She was perched on Duff Cooper’s balcony, overlooking the streets of Paris. And while the lights along the river Seine sparkled like gems caught in a haze of tulle, Victoria could have been a beacon – feeding them with her energy. She was sitting on top of the world, or at least, Paris. It was a heady feeling, for someone with all the worldly experience of a schoolgirl on the lamb.
As she gazed out, Duff wrapped his arms around her. “The view is magnificent, but not nearly as breathtaking as you.”
She allowed herself to lean back into his embrace as he bent his head forward to kiss her neck. Her nerves tingled. She turned to speak, but before a word could escape, Duff’s lips were on hers, his tongue pushing into her mouth. This was a new experience for her and she liked the way it made her feel.
Duff tried to remove her dress, but she clutched it against her body. Undeterred, he softly compliment her while tracing her face with his finger from her forehead to the tip of her nose, over her lips and under her chin, not stopping until he reached her breasts.
Victoria gently pushed Duff away, but he was persistent and she finally gave in. He removed her clothing and she blushed violently as she stood naked before him.
Slowly, he caressed every inch of her, kissing her and extolling her beauty. That night, Duff Cooper stole Victoria’s innocence and as she fell asleep in his arms, she realized she would now look at men with a new perspective.
She awakened in the middle of the night, to find him gazing at her. “Can’t you sleep?” she asked.
“I’d rather just look at you.”
“In the dark?”
“In the moonlight. There’s something about it that’s very soothing.”
“What were you thinking about?” she asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. My life, the war, everything.”
“Was it exciting, fighting in the Great War?”
“There’s no glory in it,” he answered. “If you’re in the right place at the right time, you’ll do fine. But damned is the man who’s in the wrong place.”
“Did you know anyone who was… in the wrong place?”
“Many of my friends. I don’t think it would have turned out so badly, if we just had a more reliable way of getting information across enemy lines. But nothing seemed to work.”
“Couldn’t you just post letters?”
Duff smiled. “Mail is too dangerous. The contents are easily read. We tried having pigeons deliver small hydrogen balloon canisters to our agents behind the lines and asked our people to send them back with reports of enemy troop movement. We sent a hundred of them, but only one message ever came back that I know of, and that one nearly ended up in the Germans’ hands. Thank God one of our people intercepted it during a raid. The little ignoramus who sent it had signed her real name on the message. She could have gotten herself killed.”
Victoria sat upright. “She? There were women working behind enemy lines?”
Duff hesitated. “Forget what I'm saying. I'm half-asleep.”
“I want to know more about these women. Are they spies?”
“I’m sorry, Victoria. I shouldn’t talk about covert operations. I can’t tell you anything more.”
“But it sounds so exciting. How do they get the information they send you?”
“Much the same way you’re getting information from me, right now,” he answered wryly.”
“But…”
He silenced her by slipping his tongue back into her mouth.
Later, she stood alone on the balcony as Duff slept, thinking about how exciting it would be to steal behind enemy lines and gather the kind of information that could help win a war. She’d ask him to tell her more about it, in the morning.
When she awakened, Duff was sitting fully dressed in a chair opposite the bed, watching her. She modestly pulled a blanket up to her chin. “Good morning, Mister Duff Cooper.” She paused for a second. “You have such a interesting name.”
He smiled. “Actually, my given name is Alfred.” She noticed him fidgeting and tried to be glib. “You look like you’re getting ready to fly the coop, Alfred. You could, at least, have waited for me to get dressed. Ladies first, and all that.”
“Victoria, it’s not that I want to leave you right now, but… I’m getting married!”
Victoria froze. “What do you mean, you’re getting married?”
“I’m catching the ferry, today. I’m due back in London for some last minute wedding preparations. If I had realized you were a virgin, I would never have brought you here.”
Victoria scarcely moved. How could he tell her he was getting married to someone else, after the intimacy they had just shared? Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let him get the best of her. Instead, she willed herself to sound calm and remain in control. “Well then, I guess you really are flying the coop. Go. I won’t be here when you get back.”
“I won’t be coming back any time soon. Do you need anything? Do you need money?”
Victoria’s eyes flashed. “Money? Do you take me for some kind of whore? Get out!”
He stood up and took a calling card out of his pocket, placing it on the edge of the bed. “If you ever need anything, contact me.”
She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything more. “Please leave.”
“I’m so sorry.” With that, he walked out.
Victoria got up and dressed hurriedly but her nervous fumbling slowed her down. she had snuck away from school, overnight and for one shining moment, she believed she had done it for love. Now, she felt like a foolish child. Worse, she had to figure out how to get back inside, without too much fuss.
"Oohhh," she moaned aloud. Madame Chalgrin was sure to make her feel even worse rather than better.