LORDS A-LEAPING
He'd arrived with Mariane and she made all the difference.
You know what curiosity does.
In their innocence that first season, the men accepted Halko's invitation mostly for an opportunity to sport their current wives without tears. It was a crowd that played musical beds and there were always some raw feelings until everyone'd secured a new partner. They had a perennial shortage of neutral venues.
"My helpmeet," he said, introducing her. "My marron glacé. For your delight."
His arm was around her waist. They both looked jolly.
She was quite a confection, hair a cascade of mahogany and rosewood, and marzipan skin. She looked wonderful in black. Her body was sleekly muscular, like a fabulous sea lion's.
Without adornment — with nothing to distract from the creaminess of her throat and her marvelous shoulders — she gave a shocking impression of nakedness. Her English was strangely flavored. Czech, you wondered, or Romanian? His accent was complementary but not quite matching.
She wore flat shoes, though Halko was tall and she wouldn't have overtopped him. She made most of the other women look ridiculous, their expensive stilettos thrusting hips and breasts in opposite directions. You could see they knew it.
The serving pair set out aperitifs and then Mariane took a seat by the fireplace and picked up her violin.
Seven couples had come to dine, plus the host and hostess.
In intimate gatherings it's hard to disguise your thoughts. A vanity wife, with her little vanity hobby.
The prélude put them to rights and they were flattened by the after-dinner masterwork. It was like watching the rout of an inferior army.
"Of course it is a somewhat altered experience," said Halko, "without the other instruments. But it's Mariane's favorite piece."
The coffee and pastries gave them cover. It's best not to speak when you have a full mouth.
But one woman went up to Mariane and impulsively took her hands. "That was extraordinary," she said; "you gave me chills."
"We are so very glad you came," said Mariane.
***
