by Taisha Demay
“Alright, Adrian. Like I was saying, I ached for that boy who lost his parents at such a young age and because no one would claim him, ended up in an orphanage. Especially when there was someone who could have stepped up and prevented that.”
“That’s one of the things I regret, among other things.”
“I’m going to talk to him about it, but I’m not making any promises.”
“Thank you, that’s all I ask,” Adrian replied, rising to his feet, turning he opened the door and walked out.
“Aren’t you in the least bit interested in hearing what he has to say?” April asked after she’d finished telling Jean-Luc about her visitor.
“Frankly I don’t give a damn. He abandoned me when I needed him, if it weren’t for my aunt, I’d have probably ended up remaining in the orphanage or worse.”
“That may be. But the point is, you didn’t. I really do feel you should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Jean-Luc narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t going to tell me what he wants, are you?”
April shook her head. “You’re going to have to find out from him.”
He sighed and sank wearily into a chair. “Why reach out to me now after all these years? Why in the hell would I want to waste my time, when I’ve got much better things to do than to listen to whatever excuse he has for his actions?” Changing his stance, he folded his arms across his chest, and she did the same thing, staring at him.
“Are you always this stubborn, Jean-Luc? You once told me that everyone makes mistakes and deserves the benefit of the doubt until which time we are proven wrong. Does that only apply to everyone or just a select few? A lot of time has passed, you’ve already lost your parents, and he’s the closest thing to having one of them in your life, I say accept what you’ve been given. I wish I had that luxury, I didn’t.” She could see he was thinking about what she’d said.
“Fine, I’ll go see him. But only because you asked me to,” he conceded.
“You see how easy that was?”
“If you say so,” he replied, unconvinced.
“Oh, come on! Stop pouting,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck, rising on her toes to kiss him.
That simple action led to his hand stroking the curve of her breast before his fingers pinched her nipples. This led to him unbuttoning her blouse, causing her to shudder as he peeled it back to reveal the pale pink, lacy bra she was wearing. Next, she felt him tugging down the zipper on the skirt, pushing it down, the material pooling at her feet. Unfastening her bra, his hands cupped the aroused breasts, anguish and desire mingled inside her. Her eyes closed involuntarily as Jean-Luc bent his head, his mouth burning her skin, her body on fire for his touch, shaking in his arms as he pulled her tautly against his hips, she felt his arousal.
The button of his slacks undone, unzipping them, pushing it and his boxers down,
He lifted her and sank deep inside her. “April,” he muttered hoarsely against her skin, stroking her, body fused against his. Feeling him tremble, his mouth explored the columns of her throat while moving toward the wall, pressing her back against it
while he took her on a wild ride, nails raking urgently against his skin, making him groan. Her body surged in response, melting against him as she was swept up in a torrent of sensation. Finally, they both cried out together, experiencing a wave of release.
Chapter 8
Much to their surprise, his uncle sent a car and driver to transport them out to his estate northwest of Paris. It was an enormous white and gold mansion, surrounded by a black iron gate and lush green manicured grounds and an enormous fountain. Pulling to a stop, the driver climbed out and opened the passenger door for them. Once they were inside, they were escorted to a beautiful room decorated with Louis XlV furniture, instructed to have a seat, they waited.
“Are you nervous?” April asked, touching Jean-Luc’s shoulder.
“Not really, I just want it over with,” he told her.
April just hoped things would go well; she’d been the one to convince him to come in the first place, nervousness churned away in her stomach. Finally, the door opened and the man himself walked in, dressed in a navy-blue, tailored suit, crisp white shirt and royal blue tie.
“I’m glad you could come,” he said, stopping in front of them. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”
“No, we would not. Why don’t we cut to the chase and tell me what you want,” Jean-Luc responded.
“Jean-Luc, that’s no way to talk to your uncle,” April admonished.
“It’s alright, April. I probably deserve it,” Adrian replied.
The door opened again and a blonde medium-build woman in her mid-fifties walked in. Adrian turned to speak to April. “Could you leave Jean-Luc and me alone. Clarice will give you a tour.”
April glanced over at Jean-Luc, who didn’t seem pleased about the request, but he went along with it nevertheless. Standing, she followed the other woman out into the hall.
Out in the garden, there were orchids everywhere, but especially in the enormous, expensive greenhouse with its own climate control. The whole while she strolled amongst the beautiful flowers, ranging from pink and white, to spotted yellow and deep orange, her thoughts were about Jean-Luc and his reaction to his uncle’s request to be
in his life.
“Whether you believe it or not, I know what it’s like to feel abandoned. My mother was the forerunner for the modern woman. She chose to have me alone, my father was a married man, and she told me she didn’t particularly love him, so she had to submit to the biological urge to reproduce. By the time she met the man that would become her husband, I had been sent off to boarding school. That was when I’d heard I had a sister,
your mother. I suppose that’s the reason I didn’t acknowledge you as my nephew.”
