The Twelve Days of UNCLE - Chapter 4

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Chapter 1 by glennagirlChapter 2 by ssclassof56

Chapter 3 by mrua7

Depardieu was anxious to return to his estate with the Japanese box, and he held it on his lap during the drive to the small airport into which they had flown that morning.  As the party of four boarded the private jet and prepared to return to Monaco, it was Denise who finally broached the topic of this quest.

“Father, I understand your fascination with the Queen, but how many of her possession do you intend to, ummm… repossess?”

The question seemed to amuse Depardieu, and he turned to Napoleon and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say ‘who knows?’.  Napoleon laughed, a courtesy to the man who had threatened to shoot the courier in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.  No doubt that man had been relieved to return to the UNCLE offices and report that his mission was a success.

“Gentlemen, you seem to have a talent for pleasing the collector.  Tell me, what do you have for your next grand move?”  It was a veiled threat, as though to disappoint by delivering anything less than grand would be done so at great peril to their well being.

Both Napoleon and Illya took note of the subtlety of Depardieu’s delivery, certain that the next item would indeed please this collector.  At least that was the assumption, based on their progress thus far.

“I am expecting to have a message waiting for me when we return to your home.  We will have an appointment lined up by this evening, I assure you.”  Napoleon spoke with complete confidence, but inwardly he hoped for it to be so.  Illya noted the faintest expression on his friend’s face, something only he detected.  They were accustomed to dicey situations, but somehow this one had a distinctly different angle; they weren’t even informed as to the end result or how it was they would achieve it.  Collecting historical artifacts seemed benign, ineffective.  And yet, it was Waverly’s plan.  All they could do was follow it.

Denise was also anxious to return home, but for reasons far different from those of her father.  She had designs on Illya Kuryakin, and her fascination with the Russian was becoming an obsession, much like what fueled the acquisition of the lacquered box in Depardieu’s lap.  Illya was aware of the young woman’s increasingly possessive attitude towards him, and while he had entertained an attraction to her, the mission required him to submit to this path.  It wouldn’t do to alienate Denise in the midst of this operation, and so he prepared himself for certain eventualities regarding her.  He might have regrets later, but for now he had only to submit to whatever means would gain the advantage.

When the party arrived at the Depardieu compound the home had been completely transformed from its modest appearance; there were lights and garlands befitting the season, and inside a large tree boasted an assortment of vintage ornaments that gleamed from lights nestled into its branches.

“Oh, look at this!’  Denise was exuberant, in spite of her manipulations concerning Illya she was delighted as much as any child to see the magic of Christmas suddenly on display.

“Mum, did you do all of this?”  Regina was standing at the base of the staircase, her smile a clear reply to the question.

“Even your father’s disdain of the season can’t keep us from having a festive time.  Justin darling, you’re simply going to have to endure our enthusiasm for Christmas.” As though transformed himself by the decorations, Depardieu put his arm around his former wife and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek.  Denise joined her parents as they all stood and admired the tree.  All in all, it was a bizarre sort of family closeness that made both Napoleon and Illya wonder about this trio.  Napoleon’s encounter with Regina had left him wondering why she had been in the antique store that fronted an UNCLE office.  A tail had indeed been initiated, but without clear results.  Regina had been to a few shops and then back to the Depardieu home.  Apparently her efforts since had all been devoted to what they all now saw around them.

“Well, I for one love Christmas, and this is all very lovely.  You have a gift Regina, the house and grounds are like a showcase.”  Napoleon could see that it pleased her to receive the compliment, but her reaction was not obvious; it was only his adeptness at reading women that enabled him to see it.

Just then one of the staff came in and presented a note to Justin.  He read it and passed it on to Napoleon.

“It seems you have call, Napoleon.  Do I have reason to hope it is yet another priceless gem for my collection?”  Once again there was the underlying hint of a threat in Depardieu’s delivery.  Was it that, or simply a preconception that it must be there?

“I certainly hope so.  I’ll take this and let you know.”  Napoleon followed the young man who had brought the message.  He picked up the receiver and was surprised to hear the voice of Alexander Waverly.

“Hello, this is Napoleon Solo.”

“Indeed, I should hope so.” Waverly wasted no time getting to the instruction.

“Your next item is in Monte Carlo, not far from the casino where you first met Depardieu.  You will be contacted by a woman, and she will have a bodyguard with her; both of them are agents.  They are bringing a fan once owned by Marie Antoinette.  It is the twin of one already on display in Paris, and thought to have been destroyed.  You will tell Depardieu you can deliver to him the second Versailles fan.  It is made of silver, embedded with diamonds and emeralds.  It is of great value, undeniably a prize to a collector like your host. Your appointment will be at eleven o‘clock in the morning at the Cafe de Paris on the Place du Casino.  The outdoor amenities will allow you to meet without attracting attention, and your contact will be waiting for you.  She knows your face, so wait for her man to approach you and take you to her table.  The piece is worth more than the previous three.  Make certain Depardieu pays the price, it is a fundamental aspect of this mission.  That is all.”

With that the conversation was ended, but now Napoleon had an inkling as to how this was all going to go down.  The prices increased every time an artifact was presented, which made him realize that this operation was literally bankrupting Depardieu.

