Detente

Thanks to Astra for the pic.

Author’s Note: My thanks to Thyme for her beta help with this story, and Astra Plain for the loan of her delightful original characters, Cora and Matilde.

 

***



“Matilde, look! Over there! That’s him, isn’t it?” Cora excitedly grabbed her friend’s arm and turned her forcibly in the correct direction

Somewhat reluctantly, Cora allowed her attention to be diverted away from what had been a rapt perusal of the case holding the rich pastries.

“Who, Cora dear? I don’t see anyone...oooohhh!” Her voice rising as her gaze fell upon the slim, well dressed figure of one Count Ray Balzac Courland, Matilde’s hand also rose to pat her coiffure nervously. She wished she could check on her dresser’s slight...very slight...application of rouge and lip color as it was such a warm day she feared she might not look quite as fresh as she had when she left that artist’s hands, but there was no mirror handy and the very handsome Court Balzac was mere yards away. But to whom was he speaking?

“Who is that odd man with him?” she hissed to her friend in what she fondly imagined to be a whisper.

“I have no idea. It certainly isn’t young Rochefort. He always dresses like such a gentleman and that man, although he is blond, has none of the look of true nobility that characterizes dear Florian.” Cora stared quite openly at the lanky blond man who’d commandeered the chair opposite their dear Count Courland, which unfortunately made it impossible for them to join him, the café tables being quite small in this establishment. Three to a table would have been a trifle crowded but the ladies were willing to make allowances for friendship. (And neither one would have given ground to the other). But to try to sit four at one of the smaller tables such as Count Courland had chosen would be simply impossible. The dowagers looked over in high dudgeon at the unwitting Solomon Sugar.

“Well! You know I never pay any attention to gossip, dear,” Matilde began...

“Nor I,” Cora continued, “but it seems a trifle odd....”

“To see our dear Count Courland speaking....”

“In such an animated fashion....”

“To such a strange...

“Disreputable...”

“Looking man as that one.”
“Why, he is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up,” Cora finished.

Matilde looked at her friend in astonishment. “Why Cora, you took the words right out of my mouth!”

“It’s what anyone would say to look at him,” Cora said modestly. The ladies decided the moment called for a pastry and adjourned to a nearby table to order tea and continue their observations of the two men. Not that they were given to prying into other’s business of course, but young Florian was such a nice boy and one should always look for an opportunity to be of assistance to one’s friends, well, acquaintance, actually, even those one has met and would like to get to know well enough to be called well acquainted with, when the other person is particularly well-born. Having discussed this fine point to their mutual satisfaction, the ladies turned their attention to the selection of their pastries and were diverted from the two men for a time.

They would have been surprised had the gentlemen’s conversation been as easy to overhear as their own, as the seemingly unfriendly nature of it would have made them wonder why the men were sharing a table in the first place.

“So, former Detective Sugar, and now unemployed Solomon Sugar, may I assume from your joining me that you are in need of someone buying you lunch? I will be happy to oblige if it does not mean that by doing so I must necessarily subject myself to your company while you eat it.” Ray gave Sugar a half smile and extinguished his cigar.

“Ray, a man could become insecure listening to you. Fortunately, I have a strong self esteem and can take your abuse.”

“You certainly have delusions of adequacy, I’ll grant you that.” Ray lifted his hand and signaled for the waiter to come over and take Solomon’s order. He only requested more coffee for himself.

The ladies’ commentary, which had been conducted in loud stage whispers, caused both men to grin.

“I guess I do owe you lunch for saving me from that invasion,” Ray admitted ruefully.

“Who are those two?” Since he actually was a very good detective, Sugar had no trouble shifting slightly in his seat and observing the ladies without them realizing he was looking, but he didn’t recognize either one.

“The wives of minor diplomats. They are well traveled, well connected and fairly well off. Florian and I run into them fairly frequently. We saw them in Brussels a few months ago. They are quite a pair. They remind me of you, in a way.”

“How so?” Solomon’s curiosity was piqued. He could see nothing in the middled-aged society ladies to remind Noir of himself. The impish light in the emerald eyes should have warned him.
“Oh, you know,” Ray drawled, leaning back and raising the fine porcelain cup to his lips. “Some cause happiness wherever they go...others, whenever they go.”

