Moon in a Dead Eye Read Free

Maxime Node could talk whilst still displaying his dazzling array of teeth.
    ‘So, you were the first ones here?’
    ‘That’s right, somebody had to be.’
    ‘And … do you like it?’
    ‘Oh yes! It’s so quiet! The weather hasn’t been great but that’s down to the time of year.’
    ‘Of course. Anyway, it’s been rotten weather everywhere this year.’
    They engaged in the customary small talk for a quarter of an hour, all the while studying each other closely out of the corners of their eyes, like naturalists examining a newly discovered species.
    ‘… and there are so many interesting places to visit around here – churches, the beach … Anyway, we can tell you all about it another time, we don’t want to keep you – we know what it’s like moving house! Well, have a good evening, and if you needanything at all, just ask. We’re the house with the lights on, over there.’
    ‘Great, see you soon!’
    Martial and Odette walked back holding hands, like two children coming home from their first day at school. Odette seemed relieved.
    ‘You were right, we had to see them up close. That woman’s at least seventy.’
    ‘He’s no spring chicken either. That raven-black hair doesn’t fool me for one minute, or his teeth for that matter!’
    ‘They seem like nice people though. Smiley.’
    ‘Him especially! My word, he’s a walking advert for his dentist!’
    ‘Martial!’
    They fell through the door in fits of giggles and, for the first time, the house felt warm and cosy, lived in. They opened a half-bottle of champagne and a tin of foie gras.

    The sky was undeniably blue, not a wisp of cloud on the horizon. Though there was still a chill in the air, making an extra layer essential, Martial and Odette had decided to have breakfast on the deck. It was 16 April and the first time they had eaten outdoors. Martial was doing battle with his
tartine
. The homemade apple jelly was too runny, spilling out of the holes in the bread as he spread it.
    ‘So, what do you think?’
    ‘It’s nice, very nice. Maybe a little bit runny …’
    ‘That’s because of the apples. I could only get Golden Delicious. We’re happy here, though, aren’t we?’
    ‘Right.’
    ‘They said on the radio this morning it’s raining in Paris. Do you realise how lucky we are?’
    ‘Yes … Damn it! I’ve got it all over my bloody trousers.’
    ‘Are they your new ones?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Here, wipe them with this. So, what did you make of it?’
    ‘Of what?’
    ‘The drinks at the Nodes’, obviously!’
    ‘Oh, it was all a bit fancy for my liking. All those little sweet and savoury nibble things, they’re too fussy. I like simpler stuff.’
    ‘I don’t mind it every now and then. They certainly didn’t hold back on the champagne – we must have drunk at least two bottles!’
    ‘Three! Maxime opened another just before we left. I think Marlène had a few too many …’
    ‘I was a bit tipsy too. I didn’t make a fool of myself, did I?’
    ‘I don’t think so. I was falling asleep by the end.’
    ‘It was well before then! I had to give you a nudge, you were snoring on the sofa … That sofa! It’s …’
    ‘Pachydermic!’
    ‘Exactly! All real leather – must have cost an arm and a leg. But it’s far too big for that sitting room. With the piano behind it, you can barely move. I’m not saying they haven’t got nice things, but it’s all a bit showy. They’re the same themselves, very nice people but they always have to go one better, with their holidays, and their friends in high places, and their son the lawyer …’
    ‘We still don’t know which of them plays the piano.’
    ‘We don’t, do we?’

    Inspecting the scrawny shrub, whose branches reached upwardsas though imploring the sky, Martial came across a single bud the size of a boil.
    Since the Nodes had moved in, Martial and Odette had given up playing ‘the neighbours game’. There was no point now that they could get it all from the