Читать книгу The Frenchman's Bride - Rebecca Winters - Страница 8

VINCENT ROLLAND’S eyes glittered with menace.

“It’s a little late to be talking about damage, particularly if you’re pregnant. But Paul couldn’t know of your secret yet, otherwise he would never have left here without you.”

Whoa. “Haven’t your children ever mentioned me to you? Not even once?”

He looked like a man who’d had about all he could take.

“I didn’t know of your existence until I saw my son kissing you with enough passion to convince me he’s moved way beyond rational thought.

“I’m warning you now, Ms. Linn— No woman is going to trap my son into a travesty of a marriage and put him in bondage for the rest of his mortal life.

“If you’re pregnant, you’ll never have the opportunity to blackmail him. Before morning you’ll be on a plane to wherever you came from with enough money to satisfy even your colossal greed.”

This was a side of the twins’ father she doubted they knew anything about. Perhaps he was wealthier than Hallie had imagined. Naturally he would want to be certain his children weren’t being preyed upon. But to assume she was pregnant and accuse her of manipulating his son without giving her or Paul a chance to explain, fueled her anger.

“I’m not pregnant. But if I were, are you telling me you would bribe me into going away, knowing I was carrying your grandchild inside my body?” she asked incredulously. “You would deprive Paul of his own child to love and raise?”

A harsh laugh came out of him. “Who said anything about it being Paul’s?”

All these months Hallie had secretly revered the twins’ father, but no longer.

“Be careful before you say anything else you’ll live to regret, monsieur. Paul took us both by surprise today, but since you weren’t capable of listening to reason, I fear your reaction will have caused real damage to your relationship with him.

“The truth is, I had no idea he’d developed a crush on me. Boys do that on occasion around an older woman. However I didn’t realize it until a few minutes before you walked in.”

“It’s hardly a crush, Ms. Linn,” he retorted bleakly, appearing older all of a sudden. “The reality of the ring and everything it entails puts this whole matter in a different light.

“Too many afternoon cocktail parties have a way of turning a boy’s head and dissipating his brain. Particularly when a predatory female who looks like you supplies that extra je ne sais quoi.”

“Je ne sais quoi?” Hallie mimicked the words as she untied the scarf and laid it on the table with the ring. “That ‘little extra something’ is a dated expression Americans acquired years ago. Your daughter uses them constantly.”

He moved closer, putting his hands on his hips once more. A grimace darkened his features. Even in his anger, he was so attractive she was alarmed to find herself distracted by his potent sensuality.

“Who are you? What are you doing in Paris? How did my children meet you?” he fired one question after another.

“I’m someone who has been a friend to the twins.”

“You expect me to believe that?” he lashed out.

“Yes. Just as I believe anything you tell me would be the absolute truth, too. Monique is like you in so many ways. But you’d be wise to watch your words because your cynicism has rubbed off on her.

“She was sure her headmistress wouldn’t get her into trouble with you because, to quote your daughter, ‘the woman is still trying to seduce you.’ Sorry to be blunt, but dated expressions don’t have quite that je ne sais quoi with me anymore.

“And one more thing. I don’t care if you’re as rich as King Midas! Since your son hasn’t worked in the vineyards for the last school year, then leaving nine thousand dollars in his account is entirely too much money for an impulsive eighteen year old to handle, no matter how trustworthy he’s been up until now.”

“Are you quite finished?”

“Not yet,” she said, ignoring his withering tone. “Let’s just be thankful he tested the waters with me because I love your son like I would a younger brother. I care about his welfare.

“Paul doesn’t realize it yet, but I’m part of a fantasy in his mind. He’s confused right now. Give him a few more years and he’ll have figured everything out.

“Do you know he wants to be exactly like you when he’s grown up?” she drove the point home. “Self-assured, desirable to women, a success in life? For your information he did everything right when he toasted me with wine from your vineyards and wished me a happy birthday.

“No one could have been more charming or gallant. And even though he trembled when he kissed me, he didn’t hesitate. In fact he was very masterful when he reached for my hand and slid that ring on my finger.

