The two UNCLE agents walked into the dining room without exchanging a word. The silence spoke eloquently, however, of their concern for Etienne and the ensuing phone call from Deneauve. Each of them felt confident of her skills for the task, however there was always the chance of some little bit of detail slipping past, or a hesitency in answering a question. She would need to maintain the same calm Napoleon had witnessed during this entire episode, while Illya had no experience with her outside of the planning for this charade they were now performing.
The Russian had, for his part, the compensation of a good meal at least. The buffet was laden with fruit and cheese, crusty bread and croissants. In addition to several of these, Beef Carpaccio and a roquefort flan went on his plate alongside an endive salad with walnuts and more roquefort cheese. Napoleon glanced at his partner's plate, then at his own meager selection of salad and Quiche Lorraine. Unlike Illya, the American did not have a metabolism that operated like high octane fuel. While a lean and fit individual, he knew he could grow to be a very comfortable cushion for his lovers if he ever stopped being vigilent concerning calories and exercise.
Napoleon was mesmerized as he watched Illya eat. To say that the Russian consumed his food with relish was an understatement, and in fact, not nearly prosaic enough as a description. He actually enjoyed watching his partner eat a meal, and thought that he had never seen anyone make food look as enticing in the process. There was an abandon in the act of devouring the meal, a look of such enjoyment that it became an almost seductive ploy to engage onlookers to dive in to the same type of pleasure.
While in the midst of this peculiar scrutiny, Deneauve entered the room and took a seat across from the agents. His face had acquired a serenity obtained after years of careful detachment and practiced control. "Monsieurs, I see you have found the buffet, and to your satisfaction, I hope". The smile did not reach his eyes as he surveyed the two men, their stark differences adding more contrast to his own appearance. His confidence in light of the information he had obtained was once again secure; he had control again, and his world was no longer veering from it's previous orbit.
"Sergei, the package you delivered to me is in my safe. It appears that all of my fears have been for naught, and you are indeed half of a most extraordinary...Comment trouvez-vous? paire...a pair". He feigned a small laugh, his eyes never leaving the albino. The conversation with the woman at Central had cleared everything in his mind; this visit could be turned to his benefit, if he could keep these two content. However, he had been told to not turn over the package that Sergei had delivered to him. The question remained, was Vanmeter aware of this decision?
"Monsieur Vanmeter, are you to deliver our Russian friend back to Central then? Or, should he remain here with me, for safe keeping?" Illya nearly blanched at the question, his chewing only slowing momentarily as he cut his eyes to Napoleon, who had also taken note of the leering suggestion.
"Ethan...may I call you Ethan? Sergei and I must now try and recover his brother from UNCLE. It will not be safe for him, or us, if he remains there much longer. I know you will understand if we don't reveal our plans to you as they evolve...the fewer who know..." He dipped head in the motion of one who considers the other person to grasp the unspoken message.
"Ahh...quite. I will have one of my men go on with the package then, so that you and Sergei can attend to your...plans". He surveyed both men, making sure to not break eye contact with them, maintaining a facade, at least, of calm assurance.
In their host's absence, the two agents had carried on a trivial conversation, being always wary of listening or viewing devices that might be hidden. They did manage to drop a few ideas for which they knew Thrush would have an appetite; a suggestion about things that would eventually benefit UNCLE and the world at large. When the Thrush chief returned to the dining room and his guests, the Russian was completely satisfied with his meal and their plan, while the American felt nourished, if not fully sated.
"Monsieur Deneauve', Illya addressed the man without Napoleon's famliarity. He felt better with the distance of a more formal tone...
"What of Genevieve? I have not seen her as yet today" He was worried about her. He imagined that she would have wanted to see him as well.
"Our beautiful Genevieve has gone back to Paris Sergei. She does have work there, you know. I regret that I do not have her exclusively here...with me". The eyes again suggested something more than his words conveyed. The man maintained a mystery, but his substance was beginning to be more transparent the longer the agent observed him.
"Is it possible that you will share some information with me? I would very much like to see her again". That was bold, but he was concerned. If Deneauve were lying, and she remained here, he would call his bluff on it.
Napoleon would make sure Etienne checked out whatever the man told them. If Genevieve were back in Paris, they would find out before they left here. Like his friend, he wanted to make certain that the girl was safe.
"Yes, of course Sergei. Our little masseuse made quite an impression on you then. She has that effect on us all, it seems". The smile was dangerous and still subtle in it's expression. The sooner they were away from here, the better.
Genevieve was not back in Paris. Instead, she had awakened from her bed only to be taken with a little less than a rough hand, into the hidden passageway she had shown Illya only yesterday. It seemed as though so much more time had passed, and now she found herself in the dark, her hands and feet bound. She couldn't understand at first why Deneauve would do this to her, and then the frightening prospect of being hidden from her new friends and being kept here...indefinitely, began to invade her thoughts. How would they find her if he were truly determined that they should not? Fear and dread began to overtake her, her cries for help seemingly unheard as she yielded to the frightening vision of a life bound to the monster she had only recently called her employer.
The plan had called for the two UNCLE agents to claim knowledge of one another, and for Etienne to field the phone call that they knew Deneauve would make to Thrush Central for verification of Vanmeter's story. So far, this was on track. They wanted the Thrush chief to keep the documents and forward them on to Central, as that was the whole point of this operation. What they hadn't counted on was the peculiarities of the man's appetites, and now the mystery of their missing friend. Napoleon had taken Illya on a walk; the guise of a debriefing seemed to satisfy their host as he made the explanation for privacy. He placed his communicator in his breast pocket in order to hide the fact that he was, in fact, contacting Etienne. He relayed the information of Genevieve's supposed location, although neither he nor Illya believed that Deneauve would have sent her away. His demeanor had betrayed the falsehood; the man wanted her, as much as he seemed to be drawn to Illya's alter ego Sergei. Within the hour Etienne confirmed their suspicions: the girl was not where the Thrush had directed them, and in fact had not been seen for days. It had been a quick answer as one of the Paris agents did the legwork to try and find their lovely, missing friend.
"Where does that place us now, Illya? I know you don't want to leave here without Genevieve, nor do I. Do you have any idea where he might have hidden her?" Both men were concerned and felt responsible for her involvement. Once again they had enlisted an innocent bystander in their escapades; only now this innocent was in danger and in the clutches of a man who was known to be cruel and possessive.
"I could offer myself in exchange for her freedom". Napoleon had expected this, had known his partner would cave in to his feelings of guilt and...what else? Affection...
"I don't think that's really an answer, do you Illya? I mean, he might just agree to it and then keep you both. No, we need to find her before this is finished, and make our exit while he's still convinced that the documents are legitimate. He can't know that we suspect or would interfere with his agenda for the girl". Illya knew what his friend said was true and right and full of just the kind of logic that would normally come from him. It didn't help, though.
When they returned to the chateau and the welcoming greeting of their host, the plan was in motion. Illya suspected that the passageway he had taken with Genevieve would be the best hiding place. It probably seemed to audacious an act to the Thrush that his guests would violate their mutual interests and try to take the girl from him. He, of course, did not know with whom he was dealing. Perhaps Sergei and Willem might have let this pass, but Illya and Napoleon had no intention of leaving her there. Deneauve would do as they wished; his future with Thrush would be an unhappy one when this was completed.