“It’s my tibia,” he explained as he shut the car trunk. “They’re going to have to operate on it again in a while. Jules did a number on me.”
“Well, you pushed him to the limit,” Dominique muttered as she opened the passenger door for him.
“He’s still a thug,” Alex said, slowly. “He tried to kill me, he really did. Nothing warrants that, not even some vines in Margaux.”
Dominique was now sitting but didn’t start the engine. She turned to Alexandre.
“Aurélien would’ve done the same at Jules’s age,” she said, her tone of voice firm.
“Don’t I know it,” he said. “All the Laverzacs are monsters, including yours truly.”
He began to laugh. She’d forgotten about his contagious laughter.
“So we’re going to Fonteyne, right? Jules invited me for Christmas Eve dinner. What an honor. …”
“Alex …”
“I’m just kidding,” he reassured her. “I can’t wait to see the boys and kiss them. But there’s one thing I’d like even more, and that’d be to kiss you, Dominique.”
He didn’t move, his shoulder resting against the car door. She leaned toward him and gave him a light kiss on the lips. He didn’t try to take her in his arms.
“Please forgive me, Dominique,” he said, looking right at her.
Ill at ease, she started the engine and drove the car out of the parking lot.
“I did a lot of things that I deeply regret, but I won’t be able to ask forgiveness forever. I know you’re going to need some time to trust me again, though, right?”
He was desperately waiting for a response.
“We’ll see,” she muttered.
“I’ve paid a high price for my mistakes. Jules made sure of that. He did one hell of a good job. Like he always does, in fact. …”
Dominique shot him a worried look.
“I do mean that,” he added. “Contrary to what you might think, I do think that he’s doing things well. And that’s why he gets on my nerves so much. He always makes me feel like a loser. It’s so hard. He and I are going to have a long talk when I get home, but that’s not what’s most important to me. What’s most important to me is that I love you, Dominique. … And so far you’ve said nothing to reassure me. …”
She stopped the car at a red light and put a hand on her husband’s arm.
“If everyone tries hard,” she said, “I suppose that everything is going to go well.”
He frowned, trying to figure out what exactly she’d meant by that.
“I’m ready to do everything you want me to,” he said. “You’re much wiser than I am. … But it’s so hard to carry around the label of loser, coward, and now evil man because of the field incident. If the entire family sees me that way …”
“It was convenient and easy living in Mazion, since my parents never judged you.”
She’d thrown that comment at him like a jab, and he understood that he was far from being out of the woods. He decided to be honest.
“I’ve had it up to here with Mazion,” he said. “Too many bad memories there, and it’s all my fault. I’d love to stay at Fonteyne from now on, but that isn’t up to me.”
In a once familiar gesture, Dominique put her hand on Alex’s knee, which made him shiver. He caressed his wife’s fingers timidly. She enjoyed the contact, as it reminded her of the old bond between them.
“We’re almost to Fonteyne,” she said, just to break the silence.
“Like I don’t know the way as well as you do,” he said with a beaming smile.
Jules opened the door to the Little House and walked in with Bernard. The house was cold and already overrun by spider webs, but it didn’t smell musty.
“I’m not certain we’re going to need this house,” Jules said, “but I’d still like for it to be cleaned. Just in case. …”
Bernard looked at the windows, at the old paintings on the walls, and his gaze stopped on a beautiful, large fireplace made of huge stones. Their boots left prints on the dusty floor. The Little House had the charm of an old residence carefully renovated.
“If you want me to,” Bernard said, “I can wash the walls and the floors, air out the place, sweep the chimney …”
“Yes. And if you find anything that needs to be fixed, go ahead.”
“I’m going to open a few windows,” the young man said.
With the shutters open, light poured inside the house. Some of the furniture seemed abandoned along the walls, with drawers or doors ajar. Absentmindedly, Jules shut a closet.
“If you could take care of this today,” Jules told Bernard, “that’d be great.”