“In ten years or so years he’s going to make some lucky woman a wonderful husband in every way that counts. He shows all the promise, but he’s still young and capable of being wounded because you shamed him in front of me.

“Surely you must know how much you hurt him by not letting him talk to you in private. I don’t understand you, not when I think you’ve raised the most wonderful children I’ve ever met. That’s why I stopped short of slapping your face.”

Silence followed her last remark. He studied her for a long moment. “Before I have you investigated, why don’t you answer my questions.”

Investigated— He would go that far?

“Paul already told you. My name is Hallie Linn. Today I turned twenty-five, not eighteen! Until your children decided to surprise me with a little birthday celebration, I’d forgotten about it.

“We met last fall when they came into Tati’s where I work. They were looking for birthday gifts for you, but were sticking to their budget. I asked them to describe you to me before I suggested a pair of gloves and a wallet.”

She could tell by a flicker in the recesses of his dark eyes that he remembered receiving those gifts.

“They were surprised to find an American working there and loved trying out their English on me. In fact they begged me to correct their mistakes. I was charmed by their earnestness and their adoration of you. It was Papa this, and Papa that.

“Before they left the store, they asked if they could come back the next week and practice their English with me again. I said yes, but didn’t really expect to see them.

“Two days later they showed up and pled with me to spend my lunch hour with them. They’d brought sandwiches and drinks. I could hardly refuse, so we walked over to Notre Dame cathedral and had a little picnic.

“They spoke English the best they could and told me about life in St. Genes with you and their great grandfather Maurice. Oh yes, and Beauregard.

“At some point that afternoon the three of us became friends. It just happened. We’ve been close ever since. I should have recognized the signs of Paul’s infatuation before today, but I didn’t.

“I assume that’s why they’ve never told you about me. It was wrong of them of course. But just now you treated their omission like they’d committed a sin. Why did you do that?”

He moved closer. “How did you get a job at Tati’s?” His question proved he was too upset to be reasonable. “The government rarely issues work permits to Americans.”

“They made an exception in my case, but don’t be concerned. I’ll only be depriving your countrymen of a job for another two weeks, then I’ll be gone for good.

“As for your other fear, you’ve already solved that problem by coming to Paris to take your children home. Tell me something—if you’re so distrustful of them, why did you send them away to boarding school?”

His lips twisted unpleasantly, but she was determined to make this last point.

“The twins could have gone to a perfectly good college in St. Genes so they could live at home with you where they belong. Life is so fleeting! Don’t you know the love of a parent is more vital and necessary to a child than any expensive education?

“Your children worship you. They’ve missed you horribly and have studied hard to get the best grades so you’d be proud of them. I ought to know because I’ve spent hours tutoring them for their exams while we’ve explored Paris together on my days off.

“No doubt Monique bought that beautiful red dress to wear in front of you for Pere Maurice’s birthday celebration next month. She claims every woman fantasizes about you.

“Though she hasn’t said as much to me, I know she’s worried that someone will come along you do want in your bed. Every day that she grows older, she’s frightened she’ll be replaced in your affection.

“Please—if there is a special woman in your life you haven’t told them about either, don’t let her be at the chateau when you take your children back to St. Genes. Give them your total attention first so they’ll know nothing has changed.

“And please—promise me you’ll work things out with Paul tonight before it’s too late. He’s trying hard to be a man. Go to him and explain why you were so upset. Paul’s so sweet and sensitive inside. He’ll understand and forgive you.

“Adieu, monsieur. Que dieu vous benisse.”

A few seconds later the elevator doors closed, leaving Hallie’s words reverberating in the dining room.

Vincent remained frozen in place.

Like a master swordsman, she’d cut and thrust to produce a firestorm of emotions at the deepest level of his psyche. Then she’d had the audacity to bid him goodbye forever, imploring God to bless him.

He’d never met anyone remotely like her.

Never mind the womanly attributes that had blind-sided his son. What spell had this enigmatic stranger cast over both twins to evoke such singular affection?

For nine months their relationship had been flourishing without his knowledge. Vincent felt wounded. Betrayed.

He didn’t buy the explanation that the twins had kept Ms. Linn’s existence a secret in order to surprise him with their English proficiency.

