Chapter 6: The Garden in Spring

As winter turns to spring, Colette and Jean-Paul become closer. Their walks in the garden are the only time they are together without being chaperoned by Sylvie. It becomes a symbol of their developing relationship to both of them. Sometimes their hands touch as they walk through the extensive gardens that make up the D’Aubigny estate. When Colette slips a spring flower into Jean-Paul’s pocket, Jeanne returns the act by tucking a similar flower in Colette’s hair. That develops into a game of gifting a flower to the other in an unlikely place on their body.

When Jeanne drops a flower into Colette’s exposed cleavage during a particularly warm spring day, it signifies a point-of-no-return. Thereafter the flower game becomes much more intimate, resulting in much touching and eventually their first kiss. Jeanne is taking an extreme gamble. Colette’s roaming hands brush against Jeanne’s chest and arse. Jeanne is surprised that Colette hasn’t discovered the truth of what lies beneath. It’s only the intervention of Sylvie that brings their intimate games to an abrupt halt. Sylvie has finally decided that the couple need watching with a closer eye. As much as Jeanne regrets the end of their games, it at least saves her secret from discovery.

Colette is equally disappointed in the halt to their games, but at least she’s established that Jean-Paul is sexually attracted to her. Perhaps there’s some hereditary problem in Jean-Paul’s family that makes him so reticent about being intimate. Colette’s maid, Sophie, had told her of rumours she had heard in town that Jean-Paul was effeminate and attracted to men. The games Colette and Jean-Paul have been playing make a nonsense of those rumours. Colette is sure the rumours are because of Jean-Paul’s smooth face, higher-than-usual voice pitch, and his well rounded arse that is more like a woman’s than a man’s.

Despite the end of their intimate flower game, the couple are often seen together. They debate politics at length, normally a subject reserved for men. Even on subjects on which they agree, one will sometimes take an opposing view simply to add fire to their debates.

Of course, Colette and Jean-Paul can’t always be together. After all, Jean-Paul was hired as Henri’s assistant. Now that Henri’s foot has healed, he and Jean-Paul spend the workdays at the factory. While Jeanne gradually learns more about how Henri’s factory operates, Colette develops her ambition to be an artist.

The rumours about Jean-Paul’s strangeness soon subside. His efforts at work are respected, and Henri goes to great lengths to groom Jean-Paul as a future son-in-law. Socially, only Colette is close enough to Jean-Paul to notice anything out of the ordinary. Jeanne generally keeps up her disguise, but as time progresses there are more and more tiny slips in her behaviour. Fortunately, neither Henri nor Colette seem to have noticed, but some of the house staff may suspect something. The maid who cleans Jeanne’s room and bathroom may wonder why there’s no trace of a shaving razor. Or why for a few days every four weeks there are a number of wet towels with traces of blood on them left for laundering.

As spring progresses the affection Colette and Jean-Paul hold for each other blossoms. There’s no denying their attraction to each other, but both of them are tentative about going too far. Jeanne is still not ready to confess her deception to Colette. For her part, Colette’s hesitance isn’t because she doesn’t want sex with Jean-Paul, nor that she believes he would be dishonourable and grow tired of her once her cherry is plucked. That sort of behaviour is the hallmark of cousin Louis, and Colette refuses to accept Jean-Paul would be so callous. She is nevertheless mindful that many a young maiden has ruined her life by spreading her legs before marriage.