Page 17 of The Journal of a Thousand Years
I heard a male voice coming from the drawing room. It didn’t belong to Gabe, Alex or Murray the footman.
“Mr. Glass is with friends,” Bristow said.
“I don’t want to intrude. Please tell Gabe that I called, and we’ll talk later.”
“I’m sure he’ll want to see you, Miss Ashe.” He shuffled off and opened the door to the drawing room. “Miss Ashe to see you, sir.”
Gabe rose and invited me in.
“I don’t want to intrude,” I said.
“You’re not. You know these fellows, anyway.”
His three chums who’d helped us solve the codes in the Medici Manuscript all greeted me with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Juan Martinez was the most effusive, kissing both my cheeks and smiling from ear to ear. It wasn’t flirtatious. It was simply his way. Francis Stray shook my hand. The quiet, reserved mathematician smiled as he did so, but it seemed unnatural, as if he only did it because he knew it was the correct thing to do. He’d always been awkward, not just with me but with everyone. He and Gabe had been friends since their school days, where Gabe had protected the shy, intelligent boy from bullies.
The third man was Stanley Greville, a friend of Gabe and Juan’s from the army. The war had affected him more than Gabe, Alex and Juan. Although physically uninjured, he’d suffered from shell shock. After he demobilized, he’d been admitted to Rosebank Gardens hospital. He had checked out of the facility after a few months and seemed to be getting better, by all accounts. He’d even found himself work at a pharmacy, as he’d not wanted to return to his studies. But lately he’d seemed to relapse and retreat into himself. It was good to see him out and about with friends, although he was clearly not well. The bloodshot eyes and sallow skin were testament to that, even if he did try to hide his trembling hands.
He gave me a nod and a polite but curt “Miss Ashe” when I greeted him. He did up his jacket buttons. “I should go.”
“Please don’t leave on my account,” I said.
“I can’t stay. I have things to do.”
“As do I,” Juan said.
Francis checked the clock on the mantelpiece. “My lunch hour is almost over, and I must return to work. Good day, Miss Ashe, gentlemen. Thank you for your hospitality, Gabe.”
The three men filed out of the drawing room.
I was about to apologize to Gabe for interrupting his get-together, but he preempted me. “They probably really do all have things to do. They were contacted at the last minute by Willie and asked to keep me company because she and Alex had to go out. When I say asked, I mean she insisted.” He took my hands and rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles. “I’m glad they left. This way we can spend some time alone.”
His kiss started out light, a mere skim of his lips against mine. But it quickly deepened, heating me from the inside, making my heart do mad flips in my chest. For one thrilling moment, I thought we’d retreat upstairs. Without his cousin and friend in the house, we had some privacy.
But we weren’t really alone. Gabe’s servants might be few in number for a house of this size, but there would be no sneaking around or secrecy while they were here.
As if by mutual agreement, we drew apart. Gabe’s eyes remained a little glazed, his lips plump from the fierce kiss. They curved into a smile. “I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.”
I laughed. “We saw one another yesterday.”
“Too long ago.” The smile vanished. “As glad as I am to see you, you don’t usually visit on a workday unless something’s wrong.” He must have seen something in my eyes that worried him. He led me to the sofa and directed me to sit beside him. “What is it? What’s happened?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Not really. Gabe, I met my father. I met Melville Hendry.”
“Bloody hell.” He cupped my jaw. “Are you all right?”
“We had coffee together at that French-style café with the avant-garde artwork on the walls. Well,hedidn’t have coffee. I ordered a cup and a pastry but didn’t touch either until after he left.” I was talking rapidly, the words spilling out of me. Unable to sit still, I stood and began to pace the floor. I shook my hands, trying to release some of the energy coursing through me. “We talked. He had no idea I even existed, which means my mother left him while she was pregnant with me. He kept the name Cooper so James could find him, but I told him James couldn’t remember anything about our father. He was sad that James was dead and seemed not particularly interested in learning he had a daughter, although he showed a little more interest when I told him I’m a paper magician. Oh, and he doesn’t want to see his sisters. He probably wouldn’t want me to tell you that we met, but I had to come here immediately. I can’t keep things from you, Gabe.”
When I turned again, he was right there in front of me. He took my arms by the elbows and dipped his head to peer into my eyes. “Take a deep breath, Sylvia.”
I did, but it didn’t help overmuch. “Gabe… I felt nothing for him. No familial instinct, nothing, and that makes me feel awful. He’s my father. I ought to feelsomething.” I sighed. “It’s all rather…wrong.”
“It’s perfectly natural. You don’t know him, and what you do know about him is negative. It’s understandable you feel no love for him. Love for one’s family isn’t automatic. It has to be earned, just like any other kind of love.” He drew me into a warm, gentle hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. “It’ll be all right.” The velvety hum of his voice vibrated through my body.
I wrapped my arms around him and drew in a deep breath, drawing in his familiar scent. I tilted my head to look up at him. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
He kissed me lightly then drew away. “It must have been strange to talk to him after all this time.”
“Very.”
