'He's in a pretty bad way emotionally at the moment, Mother.'
'Isn't there any Cajun family to look after her? Really, Beau, you and Gisselle will have your own family someday and—'
'For the time being, it's all right. Isn't it, Gisselle?'
'For the time being,' I said. Beau's mother seemed to like that.
'Tell us about your European trip,' Beau said, and most of the evening was filled with their descriptions of sight-seeing. Before the evening ended, Beau and his father got into a business discussion and his mother asked if I would like to see some of the things she had bought in Europe.
'Okay,' I said with little enthusiasm. If they weren't things bought for Gisselle, she wouldn't care about them. I followed his mother to the master suite, where she showed me the elegant new gowns she had bought in Paris, the hats and the shoes. She told me proudly how she had bought things that were only going to come into fashion here in New Orleans this year and then she handed me a present.
'I thought you might like this,' she said. 'We got it for you in Amsterdam. It's the best place to buy something like that.'
I found a diamond tennis bracelet in the box. It was exquisite and I knew quite expensive, but I remembered that Gisselle never really appreciated how expensive these things were and took most everything for granted.
'It's nice,' I said, putting it over my wrist.
'Nice?'
'I mean . . . beautiful. Thank you, Mother,' I said. Her eyes widened. Apparently Gisselle had never referred to her as Mother. She stared at me curiously. I swallowed hard, my nerve ends twanging.
'Yes, well, I'm glad you approve,' she finally said.
'Let's go show Beau,' I said, eager not to be alone with her too long. Goose bumps had come and chicken- skinned my arms.
'That's very beautiful!' Beau exclaimed with proper enthusiasm. His father nodded and his mother looked more satisfied.
I felt relieved when the evening finally ended and we left to go home.
'I think I made a faux pas upstairs,' I told Beau immediately. 'I called your mother 'Mother,' after she gave me the bracelet.'
'Yes. Gisselle never called her anything but Madame Andreas or Edith. My mother isn't the type of woman who warms up to other women easily, and Gisselle made no effort to be a real daughter-in-law. But I think you did very well.'
'I hardly said a word at dinner.'
'Which was the way Gisselle behaved. My father's very old-fashioned. He doesn't mind quiet women, with one exception. . . . He didn't mind Daphne because she was so astute about business. Actually, he was quite taken with her. I think my mother was a little jealous.'
I didn't want to say it, but I thought Daphne and Beau's father would have made a good pair.
'Anyway,' Beau said. 'Another test passed.' He squeezed my hand, his eyes happy and shining.
He was right: We were getting away with it. But when we arrived home, we had a message waiting to call Paul.
'He said it was urgent, madame,' Aubrey explained.
'Thank you, Aubrey. Let me check on Pearl first, Beau.' I ran upstairs and found her fast asleep. Mrs. Ferrier came out of the adjoining room to tell me everything was fine. Then I went down to the office and called Paul while Beau sat on the sofa.
'It's worse than we thought,' he said in a voice so low and dejected, I thought I was listening to a stranger. His words were a little distorted, too, suggesting he had been drinking. 'My doctor says it's the worse case he's ever encountered. She went into severe epileptic seizures and now she's in a deep coma.'
'Oh no, Paul. What does the doctor say now?'
'He told me that if she did live, he's almost certain she would have permanent brain damage and, most likely, persistent epilepsy.'
'How horrible. What do you want to do?'
'What is there for me to do? For any of us to do? It's what you and Beau hoped for, isn't it?' he said with an uncharacteristic note of bitterness.
'No,' I said in a small voice.
'What do you mean, no? Didn't you tell me how you once went to a Voodoo Mama to get a spell cast on her?' he said. Why did he have to remind me?
'That was a long time ago, Paul, and I regretted it immediately afterward.'
'Well, apparently that spell is still working. I'm happy for the two of you,' he said.
'Paul . . .'
'I have to go now. I have something to do,' he said, and hung up, before I could say another word.
'What is it?' Beau asked, seeing me holding the phone and staring. My heart was pounding and I felt as if the blood had drained from my face.
I told him what Paul had said about Gisselle's condition.
