He got off the stool, walked out of the study and opened the window of the living room to go into the garden. What he needed was some cold air to snap out of it.
Ever since he had seen Loreley at the ice rink, he thought of her often and, despite trying to immerse himself in his work, he couldn’t drive her from his mind, the images of her face and its Nordic beauty, and that one time together. On other occasions he had been with a woman for just one night and then had slept peacefully afterwards; why should it be any different with Loreley, he thought, as he heard some quick footsteps.
The housekeeper, a middle-aged woman with a gaunt face, was coming towards him waving a dark grey garment.
"Mr. Marshall, it's cold out here! Put this jacket on," she said as soon as she was close enough to give it to him.
"Thank you, but I'm fine like this."
"You’ll catch something with only a shirt on... and it’s half unbuttoned at that!" She hung the jacket over her arm and did up the top buttons of his shirt.
"Louise, I'm not a child. I know what I'm doing." He stopped her.
A gust of wind lifted a patch of dry leaves from the ground, some of them ending up in the woman's hair, Annoyed, she tried to get them off. "Do you see what the weather’s like? There’ll be a downpour soon! Let me do it." She looked at him determined, with her dark little eyes sunk in their sockets.
Sonny took the jacket off her arm and put it around his shoulders. He knew she wouldn't leave until he was covered. The housekeeper's diligence was sometimes as irritating as a mosquito bite, but she had become fond of him and seemed to have no other way of showing her affection, other than always keeping an eye on him.
When Louise had returned to her chores, Sonny continued his walk along the path which would lead him to the fountain.
"Esther. Waterfalls and fountains fascinate her...” he murmured, his voice betraying the pain he was still feeling.
He shook his head Why keep thinking of that woman? She had made her choice and now she was happy with Hans. That alleviated the heartache of losing her. A bitter smile crossed his lips. He couldn’t lose something he had never had.
"If it weren't for him, though, Esther would be here now, with me, in this house and...”
He chased away those harrowing words with a gesture of his hand. That's enough! He had to divert his attention to something else, or to someone else. For example, to a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes.
Loreley returned to occupy his thoughts, which tumbled around in his mind looking for their logical order. Those images became clear at times, at other times blurry, as they followed the memories of that one night spent with her. He felt the desire to have her there, even just to have a chat, perhaps with a glass of champagne in front of them. But that girl always eluded him, she didn’t seem willing to see him again. Maybe she had repented having given herself to him... and he did not feel at peace with himself.
To hell with it! The only two women he had loved had caused him only trouble and pain, and he had no intention of adding a third.
"Hello, Sonny!" A female voice greeted him from behind.
A small sigh escaped him before he turned around.
"Hello, Lucy. How come you’re around these parts?" Nassau County was a long way from Manhattan.
"What a warm welcome! Don’t be in too much of a hurry to hug me, I don't want you to rumple your clothes. But it doesn’t worry me, and I'll prove it right away..." Without taking her eyes off his face, she waved her hand in the air, as if calling someone's attention.
Sonny looked beyond her shoulders and saw the housekeeper heading towards them with a bottle and two goblets on a tray. He frowned. "I see Louise has been busy down in the cellar."
"Don't be upset. You know I have a certain influence on her." Lucy was the only one who could soften the woman's stiff and edgy character.
"I still don't understand the reason..."
When Louise reached them, Lucy took the champagne. "You can open it," she said, handing it to him.
"Apparently my walk is already over," he said, taking the bottle.
"You're in a bad mood! Louise warned me. And I even got dressed up for you," she said sulkily.
Sonny looked at her. She was wearing a short, elegant blue dress, which followed the generous curves of her breast and sinuous shape of her hips. Her hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck in a soft bun. Lucy was beautiful, yes, but he had known her since she was a small girl, and continued to regard her as his friend Paul's little sister.
"Sorry, I’m feeling out of sorts. If you came all the way here and wanted champagne, you must have a reason. What are we toasting this time?"
"Actually, you’re right." She picked up the goblets and, when Louise had gone, she went on. "Do you remember the audition I had to do in the theatre?"
"Of course I remember. And so?"
"I did it and... they took me!"
He opened his eyes wide, astonished. "I can't believe it!"
"Oh, thank you very much! You really know how to make me feel proud of myself."
"Why don't we stop all this and give ourselves a break?" he snorted.
"I came here to celebrate my new unique work, and I’d like you to be happy for me."
"You told me you’d been studying hard, this time, but I didn't believe you. And instead you’ve shown me that when you want, you know how to be clever. I'm happy for you."
She smiled. "Thank you!"
Sonny poured the champagne into the two goblets that she was holding, then took one himself. "Best wishes for your career in the theatre, then."
The crystal clinked and they drank in silence.
It was Lucy who spoke again. "You know, I was tired of seeing myself with my face paralysed in a smile for hours and hours in front of a camera. Much better to act and have direct contact with people."
"I can't blame you."
She asked him to fill her glass again, drank it in one gulp and handed it back to him.
Sonny watched her drink with gusto and wrinkled his brow.
"I hope you're pacing yourself with alcohol. I've noticed you’ve been getting stuck into it quite a lot lately."
"Don't worry, I don't drink that much. And anyway, I’ll never become like your ex-wife Leen, if that's what you're afraid of. I'm not that desperate."
"Well, I really hope so!"
"As you can see I’m getting on with life, and doing well too; you're the one who's still tied to the past. When are you going to break free from everything that happened to you? Compared to last year you've changed, I must admist, but I hope you’re not diverting your life the wrong way and that it could do you harm."
"What the heck are you saying?" he asked her annoyed.
"There, see? Now I'd like to bite back, but today I feel too happy to want to fight. I'm serious."
"I prefer you as you were a while back, then."
She puffed up her cheeks and blew out the air.
"Listen, do you remember what you told me the night Esther had to leave New York and I accused you of not being in love with her enough, because you resigned yourself to letting her go without putting up a fight?"
Sonny narrowed his eyes and searched his mind for those nefarious hours. It was just before Leen tried to kill him. Lucy had come from behind, bringing him a drink, just as she had done a short time ago.
"No. It doesn't come back to me right now."
"You said to me, "It’s like I have like