Thurston House (1983)

by Steel, Danielle

  I think those days are past for me. I'm not a businesswoman anymore, Andr+!. And she had paid a high price for that, in the anger of her son.

  I don't know. I just see you as involved as I in this. Does that sound crazy to you?

  A little bit. She smiled as the waitress poured fresh coffee for them. Andr+! seemed to drink a lot of it, and murmured tactfully that it was not quite like the coffee in France, an understatement that made Sabrina laugh, but she was intrigued to hear his idea now.

  What are you thinking of, Andr+!

  He took a quick breath, and set the coffee cup down again. How would you like to buy just enough of that piece of land with me so that we are indeed equal partners on this. Fifty-fifty all the way.

  She laughed right out loud at the American term. Buy with you? Andr+!, you don't understand. I can barely keep my son in school, I have hardly anything left at all, except my house in town and that piece of jungle in Napa that you saw. How could I possibly buy part of that parcel of vines with you? It involved a purchase of eight hundred acres for her, an expense she could hardly afford, to say the least.

  He looked disappointed but not defeated yet. I didn't know ' I just thought ' There was a Gallic twinkle in the blue eyes, and she noticed again that she liked his looks. In many ways, he was a handsome man, and his lean, lithe good looks made him seem younger than he was. It was easy to imagine him twenty years younger than he was. Have you no other resources then? It was rude to ask, but he wasn't being mean. He was desperately anxious to start a business with her. He had been comfortable with her from the moment they met that day, and Amelia had said extraordinary things about her, about how she had run the mines for years and had a brilliant mind. He suspected that her abilities were the only reason she stayed afloat now, and somehow he sensed that if she wanted to, she could find some way to buy the property with him. And she knew more about making wine than she admitted to him.

  It's been years since I paid attention to that sort of thing, Andr+!. When I was young, I imagined that I was going to grow fine French wines right here, but, she laughed at herself, how many years ago was that? Fifteen? Twenty-five? I would be no use to you at all. She was amazed that he had even suggested a partnership, but she had to admit that she was intrigued by the idea. Much more so than just leasing him her existing land. You know, I'd almost like to do something like that with you. But I should be selling my land, not buying more. She sighed, just thinking of it. She had another year's tuition at Harvard to come up with in the next few months, and all she had left to sell was the Napa acreage, the garden lots around Thurston House, and her mother's jewels, which she never wore. She had been mulling it over now for a while, and she thought of it that night again as she lay in bed. Andr+! was going back to Napa himself the following day, to go over more extensively the parcel he had first bought and talk to the owners about the deal, and he had to find a place to live as well.

  And as Sabrina thought of him, she realized that she liked the man, and hoped that he would do well with his wines. One had to admire a man his age, abandoning a country where he was comfortable and had everything he wanted already established there, and coming to a place six or seven thousand miles away to start again. It took more than a little spirit to do something like that, and she admired him. Almost as much as he admired her. He had sensed an extraordinary inner strength about her that day, and Amelia had hinted at it before they met. She had a lot on her back even now, he suspected accurately, although the only hint of that was what she told him when he had offered to buy the land in partnership with her. And she was still thinking about his idea, regretting that she couldn't buy the land, when she sat bolt upright in bed the next day ' if she sold all the gardens around Thurston House, she could have enough to pay for Jon's last year at school, but there would be much more than that. She had planned to put it away for herself, and perhaps make an investment or two, but what better investment was there than land? Her father had always told her that, and if she joined Andr+! in the purchase of the acreage, she wouldn't have a dime left for herself, but if he knew what he was doing, they would make money in time. It was an outrageously risky thing to do, especially given the economy, but there was a feeling in her heart just thinking of it, that made her blood race again as it had years ago as she pushed the mines on to greater things than they had done before, and this was what she had always wanted to do, right from the first. Even as a very young girl, she had loved the vineyards more than the mines. She thought about it all day, wondering if Andr+! had bought something else, and she made two or three calls about her garden lots and when he called her that night, she was so excited that he could barely understand what she said.

  I can do it with you, Andr+!! The broker felt that there would be an offer on her Nob Hill lots by the next day. Two developers had been waiting for years, and they were willing to pay a decent price. It meant that she would have to live with construction all around her for a while, and she would never have the same seclusion she had had before, but she didn't care. If she could go into business with him. ' He barely understood anything she said and was totally confused at his end of the line.

  What? ' what? ' what did you say? ' slowly, slowly ' He was laughing with her, certain that something marvelous had occurred but he had no idea what.

  All right, I'm sorry. First of all, how did it go today?

  Fine. Marvelous. He sounded excited too. And I had this perfect idea. I buy the land, I sell the eight hundred acres to you, and you defer payment to whenever you want. Pay me in five years if you want. By then we'll both be rich from our wines. He laughed and she beamed.

  You don't have to do that. I came up with an idea.

  She started to tell him and then instantly thought better of it. I have an excellent idea. Would you like to come here for a brandy perhaps, there's something I want to discuss with you.

