"What are you doing here?" "Hello." "Hortense." " There are constant patrols." " I know." "You were meant to lie low in the country." "Unforeseen circumstances." "What do you want?" "Angèle." " And enough to get far away." " I gave you what I owe you." "True." "How much?" "2.000 francs." " I know." " Angèle is worth twice that." "And the Baron's blood was worth ten times what you gave me." "Go and fetch Angèle and the money." "You think I've got that sort of money at my disposal?" " But I know how to get hold of it." " You've got until tonight." "By the way..." "This is my confession." "Concerning the murder you ordered me to carry out." "In case I get hit by an untimely bullet." "How dare you come down to breakfast after me?" "And how dare you talk to me before rinsing out your mouth?" "You still smell of spunk." " What was that?" " Push me and I'll..." " You'll what?" " You started it!" "Three years ago." "The boss decided to fine the last one 20 centimes." " Imagine how much it's cost me." " To keep your honour intact." "Precisely." "You're not even 20. are you?" "Just." " Why do we understand one another?" " Do we?" " We're on the same wavelength." " We don't talk much." "All the same..." " You know I've got a daughter?" " Jeanne?" "She's..." "She's so boring." "At least you can improve on a bad upbringing." "But a good one?" "What makes me think Jeanne's my daughter." "Anyway?" "I've never been a mother to her." "Right." "I'm going back to bed." " He's asking for money." " How much?" " 2.000 francs." " I can bring it tonight if that suits." "Oh." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Torcy will never drop the case." "I have been so foolhardy." "To kill a Baron for love?" "Your foolhardiness does not lack panache." "Sister." "But you must now be doubly vigilant and listen to me." "Angèle must know nothing of this until Brise returns." "Nothing." "I think she's out." "But all the same..." "I think it was in 1867." "The Austrian ambassador was forced to apologise." " Really?" "The ambassador?" " Can you imagine?" " Chief Inspector." " There's no need to bow and scrape." "I am here alone and without handcuffs." "Well." "I'm leaving from Porte Saint-Martin in an hour." "I'll go and fetch my suitcase." "Right..." "I've come to warn you that I will be paying you a visit tonight." " You will be made most welcome." " We shall see." "Let's start by talking about the official reason for my visit." "The Ottoman dignitary." "Ylmaz Tourkan." "Will be coming here tonight." "This man claims to be here to represent his country's government in negotiations for the construction of a railway line linking Paris and Constantinople." "I have been appointed by my minister to check out this man's integrity." " What do you want to know about him?" " Whether he is who he says he is." " Who else might he be?" " A con man." "We know that our man was wounded six months ago in a duel." " Where is his wound situated?" " His groin." "I am counting on you to deploy an experienced member of staff." "You can count on us." "Chief Inspector." "We will do our duty as citizens." "He was so hairy." " Honestly." "He was so hairy." " You're being silly!" "But he was handsome and kind." "Not all that rich but respectful." " Why didn't you marry him?" " I did." " You were married?" " For two months." "His father had the marriage annulled." "I often cheated on my poor husband." "Too often and badly." "Even with his father." "I didn't know how to turn men down." "Or their presents." "This might be another type of prison but perhaps I prefer it." "The only thing I can't get used to is all the men who don't wash beforehand." "I must be getting old." "Chief Inspector?" " Madame?" " I see the building is under surveillance." "I can only assume that you haven't arrested Brise-Caboche." "What is it you want to know?" " I am scared he'll return." " Why?" "You just have to warn me." " I'm going to be late!" " Might I ask what you are doing?" " I'm going to my niece's wedding." " I never gave you permission." "Marguerite." "Your life and your family are here now." "You didn't think I'd do it." "An old goose like me going to a wedding?" "You thought I'd never dare." "But you see?" "For once." "You were wrong and I'm going." "Don't leave." "Not today." "I want to see my family again." "Too." "And if you needed me so badly." "You should have made me feel indispensable." "But I don't own this place." "How can I sell you a share of something that doesn't belong to me?" "You seem to be getting on better with your brother." "We'll see how you manage without me." "What's your plan in this prison?" "I've been watching you." "Hope returning to the face of a prostitute is instantly recognisable." "Have you got a sugar daddy in mind?" "I don't want to be one man's whore." "You have the means to find one who's agreeable." " I want to be free." " You're a bird in a cage." "Rose." "If