by C. J. Corbin
Michael stirred next to me. The stubble on his chin brushed against my shoulder and I felt his lips touch my neck with a kiss. His tongue traced a line up to my earlobe and he nibbled it softly.
“Good morning. Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered the words softly.
I stretched out and turned around to face him. “Good morning to you.”
“I need some coffee and breakfast. How about you, are you hungry?” He leaned forward to look at the clock on the nightstand. “Wow!” he exclaimed when he saw the time. “How did we sleep until ten?”
“I heard everyone in the hallway a little while ago.”
“I’m sure everyone has left for church by now.” He rolled onto his back and scrubbed his face with his hands.
“Church?” I asked.
“Oh yes. If it’s Sunday, they’ll be in church. Simone insists on it.”
“And we didn’t have to go?”
“Simone probably didn’t want you disturbed this morning. I met her in the kitchen last night while I was getting your 7-UP and told her you weren’t feeling well.”
Michael moved to get out of bed and I’ll admit I was a little disappointed because I always enjoyed our cuddle time in the morning. It appeared that there would be none of that on this morning.
He stood by the bed and nudged the mattress with his knee. “Come on, lazy bones. Let’s get up. I thought we could take a walk through the Garden District this morning after breakfast, if you’re up to it. The Lafayette Cemetery is within walking distance.”
I could never resist the dimples in his cheeks when he used his grin on me. “Oh alright,” I grumbled with a smile.
Fortunately, none of my usual nausea hit me when my feet touched the floor. We dressed relatively quickly and Frederick was waiting for us in the dining room. Idly, I wondered if he ever received a day off. After breakfast, we set off on our walking tour.
We started on Jackson Avenue and turned the corner down Prytania Street. The pavement on the sidewalk was uneven and he held me closely knowing my penchant for tripping. It was cool and as the clouds began to roll in, the sun peeked in and out, making it warm enough for us. The tree-lined street was busy with cars but not much foot traffic. Many of the trees were beginning to bud and the air smelled of the blossoms surrounding us. We strolled slowly down the street, arm-in-arm, with Michael pointing out what he knew about some of the stately homes.
While we walked, we passed a little bookshop and I was delighted to find they had copies of my books available. I signed several copies for them while he went next door to the coffee shop to wait. By the time I joined him he had already ordered us drinks. We sat inside and watched the people walk by the window.
“So,” he started, “are you ready to hear the sordid tale of the Dubois family?”
I raised my eyebrow. “Is it that bad?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
He took a big breath too and let it out slowly. “It all started when I met Tommy and Marcus in college at UC Santa Cruz. Tommy was a marine biology major too and we shared a few classes together. Marcus was pre-law and he chose Santa Cruz because Tommy was attending… and he knew it would piss his mother off. She wanted him at an Ivy league school.” He paused to take a sip of coffee and a bite of the pastry.
“We met and decided we would share a rental house together.” Michael laughed, “Well, Marcus actually bought the house. He never could pass up a good real estate investment.”
I had already heard this part of the story. I knew how they had met, but I didn’t prompt him to move on.
"Simone wanted to see exactly what Marcus was up to, so she flew up with Brigitte for a visit,” he continued, “Brigitte was only three years old and got into everything. She was so beautiful, and we couldn’t help but spoil her rotten.”
I didn’t want to hear about how beautiful Brigitte was but, again, I bit my tongue to allow him to continue with the story.
“We all watched her slowly grow up and, while doing so, she developed a crush on me. I was her Michael. I thought it was cute, not realizing where it was leading.”
I raised my eyebrows, because the story was getting interesting. “Michael, she is fifteen years younger than you. Don’t you think that was a little creepy?”
He frowned. “Yes, it was strange, but not really creepy. I always saw myself as her big brother, like Marcus and Tommy. Nevertheless, she latched onto me. After my divorce, I told you - I went a little wild. Marcus invited me down here to help get my head back on straight. I hadn’t seen Brigitte in several years. And, well, you’ve seen her. She had grown into a stunning woman. She was twenty-five and throwing herself at my feet.” Pausing again, he took a large gulp of coffee.
