Page 54 of One Last Regret

“I understand,” he replies, “but I do hope you’ll visit us. Mother is planning to sell the club—Oh, Mother, I’m sorry. I should have let you reveal that.”

Josephine flips her hand. “It’s all right. And youmustvisit us, Mary. We’ll have you over next Mardi Gras, and this time we’llallgo out. There are places you can go that aren’t full of drunk college kids trying to show as much skin as possible.”

“Yes, wedidsee a stunning street performance,” I tell her.

She smiles wryly. “Amelia told me. She said you were so enraptured, she couldn’t get your attention.”

Heat climbs my cheeks. “Yes, well… I’ll have to make sure I’m notquiteso enraptured next time.”

“That’s why we’ll come with you,” Etienne says. “Between the three of us, I’m sure we can handle two teenagers.”

Josephine scoffs. “You’ve clearly forgotten how you and your sister were.”

Their smiles fade as they think of their estranged sister. I sip my coffee and weigh the risks of talking about them. In the end, I decide to risk it. “You should call your sister,” I suggest. “I’m sure she would love to see her niece and nephew.”

Etienne smiles ruefully. “I wish it were that simple. I’m afraid the rift between us is a lot wider and more long-lasting than can be solved with a phone call."

“Call her anyway,” I insist. “Believe me when I tell you that the worst thing you can do is cut your sister off and leave her to wonder.”

I share another look with Josephine. She knows a little about my history with Annie now. She squeezes Etienne’s hand and says, “I’ll call her. We’ll work our way up to reconciling.”

Etienne nods curtly. He finishes his coffee and stands. “Well, I’ve had a long day. I’m going to bed. Mary, you’re welcome tostay as long as you wish. And please visit us. That isn’t an empty request.”

“I will,” I assure him. “I still need to experience a Mardi Gras not filled with abject terror.”

He laughs. “I’ll admit it’s a damned fun night if you know how to do it right. For people our age that means a lot of great food, moderate alcohol and good entertainment.”

“I look forward to it.”

Josephine waits until the door to Etienne’s room closes. Then she looks at me. “What did you see? In the club. When you rescued Gabriel?”

My shoulders tense slightly. “It’s nothing that matters.”

“Humor me.”

The sternness in her voice shocks me. A touch of my old fear returns, and I reply, “Well… I saw… Iimaginedthat I saw a woman.”

“A blonde woman with blue eyes?”

I blink. The fear I feel strengthens. “N—well… shewouldhave had blue eyes, but I didn’t see them.”

Josephine nods. Her lips are pressed in a thin line. She sips her coffee and clears her throat. “I didn’t tell you this before, Mary, but when you told me you came here to look for your sister… Well, I think she may have been here.”

I stare at her for a long moment without answering. When I finally reply, I can only offer a hoarse, “Oh?”

“Yes. Marcel and I married thirty-eight years ago. Twenty-nine years ago, I was pregnant with Sylvie. It was a hard pregnancy, and I wasn’t quite able to care for Etienne. He was six at the time. Anyway, Marcel could never be bothered to be there for his children, so he hired a nanny.”

My heart pounds thickly. I can see where she’s taking this, but I can’t allow myself to hear it. It’s so strange that I spend somuch of my energy and time hoping for news of my sister, but whenever I’m about to discover that news I’m terrified of it.

Then again, maybe it’s not so strange at all.

"This nanny was easily the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," she continues. "She was in her early twenties, which made her about five years younger than me. She was tall with long, flowing blonde hair, bright blue eyes, full lips and a body that almost mademewonder.” She scoffs and smiles tightly. “Well, I think you can guess. He fell for her. She never loved him, but she had no problem taking advantage of his affections. I knew about it from the beginning, but I never said anything. I was too exhausted with the pregnancy and Etienne.

“So, I waited. She stayed with us for ten months, and when I finally weaned Sylvie, I prepared a surprise for them. I’d been gathering evidence: pictures, videos, phone recordings… enough to prove that they’d been carrying on under my nose. I waited until Marcel’s birthday, and then I arranged a special surprise party. When everyone arrived, I revealed everything. I had pictures taped to all of the walls, a video of them on the television, and tapes of them talking to each other.” She chuckles bitterly. “You should have seen the look on his face.”

My heartbeat quickens. “Do you still have those pictures?”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “No. After the party, I burned them.”

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