In 2017, I read my first Silvia Moreno-Garcia book and it was The Beautiful Ones. So to be talking to you about this book again in 2021 is well…MY FAVOURITE PART OF TODAY.
If you want to read my original review, I will leave that link here. My thoughts have remained pretty much the same so for today’s post I wanted to highlight the 5 main reasons why I love this book and why I think you might love this book too!
THE BEAUTIFUL ONES by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Pub Date: April 27, 2021 Publisher: Tor Books Buy Links Below!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a sweeping romance with a dash of magic.
They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina—and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
*Thank you to the publisher for the advances reader’s copy!*
5 REASONS TO READ THE BEAUTIFUL ONES…
1. Charismatic Characters!
Love them or hate them, these characters make this book incredibly fun to read! Personally, I love them! They may seem at first like your typical one-sided stock characters, but then they show so much more depth and colour to them! SMG always wins me over with the dynamic characters she writes and this book is no different!
Nina – The hopeless romantic speaks to my soul in every way possible! But she’s also stubborn, curious, dedicated and vulnerable! She wears her heart on her sleeve and I love every part of her! Even if the secondhand embarrassment is real when it comes to her, I love that she doesn’t let it bother her too much!
Hector – The foolish man who endears me with his level of obsession. If I share one quality with Hector, it is definitely our tendency to obsess (and I admit it is not the healthiest tendency to have). In my original review I noted that he was “the tortured, romantic heartthrob” and I stand by it!
Valérie – The prickly and cool socialite who intrigues me with her ferocity but is #toxic! Oooooooooooh Valérie!!!!! I cannot lie that she spills some truths in this novel about the marriage market and how women are bartering chips for family status. But she is also a classist manipulator, so unhappy in her own life that she wills it on everyone else. She is, nonetheless, a very interesting character to read about!
2. Delicious Drama!
This book is really 2-in-1 (the closest we’ll ever get to having an SMG sequel imo) and well let me tell you: they are both wild rides! Book 1 literally has me flushing with second-hand embarrassment with every turn of the page! And I love it! This first section is full of awkward first meetings, secret encounters, deceptions, whispers and revelations! I love it with all my heart, but the second part owns my soul! Book 2 has the second-chance story line that makes hope bloom in every part of me! The characters are changed, much more tender and hurt from the events of book 1. This second section is full of heartfelt confrontations, shy reconciliations, but also more deception, revenge and passionate plights! Most of my favourite scenes happen towards then end, it is just magnifique!
3. An Enchanting World!
This gorgeous world full of manners and wonders is EVERYTHING. I love how SMG develops Loisail as a Belle Epoque-esque world and if you’re running off the high of Bridgerton’s posh social order and policy, then you might find a kindred spirit in this book. The ladies and gentlemen in this book have strict rules to abide by and social convention to uphold and well…some of our characters may or may not be good at following them! Reading about these very different characters from very different backgrounds and histories navigate this socialite world is so intriguing.
4. Sweet Romance!
Emphasis on the sweet! I will tell you here: Don’t go in expecting the sexy times you got from Bridgerton, expect instead a tender and heartwarming fast, fall-hard turned second-chance slow burn of two people hurting and finding themselves back to one another. It is all about the repercussions of falling in love hard and quick at such a young age! It’s about the pain and struggle that sprouts from bitter heartbreak when things don’t go according to plan. It’s about the slow healing process of opening up to possibility of love again and letting it just flow!
5. Just the slightest touch of magic!
This book wins in every category for me because it has that touch of wonder. It’s not really magic per se, but it is that element of sparkle that I think every book needs! SMG explores telekinetic power in Hector and Nina with much intrigue. She tackles how it sets them apart in this very classist society, how it makes them the same despite their differences and what it means for their future! It’s BRILLIANT!
This is a 5 star book for me!
Screw what past me said about predictability, I found that I didn’t mind it in this re-read at all! I just had so much fun reading this book again! I experienced ALL THE FEELS. And I’m sure that you will find similar things to love and cherish about this book when you pick it up!
This book releases APRIL 27, 2021!
Get in your pre-orders and library requests NOW!
For Canadian and American pre-orders, TOR will send you a beautifully illustrated postcard! Read more here!
Let me know what you think! Have you read this book? Are you looking forward to picking it up (again)? What kind of romance novels do you love to read?
