will over matters of the heart. He did not go into a depression when Ariadne left or forget her in a week. Lucien worked hard and made a substantial bit of money when Ariadne was away. He looked for a house that might be comfortable for all three of them to move in and made every necessary arrangement to that end. Not a day passed by when Lucien did not wake up in the morning to work towards getting his lover back to France. Ariadne’s French spa location had already been taken care of. Lucien made the necessary arrangements for the purchase of the land and with the help of Ariadne, he even started building the spa. Ariadne wanted to name that spa after her daughter, Eugenia. Christmas time was already round the corner and it was time again for Lucien to get lost in the absurd twinkle of Ariadne’s eyes. Very soon there will be music in his life and happiness on his child’s face when she will be reunited with a mother she never had. Ariadne. There would be harpsichord music, food and fun. Eugenia worked hard on her new rendition of “Silent Night” and could not wait for Ariadne to hear her and appraise her. Everything seemed to be going fine for Christmas.
IV
Two days before Christmas Eve, Ariadne’s house in Arizona went for a massive makeover. The house was modif
ied to make it more convenient for people in wheelchairs. Ariadne installed ramps at several places and modified her entrances. Stone masons were hired to modify the garden, the lawn and some other areas of the house. She cleaned her guestroom immaculately and transformed it into a music room. The first instrument that Ariadne got for the living room was a harpsichord. For her bedroom, she got silky red curtains and ornate French lamps. French design and décor reminded her of Lucien and his continental charms. While she knew she would be no match for a Parisian man’s sense of aesthetics, she wanted to make the house as comfortable for her new family as she could. In order to make Christmas dinner more personal, Ariadne gleaned though cookbooks and cooking shows with an aim to prepare the Christmas dinner on her own. After the initial changes had been made to the house, a staff meeting was announced where Ariadne decided to mention her plans for the new spa and hoped to get inputs from her team. She would need a few of her absolutely trusted employees to take over in France or at least go there for the training period set for new employees. Ariadne made it very clear to her employees that she wanted to set up a state-of-the-art spa service in France but she wanted the service to be all-American. Although she was in love with France and the French culture, she could not abandon her identity. She wanted to tell the world what true American service really felt like. The luncheon meeting over business strategies proved to be a long one. Ariadne wanted to make sure that the best and capable business minds of America joined her in France. She noticed the expression of chagrin and disappointment on her employees’ face when she told them about her plans of settling in France. They were bound by a code of professional conduct and therefore could not say much to Ariadne about her decision to move from Arizona but she could tell that her employees were not happy. The delightful luncheon of deli meat and wraps had to come to a dismal end with Ariadne’s announcement of relocation. She chose a senior manager to take her place in America and run the local branches efficiently. Ariadne went over through the final details of the services they were supposed to provide in the new spa. Since they were naming it after Eugenia, Ariadne thought it would make sense to incorporate body massages and other therapeutic services that help the body to rejuvenate and can benefit people with physical handicaps. Ariadne wanted her French spa to be a tribute to Eugenia and Lucien, a tribute to serendipity. She could not wait for the days to pass by. Christmas Eve was finally nigh.
The Love I Never Knew: Contemporary Romance Mystery (Ariadne Silver Romance Mystery #1) Page 5