  Ahh ' He sounded intrigued, and the brandy was a fine idea. Are you sure it's not too late? It's already after ten o'clock. She couldn't have stood waiting to discuss it till the following day. She had been like an excited child all afternoon, and he agreed to take a cab from his hotel. Five minutes later, Andr+!was outside knocking on her front door, and she flew down the stairs, and opened it to him. She had brandy and a snifter already waiting for him upstairs beside the fire in her library, and she raced upstairs like a puppy dog as he laughed at her. What in the world have you been up to today, Sabrina? When he said her name it sounded French and she laughed at him, swiftly poured him the brandy, and indicated a comfortable chair facing her own. I had an idea ' about the Napa property. A spark from her eyes caught his, and he looked at her, barely daring to hope. He wondered if this was why she had brought him here. Maybe she was going to wreak a miracle. Sabrina, don't keep me in suspense. He whispered the words at her, and she looked at him, and instinctively she knew that her life was about to change, as it had only a few other times in her life ' when her father died, she had to run his mines ' when she married John ' when Jonathan was born ' and now suddenly, her life was going to take a dramatic turn again. She knew it as she looked into Andr+!'s eyes. She had thought that her days of power had come to an end, but she knew now that they had begun again. She wanted to go into partnership with him. She wanted it more than anything. And she also knew with every ounce of her business acumen that there was something special about this man. Andr+! de Vernay had walked into her life. And now she was going to walk on with him. And she knew, because of his long friendship with Amelia, that she could trust him too. I want to buy the property with you. Their eyes met and held. Can you do that? I thought. ' I thought about it all last night, and I made some calls today. What I have to do is sell my garden lots here, surrounding Thurston House. I still need the money for my son's Harvard tuition next year. She was being painfully frank with him, but she had no reason to hide anything from him, and she never would, if they went into partnership. But if I get a healthy price for them, and I think I might, I might just be able to squeak
through to buy part of that acreage with you. We could be equal partners, right from the start. Her eyes blazed and he looked at her, as though he also knew that something very important to both of them was about to begin. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him and her mind was turning just as it had when she ran the mines. I really see it all.

  So do I. He looked at her for a long moment and then lifted his glass to her. To our success, Madame Harte. There was a seriousness in his eyes she had rarely seen and she lifted her glass to him.

  Afterward, her brows furrowed again, she was well aware that they would have a lot of work to do, but she thrived on that. Who'll cultivate the vines? Will you bring people from France?

  I'm bringing three men with me, and my son. The five of us will do everything that needs to be done, and we can hire local laborers as we need them. Why? Are you volunteering to pick the grapes, my friend? He reached out and took her hand in his and smiled into her eyes. Do you really mean all this?

  I've never been as serious before. I feel as though I've come alive again. The stagnant waters of her life had begun to flow again, and she realized now how much she had missed working, running the mines, building something. All she had done in recent years was watch the remains of all that drift away. And now, suddenly, she was in the midst of it again, thanks to him. If this works, I will owe you an enormous debt, Andr+!.

  I, nonl He looked incensed and shook his head. There you are totally off the mark, Sabrina. It is I who will be indebted to you for life if we buy this land. And then, with his eyes narrowed like hers, he saw his dream growing in his head. It will be an enormous success one day ' I know it in my soul ' the finest wines grown anywhere, including France ' perhaps even a champagne or two. ' She wanted to cry, she was so happy listening to him. It was everything she had wanted to do for years, and now he was offering it to her, and Amelia had sent him to her, like a messenger of fate to bring her alive again. He was the greatest gift of all.

  For the next three days, they both went mad, speaking to banks, juggling their respective real estate, going back to look at the property again, speaking to the owners, and then the banks once more, and finally the two developers who wanted her garden lots. And miraculously, within a week, both deals were closed. She had sold everything on Nob Hill except Thurston House itself and a tiny garden directly behind the house, and they had bought three thousand eight hundred acres of land in Napa, adjoining her property of two thousand and one, which gave them almost six thousand jointly held acres of vines, but legally they each owned precisely half. Her lawyers had been busy for days, her bankers had insisted on checking Andr+! out, with cables flying everywhere, she had called Amelia twice herself to thank her for everything she'd done. It was the most frantic week Sabrina had ever survived, and when she put Andr+! on the train to New York at the end of the week, the two shook hands again and this time he kissed her on both cheeks.

  You know, we're both as crazy as hell, aren't we? She looked and felt like a young girl again, and he was handsomer than ever after several afternoons walking the property with her in the Napa sun. But she didn't even see that side of him, she was so excited about what they'd done, and she still had to find a house, big enough for him and Antoine, with perhaps a cabin close by, for the three laborers they were bringing from France. How soon will you be back, Andr+!?

  He had promised to call her from New York, and cable her from Bordeaux. He had a lot to do there now, but he hoped to be back in a month. Four weeks. Five at the most.

  I'll find you a house by then, and if worst comes to worst, you can stay at Thurston House.

  That might be very nice. He laughed at the image of his laborers from the Modoc moving into the elegant mansion on Nob Hill. We'll turn it into a farmhouse for you yet.