No doubt Paul had fallen hard for her from the outset and had sworn Monique to secrecy. For a long time now she’d managed to infiltrate their world. No telling how many intimate details about his personal life and those of his children she’d elicited.

Though he didn’t have the faintest clue who this American really was, he was going to find out.

He went to the study to look up the number of Tati’s Department Store, then made a call to the manager. After being put on hold for a long time, someone in the credit department picked up and told him the manager had left for the day.

Vincent tried to get information about Ms. Linn, but was told he’d have to speak to the manager in the morning.

No sooner had he hung up, so he could call his attorney who would get the desired information for him, than his cell phone rang. The number of the chateau was displayed.

He clicked it on. “Vincent here.”

“My boy…are you sitting down?”

Pere Maurice’s sober question caused him to break out in a cold sweat. “What’s wrong?”

“We just had a call from Passy Hospital in Paris. According to the police, Paul ran in front of a truck while he was crossing the boulevard against the light. They checked the ID in his wallet, then called here. He’s still unconscious.”

“I’m on my way!”

The short trip to the nearby hospital passed in a blur. He entered the emergency room on a run. The fear that Paul might not wake up had taken hold. Now it was Vincent imploring God to bless his son and keep him alive.

“Where have you put Paul Rolland?” he asked the staff worker at the admitting desk. “The police tell me he was hit by a truck. I’m his father.”

“Your son is in cubicle five. You can go through those doors.”

He pushed them open and hurried inside. The drawn curtain at number five caused his heart to drop like a stone. A nurse was just coming out.

“Is my son still unconscious?” he demanded without preamble.

“No. He woke up a few minutes ago.”

Vincent could breathe again. “Dieu merci—oh, thank God.”

“He’s still being examined, but you can go in.” The nurse pulled the curtain aside for him.

At first glance, Paul looked wonderfully alive despite his pallor. There was a goose egg at the side of his forehead near his hairline.

The doctor was cleaning an abrasion on his left cheek. He looked up as Vincent introduced himself.

“Your son is a lucky young man. There are contusions on his left arm and leg, but no broken bones. The X-ray shows he has suffered a concussion, but with a few days bed rest the dizziness will pass and he’ll be fine. I’ll arrange to have him moved to a private room.”

Those words brought exquisite relief. “Thank you for everything,” he said before the doctor left the cubicle.

Now that they were alone, Vincent snagged a stool with his shoe and rolled it over to the examining table. He sat down next to Paul whose eyes had been closed the whole time.

“My son.” He reached for his right hand. “It’s Papa. I’m here. Thank God you’re going to be all right!” his voice shook.

Paul didn’t respond.

“Paul? Say something to me.” His throat swelled. “I love you.”

“No you don’t.”

The hurtful retort issued between taut lips sounded so cold, Vincent was crushed.

“Leave me alone. I don’t want you here.” He found the strength to pull his hand from his father’s grasp.

Vincent’s spirits plummeted to new depths. “That’s your anger talking. You know I would never leave you. You’re my son. I plan to stay with you until you’re out of the hospital and I can take you and Monique home with me.”

Paul’s eyes opened once more, but there was no sign of warmth in those dark remote depths, or in his facial expression. The son Vincent had loved and raised from birth was nowhere to be found.

“I’m not going to St. Genes. That’s over. I plan to stay in Paris. Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged for a job and a place to live. You won’t have to provide for me ever again,” he tossed Vincent’s words back at him with a bitterness that went marrow deep.

A grimace broke out on Vincent’s face. “I know I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment, Paul, and I apologize for them. When you’re feeling better, we’ll have that talk you wanted.”

“It’s too late. We’re finished. I never want to see you again.” His eyelids fluttered closed, dismissing his father.

Letting out a sigh of remorse for having brought on this impasse Vincent said, “We’ll talk about things later. Right now the only thing that matters is that you recover.”

If Paul heard him, he made no further comment.

Deciding it was better to let him rest, Vincent used the cubicle phone to put through a credit card call to Pere Maurice and let him know Paul was going to be all right. The old man wept with relief. Fortunately he hadn’t tried to reach Monique who knew nothing about the accident yet.

