Chapter 8
8
PARIS, 1961
For the next few weeks, barely a day went by when Allegra and Etienne weren’t together. As soon as classes were over, they would meet in a park or café and Etienne would take Allegra to see a different painting or piece of art in a new part of town. They walked everywhere, under the increasingly autumnal skies, talking about what they’d seen. At first, Allegra had found the whole art appreciation thing awkward but with Etienne’s encouragement, she began to trust her judgement and grew in confidence when it came to conveying what she felt when looking at whatever was in front of her that day.
But there was still one thing bothering Allegra – Etienne hadn’t tried to kiss her yet.
‘Are you being serious? Not even once? Do you want me to say something?’ Elizabeth asked Allegra one lunchtime between classes, as they lounged on the benches at the bookshop.
‘God no, don’t you dare…’ Allegra clocked the mischievous look in Elizabeth’s eyes.
Her friend laughed. ‘Okay, fine. I won’t, I promise. But it is rather strange. He’s never really been one for taking it slowly.’
‘I don’t think I want to know.’ Allegra couldn’t help but notice the number of girls who seemed to know Etienne, waving or saying hello as they passed them on the street. Most of them had a certain look in their eye, a knowing one at that.
Elizabeth sat up and leant against the window. ‘Are you coming tonight? Luc says the band playing there are one of the best around.’
Since their first visit to the jazz club, Allegra had lost count of how many times they’d been, each time quite different to the last. The music was always intoxicating, the atmosphere one of pure, united joy as people of all ages, colours and walks of life danced together until they could barely stand, spilling back out onto the street in the early hours of the morning.
Which made her classes at college something of a struggle. Allegra had already been called in to see the principal to ask why she’d been absent from class. Ms Miller, the formidable woman who ran the language school, was clearly used to dealing with young American girls who’d just arrived in Paris, miles away from their parents for the first time. She’d given Allegra a stern telling-off and warned her that any more absences would mean having to inform her parents, and neither of them wanted that, did they? Allegra had nodded – and she meant it. The one thing she really didn’t want was to get kicked out and sent back home to her parents. Allegra was absolutely not ready to leave.
‘I’ve got a test tomorrow so I’m going to have to give it a miss tonight. I’m sorry.’
Elizabeth sighed dramatically. ‘Well, it obviously won’t be any fun without you but if you must… what’s your plan after your test tomorrow?’
‘I’m meeting Etienne.’
‘Of course you are.’ Elizabeth winked at her friend.
Allegra blushed.
‘I wish Luc wanted to see me every minute of the day, but he seems far more interested in his stupid student group.’
‘I thought you liked all that stuff?’
‘I do admire it, I suppose. But he’s with them all the time. He’s talking about organising some kind of big protest, not that I’m supposed to know about it.’
‘What about?’
‘No idea. I’m not allowed anywhere near his meetings. I literally get thrown out of the apartment.’ Elizabeth was clearly quite offended by this.
Allegra didn’t like the sound of it. ‘Doesn’t that bother you?’
‘Kind of, but he says it’s for my own protection.’ Elizabeth swiftly changed the subject. ‘So, what are you going to see with Etienne tomorrow?’
‘I never know until we get there.’
‘How romantic!’ Elizabeth clapped her hands with delight.
‘I do love it but to be honest if he doesn’t kiss me soon…’ Her words tailed off. She’d never had to make the first move before and really wasn’t sure how to go about it. Surely it couldn’t be that difficult. But then again, Allegra didn’t want to look like a fool.
The friends parted with promises to catch up at lunchtime the following day and Allegra made her way back to her apartment, deciding to take a longer route and walk along the river before heading south. Browning leaves crunched on the pavement beneath her feet. Paris had a different feel to it now that the warmth of summer had gone but the colours of autumn suited the city beautifully. She had every intention of returning to her room to study but as she headed away from the river down Rue de Varenne back towards her apartment, she passed a stone archway with enormous iron gates. She remembered Etienne telling her about the Musée Rodin, where all the artist’s works were displayed in an old Parisian mansion house where he once lived. And here she was, standing right outside it. Barely a month before, Allegra would’ve walked straight past. Now she wondered if she should spend just an hour in the museum, especially now she wasn’t going out later.
