Secrets

by Nancy Popovich

  Not much conversation took place during breakfast, after which, Bryan confirmed their lunch reservations and busied himself enough with either Lucien or Madame Lalonde, and it prevented Sonya from questioning Bryan about a number of things that were puzzling her.

  It was obvious to her that Bryan was aware he would be queried and was avoiding that particular discussion. He had been successful in that regard, as Lucien decided to drive them to the café and dropped them off, instead of their planned walk. Sonya decided that their chat could wait until they were alone in their room that night.

  CHAPTER 6

  The café was lovely, as Bryan predicted. They were seated, and ordered wine while waiting for their lunch companions to arrive. Sonya found it very amusing to watch the attention of the women in the café zoom in to appreciate her cousin, Mike, as he strode across the floor to greet them. And she couldn’t blame them.

  He was very blonde, a tall and toned man, dressed in casual clothes that emphasized his body and his good looks. Sonya hadn’t had much time to spend with Mike at their wedding, so she was looking forward to catching up on the news with him.

  “How’s your mother?” she asked politely, knowing that he had just been in Holland to visit his mother. Ilsa had returned to her native Holland after her husband, Mike & John’s father, had been killed. “Did you enjoy your visit?”

  Mike’s face hardened and his smile faded. “Not so much, I’m afraid. Do you remember what John revealed in July about how Steven Hunter’s mother had not been truthful with him about his biological father?”

  Sonya nodded. That revelation had added a new member to their family. And that man, her newly found cousin, was Steve Hunter, John and Mike’s half brother.

  “Well, I had a heart-to-heart with my mother while I was there. She had a little secret of her own, which Air Marshall Blackburn was going to let out whether or not she wanted it to, hence her honesty at this time. It seems that while John and I have the same mother, we do not have the same father.” He took a swig of his wine, throwing it back without tasting it, his anger obviously bubbling just under the surface.

  Trying not to gasp, Sonya placed her hand gently over his. “I am so sorry, Mike! Is there anything that we can do for you?” she asked with compassion.

  Shaking his head, Mike took another mouthful of his wine, this time savouring its flavour a little. “I have an extremely good idea of what Steve went through now. It’s like the person that you are somehow, has been taken away from you, and you don’t know who or what you are.”

  “No question, our mothers were cut from the same cloth. No small wonder that they have remained friends for so many years. I’m amazed that they kept these secrets for so long, to be honest. But, sadly, there is nothing that anyone else can do.”

  “So what’s the next step?” Sonya inquired kindly. “Do you have any idea who your father is? Could Ilsa at least tell you that?”

  An interesting look crossed Mike’s face as he answered. “In all probability, it’s Steve’s stepfather, Air Marshall Blackburn. At least that’s what my mother said, not that I believe a word that she says anymore. Steve is going to arrange for us to meet, and we have had DNA testing done. As a matter of fact, the Air Marshall is the reason that all of this has come to light, and why I am in Paris right now.”

  Almost on cue, Steve Hunter appeared in the doorway of the café, smiling and waving when he spotted them. As he marched across the room towards their table, he was matched step by step by a very handsome and dignified older gentleman, ramrod straight in posture, exuding power and command in his very being.

  When Steve reached the table, he embraced Sonya, shook hands with Bryan and then butted his fist against Mike’s shoulder in greeting.

  Then he took a step back, and placing his hand against the shoulder of his companion he began to speak, his cultured British accent seeming to suit the occasion. “I am very pleased to introduce to you my step-father, Air Marshall Blackburn. Sir, I would like you to meet several members of my family. My cousin Sonya and her husband, Bryan, and John’s brother, Mike.”

  The elegant gentleman’s radar like eyes analyzed the entire group in one sweep, his dark lashed, steel blue eyes resting upon Mike for a millisecond longer than the rest.

  “It is my very distinct pleasure to meet you,” his upper-crust British accent declared. “Steven has assured me that you would not object to an uninvited guest, but I do apologize for gate crashing your reunion. Unfortunately, my curiosity overtook my sense of decorum. Please forgive me, but I was most anxious to meet you.”

