Wicked Forest (DeBeers 2)

"Don't start punishing yourself. Willow," she warned sternly. "I did that for too long before your father helped me realize how foolish and wrong it was. You know if he were here now, he would not approve."

I smiled,

"Okay, Mother. I'll be strong."

"Good." she said. standing. "Good.'

She left, her shoulders still sagging with the weight of all this terrible news. I went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my hair. When the phone rang. I froze. If he was hoping to do better through a phone conversation, he was dearly mistaken. I thought. However, it was Manon.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes," I said with strength. "I'm fine."

"We all felt so bad for you. Willow. We all had grave doubts that we had done the right thing. Even though it is not the fault of any of us, we would feel guilty if you lost your baby or something." she declared,

"I'm not losing my baby," I said with such determination. I even surprised myself.

"Good. Did you--"

"Confront him with the evidence?" She was silent. I knew that was the real purpose of this call. but I wasn't going to simply fade away into the sunset. Thatcher would have to face the world with all of this revealed. The Club d'Amour would see to that. I thought, and for the first time. I was actually happy about them. "Yes. I presented it to him. He couldn't deny any of it."

"What did he say? I mean, if you want to tell me, that is."

"He said he had an affair with her to get her out of his system."

"What?"

"And he claimed that was just what he had done."

"I don't think I've heard that one before." she said, so thoughtfully it brought a smile to my face. "It's like a serial killer killing one more time to get it out of his system.-

That brought a laugh out of mc.

"In a way. I suppose it is. It didn't work with me. He's left the house." I told her.

"That's good." she said. "I want you to know we are here for you. We are more than just here for you. Marjorie. having the most bitter experiences with divorce, is our resident expert. She wanted me to give you the name of her attorney, who, you will be glad to know, is a woman. Gloria Baker. Marjorie has taken the liberty of filling her in on your situation already, so when you call. if you want to call her, she will know who you are and what you need exactly."

She rattled off the telephone number. I wrote it down and thanked her.

"In fact, thank everyone. Manon, and tell them I don't blame them for anything or hold anything against them. I never thought I would be grateful to you and the others. if you want to know. I thought you were interesting, but a bit too far left of center for me when it came to male-female relationships. I don't think so anymore."

"I'm glad. Willow. We'll call you and, if you let us, well come see you in a few days."

"Thank you. yes," I said.

As Victor Laszlo, the leader of the French resistance against the Nazis, says in Casablanca, 'Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.' "

I smiled at the dramatics, thanked her again, and hung up.

I actually did feel better and went ahead and called Gloria Baker's office, Her secretary put me right through to her.

"Why don't we meet tomorrow?" she said after I introduced myself. She gave me a time I could manage and, without any words of comfort or any platitudes, she simply concluded with, "We will do what has to be done."

Fortified. I left my suite to go downstairs, then paused when I saw Linden standing in the hallway just outside his studio. He looked like he had been waiting there for some time. He stood so that his face was mostly in the shadows draping the wall.

"Linden? Are you all right?"

" yes.'