Part 8

   He supposedly owned a giant company in the United States as well as plantations in India. This much the senior de Montaigne had extracted from the various conversations that he had had with him.
   Vincent was attracted to Josephine, not by her father’s wealth, but by her personality. She was a very charming young woman and close to Vincent’s age. Vincent never tried to enter into any discussion about the United States or personal matters. Their main subject of conversation was literature and history.
   One evening, they were both on deck. The sea was calm and reflected the light of the full moon. The atmosphere was right for romance. Vincent felt like kissing her, but somehow his father’s story dampened his ardor and he stopped from going any further. That night, Josephine was ready to kiss Vincent. She waited. Nothing happened. Josephine could not understand Vincent. She thought maybe Vincent was being prudent and did not want to take the risk of being refused. She knew, though, that Vincent was attracted by her charm. She loved him. She decided to be patient. After all the trip was still long and surely the occasion would present itself on another night.
   Mr. Moreland liked Vincent very much and the prospect of having him for a son-in-law did not displease him. He played with this idea in his mind. During the long voyage, he tried to be nice to the senior de Montaigne. He saw him as a future member of his family with whom he would spend a lot of time in India.
   The senior de Montaigne was getting impatient; the trip seemed endless to him. He wished the ship would bring them to their destination as soon as possible, so that Vincent would end his romance with Josephine. He did not want to show his feelings to Vincent as he did not want to appear unfair to Josephine.
   The vessel had become their home away from home. Every day passed pleasantly. The sea became a part of them. The senior de Montaigne’s story about his Josephine became a burden to Vincent. He liked the young Josephine Moreland. He had become used to her. Her presence gave him an agreeable feeling. Now he could not see himself travelling without her. For a long time, the de Montaignes had not experienced the presence of women. Josephine had now become a part of their daily lives. It was something new to Vincent and to his father.
   The senior de Montaigne was very reserved about this young lady. The name Josephine awoke sad memories in him. He did not want to appear insensitive towards Vincent, but Vincent’s feelings towards Josephine were becoming a matter of concern to the senior de Montaigne. He continued to put on an act towards the young lady and towards his son.
   Josephine was as attractive as she was intelligent and charming. Mr. Moreland was very pleased to have a young gentleman like Vincent at his side. He liked him very much. He would have liked to have Vincent for his son-in-law. For the first time, he experienced the feeling of being in a family. Josephine had taken her new role very seriously, and looked after her father and the de Montaigne gentlemen. Everything seemed to be in harmony. The senior de Montaigne had found a rich new friend. This may very well help to resolve all his problems in the new land.
   One evening while Vincent and Josephine were alone on deck, looking out at the sea, the two older gentlemen were on the opposite side of the vessel exchanging business stories.
   Vincent loved Josephine, but had abstained from revealing his feelings to her. His father’s story about the older Josephine and Vincent’s mother had already disturbed Vincent’s feelings. But his father’s story was not the only one he knew. As he watched the sea merge into the horizon, Vincent recalled his first trip to London. At that time the senior de Montaigne had to work during the school vacation. Not wishing to deprive his son of enjoying new experiences, he had sent him to spend a few weeks with his friend, the captain of a ship, who was married and had two children. Vincent was almost seventeen then. That trip had left him with very bad memories. The experience of Mrs. Martin was now like a warning. He could not forget Mrs. Martin’s story, who had been old at that time and had seemed to be a respected lady despite her experiences.
   He had boarded the train and found himself with Mrs. Martin, with whom he shared the compartment. She introduced herself politely and seemed eager to converse with Vincent. Vincent, though only seventeen, looked older than his age. The suffering that he had endured with his father had given him a serious and conscientious air.
   When the train began to move, Vincent was very happy and eager to learn about other people. He stood next to the door to watch the landscape. The train gathered speed. He felt the momentum as he watched the telegraph poles whirr past. He was silent and absorbed by this new trip. The old lady had addressed a few words to him. He was embarrassed for not having understood her. Wishing to be polite, he sat down next to her, to appear educated and respectful. He could not understand what she was saying with the noise from the train and from the open window.