  It's all right with me. She waved at him and wished him luck, as the train pulled out, and for just an instant, her heart sank, remembering the train nineteen years before that had never reached Detroit.

  But life couldn't be that cruel again, and it was not this time. Five weeks to the day, Sabrina was at the station again, this time to meet Andr+!, Antoine, and the three men. She had found a small, simple farmhouse to rent for them on a piece of land adjacent to what they'd bought, and in time he and Antoine could build a house for themselves, but there was no need for that now. They all drove directly to the Napa Valley that day, and all of the men chattered excitedly in French when they saw what Andr+! and Sabrina had bought. And Sabrina was surprised at how charming Antoine was. He was a tall, lanky, strikingly handsome young man, with his father's blue eyes and a mane of thick blond hair. He had fine features, and a gentle smile, and his father's endless legs, and he had a kind, thoughtful way about him. His English wasn't very good, but he managed to say everything appropriate to her, and by the end of the second day they all spent examining the vines, she felt as though they had become friends. He was strikingly different from her own son, and she put it down to his maturity, but what struck her most about Antoine was what a good sport he was. He seemed to want to make everything easier for everyone, he relaxed the atmosphere when it got tense, which it often did, given the Gallic tempers involved, seemed to enjoy his father's company and was exceedingly polite and at the same time humorous with her, and she found herself wondering how he would get on with Jon when he got home. She wanted them to meet and to get along.

  But that didn't happen until June when Jon came home. Six weeks had passed since Andr+! and Antoine had arrived, and they were staying at Thurston House with her for a few days, to attend some meeting at her bank about some loans they were hoping to take out. The racket outside was unbearable, as the construction people tore up the garden lots for the houses they were going to build. She had kept only one tidy garden behind the house, but that was totally unusable now. Concrete was flying everywhere, dust descending on them in clouds, and trees hanging overhead, pulled out by cranes. It pained Sabrina to see them at work, and she tried not to think of it. It was sad to realize how much things had changed, but there was no fleeing it now, and at least she was doing something exciting with Andr+! and Antoine. She had been able to pay Jon's tuition for his senior year and she was grateful for that. But now she had hardly a spare penny left. She wanted to sink everything she had into the vineyards with Andr+!. She went up to Napa several times a week, and surveyed their domain with glee. And he came into town at least once a week, and stayed in the guest suite at Thurston House. They were ensconced there when Jon arrived, and looked at them with open hostility as he set down his bags in the front hall.

  More boarders, Mother dear? She wanted to shake him for the tone he had used, and she looked at him angrily.

  Hardly, Jon. This is Andr+! and Antoine de Vernay. I told you about the vineyards in Napa we've invested in.

  Sounds like nonsense to me. He stood out in sharp contrast to Andr+!'s son, who had welcomed her into their lives so openly. But it was obvious that Jon was threatened by them. His mother was flirting with business again, and it reminded him again of how much he had hated her working in his youth. Antoine held out a hand to Jon now, which the younger boy shook uninterestedly. He had other fish to fry now that he was in town. He had two friends from Harvard arriving the following week, and he was going to Lake Tahoe, and then La Jolla with friends. It wasn't exactly the summer he had planned. He would have rather gone to Europe with his friend Dewey Smith, but since his mother had insisted that she wanted him to come home, he was going to get even with her by forcing her to send him to Europe after he graduated the following year. He deserved the Grand Tour, everyone else went to Europe all the time. Why should he spend the summer at home. And he wanted to go on the Normandie when it was launched. She owed it to him after all, one didn't graduate from Harvard every day. But he didn't say anything to her about his plans, he had plenty of time to work on her, and right now he needed a car for when his friends arrived.

  You can use mine when I'm in town, dear. I'll take the cable car. Andr+! was listening to them wi
th one ear while he made some calls in the library. He was surprised at her endless patience with the boy, but he was her only son, and that explained a lot. His father had died when he was two, and she had told Andr+! as they sat up late one night and talked, that she had always felt guilty toward Jon for the long hours she worked at the mine.

  But you did it for him. I had the same problem with Antoine when Eug+!nie died, but he had to understand. I was only one man. And you had an enormous responsibility on you, Sabrina. Surely now he must understand that.

  When it suits him, he does. She had smiled at her partner and friend. She knew her son well, and although it embarrassed her at times, she also knew how spoiled he was. And it bothered her that he was badgering her now in front of Andr+! about the car.

  Can't we buy another one for God's sake?

  You know I can't afford it right now, Jon. She attempted to keep her voice down but he refused to do the same.

  Why the hell not? You buy everything else, land in Napa, vineyards, God knows what else. He was brutally unfair, she had bought nothing for herself in years, and although her clothes were obviously well made, they were noticeably out-of-date. Andr+! had noticed it, and was well aware of the sacrifices she made. And she already had almost nothing left from her real estate sale, she had plunged it all into the vineyards she bought with Andr+!, and the tuition for Jon. There was no mad money, even for her, but Jon seemed determined not to accept that, and to continue to pressure her.