you are bought." "The cage goes with you." "Even with Gaillac?" "Perhaps not with him." "He certainly likes you." "But that's not enough." "Help me." "Why do men come here?" "Quite frankly." "It's humiliating." "Paying." "Being preceded and followed by someone else." " That's true." " Only men don't care about that." "What matters to them is that the girl who turns them on turns others on too." "That's what excites them." " Have you talked to them about this?" " I don't need to." "Rose." "Would you like to be a man?" "Yes." "Then you have the power to think like a man." "You have the power to put yourself in your adversary's shoes." "Whereas a man can never dream of becoming a woman." "That's not allowed." "You have the knowledge." "So you are in charge." "And that's what makes it pleasurable." "For him and for you." "The pleasure of dominating?" "That's the holy grail of our little world." "Thank you." " Go on." " Twice in a row!" " Go on." "Aglaé." " Slowly." "Ladies." "Tonight Valentine will assist me with the organisation of the evening." "Marguerite's niece is getting married and I insisted on her joining her family for the occasion." "I'm relying on you more than ever to be highly disciplined." "You have one hour before preparations begin." "Make the most of it." "Angèle?" "Come with me." "Please." "What's wrong?" "Did you see Chief Inspector Torcy this morning?" "He will be back later." "Will that be a problem for you?" " And not for you?" " I have no choice." "You must be pleased." " What do you mean?" " Everything will be much easier now." "You'll soon find another mug to do your dirty work." "I have always been totally loyal to Brise-Caboche." "Why do you say "now"?" "You said things would be easier now." "That I must be pleased." " They've killed him." " Who have they killed?" " The coppers have killed my man." " What?" "Nonsense." "Torcy found him at Saint-Ouen at his cousin's." "They got them both." "There were kids there but they still fired at them as if they were ducks." " His cousin's wife wrote to tell me." " Angèle." "Angèle!" "This doesn't make sense." "Torcy would have mentioned it." "After opening fire." "They chased Brise to the river bank." "He must have drowned." "They didn't even look for his body." " Can I go back in?" " No." "Wait." "I don't want any trouble tonight." "Your heartache stays on this floor." "Downstairs I want you to be desirable and professional." "Do you understand?" "As long as that bastard doesn't come sniffing round me." "Come here a minute." "Young lady." "Since you refuse to understand." "This is what we'll do." " Tonight you will stay in the dormitory." " But Edmond will be there." "Then I'll charge you five francs for depriving one of our best clients." "Go on." "Get in there!" "Want to know how Damien frees himself from his chains in the well?" "Marguerite leaves you in the lurch and yet your thoughts are of Damien!" "I can't let her prove she's indispensable to me." "Anyway." "Now I know I'm going to be leaving here." "Are you still thinking of selling as soon as you get the paperwork?" "Have you had a firm offer?" "Damien!" "In chains at the bottom of a well." ""It only took Damien three minutes." ""Being a young giant with big." "Muscular arms." ""To release the chain the Duc de Fronsac had attached" ""to one of the bars on the wall of the well shaft." ""His strong arms freed the chain." Is that it?" " Did you expect divine intervention?" " All the same..." ""As soon as Damien resurfaced." ""He decided to go and meet Madame de Germay."" "I like her." "Me." "Too." "She reminds me of you." "Do I look like a princess to you?" "Yes." "Hortense." "I promise whatever you say won't change what we now have between us." "I promise." "Do you hear me?" "It destroyed me." "I will never ask to sleep with you again." "I promise." "Just being able to sleep beside you would be so..." "If you want to." "That is." "I know I've hurt you." "If I could have locked you away." "I would have done." "I wanted to make you my prisoner." "I was always so scared that you would leave." "To the point that you had the Baron killed?" "I should never have spoken to you like that." "No." "You were right." "I could no longer breathe." "I went outside to get some air." " And there in the courtyard..." " Brise-Caboche?" " Did you ask him to do it?" " No." " Did he suggest it?" " No." "But I mentioned the Baron." "I didn't ask him or give him any money." "I promise." "He took it upon himself so he could control me." "If only I'd known that he would do that." "I should have guessed." "I'm sorry." " Good evening." "Monsieur." " Ylmaz Tourkan." "Good evening." "Please follow me." "May I take your hat and coat?" "Thank you." " Are you sure you won't stay?" " Who's here?" "Arnoult has arrived." "And Edmond." "Blondin will be there." "And I'm expecting Torcy and a mysterious Ottoman." "I spent an hour with Arnoult this