'Oh, Pierre,' I cried, and buried my face in my hands.
'It's all right.' He laughed at what he thought was my reaction to only his news. 'I just wanted you to know what was happening, but I don't intend for any of this to interfere in any way with our happiness. As far as Daphne goes—'
'You don't know the worst of it,' I moaned, raising my bloodshot eyes to gaze into his proud, handsome face. 'And at this time, too!'
'Worst? What could possibly . . .' He grimaced. 'Something with your father again,' he said. I shook my head. 'Your mother?'
'No, Pierre. With me. I'm pregnant,' I blurted. The words clapped like thunder in my own ears.
'Pregnant?'
'And there is no doubt,' I added firmly. My tears rolled freely. With Daphne on the warpath, what would happen now?
'Pregnant,' he said again, and sat, looking stunned for a moment. Then he smiled, a light springing into his soft green eyes. 'How wonderful.'
'Wonderful? Are you mad? How can this be wonderful?' I asked, my anxieties twisted into a tight knot.
'You're having my child; how could anything be more wonderful?' he replied. I shook my head in amazement. Sometimes, despite his urban sophistication, his formal education, his years and years in business and society, Pierre seemed more like a foolish little boy to me. Was this the power of love: to hypnotize and turn grown men into children again, children who lived in fantasy worlds?
'But you are married, Pierre. And you've just finished telling me how you were painfully reminded of that fact,
He stopped smiling. 'That won't make any difference. Our child will have everything he or she needs,' he vowed. 'I'll build you your own house. I'll provide everything: clothes, money, private tutors, nannies. You name it and it's yours,' he declared zealously.
'But, Pierre, if Daphne has had you followed and investigated, she will surely learn about all that quickly.'
'What of it?' he snapped. 'Daphne would never reveal such a thing. She would die of shame. Don't worry,' he assured me with a cool, wry smile. 'I know my wife.'
'Mama will be furious with me,' I wailed. How could he not realize the hardships and pain I would endure?
'I'll retire her and your father for life. I'm a wealthy man, Gabrielle. Money will provide the answers to all and any problem. You'll see,' he predicted. He thought a moment. 'When are you going to tell your mother?'
'Tonight,' I said. 'I can't keep it a secret any longer.'
He nodded. 'All right. I was going to leave early in the morning, but I'll wait right here until you return to tell me what she has said and what she wants you to do. If you want, I'll go to see her.'
'I'm afraid to tell her,' I wailed. 'After all her warnings, I let this happen.'
'Because you wanted it to happen. I know I did,' he confessed.
'You really did?'
'Yes. You don't know what it's been like for me thinking I might never have a child of my own. It's wonderful,' he declared again, and jumped up to pour us glasses of wine for a toast. His exuberance overwhelmed me and made me question my own fears and doubts.
'We will have this private, secret life forever and ever,' he promised. 'Don't look so skeptical,' he added, laughing. 'It's almost a tradition for us Creoles, you know.'
'What is?'
'Being married yet having the woman you really love as well. My father had a mistress and so did my grandfather. But,' he said quickly, 'you are more than a mistress. You are my true love. Don't worry. We'll take it a step at a time. First, we'll have our child. Then I will quietly build you a new home, a decent home for our child. You will have all the money you need so you will have only to raise our child. Sometimes,' he continued, planning our dream life, 'you will come to New Orleans and stay at the best hotels. We'll take trips to Europe, and when our child is old enough, we'll put him or her in the finest private school.'
I stared at him. Could all this really be?
'Now,' he said, kneeling at my feet and taking my hands into his, 'how are you feeling? Do you want me to bring a doctor next time?'
'A doctor?' I laughed. 'Mama is ten times better than any doctor. Don't forget she's delivered my baby before,' I reminded him.
He closed his eyes. 'That's not the same thing. This is a baby born out of love, a baby we want.'
Although he didn't mean them to be, his words were like tiny arrows piercing my heart. I cried for little Paul and couldn't imagine any child more precious or beautiful than he was. I couldn't imagine loving a baby more.
'But if you feel confident, I feel confident,' he said, and began to pace again as he thought aloud. 'Of course, I'll try to visit you more often, and if there is the slightest problem or complication, I'll see to it immediately. The important thing is that you feel safe and happy. My father is going to be a bit of a problem, but I will tell him all of it now.'
'You will?'
He nodded. 'He'll understand,' he said. 'I don't think it will be all that much of a surprise to him. Well, that's not for you to concern yourself with anyway. Just dote on yourself, my
