“Since he discovered it’s her nature and there is nothing he can do about it.” Then she said, “Yes. Since we got together.”
“Does Chet know you and his father are lovers?”
“No. He thinks I’m marrying him for money. Social position.”
“Shana, you’ve been frank about everything else. Are you doing this for money, social position?”
“I really love Chester.” She seemed more comfortable in her chair. “I believe you do.”
“I love him deeply. I never dreamed of knowing, loving such a man. I never could have conceived such a man existed. Or that such a man would need me, love me.”
“I’m beginning to get the picture,” Jack said. “Chet in Washington. You here at Vindemia.”
“Sounds nice to me.”
“Would you have children by Chester?”
“We’ve talked about it. I would like to.”
“Surely then Chet would know you and his father are lovers.”
Shana smiled. “I expect there would be a proper family resemblance among the children.”
“Um,” Jack said. “I can’t think what could go wrong in such a marriage.”
She smiled. “Convenient.”
“As you said: very convenient.”
“So,” Shana said. “You know about Chet. And me. And Chester. What a good little investigative reporter you are. What else do you know? Who is threatening Chester?”
“Now I see the level of your concern.”
“I think I’m the only one who is concerned about him.”
“You may be. You and Mrs. Houston.”
“She’s a good old thing.”
There was the sound of children in the air.
“It’s pretty sad,” Jack said. “Mrs. Radliegh must be half crazed with drink and drugs.”
“Eccentric,” Shana said.
“Duncan seems to have a taste for drugs of another kind.”
“Is that what’s wrong with him? I thought he was just a dumb slob.”
“That, too. He lies. He cheats. He wants $650,000 for a new car.”
“Let him ride a bike.”
“Alixis thinks she would like life better without her father interfering.”
“Without her father, Alixis would be standing on a street corner in white boots and a leather miniskirt.”
“Beauville—”
“We’re being invaded,” Shana said.
A boy about nine years old, naked except for water wings, entered the pool area. Big-eyed, he stared across at them.
“Chester the Third,” Shana said. “Except I forget his last name. Among them, Amy’s seven children have three different last names.”
Jack said, “I guess we’re not supposed to be caught in social intercourse, you and I. But none of the other rules around here seem to be unbroken.”
Shana said, “Rules ought not be broken.”
One by one four more children tottered into the pool area. Except for water wings they were all naked. Their bodies were entirely tanned. Their bodies all had good shape to them, less baby fat and more muscle than usual for such young children.
A gaunt woman carrying a two year old entered the pool area. She was followed by a uniformed nanny carrying an infant.
Jack stood up. “I guess I had better go.”
“Me, too.”
“Where are you going?” Jack asked. “What are you going to do now?”
“Why?”
“Just curious. I wonder what you do around here, how you spend your time. I wonder what Vindemia means to you.”
“I’m going to the gym to work out.”
“So you can mention to Doctor Radliegh that you did?”
“Because I want to.”
Jack crossed to the wading pool. The gaunt woman was setting the two year old into the water.
“I don’t know your name,” he said to the gaunt woman.
“Amy MacDowell is the short version.”
“Well, I guess I should leave,” Jack said to her. “Now that you’re all here.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.” She waved good bye to Shana as she left the pool. “We could use an extra pair of eyes. Lifeguard.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Jack returned to his chair in the shade. Happily the children were jumping off the edge of the pool to splash each other. They did not lack for energy.
Amy carried the infant into the shade. She sat in the chair near Jack where Shana had sat.
She began to suckle the infant.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” she said.
“Jack.”
She pointed to one of the boys. “His name is Jack. John. Named after his father.”
Of the seven children, four were boys. “These are all your children?”
“Yes. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Yes.”
“I do this really well.”
“What?”
“Have children. It took three husbands, so far, but each one of them was handsome, healthy, and bright enough.”
“You’re not yet thirty?”
“Twenty nine.”
“Wow. Seven children while you’re under thirty. Pardon me. I just haven’t met that before.”
She laughed.
“And you want more children?” he asked.
“Yes. Lots.”
“Good thing you’re rich.”
“Yes. Isn’t that nice? Has anyone ever told you what a pleasure it is to nurse a baby?”
“It looks nice.”
“Envious of little Robert here?”
“I guess so.”
“Were you nursed?”
“I have no idea.”
“Then I suspect you weren’t. I believe nursed babies are much better off.”
“Your husbands—? Never mind.”
She laughed. “Well, in order to have all these children, you see, really I’m better off living here at Vindemia, where there is plenty of help. The men I’ve married think they would be happy living here. But, in time, they discover they’re not a bit happy. Each has found Vindemia much too confining.”
“I can understand that.”
“And here they either work for my father, or they don’t work. There isn’t anything else to do. Slowly they get restless, and finally, you know, make the speech of apology, say they can’t take it anymore, they have to go live their own lives. We’re all good friends, I and my ex-husbands, that is. I understand.”
“You wanted these kids pretty badly, didn’t you?”