I sighed inwardly. I understood. At forty and recently going through a terrible divorce, it was flattering to have a young and beautiful woman worship the ground you walk on.
“We all got really drunk one night and after going to bed, I woke up and she was there next to me. The bad thing is that I knew exactly what I was doing.” His expression turned to disgust. “To this day, I can’t believe I did it. If I could take back that moment in time, I would.”
“So then you two started dating?” I asked.
“No, we didn’t. I didn’t touch her again. She was devastated and I believe she lost a bit of herself. But, that wasn’t all.”
“It wasn’t?” I asked, dreading his answer. I don’t know why but I began to feel a sinking feeling inside. My stomach turned over and it wasn’t because of the baby.
His hands remained touching mine, but now instead of me holding him, his hands wrapped around mine. His sigh was deep and long. “No. Somehow her mind told her she was pregnant.”
“Pregnant?” I gasped. I wanted to pull my hands away, but he did not release them. There was a true desire to run away. Hide. When would it end?
“It was a delusion on her part. The psychiatrist called it a Pseudocyesis - a false pregnancy. Her body experienced all the symptoms, both physical and mental. We were encouraged by her doctor to let her carry on with it, and she eventually thought she miscarried.”
My heart ached for Brigitte. “She was madly in love with you and thought she was carrying your baby.”
Michael nodded, finally releasing my hands. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in this mess. After everything was over and Brigitte finally realized we were not going to be together, Simone sent her to Quebec to live with her aunt.”
“Has she accepted that it was a false pregnancy?”
He shook his head. “No. Even after the pseudo-miscarriage, no one could get her to believe she was not pregnant. The doctor felt she probably would never accept it.”
We sat together as I tried to absorb everything. The noise of the café came intruding back into our conversation; the espresso machines were hissing away, cups and plates clattering together, and the kitchen door whooshed open and closed. The little bell above the café entrance tinkled with each new customer that entered.
“I imagine she is still very much in love with you. Is it wise to loan her money for her business?”
“Elizabeth, I feel responsible for what happened and the pain I caused her.”
“Won’t this make her more attached to you?”
“I don’t know, but I feel I need to do something to help her out.”
I looked down at my hot chocolate, still untouched. “Is that all of the story?” I asked.
“Yes. I promise. I’m sorry. I should have told you everything. I didn’t think it was important.”
I frowned and looked back up at him. “Or you didn’t think I’d find out.”
"I guess maybe there is some of that too.” He ran this hand through his hair.
I took a deep breath. “Michael, it makes me crazy when these things happen. I feel like I’m caught unaware, almost like you’re trying to hide something from me. I understand why you didn’t want to share stuff in the past, b
ut if this is going to work between us, I need to know.”
Our hands still intertwined, he brought them up to his lips, brushing soft kisses on my fingers.
“I know, babe,” he said, “it’s all about trust. I'm afraid I haven’t shown much trust in you. Margaret made it difficult for me to divulge any of my secrets.”
“I’m not Margaret.” Just thinking of the spawn of Satan made me nauseous.
He laughed and shook his head. “No, you’re not, just another reason why I love you so much. Shall we continue on our walk?”
We left the coffee bar and walked the short block to the cemetery. The weather was changing fast - the sunny day turning overcast and the coolness turning colder. As we strolled through the cemetery looking at the aboveground tombs, they began to take on an eerie appearance. It made me feel melancholy seeing the engraved words on the tombs, because so many had died in epidemics. Michael teased me about it when I mentioned it to him. Fortunately, it was a holiday weekend and there were plenty of tourists walking around. The cemetery had a reputation of not being the safest of places, but I think that was because of the real people, not ghosts.
