Gabriel's Promise (Gabriel's Inferno)

by Sylvain Reynard

  He kissed the arch of her throat and descended the valley between her breasts, moving to cover one with his hand. The other he explored with lips and the merest edge of teeth. His tongue darted to taste her nipple.

  He was careful to kiss and lick but not to draw on her. Still, she clasped his head urgently, pressing him closer to her breast.

  When her grip lessened, he transferred his affections to the other breast. His hand dipped to the skirt of her dress and slid beneath it, ascending her thigh.

  He lifted his head. “No underwear?”

  Julia nodded, a subtle lift to her mouth.

  “Surely you aren’t forgoing underwear after I gifted you with enough for days?” His long fingers drifted below her hip bone into the crease between her hip and her inner thigh.

  “It made me feel sexy. When you said you were going to touch me, at the restaurant, I wondered if you’d discover my secret right there.”

  Gabriel cursed. “If I’d known, I would have.”

  “We’d have been arrested.”

  “Not arrested.” Gabriel smiled against her lips. “Merely asked to leave.” He coaxed her legs apart, beneath her dress.

  Her hand moved to his belt, which she unfastened. She touched him over his trousers before tugging the zipper down. Her fingers found the band of his underwear and slid beneath. She found him already hard and eager.

  “Not so fast,” he warned.

  She explored him deftly until he grew impatient and moved her to a seated position.

  “Off,” he commanded, tugging at her dress.

  She lifted her arms and he pulled the fabric over her head, dropping it to the floor. But Julianne would not suffer being the only one naked. She tugged at his trousers and boxer briefs until he lifted his hips and kicked them away.

  It was darker now. The blue glow still lifted from the pool, while the pale starlight shone above.

  The shadows cast by the candles danced over their naked forms as Gabriel covered her with his body.

  With his hand he parted her, touching lightly. Julia tugged his hand away. She grabbed his backside and opened her legs, and his hips fell against hers.

  “Are you in a hurry?” He smiled down at her.

  “Clare might wake up.” Julia’s hands smoothed over his backside and she gripped him.

  “She wouldn’t dare.” Gabriel kissed her nose.

  “She has before.” Julia’s eyes met her husband’s.

  “Point taken.” Gabriel covered her mouth with his even as their lower bodies slid against one another.

  Julia groaned and urged him on with her hands.

  He responded, surging forward and gaining entrance with one smooth thrust.

  Julia put her head back, lifting her hips.

  Her breasts rose tantalizingly below his face and he plied them with kisses, using the edge of his teeth against the round, full flesh.

  She urged him forward and he began to move, her hands dropping away as he found a satisfying, slow rhythm.

  “Look at me,” he whispered, arching above her.

  She gazed up into his eyes. There was possession, and protectiveness, and want. Anxiety, perhaps, and hope and love.

  He watched her to decipher her reactions, to see what made her head loll back and her hands grip tighter. To read eagerness in the rise and fall of her breasts. To see urgency when she found herself on edge.

  Self-control was not one of Gabriel’s virtues, but his pride in being a good lover motivated its development. In the case of Julianne, making love to her inspired him to temperance.

  He wished for their coupling to last as long as possible and to raise her to the heights of pleasure and keep her there until her body rebelled and she came. Only then would he chase his own completion.

  “I’m close,” she panted.

  He increased his pace incrementally, drawing out her climb.

  Her hands clamped on his backside like a vise and she pulled and pulled, bringing him deeper inside her.

  She held her breath and her body tightened. He could feel her losing control.

  He moved more quickly, dropping his head to kiss her breast.

  She clutched him to her chest as her head rolled back. He felt as well as heard her pleasure overtake her.

  Now he could chase.

  His pace increased, faster and faster, his hand grabbing hold of her hip. A flaring of nerves and an exquisite quickening, and he was releasing inside her. His entire body contracted.

  By the time he opened his eyes, she was already kissing him. Embracing his forehead, his chin, his mouth.

  “It was so beautiful,” she said, a touch of wonder in her voice. “It is always so beautiful with you.”

  “You’re beautiful and you deserve all good things.” He nuzzled her neck before gazing into her eyes. “Always.”

  He kissed her softly and moved to her side, breaking their connection. They lay entwined in one another’s arms until the night breeze drove them indoors.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  January 15, 2013

  This is interesting.” Julia handed her cell phone to Gabriel.

  They were sitting side by side in the shade of a cabana, steps from the ocean. Clare was situated in a small children’s cabana, resting atop a towel and surrounded by toys. Although she’d been placed on her back, she’d rolled onto her stomach. When she complained about being on her stomach, Julia moved her to her back. The process was repeated from time to time.

  “Who is this from?” Gabriel removed his sunglasses to put on his reading glasses. He squinted at the screen.

  “Professor Wodehouse.”

  “He’s inviting you to give a paper?”

  “Yes, my paper on Guido da Montefeltro. He wants me to deliver it on the first day of the workshop.”

  Gabriel scanned the email and returned the phone. “That’s quite an honor.”

