Chapter 14
Cannes sprawled, white and passive, breathless beneath the punishment of daylong sunshine and an almost unbearable humidity.
For two days the heat continued.
On the third day there came the blissful relief of a violent and drenching thunderstorm.
The strong sap surged. It revitalised trees, flowers, shrubs... and people.
In her boudoir, her naked body clad only in a single, flowing dressing-gown of diaphonous nylon, the baroness sat at a nile-green telephone. She was speaking, longdistance, to Herman von Wildersee, at Hermann's chateau in the lovely Chateauncuf country.
"So? Then when do I expect you?" came Von Wildersee's voice, cultured and beautifully modulated, over the wires.
"That," replied the baroness, "is what I want to discuss with you, darling."
"Discuss? You're at Cannes-you can leave at once, can't you?"
"I expect we could. But, Hermann-I don't know whether we should."
Von Wildersee caught the hesitancy in her voice.
"Woman!" he exploded. "You're up to your damned tricks again!"
Lillian's laughter rippled over the wires.
"But, Hermann-these people are so irresistible I"
"Irresistible-nonsense! Tell mc, Lillian-just whom are you bringing along with you? What witches' brew this time?"
"Well-let's sec. There's Heine-"
"Heine, of course!" snorted Von Wildersee, impatiently. "But who else? Carotti and Felicity, and the two Kandis-these I know about. And that pair of queers-what're their names again? Reginaldo and Leslie-Leslie Haines? That right?"
"They're aboard. But Hermann-don't tell me you're going to protest against them again! Why, they're two perfectly charming boys, and 1 adore them."
"I suppose they are. But I can't stand their bloody effeminacy."
"Then there's Hildegarde and Elaine..."
"Wonderful, Lillian! Good God-where did you run across them? 1 thought they were in Hamburg all this time!"
"In Rome. I knew you'd like them to be along." "I'm delighted. Who else?"
"Then there's a couple you haven't met yet. Hollanders. Thys and Alouetta van Grondwijk. I met them in Buenos Aires three years ago, and I asked them to meet us here, in Cannes. You'll love them-sort of a white counterpart, each of them, of the two Kandis."
"Those four'll be a lot of people. Anyhow-go on."
"Then there are some air-crew that you also don't know yet. Capt. Jackson Willoughby-and two hos tesses. One's black. Both are Americans-Rhoda Langtry and Thespie Jones." t
"That the lot? I'm not the Negresco out here, you know..."
"You'll have room! With the driver and the couriertwo wonderful recruits, incidentally-we're just nineteen of us. Oh yes-two I forgot to tell you about..."
"Do I know them?"
"I don't think you do. You may have heard Irmgaard speak of them, though, in Copenhagen. One's a Polynesian, Anaka-Lee. She's a nympho. But she's utterly adorable-and with her is a tall, gangling South Sea Islander doctor called Shane McGarrity. Rich as Midas, but quite lovable, I promise you."
"Irmgaard did tell me of them. Where did you meet these two?"
"At Irmgaard's, last summer. Not long enough to get to know them-but they seemed most keen to come along whan I phoned them for this junket."
"So. There'll be nineteen. What's holding you up, then?"
"Patience, Hermann! I told you-I'm just experiment ing...
"Lillian!" shouted Von Wildersee. "You stop thatyou hear me? That bloody experimenting of yours. You've ruined more set-ups all over Europe than anybody else I could name!"
"Why? When it's so fascinating, Hermann?" The baroness chuckled. "People!-they interest me, so much! They come together, then stay together for years, some times-and everybody gets to accept it as being so. Even the people themselves get to accept it. Then pouf! Just bring one face to face with another-and it's all off!"
"But that's just my point-why not let them stay together? If-they're happy, that is?"
"But are they, Hermann? Happy, I mean."
"Weil, damn it-you can see they are!"
"I don't believe it. They just kid themselves. Deep down, you find they're not really happy."
"So why do you always have to come along and prove they're not?"
"Because that's the fun I get out of life, silly!"
"You interfere too much. One day you'll get your prying nose into a snoutful of teeth-mark my words."
"Because I upset arrangements that aren't ideal anyway?
"Who asked you to be a judge?"
"Nobody. I just try to be helpful. Take Dino Carotti and Felicity, for example..."
"Christ, Lillian-this is too much. You haven't gone and split that atom now-have you?"
"Not split, Hermann. They'll split, by themselves. I've just showed them why-shall we put it that way?"
"But they've been together for years...!"
"Too long. It was getting too long--for both of them."
"Oh, God! This is too much. Tell me all..."
"Well, you know Felicity and her crazy attitude to whipping. So-two nights ago, Thys and Alouetta took ore of her. Whipping is a specialty of theirs. And Felicity hasn't been the same girl since, except improved a hundred times, that's all. Every ounce of selfishness is out of her now. She's human again."
"That I'm glad to hear," said Hermann.
"She needed it," said the baroness.
"And how she did. And Carotti-how's she reacted?"
