Eighteen Ninety Four

Day 8 - Dinner with Vernet

Magda paused to check her hair in the antique mirror on the wall, avoiding the black spots where the silver backing had peeled off. Satisfied it didn't look too wayward, she proceeded downstairs, holding close to her reticule, and bizarrely missing her umbrella. For once she was actually wearing a dress with a full skirt, and it whispered on the floor behind her, making her feel slightly  self-conscious.

As she entered into the dining room, she saw that Vernet had been as good as his word, and had actually cleaned up a little. In fact, for him, he was even approaching smart, wearing a dove grey suit, this one not spotted with patches of chemical discolouration, his black hair swept back, with silver hairs glittering at his temples. His shoes were even approaching polished. He looked up as she swept towards him and stood.

"Bon soir Monsieur," She gave him an appraising look. "You look very smart." 

"Well, you may not have noticed, but my last set of clothes did get rather waterlogged," Vernet said dryly. "I was compelled to change."

"I was just remarking upon you being in possession of a suit that's not a complete disgrace," She remarked with amusement. "I did wonder if such thing was a possibility."

"That's very ungracious of you, it prompts me to retaliate and admit that I have been pondering  the question of whether you wear a skirt, or whether such things are for other ladies," He nodded to the dress.

She looked down at herself, and the deep green dress and made a gesture of resignation. It was a fashionable dress in a strong emerald fabric, with gigot sleeves and a black lace collar, over which she wore a simple dual-string of pearls around her neck. More pearls glittered at her ears beneath her brunette curls, and the overall effect was understated elegance.

"I'd much rather be wearing my bloomers," She assured him. "Paris is much more liberal than London in that respect, the rational dress is much more tolerated."

Vernet seemed to actually look at her properly and seemed taken aback. For the first time, he appeared momentarily flustered.

"You, ah... look very nice, by the way," He said awkwardly.

"Thank you," She replied, amused by the lukewarm compliment.

To save them both from the awkward moment, she slid into the chair furthest from the fire and he returned to his own seat. The waiter glided across and filled up their glasses, bringing across menus for their consideration.

"I see that you escaped our mutual friend," Vernet said in a conversational tone as the waiter withdrew.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she picked up her menu.

"It was no trouble at all, he was an absolute gentleman," She said precisely. "He even showed me a more direct route back to the hotel to ensure I was back in time for dinner."

A shadow crossed Vernet's face and he sat back in his chair, drumming his fingertips on the wooden top of the table.

"I'm still not sure that I'm comfortable with the situation," He observed slowly. 

"In what sense?"

"The man is a proven murderer," Vernet stated. "There are a high number of disappearances and deaths linked with him."

Magda looked over her menu at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Which is intriguing as you seemed to have no compunction in leaving me unchaperoned with him," she observed dryly.

Vernet waved that away with a delicate flick of his long chemical stained fingers.

"It was clear you were in no danger," Vernet explained matter-of-factly. "You had established a very strong rapport with him, remarkably strong actually, considering the time you had actually spent with him."