The mansion stood at the far end of a large cobbled courtyard, manicured gardens on either side. Allegra paid for her entrance ticket at a small booth at the top of the stone steps and walked into the museum. With its polished wooden floors and high ceilings, she was surprised to find the sculptures not behind glass but right there in front of her, placed simply on plinths or tables. She made her way slowly through the rooms, each one displaying different sculptural takes on the human form in various materials – clay, stone or bronze – along with sketches and paintings hung on the wall. It took a while for Allegra to notice but the more she studied them, the more she realised some were more erotic in content than she first thought. She moved slowly through the museum, taking her time as she studied the pieces, wondering what the artist was trying to convey with each one. She stepped into the large room at the back overlooking the garden, huge windows flooding it with light. There in the middle of the room sat two stone figures the colour of milk, entwined in each other’s arms. Sunbeams fell across their bodies, throwing shards of light across their smooth curves. Their almost featureless faces were turned towards each other as they kissed. Their intimacy felt impossibly real to Allegra, enough to make her feel she should almost leave them alone. She stepped back and sat on a bench just to the side of the door, wanting to commit the image to her memory so she could take it with her.
It was only when a security guard came and tapped her on the shoulder that Allegra realised the museum had all but emptied out and she was going to be among the last to leave. She walked back through the gate onto the quiet street, the sun now low in the sky. Never in her life had she taken herself off to a museum of any kind and now here she was, wanting to know more about the artist and the stories of the subjects behind his art. Most of all, she couldn’t wait to talk to Etienne about it. Allegra smiled to herself as she walked back to her tiny apartment. Who even was she?
* * *
For once her student digs were quiet. Allegra was relieved; the corridor outside her room was usually like a human highway with people coming and going from each other’s rooms, their voices carrying under her door. But that evening, she seemed to have the place to herself. Allegra’s plan had been to have an early supper in the student dining room, then head back to her room and study for the test. But as she sat at the desk staring at a textbook, her mind was elsewhere. The clock ticked loudly and the hours passed and still Allegra couldn’t focus on what was in front of her. Instead, her mind repeatedly returned to the image of the embracing couple she’d spent so long looking at that afternoon. She loved the way his hand had sat so gently on the top of her thigh, her arm wrapped around his neck as if pulling herself up towards him, urgent yet tender at the same time.
The sudden tap at her window made Allegra jump. She went over and looked down onto the street below to see Elizabeth standing there, waving her arms frantically.
Allegra opened the window and called down. ‘Hey, is everything alright?’
Elizabeth looked down the street one way and then the other before calling up in a loud whisper, ‘It’s Luc.’
‘Wait there, I’m coming down.’ Allegra threw on a jumper and slipped on her shoes. When she opened the front door, Elizabeth darted inside and grabbed Allegra’s arm. ‘He’s been arrested.’ Her voice was shaking.
‘Why? What’s happened?’
Elizabeth wiped tears from her face. ‘I don’t know exactly but you know I said he was organising a protest? Well, it happened earlier this afternoon and the police came and broke it up. They took some of them away in police vans, Luc included. He sent one of his friends to come and find me to tell me. He must think I can help but the only way I can is if I tell my parents. And I just can’t do that.’
‘Is him protesting really so bad?’
Elizabeth sighed. ‘He’s an activist; he opposes the war in Algeria. That’s what this is all about. If my parents knew…’
‘Surely it’s a good thing that he’s standing up for what he believes in, isn’t it?’
Elizabeth lowered her voice. ‘Some of my parents’ friends, other academics, have been sent home because they’ve been accused of sympathising with the wrong side, at least as far as the French government are concerned. They could lose their jobs, and it would all be my fault. He’s been arrested before, but they’ve never held him for this long.’
For the first time since being in Paris, Allegra was suddenly aware of a darker side to the city. ‘What can I do to help?’
‘Come with me to Etienne’s. Maybe he’s heard something.’
Allegra nodded. ‘Wait here, I’ll just get my coat.’