Author's Note: Sincerest apologies for taking so long to update this. Real life intervened once again. Rest assured I have every intention of completing both this story and "Blues". In fact, I have the final chapter and the Epilogue laid out for this one, but it's going to take quite a few additional installments to get there.
When Lucien and Jack emerged from the study, both wore big smiles and Lucien's hand rested on Jack's shoulder. Despite Jean's initial hesitance over the notion of Jack calling Lucien 'Dad', she had to admit that anything that made both of them so happy could hardly be bad.
Judging by the pleased look on Li's face, Jack must have mentioned his intentions to her. Jean thought this might make them both feel more like actual brother and sister, although they'd had such a close camaraderie almost since the moment they met.
Jean was more concerned with how Christopher might feel about the change. Her older son had distinct feelings and memories of his father, the man for whom he'd been named. She also knew how fond of Lucien he was; after all, it was Lucien who'd given him the gift of music and the means of making it. She'd have to keep an eye on him to see how he reacted.
Lucien glanced at Jean, looking for reassurance that she herself was at peace with the idea. She gave him a nod and a smile. Yes, she admitted to herself, it was a positive development for Jack. As headstrong and impulsive as the boy had always been, having Lucien as a father to support him might well be the difference between Jack finding his way successfully in life or going off the rails. Surely Christopher would see that as a good thing.
Seemingly satisfied with her reaction, Lucien went to the bookshelf and took out the volume of David Copperfield. "Now, since we missed out last evening, I think it's only right that we do two chapters tonight," he announced to a delighted Li and Jack. "How does that sound?"
Li nodded eagerly, while Jack said, "Great, Dad!"
Both Christopher and Thomas looked up sharply at that. Thomas then nodded approvingly and returned to the newspaper he'd been reading, but Christopher was not quite so sanguine about this new development. He seemed to catch the glance exchanged between Lucien and Jack, and his eyes narrowed somewhat. He didn't exactly look angry, Jean thought, but neither did he appear totally accepting of it. Jean decided she would talk to him later, see if she could get him to tell her how he felt.
Lucien settled on the couch with Jack and Li on either side of him as he read the Dickens novel to them. Jean listened as well, as did Christopher, who seemed to be drawn into the narrative despite whatever else he was feeling.
When he finished the evening's second chapter, Lucien closed up the book, ignoring the pleas for just one more.
Jean rescued him. "No more of that now," she said firmly. "Bedtime for both of you. You can stay up a bit later tomorrow when we have guests."
She herded the two younger ones toward the stairs and was surprised to see Christopher follow along behind.
"I'm kind of tired," he told her.
She exchanged a glance with Lucien, who looked concerned. He pantomimed whether he should accompany them to have a talk with Christopher, but she shook her head. She thought Christopher might be more willing to speak with her about this than with Lucien.
Jack was still thrilled with the idea of Lucien as his new dad, but he was also tired out with the emotions of the day. He was already half-asleep when Jean tucked him in and kissed his forehead, although he managed a sleepy smile for her as he mumbled, "G'night, Mum." And Li was just as easy to get settled for the night. That left Christopher.
Now that he was eleven years old, Jean felt that Christopher deserved the courtesy of not having his mother enter his bedroom at will. She tapped gently on the door until he told her to come in.
"I just wanted to say good night," she told him from the doorway.
"Good night, Mum," he said quietly. More quietly than usual?
"Do you want to talk?" she asked, entering fully into the room.
He shrugged, but in such a way that made it clear he had more to say.
Jean closed the door and moved to sit on the side of his bed. "Did it upset you when Jack called Lucien 'Dad'?" she said gently. "It's all right if it did. I was startled when Jack asked me if he could."
"It was Jack's idea?"
"Yes, of course it was. Lucien would never have presumed to suggest it," she assured him.
"No, I guess he wouldn't," Christopher admitted.
"Jack told me he barely remembers your father. I think he feels left out when the other children talk about the things they do with their fathers. And he pointed out that Lucien does for him what a father would do."
Christopher nodded, almost reluctantly, but he understood. "What would Dad say though? Our real dad, I mean."
"I thought about that when Jack asked me," Jean told him. "You know that he loved you boys and only wanted what was best for both of you, don't you?"
Christopher nodded that he knew that.
"I'm sure he would want all three of us to be happy, don't you think?" Jean continued.
"Yes," said young Christopher.
"As you boys get older it's going to be more and more important that you have someone in your life to show you how to be a good man. I think Lucien can do that, and so if Jack wants to call him 'Dad' I think that isn't a bad thing. With Jack's temper and his headstrong ways he could get into trouble so easily without a father-figure to show him the way."
Christopher thought about that for a while. "I think you're probably right about Jack," he said at last, then he thought some more, while Jean gave him the opportunity to work through it.
"Will Lucien be upset if I don't call him 'Dad'?" he asked at last.
"I'm sure he won't," she told him firmly, "and he won't love you any less. He knows that you remember your father much more than Jack does, and he respects that."
"Okay," said Christopher. "I wouldn't want him to be upset. I love Lucien, Mum. He's the one that gave me my music. But I still love my father, too."