morning." "That was for work." "This is different." "Now that you're handing the place over to me." "Why not allow yourself a moment of pleasure?" "Half my girls are dying to make you forget your projects." "You must like one of them." "I'll have a drink with Arnoult and then I'll go." "It's just as well not all men have your high moral standing." "Good evening." "Monsieur Torcy." " Has Ylmaz Tourkan arrived?" " Yes." "He's in the parlour." " Good." " Thank you." "I mean to demonstrate that prostitutes." "Far from being a degenerate version of the female race." "Instead embody its essence and nobility." "My novel depicts the portrait of a young 18-year-old woman that I like to picture being as beautiful as you are." "My house is being transformed into a literary salon." "It is most agreeable." "In that case." "Will you permit me to recite a few verses to this ray of sunshine?" "Please go ahead." ""She was not a girl but a star." ""Her cheek was as described in the Qur'an" ""in the verse on beauty." ""Her attractive and seductive eyes" ""were enough to stop even a fleeing buck in its tracks." ""Her skin was faultless" ""and her beauty spot" ""like a heavenly cure for an evil eye." ""Her delightful appearance was like a cloud's silver lining." ""And her gentle manner" ""reminiscent of the tumult of the resurrection."" "It's a translation so it's far from perfect." "It's beautiful." "Did you write it yourself?" "Alas." "No." "That was lovely." "Do you write?" "Good evening." "I wish to see Marguerite." "She is not here." "But do not worry." "I'm in on all the secrets of the house." " I'll be right back." " All right." "How lovely to see you." "Thank you." " Good evening." " Good evening." "Sir." " So you're interested in literature now?" " Edmond talks about it so well." "All that remains is for you to get up in the morning and write." " That is what I strive to do." " Have a good evening." "As promised." "You have the run of the house." " Rose." " Of course." "Excuse me." "Gentlemen." "I'll see you later." "With pleasure." "Well." "Well." "Chief Inspector." "Are you all alone?" "It's a shame to only do it with your eyes." "You should try getting your hands dirty." "Just as I thought." "You don't like women." "Poor child." "Jean-Paul!" "Forgive me." "Now is not the time." "I just wanted... to talk to you about the timescale for the work on the east wing." "Later." "Later." "What do you want from me?" "And you?" "Here." "Now." "Leave me alone." "How I'd love to be able to keep my promise." " Have you made a promise." "Angèle?" " Yes." "A promise to myself." "To leave you high and dry and watch you come over my feet." " Why would you do such a thing?" " Would you rather I made a complaint?" "What about?" "Do you think people only come here for sex?" "No." "People also come to talk." "And to listen." "Half the stories circulating in Paris come from here." "People will gossip about you for months." "I like looking." "What's the problem?" "You must know or you wouldn't have come up here with your money." "I met a man like you once." "Just like you." "He was too ashamed to fuck another man so he watched." "Never mind the woman." "All he saw was the man's stiff cock." "You're wrong." "Angèle!" "For a bastard like you to suddenly be so generous." "There must be some truth in it." "Here." "Take this." "That was for threatening me." "Next time you'll know when to stop." "Yes." "Of course." "Here." "Valentine." "Valentine will take care of you." "This palace is so empty without Angèle." "I thought she'd stopped going out now her boyfriend has vanished." "Dr Martin..." "Blanche." "Will you look after this gentleman." "Please?" "She's upstairs." "Isn't she?" "I just want to say good night to her." "Go on." "Then." " That's what you wanted." "Wasn't it?" " Pardon?" "Your intervention made my client lose his motivation." "I thought you were going to punch his lights out." "Why would I have done that?" "Did you want to punch his lights out?" "He was very troubled." "He asked me if there was something going on between you and me." " I wasn't sure how to reply." " Would you have liked that?" "To know how to reply?" " Rose!" " For there to be something between us." "Something?" "No." "Too vague." "Too little." "Where's Hortense?" "I don't know." "What a sick man." "Angèle!" "Do you still think he didn't kill my man?" "I'm warning you." "If I've lost my baby." "You can't stop me killing him." "Your baby?" "You go." "Madame." "I'll take care of her." "Brise-Caboche is waiting for me." "I must go." " Is Angèle ready?" " No." "There was a problem with Torcy." "He hit her." "She's in no fit state to come down." "What will you say to Brise-Caboche?" " I'll think of something." " Hortense." "You called on me this morning because you trusted me." "So now you're going to listen to me." "And do exactly as I say." "Here." " Thank you." " Angèle is waiting for you." "Why