Page 48 of A Noble Affair
“I had an appointment with Elizabeth to talk about the spring ball, and I wanted to fill you in on my plan.” At this point, Elizabeth turned around with two steaming espressos. She handed one to Charles and extended the other to Chastity, who jostled her books into one arm and took the cup with a murmured thanks.
“Go,” Elizabeth said. “The two of you can discuss it without me. I’m going to make another coffee and head over to accounting. Do you want me to see if I can find Margaret James to join you? You mentioned both English teachers.”
“No need to bother her. Chastity, you can give Ms. James all the details later, right?” Charles had already turned to face her office, and Chastity nodded stepping ahead to lead the way.
“Here, let me take those.” He reached for her books.
“No, it’s okay. I’m afraid I’ll drop them if I try to hand them over.” Chastity made it to the table in the middle of her office before letting them go in awhump. She set her coffee cup down more carefully, shoved her books to the side, and indicated for Charles to sit.
He set his own cup down and took the seat across from her, leaning forward with his arms on the table. “How’s Thomas? And your mom?”
“Both are well, thank you. My mother went home earlier this week, and Tommy seems to be doing well with the therapist we found for him.” Charles thought she looked pale.
“How are you coping without your mom?” He noticed her eyes glistened before she blinked, but she answered calmly.
“It’s hard without her, but I’m glad to come to work again. It’s good to be here, and I can see Tommy is making progress with someone who’s skilled at rehabilitation.”
“I think it will keep getting easier,” he said. There was a short, awkward silence before he plunged ahead. “Do you know there will be a ball at my house in three weeks?” Her eyes darted up, and he thought he saw a fleeting look of hope before her expression went blank.
“Yes, I’d heard.”
“Well I…” He cursed his luck for not being free to ask her to go right then. “I’d like to invite the upper two classes from the school to go—my son’s class and the one above it. The tickets will be free for them, and I thought it’d be a good idea to organize a lesson so they can learn how to dance the waltz.” Charles grinned and leaned back, crossing his arms. “This is purely self-interest. I think it’s the only way I can get Louis to learn.”
Chastity chuckled. “It doesn’t seem to be at the top of their list, does it? Teenagers learning to waltz?”
“Do you know how?”
“We had lessons in high school, believe it or not, but I was sick that day. So I’m out of luck.”
“You’ll have to come to the lesson then.” Charles kept his voice light. He had hoped she’d reply immediately with a ‘yes’, but he was doomed to disappointment.
Instead of answering him, she changed the subject, piercing him with her gaze. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask about Louis. He was…I’m sure he was using again. This time I smelled marijuana on him as he walked by, and his eyes were red. It was during school hours. It’s just—” She shook her head, “All the signs were there. I’m sure this time.”
Charles felt the news like a punch in the gut. “When was this?”
“It was right after I started teaching again last week. I have to say he’s been completely fine in class since then, although he’s not participating much. Have you made much headway on your side?”
“I’m not getting far,” Charles confessed. He rubbed his face and sat back, exhaling. “Every time I try to talk to him about it, he evades me. I don’t know how to get him to open up and trust me. I can’t help him if he doesn’t admit he’s in too deep.”
“How has he been at home? With you?” Chastity met his gaze with a strange combination of warmth, friendship and support. The shoe was on the other foot now, and he was the one who needed her. The longer their gaze held, the more he wanted to take her hand that was on the table.
But the problem needed to be faced. “I was in London last weekend.” Charles stared out the window, trying to remember. “The truth is, I’m not around much. I’m not aroundenough. I have no further plans to go to London, but the racetrack takes me away quite a bit. I’ve been involved in it ever since I began my sabbatical at the hospital, but maybe I should have taken a step back from everything.”
Chastity sat back, leaving a scent of lavender soap in her wake. “I wonder if you could take him with you on your next trip? Do you have any plans to go away?”
“Yes. I’m going to Pontchâteau in two weeks. I’ll be back just in time for the ball. I’d ask Louis to come, but even if it weren’t for the fact that he’d be missing school, I brought him last fall and the trip was a failure. He seemed annoyed by my questions.”
“Maybe he just wants to spend time with you, no questions asked. Maybe that’s what’ll get him to open up. And there’s the weekend. He could go then.” She paused, perhaps afraid she’d said too much.
“I’ve kind of made a mess of things,” acknowledged Charles. “At first, I was too hands-off. Then I treated him to the Inquisition, even though I hated that as a kid.” He sighed. “I’ll invite him to come with me for the weekend.”
Chastity smiled and nodded, then glanced at her watch. “Oh. I’m sorry—can I see you out? I have to prepare for my next class.”
“Sure.” Charles stood and reached for his briefcase. “I’m sorry to have kept you.”
“No, no,” Chastity demurred.
His brown leather coat was hanging over the back of the chair, and he put it on. Chastity led the way downstairs, and he realized he hadn’t yet secured a promise from her to come to the waltzing lesson. If he was being honest with himself, he had organized the entire lesson just so he could dance with her.
