Something in Christian’s voice…Kingsley heard it again. He knew something. Perhaps he didn’t even know what he knew. But Kingsley would find out.
“Not a secret we were at school together. Non.”
Kingsley waited and let the silence between them fill the room like rising water.
“Your sister…” Christian began and stopped. Kingsley said nothing. He’d seen a thousand men close to breaking before and knew that look in their eyes. At this moment Christian stood poised on the edge of a cliff, a cliff like the one that had killed Marie-Laure. Nothing to do now but let him fall over. “You and Stearns…”
“What about us?”
Christian stared down at his clasped hands.
“She came to me once…in tears. She said she thought that Stearns, that her husband was in love with someone else. She said he never…”
“He never touched her.”
Christian met Kingsley’s eyes. “I didn’t believe her. No one around but priests and us. She was the only girl within miles. And even if she wasn’t, who would ever love anyone more than her?”
“He did,” Kingsley said, failing to keep the note of pride from his voice. He might have lost Søren’s love to his Little One years ago but once Kingsley had been the victor.
“He loved you.” Christian said the three words as if he’d discovered the Holy Grail. “All my life, I’ve wondered, it’s been like a wound that never healed, Marie-Laure’s death. Why she died. What possessed her...you and Stearns. I thought but I never believed.”
“What did you think?”
Shaking his head, Christian looked around the room as if he’d never seen the place before.
“The wedding. I watched you three. Marie-Laure couldn’t stop staring at him. Of course. She was the bride. But you didn’t look at her, your own sister getting married. You looked at him. And he…”
“He looked at me.”
“My God…” His old friend set his cup of tea back down on the table and stared at him. He ran his fingers through what little hair he had left and rubbed at his face. His hands dropped to his sides and he stood up straight. “Before school let out…before summer break…you were carried to the infirmary. You—”
“Non. It isn’t like that. That wasn’t...it’s so hard to explain.”
“You had so many girlfriends.”
Kingsley stood up and walked to Christian. “I still do. What is that verse? ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female…for you are all one in Kingsley’s bed?’” He patted the side of Christian’s face in a patronizing manner. His friend flinched, caught himself flinching and then laughed.
“That must be some translation of Galatians I’m not familiar with.”
“It’s my personal translation. Are you all right, Christian? You’re looking rather pale.”
“I’ll recover. Maybe. I’m trying to wrap my mind around all this... But still, certain things make sense now. Stearns, he was always so remote.”
“It just happened...we were all we had—each other. No women ever stepped foot into this school except for the nurse—”
“Nurse Jan, age ninety, weight nine hundred.”
“Exactement.”
“And your sister,” Christian reminded him.
“And my sister.”
“So someone sent you my photograph of you and Stearns. And you and Stearns were…”
“We were lovers, Christian,” Kingsley chided. “You’re a priest, not a virgin.”
Christian gave him a half smile. “True. You say ‘were.’ It’s really a thing of the past. He’s a priest now. He can’t—”
“Do not worry about le prêtre. He and I are long past. His parishioners worship him almost as much they do God. He has never betrayed their trust.”
“Good…that’s good. I’d never tell, of course. I can’t tell any of this to anyone. But I’ll sleep better knowing that your past is in your past.”
“It is. Or was. Someone knows about us. Or thinks they know.”
“Have there been any other threats?”
“There have been incidents. Something was stolen from my home. Father Stearns’s childhood bedroom was broken into. But I can’t talk about that.”
“Do you think…” Christian began, and stopped. “I mean, you were at the rock where they found Marie-Laure.”
“I was, yes.”
“Why?”
Kingsley stared at Christian.
“Je ne sais pas. Paying my respects. She was all I had after my parents died. I had almost no relationship with the grandparents who took me in. They loved me because I was their grandson, and for no other reason. But Marie-Laure, she did everything she could to come to America to be with me. Pourquoi?”
Christian gave him a blank look.
“Why do you ask?” Kingsley repeated.
“I’m not sure. Just a thought. Do you think someone thinks her death wasn’t an accident? What if someone thought…what if someone blamed you? No offense, but I remember her first day here better than I remember your first day here. Hell, better than I remember my own.”
