Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno 3)

He lowered his newspaper.

“What card?”

“The one that didn’t survive my loss of temper.”

He pretended to search his memory.

“Oh, that card.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, that card.”

He folded the newspaper and put it aside. “Do you really want to know?”

“Of course.”

“But you tore it up.”

She gave him a look.

“I thought you forgave me.”

“I did.” He smiled ruefully. “It was a simple card. I apologized for being an ass.”

“That was nice,” she prompted. “What did you say?”

“I called you my Beatrice and said that I’d wished for you my whole life, even though I was convinced that you were a hallucination. I said that now that I’d found you, I’d fight to make you mine.”

Julia smiled to herself as she flipped the pancakes.

“And there might have been poetry.”

She looked over at him. “Might have been?”

“Shakespeare’s twenty-ninth sonnet. Do you know it?

“‘When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself, and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.’”

Julia pressed her hand over her heart. “That’s beautiful, Gabriel. Thank you.”

“What’s even more beautiful is the fact that I don’t have to content myself with memories anymore. I have you.”

Julia quickly turned off the burner and moved the griddle from the heat.

“What are you doing?” Gabriel appeared puzzled.

She tossed the spatula aside.

“We’re having ripped-up-note-revealed sex. I’ve been waiting for this forever.” She grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the hall. “Come on.”

He planted his feet. “What kind of sex is that?”

“You’ll find out.” She gave him a saucy look and raced toward the stairs, the Professor at her heels.

Having spent a very long day conducting research, Gabriel and Julia returned to a dark house. Julia ordered pizza for dinner while Gabriel flipped through the Saturday mail.

He came across a blue envelope that was addressed to him in a spiky, unfamiliar hand. The return address was in New York City.

Intrigued, he opened the envelope and read,

Dear Gabriel (if I may),

Recently, I was contacted by Michael Wasserstein, our family attorney, telling me that you were making inquiries about our father, Owen Davies. I was told that you wanted to learn more about his family history.

My name is Kelly Davies Schultz and I’m your half-sister. We also have a younger sister, Audrey.

I always wanted a brother. I mention this because I feel badly about how my mother and sister behaved with respect to our father’s will and I want you to know that I was not a party to contesting it. At the time, I wanted to write to you to tell you so, but my mother was being difficult and I decided not to antagonize her. I made the wrong decision.

Since my mother died this past spring, I’ve been thinking about you and wondering if I should get in touch. I think it’s Providential that you reached out when you did.

Michael tells me you live in Massachusetts, that you are a professor, and that you are recently married. I’m wondering if you and your wife would like to come to New York to meet me and my husband, Jonathan? We’d be delighted to take you to dinner. I think that would give us a chance to get to know one another.

You’re unlikely to hear from Audrey, for reasons I’ll explain in person. But I’m eager to meet you and to share what I know of our family history.

I’m enclosing my business card with my home number and email written on the back. Please don’t be alarmed by the fact that I’m a psychiatrist. I promise that I don’t practice on family members, and also my specialty is children. So even at your young age you’re far too old to be my patient . . .

I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully, to meeting you. Please don’t hesitate to call or to write.

Your sister,

Kelly

Gabriel lowered himself into a chair and sat, staring at the pages.

Chapter Fifty-six

After dinner, Julia reread the letter from Kelly Davies Schultz.

“What do you think?” She folded it neatly and handed it back to Gabriel.

“I’m skeptical.”

“She sounds nice. And funny, too. Why are you skeptical?”

“They tried to have me disinherited. How do I know this isn’t a ploy?”

“A ploy for what? The money was distributed years ago.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “Information.”

“Sweetie, she’s the one with information. You wanted the opportunity to find out more about your family history, especially your parents’ health. Now you have it. I thought you’d be happy.” She sat on the chair next to him. “When would we go?”

Gabriel’s expression tightened.

“The sooner I put all of this behind me, the better.”

“We’re supposed to be in Selinsgrove for Christmas and New Year’s. I’ll want to go earlier if Diane has the baby.”

Gabriel looked at her closely.

“You have a lot going on right now. I’ve tried to help you catch up, and I promise I’ll do more.”

Julia gave him a half-smile. “I feel as if there’s a ‘but’ coming up.”

“Would it hurt you if I said this was something I wanted to do right away? Maybe after classes are finished the second week in December? I can have a graduate student deal with the exams.”

Julia scratched at the surface of the kitchen table with her fingernail.

“That’s when I have to submit my lecture for publication. I’ll be finishing up my seminar papers and turning them in. That’s the worst time for me to go away.”

“I was thinking this might be something I should do on my own.”

Julia examined her fingernails as if they were fascinating.