Proserpina
I had the cabbie drop me in the middle of the street and I made my way blindly, to a coffee shop at a nearby mall where I sat, hunched and trembling, unable to gather my thoughts together.
Had all these years with Lucien been a lie then?
Had he stashed his secret family away, hidden from me all this time? And when he left me to go on his business trips, had he really been going to visit them? The youth I had seen had been easily as old as Claude.
So…? Could there be more children who would crawl out like worms coming out of woodwork?
My thoughts went round and round like a rat on a wheel.
I had left my phone in the car, I realized, when I was getting out at the Town House. But I needed to talk to someone. I looked around and caught the eye of a young man sitting close by, watching me. The expectant look on his face turned to one of elation when I made my way to him. With a small smile, stiffly, I asked,
“Please, can you lend me your phone? ‘
He almost fell off his chair in his hurry to oblige me.
I put a call to the one friend I had in this town.
As I handed the man the phone, with a wan smile, he asked, eagerly,
‘Can I invite you to a coffee with me?’
I smiled, tiredly. If Lucien got to know, he would have the man’s head on a platter, I thought. The thought made me feel sick.
“No,’ I murmured with a small smile,’ My husband’s on his way to pick me up”
The disappointment on his face was something that would have made me laugh any other time; not now. I walked out and waited in a crowded store, my eyes scanning the road, knowing that my husband would never think of looking for me in a mall.
*
Lucien
Bosco was sweating in fear as he approached the car.
‘Boss, we found the cabbie.’
Lucien glared at him, his cold eyes like pinpricks. He clenched his fists to refrain from hitting the man.
“Where is she?’ he rasped.
Bosco looked terrified. He stood, all six feet eleven of himself, sweating and shifting from foot to foot.
“She wasn’t …We could not…’
‘The f*ck, you f*cking idiot!’ roared Lucien and controlled the urge to pound the man’s head.
He slammed his fist into the wall beside him, his shoulder muscles clenching.
Bosco quaked.
“And you f*cking idiot, she left her phone in the car!’ he roared, “How the f*ck are we going to trace her?’
“She was upset, Boss…’ murmured the big man, looking away.
Controlling the urge to hit him, Lucien took a deep breath.
“Find out if she was in any of the shops, the stores in that bl*ody mall.’ he growled as he rang up his staff at his house.
No, she had not gone home. His breathing quickened. Where would she go?
He feared for her life.
I have hurt her,’ he thought darkly, and this time she might not find it in her to forgive me.
*
Proserpina
Schwartz’s sleek silver Jaguar was at the curb when I stepped out of the store, and he came around to open the door, pulling me into a quick hug, his eyes fleetingly moving over my face. When I was seated in the luxurious interior, he pulled away, his eyes roving over my face anxiously. He was not accompanied by his chauffeur, which meant he had come immediately after I had called him. A silent bodyguard stood at the door slipping into the car behind me.
But Handsome James’ profile was closed and distant. And when he glanced at me, I saw the guilt.
I bit my lip and turned to look out the window.
So Schwartz, my best friend, had known too.
“How could you not tell me, James,’ I whispered, my voice breaking.
He did not say anything but the car picked up and sped ominously and the capable hands gripping the steering wheel tightened, showing whitened knuckles. The tears slid down my face and I scrubbed them away with my fist, angry with myself for the feeling of betrayal I was experiencing.
“Where are we going? “I asked dully as we had shot past the suburbs where he lived. I had simply asked him to come and fetch me, telling him that I needed to take time out: I could not go home now.
“The Lake House.’ he said shortly. And went on, in a gentler tone,
‘Aiyana is there already, getting the place checked and safe for you, hen.’ His gentle voice was my undoing. I sobbed out and bit my hand to keep from screaming.
‘Shhh…Shhh…little one…’he said softly, placing a hand over mine and I gripped it, digging my nails into his hand.
“You knew, James, you knew…’ I cried accusingly, turning to look at him reproachfully.
His green eyes moved to my face and the turmoil on his face was enough to tell me that he had hated to keep the secret from me.
*
We roared down the path to the lake house by now and were sliding to a stop, kicking up a storm of gravel. Schwartz’s trusted men, Phil Donahue and Ted Jonson were there. Again, Handsome James was beside me, holding me as I stepped out shakily. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he led me forward.
I saw the welcoming light in the doorway and the silhouettes of two women in the doorway: One was Aiyana, Schwartz’ on -off girlfriend, the former FBI agent. The second figure, a plumper woman, detached herself from the doorway and came to me in a run.
Melissa Lord.
She threw her arms around me, hugging me.
“Proserpina,’ she murmured but her voice was also tear-filled and I sagged.
Schwartz said gruffly,
“I thought Lisa here would be…’ the unspoken message was that he knew Aiyana was not one to offer comfort. She was businesslike and had never cared for Lucien.
I wanted to hug my friend James for being so considerate and perceptive.
I settled for being led back into the warm interior of the house where the tempting aroma of food assailed my nostrils. Melissa was a good cook. But right then, the last thing I wanted was food. I sank down on the comfortable couch as Melissa bustled about, fetching me my favourite soup , Melissa’s own variation of the New Orleans gumbo. I took a couple of spoons as Melissa sat beside me, urging me to eat.
Then I turned to look at Schwartz, who was standing, staring out the windows, no doubt expecting my husband to turn up any minute now. Aiyana stood, arms folded across her chest, watching him.
“Tell her, James.’ she said quietly, her tone brooking no side stepping, ‘Proserpina has a right to know.’
And she swung her dark, doe-eyed look at me.
“Please, James,’ I said softly and with a tired sigh, Schwartz sank onto a seat close to me and began to speak.
*