Chapter 52

In the parking lot at the Doctors’ Building where Mark Andrews had his offices, Clarice sat in the driver’s seat of Michel’s Porsche. Her hands clutched the steering wheel so tightly her fingers were blanched.

It isn’t true. This can’t be happening to me.

* * *

Sandy had ushered her into Mark’s office while he looked over her records, silently reviewing her last visit.

“How’ve you been feeling?”

“I was fine until two weeks ago,” she replied, frowning at memory of the scene with Michel.

“What happened then?”

“I started having headaches again, this time with that nausea and dizziness. Just like you said.”

“You didn’t have those symptoms before.”

“No, but you said—”

“That’s strange. Usually the symptoms stay the same,” he replied. “They don’t vary from one time to the next. If you have headaches, then that’s all you have. Not headaches one time and nausea and dizziness plus headaches the next.”

“I don’t know about that,” she answered. “All I know is that I was sick. Throwing up and barely able to walk and everything.”

Mark looked thoughtful. “Have you had a period since I removed the implant?” he persisted. “Any break-through bleeding?”

She shook her head.

“Hmm.” That noncommittal sound, as well as the way he studied Clarice made her uneasy. Pressing the button on the intercom, he said, without looking away from her, “Sandy, would you take Mrs. Deveraux to an exam room?”

“What is it?” Clarice was alarmed. “Why do I need an examination?”

“Because, Clarice, I think you’re pregnant.”

* * *

Now, she sat in the Porsche, reliving that scene again and again.

If this is Michel’s baby, I won’t have it. I’ll have an abortion. It’s Luc’s, it has to be.

Putting a hand to her mouth, she began to laugh, the sound a hysterical sob.

God, it’s so ironic. The first time a man makes love to me while I’m unprotected and I get pregnant.

Of course, Michel had done that, too, but Luc got there first. Yes, this baby was definitely his, and when she told him, he'd change his attitude, see they were meant to be together.

He didn’t really love Julie anyway. Those papers proved it. She’d known he couldn’t want anyone as insipid as that. He only married her so he could get the Trust. It was so obvious now. She should’ve guessed sooner.

That baby of Julie’s was an accident, too, but even someone as careful as Luc could slip up. Her own situation was evidence of that…but he’d want her, and her baby. After Luc and Julie were divorced, she’d leave Michel, and they’d go away together.

As she pushed the ignition-button and started the engine, Clarice had already begun to formulate a plan to use her unborn child as a pawn in her plan to recapture Luc.

* * *

“There’s a surprise for you in the limo.” James took Luc’s bag from him. “On the back seat.”

Luc opened the door, staring at Julie who was sitting inside.

“Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” He slid in beside her, leaning over to kiss her before asking, “Is it all right for you to be here? Does Mark know?”

“He says it’s okay. I can do anything I want as long as it’s nothing violent.”

“I guess that eliminates the cross-country jogging I wanted to do this afternoon.” He pretended disappointment.

“Maybe later.” She laughed and kissed his cheek. As James got into the car and started the engine, her smile changed to a frown.

“What is it?”

“Your hair.” Touching his chin, she turned his head. “Luc, where’s your braid?”

The bronze hair had definitely been trimmed. It was now shoulder-length.

“Oh that.” He shrugged away the braid’s disappearance “It was getting to be too much trouble, took too long to dry after I showered. I had to put a gallon of gel on it to get rid of those damned curls. I couldn’t reach the end of the braid to tie it, so bye-bye hair.”

Julie pretended sadness. “I sorta liked it.”

“Don’t worry, ma petite.” He kissed her again. “It’ll grow back. That’s the wonderful thing about hair. Anyway…” he added. “Since I’m about to add the fourth member to our family, I thought it was time I started looking like a family man and not a pseudo-hippie.”

“Hah!” came from the front seat. “That’ll be the day.”

“Shut up and drive,” Luc told James.

* * *

Dinner was unusually quiet.

