Chapter One

Augustin always had the most elegant parties. Whenever he gave one, even the weather cooperated. Today was no different. The sky was a perfect blue, marred only by a few high, white clouds, and there was a gentle breeze blowing in off of the sea that brought an invigorating tang of salt air and moderated the warmth of the sun. There were dozens and dozens of people there, and I barely knew any of them. I knew Augustin, of course. For some reason he had taken an interest in me and befriended me, but today he was kept busy circulating among his guests, seeing to their comfort and ease. A tall redheaded woman was his constant companion as he strolled about. I suspected that she had some hopes of becoming his latest mistress from the way she kept close by his side. From Augustin’s actions towards her, I also suspected that her hopes were well-founded. He almost always had his arm around her waist or his hand on her shoulder, even when he greeted some old friend or business associate. I couldn’t fault his taste in women. She was a striking creature, with porcelain skin and lovely, expressive green eyes. She had a nice smile as well, and she was smiling a lot today. The thin white dress she wore covered her almost completely, from the high collar to the long sleeves to the ornate lacy hem that almost brushed the close-cropped lawn as she walked along beside him. While it covered her, though, it also clung to her body in a way that men couldn’t help but turn their heads to watch. She wore a large, round white hat that matched the dress, probably to keep the sun off of her face. It was the one thing that kept her from looking like a new bride. Augustin wore a finely tailored dark suit, a pale yellow shirt, and no tie. He looked every bit the prosperous, middle-aged businessman at his ease.

I myself neither stood out nor quite blended in here. As I meandered about the shaded pavilions and the long tables covered with fine foods and wines, I kept catching bits and pieces of conversations in languages other than English. I knew a few words and phrases in French, German, Italian and even Greek, but not enough to engage in any conversation with anyone who didn’t speak English. I suspected that most of the guests here did speak it, if only as a second language, but I didn’t feel comfortable enough among all these strangers to try to find out for sure. As Augustin’s houseguest, I belonged here as much as any of the others did, but I still felt out of place.

I wandered down to the pool area. It sat on a low elevation overlooking the sea. Off in the distance I could see ships, fishing boats, and the low, dark outlines of the nearer islands. Closer by, at the pool, there was a small flock of gorgeous young women in tiny, tiny bikinis frolicking in the water. I could hear their excited laughter as they strove to gain the attentions of the handful of middle-aged men sitting or standing around the pool. None of them were in the water themselves, even if they wore swim trunks. Every one of them wore dark sunglasses so that it was impossible to tell where they were looking. I was pretty sure that they were carefully surveying the young women. I knew I would be, were I one of them.

There was really nothing to see by the pool except for all that active, young, suntanned girl-flesh, and after a little while I concluded that they were all interchangeable, as appealing as they were. I turned away and made my way back to the refreshment tables. I wasn’t especially hungry, but I thought that a glass of wine would be nice, and at least it gave me something to do. I was never really comfortable at parties, even smaller ones where I knew at least a few of the attendees. There were dozens and dozens of people at this one, and the only person I knew was Augustin. Oh, I had met his stunning redhead, and I even knew her name: Dorcas. She was supposedly from northern England. But I didn’t really know her.

I thought that after I got my wine and maybe a bit to eat I’d go down near the sea and sit quietly. It wasn’t that I felt antisocial, just out of place. Some people can fit in easily, but I’m not one of them. I’d been a geek in school…or was nerd the word? Either way, I’d been pretty much a loner then, and I still was now, even with my ow