“Why now? After all this time?”
“Because I’m dying, Jean-Luc. I was recently diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.”
Jean-Luc let out an unsteady breath at what he’d just been told. “Isn’t there some new treatments that can curtail it?”
“It’s much too late for that; it seems they didn’t catch it in time.”
“But, don’t you get regular checkups?” he wondered.
“Yeah. But as I said, it was never detected.”
Jean-Luc swallowed the lump in his throat. “How long have you known?”
“Six, maybe eight months.”
“And, you’re just telling me about this, now?” he asked harshly.
He spread his hands expressively. “I was in denial, I guess you could say,” he said heavily. “I’d just lost my wife, and I was wracked with grief. By the time I found out,
it had spread.”
“So, now you want to make peace, am I right?”
“Yes.”
He was feeling oddly sorry for him. His uncle looked defeated. “I don’t know what you expect me to say. All this time and you never once contacted me. After my parents died; your sister, and you made no attempt to get custody, instead you just abandoned me.”
“I realize I should have stepped up to bring you to live with me. But I had just gotten married, and the position with parliament I held kept me constantly on the road.”
“In other words, you didn’t have time to spend raising your nephew.”
“I know it was selfish of me, I let you down and for that; I am truly sorry.”
Jean-Luc stared at him. “Do you think that some half-assed apology is going to make the fact that you weren’t there at a time when I needed you most seem less hurtful? Well, I’ve got news for you, Uncle Adrian, it’s not.”
Adrian shoved his hands through his hair. “At least allow me to help with the wedding. Is there anything I can do to expedite the license?”
He got to his feet. “I don’t want you to do a damn thing, except stay the hell out of my life.” Turning, he strode from the room.
The ride home was done in silence, and though April wanted to question hi
m as to what he and his uncle discussed, she kept silent. Jean-Luc just didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk. The moment they arrived home, she immediately poured him a glass of cognac over ice, and he absently accepted the glass from her. “Thanks.”
As he sipped his drink, she saw the storm clouds gathering in his eyes again. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
He looked tired, April thought. Even though she knew he didn’t want to admit it, Jean-Luc was obviously affected by the fact that his uncle’s health was steadily declining, but she decided not to press the issue. She could wait. Taking the empty glass from him, she refilled it.
Joining her on the couch, he propped his feet on the large, mahogany table in front of the couch. Putting his arm around her, anchoring her solidly against him, he leaned back, sipping his drink.
“Jean-Luc.”
He lifted his glass to finish his drink and murmured. “Hmm?”
“Are you ever going to forgive him?”
“I don’t know,” he replied before downing the last of the cognac.
“But, it’s been over thirty years, don’t you think it’s time?”
He shifted to look at her. “You think just because he informed me he has cancer, that I’m supposed to automatically develop feelings for a man who cared nothing for me? I don’t think so. He can rot in hell for all I care.”
“He’s your uncle, shouldn’t you at least consider it?”
He shrugged. “I might. But I think I’m going to let him suffer a little before I make a decision.”
“What if it happens, and it’s too late?”
He looked over at her. “So, what if it is? It wouldn’t matter to me. Good riddance, I say.”
“Now, you know you don’t mean that.” Her hands reached up to touch his face. She finally saw the vulnerability he kept hidden and exposed all of his feelings now.
“Actually, I do,” he told her. “When I was little, I used to fantasize that my uncle, who I was told lived in a castle, would one day come to get me out of that place I was in after my parent’s death, but he never did. Then one day, this lady I’d never met before who said she was related to my father, a distant cousin, brought me to live with her. A woman who had no children of her own, and knew next to nothing about them, but did the best she knew how. But a man who was a blood relative couldn’t even be bothered to come down out of his fortress to care for his sister’s child. Do you honestly believe I should forget about that? Let bygones be bygones? I don’t think so. That’s not going to happen, not in this lifetime.”
“I can’t say I don’t understand how you feel, I do. But did it occur to you that perhaps his circumstances or situation prevented it?”
“Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Come on, April, even if it did, he could’ve at least acknowledged that he knew I existed. Instead, he continued to ignore me, and now that he’s dying, wants to make peace; give me a break,” he said, making a dismissive sound in his throat.
“Did he at least explain why he didn’t?”
“He gave me some lame excuse about having just gotten a position with the parliament that prevented it.”
“Maybe it was the reason.”
Jean-Luc stood. “Stop making excuses for him, April. The fact is he’s a selfish prick who wants to be absolved for his sins; it doesn’t excuse his actions. It’s as simple as that. So, drop it okay, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Then, he strode over to the door, opened it and walked out.
When Jean-Luc left the apartment, he immediately called Naill and asked him to meet at the pub, and it wasn’t long before his friend joined him.
“What’s up man, it sounded important?” Pulling the chair out opposite his, Nail sat down.
“I saw my uncle yesterday. Apparently, he’s dying and wants to get to know me,” Jean-Luc told him.