I really found no point in doing a November Wrap-Up, since I literally crossed nothing off that list and to do a December TBR was also really pointless since the month is almost over….so I created a HOLIDAY TBR! Which is a mash-up of December and January goals!
Who knows if I will actually achieve them…but I am really hoping to do a lot of reading and blogging these next two weeks!
This one is obvious. I have been waiting to pick it up since it came to my door step, but I set it aside so I could really enjoy it! I know there have been some mixed reviews around it, but I’m keeping the most open mind as possible. This is, after all, a book by my Queen.
A) I haven’t read it and I have had it since AUGUST! B) Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu comes out this January and even though I don’t need to read WW:W before I read this, I am a stickler for reading things in order!
It’s a signed ARC that I won in a Haiku contest which really had nothing to do with the book, but the synopsis sounds really cool so I want to read it. Plus the cover is winter-y and it’s winter…so it’s fitting.
I’m really not in the mood to read SJM, but I should. It’s not mandatory on my list, perhaps just the first book to simply get it out of the way….because those other books take priority!
I also have some review books that I need to get through that I am super excited for!!!!
This is the first Blog Tour I will be participating in! I’m very excited. The book sounds incredible and I hope I really enjoy it! You can catch my post on January 3rd so be sure to watch this space!!!
Hocus Pocus meets Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials.
Y.E.S. I. A.M. R.E.A.D.Y. F.O.R. T.H.I.S. I am so lucky I got my hands on an ARC, I have high hopes for this! High hopes!!
I have also had a hold of this one for a while. It sounds very cool, it’s short and I cannot wait to read it!
Some Other Holiday Things….
I have been up to some stuff since the summer! Some artsy stuff. That has to do with my favourite fandoms. Like TheLunar Chronicles and The Beautiful Ones. I also have some plans for Six of Crows, Tower of Dawn, The Winner’s Trilogy and An Ember in the Ashes!
I have already started some TLC and Beautiful Ones work done! I cannot wait too show you the finished products. But for now he is a little teaser….
Can you guess who???
And here is one for The Beautiful Ones
Eeeekk! I’m excited!
Hopefully I get a few done in these next two weeks to show them off!!
Let me know what you think? What do you have planned for this Holiday season? Any special reads? Have you ever done some special for your favourite fandoms?
Like, as hopeless as they can possibly get. I’m not into the cheesiest of the cheese, but sometimes cheese is delicious and heartwarming and just awwwww.
Hence, why my Book Boyfriend list is loooooooooonnng.
So every once in a while, I might pick up a romance novel, just for the feels. This one ended up being an (alternative) history with the beauty of romance intertwined! This book, ladies and gents, this book was it!!!!!!
From just reading the synopsis I was like “Yes, yes……oh yes!”. Then I got denied on Netgalley and it’s like:
via giphy.com
And then the lovely author asks for some diverse bloggers to give out some reviews, and I’m like:
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And then I read the book and just…just…just……………………
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The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
via Goodreads
In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be.
Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society. Under the tutelage of the beautiful but cold Valérie Beaulieu, she hopes to find a suitable husband. However, the haphazard manifestations of Nina’s telekinetic powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
Yet dazzling telekinetic performer and outsider Hector Auvray sees Nina’s powers as a gift, and he teaches her how to hone and control them. As they spend more and more time together, Nina falls in love and believes she’s found the great romance that she’s always dreamed of, but Hector’s courtship of Nina is deceptive.
The Beautiful Ones is a sweeping fantasy of manners set in a world inspired by the Belle Époque.
*Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy–this in no way influences my opinion!*
I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Going in all I really knew was that this novel was about manners, telekinesis and romance. Well telekinesis is like magic, so Rendz is instantly pulled in and as aforementioned, I am a hopeless romantic so I was ready to ship!ship!ship! The manners bit is was really had me going “hmmm”…because I didn’t know what would become of this. In short, I loved it. I loved this book, I read the ending twice and I’m tempted to go read it again because my heart! It was fun, deceptive, quirky and swoon-activating.
What I Liked:
Characters:
Nina:She was basically the oddball of high society, the country girl in fancy clothes who doesn’t know the manners of a proper young elite. I absolutely adored her. She was funny, quirky, a little naive and a hopeless romantic like myself. None of those make her a fool, but people seem to only see her as one. She has interesting telekinetic powers that have always made her the misfit of the group, but that’s what made her exciting and troublesome. She grows immensely in a single story and reading about her journey and struggles gave me all the feels!
