The Frenchman's Bride

Riddled by guilt on so many counts, he sat down on the bed and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry, mon cherie. So sorry.” He rocked her for a while. “One day I hope you and Paul will be able to forgive me.”

Like Paul, she remained mute. What had he done?

Aware that Paul had been left alone he eventually said, “Come on. We need to get back to the hospital. Let’s carry your things out to the car. There’s something important I have to tell you, but I don’t want to talk about it until we’re away from the school.”

On that note his puffy-eyed daughter helped him load the trunk with her cases which she’d already packed in anticipation of leaving school for good. En route to the hospital he turned to her. “How come you and Paul didn’t share a taxi back to your schools?”

“He took off running. I couldn’t stop him. But I have to tell you—I don’t blame him for what he did, Papa.”

Monique was fiercely loyal to Paul. Vincent loved his daughter for it.

“Neither do I. Unfortunately your brother was so upset, he met with an accident.” It was the truth, just not all of it. That wouldn’t come until Dr. Maurois felt the time was right. “But he’s going to be fine,” he added the second he heard her frightened cry.

“No broken bones. Only concussion. In a few days he’ll be able to travel. The problem right now is, he thinks he hates me, and he has every right.

“Before we spend the night with him, I want to hear all about Hallie Linn. Don’t leave anything out. And don’t worry, I’m not asking because I suspect her of something sinister.

“However I do need to know about your relationship with her so I can understand what’s going on inside of Paul. I love your brother. But until I hear all the facts, I won’t be able to truly apologize to him in a way that he’ll accept as genuine. Do you know what I’m saying?”

“I don’t think this is something you can fix, mon pere.”

Coming on the heels of Dr. Maurois’s gut wrenching news, her opinion alarmed him. She sounded too grave and final about it.

Some time during the last nine months, his children had grown up. He hadn’t been there to see it happen and felt searing pain. Not only for what he’d missed, but for what he’d caused to happen.

“I have to try.”

“Paul’s been in love with her since the first day she waited on us at Tati’s. I could see why. She’s perfect! I totally approve of her for my future sister-in-law.”

“What makes her so special?”

“She’s the only person I feel is worthy of Paul’s love.”

Worthy?

Coming from Monique who was a twin and crazy about her brother almost to the point of being possessive of him, those were powerful words. He needed to tread carefully.

Since Vincent had married at eighteen, right now wasn’t the time to raise the issue that Paul was too young to know the difference between infatuation and love.

Without sounding like a hypocrite, how could he tell his daughter that Paul would probably be in love four or five times until he’d reached his mid to late twenties?

A man needed to be that age before he became a responsible adult with a viable career. Only then could he hope to find the kind of stability needed to achieve a happy marriage with the right woman.

“Paul would have told you about her a lot sooner, but he was afraid you wouldn’t approve of his falling in love with an American. He asked me not to say anything about her until he was ready.”

Vincent knew in his gut that wasn’t the reason his son had kept him in the dark. He shifted gears to pass a car. “I have no bias against Americans. I admit there was one client who came here a few years ago I didn’t particularly care for, but on the whole I find most of my American acquaintances quite charming.”

He sucked in his breath. “My reaction to Ms. Linn had nothing to do with her nationality. I was in shock to think Paul had spent the money on a ring rather than a car designated for your graduation gift.”

His daughter lowered her head. “He was determined to get engaged by the end of the school year. I told him I didn’t care about a car. If he wanted to spend that money on her, it was fine with me.

“In case you’re worried, he plans to pay you back in monthly installments. His headmaster gave him a reference and he used that to get an entry level job at a bank in Montparnasse. He’s supposed to start his training on Monday.”

Incredible.

Tomorrow Vincent would go over to Paul’s school for his things. While there he would phone the bank and let the manager know about Paul’s accident.

“I had a talk with Ms. Linn after you two left the apartment, petite. Though she looks younger to me, she says she’s twenty-five.”

“She is. Paul saw the inside of her passport.”

“Don’t you think a woman seven years older than your brother is too old for him?”

“Of course not,” she answered back, but it was a little too fast even for Monique. “Paul finds her totally fascinating.”

And because you love your twin, you’re not about to sabotage his plans.

Vincent rubbed the back of his neck in consternation. He wagered there weren’t too many females in all of Paris with Ms. Linn’s fascinating feminine attributes. With those long legs, she had a voluptuous physical allure that didn’t require expensive clothes to draw a man’s attention.

As far as he could tell, she wore no makeup. After she’d removed the scarf, he’d noticed a small cross hanging around her neck, but he’d seen no other jewelry.

Except for the ring she’d removed in his presence.

“Paul thinks my girlfriends at school are shallow and boring. I happen to agree with him. Hallie has had experiences that make her different from other people. She’s the best listener in the world.”

With a woman who looked like Ms. Linn hanging on Paul’s every word, he never stood a chance.

“Does she have family here in Paris?”

“No. She was born in California, but she’s all alone in the world now.”

“I see.” He pursed his lips. “Tell me about these experiences that have made her so unique in your eyes.”

“I don’t know the details because it’s hard for her to talk about them, but she was in a plane crash a few years ago. It made her reassess her values. She decided she wanted to help people.”

“That’s an admirable desire,” he murmured, trying to keep the condescension out of his voice.

Out of all the people his children could have met in Paris, how did they happen to run into this particular woman?

“What brought her to Paris?”

“Her work.”

“You mean there’s a Tati’s in California, and she was transferred here?”

Monique shook her head. “No.”

Vincent gripped the steering wheel tighter. He’d played at this conversation long enough. “Why do I get the feeling you’re afraid to answer my question?”