They talked for a few more minutes, then Vincent followed the orderlies who took Paul to a private room on the third floor. While a nurse took his vital signs, another doctor came in the room and shook hands with Vincent.

“I’m Dr. Maurois. If you’d step outside in the hall for a moment, I’d like to talk to you about your son’s case.”

Vincent complied, but his senses were on alert that something was wrong. He eyed the man grimly. “Are there complications I haven’t been told about?”

“I’m afraid so. However the attending physician felt it best that you hear the details from me. I’m the head of the psychiatric department here at Passy Hospital.”

The doctor might as well have driven a fist into Vincent’s gut. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

In the next few minutes he heard news no parent ever wants to hear.

“If you’d prefer another psychiatrist, feel free to find someone else.”

“I’m sure you’re well qualified,” Vincent murmured. “Heaven knows my son needs help. The sooner, the better.”

The psychiatrist nodded. “What are your plans for the next few days?”

“To stay here with my son. My daughter Monique, his twin, will be joining me.”

“Good. For the time being, don’t mention what I’ve told you to him or your daughter. Only say and do the things that come naturally. I’ll be talking to him at regular intervals over the next forty-eight hours, then I’ll meet with you and your daughter, both together and individually. We’ll go from there.”

“Thank you,” Vincent said in a dull voice.

Once the nurse assured him Paul was resting comfortably, Vincent left to drive over to Monique’s school.

Before going to her room, he went to the office and thanked the headmistress for watching out for his daughter. She told him it had been a pleasure. She also invited him to come by any time when he happened to be in Paris on business. Her eyes held a private invitation he couldn’t possibly misconstrue.

After hearing Ms. Linn repeat Monique’s words revealed in confidence about the headmistress, he found himself repulsed by her blatant offer.

There’d been several women over the years he’d enjoyed when he’d gone out of town on business. But the headmistress would never be one of them.

Still in shock after learning what Dr. Maurois had to say, his heart sank further to discover Monique in her bedroom lying prostrate on the bed. Her tear-ravaged cheeks devastated him. He’d seen her like this before, but never because of something he’d done. It cut him to the core.

Riddled by guilt on so many counts, he sat down on the bed and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry, mon cherie. So sorry.” He rocked her for a while. “One day I hope you and Paul will be able to forgive me.”

Like Paul, she remained mute. What had he done?

Aware that Paul had been left alone he eventually said, “Come on. We need to get back to the hospital. Let’s carry your things out to the car. There’s something important I have to tell you, but I don’t want to talk about it until we’re away from the school.”

On that note his puffy-eyed daughter helped him load the trunk with her cases which she’d already packed in anticipation of leaving school for good. En route to the hospital he turned to her. “How come you and Paul didn’t share a taxi back to your schools?”

“He took off running. I couldn’t stop him. But I have to tell you—I don’t blame him for what he did, Papa.”

Monique was fiercely loyal to Paul. Vincent loved his daughter for it.

“Neither do I. Unfortunately your brother was so upset, he met with an accident.” It was the truth, just not all of it. That wouldn’t come until Dr. Maurois felt the time was right. “But he’s going to be fine,” he added the second he heard her frightened cry.

“No broken bones. Only concussion. In a few days he’ll be able to travel. The problem right now is, he thinks he hates me, and he has every right.

“Before we spend the night with him, I want to hear all about Hallie Linn. Don’t leave anything out. And don’t worry, I’m not asking because I suspect her of something sinister.

“However I do need to know about your relationship with her so I can understand what’s going on inside of Paul. I love your brother. But until I hear all the facts, I won’t be able to truly apologize to him in a way that he’ll accept as genuine. Do you know what I’m saying?”

“I don’t think this is something you can fix, mon pere.”

Coming on the heels of Dr. Maurois’s gut wrenching news, her opinion alarmed him. She sounded too grave and final about it.

Some time during the last nine months, his children had grown up. He hadn’t been there to see it happen and felt searing pain. Not only for what he’d missed, but for what he’d caused to happen.

“I have to try.”

“Paul’s been in love with her since the first day she waited on us at Tati’s. I could see why. She’s perfect! I totally approve of her for my future sister-in-law.”