Hector: Hmm…I had a bumpy relationship with him in this book. I never truly hated him, I just hated what he was doing! Still, he was the tortured, romantic heartthrob that was trying to exact revenge and failing to do so. He was stubborn and passionate which sometimes held him back…by maybe like a decade. “Gentlemen” is basically the best characteristic you could describe him (and he would want you too) as he had transformed himself from a little circus orphan to a true high class performer!
Valérie:I loved to hate her. I will be honest, back in the first couple chapters of the book, I admired her. She sacrificed a lot for herself and her family, she didn’t exactly have the happiest life……but that’s about where I stopped liking her. She was a total bitch. Like being a cold hearted bitch can sometimes be cool, but when you try to destroy the personal lives of others, inflict emotional pain and blackmail them into it for your own personal gain…now that is just being a bitch. While I pitied her to the end….my petty side was actually happy she got what she deserved.
Telekinesis: This is some next level Matilda works guys. Garcia explored the power in Hector and Nina and how it sets them apart, makes them the same and what it means for their future. I thought it added an extra pizzazz to the novel that would have been just a regular romance, this made it different and interesting.
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To be Different: The society that the characters live in is very posh. Very strict on what is in and what is out. If you don’t act classy, you are trash. If you say the wrong thing or are seen with the wrong person at the wrong time, labels spring up and you are ruined. Garcia explores what it is like to be different in this society. In Hector we see someone who wasn’t rich from birth, who makes his living as a performer and has no name to speak of. He climbed his way to the top to be seen a gentleman, but is it enough? In Nina we have a girl born with all the money, the famous name and yet she can’t handle the cutthroat expectations society has put on her, but does she really care? And then there is Valérie, the epitome of everything society expects and wants to see in a glamorous woman, but does she really have it all?
It’s a very intriguing theme and adds to my favourite thing…
Drama: I read this book in public guys. And when reading in public you try not to show too many emotions, but I’m telling you when I was getting to the more juicy bits I would be taking crazy intakes of breath, my eyes probably looked wild and while I wanted to smash my phone or just proclaim all my feels I stayed cool.*
*kind of
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Suffice to say, I liked the drama, the scandals and the blackmailing bits that just made me want to roar on the bus.
Romance: It’s a romance novel of course it’s going to appear in the review. As one of the most important elements of the novel I really liked how it was handled. It shows the repercussions of falling in love young and quickly, the pain and struggle it can cause when things don’t go according to plan and the slow healing process of opening up to possibility again and letting it just flow. Feeling love without need to control it. And the ship guys………heart eyes all around.
The Ending: As I said, I read it twice and I’m tempted to read it again. The final five or six chapters are just so full of feeeeeellllssssss. Things go right/wrong/WRONG/right. It’s just a roller coaster and I adored it! After finishing the book in the afternoon, I dived back into those five chapters that same night to highlight and bookmark all my favourite ship moments!
What I Disliked:
There isn’t really anything…I guess I could say a little predictable throughout the first half of the book. The second part wasn’t really, though as you read on you might get some theories and figure some stuff out. But definitely not all!
Overall, I really liked this book. Look at me, reaching into genres that are not fantasy *proud of self* I wish there would be a sequel (or maybe just an extension of that great ending) but Garcia isn’t really a sequel kind of person. So I’ll just have to stick with this solid standalone! I’ll definitely be diving into more of this authors works!
Rating: 5 / 5 stars! (Even if the predictability mathematically takes off 0.25, emotionally it gets all the stars!)
Recommend:YEESS, if you’re looking for an adult romance that’s maybe not that intense but still has all the feels, try this!
Let me know what you think! Have you read this? What’s your favourite romance novel? How do you keep all your feels in when you’re in public?
Some Fun Info!
Praise for THE BEAUTIFUL ONES:
“Moreno-Garcia (Certain Dark Things) fills her fantastic novel of manners with sumptuous language and plausible romantic complications in a setting that appears to be based on 19th-century France and is lightly garnished with minor magic…Readers who enjoyed Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories magical Regency series will be particularly enthralled by the genuine emotions evoked in the course of the unsustainable love triangle.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The telekinesis…adds a fantastical spin to a story that would otherwise be a great fit for fans of the 18th-century French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The talented author of Certain Dark Things and Signal to Noise returns with a novel that is light on fantasy but overflowing with delicious melodrama.”