“I’m hardly offended. I have never seen her equal in beauty. You think…”
“Not a secret we were at school together. Non.”
Kingsley waited and let the silence between them fill the room like rising water.
“Your sister…” Christian began and stopped. Kingsley said nothing. He’d seen a thousand men close to breaking before and knew that look in their eyes. At this moment Christian stood poised on the edge of a cliff, a cliff like the one that had killed Marie-Laure. Nothing to do now but let him fall over. “You and Stearns…”
“What about us?”
Christian stared down at his clasped hands.
“She came to me once…in tears. She said she thought that Stearns, that her husband was in love with someone else. She said he never…”
“He never touched her.”
Christian met Kingsley’s eyes. “I didn’t believe her. No one around but priests and us. She was the only girl within miles. And even if she wasn’t, who would ever love anyone more than her?”
“He did,” Kingsley said, failing to keep the note of pride from his voice. He might have lost Søren’s love to his Little One years ago but once Kingsley had been the victor.
“He loved you.” Christian said the three words as if he’d discovered the Holy Grail. “All my life, I’ve wondered, it’s been like a wound that never healed, Marie-Laure’s death. Why she died. What possessed her...you and Stearns. I thought but I never believed.”
“What did you think?”
Shaking his head, Christian looked around the room as if he’d never seen the place before.
“The wedding. I watched you three. Marie-Laure couldn’t stop staring at him. Of course. She was the bride. But you didn’t look at her, your own sister getting married. You looked at him. And he…”
“He looked at me.”
“My God…” His old friend set his cup of tea back down on the table and stared at him. He ran his fingers through what little hair he had left and rubbed at his face. His hands dropped to his sides and he stood up straight. “Before school let out…before summer break…you were carried to the infirmary. You—”
“Non. It isn’t like that. That wasn’t...it’s so hard to explain.”
“You had so many girlfriends.”
Kingsley stood up and walked to Christian. “I still do. What is that verse? ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female…for you are all one in Kingsley’s bed?’” He patted the side of Christian’s face in a patronizing manner. His friend flinched, caught himself flinching and then laughed.
“That must be some translation of Galatians I’m not familiar with.”
“It’s my personal translation. Are you all right, Christian? You’re looking rather pale.”
“I’ll recover. Maybe. I’m trying to wrap my mind around all this... But still, certain things make sense now. Stearns, he was always so remote.”
“It just happened...we were all we had—each other. No women ever stepped foot into this school except for the nurse—”
“Nurse Jan, age ninety, weight nine hundred.”
“Exactement.”
“And your sister,” Christian reminded him.
“And my sister.”
“So someone sent you my photograph of you and Stearns. And you and Stearns were…”
“We were lovers, Christian,” Kingsley chided. “You’re a priest, not a virgin.”
Christian gave him a half smile. “True. You say ‘were.’ It’s really a thing of the past. He’s a priest now. He can’t—”
“Do not worry about le prêtre. He and I are long past. His parishioners worship him almost as much they do God. He has never betrayed their trust.”
“Good…that’s good. I’d never tell, of course. I can’t tell any of this to anyone. But I’ll sleep better knowing that your past is in your past.”
“It is. Or was. Someone knows about us. Or thinks they know.”
“Have there been any other threats?”
“There have been incidents. Something was stolen from my home. Father Stearns’s childhood bedroom was broken into. But I can’t talk about that.”
“Do you think…” Christian began, and stopped. “I mean, you were at the rock where they found Marie-Laure.”
“I was, yes.”
“Why?”
Kingsley stared at Christian.
“Je ne sais pas. Paying my respects. She was all I had after my parents died. I had almost no relationship with the grandparents who took me in. They loved me because I was their grandson, and for no other reason. But Marie-Laure, she did everything she could to come to America to be with me. Pourquoi?”
Christian gave him a blank look.
“Why do you ask?” Kingsley repeated.
“I’m not sure. Just a thought. Do you think someone thinks her death wasn’t an accident? What if someone thought…what if someone blamed you? No offense, but I remember her first day here better than I remember your first day here. Hell, better than I remember my own.”
“I’m hardly offended. I have never seen her equal in beauty. You think…”