Michel was silent, carefully avoiding Luc’s eye, even drinking his milk without protest. Julie and Gran’père were carrying on a spirited conversation celebrating her return to public life.

Jean-Luc had looked at Luc’s hair, raised an eyebrow, and nodded his approval. Merry, allowed to eat with the grown-ups that night, was a little more verbal.

“Daddy Wook, what happened to your ponytail?”

Luc gave her a very abbreviated explanation before sending the little girl to bed. Tired after her ride on Blackie, she was already yawning and blinking sleepily as she ate.

During dinner, Clarice was unusually subdued, barely eating, now and then darting furtive glances at Luc and her husband. After dessert, when the dishes were cleared away but before everyone could leave, she took a deep breath and pushed back her chair.

“Gran’père, I’ve something to tell you.” There was a sudden quaver in her voice.

Breaking off what he was saying to Julie, Jean-Luc looked at her. “What is it, Clarice?”

“Things have been so different since Luc brought little Merry here.” For a bare moment, she hesitated. “And then Julie’s new baby…”

She stopped, and quickly caught Michel’s hand. Before he could protest, she entwined her fingers through his so tightly he couldn’t pull away.

“I guess it must be catching. I’m en ciente, Gran’père. Michel and I are going to have a baby, too.”

Michel dropped his fork. It clattered against his plate and bounced onto the table. He jerked his hand from hers.

“I know it’s a bit of a surprise,” Clarice went on, looking at Luc.

Julie turned to look at her husband also. He’d gone white.

“I guess that’s the way these things happen sometimes.”

His face even paler than his brother’s, Michel turned from his disbelieving regard of his wife to stare at Luc also. His expression was murderous.

Luc raised his wine glass, gulping noisily.

“The baby’ll be born after the first of the year. Just think, Julie dear…”

Julie wondered why Clarice didn’t choke on that little endearment.

“Our babies will be born so close together, they won’t think of each other as cousins. They’ll be more like brothers.”

Luc choked on his wine and coughed. He recovered and motioned to Harrison to refill his glass, drinking again desperately.

Only Jean-Luc received the news with anything approaching joy.

“That’s wonderful, Clarice. I’ve so often hoped you and Michel would present me with a grandchild, too.” He glanced at Michel, whose color was slowly returning. “Thank God Old Dr. Mark’s diagnosis was wrong. C’est incroyable. Now, we’ll have two new little Deverauxs at once.”

“It is rather incredible, isn’t it?” Clarice sat down, lowering her eyes demurely.

“More than that…it’s a blasted miracle.” As if making a decision, Michel got to his feet, catching Clarice by the elbow and dragging her out of her chair also. “If you’ll excuse us, Gran’père. I think Clarice should lie down. She tires easily these days.”

Before she could protest, he swung her off the floor and carried her out the door.

“Michael, put me down.” It was obvious she wanted to struggle but didn’t dare.

“No, ma belle. It isn’t good for you to climb stairs.” He carried her, still protesting, up the staircase.

“Are you all right?” Julie turned to Luc who was sitting there breathing deeply and heavily.

“Of course.” He coughed slightly. “Why shouldn’t I be?” Oh God. Sacré Nom. Oh, please, not that.

“I don’t know. I thought…the way you started coughing.”

“Clarice’s announcement was a bit of a surprise, to say the least.”

“Michel looked so angry.”

He felt cold. “Maybe he blames me.”

“Why would he blame you?” Jean-Luc asked.

“Maybe he thinks it’s my fault because we—Julie and I—started something.”

“In that case, he should blame me, also,” his grandfather continued. “Didn’t I suggest you two might begin a trend?”

He relaxed visibly as Jean-Luc and Julie laughed. Then she looked down at his hand. Luc realized he was clutching the stem of the wine glass so tightly it was surprising it hadn’t snapped. Setting down the glass, Luc caught her hand and kissed her fingers, distracting her.

God, what’s going to happen now? He was grateful neither of them could hear his thoughts.