"Oh, she‘s incredibly chic—one of the few from her gen-eration who gets it right," the comtesse decreed. "François-Marie tells me Astrid has a couture collection that rivals theSheikha of Qatar‘s. She never attends the shows, because sheloathes to be photographed, but she goes straight to the ate-liers and snaps up dozens of dresses every season as if theywere macarons."
Astrid was in the salon admiring the Balthus portrait overthe mantelpiece when someone behind her said, "That‘s Lau-rent‘s mother, you know." It was the Baronne Marie-Hélènede la Durée, this time attempting a smile on her tightly pulledface.
"I thought it might be," Astrid replied.