  Sonya stood and took his hand. “You are so very welcome to join us. Please, sit!” she demanded, as Steve pulled out a chair. The Air Marshall did take his seat next to Sonya.

  Mike sat where he was, somewhat mesmerized. So this man, in all probability, was his father! How different he was from the father that he had known all of his life.

  What struck him, strangely enough, was how much Sonya had seemed to be so like their Gran. The entire family knew that she was identical to their grandmother in looks, but today, she seemed to be the embodiment of their grandmother’s innate sense of grace and ability to read a situation. And he was so impressed. Sonya was the youngest of the many cousins, but today, she took on the air of their matriarch. Sometime when he hadn’t been looking, she’d developed into quite a wonderful woman.

  “It is a great pleasure to meet you,” Mike finally said to Air Marshall Blackburn. “May I ask, what name do we use to address you?”

  A huge smile split the older man’s face, lighting his eyes until they glowed with mirth. “Dad,” he quipped immediately. “Of that, I am convinced,” he qualified with certainty. “My family called me Merl, short for Merlyn,” he smiled. “But, my nickname is BB, which would be my preference.”

  While this dissertation was taking place, Steve simply sat in silence and observed as his ingrained MI5 training dictated that he should. He was seeing another side of BB that he hadn’t even known to exist. And he was simply floored.

  It occurred to him that BB’s unusual request to join his family for lunch had been a very rare event. In a flash of insight, he saw that the venerable gentleman might have had some anxieties about meeting for the first time, the man that both he and Steve had no doubt whatsoever was his son.

  Bryan broke the silence at the table by lifting his glass. “I would like to propose a toast to family, which we are all aware isn’t always clear cut. It’s the people that we love and those that we wish to hold dear.” Glasses were raised and the lunch continued without any more awkwardness.

  From Sonya’s perspective, she could see both the profile of the stately BB and that of her cousin Mike, a man that she had known all of her life. With a start, she realized that they not only had the same profile, but identical dark lashed, steel blue eyes. There was no doubt in her mind whatsoever, that these men were father and son.

  Her heart bled for Mike, for his pain, for this upheaval in his life, and for the hurt that his mother had heaped upon him without warning. And she was grateful that their new cousin, Steve, had facilitated this meeting. As awkward as it had been, it certainly could have been worse.

  On the other side of the coin, he had a father that was sitting in front of him, an obviously patrician man, someone that Steve had described as a rigidly honest and honourable man. Truth be known, he could have done one hell of a lot worse. It could have been tragic. Ilsa could have told him that she didn’t know who his father was. That would have hurt much, much more she imagined.

  Their lunch lingered for hours. It wasn’t forced, it simply was family enjoying each other and in the case of Mike and BB, getting to know each other, at least on a superficial level.

  Saying their goodbyes, Sonya and Bryan walked home from the café, reliving some of the nicer moments of their lunch, dissecting just how difficult this had been on Mike. And on BB.

  Obviously the stately gentleman appeared to be delighted to meet Mike, and Sonya though
t, to be proud of the man that his son had become without him, regretting no doubt, the fact that he had been cheated of a lifetime of knowing him.

  Perhaps, they would form a bond of sorts, and hopefully, something more. Mike and Steve were staying at a hotel in Paris and they all planned to connect several more times during their respective visits to the City of Lights.

  CHAPTER 7

  “Well Sir, what did you think?” Steve asked BB.

  BB thought for a few minutes as they drove along the roadway to his home. “Sonya is a stunningly beautiful woman, and she is obviously very obviously in love with her husband. I think they make a well matched pair. I wonder though, if she knows what he was up to a few years ago in Paris.”

  “You don’t mean the Crusade mission do you? I didn’t realize that he was the talent that Grégoire used,” Steve replied slowly. “Please tell me that he wasn’t!”

