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Usually in hours like these Lucien would be spending his “extra” shift in his “office”, and yet he found himself wandering in the endless streets of Paris.
Not that he minded of course. He loved the city both in its radiant days and especially in its lively nights. Every street was lit with yellows, reds, and blues and was bustling with the ever-present nightlife. It gave him a rush to do something fun. Maybe drink some good wine and to get a little loose on his own volition.
Eventually he found a small bar he heard good words about. It wasn’t especially crowded - which is always a good thing- and it was decorated with dark purple wallpapers with equally dark blue seatings. The most prominent source of light was the bottle filled shelves which were lighted by a neon blue tint.
And if it wasn’t for the nearby tint he wouldn’t have noticed Beauchamp- who was slouched in a table nearby.
Naturally Debray headed over to his friend. He casually waved to him and Beauchamp waved back lazily.
“You seem to be having a tough night”, Debray teased and took a seat next to his mellowed friend. He noticed a glass of whiskey nearby - It was completely empty with nothing but a ball of ice remaining. He had a hunch another one was coming on the way.
“Well the woman I was supposed to interview tonight is almost an hour late...” Beauchamp looked away with contempt. “Is it that the same woman you were talking about yesterday? Her name was Natalie wasn’t it?”
“Not just any Natalie. She happened to be Natalie Atelier”.
That name rang more than a few bells for Debray. After all, she was one of the three potential heiresses to the esteemed Atelier company. Said company also happened to produce some of the finest suits in the city, and he wasn’t just saying it because he frequents their services.
“ That Natalie sounds like a good source for a scoop,” Debray grinned .
“If I were you, I would drop the whiskey and the cigarettes, and maybe put some cologne -“
“It’s pretty obvious she’s not going to come Debray,”
Beauchamp said bluntly. He looked his friend straight in the eye as he said that harsh truth. He then let out a sigh and went back to sulking.
The two men were quiet for a few minutes. The bartender then poured Beauchamp his second round - and not sooner enough an order for some wine was filed in.
Debray hated to see Beauchamp like this. Sure he was never the most upbeat fellow but it was aggravating to see him his such a sorry state. His narrow cheeks seemed more sullen than usual, black rings were startling to show up around his eyes, and the lingering scent of nicotine became more and more present.
And yes, those features were always noticeable on that journalist but there was always something beyond that - that silent aura of confidence around him, and that determined gaze in his brown eyes. That one gaze which could always read everyone like a book- that could read Debraylike a book. It was as intimidating as it was attractive .
Beauchamp drank from his whiskey and then took a cigarette from his pack.
“ this is a city that is filled with rumors and yet I can barely get a lead on a fraction of them”, Beauchamp muttered to himself, “ isn’t that embarrassing?”.
“That’s one of the least embarrassing I’ve heard today”, Debray reassured him.
“Oh really? Why don’t you tell me about one of them? ”, Beauchamp said and took a whiff of smoke.
“Well... now I need a moment to think of the best one..” Debray stared playing with his curls as he went deep in thought. He could always tell him about some gossip that he heard in his office but that’s wasn’t interesting enough- not even for a local tabloid. Another silent minute passed until...
“I heard that Madame Danglars has spent at least thirty thousand francs on wine and vodka in the past three months.”
It didn’t take long for beauchamp to turn his gaze towards Debray. He may have imagined it but the distance between the two men lessened.
“It caused quite the argument between her and her husband. ‘I can’t believe you’re spending this much money on such rubbish . Is alchohol the only thing flowing through that head of yours?” Debray said, trying his best to imitate Danglars’ crabby voice.
Debray then continued his (pretty bad) re-enactment of that argument . Not before long, the journalist grabbed his pen and notebook and wrote incessantly.
He didn’t plan for that to be the story helm tell, but much like a dog playing fetch, beauchamp would only follow in what was laid in the hand. There was nothing better to to than throw it to him.
“Now that, is some good content”, Beauchamp said with a much awaited grin. Naturally, Debray smiled back.
“Some of my imitations were a tad exaggerative”.
“I think that if Eugenie saw what you did now, she would give you full marks. But You do have to work on your more feminine voices .”
“you’re right about that ,” Debray said with a sheepish smile.
“But in all seriousness, Madame Danglars does indeed have a drinking problem. you’ve definitely heard similar rumors said here and there and they hold water”, Debray said, “if you give her a full glass, she’ll end it in a minute and go for the bottle until she passes out”.
Debray looked away from the eager journalist. He Took a small sip of his wine and could feel the concern rising up. The conversation they had could delve into ‘that’ topic. There was no guarantee it would but with how desperate Beauchamp looked he there was a good chance it could. And god knows what will follow it.
“You seem to be quite concerned about madame Danglars, don’t you?”, Beauchamp asked.
“It’s nothing personal,” Debray stated.
“ I did tell you been working closer to the Danglars as of late, haven’t I?
Well Monsieur Danglars has been so generous to me he invited to dine with his family more than once. that entire story I just told you- it’s l Just some gossip I happened to hear from the servants”.
“Don’t try to fool me Lucien. ”. The way beauchamp he accused him- with such sternness- gave him a slight shiver up his spine.
“First of all, theres the fact you said ‘Danglars’ and ‘generous’ in the same scentence.No man or woman in this city would buy into that false description, and that includes you as well. If danglars were to invite a secretary like you to dinner then I doubt it would just be for the sake of generousity or buissness. There’s an ulterior motive around.
Secondly- the way you described the entire incident between the couple was too intricate for some overheard servant banter. You were never the best actor but you knew their mannerisms well enough to be believable.”, he stopped for a puff of smoke and continued, “I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you witnessed that conversation in your own eyes”.
Even with two glasses of strong whiskey, Beauchamp knew how to unravel a lie. He had to admit- it was impressive.
“Okay so I did change some facts here and there, but what does this prove? What are you trying to accuse me of?”.
Debray said condescendingly.
“I never said I’m accusing you of anything. But I am going to share my assumption,”. Beauchamp took his final sip from his whiskey. By the time he finished no drop of that beverage was left inside.