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Back The Shoe Queen Save as PDF
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. “And may I say, those shoes are adorable.”
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. ( I )
  7. ( one )
  8. ( two )
  9. ( three )
  10. ( four )
  11. ( five )
  12. ( six )
  13. ( seven )
  14. ( eight )
  15. ( nine )
  16. ( ten )
  17. ( II )
  18. ( eleven )
  19. ( twelve )
  20. ( thirteen )
  21. ( fourteen )
  22. ( fifteen )
  23. ( III )
  24. ( sixteen )
  25. ( seventeen )
  26. ( eighteen )
  27. ( nineteen )
  28. ( IV )
  29. ( twenty )
  30. ( twenty-one )
  31. ( twenty-two )
  32. ( twenty-three )
  33. ( twenty-four )
  34. ( V )
  35. ( twenty-five )
  36. ( twenty-six )
  37. ( twenty-seven )
  38. ( twenty-eight )
  39. ( twenty-nine )
  40. VI
  41. ( thirty )
  42. ( thirty-one )
  43. ( thirty-two )
  44. ( thirty-three )
  45. ( thirty-four )
  46. ( VII )
  47. ( thirty-five )
  48. ( thirty-six )
  49. ( thirty-seven )
  50. ( thirty-eight )
  51. ( thirty-nine )
  52. ( forty )
  53. ( forty-one )
  54. ( forty-two )
  55. ( VIII )
  56. ( forty-three )
  57. ( forty-four )
  58. ( forty-five )
  59. ( forty-six )
  60. ( forty-seven )
  61. ( forty-eight )
  62. ( forty-nine )
  63. ( fifty )
  64. ( fifty-one )
  65. Acknowledgments
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. Questions for Discussion

“I’m talentless,” said Genevieve. “My poetry is worthless. If you don’t believe me, look for yourselves. My notebook is still there, in your apartment.”

“We didn’t just run into you by accident yesterday,” said Marianne. “It was a sign. And now, finding you here—that’s another sign. We have to save the magazine. For Norman.”

“We need money,” said Augusta.

Genevieve called out for three more cognacs. “Have a drink on me, ladies. I’m afraid it’s about the best I can do for you now. You see, I’ve just walked out on my husband.”

“Walked out?” Marianne frowned.

She held up her little case. “I travel impressively lightly, wouldn’t you say?”

“So the money…,” began Augusta.

“Was all his. I have none of my own. You could go and speak to Robert if you like, but I can’t imagine he’ll be very well disposed toward the magazine. Not after everything I’ve put him through.”

The waiter brought the three cognacs. Genevieve toyed with her glass and Marianne looked crestfallen, but Augusta smiled and downed her drink in one.

“Oh, well. We’ll just have to find a new backer. There’ll be someone out there. This magazine will happen. Some things are meant, and this is one of them.”

Something passed between the two women. A kind of energy. Only twenty-four hours ago, at Notre Dame, they had seemed spent. Empty. But today they were full of resolve.

“Do you really think it’s true?” asked Genevieve. “That things are ‘meant’?”

Augusta shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe a little. But it’s more about attitude. If something is worth fighting for, then you’d better fight for it. You’d better make it happen.”

“Yes.” Something was igniting in Genevieve.

“That was how Norman lived his life,” said Augusta. “People who didn’t really know him thought he was ‘just another of those poets’—drinking and spinning yarns at the bars in the Quarter. But there was so much more to Norman. He worked harder than anyone I know. He didn’t waste a single day. For a long time, his illness made him stronger. Does that make sense? It made him stronger because it made him more purposeful and determined.”

A fire was spreading through Genevieve. What had she been thinking of—sitting here drinking and moping and watching her life crumble around her? Roused, she took up her glass, threw her drink back and tossed some francs down on the table.

“You’re leaving?” asked Marianne.

“Yes. There’s something I have to do—to try, anyway. I really am sorry I can’t help you with the magazine. I’m sure you can do this, though.” And then, an afterthought: “You might think about the Countess de Frémont. She has plenty of cash to spare and she’s…well…easy.”

( forty-four )