Reluctantly, Sandrine followed Marianne upstairs. She stood on the threshold of their father’s room, while Marianne fetched clean linen from the airing cupboard. Even though there had been plenty of occupants in the past couple of years, the room still smelt of him. A mixture of hair oil and old books and his favourite cologne. She sighed.
‘Come on,’ said Marianne.
‘I don’t see why I’ve got to help,’ she said. ‘Marieta was happy to make up the bed.’
‘She’s seeing to supper,’ Marianne said calmly. ‘Put the slip on the pillow first, then the pillowcase.’
Sandrine pulled off the heavy white cotton pillowcase, tossed it on the bed and started again.
‘It’s rude leaving Raoul alone downstairs,’ she said.
‘He’s not on his own. Lucie and Suzanne are with him.’
‘It’s our house. He’s our guest,’ Sandrine said irritably. ‘One of us should be looking after him.’
Marianne handed Sandrine the corners of the sheet and they shook it out, letting the air hold it before it floated down to the mattress.
‘No one’s stayed in here for a while,’ Sandrine said.
‘No.’
‘Why is that?’ she asked. ‘We used to have all sorts dropping by, but not so much now.’
Marianne didn’t answer. Sandrine looked at her sister, doubled over the bed. She looked so tired and was actually being pretty decent about having a last-minute guest sprung upon her. Sandrine suddenly felt guilty she was behaving so badly.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be foul-tempered,’ she said. ‘It’s just that I like him.’
Her sister straightened up, hand in the small of her back. ‘I know.’
Sandrine stared at her. ‘I mean, I really like him, Marianne.’
Finally, her sister’s expression gave a little. ‘Darling, that’s obvious.’
‘That’s the reason I was upset at you firing all those questions at him. I know you’re being careful, but I want him to like you too.’
‘Raoul understands,’ Marianne said quietly. ‘He understands how things are.’
Sandrine finished putting the second pillow in its case and dropped it on the bed.
‘What do you think, though? You do like him, don’t you?’
Marianne sighed. ‘I don’t know him,’ she replied, running her hand over the sheet to iron out any creases.
‘Don’t you believe what he said?’ Sandrine said quickly. ‘I thought you did.’
‘That’s not what I meant.’
‘What then? I want to know what you think, Marianne.’
‘Do you?’
‘Yes.’
Marianne straightened up. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’m not making a judgement on the rights and wrongs of the situation, so don’t jump down my throat, but the fact of the matter is that whatever the reason, he did run off and leave you at the river.’
‘But you can’t—’
Marianne raised her hand. ‘Let me finish. Raoul’s explanation of why he did that makes complete sense, I’m not saying it doesn’t, only you have to ask yourself, with a man like that, where do his loyalties lie? With the people he cares about, or with a cause?’
‘I don’t think—’
‘I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all,’ Marianne continued. ‘Love at first sight, it’s not real life.’
Sandrine took a deep breath. ‘I know you’ll say I’ve only known him a few hours – and that’s true, no time at all.’ She paused. ‘The thing is, it doesn’t matter what his motives are, I don’t care. It doesn’t seem relevant.’ She hesitated, willing her sister to understand. ‘Do you see?’
For a moment, Marianne didn’t answer. ‘There’s no future in it,’ she said in the end. ‘Raoul can’t stay in Carcassonne, he’ll have to disappear. There’s no chance of you being together.’
‘I’ll wait.’
‘It’s not a matter of waiting, Sandrine,’ she said wearily. ‘He’s got a murder charge hanging over him. He’s not going to be able to come back.’
‘He’ll clear his name.’
Marianne stared at her for a moment longer, then she sighed. ‘Just promise me you’ll be careful.’
Sandrine nodded. ‘I promise,’ she said. She straightened the pillows. ‘There, finished. Is there anything else to do up here?’
‘No,’ said Marianne, sounding even more tired.
‘Can I go?’
‘Of course. I’ll be down in a minute.’
Sandrine raced round the bed and hugged her. ‘Thank you for letting him stay,’ she said. Then she bounded out of the room and back down the stairs, to where Raoul was waiting for her in the salon.