“Seriously? What did you say?”
A server approached their table and took their orders. When she departed, they resumed the conversation.
“I said, ‘I wasn’t interested.’”
Nail nodded. “I can understand why you would feel that way. But come on, man, the guy’s family, perhaps you should give him a chance.”
Jean-Luc made a dismissive sound. “You sound like April. She seems to think I should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“The question is, my friend, what do you want to do?” his friend queried.
“Hell, I don’t know. I want to continue being mad with him and at the same time, he’s the only connection I have to my mother.”
“Then you have your answer,” Nail told him, picking up the beer the server placed in front of him and took a swig.
“I don’t even know why I’m even considering it. After all, the man ignored me most of my life, and now that he’s at death's door, he wants to get to know me. How crazy is that?”
“It doesn’t sound crazy at all. People often do that when faced with their immortality.
Can I give you a piece of advice?”
Jean-Luc took a sip of beer, then set the bottle down on the table with a thud. “Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. It’s one advantage of being bigger than you.”
“Asshole,” he snorted.
“You’re going about this all wrong. What I think, you get to know him, who knows you might just decide you like the guy.”
“So, you say.”
Ignoring Jean-Luc’s sarcasm, Nail continued, “Just give him the benefit of the doubt and if you feel like he’s still an S.O.B., then you can’t say you didn’t try.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all anyone can ask,” his friend replied.
“A Duke, you’re kidding,” Donna said, after a very long pause. April called her after Jean-Luc got up and walked out.
“No, his uncle is Adrian Babineau, Duke of Candor.” April paced back and forth, anxiety coursing through her veins, feeling helpless. “That’s not even the half of it,
It seems he’s been diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and doesn’t have long. So, he reached out to his nephew, hoping to mend fences, but Jean-Luc would have none of it. He says the man abandoned him at a time when he needed him most.
“Wow, have you tried to reason with him?”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t see it that way. I mean, it’s his uncle, the one other connection to his mother. I wished there was still someone around I could talk to about mine, there isn’t.”
“I understand how you would feel this way. I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but don’t you think he has a valid reason for wanting nothing to do with the guy?”
April sank down on the couch. “I considered that. But, the man’s family and…”
“Family means everything,” Donna finished for her.
“Yes,” she sighed. “I can’t shake this feeling that there's more to it than what Jean-Luc believes.”
“Perhaps,” her friend agreed. “If I were you, I’d leave it alone and let them sort it out. Obviously, if he wanted you to know he would have revealed it. Anyway, I hope things are going well with the wedding preparations. Tim and I are looking forward to coming.
Mom is going to watch the boys while we’re away.”
“They’re going, I suppose,” she replied. “The good news is, I found a dress. It’s an eggshell color, long-sleeve silk A-line dress, I wanted to keep things simple and decided not to wear a veil but a hat instead, I can’t wait for you to see it.”
“Sounds beautiful, I can’t wait either. I miss you so much,” Donna said, grabbing a tissue dabbing her eyes. “We don’t get to hang out anymore, and it saddens me.”
“Stop, you’re making me cry,” April returned. “I miss you too. But, we’ll see one another in a few months, and I look forward to it.”
Donna continued to clue her in on the happenings back there in West Lake, which made her miss not being there. But she had no regrets wanting to be with Jean-Luc, he was the love
she’d been looking for all this time, and she finally found him.
“Who would have guessed I’d have to come across the water to meet my prince charming?” April told her. “It’s all so surreal, I’m actually getting married to the man of my dreams.”
“You deserve it, and I’m happy for you. I can’t wait to meet Jean-Luc. Have you decided where the honeymoon is going to be?”
“Jean-Luc has, but he says it’s a surprise. So, I guess I’ll have to sit by waiting anxiously to learn what he’s got planned for us.”
“Ooh, sounds mysterious. But I’m sure it’s going to be great.”
“I have very little doubt about that,” April sighed, thinking about their time up at the cabin and how relaxed it made her, spending time in the great outdoors.
Later that afternoon, the phone rang, when she answered April was surprised to find it was Adrian’s secretary Francios on the other end. Two weeks had gone by since she and Jean-Luc were at his estate.
“What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you had time to spare,” the man asked her. “The Duke, as you know, his diamond jubilee is approaching, and we’re preparing a banquet, and he would very much like your and Jean-Luc’s presence. Look, I know the situation between them is strained, but would it be possible for you to convince him to attend?”
“I don’t know about that, I mean like you said, he and the Duke aren’t exactly besties,”
she replied.
“Could you at least give it a try, it would mean a lot to the Duke,” Francios told her.
She promised to think about it and tell him her answer the following day before she committed herself. After the call, April leaned back against the chair, releasing a sigh, wondering how she’d gotten mixed up in this situation. This was Jean-Luc’s problem and not hers. Dismissing the thought temporarily, she went back to the front to assist with customers.