“What makes her so special?”

“She’s the only person I feel is worthy of Paul’s love.”

Worthy?

Coming from Monique who was a twin and crazy about her brother almost to the point of being possessive of him, those were powerful words. He needed to tread carefully.

Since Vincent had married at eighteen, right now wasn’t the time to raise the issue that Paul was too young to know the difference between infatuation and love.

Without sounding like a hypocrite, how could he tell his daughter that Paul would probably be in love four or five times until he’d reached his mid to late twenties?

A man needed to be that age before he became a responsible adult with a viable career. Only then could he hope to find the kind of stability needed to achieve a happy marriage with the right woman.

“Paul would have told you about her a lot sooner, but he was afraid you wouldn’t approve of his falling in love with an American. He asked me not to say anything about her until he was ready.”

Vincent knew in his gut that wasn’t the reason his son had kept him in the dark. He shifted gears to pass a car. “I have no bias against Americans. I admit there was one client who came here a few years ago I didn’t particularly care for, but on the whole I find most of my American acquaintances quite charming.”

He sucked in his breath. “My reaction to Ms. Linn had nothing to do with her nationality. I was in shock to think Paul had spent the money on a ring rather than a car designated for your graduation gift.”

His daughter lowered her head. “He was determined to get engaged by the end of the school year. I told him I didn’t care about a car. If he wanted to spend that money on her, it was fine with me.

“In case you’re worried, he plans to pay you back in monthly installments. His headmaster gave him a reference and he used that to get an entry level job at a bank in Montparnasse. He’s supposed to start his training on Monday.”

Incredible.

Tomorrow Vincent would go over to Paul’s school for his things. While there he would phone the bank and let the manager know about Paul’s accident.

“I had a talk with Ms. Linn after you two left the apartment, petite. Though she looks younger to me, she says she’s twenty-five.”

“She is. Paul saw the inside of her passport.”

“Don’t you think a woman seven years older than your brother is too old for him?”

“Of course not,” she answered back, but it was a little too fast even for Monique. “Paul finds her totally fascinating.”

And because you love your twin, you’re not about to sabotage his plans.

Vincent rubbed the back of his neck in consternation. He wagered there weren’t too many females in all of Paris with Ms. Linn’s fascinating feminine attributes. With those long legs, she had a voluptuous physical allure that didn’t require expensive clothes to draw a man’s attention.

As far as he could tell, she wore no makeup. After she’d removed the scarf, he’d noticed a small cross hanging around her neck, but he’d seen no other jewelry.

Except for the ring she’d removed in his presence.

“Paul thinks my girlfriends at school are shallow and boring. I happen to agree with him. Hallie has had experiences that make her different from other people. She’s the best listener in the world.”

With a woman who looked like Ms. Linn hanging on Paul’s every word, he never stood a chance.

“Does she have family here in Paris?”

“No. She was born in California, but she’s all alone in the world now.”

“I see.” He pursed his lips. “Tell me about these experiences that have made her so unique in your eyes.”

“I don’t know the details because it’s hard for her to talk about them, but she was in a plane crash a few years ago. It made her reassess her values. She decided she wanted to help people.”

“That’s an admirable desire,” he murmured, trying to keep the condescension out of his voice.

Out of all the people his children could have met in Paris, how did they happen to run into this particular woman?

“What brought her to Paris?”

“Her work.”

“You mean there’s a Tati’s in California, and she was transferred here?”

Monique shook her head. “No.”

Vincent gripped the steering wheel tighter. He’d played at this conversation long enough. “Why do I get the feeling you’re afraid to answer my question?”

“Paul asked me not to tell you.”

“If she’s so perfect, then why the concern?”

“Because he knows the answer will make you happy.”

His daughter was speaking in riddles. More puzzled than ever, Vincent pulled into the hospital parking and shut off the engine.

“Am I such an awful ogre you can no longer trust me with the truth?” He needed all the truth his daughter could give him in order to work with Dr. Maurois.

She slowly turned her head toward him. The tortured brown eyes so dear to him seemed to take up her whole face.

“In two weeks Hallie’s going back to California to enter a convent.”

A convent.

