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Post by Adrienne on Jul 29, 2009 19:56:13 GMT -5
*It was three days after getting home from Paris, and Adrienne still couldn't think straight. David noticed immediately, but tactfully said nothing, but once Evie got the hint she was distraught.*
"Maman, what's wrong?" "Maman, you're sad." "Maman, please smile."
*Adrienne would respond by giving her a noncommittal answer that would satisfy her for the moment, but she knew in her heart that she would have to face it at some point. She was still in love with Evie's father.*
*Even on a breezy summer afternoon, beneath a sprawling tree on the lawn behind the house, David home from boarding school and Evie playing at her feet, Adrienne couldn't relax. Every snap of a twig was his footstep; every turn of a doorknob was him. She sighed.*
*It was pathetic.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 30, 2009 15:35:51 GMT -5
*The thought of her once again began eating away at him. He couldn't focus, not after that night at the party.
She was alive... Adrienne was alive.
Work could no longer distract him the way it did before. He canceled all his plans, contemplated going back to New York but he knew... he knew that the only thing that could end his misery was her.
One morning, the concierge brought him a small envelope, and when he opened it, he recognized the same familiar handwriting that had let him know where she had been the night before her wedding and had invited him to the party. This time, it was the address to her house in Normandy, the place where they--
This time, he knew. Without hesitation, he left the city.
He wasn't going to be a coward any longer.*
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 30, 2009 16:09:22 GMT -5
*The afternoon was hot, so all the windows were left open, including the full-length French doors that led from the music room to the back lawn. David was playing on the piano--a talent Adrienne was considering having a tutor brought from Paris or Vienna to nurture. She herself was in a patterned muslin summer dress--white was no longer appropriate, as she was still, technically, a widow. She had started out on a wicker chaise longue reading, but Evie quickly decided that she wanted to chase fairies instead of play with paper dolls. Having snuck off before Adrienne could look up, she had returned mud-splattered and grinning.*
"Evie, regarde ce que tu as fait! Tu as ruiné ta robe préférée!" *Adrienne moaned.*
"Mais Maman, j'ai capturé une fée!"
"Eh bien? Et ou est cette fée?"
*Evie pouted.* "Je l'ai perdue."
*Adrienne sighed in frustration--the heat didn't help her nerves, which Evie had a talent for trampling on--and picked her little girl up.*
"Allons t'habiller dans une robe propre, hm?"
*Evie sighed dramatically.* "D'accord."
*They returned with Evie in an old dress--one that Adrienne didn't care if she got muddy. Hopefully Coralie could wring the stains out of the other one. After a few minutes Evie was bored of paper dolls, so she wandered into the music room.*
*David was eternally patient with her, and soon the sounds of a one-fingered Frère Jacques floated outside, accompanied by a high, off-tune, three-year-old voice. Adrienne listened for a moment, and Evie seemed content so she turned what attention she could muster to her book.*
(("Evie, look what you've done! You've ruined your favorite dress!" "But Mama, I caught a fairy!" "Oh? And where is this fairy?" "I lost her." "Let's go get you a clean dress, hm?" "Fine."))
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 1, 2009 19:38:25 GMT -5
"Play it again," *said a man at the doorway.*
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 1, 2009 19:44:00 GMT -5
*Evie was in the middle of applauding herself and David when the man spoke. She turned and took a few bold steps in his direction, looking altogether entitled.*
"Monsieur, qui êtes-vous?" *She demanded.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 1, 2009 19:54:36 GMT -5
*He bent at the knees, bringing himself down her to height. Then he looked at her from the curls of her hair down to the hem of her dress. Instead of answering her question, he gently grazed her cheeks with his fingers before getting up and heading over to the piano.*
"Play it again," *he insisted.*
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 1, 2009 19:58:24 GMT -5
*Evie crossed her arms and made a very loud 'hmph' noise, pouting. He had not answered her question.*
*David, on the other hand, recognized him from the ball.*
"You're the man Tantine Adi followed out of the ballroom."
*But instead of pausing expectantly, he pursued the conversation no further and began to play the song he'd been playing before Frere Jacques.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 1, 2009 20:18:44 GMT -5
*The boy was good, very good for his age: every note was played correctly, the rhythm kept true to the music written on the paper... But still, it was just playing, mechanic like any other seven year-old's playing.*
"Here," *he said, sitting down on the bench after he had finished.*
*The song was First Loss, from Schumann's Album for the Young. A somber little piece that had been a part his piano education when he was younger. It was one of those piece that he hadn't forgotten.
As he began playing, the sound that traveled through the room and outside was different: the tone color, the phrasing, the tempo-- signs of a more mature player who could better convey the title of the song.*
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 1, 2009 20:26:03 GMT -5
*Evelyn eventually turned around and poked her head over the side of the piano, watching the strange man. David didn't seem to mind his presence, therefore she shouldn't, either.*
*Adrienne, though she could not play music to save her life, was a very astute listener. The subtle differences between the two renditions were not lost on her and she stood, making her way towards the open door.*
"David, is that--"
*That was not David playing, she realized when she reached the open French doors. Her heart decided it would be a good time to switch places with her stomach and start doing complicated acrobatics. If she didn't know better she'd have thought it was perfectly normal for Chuck to be sitting at the piano bench, David beside him and Evie peeking over the side.*
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 1, 2009 20:34:24 GMT -5
*Chuck didn't get to the final cadence of the song. His hands stilled over the keys then slowly dropped to his lap. She was standing just feet away from him but he couldn't turn and face her.*
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 1, 2009 20:40:03 GMT -5
"David, bien-aimé, allez chercher Coralie, et amener Evelyn. Je pense qu'elle a un carafe de citron pressé dans la cuisine..." *She said softly, not looking at him or Evelyn. David picked his adopted sister up with ease, and they left.*
*Adrienne stood silent, unwilling to speak to him until he turned to face her.*
((David, sweetheart, go find Coralie, and bring Evelyn. I think she has a pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen...))
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 1, 2009 20:53:57 GMT -5
*He knew her too well to expect her to speak with his back to her... and a part of him wanted to keep it that way. Silence was always so much easier.
But Chuck knew he couldn't sit there forever. Slowly, he rose and turned. He stayed silent despite wanting to say so much to her.*
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 1, 2009 20:59:05 GMT -5
"I-" *She began, but cut herself off. Instead she let out a tired sigh.* "I'm starting to suspect neither of us is very good at making up our minds."
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Post by Chuck Bass on Aug 16, 2009 21:39:13 GMT -5
*Chuck was unreadable as he looked at her for a moment... then another.*
"No," *he said with a small laugh that bordered on uncomfortable.* "Definitely not."
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Post by Adrienne on Aug 16, 2009 21:44:09 GMT -5
*She couldn't think of anything to say, so for a second she just looked at him, as if unsure whether he was actually there.*
"It's four hours back to Paris; at least stay for dinner."
*She had absolutely no idea why she had said that, and wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just an excuse to have him stay.*
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