La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower (16 page)

“Oh, I doubt it,” Zack was quick to reply. “I’m not even sure she’s in Paris. I’m just going there to check it out again.”

Greg was impatient. “Well, keep trying. I’m paying you good money, and I want results!”

Zack had all he could do to maintain his calm. He wanted to reach right through the phone and wring Greg’s neck. “I’m doing my best,” he told him. “I’ll let you know where I’ll be staying.”

He hung up before he was tempted to say something he might be sorry for. He went immediately to the upper deck to report to Peter, and was relieved to see that Hildy was back safe and sound from her walk with Jay.

CHAPTER XXII
 

The filming in this part of the country was finished, and the cruise was almost over.

Greg was busy rewriting his musical. Or so he told Jay. Each morning he waited till Jay left, then continued his search for Hilary. He was relieved when Jay told him he was going to return to Paris with Hildy. And he was even more relieved when Jay said he was going to Scotland to see his folks and taking Hildy with him. This would give him more free time to pursue Hilary, not having to answer to anyone, or lie about what he was doing. But Jay surprised him with a suggestion that threatened to ruin his plans.

“Greg, I’m counting on you to return to New York and oversee the progress of ‘Sunny Days’ while I’m in Scotland. We have enough material and pictures, and paintings of Andre’s, for you to take with you. I’ll feel better while I’m away knowing you’re back there managing things.”

At first Greg didn’t know what to say. “Well - I - I still have some rewriting to work on,” he protested.

Jay was surprised. “How much more is there to do? Can’t you do it on the plane?”

Greg decided the best thing to do was to pretend to go along with what Jay requested. Let him think I’m in New York. Hopefully I’ll have found Hilary by then and taken care of her. “Sure, Jay,” he agreed. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Jay packed his suitcase and left the inn to join Hildy on La Litote.

Greg was up to his old tricks. How he wished he could claim “La Fleur Rouge” as his own! What he had seen of it impressed him deeply. It wouldn’t be the first musical already in production that he had claimed title to. If he could just study it more thoroughly and get a complete copy of the script, he might be able to convince Jay that Hildy stole it from him. Between that and his obsessive search for Hilary, he could think of little else.

As he sat there pondering, it suddenly came to him who it was that Hildy reminded him of - Hilary! She looks a lot like her except for her dark hair. She even sounds like her. Only Hilary doesn’t have an accent. If it weren’t for these differences, she could be Hilary’s sister.

He dismissed the idea. Hilary has no family. No, there’s no connection between Hildy and Hilary. Hildy has a lot more spunk than meek, naive, stupid Hilary. But this reminder made him all the more determined to find her.

Why hasn’t Dan called me again? he fumed. He should have found her by now!

* * *

Hildy was elated when Jay suggested that he accompany her back to Paris. She welcomed him with open arms when he boarded the barge. She was experiencing a happiness that for a long time she had believed was impossible.

Her deep feelings for Jay now completely overshadowed the bitterness she had felt toward him. She no longer blamed him for not knowing how deceitful and dishonest Greg was. It’s not Jay’s fault, she thought, excusing him. It would be a shock when he found out, just as it was to her, and she felt great compassion for what she knew he would go through.

Uppermost in her thought now was the fact that she loved him with all her heart. All resistance was gone. Her feelings for him were too strong to fight any longer. But how would he react when he found out the truth? Could he forgive her for not telling him the whole story, and for her disguise? Would he understand why she couldn’t tell him who she really was? With a shrug she brushed it aside. I’ll worry about it later. The time isn’t right yet.

She waited eagerly for Jay to get settled and join her on the upper deck. Together they watched as the crew untied the ropes in preparation for sailing down the crystal clear canal. They would soon be on their way back to the town of Burgundy where they would board the train for Paris.

They stood by the railing as the barge pulled away from the pier. The air was so fresh that if freshness had a sound, it would be deafening.

