Why Lorie? Part I

Chapter 26: The Danvilles

Josette was briefly protected from the Danvilles by a waiter who arrived carrying a large silver tray. With practiced flourish, he placed a plate in front of Josette, followed by another one in front of Lorie who clapped her hands excitedly, in her usual manner.  Each white porcelain plate contained a mouth-watering Wiener schnitzel accompanied by a generous scoop of steaming mashed potatoes.

"Enjoy," the waiter said with a smile before taking his leave.

"This looks SO good!"  Lorie immediately started ravenously digging in. 

Josette had lost her appetite as soon as she had set her eyes on Lawrence.  She now picked at her food, mostly moving it around her plate.  The view across the room was once again unobstructed.  Josette avoided looking toward the table where the Danvilles sat. But she felt uneasy, as though someone was watching her.  She hoped Lorie wouldn't notice her discomfort.  Alas, that was not to be.  Perceptive as always, Lorie soon caught sight of the dark-haired stranger staring at them from across the dining area.  The man was not alone.  He was sitting next to a woman and a boy who looked about Lorie's age.

"Maman," Lorie whispered.  "There's a strange man that's looking at us."

Josette felt light-headed.  She hadn't expected to run into Lawrence Danville ever again, least of all in Vienna.  Yet, there he was - and he had his family with him.  Josette didn't know what to do.  She stole a furtive glance in his direction.  As soon as she did, Lawrence's green eyes met hers.  Josette froze.  She couldn't look away from him - it was as though he still had some sort of power over her.

"Maman... Do you know him?"  Lorie was as curious as the fabled cat.

Josette barely managed to nod.  She had no idea what was going through her ex-lover's mind, but she noticed that Lawrence began to scrutinize Lorie.

To Josette's utter dismay, she saw that Lady Danville stood up and took the little boy by the hand.  Together, they meandered toward the back of the restaurant, most likely to use the washroom.  As soon as they were gone, Lawrence got up and proceeded to walk toward Josette.  He stopped right next to her and addressed Lorie with a smile:

"Hello there," Lawrence said.  "Aren't you a pretty little girl?"

Lorie pulled a face and looked at her mother for guidance.  She knew not to talk to strangers.  For some reason, this particular man was giving her the creeps.  Fortunately, Josette answered in her stead:

"Lord Danville.  What a coincidence," she said dryly.

"Indeed," Lawrence answered.  He pulled a chair and sat down between Lorie and Josette.  "A most fortunate one," he added, gazing deeply into Josette's eyes.  "It's been a long time, Miss Lafoure," he murmured.  "You look as lovely as always."

"Thank you," Josette tried her best to remain calm.  Inside, she was seething.

"I see that you decided to have a go at things on your own," Lawrence said as he tilted his head towards Lorie.  In response, Josette flashed him a murderous look.

"Maman," Lorie whispered.  "How do you know him?"

"We knew each other many years ago," Josette answered.  "It was another lifetime, wasn't it?"  She looked pointedly at Lawrence.

"Yes, it most certainly was," he agreed.  He then winked at Lorie and said:  "Your mother was one of the prettiest girls in Paris.  She managed to steal my heart... along with many other men's."

Lorie looked down and stared at her half-eaten schnitzel.  She didn't like the overly familiar tone the stranger used.

"Don't be afraid of me, little one," Lawrence tried to reassure her.  "I would like for us all to be friends."