won't she come down?" "Tell her to come down." "I haven't told her yet." "She'll be so excited when she sees you." "She'll wake the coppers." "Let's do this quietly." "Shall we?" "Follow me." "What are we doing here?" "Where's Angèle?" "In here." "Sorting out her washing." "What have you done?" "What have you done?" "Everything I do now I'm doing for you." "Valentine said you were expecting me." "I'm really sorry." "Mademoiselle." "There has been a misunderstanding." "I asked for the Creole girl." "Linda." "That's a pity." "You'll have to come back for her." "I'm the way into the Paradis." "I have a reputation." "Important clients must first enter through my thighs." "After such provocation." "You'd better be up to the job." "Sweetheart." "I need to talk to you in private." "He came to see me yesterday." "He needed money." "In his haste." "He..." "I'm sorry." "He knows you're being watched." "He wants to protect you." " Did he have a message for me?" " We didn't have time." "We barely talked for two minutes." "He's sorry you went to prison because of him." " How much did you give him?" " 100 francs." "You're going to have to be patient." "And you must forget about Torcy." "Will you be all right?" "Gently." "Earlier." "In the parlour." "That wonderful poem." "I really liked it." "It reminded me of a story my grandmother told me." " She was an amazing woman." " Be quiet." "So funny." " But so ugly." " I said." "Be quiet." "She had a pockmarked face." "It scared me." "I don't believe this!" " Forgive me." " No." "No." "No." "No." "Go away and fetch the other girl." " Please." " No." "No." "No." "I beg you." "Let go of me." "Let go of me." "No." "Stop it!" "Let go of me." "Let go of me." "I'll send Linda in." "All done." "The Ottoman has a scar." " Oh." "Yes." "Good." " He wants Linda to finish him off." "Talk to Valentine about it." "Are you all right?" "If Torcy comes and asks you in person." "Tell him you didn't see a scar." "What if this man ends up swindling the government?" " It will backfire on us." " Perhaps." "But I reckon Torcy will be in the firing line first." "Are you sure?" "I refuse to kowtow to that bastard copper." "Right." "Are you all right?" "What are you doing here?" "I was looking for you." "Come here." "Closer." "Goodbye." "My friend." "See you very soon." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Gentlemen." "See you soon." "Thank you." "Hello." "Girls." "Good evening." "Come in." "Shut the door." " I wanted to thank you." "Véra." " What for?" " It's what you pay me for." " My sister is feeling better." "Obviously." "She can start dreaming again." "I'm listening." "You were right." "She wants to sell up and go." "Where to?" "To open a theatre in the provinces." "You're going to lose her." "Véra." "You know her as well as I do." "A theatre?" "If my sister was capable of doing something other than getting the parlour repainted and buying paintings." "We'd know that by now." "If you don't think she can leave." "Why are you giving her the building?" "Did I say I was giving her the building?" "You didn't give me anything last week." "And I think what I've just told you deserves extra." "I didn't give you anything because you didn't tell me anything." " I had nothing to tell you." " Then I had nothing to pay you." "You were paying for me to do a job." "Not for information." "I had a duty to perform." "Not to produce results." "Véra." "I'm not negotiating a fee for sex here." "I'm sorry." "Please forgive me." "I'm very grateful to you." "And I hold you in high esteem." "That's why I asked you to come and join me." "You are meeting your lawyer with Hortense in two days." "What are you going to do?" "Tell her I need the building as collateral for the opera house." "She'll have to believe me." "Good night." "It's late." "Too late to stand on ceremony." "What an evening." "Did Valentine cope?" "Pierre was there." "He seemed to take things in hand." "I found it reassuring." "Does that surprise you?" "I don't understand your relationship." "I think I've managed to give him what you gave me earlier." "Solace?" "Forgiveness." "I suppose it's pointless asking you what he needed forgiveness for?" "So you think your brother's changed?" "He's proved it." "He's giving me the Paradis." "Don't you see?" "I never thought he'd give it up." "He is my only family." "Do you understand?" " No." "You don't understand." " He's your only family." "I get it." "It won't change anything between us." "What is it?" "What is it?" "I'm scared you're moving too fast." "You can't afford to get it wrong a second time." "Do you know something I don't?" "Véra?" "Your brother will never give you the Paradis." "What?" "He's planning to tell you he needs the building as collateral for the opera house." "Have you slept with him?" "He paid me handsomely to do things his way." "Hush money to stop me talking to you." "Gaillac?" "I won't let him go."