  “Do you think I should do it? I’ll be making myself conspicuous very quickly.”

  Gabriel put his reading glasses away. “Of course you should do it. Wodehouse has already heard the paper and it has been published. He probably wants you to provoke the attendees.”

  “He’ll be giving a paper on Ulysses.” She scrolled through her email. “I don’t know. Giving a paper, and then being followed by Wodehouse and his paper? I’ll look terrible.”

  “Nonsense.” Gabriel swung his legs over the side of the chaise and leaned over to retrieve Clare.

  “Cecilia will be there.”

  “She’s the one who first read that paper. She endorsed it.”

  “She may have changed her mind.”

  “Then Wodehouse will have her for breakfast. He’s the one inviting you; it’s his workshop and his reputation.” Gabriel reached into the children’s cabana and retrieved Clare, along with a book, The Runaway Bunny.

  Clare reached for the book eagerly and began chattering.

  “I also have an email from Graham Todd,” Julia volunteered.

  Gabriel sat Clare on his lap and opened the book to the first page. “What is he saying?”

  “He doesn’t have the schedule yet for the fall, but he’s teaching a graduate course on angels and demons in The Divine Comedy.”

  Gabriel looked over with interest. “That sounds fun.”

  “Yes. He’s also teaching a Renaissance poetry course for undergraduates, and he’s asking if I’d like to be his teaching assistant. He said the workload wouldn’t be onerous. He can’t promise a stipend, although he thinks he could offer me an honorarium. But he says he’s offering the position to give me experience.” Julia put down her phone. “Edinburgh is rolling out the red carpet for both of us.”

  “I think someone has been talking.” Gabriel sounded grim.

  “Who?”

  “A certain English person wh
o happens to have the initials KP.”

  “Oh, you mean Wonder Woman?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Rachel is mad. Do you know she bought Katherine a Wonder Woman T-shirt?”

  “Katherine will never wear it.”

  “No, but I’d lay money she frames it and puts it on a wall somewhere.”

  “The children in Florence thought you were Superman.”

  “They did.” Gabriel smiled broadly at the memory. “And you were my Lois Lane.”

  “I’d like to go to Florence this summer. I’d like us to spend time with Maria.”

  Gabriel turned his head. Julia gazed at him hopefully.

  “Of course. You know, she may be adopted at any time.”

  “I know.”

  He reached out to grab Julia’s hand. “But we should spend some time in Florence and introduce Clare to the city and our friends. We can visit Umbria, as well.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “We’ve agreed to lend the house in Umbria to Rachel and Aaron for the last two weeks in April. So we’d have to go after that.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “I’m still waiting for the BBC producer to set the dates for my trip to London. It may be while you’re in Oxford.”

  “As long as Rebecca comes with me, I’ll be okay. Professor Wodehouse has been very welcoming, but I doubt he’ll allow Clare to register for the workshop.”

  Gabriel and Julia exchanged a look. He squeezed her hand and released it.

  He lifted the children’s book and began to read to Clare. He read slowly, positioning the pictures in front of her, and pointed to them. He asked Clare questions and waited, as if she would answer.

  Clare leaned against his chest and stared in rapt attention at the pages of the book. When he was finished, he read her another.

  Julia snapped pictures with her phone.

  * * *

  The following morning, Julianne was being pampered at the hotel spa, on Gabriel’s insistence, while he sat with Clare on the floor, playing with blocks. His cell phone chose that inopportune moment to ring.

  Clare complained about the noise.

  He fastened her securely in a high chair and placed a few toys in front of her, then answered the FaceTime call.

  “Gabriel, good morning.” Dottor Vitali’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Hello, Massimo. How are you?”

  “Good, thank you.” Vitali shuffled some papers on his desk. “I made some telephone calls about the memento mori. I didn’t use your name. But I’m sorry to say, I haven’t been able to discover anything. Museum directors around the world contact one another, from time to time, when artifacts appear. I’ve been approached on numerous occasions by people trying to sell valuable pieces. Sometimes the ownership is legitimate, sometimes not. I reached out to a few people to ask if they’d ever seen your carving. They haven’t.”

  “I see,” said Gabriel slowly. “Thank you for trying.”

  “Of course, of course. It’s possible the piece has been in a private collection and handed down over time. Sometimes a family doesn’t know what they have. They may think the object is a fake or that it is modern or something like that. But I can tell you no one is looking for that piece, at least at the moment. It isn’t showing up on lists of stolen artwork and no one has approached any among my circle in order to sell it.”

  “Right. In view of that, Massimo, I think I’ll have to ask you to return it. I’m uneasy lending it until I know more about how it came to be on my property.”

  Dottor Vitali’s face fell. “I understand. We need to be clear on the provenance of an object before we accept it. In this case, provenance is a mystery.”

  “The mysteries in my life are legion at the moment.” Gabriel frowned. “But I’m grateful for your assistance and for Judith’s help as well.”

  “Certainly. I hope you and your family will come to Florence soon?”

  “Yes, Julianne and I were just discussing that. Probably in May.”

