‘I hate him,’ Thomas said without preamble. ‘I hadn’t realized how much until I saw how he treated Juliana. And John Bleecher – dammit, Saint, the fellow’s paltry, a coward! He and Sarah deserve each other!’
‘I agree with everything you’ve said, Thomas,’ Saint said, lowering his body into a comfortable chair. ‘The question is, what are you going to do?’
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Thomas DuPres drew a deep breath and blurted out, ‘I want to go to San Francisco with you and Juliana.’
Saint saw the pleading and defiance in the young man’s eyes, and slowly nodded. ‘Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Unfortunately, Jules and I won’t be leaving until next Wednesday, aboard the Oregon. Where will you stay until then? I assume you know that your sister and I are expected to be alone.’
‘I’ve already asked my friend Hopu. Hell, Saint, I’d sleep on the beach if I had to.’ ‘Have you thought about what you want to
do when we reach California?’ Saint held his breath, fearing he’d hear Thomas spout off about finding gold and becoming rich overnight. He was blessedly surprised when the younger man said, his voice rich with determination, ‘That’s easy. I want to be a doctor, like you.’
Saint said on a slow smile, ‘Excellent, Thomas,’ He rose and firmly clasped his hand. ‘Will you say good-bye to your parents?’
‘I don’t know,’ Thomas said truthfully. ‘Perhaps by Wednesday I’ll be able to, but not
now.
‘I know just what you mean. Indeed I do. Now, let’s drink a bit of Dwight’s excellent brandy.’
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‘Father has always hated Juliana,’ Thomas said, swishing the amber liquid in his glass some moments later. ‘She’s so different, you know.’
‘I’ve often wondered about that,’ Saint said.
‘I overheard him talking to my mother about Juliana some years ago – complaining, of course. I think it’s all because – and you won’t believe this – my mother’s mother was a French actress, and Juliana is the very image of her. Evidently my grandmother called my father a petty bourgeois, told my mother she was a stupid twit to marry such a pious prig. My father, of course, could just barely overcome his scruples to marry my mother. And he quickly removed her from all sinful influences.’
‘I begin to understand,’ Saint said. ‘Hair as red as sin and eyes just as wicked, is that it?’ ‘Yes, I suppose that’s it. But it’s paltry,
Saint, to dislike a person – your own child, for heaven’s sake – all because she resembles someone else.’
It was more than ‘paltry,’ Saint thought later; it was an illness that no physician could cure.
It was a beautiful, calm evening, the waves breaking gently onto the shore, their white crests gleaming nearly silver under the half-moon and brilliant stars.
‘We’re married,’Jules said, staring out over the water from her perch on some volcanic rocks.
‘Yes,’ Saint agreed, wishing she weren’t sitting so close to him, ‘yes, we are. Is it all right with you, Mrs. Morris?’
‘Yes,’ she said, turning to face him. ‘I promise I won’t be very expensive, Michael. I like that – Mrs. Juliana Morris.’
There was humor in her voice and it pleased him inordinately. He took her hand in his without meaning to. Her flesh was warm and soft.
‘That’s a relief,’ he said, smiling at her, ‘because I don’t have that much money. It isn’t unusual for my patients to pay me with favors.’
‘I’m fortunate then,’ she said with great insight, ‘else you might have had more trouble rescuing me, isn’t that so?’
‘Yes, that’s so,’ he said, releasing her hand. A strand of thick hair blew across her face, and without thinking, he reached up to smooth it back. She grew very still, her large vivid eyes unwavering on his face.
He rose abruptly, keeping his back to her. He looked down at his enthusiastic member,
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now bulging against his trousers, and cursed softly. ‘It’s late, Jules,’ he said, his voice sounding harsh. ‘Go to bed.’
Jules stared at his rigid back. ‘I think I’d rather go swimming,’ she said softly.
He quivered at that, remembering that night on the beach, her eyes on his naked body. He closed his eyes a moment, but he saw her in his vivid fantasy, saw his hands widening her legs, saw his hands stroking up her thighs to clutch her hips, to bring her down upon him.