Jade Star (Star Quartet 4)

Saint deftly tied off the last stitch. “Sure do,” he said cheerfully, “and I’m all done here. Good job, if I say so myself. Now, I’m going to clean this off real good and bandage it. You come back in three days and I’ll change it. Don’t get it dirty or wet, you hear me?”

“I hear,” said Ling Chou. When Saint finished the bandage, Ling Chou paid him, counting out the five dollars in meticulous fashion, bowed, and walked slowly to the door. “Bonaparte, huh,” he said, turning. “Who is Bonaparte, Saint? And who is this Waterloo?”

Saint grinned. Hoisted on my own petard, he thought. “Just a fool general, Ling Chou, long dead, and a place that won’t ever forget him.”

“I see,” said Ling Chou with great dignity.

“I’ve got to come up with some stories about real Chinese people,” Saint said to himself as he straightened up his surgery. “That one was off the mark entirely.”

He nearly knocked Lydia down as he strode out of his surgery. He caught her arm to steady her. “What’s this? Sorry, Lydia, but where’s the fire?”

“I just wanted to talk to you before you see Jules.”

A thick brow went up. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, but she’s upset about something, and she wouldn’t say anything to me. She looked pale as a clean sheet.”

Saint was silent for many moments. Finally he said, “I’ll take care of it, Lydia.”

But there was another patient at the door, this time one of Jane’s boys, Joe, and he had a black eye as impressive as any Saint had ever seen.

“Won’t you come back with me, Saint?” Joe pleaded. “Mom won’t get mad if you’re there.”

“Coward,” Saint said, grinning at the boy. “You’ve got a while to come up with a heart-wrenching tale to tell her. She’ll still probably tan your butt, boy.”

Joe looked glum. “You never come by for dinner anymore. Mom doesn’t say much, but I know she misses you. All of us miss you, Saint.”

At the door, Jules paused a moment at the boy’s words. Oh, damn, she thought, wanting to escape, but knowing she couldn’t, not now.

“Hello,” she said just before Michael and the boy saw her. “I’m Jules.” She thrust out her hand to the boy, and he took hers automatically. “My, what a beautiful assortment of colors! Reminds me of the moorish idol—that’s a fish, you know—yellow and black and some white thrown in for good measure. I do hope you gave a good account of yourself.”

Saint saw Joe staring at Jules as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. He cleared his throat. “Joe, this is Jules, my wife. I’ll tell you what. Both Jules and I will come over to see your family sometime soon. All right?”

“You’re awful pretty,” Joe said. “I didn’t know Saint got hisself married.”

“Hisself is very married,” Saint said, grinning at his wife. “Of course she’s pretty, Joe. Now, you run along home and face your medicine. Sorry, but there’s no way I can hide that eye.”

“Not even a black patch?” Joe asked hopefully.

“Now, that’s a fine idea,” Saint said, appearing much struck. He thought of Jane’s face when her son walked in looking like a miniature pirate. “Hold on a minute, Joe. I think I just might have one lying about.”

“I’ve never seen hair that color before,” Joe said as Saint disappeared into his surgery. “It’s awful red.”

“Yes indeed,” Jules said. “I’d much rather have hair your color.”

“Nah, I’m a boy. Girls don’t want to look like boys.”

Don’t think it for a minute, she thought, staring at the thick thatch of dark blond hair. Did his mother have the same color hair? Was she as pretty as her son was handsome? Probably. Hadn’t Chauncey Saxton said that Saint had exquisite taste in women?

“Here you are, Joe.” Saint carefully fitted the black patch over Joe’s eye. “Lordy, what a swashbuckler you are! Do you like it, Jules?”

“Most impressive,” she agreed. “You look a bit like Lucas, the man who works for the Saxtons. Your mother will be so taken aback, she just might forget to chew a strip off you.”

“I doubt it,” Joe said, staring at himself in the window. “Thanks, Saint. A pleasure, ma’am,” he added awkwardly to Jules.

Saint chuckled after the boy had left. “Cute lad,” he said, eyeing his wife from the corner of his eye.

“Yes, he is, very.”