The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon Read Free Book Online Page B

all what did it matter? Lanchon was a shrewd businessman, and he knew that this would insure that Noelle would never leave him.
    Noelle watched him as he drove happily away, then she went upstairs, packed her things and removed her savings from her hiding place. At ten o’clock that night, she was on a train to Paris.
    When the train pulled into Paris early the next morning, the PLM Station was crowded with those travelers who had eagerly just arrived, and those who were just as eagerly fleeing the city. The din in the station was deafening as people shouted greetings and tearful farewells, rudely pushing and shoving, but Noelle did not mind. The moment she stepped off the train, before she had even had a chance to see the city, she knew that she was home. It was Marseille that seemed like a strange town and Paris the city to which she belonged. It was an odd, heady sensation, and Noelle reveled in it, drinking in the noises, the crowds, the excitement. It all belonged to her. All she had to do now was claim it. She picked up her suitcase and started toward the exit.
    Outside in the bright sunlight with the traffic insanely whizzing around, Noelle hesitated, suddenly realizing that she had nowhere to go. Half a dozen taxis were lined up in front of the station. She got into the first one.
    “Where to?”
    She hesitated. “Could you recommend a nice inexpensive hotel?”
    The driver swung around to stare at her appraisingly. “You’re new in town?”
    “Yes.”
    He nodded. “You’ll be needing a job, I suppose.”
    “Yes.”
    “You’re in luck,” he said. “Have you ever done any modeling?”
    Noelle’s heart leaped. “As a matter of fact, I have,” she said.
    “My sister works for one of the big fashion houses,” the driver confided. “Just this morning she mentioned that one of the girls quit. Would you like to see if the vacancy is still open?”
    “That would be wonderful,” Noelle replied.
    “If I take you there, it will cost you ten francs.”
    She frowned.
    “It will be worth it,” he promised.
    “All right.” She leaned back in the seat. The driver put the taxi in gear and joined the maniacal traffic heading toward the center of town. The driver chattered as they drove, but Noelle did not hear a word he said. She was drinking in the sights of her city. She supposed that because of the blackout, Paris was more subdued than usual, but to Noelle it seemed a city of pure magic. It had an elegance, a style, even an aroma all its own. They passed Notre Dame and crossed the Pont Neuf to the Right Bank and swung toward Marshall Foch Boulevard. In the distance Noelle could see the Eiffel Tower, dominating the city. Through the rearview mirror, the driver saw the expression on her face.
    “Nice, huh?”
    “It’s beautiful,” Noelle answered quietly. She still could not believe she was here. It was a Kingdom fit for a Princess…for her.
    The taxi pulled up in front of a dark, gray stone building on the rue de Provence.
    “We’re here,” the driver announced. “That’s two francs on the meter and ten francs for me.”
    “How do I know the job will still be open?” Noelle asked.
    The driver shrugged. “I told you, the girl just left this morning. If you don’t want to go in, I’ll take you back to the station.”
    “No,” Noelle said quickly. She opened her purse, took out twelve francs and handed them to the driver. He stared at the money, then looked at her. Embarrassed, she reached into her purse and handed him another franc.
    He nodded, unsmiling, and watched her lift her suitcase out of the taxi.
    As he started to drive away, Noelle asked, “What’s your sister’s name?”
    “Jeanette.”
    Noelle stood on the curb watching the taxi disappear, then turned to look at the building. There was no identifying sign in front, but she supposed that a fashionable dress house did not need a sign. Everyone would know where to find it. She picked up her suitcase, went up to the door and rang