—Library Journal
“This elegant tale of hidden desires and misplaced amour will appeal to fans of historical fantasy.”
—Booklist
“Truly one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in a long time. This sweeping tale of love lost and found is told with old-world elegance, grace and just the right touch of magic.”
—M.J. Rose New York Times bestselling author
About the author:
SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA is the critically-acclaimed author of the novels Signal to Noise – winner of a Copper Cylinder Award, finalist of the British Fantasy, Locus, Sunburst, and Aurora awards – and Certain Dark Things, which was selected as one of NPR’s best books of 2016. She won a World Fantasy Award for her work as an editor and lives in Canada.
This book comes out today! So head to your nearest bookstore or library to check it out! Not feeling up for the walk? How about entering this giveaway to win the finished copy and a necklace!
(*Giveaway is hosted by the author, I’m just letting y’all know about it because hello..Free Book! US/CAN only*)
And because you are getting even luckier………
HERE IS A SNEAK PEAK AT CHAPTER ONE!!
Hector was like a castaway who had washed up on a room of velvet curtains and marble floors. The revelers might as well have been wild animals ready to tear off a chunk of his flesh.
He felt utterly lost, alien and alone.
As Hector watched from a corner of the room, ladies and gentlemen partnered to dance, women fanned themselves and smiled, and men greeted each other with a tilt of the head.
He had attended many glittering balls, but none in this city. He knew no one here except for Étienne and Luc, and he was waiting with breathless expectation for the arrival of Valérie Beaulieu.
The first thing he’d done upon disembarking was to make discreet inquiries about the whereabouts of the lady. He was glad to discover she was in Loisail and, moreover, that she would be at the ball thrown by the De Villiers. He had no direct connection to the De Villiers—or hardly anyone else in Loisail, for that matter, having spent the past ten years abroad—but he did know Étienne Lémy, who was able to secure him an invitation.
Hector had dressed according to the weight of the occasion in a new double-breasted black dress coat, white shirt, and a white bow tie. White gloves and mother-of-pearl studs completed the ensemble. In his excitement, he arrived unfashionably early, not wishing to miss Valérie, and after greeting his host had positioned himself strategically so that he could watch every elegant guest who entered the vast ballroom. But Hector had not been long at his post when he heard a couple of ladies commenting that Mrs. Beaulieu had been taken ill and would not be in attendance, which came as a shock to the women since Valérie Beaulieu’s missing the opening of the season seemed unthinkable.
All his plans in tatters, the whole reason for his attendance at the ball suddenly vanishing, Hector did not know what to do with himself. Unable to stand the music and the noise, he escaped to the library, which was gloriously empty, its furniture decorated with a profusion of brass inlays, the bookcases primly protected with glass doors. The only reasonable course of action at this point was to wait there until he could perform a proper exit without seeming rude. He could not possibly retire until nine o’clock.
Hector consulted his watch, and after deliberating, he decided he’d brush up on his history. He wound up flipping through the pages of a book without touching them, having dragged a chair closer to him with a motion of his left hand, his talent at work. He did not read a single line, too troubled by thoughts of Valérie Beaulieu to make heads or tails of the words.
When they last saw each other, they’d both been nineteen, nothing but children, really. But he’d loved her. She had been beautiful, sophisticated, captivating. A perverse part of him hoped that time had somewhat washed away the colors from her face, but in his heart he knew this was impossible and that Valérie Beaulieu must remain as he remembered her: the most devastating woman in the room.
And he would not be seeing her that night.
The clock on the wall struck nine and the door opened. In walked a young woman in a blue pastel silk and velvet dress with appliquéd flowers along the bodice and skirt, the sleeves rather puffed out, as was in vogue.
She closed the door, taking several steps into the room before she raised her head and caught sight of him. “Sir,” she said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there was anybody here.”
“It’s no matter,” he replied, closing the book with his hands rather than with his mind; he reserved displays of his talent for the stage. He did not add anything else. He was hardly in the mood for polite conversation. The De Villiers prided themselves on attracting the cream of the crop to their functions—the Beautiful Ones, rather than the New People. The barons of barely minted empires of telegraph wires and fresh steel could socialize elsewhere. Hector had been offered an invitation, proof of Étienne’s charm and his connections, but he knew he was, at best, a novelty for these aristocrats; at worst, an intruder. He did not wish to befriend any of them and threw the young woman a frosty look. The girl did not take his cue.