Ms. Linn?

“Paul can’t bear it,” her voice trembled. “That’s why he gave her the ring, so she’d know he was serious about getting married one day. He’d do anything to stop her from making a decision that will prevent him from seeing her again. If you knew how wonderful Hallie was yo—”

“Just a minute,” he cut her off. “Back up.” Vincent’s mind was reeling. “She told you she intends to become a nun?”

Talk about dangling forbidden fruit in front of Paul! Could anything the opportunistic Ms. Linn have dreamed up to bring him to his knees have worked better than a fabrication like that?

“Papa— Hallie already is a lay nun.”

“Then she’s been lying to you,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“No,” Monique protested in a calm voice. “She’s been doing church service for the last year and a half through the Dominicans. First in California, then at Clairemont Abbey not far from Tati’s.

“Nowadays more and more women are working as lay nuns in ordinary clothes while they mingle with the public. They hold day jobs to pay for their own housing and expenses.”

This was the first Vincent had heard of it. Whether it was true or not, Monique firmly believed Ms. Linn’s story. Until he could check it out, he didn’t dare alienate his daughter any further.

He took a fortifying breath. “All right. Assuming everything she’s told you is true, why is she suddenly leaving Paris?”

His daughter looked crestfallen. “She has plans to take her vows at the motherhouse in San Diego in June. The only problem is, once she’s professed we’ll never see her again.” The tremor in her voice revealed such deep affection, it stunned Vincent.

“Paul’s desperate to keep her here. He loves her so much. It isn’t like he has a few years to work on her and get her to change her mind before proposing. He had to do it now, today, before it was too late! It’s taken him months to get up the courage.

“We planned the birthday fete in order to bring her to the apartment where he could have privacy when he asked her to marry him. Since he needed time alone, I left them long enough to buy Etvige a dress with the last of the money I’d been saving. She’s always wanted something stylish from Paris.”

His daughter’s explanation plunged him further into the black hole engulfing him since his conversation with Dr. Maurois. While she was talking, he could hear another voice from another conversation, drowning out her words.

“I’m not pregnant. But if I were, are you telling me you would bribe me into going away knowing I was carrying your grandchild inside my body? You would deprive Paul of his own child to love and raise?”

A harsh laugh came out of him. “Who said anything about it being Paul’s?”

“Be careful before you say anything else you’ll live to regret. Paul took us both by surprise today, but since you were incapable of listening to reason, I fear your reaction has caused irrevocable harm to your relationship with him.

“Promise me you’ll work things out with him tonight before it’s too late. He’s trying hard to be a man. Go to him and explain why you were so upset. Paul’s very sweet and sensitive inside. He’ll understand and forgive you.”

Vincent groaned. His assessment of the situation had been so completely off the mark, he felt like he’d entered the twilight zone with no exit.

In reality there was no exit, not after what the psychiatrist had told him.

Paul’s mental health was in grave jeopardy. Furthermore Vincent had permanently destroyed the bond with his son, a bond he’d once thought to be indestructible. What made things even more hopeless—he couldn’t help Paul if he wanted to where Ms. Linn was concerned.

She wasn’t in love with his son.

If Vincent recalled her words correctly, she’d said she loved Paul like a younger brother. Before leaving the dining room she’d murmured “Goodbye forever. May God bless you.”

Something about those parting words convinced Vincent she’d been telling his children the truth. She’d meant what she’d said in the literal sense because she would be turning her back on the world when she took her vows.

Everything that had transpired at his apartment was starting to make a horrible kind of sense. The Rolland household had been turned inside out.

Monique was barely speaking to him. His son was in hell because Vincent had insulted the love of his life, a woman who was about to become cloistered and permanently unavailable to him.

Everything Vincent had done since the twins’ birth to make sure they didn’t repeat his mistakes had blown up in his face.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

Had it only been twelve hours since he’d awakened in his hotel room in London, excited because he was going to fly to Paris to surprise his beloved children?

Tonight despair made him feel a thousand years old.

“Let’s go inside, petite. Paul needs us, even if he wishes I were drawing my last breath in the middle of the Sahara.” Even if my son wishes he’d left this earth…