friendship with the king's brother and his masquerading as a woman.
Choisy did not fail to notice Mrs. de Ransac's recently avowed interest in himself. And he felt proud of it. He also tried hard to avail himself of the opportunity, although he knew that she would be far from an easy prey, for Charlotte had great matrimonial loyalty. But he never gave up, for he knew that it was not in character with women in general to remain for ever faithful to one man.
His unfailing acumen soon told him that Charlotte was falling into her own trap and that, by trying to arouse Choisy's desire, she was arousing her own towards him.
— She is like a ripening fruit, he thought, let me wait for the right moment and she will fall into my hand like a ripe pear from a tree.
But did he really want her? It was to him more a point of honour than a real desire. He wanted to avenge himself on his failure to win her love when he had tried hard to do so in Paris. Indeed, he doubted that she should be such a good loving creature as Francesca or Flavia. No, she would just represent another victory. She did not look sensual. Her complexion was of a pleasant freshness but her eyes did not throw out any promising sparks that are such an unmistakable sign to connoisseurs, nor had her lips the fleshy consistency that was an open invitation to kisses, as for her way of dressing, it did not reveal any voluptuous forms that make a man want to caress. On the whole he did not expect to get out of her any pleasurable sensual experience.
But there was no doubt about it: she was no longer the indifferent woman she used to be. She appeared at times so nervous that it could only be explained by a more and more imperious sexual impulse, she was still coquettish, but not in the same way-she had ceased to be merely ironical.
One day, Mr. de Ransac was sent away on a mission in Vicenza by the ambassador. During her husband's absence, all her friends invited her in order to make her feel less alone, and Choisy regularly joined her, thus strengthening everyone's belief that he was in love with her.
One evening, Choisy was one of the first guests to leave, and Charlotte de Ransac appreciated it as a tactful gesture. She went back to her apartments later, feeling quite happy with having been invited by such attentionate friends. As she came into her house, she was surprised not to find her maid waiting for her. She went into her bedroom and started undressing by herself.
Suddenly she let out a scream: Choisy had just come out of a cupboard where he had been in hiding.
— You, here?!
— Pardon me, but…
— Not a word out of you! Go out at once! Choisy remained firm before her.
— No, he said, you have nothing to fear from me, but please listen.
She was then wearing only a thin chemise, half transparent. Choisy could appreciate that she was not as lean as he had suspected. Her breasts were pointed and not insignificant, and, between her legs could be seen a darker triangle that made Choisy's imagination run away with him.
Charlotte noticed that he was scrutinizing her. She blushed and wrapped a negligee around herself. But that movement revealed that her loins were well-shaped and her buttocks more fleshy than Choisy had thought. He was very agreeably surprised.
Meanwhile, Charlotte de Ransac had regained her composure.
— Are you still here? she asked, sternly.
— I have not yet confessed to you the motive of this visit of mine which I know full well is unbecoming.
— You can tell me to-morrow.
— I can't, for, if I had been able to, I would have told you last night in the salon.
— Why?
— You see, it is such an intimate confession He made one step forward, and let himself fall on both knees before her, wrapping his arms around her legs.
— Please don't! she ordered, you're ridiculous.
— Because I love you?
She gave a little nervous titter.
— If you continue, I shall call for help.
— So that they should find me thus in your bedroom?
That prospect did not relish Charlotte at all, so she became less untractable.
— What is your purpose? she asked.
— I have been in Venice more than a month and I still have no mistresses. Just imagine, Choisy without a mistress! It is nothing short of a scandal — and all through your fault.
— My fault? But… Please take your hands off!
Choisy's hands were going up her legs and were palpating their tepid roundness, and he saw that his caresses were not without effect, for her legs had a slight tremor which betrayed her lack of indifference.
— Choisy, Choisy! Please…!
Too late! He had reached the crucial point between her thighs and he felt her legs squeeze so as to prevent any intrusion into the passage.
He got up and, holding her with one arm round her loins, he toyed with her breasts with his other hand. She was warm and scented in his arms and he was now sure of his eventual victory. It was just a question of time.
— Choisy, Choisy! What are you doing? It's very naughty of you!
She was trying to throw her head back out of reach of his searching lips, but his lips managed to find hers and get a kiss out of her. Not a good one at first, but the second one was much better, and, the while, she was aware of a caress on her skin Choisy had managed to remove her chemise and she was now naked in the arms of this man, intent upon seducing her at all costs.
— Oh, she murmured, what are you doing?
For he was lifting her up in his arms and, before laying her on the bed, Choisy gave a lick or two to her belly, which found itself at the level of his mouth as he was lifting her.
— No, no! she protested.
But she was already weakening. Her body, on the bed, was still nervous and on edge. But what can a woman do when she is naked on a bed with a man whose desire is so physically obvious and pressing? Choisy, bending over her, was whispering compliments into her ear.
— I would never have imagined you so beautiful, so tempting, so made to love and be loved, he said.
She had shut her eyes, but not her ears. With one hand, she tried to push him away, and Choisy used this diversion to get rid of his clothes after which he embraced her quickly. The contact of this naked man whose virility was demanding, against her own naked body touched off in her a velleity of refusal.
— Go away, Choisy! I swear I'll forget what passed between us.
She was still fidgeting and trying to oppose him, but he had overcome greater difficulties before now. With one knee he prised open her legs which she was keeping squeezed against each other and tried to force his way upwards. Charlotte de Ransac had placed herself on her stomach, believing that she would be impregnable. But, a while later, she felt that he had reached the crater of her womanhood, and was slowly but surely forcing his way in. She wriggled briskly to get away, but only succeeded in getting it still more firmly implanted. She renewed her last effort, dictated to her by her will-power but secretly also by her sensuality-in a flash, she saw herself irremediably lost. Maintained strongly by her victor she finally abandoned herself to the delirium of her senses, which was new to her for she had never felt quite like that with her husband. In an instinctive reflex, she suddenly opened herself and was now nothing but a female happily surrendering to the male.
Afterwards, there was for her conscience a painful moment, when she realized that, for the first time, she had been deceiving her husband. Yet, she had always sworn to herself that she would never give in to any man, and there she was, and Choisy charmingly prolonged her joy with furtive caresses along her body which quivered with delight.
— Choisy, she said softly, your patience has had its reward, so I detest you-you are a — an evil-doer? No, a benefactor, for have I not given you a full appreciation of all one can enjoy through lovemaking?
She did not dare deny it, so she lay down on her lover and offered her mouth to him. But Choisy was not content with such a meagre offer and busied himself with bringing about new traces. His practises convinced Charlotte who had now become another woman. She lay on her back and let Choisy make the inventory of her charms and prospect this feminine geography of hers down to its most exquisite contours and its innermost