She looked at him carefully, her lips curving into a smile as she moved closer. “I know you. You are Hector Auvray.”
“Pardon me, were we introduced?” he asked, frowning. He was sure he had not seen this girl before. He had been presented to the hosts, and Étienne had pointed out a few people, but not her.
“I recognize your face from the posters around town. You are performing at the Royal. Phantasmagoric: Feats of Wonder, isn’t it? I was hoping to meet you,” she said.
“Oh?” he replied, a noncommittal sound, even if his interest had been piqued. Few aristocrats would admit to knowing the name of a vulgar entertainer. Instead, they nodded their heads politely and either assumed or pretended he was a slightly more elevated type of person.
“What were you reading?” she asked, pointing at the book he was clutching between his hands.
“History. Miss—”
“Nina,” she said, stretching out her hand. “Antonina, really, but I rather hate it. I’m named after a witch of a great-aunt, the most awful wretch who ever lived. Well, not quite, but I resent the association, and therefore it is Nina.”
“Hector, though you already know that part.” He shook her hand. “It’s probably best if we exit this room now. A bachelor such as myself, a young lady such as yourself—we wouldn’t want to cause a scandal.”
Truly, he wanted only to get rid of her and could not have cared what anyone thought. If the girl wished to walk around the house without an escort, then let it be. He had come to speak to one woman and one woman alone. If she was not there, then Hector would wallow in his velvet misery.
“I can’t possibly leave now,” she replied.
“Why not?” he asked, annoyed.
She did not notice his tone of voice or did not care. Instead, she took off the dance card dangling by her wrist and held it up for him to look at.
“If I go out there now, Didier Dompierre is going to ask me for a dance, and if you’d ever danced with Didier, you would know he is the most terrible dancer. I have been told he’ll put his name down for two dances, and you must be aware a lady cannot refuse a dance from a gentleman. It would be uncivil.”
Hector did not understand why a man might want to corral this particular girl for two dances in a row. She was not an enviable beauty— somewhat run-of-the-mill, to be frank—and her square jaw, black hair, and thin lips were rather unstylish. She possessed eyes of a pretty shade of hazel, though, and her dress was very fine; perhaps that was enough for a young chap with poor dance skills such as this Didier Dompierre.
“Then your thought is to spend the rest of the evening here, avoiding him?”
“Not the rest of the evening, but, say, a half an hour, and by then he will have found some other girl he can stomp on,” she replied, sitting in the chair in front of him and stretching her legs.
“This does not seem the best-conceived plan.”
“It is a plan, which is what matters. Whom are you hiding from?” she asked. If she were another woman, this might have been mistaken for an attempt at flirting. Valérie would have taken the opportunity to lace her voice with honey, but the girl was plain and spoke plainly.
“I am not hiding from anyone,” he said.
“Do you make it a habit to go to balls, then, and creep into the library to brush up on your history?”
“Do you talk to all men in this manner?” he replied, growing more curious than irritated.
She toyed with her dance card, putting it again on her wrist, and gave him a mortified look. “I apologize. This is only the second dance I’ve attended, and I can see it will end catastrophically already.”
“This is the second party of the De Villiers’ you’ve attended?” he asked.
“The second party in the city I’ve ever attended, and this is the beginning of the Grand Season, the true test of a lady’s mettle. You must not think me a complete fool. I went to a couple of dances in Montipouret, but it was different. Small affairs. Loisail is large and there are many people and the rules are different.”
He was talking to a country girl, for clearly the designation of “woman” would have been misplaced on her. Worse than that, a country rube. But Hector could not help but feel more sympathy than distaste. He had, after all, been a country nothing at one time and less polished than this girl.
He smiled despite himself, to assuage her. “No doubt you’ll learn them soon. You seem quick-witted.”
“Thank you,” she replied, appearing rather pleased with his words.
She looked at him curiously and another smile crossed her face. “I must confess, I know more about you than your name from looking at the posters. I read about you in TheGazette for Physical Research. Alexander Nicolay has been investigating your telekinetic abilities.”
“Are you a fan of TheGazette?” he asked, surprised that she’d be informed about Nicolay’s research. He’d bumped into the man a couple of years back. He was attempting to measure and classify all psychokinetic talents and convinced Hector to let him take his pulse while he manipulated objects with the force of his mind. It was the sort of thing people did not think to bring up in casual conversation.
