Chapter Thirteen #2
A fit of anger took over me, followed by a sudden inspiration, and I rushed to the stash of paint cans we’d salvaged during a recent clean-out of the stables.
Picking out the colors I needed, I schlepped the cans to Marius’s bedroom.
A second trip secured me brushes and a roller, and in no time, I’d coated the corner wall in off-white paint.
Then I cleaned my hands and dashed to the library for one of my father’s art books.
“Lunchtime,” Bene called from downstairs.
I wasn’t hungry, but the paint needed to dry, so I opened every window and joined Bene and Roux for a sandwich.
Afterward, I hurried back upstairs with a pencil.
I studied the art book for a while, then began to outline on the wall.
Four lumps to the right and a row of inverted V shapes on the left.
I blocked out areas for each of the key figures, then double- and triple-checked that everything balanced.
“Dinner,” Bene hollered, though I could have sworn no more than an hour had passed.
But, oh. It was a growing dark outside, and hmm. Was that my stomach rumbling?
“Mina,” Bene called impatiently. He even rang the service bell only Madame Picard was allowed to use.
“Go ahead without me,” I called.
That became a familiar refrain over the next few days. I sweated over renovations all day, then awarded myself an hour to work on my painting before dinner. Sometimes, I worked straight through dinner. I was that driven to complete the one thing in my control.
Bene and Roux started bringing meals up to me. During lunch on the fourth day, they pulled out a couple of chairs and sat facing the wall as if it were a wide-screen TV.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Watching.” Roux balanced a plate piled with food on his lap.
“This is about as interesting as watching paint dry,” I said. “Literally.”
Bene spoke through a mouthful of food. “Sadly, that’s still more interesting than anything else going on here.” He looked on for another minute, then murmured, “It’s kind of like watching a really, really slow movie. One of those French ones that makes no sense.”
Roux shook his head. “It’s beautiful.”
Was it? I stepped off the ladder I’d used to reach the top section for a better look.
And, wow. It was beautiful, now that I was close to finishing.
Four blue horses stood in a tight stack, swishing their tails. They all gazed left over a row of mountains and to the real view outside the window.
“What is it?” Bene asked.
To my surprise, Roux beat me to it. “Franz Marc. The Tower of Blue Horses.”
Wow. Either he knew his art, or he’d been talking to Marius. I certainly hadn’t mentioned it.
Bene shook his head. “Nah. This one’s by Mina.” He peeked at the original in my father’s art book, then nodded firmly. “And it’s way better than that one.”
Not by a long shot, but I appreciated the sentiment.
Bene set his plate aside and leafed through a few pages of the book, then tilted it toward Roux. “Oh, look. A tiger.” Then he continued through the pages, murmuring as he went. “Horse…horse…mule…monkey… Boy, this guy really liked animals.”
Roux held out the plate he’d brought for me, and I grabbed a sandwich.
“More horses…” Bene continued. “A dog…a deer…” He reached the end of the book and looked up in disappointment. “Not a single lion?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he painted any.”
Bene shook his head in disbelief. “The man paints every animal on Noah’s Ark but skips the king of the jungle?”
I decided not to comment.
He continued looking through the book, then tapped on a photo. “Most of these paintings are upbeat, but this one is a little scary.”
I looked at The Wolves. “Franz Marc painted it on the eve of World War I.”
Roux’s eyes took on a distant look, and I wondered what combat zone — or zones — he’d served in before leaving the military.
“Well, I like yours better.” Bene thumped the book down.
“Me too,” Roux murmured.
“Oh! You could do the whole room.” Bene lit up, delighted with his own idea. “Monkey over there. Deer over there. And a big lion, right there.” He gestured to the most prominent wall in the room.
“What about a tiger?” Roux protested.
Bene shrugged. “Maybe over by the closet.”
I hid a laugh, then sobered, wondering how to paint a dragon in the style of Franz Marc, and whether I had the heart to try it.
“Seriously. You want to rent these rooms out, right?” Bene continued. “And since boring old chateaux are a dime a dozen—”
I nearly choked on my sandwich. Boring?
“—you need to stand out.” Bene waved around. “With an art theme, for instance.”
“Not a bad idea,” Roux admitted.
“It’s a great idea,” Bene declared. “We could have a Frank Marc room…”
“Franz,” I corrected.
“Whatever.” Bene breezed on. “A water lily room by whatshisname…”
“Monet,” I murmured.
“A Van Gogh room,” Roux chimed in. “Didn’t he paint his bedroom in Arles? You could decorate in the same style.”
Wow. He really did know his art. And, double wow. What a cool idea.
“We could fix up the bathrooms the same way…” Bene continued.
“We’d have to decorate the entrance too,” Roux mused.
“And clean up the garden. Oh, and the hedge maze.” Bene’s eyes lit up. “Can we clean up the maze?”
I laughed, because he’d been fixated on that maze from day one.
“That’s phase four of the project,” I said, trying to slow him down.
“We should move it to phase one,” he declared.
Roux shook his head. “Plumbing and wiring come first.”
Bene snorted. “Do you know anything about wiring, man?”
Roux made a face. “How hard can it be?”
That spun off into a whole new argument. I followed with amusement until it hit me. There would be no we. Soon, it would just be me.
And just in case my heart hadn’t crashed low enough yet, Roux’s phone rang.
He frowned and answered. “All??” His frown deepened, and his amber eyes cautiously met mine. “Oh. Hello, Gordon.”
Bene and I froze.
Roux winced. “You want us in Paris? Tomorrow?”
My stupid hopes crumbled, because us meant them, not me, and one more mission meant one more rift dividing our little community. Worse, one more chasm between Marius and me.
Roux’s eyebrows popped up at whatever Gordon said next, and he stared at me. “You’d like Mina to come too?”
My heart thudded. Was it about Marius? The painting?
“Yes, I’ll check with her.” Roux looked at me.
The guys didn’t check orders from Gordon. They were supposed to follow them to the letter, no questions asked.
But check Roux did, giving me an out if I needed.
I found myself asking why I had ever considered evicting him or Bene.
Slowly, I nodded.
Roux waited a long time, willing me to rethink that.
I nodded again, more firmly.
He didn’t look happy, but he relayed the message to Gordon. “Yes, sir. She says she’s available.”
More like at his beck and call. But if it meant seeing Marius — or getting another look at the painting — I was in.
Roux listened briefly, then nodded. “Yes, sir. Noon tomorrow, at your office. We’ll be there.”