  “I cannot do that Steven. He is an incredibly talented artist, and Grégoire only uses the very best in his operations, as he has his choice of the best of the best at the university. You know that. Fortunately, Grégoire never advises his artists of the end results of their travail.”

  “Well, shit! Do you honestly believe that the cartel won’t know that one of Grégoire’s artists is in France? They’ll hang him by his balls if they discover that he was even remotely attached to Grégoire! Especially after the stunt that he pulled the last time. It caused them embarrassment!” Steve declared.

  “Has Grégoire at least put up some firewalls and protections for him? I would hate to see either him or Sonya caught up with those goons that Grégoire deals with. Not to mention, that bastard, Grégoire, himself.”

  “It is my understanding that all protections are in place and that they have bodyguards as we speak. I do have to echo your opinion regarding Grégoire. Personally, I have never been able to stomach the smarmy little man. He makes my, how do the Americans say it? He makes my 'spidey sense' tingle. The only problem that we do have, is that Lucien is back.”

  “Why? Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is for him right now? He was the intermediary in the Crusade mission, despite its failure. Hell’s bells, both he and Bryan back at the same time? That spells trouble so far as I’m concerned,” was Steve’s reply. “I can almost smell it.”

  “His son is here, Steven! I am only now beginning to understand the meaning of that depth of connection, and mine has only been superficial thus far. It is a huge pull! I am only sorry that you were never able to know your father. You would have liked Ivan Toth. Please do not misunderstand. I am not saying that Paul was not a good father to you, because he was. As my best friend, I know that he did everything and anything that he felt he could for you and your mother.” BB took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “But?” Steve pushed.

  Taking in another deep breath, BB continued, “But, I feel such a sense of betrayal, for both Ivan and Paul and as well, for you and Mike. It is a good thing that Paul is no longer here. He would have likely choked Celine. And I would not have blamed him one bit. I could barely be civil to her during our divorce. On the other side of the coin, can you tell me that this state of affairs has not affected you in a number of ways?”

  Steve drove along in silence for a few minutes. “Affected. That’s an interesting word! How about saying that everything that I believed I was, feels shattered. I’m learning to know an entire family – my family – some of whom I have only met for twenty minutes. Emotions run from flat out joy to have a large family, to a desperate search to find some firm ground upon which to re-plant my feet.”

  “I am so angry at my mother that I find it difficult to be in the same room with her, and that is becoming tougher as time marches on. What is worse, is her firm belief that she and Ilsa did nothing even remotely inappropriate! All they thought about was what they felt and wanted! Not only did they betray you and Ivan, they betrayed both Mike and me.”

  “It’s going to take some time in the gym with the punching bag to get rid of some of the hostility that I feel. And, one look at Mike today, told me that he’s feeling the same kind of anger. We’ll have a heart to heart later back at the hotel. I think that it will do us both some good.”

  BB’s next statement was cautious. “Given your unique insight into this matter, do you think that his anger will affect whatever relationship that he and I might be able to build?”

  "Ah," Steve thought, "that was the million Euro question!" He had to be careful answering this one.

  “I can’t speak for Mike, only from my own point of view. If he is as angry as I am, it will be his mother with whom he’s so livid. He is well aware that you were cheated in the same way that he was. If it were me in his place, I would make it a mission to get to know the man who was my father. Mike has that opportunity. I did not, which is in part, I think, some of the anger that I feel. Have you both done the DNA testing?”

  “Yes, several weeks ago. I was expecting the results by now. After seeing Mike, do you really think that there is much doubt about it?” the old man challenged.

  “Not in my opinion,” Steve replied immediately. “And, that was my opinion back in June in Calgary when I took a really good look at him. My opinion hasn’t changed since. As turn about is fair play, how do you feel about this twist of fate?”

  “That is something that I have been asking myself since this became an issue. Surprisingly, I am at a loss to explain the plethora of emotions that I am experiencing. Primarily, it is one of pride. He is a fine man. I have done my research. I even have grandchildren, did you know that?”