   Then he prepared himself to listen to her attentively. His behavior did not go unnoticed by Mrs. Martin. She had discreetly admired his charm and well-bred appearance. Vincent’s presence had revived many forgotten memories. Now she had an occasion to share them with Vincent.
   “Is this your first trip, young man?” she inquired. Vincent, who wanted to be kind, however did not feel it necessary to answer such a direct question. After all he did not want to show that he was an inexperienced young man. For the first time, he was alone with another person,. Usually he traveled with his father. He did not know what to reply, without giving her question considerable thought, as his father had always taught him. So he remained silent. Mrs. Martin realized that her question would not receive any answer from Vincent. She did not insist, and went on with another remark.
   “I always liked to travel when I was young, but I never had the opportunity.” Vincent who felt relieved from the first question, felt that this statement deserved a polite rejoinder and said without losing time:
   “I hope you do not have any feelings of regret, madam, as you are now traveling.” He felt that it was his duty to comfort this old lady who could have been his grandmother, and without waiting for an answer, he continued:
   “I like traveling; the trip presents many new experiences and adventures.”
   Mrs. Martin, upon hearing the words “experiences” and “adventures”, immediately took to her role as an old lady and said with a smile:
   “Adventures! That was how I met my husband for the first time. I was young and innocent then. I was eager to meet a young man. I did not know my husband well enough, but I was happy to be courted. When we had known each other even less than a month, he was eager to marry me. I felt proud when he asked for my hand. I accepted without hesitation and without the consent of my parents, or their advice. I could not imagine then, that a marriage was a serious commitment. My only concern and preoccupation at that time was to have a man. In those days, that was the concern of every young lady. We did not have so many opportunities to meet young men; you are lucky.”
   Vincent was listening to Mrs. Martin patiently. Although he had never met a young lady, he did not want to contradict her. He preferred to let her believe that he was lucky. He had never had a conversation with an old lady, as he did not even know his grandma. This was his first such experience. Vincent noticed her eyes, which were still lively and youthful. He tried to imagine how she had looked when she was young. As he was looking at her, she continued:
    “Young man!”
   “My name is Vincent”
   “Vincent! Are you visiting a friend in London?”
   “Yes, madam.”
   “I was proud to be betrothed. We then married and we even had a daughter.” Vincent interrupted her placidly with:
   “Madam, you must have been happy.” On hearing the word “happy” she grimaced.
   “I cannot complain now, it is too late.”
   Vincent, who was shocked to hear this statement, inquired:
   “Why is it late, madam?”
   “Oh! It is a long story,” answered Mrs. Martin, with a resigned wave of her hand. She went on:
   “Why not? After all it was an extraordinary experience. So you want to hear my life story?”
Vincent, not wishing to embarrass the old lady, smiled. Mrs. Martin took it to mean that Vincent had no objection and continued:
   “I realized a month later that I liked my husband, who was ideal in every respect, but somehow, I missed something. He was not jealous at all. Or so I thought! One day, as I was talking to my friend Pierre, my husband appeared suddenly with a surly expression on his face. I realized that he was jealous. I interrupted my conversation with Pierre and gave my husband a kiss and we went straight home. On our way home, he was silent. When we reached home, he made a scene and told me that he did not want me to be seen with any man; later, he apologized for his behavior and explained that he did not want to lose me.
   Pierre had been my friend long before I knew my husband. He was not an easy man though. He loved me in his way but he never wanted to marry me. At this juncture, I realized that I had to end my relationship with Pierre. On hearing my decision, Pierre made a big ado. So, to keep the peace, I continued my life between my husband and Pierre.
   It was not easy. My life became more complicated from day to day, as I had to lie and create new stories. My life turned into a farce. However, I managed without having to hurt either of them. Except for one night. The rain was pouring outside. I lay in Pierre’s bed, too lazy to get up and go home. You know how it is when you are in a  warm bed?”   
 

 Copyright Emile M. Tubiana 2009 all rights reserved