He blew at a couple of flies that had died on a window ledge. He walked into the kitchen and smiled, as he remembered bottle-feeding the twins there a few times. That was back when he got along well with Alex.
I’ll offer to let him stay, he thought, because it’s my duty to do so. … And because this is his home, after all. …
“Just a bit of cleaning at first,” he told Bernard. “If we need to paint some walls, we’ll attack that down the road. But I still don’t know if … Anyway, we’ll see …”
He turned to the young man who was waiting, standing still.
“It’s a bit cold in here, we should turn on the heat. Let’s make sure everything’s in order.”
“Right away, sir.”
They went down to the basement to check out the boiler.
“This is a nice house,” Bernard said, softly.
For a long time the Little House had been used as storage. Before Alex and Dominique settled there, Aurélien put everything in there he didn’t want in the castle anymore. When they were little, the four brothers had played there. But then, renovations had turned the place into a pleasant and comfortable home. When he got married, Alexandre had complained about being chased out of the castle by Aurélien, but Dominique had loved the idea of moving into the Little House, as it gave them a bit of independence.
Jules watched Bernard as he lit the boiler’s pilot.
This kid really is incredible. Smart, so together …
His smile surprised Bernard, who didn’t know how to react. A loud roar soon traveled through the house as the heating system kicked in.
“Good,” said Jules. “Okay, I’m going now. I promised the kids to help out with decorating the tree.”
He left the Little House, surprised at having given Bernard an explanation. But visiting the house had made him uneasy, reminding him of a bygone era. He hesitated, glanced at his watch, wondering if he had time to take a quick tour of the cellar. Then he decided he shouldn’t make the children wait. Why not, for once, sacrifice an entire morning for their sake?
From his bedroom window, Louis-Marie saw Jules walk to the castle. He’d also promised he was going to come down to help his daughter and nephews with the tree. But first he needed to call Pauline, to know what was going on with her. Though he’d given up on hoping, he’d put this moment off for as long as he’d been able. It was now time to put a stop to the guessing game and learn the truth. He sighed, seated himself comfortably in a wingback chair, and dialed the number of his Parisian apartment. At this time of day, Jules knew, Robert was at work, up to his elbows in blood in some operating room. Pauline picked up on the second ring.
“It’s you, darling?” she said, cheerfully. “Wait just one sec, I have to put something on. I’m just out of the shower. Wait …”
He did wait, patiently, imagining her running to fetch a bathrobe.
“Are you still there?” she asked, back on the phone. “I’m so glad you called. You never do.”
With her usual fecklessness, she was already trying to make him feel guilty.
“It’s December twenty-third,” he said. “I’d like to know what your plans are for tomorrow. If you remember, we’d agreed that …”
“I know, I know!”
This was followed by a moment of silence, then he heard her sniffling.
“You’re crying?”
Pauline never cried, except out of anger, and Louis-Marie had the impression that Pauline was playacting.
“You know I’m not coming to Fonteyne,” she said, her voice strangled.
Louis-Marie had known she was going to say that, and still it came as a shock to him.
“What am I supposed to tell Esther?” he said. “That we’re divorcing?”
This time he was the one going on the attack.
Immediately she replied, “You tell her what you want. Whatever is best for her. I understand if you want to leave me.”
“What? Me, wanting to leave you? I’ve never heard anything so outrageous in my life!”
“Wait,” she said, “you’re getting this all wrong. I said I needed some time and it’s over now, I know. I’m going to spend Christmas with Bob, it’s true. I promised him I would, and I can’t do otherwise. But it’s not what you think. … Maybe it’s just a spurt of insanity. You don’t have to put up with it all, and I’m not asking you to. … And even though you may want to slam the phone down, honey, I love you. I’m not wishing you a merry Christmas because I know you’re sad. I’m also sad, you know …”
Louis-Marie felt a detestable ache in his heart. He didn’t think she was putting on an act after all. She really was unhappy. She was ruining Louis-Marie’s life, as well as Esther’s, and maybe Robert’s as well. All that and she said she was sad. He remembered how she never could make a decision, how anytime some difficult situation arose, Pauline crumbled.