The question remained: how far would Justin Depardieu go to acquire these treasures?  

~~~~~

The details were presented to Depardieu when Napoleon returned from his phone call.  Now, early the next morning, the family gathered at breakfast to discuss the business of collecting Marie Antoinette’s private possessions.  Although Regina had grown weary of the obsession, she knew that nothing would stop her ex-husband from doing whatever he could to own all that he could find.  Denise understood the emotional thrust behind her father’s quest, she had a healthy dose of whatever gene it was that created such fervor.  The difference between them was he required objects and she yearned for the right man.  Regina was lost in her efforts to stem each of their obsessive personalities, her own pursuits were accomplished with a more subtle approach.

When Napoleon and Illya came downstairs to find the others already assembled, they took their seats with apologies for being delayed.

“No, not at all my friends.  You are on time and we, well, we are family.  Sometimes it is necessary to take care of business, tu comprends.

“Yes, of course.  It looks to be a beautiful day, and hopefully our journey will be pleasing to you at the end of it.” Napoleon offered that as a way of suggesting the acquisition of yet another of Marie Antoinette’s belongings would be sufficient to guarantee everyone’s well being.  He was interested in the fan, especially in watching Depardieu when he saw it for the first time.  He had been greatly surprised and obviously pleased at the prospect of such a thing as a lost mate to one that was on display.  He had said initially that money was no object, something that Napoleon now wondered about as he thought on Waverly’s apparent plan to topple Depardieu’s little empire.

Illya had agreed with Napoleon that the financial aspect of this was key.  He also knew that there was more to play out with Denise.  She had joked about being her father’s daughter, but Illya didn’t consider her a real threat.  She was a young woman who was accustomed to having her own way, with finances and luxuries readily available to her.  But he also saw in her someone who had a vulnerability that was masked by a bravado learned from her father; perhaps a false bravado.  Illya was loathe to hurt her, but he was willing to play along with her romantic notions about him for as long as the mission required.

The conversation continued over breakfast, after which each of them returned to their rooms to change clothes and prepare for the ride into the city.  Regina decided to accompany them today, intent on more shopping while the others took care of business.  She hoped that Denise would join her for some mother and daughter time.  As much as Regina could understand her daughter’s fascination with the handsome blond, she recognized in Illya a man of the world who was most probably not prepared to step into any sort of domestic situation.  Denise wanted what so many women desired, and Illya Kuryakin simply did not appear to be a man desirous of marriage.  A little girl talk might help divert Denise’s attention away from something so obviously unattainable.

Arriving in Monte Carlo after the winding descent from Depardieu's mountain top estate, it was decided that the two women would be dropped off at La Condamine, a shopping district where multiple stalls showed off wares and products from the region and beyond.  Depardieu had no desire to expose his family to more danger.  He wouldn’t put them at risk as he had done the previous day.

When the three men  reached their destination, Depardieu pulled up and hailed a valet to park his car.  The trio were free then to head towards the outdoor seating area where a tall man with waist length blond hair met them, his accent clipped with a hint of something Scandinavian.  Sunglasses and a hat resembling something out of an American Western film made his appearance seem overly flamboyant, as though he aspired to be seen as a character rather than someone real.  It worked, Illya thought he resembled a cartoon character, although something about him seemed oddly familiar.

“Messieurs, vous me suivrez.” With that he headed towards a table where an older woman was seated, her head piled high with dark brown curls that seemed to tumble from an unseen power source, the effect similar to a still picture from a wind tunnel.

“Oh ‘ello, gents!” The greeting was enthusiastic, but behind the sunglasses it was assumed the woman was visually cataloging the faces and mannerisms in order to gauge whether or not she was safe among them.  She appeared to be perhaps in her fifties, the jawline was just beginning to sag slightly and her crimson lipstick had seeped into the very fine lines around her lips.

“Oy, yer a fine lookin’ lot you are. So, who’s it gonna be spending all those loverly American dollars?”  The smile on the woman’s face revealed two protuding front teeth, and a smear of the crimson lipstick was on one of them, making an impression well matched to her long haired bodyguard.

Depardieu seemed surprised by her question.

“You are expecting this transaction to be handled in US Dollars?  I was anticipating  British pound.” It was another indication to Napoleon and Illya that this scheme was intended to destroy Depardieu’s financial stability.  The exchange rate was decidedly in favor of the American dollar at this time, and would cost more than had the price been met with another currency, specifically the British pound that had recently undergone a controversial devaluation.

“Oh no, this is all US or nothin’ at all.  I can sell this beauty to someone else, so…” Depardieu held up his hand to stop the words from coming out of the woman’s mouth.

“I will pay your price… in US dollars.  I, umm… I will need to exchange my currency before we can continue.” This was going to cost more than he had anticipated, but he was not willing to leave the city without Marie’s beautiful fan.

The woman looked at the expression on Depardieu’s face, confident that the deal was intact.

“If you have it with you, I’ll take your money as it is, only more of it.’ She pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, scribbling numbers and counting on her fingers as she feigned calculating the cost.

“Here you go, this is the number.’’  Depardieu accepted the paper with the revised figures.  Nodding his head he took a deep breath and reassembled the bills within his briefcase, reaching into his wallet and adding several thousand to close the gap between the original price and what he would now pay, based on the rate of exchange.

“Please, I would like to see the fan.” He was nearly breathless from the anticipation of viewing this valuable piece of history, and the sudden change in the financial transaction.

The woman, whose name they would never know, produced a small wooden box that showed the wear of two centuries.  She took out a small key and turned it in the lock, a snick sounding before she lifted the lid to reveal the silver fan.

Justin was instantly mesmerized by it, forgetting that he had spent a small fortune to call it his own.

Comments

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you! And good point about UNCLE expenses🙀

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Still, in the end, maybe Napoleon will make a profit. And goodness knows what Accounts will make of that.