  “If the DNA results are what I believe them to be, I have a great deal to do and say in the short time that I have left here on this good earth. And, I feel a sense of urgency to do and to say it all.” BB took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders.

  “Are you ill?” Steve asked with concern.

  “Not to my knowledge,” BB responded, “but I am no longer a young man.”

  Steve was surprised by this uncharacteristic candour. BB had never spoken this personally to him, ever, despite the length of time that BB had been married to his mother. But then again, Steve was the go-between to his son, and as such, the pragmatic side of BB would definitely use that to his advantage.

  It was that very pragmatism that had assisted him to climb to the top ranks of the Royal Air Force. His rigid honesty and adherence to the rules, along with his innate intelligence, had stood him in good stead. BB had been instrumental to bring to light the issue of his own parentage when he had observed both Steve and John whilst on a mission to Gibraltar, six months previously. BB’s well-honed instincts and rigid sense of honesty had been the catalyst to force his mother and then Mike’s, to be honest with their sons.

  It had been just after that mission, following the solving of the murders of two retired MI5 operatives when back in England, that Steve learned of BB’s elevated status in MI6. Then, many things in his relationship with BB made much more sense.

  Theirs had been a somewhat adversarial relationship, particularly when Steve chose to leave the RAF to join MI5. The fact that BB had married Steve’s mother shortly after his father had been killed in an air crash many years ago had grated at the time, which he could now admit. There was presently much more of an alliance between them. And it pleased Steve.

  CHAPTER 8

  Madame Lalonde’s house was quiet when they arrived home, which surprised Sonya.

  “I wonder where everyone is?” she speculated.

  “Lucien said something about talking his mother to the market and having lunch somewhere,” Bryan explained. “I think he enjoys those little things that we seem to take for granted, given that he’s away so much.”

  Almost as he spoke, Madame Lalonde and Lucien entered through the door, laden with groceries, which Bryan hastened to retrieve from Madame Lalonde. With a smile, she led them into the kitchen to put groceries away, as Lucien began to brew some coffee. Despite the fact that she was still stuffed from lunch,
Sonya sipped on a coffee and sat at the table with the others. Plans were made to do some sightseeing the following day.

  Montmartre was agreed upon, and by the time that Bryan and Lucien had finished extolling its wonders, the door slammed and Sylvain rushed in, obviously having run all the way home from school. He sat at the table with them, explaining about his day, munching on some pastry that his grandmother placed in front of him.

  Dinner was another wonderful, noisy and enjoyable meal. Lucien and Sylvain departed immediately afterwards, while Madame Lalonde did the dishes with unaccustomed effort.

  “Where did they go?” Sonya asked curiously.

  “Lucien insists that they must have some men time,” Madame Lalonde replied. “In my time, boys did school work and men stayed home with the wives,” she declared somewhat sulkily.

  “But, since they don’t get to spend much time together, isn’t it nice that Lucien takes the time to spend with his son?” Sonya remarked rather guilelessly.

  “That is true,” Madame Lalonde responded. “However, Lucien must not keep Sylvain out late – tonight is a school night!”

  Arching his eyebrows at Sonya, Bryan stood from the table. “Bonsoir, Madame Lalonde, it has been a long day. We will go to our room now.”

  “Bonsoir,” Madame Lalonde replied, deep in her own thoughts.

  Once their bedroom door was closed, they readied for bed. “So,” Sonya remarked. “You seem to know Lucien very well. Spill it, Bryan, I know you and he are friends. That just doesn’t happen on a brief holiday home.”

  Bryan hesitated for a few seconds. “This isn’t public knowledge, Sonya, but I met Lucien while I was painting for Grégoire. He’s the agent that brokered the commission to someone in the Middle East. Lucien is the reason that Madame Lalonde allowed me to board here. His only request was that our liaison remained between us. I saw no reason to disagree. It was a win/win situation for me.”

  His explanation satisfied Sonya and they climbed into bed and as the mood struck, made love in the antique room, in the bijou two-story house in the midst of a quaint neighbourhood in the middle of Paris, the City of Love.