Chapter 6 1. Natalie escapes

Maxime Duthiere and the servants returned to the villa at eleven o'clock in the evening.Seeing Maxim flustered, Natalie looked for her with a lantern in her hand, calling her name. "Hey, what's going on?" he said aloud. "What's the matter? I'm terrified! The damned Baron . . . has he left you?" She said she was tired and shut herself in the room without any explanation. The next day, when Henriette and Janine found out, the situation was still the same.She did not speak to them, nor did Nathalie pay much attention to him, haunted by the events of the previous night, when he returned to Villa Mirador.

"Oh, Natalie," he asked repeatedly, "what happened? You seem to have been away for a while. Where have you been? Did he force you to leave? How did you escape?" Shrugging her shoulders, she replied that she was completely free to do as she pleased. "Well, Natalie, I, I'm going to tell you what's been on my mind since last night, and I changed my itinerary to come back. I believe that this fake baron is a member of the bandit group, and is one of the main members. One. What a memory loss, absurd story! Just to attract attention! But, please believe me, this person is acting suspiciously, and he must be in collusion with Jericho. Maxim, what do you think?"

"Of course!" he replied pompously. "I was pretending to be confused, just to cover up my doubts. This is a typical unscrupulous adventurer. I doubt those few singers even more. Yes, there are problems here. In this case, I have no choice but to leave That's it. My ability is so great." On the third day, the local newspapers published a piece of news that made the Mirador villa even more disturbing. This article read aloud by Maxim can sum up the content of the whole news. The article concludes by saying that the investigation has been going on for a whole day.Mainly in ports, anchorages and nearby villages.

But to no avail.In any case, one thing is certain: the Jericho Group has outcropped on the coastline around Mount Estrell.Everyone must already know the name of the villa under siege.Starting tomorrow, the procuratorate will send people to investigate. "Well, Nathalie, what do you think?" Falwell yelled as soon as he finished reading the article. Maxim was smug, unreasonable and unreasonable at all. "Well? I'm not mistaken. This gang of showmen, they are... Lieutenant Boniface and his cronies. Great, good thing I had the foresight to run away, I believe now, I have feelings Keen and farsighted, the future will be limitless. Natalie, did you hear the sound of the boat? Was it you and Alan Rock who sounded the alarm and lit the bonfire? Damn, it must have been scary Well... tell me about the situation at that time..."

Natalie said nothing.It was obvious that she wanted no explanation for what had happened that night. "No fun," she said. "It's not scary, at most it's uncomfortable. From now on, please don't bother me with this matter." However, Nathalie's attitude further angered Forville.He had a presentiment that there was a dark secret between her and the Baron de Ellen-Roque, and that something peculiarly disturbing the girl had happened. "Whether you like it or not, Natalie, you have to make it clear." "Why?" she said. "Because they will definitely come here to investigate."

"How do you know?" "The servants have probably spoken." "No, they promised me not to say anything, and I gave the money." "However, sooner or later people will know that the singers have been here." "so what?" "They will question you." "I'll tell them I don't know anything." "Are you trying to keep Mr. Alan Rock's visit a secret? You don't want to help the judiciary learn about this man and his part in piracy?" She replied bluntly: "I have no need to take care of the Baron de Ellen-Roque."

"But what if the judiciary associates you with him? What if the newspaper puts your name alongside his? . . . Would you like that to happen?" She shrugged again and said nothing. Nearly three o'clock, word came that Xianpang was searching the villas on the east and west sides of Mount Estelle, and that the police were in action not far from Terea.The encirclement is gradually shrinking towards Villa Mirador. At five o'clock, Maxim went to inquire about the news, and was very excited when he came back. "I see him as I see you now." "Who did you see?"

"Alan Rock." "Alan Rock is here?" Forwell asked loudly. "Ah! Don't you dare measure him! . . . Are you sure, Maxim?" "Absolutely. He tried to avoid me. But it was too late. I saw it." Natalie looked worried all evening.She went back to her room early and slept for a while.Before that, she had made up her mind to leave the villa. The next morning she sent a letter to Fauville, saying that she was a little unwell and needed to rest at home, and asked him to find a way to dispel the suspicions of the judiciary as much as possible. It was nearly nine o'clock when the Baron de Ellen-Roque called, and fortunately Fauville ran to him from the other direction.Alan Rock asked to see the hostess, saying that he had one most important thing to tell.

However, Natalie refuses to receive him. From a window on the second floor, she saw him walking up and down the garden with his hands behind his back, apparently determined to wait.Near the tool shed in the distance, the captain of the gendarmerie was talking to the servants.Natalie had to give up this way out. She went back into the room, hesitated for a moment, then, stuffing the money, checkbook, underwear, etc. into the small bag, went downstairs and across the open space in front of the house.This side of the villa happened to be empty. She lay on the parapet at the front of the clearing for a few seconds, from where Alan Rock climbed up the night before.She was extremely calm, and after assessing the possible danger and being sure of success, she stepped over the parapet.