It was dusk now. The motion of the barge as it pulled away from the dock caused the rich burgundy wine to stir in their glasses. As they floated down the canal they could see mile after mile of quaint villages, with trails of chapels and little churches famous for baroque art interiors and carved, brightly painted statues. Lights twinkled mystically on the hillsides, like something one would picture in a long forgotten fairy tale or in an unbelievably beautiful dream. Cascades of melted waters tumbled noisily down the mountainsides to lap quietly into pristine lakes. A string of old stone villages - artisan centers for magnificent, colorful pottery - exuded a changeless, provencal flavor. Some of the stones gave off an eerie, blue appearance in the twilight. Vast stretches of vineyard gave way to hill after hill coated with pale lavender. The scene was, indeed, breathtaking, and would remain forever etched in eternity’s memory.

Jay’s arm stole around Hildy’s waist. She shivered with delight. Just his touch sent her senses reeling. What if I had held on to that grudge because of what happened in Boston? she thought. I would never have gotten to know him. She quickly turned away from such unhappy thoughts, not wanting to even dream of such a possibility. Thank God I came to my senses!

The moon came suddenly into view, giving the whole landscape an unreal, ethereal appearance. Jay breathed deeply and tightened his arm around Hildy.

Peter and Jenny stood by the railing, arms around each other, enthralled with what they saw.

The night seemed filled with magic as they watched, barely able to believe this beauty wasn’t just a backdrop in a lavish stage setting.

Jay looked tenderly at Hildy. “Too bad this can’t go on forever,” he whispered.

“It can,” she whispered back. “In here.” She put her head against his heart. She could feel it beating, and she longed to bury herself in his arms. This was nothing like what she had felt for Greg back in Boston. What if I had married him! The very thought repulsed her. She snuggled closer to Jay and breathed a contented sigh.

“Have you spoken to Peter yet about going to Scotland?” Jay asked her.

Hildy had planned to tell him later as a surprise when they reached Paris, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly. Her eyes glowed with happiness. “I spoke to him last night,” she told him. “He said he could handle things here for a couple of weeks without me.” She frowned and turned away. She hadn’t had a chance yet to speak to Zack, and was a little concerned about what his reaction might be.

“What is it, Hildy?” Jay asked.

“Well, I haven’t told Zack yet. I don’t know how he’ll feel about it.”

“You need his permission?” Jay asked, puzzled.

Hildy had come dangerously close to saying too much. “Well,” she stammered, “he did come here to make sure things went smoothly for me. I owe him an explanation.” Then she saw the look of disappointment on his face. “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ll talk to him as soon as we get to Paris. I’m sure it will work out.”

The dinner gong interrupted them, and they reluctantly turned away from this spectacular scenery. All except Andre, the painter that Jay had brought with him. As the others dined, he stayed by his easel, busily capturing the breathtaking beauty of these storybook surroundings. Jay filled a plate with the delicious food offered by the crew and took it over to him.

Andre smiled his thanks and put the plate down to enjoy later. Food at that moment was secondary. This was food for the soul!

After a few more days of sightseeing the barge pulled up to the dock in Burgundy where a bus was waiting to drive the group to the train that would take them back to Paris.

What a trip this had been! Hildy was filled with gratitude as she thought of the awesome scenery captured on film that would enhance her musical. She was deeply indebted to Peter who was doing a magnificent job.

Andre packed his paints, brushes, and easel, while the film crew took care of their camera equipment. They reluctantly said goodbye to the barge and its crew and boarded the bus.

In about twenty minutes they arrived at the train station and made their way into the First Class section to their reserved seats by the picture windows. Jay put his and Hildy’s suitcases in the luggage rack above their seats and sat down beside her.

