Chapter 10

Edmund had rejected him.

He tried to deny it, say that by tomorrow he would forget it... but that was just stupid. Edmund would not forget.

If only he had achieved some closeness with him. But with the hours he had to keep, how could he? Most of the time he saw Edmund when he was asleep... How could he achieve any closeness at all? He was not like other men.

Still, there were other people who kept weird hours, and still managed to be parents...

He was going to lose Edmund. To Quentin. To Roger... to Carolyn. For he could see it now. Carolyn would claim him, if only to revenge herself for losing her own child... And if she did, Edmund would want to go with his father... even if it was not father at all.

He could not allow that. Carolyn was too bitter to be a good mother. Quentin, at best, was irresponsible. Roger...

Little as he could offer Edmund, it was better than what Carolyn offered. Collinwood wasn't a happy place, while here... There had been laughter and friendship here. There could be again. All the people that had passed through here... Willie, Phillip, Louella, Vicky, Oriana, Amy...

He had friends. Carolyn had none. Neither did Quentin. But should it ever come to the judge, that would mean nothing.

He tried to deny it. Tried to imagine Carolyn giving up on her plan... Useless. He knew her too well.

How could Edmund prefer Quentin to him? Didn't he know what Quentin was like?

Of course not. He mistook him for his father.

He could not give Edmund up. He would not. The child's father deserved better than this.

There was a footstep being him. He turned and saw Buffy.

"They are going to take him away?" she asked, very pale.

"I am going to fight them."

"I could say that he was my son."

Barnabas considered it. "Thanks, but it is useless. Edmund knows who his father is, and who his mother was. And Edmund was to go with the man he thinks is his father."

"You could make him stay."

Kenneth recognized Jessica King. And the man with her must be her husband, Zeb.

"Well, that's a pleasant surprise" he came to them. "Dr. King, Dr. King."

"Yes. King squared." Zeb said with a wide smile.

"I hope you had no further problems with either Barnabas nor Quentin."

"None. In fact, Barnabas was awfully sweet." Jessica said.

"So now you call him by his first name?" Kenneth wondered how much Jessica knew about the man. Probably not much, or she'd be terrified to come back to Collinsport.

"Oh, I told you. He was very sweet, after the way I kept harassing him and accusing him of lying."

"But it is not why we came here." Zeb King said. "Is your wife's maiden name Hoffman?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact it is."

"I knew it! It had to be her."

"Do you know her?"

"Yes. Of course, she might not remember me. Last time she saw me, I was a bratty kid who visited Uncle Dave and tried his patience. Then mother remarried, moved away, and we lost track of her."

"Well, this calls for a celebration! I am going to call Julia and tell her that you are here!"

Buffy sat outside. She could not understand why Barnabas had insisted that she leave, saying that he was enough to take care of Edmund, but grateful for the free day (early night, really).

If only there was more for her to do... if only meeting people wasn't so hard.

Maybe she should leave Collinsport. Go someplace where no one had known Buffy Duncan.

But she had not money for it. The only one she could turn to was Barnabas.

And she could not leave him.

Surprisingly how quickly fear and wariness had given way to trust and affection. It had never been his fault that John Yeager had been a creep. Sergeant Haskell wasn't his fault either. She owed him much, and the small debt he owed her once had shrunk to nothingness.

Yet still she was impatient and uncomfortable. She had to start over, and she was not young enough for it. She didn't have enough skills... and Barnabas did not expect her to be his housekeeper forever.

She wished she could stay, tell him that it did not matter. But it mattered... If only she had money...

"Mind if I sit down" somebody behind her said.

Buffy shrugged without turning. "You mistake me for someone else."

"No. You are Buffy Harrington. I could never mistake you for Buffy Duncan."

Surprised she turned to Derek "Is it me that you want to talk to?"

"Yes, you." Derek smiled fetchingly "It seems we have a problem in common. If we get together we might be able to do something about it."

Buffy nodded and Derek sat behind her. "What is this problem you speak about?"

"Money. Neither of us has enough. Is that true?"

"It is true."

"You like playing the horses."

"Yes, but I can't make senses of the ones here, yet."

"I can. If I give you the money, will you place the bets and split the take? I can't go to the races myself" Derek explained "unless you can make them take place at night. I know what you have been told about me. That I am a professional con man. I will not dispute it. But with the horses, it is different. And what can you lose?"

Buffy smiled back at him. "Indeed, what? And I might make money of it, All right, I'll trust you. But you teach me about the horses here."

... You can make him want to stay...

He knew what she meant. And had not the strength to reject it. Some part of him insisted that it would be all right, even knowing what he knew.

But why not? What was wrong with it?

What had been wrong with Maggie pretending to be Josette?

But it would not be the same... he was protecting Edmund, not harming him. Even if the method was a bit... unpleasant.

He could force Edmund to forget that he was Quentin's son, could convince him that Buffy was his mother. And once that happened, he had a good chance with the judge. No, it was the thing to do, even if it meant violating his own conviction that he should not, on any grounds, attack a child.

But it would not be an attack...

That was when he heard the music, recognized it...

"London's bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..."

"Sarah! You are back!"

"Sorry, no Sarah" Dave Woodard said. "Only your friendly pimping ghost." his voice became soft. "I promised Sarah that I would keep an eye on you, to keep your from... from making the kind of mistake that already cost you her."

"Where is she?"

"Not here. But you will see her again. Don't ask me more of it."

"I am not going to hurt Edmund." Barnabas protested.

"He will end up getting hurt."

"It won't be like that. I am doing it for his own good."

"Don't try that line on me" Dave's voice was harsh. "I know it too well. After all, when I took my boys to bed, it was for their own good, I told myself. Well, in a sense it was. But I hurt them too. And none of them worse than George."

"He was underage..."

"Your math is excellent. Yes. I could have ended up in jail for him. But with all my boys I stopped short of doing what you are now planning to do. I am being serious about it. It can end worse than Maggie ever did. Don't play with fire."

"But if I don't do that, I will lose him. I don't want to give him up to Carolyn"

"It will be painful either way. But, believe me, you can't force your will on the child without destroying him."

Barnabas sighed. It was a desperate sucking for breath, for answers...

"All right." he finally said. "You win. I won't touch him."