“Karyn.” (Karyn.)
Karyn heard the voice coming from one of the rooms to the right of the dressing room where she had spent most of the night. At first, she thought it was Jon, but even Jon’s voice did not sound that much like a woman’s, no matter how much she teased him about it.
“Karyn, par ici.” (Karyn, over here.)
This time, she saw the face attached to the voice. It was the woman she thought was called Lucienne. She had danced beside her onstage earlier that night.
I still can hardly believe I was dancing on a theatre stage in front of a packed audience, Karyn thought as she walked towards the voice.
“Je sais que tu as dit que, pour le moment, tu voulais que nous restions simplement amies, mais il fallait que je m’assure que tu allais bien après que cette étrangère t’a bousculée tout à l’heure.”
(I know you said that, for the moment, you wanted us simply to remain friends, but I had to make sure you were all right after that foreign woman bumped into you earlier.) Lucienne spoke as Karyn reached the doorway.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re saying,” Karyn tried to tell the French woman standing in front of her.
“Tu ne peux pas savoir combien il m’a été difficile de faire semblant de ne pas m’inquiéter pour toi tout à l’heure. Tu avais l’air si perdue, assise dans la loge. Même lorsque je t’aidais à enfiler ton costume, avec Claudette tout près, j’étais certaine qu’elle avait deviné que nous étions plus que de simples collègues… ou du moins que nous l’avions été.”
(You cannot know how difficult it was for me to pretend that I was not worried about you earlier. You looked so lost sitting in the dressing room. Even when I was helping you put on your costume, with Claudette nearby, I was certain she had guessed that we were more than mere colleagues… or at least that we once had been.)
“I really have no idea what you’re saying. I need to get back to the office. I need to speak to Madeleine,” Karyn replied.
“Je vais te raccompagner, mais d’abord… un baiser, en souvenir du bon vieux temps ?”
(I will walk back with you, but first… a kiss, for old times’ sake?)
“I need to get back to the—”
Before Karyn could finish, Lucienne leaned forward and kissed her, apparently taking Karyn’s uncertain nod as a sign of agreement.
How did I manage to get myself into this one? Still, she isn’t a bad kisser, Karyn thought as the French woman kissed her.
A very good kisser.
A very good kisser, Karyn thought again as Lucienne finally broke the kiss.
“Je n’aurais pas dû faire cela. Pardonne-moi. Je ne recommencerai plus, je te le promets. Mais tes baisers sont toujours aussi délicieux qu’autrefois. Je ferais mieux de te ramener au bureau. Madeleine va bientôt envoyer tout le théâtre à ta recherche. Elle a dit à Yvette qu’elle veillait sur toi, et Yvette me l’a répété. Tu sais que nous pouvons lui faire confiance. Elle n’a jamais rien dit à personne lorsque nous étions ensemble, et je doute qu’elle dise quoi que ce soit maintenant que nous ne le sommes plus.”
I should not have done that. Forgive me. I will not do it again, I promise. But your kisses are still as delightful as they were before. I had better take you back to the office. Madeleine will soon be sending the whole theatre out to look for you. She told Yvette that she was looking after you, and Yvette repeated it to me. You know we can trust her. She never said anything to anyone when we were together, and I doubt she will say anything now that we are no longer together.)
Lucienne told the shell-shocked young woman in front of her as they set off towards Madeleine’s office.
She really is a very good kisser. I know the French are rather freer with their emotions than we Americans are, but that felt like something more than two friends kissing. At least she’s walking me back to Madeleine’s office—not that I was lost in the first place. But she really is a very good kisser, Karyn thought as the two women walked along the corridor towards the office.
