Colette. Michelina VinterЧитать онлайн книгу.
so proud of her. And at that very moment, he knew he wanted her to be his and his alone.
***
Adam had hired the talents of the hotel’s concierge to find the perfect ring. Today was the day. They had gone to the Cluny Museum, and he was waiting for the right time to propose. Finally, in the medieval gardens, in the jardin d’amour, by those beautiful roses, Adam went on one knee and asked Colette to marry him. She did not reply right away. She looked stunned. Adam was holding his breath. He had never considered the option that she would turn him down. He had had to rush through the courtship because he was going home soon. He wanted her with him. He wanted her. And after what seemed like an eternity, Colette said a simple, barely audible yes.
Adam rose and kissed her hard. She was finally his. Colette did not pull back, but she was surprised that she was not seeing stars. She had always assumed that she would see them when she kissed her husband. But those were childish notions, she had told herself. She was now a grown woman about to get married to an intelligent, handsome, witty, and charming American professor.
CHAPTER 3
The next couple of weeks were a combination of joy and sorrow. Colette’s family was showing a supportive united front, but her grandmother was spending more time than usual wiping her eyes. She had claimed her allergies were really bad this time of year. Pierre was telling jokes constantly, and Colette had even heard someone crying in the bathroom a few days earlier. She had to admit that she also had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was marrying a man who would put most of her male friends to shame. He was so manly. On the other hand, she was going to move halfway around the world and rarely see her family, if she ever saw them again.
Adam had taken care of all the paperwork with the help of Colette’s friend Anne. Everything was ready to go. Rather than have a church wedding, for which they did not have time, they would marry at city hall. The important thing was that she become his wife in time for the long journey back. They would travel by boat to New York and then, after visiting with his family for a few days, they would take the train to San Francisco.
***
When Colette’s father had heard the news, he had almost collapsed. His little girl was going to move halfway around the world, far, far from where he could protect her. There was only one thing he could do, and this would require that all of his contacts work on his behalf quickly.
Time was of the essence. He took Colette aside and told her the family secret. She now needed to know.
So he started. “Honey, you are old enough to understand now. And as you are going away, I need to find a way to protect you even when I am not around. Your mother and I are Freemasons. We do not belong to the same Masonic body because we are of different genders, but we nonetheless have the same brothers and sisters.”
Colette’s mother interrupted. “You know, Colette, Freemasons are present all around the world. They keep their membership secret because of all the persecution they have suffered through history, and most recently in Spain, but they will always welcome and help a brother or sister in need.”
Colette’s father continued the explanation. “It normally takes a long time to gain membership, and the person who wants to join generally has to ask herself. But here we do not have time. I want you to trust me and become a Freemason before you leave. What do you say?”
Colette was taken aback by this revelation. She had had no idea. She knew of Freemasons and their moral values, and she even suspected that she had known some Masons. But her own parents? That was a surprise. She decided on the spot that if her membership would make her father feel better about her leaving, that was the least she could do.
So she agreed. And a few days later, she was initiated into her mother’s lodge. Many rules had been broken, but her parents’ influence had made this possible. She was made aware of the responsibilities that came with the membership and received a small list of women and men who lived in the United States and who would welcome her once she got there. No one was to know that they themselves were Freemasons, and her own membership was to remain a secret. She was given the signs that would help her make contact, and she said good-bye to the women who had welcomed her into the sisterhood just a few hours prior.
***
To Colette’s parents’ dismay, the wedding was a quick event, and their daughter spent her wedding day busily closing up her suitcases rather than being the belle of the ball. In fact, just before the ceremony, Colette’s dad had asked her, “Honey, is this really what you want to do? You are still so young, and you have so much time ahead of you. I am worried you were rushed into this and did not think it through.”
Colette looked at her dad with a brave smile on her face and replied, “I really want to do this. Don’t worry; I will be fine.” And she walked to her seat to wait for the mayor to link her life to Adam’s forever.
***
For the first time in her life, Colette woke up as Mrs. Adam Walker. Her wedding night had been even more surprising than her first kiss. Adam had come to bed, taken off her nightgown along with his own clothes, spread her legs, and plunged into her as if he was diving into the ocean. The initial pain had been so intense that it had taken her breath away. But after a minute or so, the whole process became something that might have been enjoyable if her husband had given her a little more time to warm up to the idea. “There has to be more to it than that,” thought Colette as she waited for her husband to wake up.
Tired of looking at Adam’s sleeping figure, Colette got up and went to the kitchen to take her last breakfast with her family. Grandmamma had been crying. It was obvious. So had her mother and sister, who were wearing sunglasses in the house. The mood was somber, and the breakfast just did not taste the same. It had a bittersweet quality that Colette knew she would never forget. And as she was walking back to her room to get dressed, her grandfather stopped her in the hallway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold pen, the one he always wrote with, the one that had been with him since he had been a very young man.
He handed it to Colette and said, “Here, you take it with you. This way I know you will always have a pen to write with…and to remember me by.”
He kissed her cheek and left without another word. Colette stood there committing to memory the smell of her grandfather’s aftershave. He was such a gentle man, a man of few words. But he was always there to lend a sympathetic ear and offer advice when asked. Colette had known that it would break her heart to say good-bye to her family, but she had not realized how difficult it would really be. And two hours before her departure, she finally felt the overwhelming desperation that came with her decision.
Before she knew it, her travel trunks were in the car and she was standing on the sidewalk kissing everyone good-bye.
Her grandmother managed to hold the tears long enough to whisper in Colette’s ear, “You are the firstborn of my grandchildren. There has always been a special bond between us, Colette. I will always love you the most. But this is our secret.”
Then she kissed her granddaughter’s cheek and walked back into the house.
The rest of the family kissed her in silence, too afraid that words would break the dam that prevented their tears from flowing freely. All the women were wearing sunglasses even though the sky was as gray as their mood. Even Anne, who had come for the occasion, was following this new trend.
She hugged her friend fiercely and said, “That pen your grandfather gave you is also good for writing to your friend. Don’t forget me, and know that I will always be here for you if you need me.”
And before Colette could reply, Adam pushed her in the car. And with a coldness that was new to their relationship, he told his wife, “Don’t you think you have made enough of a spectacle of yourself?”
Colette’s anger rose to the occasion. How could her new husband be so insensitive to her pain? How could he even make such a comment when she was doing all she could not to start sobbing like a little child? She had just abandoned her family, broken their hearts, and possibly made the biggest mistake of her