“So you put your daughter on a train, you spend Christmas with your lover—who happens to be my own brother—and you say that you love me. I’m getting this right?”
“Honey …”
“Wait, Pauline! Don’t interrupt me, please. I don’t want to suffer for the rest of my life, I’m certain you can understand that, in spite of your selfishness. I gave you some time. A lot of time! About Robert, I think I always knew. It’s possible that after our long … separation, that Bob wasn’t able to convince you and that you’re still interested in me. Only you can’t have it both ways. You understand that?”
“But I’m not …”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you’d like. But, you know, there’s a limit to what I can take. Do whatever you want with your life, sell the apartment. I’ll gladly take care of Esther if that’s better for you, and you can plan your future without worrying too much about her. I think she’s going to enjoy living here.”
“In Fonteyne? You can’t …”
“I’m staying here for good, Pauline. Esther is going to be surrounded by her family—her aunts, her cousins, her uncles—and that’s going to be great for her. And I’ll send you alimony if you don’t remarry, so you won’t be at Robert’s mercy and you won’t have to find a job.”
Louis-Marie took a deep breath and heard that she was crying again. He straightened and added, his voice soft, “Don’t cry, honey,” he said. “You have people who love you. …”
He gently hung up the phone, struggling against the temptation to call her right back. Against all odds, he’d hoped until the very end. Until the last moment he’d imagined her jumping on a train. In spite of all his resolutions, he still wasn’t completely over her, and he wished he could hold her in his arms and forgive her and make reckless plans for the future. But he resisted picking up the phone. He’d already worked too hard getting used to his wife’s absence to ruin everything because of a moment of weakness.
He went to the bathroom, took a long look at himself in the mirror, and splashed some cold water in his face before going down to the main living room. Esther was already up on a ladder that Jules held for her. The twins were fighting over a string of lights, and Laurène, who had Lucie-Malvoisie in her arms, couldn’t make them stop.
“Do something,” Jules asked Louis-Marie, pointing at the boys.
Since he seemed vaguely troubled, Laurène handed him the baby and ran over to help the twins herself. Maybe because he felt lonely, Louis-Marie immediately began singing a lullaby. Jules broke into his usual laughter.
“Stop that,” he said, “she’s going to hate music for the rest of her life. Quit singing or I’m letting go of the ladder and your daughter is going to fall.”
Esther pretended to be scared and began to scream. Laurène had managed to take the string of lights away from the twins, but two bulbs were broken. The twins threw themselves at the box containing the ornaments.
“Easy does it!” Laurène pleaded.
There was so much chaos in the room that no one had noticed Alex’s arrival. Dominique walked into the room, and her sons ran to her, accusing each other of all kinds of misdeeds. They then spotted their father and screamed with joy. Jules turned to his brother, slowly picked up Esther by the waist, and set her down on the floor.
“Be right back,” he said to her, smiling.
He walked over to Alex, who straightened as though he was expecting to be attacked.
“Your timing is perfect,” Jules said. “Everybody’s going nuts with those tree lights that never work from one year to the other. Want to take care of that?”
The twins, brimming with joy, dragged their dad to the box with the lights. Alex still hadn’t uttered a single word. Dominique bombarded Jules with worried glances until he finally answered with a wink. Jules was discreetly watching her and noticed the way she ran a hand over her husband’s shoulder as he untangled the strings of lights with his sons. He waited until the tree was fully decorated and then applauded along with the others when Louis-Marie lit it up.
Then he went by Alex and muttered, “I’m going to my office.”
His brother didn’t hesitate and silently followed his brother down the hallway.
“I said ‘my’ office,” Jules said, closing the office door behind him. “Sorry about that.”
