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Back The Shoe Queen
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

Genevieve knew about the poker, but she didn’t know what else Harry and the guys got up to at the club in Montmartre. To start off with, the girls would bring the drinks up to the cards room, light the cigars and replace the ashtrays, smiling sweetly all the while. But later on, when the smoke was thicker, Harry’s voice was louder and the chips were shuttling back and forth in bigger and bigger stacks, they’d linger on, waiting for their cue to sit down on an ample lap, drape an arm around a thick neck and start whispering and giggling before leading the boys, one by one, up the little staircase at the back of the club to the rooms above.

And here came Robert’s favorite moment. The moment when he got up from the card table and stepped out into the cool, dark, smoke-free night air or the lovely new lilac of approaching dawn. He’d wander down the hill to look for a cab home, all alone in this great city but for the occasional passing motorcar or chirping bird. His money would be safe in his pocket (for he always knew when to cash in his chips) and his virtue still intact (the girls quickly learned they were wasting their time dallying on this boy’s lap or whispering in his ear). Sometimes he’d walk the whole way home, whistling.

“How’s that gorgeous filly of yours?” Harry asked tonight as he shuffled the cards. “Got her tightly reined in, I hope?” He was drunk already, and leering, but it was just his manner, his way of being friendly.

“You can’t rein in a girl like Genevieve,” said Robert. “That’s the last thing to do with her.”

Harry shrugged and dealt to the five players. “Well, my advice to you, my boy, is to keep a close eye on your lady. Those artistic types she pals around with…Well, I certainly wouldn’t trust a man who wears a beret or a cape.” As he said this, he looked up and winked at a pretty redhead who was lingering in the doorway.

“I don’t need to trust them,” said Robert. “I trust her.”

“Very admirable, I’m sure. Say, why don’t you bring her round to my place some time, eh? We could have a little dinner, and the girls could gossip about babies or flower arranging or whatever it is they like to talk about.”