"Beautifully. Hasn't said a word. I can give him all the comfort be needs-so, for that matter, can a few others. But his work was beginning to suffer, Hermann. Felicity was too demanding, too cloying, for him. Only, like most people, he was too blind to see it."
"Well, I haven't any objections-on that score."
"And that's not all. I think I've even managed to straighten out this thing between Heine and myself..-"
"To whose advantage?"
"To his-I think. Something about him-I can only guess what it was-seems to have jelled with this Polynesian doll Anaka-Lee. For the two of them it's nothing but starry-eyes the las*, mo days."
"But Anaka-Lee? Didn't you say she was the nympho? She'll eat him up like a spider eats its mate, surely?"
"Nothing eats Heine up," said the baroness. "He's steel and gunmetal all the way through, that Heine."
"Watch it, all the same."
"Another thing, Hermann-I might have ironed out the trouble for you this time with 'those queers', as you call them. You see, Leslie and Elaine look to me as though they're about to start something."
Von Wildersee gasped. This diabolical woman! What about Reginaldo's reaction? And how was the amazonian Hildegarde taking it?
The baroness laughed.
"Don't worry, Hermann! Reginaldo's got more offers of consolation than he can ever handle. There isn't a queer in Europe who wouldn't throw over bis whole world for Reggie!"
"And Hildegarde?"
"It's funny about Hildegarde. You know, quite frankly, I think that one's had enough. Deep down, I don't think she's ever been a real lesbian. I can't help getting the impression she took to it-well, because she's too much for most of her men. Maybe she thought women would be less trouble than her continual disappointment in her men shying off because of her size." "You may be right, there."
"So you see-things aren't quite so complicated after all," said the baroness.
"So who's making with la Hildegarde now?"
"Or. McGarrity, it looks like. He's another who was fed, up, though I doubt he'd ever have admitted it. A nympho can be pretty enervating, you know-even one so superb as Anaka-Lee."
"Well, it looks as though you've got things all shook up. Never mind that-when do I expect you?"
"Look, Hermann-give me another day. I'll be honest with you: I don't really understand, yet, what's going on. Let's all have another one day to settle down-and we'll move on after that. It's Tuesday today. We'll start rolling early on Thursday. See you Thursday evening, then?"
"Fine, Lillian. Don't be later-I'm looking forward to this."
"You won't be disappointed. They'll be good for youthese people..."
The baroness, regal and statuesque beneath her transparent draperies, moved over to a side table where there was liquor, fresh orange juice, ice and syphons. She had poured, and was halfway through a meditative glass of ice-cold orange juice when Carotti entered her room.
She motioned toward the refreshment table. He poured a Scotch, tinkled ice-cubes into the golden liquor, and splashed soda from a syphon.
The baroness thought she had never seen him look so well. He was relaxed, bronzed, fit. He sprawled, long legs elegant in grey flannels, deep into an armchair.
"The sun's done you good, Dino," she observed.
"The sun. Or something. God, Lillian-I've never felt to wonderful,"
There was a long pause between mem. It was the pause of friends who, sure of their friendship, do not seek to mar that friendship with meaningless chatter.
"When do we move on?" he asked, at length.
"Day after tomorrow."
"Suits me fine. Just wanted to know."
"Getting restless?"
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Well-ideas," he said. "Ideas. They keep coming. I've never had it so good. That Arthur Rank deal, over in London. I've been funking it. But I fed I could start any day now. It's a good book, Lillian. It could be a great movie..."
He paused again, a long time. Then he said, reflectively: "...and there's another great movie coming up."
Lillian smiled. She was in no mood to discuss Dino's career. She stood up, crossed to the refreshment table, and set down her glass.
She began, slowly and with infinite provocation, to undo the row of buttons down the front of her gown. As each button was undone, more and more of her opulent, exquisite body was uncovered. The widening revealed the delicious curves of her lush womanhoodthe shadow, dark and provocative, beneath her breasts, the swelling curve of her womanbelly, the great pubis triangling down into the mysterious and exciting cunt.
Fascinated, Dino watched. In his loins he could feel the rising of desire, and, impelled by a force beyond his power to control, he began to undress. Redly, his great cock jutted out and up from his underbelly.
The baroness reached for it, entranced, laving it in its own juices, pulling him gently, inexorably, towards her as she glided backwards to her boudoir. Sighing, Dino collapsed on the bed with her...
Long into the night, they alternated sleep and the frenzy of sex.
The next morning, the baroness's menstrual period had begun. Unceremoniously, in the instant of her discovery, she woke Carotti and thrust him from her.
She now lay, luxuriating the blissful languour of earlymorning randiness. Still as death she lay, eyes closedher whole being was in the grip of sex. One after another, she conjured up her succession of previous lovers, and the exploits of those who had so wildly, so deliciously, brought her to orgasm.
Finally she could stand it no longer. She opened her eyes and reached for a bell-push at her bedside. When the chambermaid appeared, she said: "Be so good as to call at Room 472-Mr. Lavoipierre. Tell him I should like him to call on me, immediately. There is some thing I have to discuss with htm."