Solomon blinked, then his delighted laughter rang out. “I see that fine gems are not the only things you steal. You are not above stealing the witticisms of others either, my dear Noir! And here I thought I should stay close to you today because a certain society woman was known to be in the habit of sporting a fine stone in this district when she shopped. Instead, the pleasure of your company alone makes the effort worthwhile. And after all, one can not fault a man for taking tea in a charming outdoor café such as this rather than his own home once in a while, can one?”

“Not if one has ever had Laila’s cooking, one can’t,” Ray agreed affably, ignoring Sugar’s provocative use of the name “Noir.” “Would you like to order more scones? I am waiting for Florian, actually, and he isn’t due for another half hour at least. He’s in the library and he’s capable of losing all track of time once he gets that fine aristocratic nose of his in a book. I’m not usually one for sweets but he assures me the scones in this establishment are excellent.”

“Ah, I had wondered where young Rochefort was....”

At that moment, the two men were interrupted by the ladies, who had gathered up enough nerve to approach.

“Helllooooo, dear Count Courland,” trilled Matilde. “I do apologize for interrupting you and your friend....” She looked inquiringly at Sugar.

The two men stood and Ray introduced the ladies to the detective.

“Oh my, a detective! You must make so many enemies in such a dangerous job!” Cora exclaimed, wide-eyed.

“Oh, our Detective Sugar has no enemies, but trust me, he is intensely disliked by all of his friends,” Ray assured her. Cora was stymied by the response and stood with her mouth open.

“Well, I think it must be exciting, nonetheless,” Matilde persevered. “All that murder and mayhem you must deal with every day as a detective!”

As Ray hid a laugh behind his hand, Solomon answered blandly, “I must confess that while I have never killed a man, I have read many an obituary with great pleasure.”

“Oh my,” Cora replied faintly. She looked at Solomon with a certain morbid fascination.

“I know you will excuse us, ladies, but Detective Sugar and I must conduct some business in private; although I would prefer to continue this delightful discussion with two such lovely ladies as yourselves, duty calls,” Ray said smoothly. Just then, his eyes lit up as he saw a man approaching. “And here is Florian, come to join us so we will be leaving now and completing our meeting back at the mansion, Detective Sugar.”

Florian, his arms laden with books, looked at the ill-matched quartet in confusion, but didn’t question Ray. He merely smiled politely as he greeted the ladies and Solomon pleasantly, allowing the latter to assist him with the books.

As soon as they managed to shake the ladies, and the three men were strolling down the street, Solomon and Ray started laughing, causing Florian to stare at them reprovingly.

“You shouldn’t be so unkind to the ladies, Ray. They are quite fond of you.”

“And you shouldn’t encourage them,” Ray told him. “They’re not only dull; they’re the cause of dullness in others.”

“Is that what it was?” Solomon asked. “I saw this strange pall coming over you as you sat there but wasn’t quite sure of the cause.”

“Very funny, Sugar. Don’t think because I let you hang around me one afternoon that we are now best friends. It was merely a case of the devil or the deep blue sea.....which, come to think of it, last time I chose the deep blue sea over you, didn’t I?”

“Amusing, Noir.”

Again Ray ignored the detective’s use of his nickname and they continued to walk along in companionable silence for a few minutes. Florian enjoyed the fact that for once, the other two men didn’t seem to be fighting. Solomon had an odd smile on his face as he waited for a certain bit of information to eventually reach his black cat’s consciousness. He trusted that it wouldn’t take long, just as he fully trusted that Noir had not simply been waiting innocently in that café for Florian to finish in the library. Sugar had seen something that he was fairly sure Noir had missed as a result of the ladies’ interruption.

As they entered the front hall of the Courland Mansion, Laila came skidding in from the study.

“Well, did you see her? When I gave you the signal that we agreed to? She was there today finally and I pointed her out with the scarf dropping and....oh, hi, Sugar.”

Ray looked between Laila and Solomon, and Florian looked between Laila and Ray. Solomon just smiled and looked up at the ceiling, his hands in his pockets.

Florian sighed and asked, “Would anyone like some tea and scones?”

 

***
 


"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."

-- Paul Keating

"He had delusions of adequacy."

-- Walter Kerr

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."

-- Oscar Wilde

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."

-Oscar Wilde

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with
great pleasure."

-- Clarence Darrow

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."

-- Samuel Johnson

 

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