The door to the front of the house whipped open and Josephine, Colett’s mother, came running out. “Daniel! Colett! It’s Phillipe, something is wrong. Come quickly.”
Moving the best I could, I told Colett to run ahead. I watched as she lifted her skirts and ran into the house.
Reaching the front door, I walked in and headed to Phillipe’s office. Stepping through the door, I looked down to see Colett holding her father’s head in her lap, crying hysterically.
“Daddy! Daddy, no please don’t leave us. Please!”
A few seconds later, the doctor rushed in and had me pull Colett away from her father. I’ll never forget the sounds of her screams for as long as I live.
Two weeks later, I was in the office waiting for my telegraph to be sent. When I got confirmation it was sent, I slowly turned and walked out. Pushing my hands through my hair I let out a frustrated sigh. Why was I not hearing back from anyone? I needed to get back to Savannah and now I wasn’t sure when I would be able to. Colett’s father passed away exactly two weeks ago today. Colett refused to come out of her room and her mother had taken to drinking, heavily. Since, Mr. Fortier owned all the shipping boats that left this part of France, everything was on hold. Nothing shipping out, nothing coming in. It seemed like fate was attempting to keep me from Sophia.
Stepping into the carriage slowly, I sat down. My legs throbbed still but at least I was able to walk around longer without exhaustion sweeping over me. As we rode back toward the Fortier’s house, I thought about Colett. I couldn’t leave Colett right now. Even though a part of me wanted to find a way to England and set sail from there, I couldn’t abandon her. Not after everything she and her family had done for me.
The carriage stopped at the front of the house with a slight lurch forward as I slowly made my way out and into the house. Greeted by the butler, I nodded my head. “Ms. Fortier?” I asked.
Smiling, he motioned toward the back. “She
is in the gardens, walking.”
Letting out a breath of relief, I slapped him on the back. “Thank the heavens.”
As I stepped outside and began looking for Colett, I was taken aback by the gardens. The colors were amazing and the smell of flowers had me inhaling deeply. The scent triggered the memory of the first time I gave Sophia an orgasm in my mother’s gardens in Savannah. Smiling, I could almost taste Sophia on my lips.
Coming to a dead stop, my eyes landed on Colett sitting on the ground, crying. Rushing over to her the best I could, I attempted to kneel at her side. Her head snapped up and she quickly jumped up. “Daniel, no. You must not hurt your legs or you will delay your trip even more.”
A loud crash came from behind us. Turning, I looked to see what it was.
“It’s mother. She is destroying everything in their bedroom.”
Dropping my mouth open, I looked up to Josephine’s bedroom window. “Why?” I asked in whispered voice.
“The pain of losing Daddy is too great she says. She wants nothing that reminds her of him.”
Thinking of Sophia, I looked away.
I have to get back to her.
“She’s leaving me.”
Pulling my head back, I stared at Colett. Taking her arm, I guided her over to a bench. Sitting, I couldn’t help but notice how red and swollen Colett’s eyes were. “Who is leaving you?”
Glancing back toward the house, Colett furrowed her eyes. “My mother. She intends on leaving and going to Paris. She said I shall be the one to handle all of Daddy’s affairs. She signed it all over to me, Daniel. I don’t know what to do.”
Placing my finger on her chin, I pulled her eyes to me. They were no longer just sad, they were frightened and lonely. I knew Colett had to be scared out of her mind.
“Colett, you cannot handle this all on your own.”
Throwing her hands up to her face she began crying. “I don’t know what to do. What am I going to do?”
Taking Colett in my arms, I held her. “Shh … it’s all going to be okay. I’m not going to leave you alone, Colett.”
“Daniel, no! You have a wife and child. You have to return to America. You have to!”
Giving her a weak smile, I reached up and wiped away her tears. “How about this, let me help you settle things up with your father’s estate, we’ll get your mother taken care of and you and I will go back to America together. I’ll take you to meet my Sophia. She’s going to want to meet the woman who saved my life.”
The smile that spread across Colett’s face pleased me. It was the first one I’d seen in two weeks. “I think that sounds like a grand plan,” Colett whispered.
Four months after Colett’s father, Phillipe, passed away, we were finally on a train and headed to Paris. From there we would head to the English Channel and make our way to England. I knew I was just that much closer to Sophia. Settling things here in France had been much harder than Colett had thought. Being the gentleman my mother would have wanted me to be, I had stayed in France to help Colett, even though she had begged me to leave for America. I could not turn and walk away from the woman who had stood by my side for all those months and nursed me back to health. Sophia I knew would have wanted me to help Colett. I felt it in my heart.