“This is Marthe’s dining table, her sideboard.” He led Sarah to the front of the room that looked over Rue Blanche. “We painted the walls, polished the floors.”
Sarah looked down at the gleaming parquet. She would have to take care of it all. She would do so, as if it were her own.
“We replaced all the curtains, though. You should have seen them. They were hanging in strips!” He moved off to the left and opened a door into a long, narrow room. “The kitchen is here,” he said, stopping in the doorway. “We are careful about who we rent the apartment out to, but we want it to be lived in, enjoyed. It was locked away for so long. Mostly, it gets rented out to friends. I’m confident that you’ll treat Marthe’s things with care. Just make yourself at home.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said. “You can be sure I’ll treat Marthe’s treasures with respect.”
“The kitchen’s all been renovated,” Loic went on. “You should have everything you need.”
Sarah nodded. A galley kitchen—just as she was used to at home. Atop the gleaming white kitchen counters were round canisters with all manner of cooking utensils. They stood at the ready for the kind of culinary adventures that must follow trips to the local markets. Sarah could already picture herself channeling Julia Child, roasting a capon.
“There are a couple of old maids’ rooms upstairs beyond the kitchen,” Loic said. “We’ve put a barrier on the old staircase because it’s small and dangerous. Probably, once we come up to Paris with our children, they can sleep up there, but for now, it’s kind of set aside. Probably best not to go up the stairs.”
“Of course.” Sarah nodded.
Loic seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Right,” he said. “Let me show you around the rest of the apartment.”
The salon had been decorated by someone who had a good eye for placing old things in a modern context. The artwork, much of it from the early twentieth century, and original no less, had been chosen to complement the colors in the upholstery on the elegant Louis XV chairs.
Sarah was impressed.
Loic led her through an open double doorway into the next room. A large chaise longue sat in front of a set of curve-topped French doors, and a grand piano stood against one wall. An easel was set up in the middle of the space, and next to it was a palette with all manner of tubes and brushes.
The vast canvas was half-covered with a striking portrait of a young woman, her dress black and modern. The brushstrokes looked as if they had been flicked onto the canvas, flying around the woman’s body and ricocheting away from her dress. Her blond hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she stared out of her portrait, confident. There was none of that half-secret look that so many of Boldini’s subjects seemed to have. This was a modern woman, but the painting style was certainly reminiscent of the Belle Époque artist’s style.
Sarah moved over to take a closer look.
“Are you familiar with Boldini’s work?” Loic asked.
She nodded. “This is stunning,” she breathed. “And I see a lot of art. I’m beginning to think that I’ll forgive your friend’s bad behavior if he can paint like this.”
Loic laughed. “Good. I’ll let you discuss art with him. Like I said, he’s incredibly talented.” Loic moved toward the next set of double doors, which led in turn to another room. “I’m afraid all the rooms lead off each other,” he said. “It tends to be the way in these old apartments.”
Sarah stopped in the middle of the next room—a bedroom. A vast four-poster bed sat against one wall, but its deep mattress was modern and it was covered in a tasteful blue-and-white patterned quilt. So, how was this supposed to work? She didn’t want to sound prudish, but she wasn’t keen on having Laurent walk through her room at night. She didn’t want to complain to Loic, not on her very first day. But there was a limit . . .
“I put Laurent in here,” Loic said. “Thought you’d prefer not to have him walking through your bedroom while you’re asleep. Besides, I think he’ll be back after you at night.”
“Oh.” Sarah was certain she sounded unconvinced. But when she cast about for thoughts, she couldn’t come up with any alternative sleeping plans at all.
“He starts work before dawn, like I said, and he’s often up all night. Has done that for years. I really don’t know how he gets by,” Loic said. He tilted his head to one side. “I hope you won’t have to walk past him while he’s asleep in the bed too often.”