* * *

Zack sat opposite them, still disturbed, feeling he wasn’t in control. He kept a close watch on Hildy. He was there to protect her, and it was getting increasingly difficult. Jay’s naivete about Greg had him deeply concerned. Although Zack completely trusted Jay, he sometimes forgot that not everyone was blessed with his intuition and ability to size up people. It did seem odd, however, that Jay could work for so many years with Greg and not get some small inkling of what he was really like. Oh, Greg is a charmer, Zack had to admit, but it seemed as though anyone with half a brain should be able to see right through him.

What will Jay think when he finds out that Greg tried to kill Hildy? he wondered. And the fact that Greg would be staying in the same hotel as Hildy when they got back to Paris made him very uneasy. He was grateful Greg hadn’t guessed who Hildy was. But who knew when he might? All this weighed heavily on his mind.

It was plain to him now that Hildy was deeply in love with Jay, and he had no wish to interfere. He was strongly tempted to tell him the whole truth. Jay is no dummy. He knows something odd is going on. I’d feel better if he knew what it was, but would he believe me if I were to tell him? I doubt it. No, he decided. Not yet.

* * *

The reticence on Zack’s part had not gone unnoticed by Jay. What is wrong? he wondered. First Hildy, now Zack. I can’t believe they don’t trust me. I’ve done nothing to deserve that. He was also puzzled by Hildy’s attitude when Greg was around. Why is she so frightened? Did she know him before? If not, what could be scaring her? He pondered this during the whole trip, hoping to find some answers soon.

* * *

The ride from Burgundy to Paris seemed shorter to Hildy than from Paris to Burgundy. Why this was, she didn’t know. I guess when you’ve been somewhere that’s unfamiliar, somehow the return trip doesn’t seem so long. Or maybe it was because she didn’t want it to end.

She turned to Jay. “Why so quiet?”

Jay squeezed her hand. “I was just thinking how glad I am that I decided to go back to Paris with you,” he replied.

Hildy beamed. “So am I.”

It was six o’clock in the evening when they arrived at La Grande Veue Hotel, and they were quite hungry. After agreeing to meet in the lobby, they left to get settled in their rooms. Fifteen minutes later they came down in the elevator together.

As soon as they were seated in the restaurant and had ordered, Hildy turned to Zack. “I need to speak to you privately.”

Zack rose and followed her.

Hildy led him to a secluded corner of the lobby. “Zack,” she said in almost a whisper, “Jay wants me to go to Scotland with him for a couple of weeks. Peter said it’s okay with him if you agree. Jay wants to see his parents, and would like me to meet them. Then he wants to show me around Scotland. I really want to go. It will get me away from Greg. I’m sure he doesn’t know yet who I am, but he’s making me nervous. How do you feel about it?”

Zack’s face lit up with relief. “This may be the solution we need!” he agreed. “I’ve been wondering how to get you away from Greg for a while.”

Hildy threw her arms around his neck. “Oh,” she exclaimed, “thank you! You’ll be here when we get back, won’t you?”

“Count on it! You can’t get rid of me that easily! I don’t feel we should let down our guard for one second whether Greg is here or not.” He put his arm protectively around her shoulders as they headed back to the dining room. “You have a good time,” he told her. “Jay is a fine man. You’ll be safe with him. We’ll be waiting for you when you return. How soon will you be leaving?”

“Jay wants to leave tomorrow,” she replied.

“Good!” said Zack. “The sooner the better. I’m afraid any moment Greg might guess who you are and come running back to Paris. You’ll be safe in Scotland with Jay. Has he told Greg about the trip yet?”

“Yes. Jay said he didn’t seem too surprised.”

“I’d feel better if Greg went back to New York.”

“Jay asked him to go back and take care of things there. He should be leaving right away.”

Zack looked skeptical. “Let’s hope he does.

Hildy shrugged. “With him you never know."

As they reached the entrance to the restaurant, Hildy hesitated.

"What is it?" Zack asked.

"I feel like such a phony wearing my disguise and keeping up the French accent while we're in Scotland. But I can't drop it. Jay would think something was weird, and I can't let him know who I am. Not yet."