“Not particularly. But I am interested in the phenomena. They say you are one of the great psychokinetics of our era.”
“I’m a decent performer,” he replied.
“Modest, too.”
She was a curious girl, and now he reassessed her again. Not an aristocrat and not a country rube and—what exactly? He didn’t like it when he couldn’t classify people.
He gestured toward the door. “Shall I escort you to the ballroom?”
She looked down at her dance card, carefully running her fingers around its edge. “Yes. If you feel inclined, you might partner with me for a dance. I would be really thankful. I was not exaggerating when I said Didier Dompierre is the worst dancer you’ve ever seen. Is that a terrible request? It’s not, is it?”
He was somewhat amused by the question and her tone of voice, and though the girl’s nervous energy at first did not sit too well with him, he had to admit he felt a bit relieved by her intrusion. He was full to bursting with thoughts of Valérie and could do with a few minutes more of light chatter. It would also satisfy the practical necessity of actually showing himself at the ball, which he ought to do at one point. He could not spend every single minute in the library. He could wallow later, in the privacy of his apartment.
“One dance.”
She took his arm before he offered it to her as they exited the library, which was presumptuous.
The owners of the house had placed mirrors on the walls of the corridor that led to the ballroom, an ostentatious touch, but this was a new trend that was sweeping the capital and soon the nation. Whatever took the fancy of Loisail would take the fancy of the whole of Levrene; this was a known fact.
The ballroom was huge, with tall gilded mirrors reflecting the attendees, magnifying the space: the party seemed to go on forever. Above them hung monstrous chandeliers that sparkled with all their might, and all around them there were ladies with their shoulders bare, in their fine silks, while the gentlemen stood sober and proud, creating a glorious rainbow of colors, from the restrained browns of the matriarchs to the pale pinks of the unmarried women.
Hector carefully took hold of Antonina’s hand and they joined the dance. He did not consider himself an excellent dancer, though he could manage. His partner fared poorly, but gave the feeling of being entertained.
“Do you know Loisail well, Mr. Auvray? Or is this your first time here? It wouldn’t be, would it?”
“I don’t know it well, no. I’ve spent only a few days in Loisail before my move here.”
“How do you find it? Is it different from the cities where you’ve lived?” she asked.
He thought of the myriad countries and stages where he’d toured. To be back in his country of birth, in Levrene, was to be back home, though not due to a quirk of geography but because this was where Valérie resided. Here, in Loisail, even if she was hidden away at this moment. She existed and colored the city for him, lit it brighter than the elegant iron lampposts.
“Interesting. I have yet to form a strong opinion of it,” he said politely.
“Then you intend to remain for a while?”
“I will be performing for a few months here, yes. As to whether I intend to make it my permanent base of operations, we shall see. And you?”
He did not expect her to launch into a complete and honest answer. A touch of coquetry, the outline of a smile, those would have been suitable. This had been Valérie’s way.
The girl clutched his hand excitedly. “I’ll most definitely be here until the summer. I am spending all of the spring with my cousin. My mother thinks a time in the city would do me good. Where are you lodging? My cousin’s house is in Saint Illare.”
“I think you’ve asked another bold question,” he informed her.
“Is it, really?”
Her words were candid and he found himself amused by the naivety. Rather than schooling her with a scowl and a clipped yes, which normally suited him magnificently, he gave her a proper answer.
“To the east. Boniface. Not as smart as your cousin’s house, I would wager,” he said.
“Boniface. Is that so you can remain near the theater?”
“Indeed.”
“I’m sure it’s smart enough. Boniface.”
As the dance ended, a young man moved in their direction, his eyes on Antonina. Hector was going to incline his head and release the girl, but on contemplating the look of pure panic that crossed her face, he did his best to suppress a chuckle and instead asked her for a second dance. She accepted and told him the man who had been moving toward them was poor Didier. In the end, he danced a total of three dances with Nina, but since two of the three were lively stevkas, they did not speak more than a few words.
After he had thanked her for the dances and strolled away, Étienne Lémy and his little brother, Luc, wandered over. Étienne was Hector’s age and Luc a handful of years younger, though looking at them, people always swore they were twins, so alike were they, both possessing the same blond hair and stylish mustache. They furthered the illusion that evening by wearing matching gray vests.
“There you are, you devil. I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Étienne said, clasping his shoulder. “For a moment I thought you’d left.”
Reading with Rendz 