  Dottor Vitali rubbed his hands together. “Excellent. We will see you then. I will arrange to have the carving returned to you.”

  “Thank you, my friend.”

  “Good-bye.” Massimo ended the call.

  Another dead end, Gabriel thought.

  He shook off his disappointment and retrieved Clare from her high chair. “Let’s go for a walk, while Mommy’s out.”

  Clare responded by grabbing Gabriel’s chin.

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  The day of her second wedding anniversary, Julia was awakened by pain. She grabbed her lower abdomen, waiting for the pain to pass, but it didn’t.

  Quietly, she crept past a sleeping Clare in her crib and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her before switching on the light.

  She was not a medical doctor, but she knew her body well enough to know she was not suffering from indigestion or an upset stomach. When she went to the bathroom, she discovered her instincts were correct; she was having her period.

  Her monthly cycle had taken time to return with regularity, even after she’d resumed oral contraceptives. Julia’s brain was fuzzy in the early morning, as she had been kept up late enjoying the attentions of her amorous and devoted husband. But as she counted on her fingers, she realized her body was right on time.

  She was concerned, however, at the unusual degree of pain she was experiencing, since birth control had in the past ameliorated it. And she was equally concerned with the amount of bleeding she was experiencing, which was far more than normal.

  It occurred to her she should contact Dr. Rubio when she returned to Cambridge, since bleeding and discomfort were both side effects of fibroids. Although her fibroids had shrunk during her pregnancy, she knew it was possible they were growing even now.

  Julia shut her eyes. She was squeamish at the best of times. And now was not the best of times.

  She switched on the shower and adjusted the temperature. When she entered the shower, she positioned the hot spray on her lower back, hoping it would provide some relief. She refused to look at the water that fell at her feet and disappeared down the drain. It would not do for her to pass out, alone, while Gabriel was fast asleep.

  Later, having attended to her needs and having wrapped herself in the soft, plush robe provided by the hotel, she called the front desk and requested a hot water bottle. Even though they didn’t have one in stock, they quickly sourced one and delivered it.

  Julia crept outside to watch the sunrise from their balcony, swathed in a blanket and with a hot water bottle resting over her womb.

  I can’t believe this happened on my anniversary, she thought.

  All her plans and the special lingerie she’d hoped to wear would be for naught.

  Sometimes being a woman sucks.

  * * *

  “This is not how I planned our anniversary.” Julia bemoaned the fact as she walked next to Gabriel and the stroller on the Lincoln Road promenade.

  It was a beautiful, sunny day in Miami. Julia was clad in a bright, breezy blouse and black shorts, sporting her favorite sandals.

  Gabriel, too, was wearing shorts, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. And Clare was clad in a sunsuit, wearing a sunhat to protect her face and eyes. She was fascinated by all the people and especially the many leashed dogs as they walked past her.

  “I told the front desk we were staying for another week.” Gabriel glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Happy anniversary.”

  She leaned against him. “Really?”

  “I have plans for you and our private pool.” Gabriel’s tone was matter-of-fact. “When you’re feeling better.”

  Julia found the thought tantalizing.

  “How are you feeling?” Gabriel lowered his voice to protect her privacy.

  He was tender with her, it was
true. But the concern with which he treated her most pedestrian of female experiences was truly touching.

  “Better. I took something for the pain, and being outside where it’s warm helps.”

  Gabriel gave her a sympathetic look.

  By accident, Clare dropped her favorite toy bunny (which was not from her father) over the side of the stroller. And then she leaned over to look at it.

  Her father had a short learning curve. After almost losing the bunny on a walk the previous day, he’d fashioned a kind of short leash for the bunny and Velcroed it around the toy’s middle. Which meant that should the toy fall, Gabriel could retrieve it by pulling on the leash. It really was ingenious. (Although Gabriel had contemplated leaving the bunny behind on more than one occasion, simply because of its origins.)

  “I had another email from Graham.” Julia sipped the ice coffee she’d just purchased. “I’d told him I couldn’t commit to Edinburgh until my supervisor signed off on the courses. He offered to speak to Cecilia directly.”

  “Let him. Maybe he can talk some sense into her.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I told him this morning that I’d speak to her when I saw the list of courses. But I also said I was interested in the teaching assistantship.”

  “Good. It will be a great experience. I wonder if we could arrange to have you teach an undergraduate class over at Boston University.” The wheels were already turning in Gabriel’s mind.

  Julia stopped. “You’d do that? You’d suggest that to your chair?”

  “Why not? They hire adjuncts. I can’t guarantee the chair will hire you, but we should ask.”

  “I’d like that.” Julia resumed walking.

  “We should look into it the fall after we come back from Scotland.”

  Julia nodded.

  “Julianne.” Gabriel lowered his voice. “I’ve spoken with both Nicholas Cassirer and your uncle Jack in the past couple of days. Neither of them has been able to uncover any information about the intruder.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means the man is a ghost. Jack has been working things from this side of the Atlantic, while Nicholas has been speaking to his contacts in Europe. Nothing has emerged.”