A Blind Fall

chapter sixteen

Silence blanketed the atmosphere, cutlery doing all the talking there was to do. For her, it was the test of her patience and perhaps sanity. Sure enough, breakfast wrapped up without her having had pulled her hair out of her head or his. That had to be something.

She sighed. Not that she was tired. Matter of fact she was well-rested as she had slept like a baby the previous night after listening to an unconscious man's sleepy blabber. The most interesting part of her slumber was the dream. She'd been dressed in pink from hair to shoes and had danced merrily in a wine of glass with a cute boy with these grey-blue eyes and a French accent. How fantastical!

By the time someone was knocking on her door, she'd been straddling the boy and their lips were about to do the unimaginable and she'd woken with a start, panting and smiling at the same time. Her fingers had touched her lips, eyes closed in desperate need to finish what her dream started.

"Miss Oliver, we have a fitting to do!" The stylist's shrill voice had interrupted her and she'd groaned and stormed out the bed furiously. Fitting or no fitting, she had the right to sweet dreams. But she hadn't an alternative and had had to welcome the stylist with a plastic smile plastered on her face, and endured modeling for the imposing woman. A decade later, according to Gabrielle, they settled for a grey suit, pink, silk blouse and a pair of black pumps.
Still begrudging the woman for interrupting what could have been a twenty nine year-old's first, proper kiss, Gabrielle had inquired less than politely. "Where I'm I going today?"

Gianni, the stylist, had simply shrugged and muttered a barely audible 'i don't know'.

Frowning, Gabrielle had tolerated the hands on her head designing her hair in a formal, neat bun. Half an hour later, she guessed, Gianni announced her ready and that Mr Mayor was waiting for her in the living room's balcony. Suddenly remembering the man had been out and delirious when Gabrielle went to bed upon Josse's insistence, she'd hurried there. Apart from their morning greetings, they'd had breakfast in silence and Gabrielle was lost at how she hadn't stomped like a whiny child demanding conversation.

The previous day's events weren't lost on her. The magnificent of them all, Leon's unconscious blabber. With all certainty she knew he'd mentioned a son in his sedation. While she'd been inclined to question him about it, something held her back. Fear. Fear of the truth and perhaps that of pain. If there was a son, then there was the mother of the son. Which meant a woman more treasured by Leon, enough to carry his child, than Gabrielle. This would hurt her, as she'd harboured some indefinable feelings for the man since time immemorial.

And now, as she sat across a man she knew not what she felt for him, she could only hope that he'd clarify his utterances despite not knowing whether he remembered saying them. She followed his movement as he stood up and came to help her up. She offered him an uncertain smile. "Thank you."

But she doubted he'd heard with his back already retreated. She trailed behind him. He whirled around suddenly and they almost collided into each other. "Are you ready? We are leaving."

Softly, Gabrielle asked, "I didn't know of an engagement today. Josse didn't_"

"Josse doesn't answer to you unless it's ordered by me. I pay his salary, not you." Leon answered, his tone and face devoid of emotion.

Taken aback over his change in character, Gabrielle frowned, her expression haunted by bewilderment. "What? I never said that he answers to me. I had just gotten used to being briefed by him."

There still was that blankness as he said, "I'm here now and I don't care about your routine. Let's go."

Had she done something wrong to warrant his anger towards her? Or was he still angry that she'd gone out with Gordon? Or he faulted her for Gordon's assault on him? That had to be it and knowing she'd equally blamed herself, she jumped to apologize. "If it's about Gordon_"