had ten thousand pounds income coming from the heirloom of his mother and fourteen thousand pounds from the benefits of his abbey of Saintep Seine in Burgundy. Even with that alone, and not counting his winnings at cards, he could have lived comfortably, and he did.
He wrote to Lisette that she should come to Paris as his personal maid, and managed to find for her husband Nicholas a post of Archer of the Guard. Lisette accepted with pleasure, longing to have further intercourse with Choisy, under his disguise of a woman which made her quite safe from any suspicion her fool of a husband might have.
From Lisette, Choisy learned that Mrs. de la Grise, after having sent her daughter to the convent of la Grise, had kept mum about the reason of her sudden decision. After Angela's confession, Mrs. de la Grise, undecided about the real sex of this strange person, had concluded that her child had been the victim of a hermaphrodite or a demon, which came to the same thing. But she had given up the idea of causing a scandal by means of a pub-He denunciation, and she prayed that the divine justice would visit the malefactor. The departure of this satanic countess was held by her to be a favour from Heaven and an encouragement to silence. So Choisy was safe from that side at least. And nobody had drawn any conclusion from his visit to the convent of Les Pres, for only Hercule Poirot's little grey cells could have guessed that the countess of Barres and the knight who had taken refuge for one night at the convent of Les Pres were one and the same person.
Choisy did not remain a long time in Paris without his usual love-affairs.
Among his guests was a certain knight of Haucourt, a lover of good food and wine, and a great gambler at cards. Choisy showed himself very attentionate with him, giving him the best pieces at meals and winning as much as he could out of him at cards after the meals.
But Fate was to show an ironic hand in that the knight started falling in love with Mrs. de Sancy. With his feminine attire Choisy showed himself to the best advantage and he looked indeed a ravishing woman. His clear complexion was kept in tiptop form by means of numerous lotions and pomades, and his hair was expertly done by Lisette who was quite clever at hairdressing, and the falsies he wore gave the perfect illusion of a finely-shaped bosom.
D'Haucourt often praised the beauty of his hostess and Choisy at first saw in his praise the normal compliments paid to a hostess by a gentleman. But soon he realized that mark of politeness. Yes, the knight had fallen in love with Mrs. de Sancy!
D'Haucourt wooed Mrs. de Sancy alias Choisy with reserve at first, but soon started being a little more pressing. Choisy took on a coquettish part, making himself desired. That was pouring oil on the fire.
One evening, after an animated game of cards, the knight stayed after the other guests had gone. Choisy, as chance would have it, had been unlucky and lost a lot of money that evening and the knight had won twenty ducats out of him. He told the knight:
— Please wait a moment. I'm going to get the money from my room.
The knight laid a gentle hand on his arm.
— There's no hurry, he said soothingly.
— I dislike debts, Choisy answered, at least gambling debts.
— Between us, madam, it doesn't count.
— And why would you grant me credit? Choisy asked.
— Let's call it quits, the knight offered generously.
— All right-till to-morrow. We'll play double or quits.
The knight knelt down in front of Choisy, took one of his hands which he kissed effusively. The false Mrs. de Sancy tried in vain to free her hand which d'Haucourt maintained forcibly under his lips.
— My dear, do stop it, he admonished, suppose anybody saw us — I wish it were so, so I could let the world know of my feelings for you.
— And what would they think of me?
— Is loving a crime?
— Get up, knight! You're making me blush. Besides, it's late and I'm so tired I could drop.
— Forgive me. May I hope that we shall take up our little talk soon and lead it to its conclusion?
— We'll see, we'll see.
Choisy had got up from his armchair and called his valet to show his obstinate wooer out. When at last he could go back to his room he told Lisette who was helping him undress:
— After all, I'm not going to make myself ugly to discourage this foolish fop.
— That would be a pity, indeed. But you should send him what you owe him as soon as to-morrow morning and so he'll understand that you want to owe him nothing.
— You're quite right, Lisette, I'll do just that.
Then he drew her to him and undressed her in his turn. Then they snuffed out the candles and, in the cosy bedsheets, they brought their naked bodies together, and kissed passionately, letting their hands roam along each other's bodies and awakening the deepest desire in them. Then, with voluptuous grunts and sighs, they fucked and caressed each other with their hands and with their tongues. Choisy thanked providence that Lisette had been “sent” to him. It might never have happened if Lisette had not entered his room while he was asleep, and even then, if his bed-sheets had not been pushed away she would not have noticed that he was not the woman he was meant to be.
While Choisy was trying to get rid of d'Haucourt, he was endeavouring to seduce a certain Rosalie, a well- known actress of great virtue who opposed a fierce resistance to his attacks. She had no lovers, as far as he knew, but a great deal of admirers, including a comedian called du Rozan. She was really beautiful and she derived great fun from being wooed by many unsuccessfully.
For Rosalie, Choisy was Mrs. de Sancy-she did not know his true identity. But, instead of being a handicap, it became for Choisy an advantage over his rivals. But the problem was to know whether, once he would show her his real sex, she would not get disgusted or frightened. She liked making fun of people, so that would have been a splendid opportunity for her to laugh at Choisy, if she had felt like laughing.
Choisy first tried to get her confidence. He lavished praise on her acting, but he did not exaggerate flattery for he did not seem to pass for a woman in love with another woman. That would have been a dangerous thing to do.
He invited her to his house, not only at his salon parties but in the intimacy of his boudoir. He gave her precious recipes for pomades and other tricks women have to keep and enhance their natural beauty. He also asked her for advice on her way of dressing. In short, he and Rosalie began exchanging secrets on how best to seduce men, and, from there, there was but a short step to exchanging confidences on which men they were interested in.
— This du Rozan, Choisy remarked, has a great future before him, hasn't he.
— Yes, he's a handsome man, and he knows it. Rosalie agreed, I think he would like to marry me, but — Yes, Choisy said, marriage is an affair that demands a lot of thoughts.
— You made the experience of it yourself.
— That is why I hesitate to renew it.
— Even with Mr. d'Haucourt? said Rosalie with an impish tone. They say that he's running after you like mad.
— As a lover, maybe, but certainly not as a husband, said Choisy, I don't want to be chained down to him.
Rosalie was becoming more and more familiar with Choisy so that she tolerated a certain liberty.
— What a fine bust you have, Choisy told her one evening as he had gone into her dressing-room in the theatre, and she was taking off her stage dress.
— You don't have to envy me, yours is far from bad.
— Don't trust appearances, said Choisy, in reality I have to use falsies for my bust is quite flat like that of a man.
— Mr. d'Haucourt would be disappointed indeed if he ever found out!
— Good God, yes! You understand now why I hesitate to give Mr. d'Haucourt such a disappointment, or anybody else for that matter.
— But you have other advantages that make up for it, Rosalie said.