“Why is that? Even when Dad was still alive, this was your office, wasn’t it?”
Jules knelt in front of the fireplace and put in two logs.
“We’re not off to a very smooth start, are we?” Jules joked.
“I’m not sure I know where to start,” Alex said. “I suppose that explaining myself is a must …”
“No, not if you don’t want to. I don’t care. If you have nothing to tell me …”
“I’ve got tons of things to tell you. But first I have a question for you: Do you see my being here as an intrusion?”
“You have a knack for thinking up stupid things. … This house is also yours, even though you’ve been trying to undermine it for a while.”
“My house? So accepting me under your roof has nothing to do with charity, then?”
“You’re pissing me off!” Jules exploded. “What’s with that ridiculous tone of yours?”
“With you, it’s always an angry tone.”
Jules slammed the top of his desk, and it took everything he had to regain his composure.
“Why don’t you just come out and say what’s on your mind for once?” he demanded.
Instead of answering, Alexandre scanned the office. He knew this room inside out. He’d often been afraid in here as a child, when his father had to sign his report card. And much later, when his father glared at him, unhappy about some of Alex’s negotiations, his initiatives, his ideas.
“I’d love to work at Fonteyne, if you didn’t exist,” he finally said.
He looked worn-out all of a sudden but not angry.
“Fonteyne wouldn’t exist if I wasn’t here,” Jules said.
“Lots of vineyards do just fine without you.”
“Of course! But things are different here. You never took an interest in numbers, and that’s too bad. The company is in constant progression. The profits have increased steadily for ten years, and never to the detriment of quality. I modernized the operations, and that’s even though Aurélien, Lucas, and—let me remind you—you were against it at first. I opened up great new markets for us. I have more clients than I can handle, all very faithful. The Château-Fonteyne Company depends
on nobody and feels no pressure from anyone. The value of some of my wine has gone through the roof. I only sell what I want, to who I want. I’ve saved a fortune in payroll expenses because I handled things myself. I used that money to increase the size of the estate. I’m carrying the entire weight of Fonteyne with pride and pleasure, and I’m also willing to do anything to protect it. Our wines have won prizes everywhere, Alex. Merchants give me deals they wouldn’t offer any other wine producer. We’re in a class apart. That’s what I wanted for Fonteyne, and that’s what we’ve got.”
Jules kept his eyes riveted on his brother.
“I’m not saying all that expecting thanks or a pat on the back. This company belongs to you guys as much as to me, but you wouldn’t be able to run it as well as I do. I always wanted it to do as well as possible. And what you did was try to ruin it. That was so freaking idiotic! In order to get to me, you didn’t hesitate to bite the hand that feeds you. … It was that important to take your revenge on me?”
Alexandre lowered his head, but Jules insisted, “Revenge for what, exactly? What did I do to you? You wanted to be king and I wouldn’t let you? How ridiculous!”
Jules got up, went over to the fireplace and stoked the fire.
“I should’ve patted you on the back more often? I should’ve coddled you? Massaged your ego? Why?”
He turned around and saw Alex’s pale eyes focused on him.
“What are you expecting from me?” Jules asked, sounding tired. “That I cajole you? That I give you platitudes? That I tell you you’re incredibly talented and that we’re going to start over again hand-in-hand as if nothing had ever happened?”
“You son of a bitch …”
“No, not me. You are. I don’t hit Laurène, I don’t force her to have sex with me, and I don’t destroy my own land.”
“I did all that, yes!” Alex exploded. “And I got drunk every damned day! Are you going to shove that in my face until the end of time? You’ve never made a mistake, Jules? None whatsoever?”
They’d raised their voices so much that they suddenly clammed up, worried. The rest of the family was waiting for them to come out of the office.
“I don’t want you to judge me,” Alex muttered. “I can’t stand that anymore.”
A Bordeaux Dynasty: A Novel Page 59