"Picnic At Lac Du Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Masterton Graham)

The girls were all in the living-room, and Minette was playing Brahms on
the piano. They stood up when Baubay and Vincent came in, and twittered
around them, giving them little kisses of welcome and touching their hair.
Only Catherine remained seated, and Vincent deliberately didn't catch her
eye.
'Who takes your fancy tonight, Francois?' asked Mme Leduc.
Baubay looked around the room. He glanced at Vincent, and then he said,
'You, Violette. It's you that I want tonight.'


Later, after champagne, Baubay and Violette climbed the stairs together
while the girls clapped and giggled and whistled their encouragement. As
soon as they had gone, Vincent went over to Catherine and took hold of her
hand. 'Our turn?' he suggested.
He held her hand quite tightly as they left the living-room and crossed
the hallway. Then - as they passed the front door - he suddenly pulled her
and said, 'This is it! Come on, Catherine, this is our chance!'
Catherine tried to wrench herself away from him. 'No!' she cried out.
'What are you doing?' But Vincent twisted open the doorhandle, flung the
door wide open, and dragged Catherine out onto the porch.
'No!' she screamed. 'No, Vincent, I can't!'
She deliberately sank to her knees, but Vincent bent down, and bodily
picked her up. 'No!' she shrieked at him. 'I can't! I can't! No, Vincent,
you'll kill me!'
She pulled his hair and dug her fingernails into his face, but he found
the pain almost exciting. He carried along the pathway and out into the
street, where his car was parked. He opened the driver's door and managed
to force her inside, pushing her across to the passenger seat. Then he
climbed in, started the engine, and sped away from the house with a
high-pitched squealing of tires.
'Go back!' she shouted, trying to snatch the steering-wheel. 'You have to
go back!'
'Listen!' he shouted back at her. 'Whatever Violette told you, it's
garbage! She said it to scare you, so that you wouldn't leave! Now stop
worrying about her and start thinking about yourself, and your baby.'
'Go back!' Catherine howled. 'Oh God, you can't do this to me! Oh God
please go back! Oh God, Vincent, please take me back!'
'Will you shut up?' Vincent told her. 'Shut up and put on your seatbelt.
Even if you don't feel protective toward your baby, I do.'
'Take me back! Take me back! I can't go with you, Vincent! I can't!'
She punched him again and tried to tear at his ear, and the car swerved
wildly across the highway. But in the end he managed to catch hold of both
of her wrists in his right hand, and restrain her. She stopped trying to
hit him, and she curled herself up in her seat, and softly sobbed.


She was asleep by the time they reached Montreal. He parked outside the
apartment building and switched off the engine. He looked across at her
and brushed the hair from her face. She was so beautiful that he could
hardly believe she was real. He lifted her out of the passenger seat and