The cathedral everyone attended this morning was plainly visible when we turned down St. Charles Avenue. As we slowly wandered past the homes, big raindrops began to fall. We jogged the last three blocks, the exercise feeling great. My doctor had agreed that it was a good idea for me to keep up with my jogging. It had been a week since I had last run and I could feel it in the back of my legs. By the time we made it back to the house, we were drenched and Frederick greeted us at the door with towels.
After lunch, the boys watched basketball and Marie took a nap. Simone and Brigitte were working on the final plans for the Mardi Gras ball they would be hosting on Tuesday night. Nancy and I finally were able to talk.
Frederick poured our tea and closed the door to the library, leaving us alone. Nancy looked like she was going to bust with information. She had the I-have-a-secret look on her face.
“Okay spill it. What have you been dying to tell me?”
Her face turned serious. “It has to do with Michael and Brigitte.”
I held my hand up stopping her. “Wait. Does this have to do with her being madly in love with him?”
“It’s more than that. I know I sound like a terrible gossip, but did you know that Brigitte was pregnant and had a miscarriage?”
Finally! I wasn’t the last person to know. I shook my head and explained the situation to Nancy as Michael had explained it to me earlier in the day.
“So she really is nuts?” Nancy asked, laughing.
“Nancy! You’re terrible!” I admonished her, trying not to snicker. “But yeah, I guess you could say that. Michael feels responsible though.”
“It’s not his fault she crazy,” she replied. “I wonder why Marcus didn’t tell me the whole story.”
Sighing, I said, “I think everyone is embarrassed by the whole affair. It wouldn’t have happened if Michael hadn’t crossed the line.”
“Now wait a minute,” she protested. “Brigitte was an adult when this happened. She was aware she was going after Michael.”
I wanted to change the subject because this was heading toward territory I didn’t want to share with Nancy. “So, how are the wedding plans proceeding?”
It was Nancy’s turn to huff. “Simone is being a huge pain in my ass.”
I laughed. “She is?” Imaging the two strong women going toe-to-toe with each other made me glad Michael’s mother liked me.
“Oh god, yes. If I say I want blue, she wants red. We don’t agree on anything. Poor Marcus - he’s caught in the middle, trying to keep us both happy.” She grinned. “And don’t think I’m making it easy on him!”
“Do you like living in New Orleans?” I asked. Nancy had been the quintessential Southern California beach girl, including the surfing.
“Oh yes. It’s different from California and I miss my family, but it’s such an adventure. And Marcus,” she sighed, “he is incredible. He's fantastic in bed.”
I immediately put my hands over my ears. “TMI Nancy, TMI! Way too much information.”
“Wanna see what Marcus gave me for Valentine’s Day?” She thrust her right hand at me. On her ring finger was the largest ruby I had ever seen, the center stone surrounded by diamonds, which were all set in a platinum setting.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “That’s beautiful! You must have been a very good girl.”
She giggled. “Yes, my baby takes good care of me. I think this was to make up for the ball I wasn’t allowed to attend the night you arrived.”
“What was with that?”
“Oh, some ridiculous mother-son thing they’ve been doing for years. Honestly, sometimes I think Simone doesn’t want to let Marcus away from her side. It’s no wonder he’s never been married - she arranges his entire social schedule for him.” Nancy smiled slyly, “Well, at least until I arrived on the scene. It was funny because the night we met, Ma Mére was up in Quebec visiting Brigitte. So, we had the whole house to ourselves. Marcus had given the entire staff the weekend off.” She laughed, “It was a very wicked and decadent weekend.”
"Yes, I remember. When we met at the airport, you were so squirrely that your eyes refused to focus." I laughed.
I smiled inwardly. Nancy never had revealed what went on during the weekend after she left me at Tommy and Marie’s house. All I knew was when she met me at the airport Monday morning she was engaged. It was clear she was happy; I didn’t have any doubt she would smooth over the rough patches with Simone. She was like that - I had seen her work her magic with my publisher many times.