Three minutes later, with unmistakable movements, with unimaginable dexterity and stability, she jumped onto the path on the steep wall, then followed the path until she reached the main road about two hundred meters from Villa Mirador, and finally hurried I rushed to the Tria station. She bought a train ticket to Paris and took the first train.But she disembarked at Toulon, donned a veil, and rented a car for the port. A beautiful yacht is rippling on the water, with a slender hull, exquisite wood and copper on the boat, making the yacht look luxurious and elegant.This is the "Water Lily" yacht manufactured according to the drawings drawn by Mr. Manoelsen himself, ready to sail at any time.Natalie often takes it on long-distance voyages.Captain Williams and six sailors were loyal to her.

"Ship, Captain," she said. "What time is it, miss?" "Two o'clock." "What direction?" "Spain... the Balearic Islands." At two o'clock, the yacht "Water Lily" left the anchorage and sailed to the vast sea. Natalie spent part of the afternoon on deck.She lay on a foldable canvas chair, her eyes fixed on the shoreline.She did not want to deceive herself about leaving France.The troubles that the pre-trial investigation may bring, the possibility of participating in the interrogation, the rumors that may bring adverse effects to her reputation, the clarification of one thing that happened, and so on, she does not take it to heart, and has nothing to do with her decision. It doesn't matter.But every time she thought about meeting Alan Rock again, she couldn't bear it.Their meeting left an impression of failure on her, deeply stabbed her self-esteem, and this impression was so deep that she was afraid of meeting him again, afraid of a new duel between the two people's different wills. Although she is always sober and strong, in fact, her actions are unconscious, so to speak, involuntary.Her body slid down against the cliff, like a sleepwalker walking on top of a wall without falling off.She felt that she was not as strong as her opponent, and she was defeated without a fight. She ran away in order to make a comeback, to restore her confidence, and to get rid of the state of being at the mercy of others for no reason. She has always been honest with herself, so she is not afraid to say to herself: "I ran away today. After a few days of free and quiet life, adding new scenery, my mind will be rebalanced. At that time, I will The joke is a big fuss today!" In the distance, the coastline of France blends with the haze.At three or four o'clock, the wind blew up on the sea, the waves got bigger, and it began to rain from the sky.Natalie hid in the cabin. The cabin is decorated elegantly and brightly. The walls are covered with wallpaper produced by Jouy, plus various knick-knacks and bookshelves, giving people a feeling that they are always inhabited.Natalie disembarked after a long voyage to Turkey, and how she lived then is how she will live now.She picked up a book, written by Sir Byron.Some passages are marked with red pen.She opened a page at random and read: "Although there are fiery eyes hidden under the thick black eyebrows, there is really nothing remarkable about his appearance... But anyone who looks at him carefully will be able to see it." You will soon find that there is something in him that is not seen by ordinary people, which will make you want to see it again, surprise you without knowing why." She quickly closed the book.She opened another book, but put it down without reading it, then picked it up again, and saw these lines on the book at a glance: "What do the lawless soldiers admire him? Trust? This is the power of thought, the charm of the heart..." Natalie laughed and said loudly: "Come on, I can't let this guy keep pestering me." She came back to the deck with quick, strong steps.However, the rain was getting heavier, the deck was slippery, and the ship was shaking violently from side to side. She had to lean against a mast, wrapped in a big raincoat, in such a romantic position that she felt it herself, and she laughed again.She was annoyed with herself.She needed someone to talk to for that, so she approached the aft engine room and said to Captain Williams, "Well, Captain, it seems to be going well, doesn't it?" "Miss, it's really going well. If there is no storm, we can arrive early tomorrow morning." "Do you expect a storm?" "No, but there will be strong winds." He turned around, and while answering Natalie's question, he pointed the binoculars backwards to observe the sea area they had passed. "Strange," he muttered. "Captain, what surprises you?" He replied, "Oh! Nothing." "how?" "Nothing...there is a boat following us." "Well, it's normal." "Normal. I find it odd that she is much smaller than the Water Lily at a faster speed than us." "Really?" "Miss, come and take a look." She put her eyes close to the telescope, and after searching, she found a big black spot popping up on the top of the waves from time to time. "What do you think?" she said. "Torpedo boat?" "Oh! Not a torpedo boat." "Maybe a submarine..." "No, definitely not." They went on to say something else.The captain observed it three or four times, and finally said: "Unexpectedly, it caught up with us! It seems to be heading straight for us...not leaving our track." "Do you know what it is?" "Now I know." "Well?" "A motorboat." "Ok?" "The speed is as fast as an arrow leaving the string." "How could this be?" "Look at the two white things on the left and right, which are bigger than the boat itself. These are the waves it stirs up, like two big beards." She followed and looked at it, bending down and looking at it for a long time.Then, she straightened up, her face was pale, and she whispered, "There is a person standing on it." "Yeah, a tall, lanky guy... there's another guy at the wheel... and another..." "Then there are three of them?" "seems like it." The speedboat broke through the waves, sank into the trough for a while, and was suddenly thrown onto the peak again.The distance is getting closer and closer, and it is indeed closely following the route of the "Water Lily". Ten minutes passed.The three people on the motorboat were already clearly visible. "Two men and a woman," said the captain. "Yes, two men and a woman," Natalie confirmed. "One of the men and the woman can only see half. The other man can see the whole body." "Yes, I was wondering what the hell he was doing," said the captain. "He was standing by the side of the boat as if he was going to jump into the sea." Her face was tense, and Natalie was also thinking: "It's Alan Rock standing there. It's unmistakable...it's Alan Rock."