Guy de Maupassant - The Colonel's Nieces

George was elated. He embraced his young wife passionately. Florentine blushed deeply- no doubt from happiness and devotion.

While George Vaudrez was taking care of his health, and while Madame Briquart and Florentine were vacationing in the Breton nunnery, the Saski-Saniska household went on an extended tour of Europe. They had gone to Spain, where they visited Madrid and Barcelona. Julia admired the handsome men and Gaston did the same to the women, but finally they tired of their travels and decided to stop at St. Jean-de-Luz before returning to Paris.

They were still madly in love with each other, but Polish noblemen are not exactly known for their fidelity. They are wonderful soldiers of love and marvelous in bed, but-unfortunately — like the butterfly, they have a tendency to go from flower to flower. Julia was often very sad, and little black clouds of jealousy began to darken the azure sky of their happiness.

It had been terribly warm that day, even though it was the end of autumn. A very tiresome trip around town had been more than Julia could stand and, after dinner, she had told Gaston that she wanted to retire.

“All right, my dear,” he had said, “you go up to our room, and I shall follow shortly.”

And now she was in bed, tossing and turning and waiting. She knew that he was going to see some of his friends, and she really did not expect him back till midnight. But the worm of jealousy began to gnaw on her mind.

“What,” she asked herself, “if he goes back to that blonde woman who arrived this afternoon? I saw them nod at each other, and when I asked him if he knew her, he denied it flatly. I don't believe him. I never would have given it a second thought if he had told me simply who she was. My God, there's nothing strange in his having known her before me. But no! He denies it! He lies! Why?”

And she kept tossing and turning, furious that she was incapable of going to sleep, mad at herself for being jealous and mad at Gaston for not returning to their hotel like he had said he would. And her imagination ran wild.

“I love him too much, and he knows it. That's because I show it too much. From now on it will be different. I'll act as if I don't care any longer.”

Once she had made that resolution, she trailed off into a light slumber, out of which she was awakened by a light creaking of the stairs leading to their rooms.

“Two o'clock in the morning!” she said to herself, looking at her watch. “And there he is, expecting me to hold out my arms, weeping with joy that he finally deigned to return to my bed. Well, he's dead wrong this time. I am going to pretend to be sound asleep, and I don't care if he tries to wake me up!”

Resolutely she turned on her side, away from the door, closing her eyes firmly.

The door opened and her man stumbled into the room. “Good,” Julia thought. “He has been drinking, and now he expects to make wild love. I'll show him nothing.”

Several moments later she heard him try and light a candle. “Goddammit,” murmured a thick voice, “there aren't any more…”

“The party,” she decided, “had been a complete success.”

The unfortunate man tried to do without a light. He removed his boots, his pants and, sliding into the bed, was surprised to find it occupied.

“Oho!” he said to himself. “That must be that little blonde who arrived here this afternoon, and who gave me the eye. How sweet of her to surprise me. I'll make her a very happy hussy!”

His caressing arms went around her.

“Go away! Go away!” Julia cried silently. “I am mad at you, you foolish man… go away!”

Her neighbor, who had not heard her thoughts, went on exploring her body.

“Come on,” he thought, “this is the most ridiculous moment to show signs of virtue that I can think of, even though I may be a little drunk. That goes to show you what a travesty this so-called modesty really is. But, I won't show bad manners, and I'll go along with her little fantasy, because in the end, I know, awaits a pretty good fuck,” and he smiled at himself for the intended pun.

Delicately, discreetly, he embraced the girl's fine figure as she lay still, turned on her side, away from him. His fingers, respectfully, traced the cliffs and valleys. Julia did not move, despite her goosepimples, and she had trouble not to show her obvious delight. The man, gliding more towards the foot of the bed, also laid on his side, introducing his stiff member into her love nest from behind. Julia felt a secret emotion.

“That's strange,” she thought. “He has never done it this way. I don't like it at all. I can hardly feel it in. Besides, I think it is wicked. I have never seen Gaston this way. And if it is the champagne, I'll forbid him to drink so much in the future. Well, anyway, now it is easy to be angry.”

And, while trying to pretend sleep, she turned upon her stomach, taking him along with her, clamped between the crack of her buttocks. The man bucked a few times, a sticky liquid dribbled down Julia's thigh, and the man groaned with pleasure.

Julia shot upright in her bed with a loud cry of fright.

“Oh, my God! It isn't Gaston! Who is here? Help!”

“Not so loud, not so loud, my dear little woman; There's no reason for this noise. What's done is done, and, besides, there is no one to hear you but me. I am a gentleman, and I know how to behave myself with ladies. It's too late now to pretend shock. Let's light the lamp, and discuss this whole thing like two reasonable, intelligent people. I have watched you all afternoon, and you have given me an utterly delightful time by encouraging me. Now I find you in my bed and, naturally, I am thrilled. True, I must admit that I had not hoped for this so soon, but at any rate, now that it has happened I must say that you are divinely desirable, and I am terribly happy to have made your acquaintance. Only the next time, please turn the other way.” There was no answer.

The man found a light and soon the apartment was lit. He looked down upon the bed and saw only the covers.

“Come on, my beautiful child! What you are doing does not make any sense at all. Why in the devil do you come into my room, slip naked between the covers of my bed, and then make all those pretensions. My God, one would believe that I have raped you of your virginity! I warn you, if you decide to make any trouble, I can make it pretty rough on a hussy like you!”

The deadly silence continued.

Angered, the man looked around the room and he did not recognize the colors of the curtains as those of the room he had slept in the previous night. The furniture looked different,' too!

Rapidly, he seized the covers, pulled them down and saw the beautiful, dark-haired head of a woman. He was stupefied. Not only wasn't it the blonde he had been eyeing, it was…

“Julia!”

“George!”

“Good Christ!”

“Oh, my God!”

“We've just done a very stupid thing!”

“George, I didn't know!” Almost inaudibly.

“I am convinced of that, dear sister. Good Lord how did I get into the wrong room. Did you take me for the Count?”

“I am mad at him because he is so late coming home.

“Poor Saski. But then, he who leaves his place, loses it.”

“Oh, no!” cried Julia. “He hasn't lost anything. I love him… I'd happily give ten years of my life if it would undo what we have just done!”

“Now, now, dear child, there is no reason to get hysterical. I am less unhappy about this than you are, because you are really good. It was a neat trick to turn over so suddenly. I came at once!” George positively beamed. “You are very, very charming, little sister, and…”

“What about Florentine?” Julia asked sternly.