CHAPTER TWELVE
My dress for the evening's ball was another vintage, haute couture dress. I had chosen it specifically for Valentine’s Day. The deep red, single-shoulder, Greek goddess gown was entirely pleated jersey silk complete with a floating shoulder panel, and it clung to every curve I owned. The new pearl and sapphire choker set the dress perfectly and the single shoulder on the dress covered my scar. Tonight, I didn’t have to try to put makeup over it to try to cover the injury. I was happy with what I saw in the mirror reflecting back to me. Michael was evidently happy too, when he zipped up the back and looked over my shoulder at my reflection in the mirror.
“Once again you are going to be the most beautiful woman at the ball,” he whispered into my ear, nuzzling my neck and pulling at the tendrils of my up-do that Henri had fixed for me earlier.
I turned to look at him. “I do feel like a fairy princess on this trip. I can’t imagine how much money you spent on this dress. When we get home, we are going to have to start economizing. We have two girls in college,” I admonished.
Michael laughed and wrapped his arms around me. “Oh babe,” he kissed the tip of my nose, “you don’t have to worry about that.” He smiled, “But it's wonderful you're thinking about Tammy and Katy. I’m happy you consider us a family. The girls love you, you know.”
I smiled thinking of them. “Yes, and that makes me happy because I love them, too.”
He sighed wistfully. “It’s too bad you couldn’t have been in their lives sooner. I was afraid of the influence from Margaret.”
I patted him on the chest. “You yourself said she wasn’t around enough. Besides, your sister was a big influence, and a good one at that.”
“I don’t know about that!” he said, laughing ruefully. “I told you she had a loose way of dating and spoiled them rotten.”
I pressed my lips together. “Stop being so stodgy, Michael. They turned out fine.” I rolled my eyes for his benefit.
He patted my behind. “You and Nancy, your eyes are going to roll out of your heads if you continue to do that.”
I slipped my shoes on and looked at him innocently. “Do what?”
We all met downstairs in the library for cocktails and appetizers. The ball would have a restaurant tasting area so we wanted to save some of our appetites. Simone’s cook did not disappoint us. Simo
ne and Brigitte were not attending with us as the preparations for the party on Tuesday night still consumed them. We hadn’t seen much of Brigitte in the last twenty-four hours since she asked Michael for the loan. Perhaps that’s what she wanted from him all along. I hoped so.
Tommy met us at the entrance of the library and handed Michael a cocktail. “Scotch neat for you, sir, and fizzy water for our new momma.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and squeezed me. “Oh, Cher, that is quite a rock around your neck!”
My hand fingered the sapphire at my throat. “Thank you. It's my Valentine’s gift.”
“You make it beautiful. Trying to make us look bad, Michael?” Michael laughed and Marcus spoke up.
“Speak for yourself, Tommy. Ma Petite has a new rock on her finger, too.”
Nancy giggled and held up her hand, showing off her new ruby.
Marie came up behind us and playfully punched Tommy in the arm. “And the married woman gets what?”
“Aww sugar, you get me!” Tommy said, putting his arm around his wife.
Marie laughed but kissed him tenderly. “That I do, mon Cher.”
Marcus raised his glass. “Let’s toast to Valentine’s Day and to great friends. And to the three beautiful women who make us the luckiest men alive.”
My glass of fizzy water clinked with everyone, and I thought how smoothly Marcus spoke. Nancy was going to be fine. She would be able to work out whatever difficulty she had with Simone of that I was certain. Marcus undoubtedly would preserve both his relationship with his mother and his fiancée by keeping out of the melee.
A large converted warehouse accommodated the ball, the decorations colorful and the band loud. As with the ball on the previous night, we spent most of our time out on the dance floor. When the band started the song Lady in Red, Michael waved Tommy off. He wasn’t in the mood to share me tonight, which was okay with me.