Page 34 of Dimitri
"Your father might object. He will not like the idea of you falling in love with an American."
His handsome face hardened, his broad shoulders straightening. "Then he would be labeled a hypocrite. He fell in love with one. Nothing will come between me and the woman who has become the life and soul of me." He blew out his breath. "I did not mean to say such a thing."
"But it's the truth." Elizabeth beamed at him. "I'm happy for you."
As soon as the doors closed behind him, she lowered herself and picked up her cooling tea. Wrapping her delicate fingers around the cup, she studied the room. It was done in the palest of yellow and reminded her of the sunflowers she had recently planted.Yellow and white. The furnishings were antiques and had been sourced from various stores around the country.
A spring wedding, she thought happily. A celebration to beat all celebrations, she decided, already thinking ahead. Her baby was no longer around and that space was always reserved for the darling girl. But her son was filling another emptiness. And he was going to be adding to the family.
Allison Trent was a wonderful woman, and she could not have hoped for better. Very soon, there would be children running around the rambling farmhouse. Her eyes touched on the priceless Ming vase, the Faberge eggs, the glass case with the various crystals she had picked up on her travels. As soon as the children arrived, rearrangements would have to be made. That would be a minor inconvenience for something of far more significance.
She let her gaze drift from the heirlooms to the sunlit windows, imagining the laughter and energy that would soon fill these quiet spaces. The thought warmed her heart, promising new memories to be cherished alongside the old. She could almost hear the echoes of footsteps and joyful shouts, a future painted bright with hope and love.
*****
Oblivious that her life was being carefully charted out, Allison stood inside the courtroom and felt the weariness washing over her.
The judge was being difficult, and she was tempted to risk the slap of contempt charges and tell him what she really thought of him. The man was vacillating and pontificating, going on and on about a mother's right to be in her child's life.
Allison always prided herself on being calm and serene under pressure. That was the reputation she had gained in her duty as an officer of the court. She had seen perfectly good cases destroyed by a careless remark or show of temper. A judge holds a certain amount of power, and it would not do for anyone to disregard that.
She was also aware that some of them abused that power and sat in that lofty chamber, dispensing decisions without first examining all of the avenues.
Judge Patterson had conveniently forgotten that the woman had threatened her, an officer of the court, because Betsy Black had walked into the courtroom looking severely chastised and subdued. Her lawyer had convinced her to behave submissively and dress the part. The stringy brown hair was brushed back severely from her bony face, and she was wearing a damned suit. It was ill-fitted of course, and the gray color made her skin more washed out than usual.
But it served its purpose. The idiot judge was eating up every lying word coming from her mouth as she stood there apologizing and squeezing tears from her eyes. She saw the look on Simon's face, the look of abject terror at the idea that he would have to go back home with her.
The uncle already looked defeated, his face pale and weary. He had confided in her that he was on the verge of losing his job if this wasn't resolved quickly. She was determined not to allow that to happen.
Squaring her shoulders, she turned to the judge, the battle light in her eyes. "Your honor, I would like to remind the court that this woman, Mrs. Black, issued threats and assaulted me, an officer of the court, just yesterday. I have the bruises to prove it." She touched the marks on her cheek lightly. "Sending Simon to live with her after what she put the child through would be foolhardy and reckless." Ignoring the anger on the man's florid face, she pressed on. "Simon has clearly stated that he was afraid to go back home with her. And there's the matter of the drug charges as well as charges of assault that I will be filing shortly."
She paused when she happened to look out of the corner of her eye and saw the malevolent expression that flashed across the woman's face but was quickly schooled. Taking a deep breath, she realigned her thoughts and tried to ignore the frisson of fear she felt at that look and continued. "I would like to assume that the justice system is completely on the side of the minor and will rule accordingly."
The judge peered at her over his horn-rimmed glasses and made no comment.
"I will make my ruling in thirty minutes. Court's dismissed."
All she could do now was hope and pray. Avoiding the glare from the mother, she made her way over to the boy and his uncle and spoke reassuringly.
*****
"For a woman who won a victory, you certainly don't look the part."
Allison started and focused on her boss as she ambled into the room. Plopping down on the chair, she stretched her legs out and took a sip of her latte. She really should cut down. Her doctor was warning her about not taking care of her health and blah, blah, blah. Doctors, she shook her head in disgust. They were the worst.
"Simon is now with his uncle."
Gerry eyed her over the foam cup. "But?"
She shrugged and felt the weariness invading her bones. "The mother could be a problem."
"You filed charges against her."
"I did."
"She's behind bars where she belongs. What's the problem?"
"You should have seen the way she looked at me in that courtroom. When the ruling was announced, she did not scream invectives the way she did before, but there was an eerie calmness on her face. A look of pure hatred directed at me."