"Of course you do, and Lucien understands that. It's good and right that you do." She couldn't help but think his father probably wouldn't wholly approve of Christopher's devotion to music; he'd consider it a waste of time. Christopher Sr. was a good and loving man, even if sometimes pragmatic to a fault.
Her affirmation of Lucien's respect though seemed to reassure the boy, Jean was relieved to see. She kissed his forehead. "Good night, sweetheart."
But Christopher wasn't quite finished yet. "Mum, do you think sometime we could go out to the farm? I'd like to see it again, and maybe if Jack sees it he'll remember more about our time there when Dad was with us."
Jean had hardly given thought to the farm since she'd accepted the position with Doctor Blake, but as she now owned the property originally left to her and Christopher Sr. by his parents she supposed she ought to take a look at it. They had lived all there for a little over a year until he was posted to Borneo, and she wondered about the current state of the place after the years they'd been away from it. "I think that's probably a good idea," she said. "Maybe this weekend we should have a look at it."
As usual, Thomas retired to his bedroom when the children went up to bed, while Lucien waited anxiously for Jean to come back downstairs. He cursed his own thoughtlessness for not considering how young Christopher might feel, he'd been so pleased that Jack wanted to call him Dad. Of course it would feel to Christopher like his own father was being erased.
He saw that Jean wore a concerned and thoughtful look when she returned from tucking in the children. Lucien hastened to apologize.
"I'm so sorry, my dear," he told her. "I should never..."
She put a finger to his lips to stop him. "It's all right," she told him. "I probably should have mentioned it to Christopher before Jack spoke to you, but he understands now. He just suggested that we visit the farm sometime soon."
"The farm?" Lucien remembered Jean telling him she'd grown up on a farm, as had Christopher Sr., but he wasn't sure what that had to do with young Christopher.
Jean explained, "Before my Christopher was transferred to Borneo by the Army we lived here in Ballarat on the farm that his parents left us."
"And Chris remembers that?" asked Lucien.
"Quite fondly, apparently. He thinks that if we spend some time there Jack might remember his father."
"And do you agree?" Lucien wondered.
"I don't know. Jack was only three years old when we left for Sandakan, but I probably should take a look at the place anyway, decide what should be done with it, and if it will give Christopher some comfort, well... You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course you should do it," said Lucien. "Maybe I could take Li to the cinema on Saturday afternoon while you and the boys go to the farm?"
Jean nodded. "How about if she invites Violet Ashby to sleep over after dinner tomorrow night, and you take both of them to the pictures? That way you and the Chief Superintendent can talk as late as you need to after dinner tomorrow without him worrying about Violet being out too late."
"Perfect," said Lucien, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Such a clever woman I'm marrying."
Before she could respond they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "I'll get that," said Lucien, not comfortable with Jean answering the door so late, especially given the threat of Jock Clement hanging over them. He was somewhat surprised (but nonetheless pleased) to see Matthew Lawson standing on the other side.
"Come in," he urged.
Matthew held out a bottle of whiskey. "Sorry to be visiting so late, but I figured you'd be up. Thought it might be a good evening for a drink or two."
"You thought right," said Lucien, taking the bottle from him and showing him inside. "Jean, look who I've found on the doorstep," he called.
"Good evening, Matthew," she said. "Always lovely to see you."
"Jean," he acknowledged her.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Lucien as he poured out drinks for the three of them. He raised his glass toward Matthew then touched the rim of it to Jean's.
Matthew took a sip before responding. "I wanted to talk to you about Neville Franklin's death, but I don't feel comfortable talking at the station. I have a feeling someone there is reporting everything back to Mr. Clement."
"Your chief superintendent has the same feeling," Lucien told him.
Matthew raised an eyebrow at that.
"Yes," Lucien continued. "As a matter of fact, he and his daughter are coming for dinner tomorrow night as a cover to allow us to make plans."
"So you're convinced that Jock Clement killed Franklin?" asked Matthew.
"Not only Neville Franklin, but also my mother," Lucien said, a touch of bitterness in his voice he couldn't conceal.
"I thought your mother died after an operation," said Matthew.
Lucien passed on to Matthew what Doug and Thomas had told him about Geneviève's death. Matthew's anger began to simmer, especially when he heard the real reason Lucien was sent away all those years before. Jean filled in the parts that Lucien skipped over but that Matthew needed to know in order to make sense of it all.
"What can I do to help bring him to justice?" Matthew asked.
Lucien shook his head. "It's probably not a good idea for you to join us tomorrow evening, but I can keep you apprised of any plans we come up with. I should probably let Doug know that you're in on it all."
"He may not like it very much," said Matthew.
"We're going to need help to bring down Jock Clement, from people we trust," said Lucien, pointing his glass at Matthew.
"Just be careful, all of you," Jean pleaded. "He's already killed at least twice. I'm sure he won't hesitate to do it again to cover his tracks."
"We'll be careful," Lucien promised her.
Jean was having none of it. "Matthew, please. Lucien and the Chief Superintendent both have a personal stake in this. I'm depending on you to keep them from doing anything foolish."
Matthew's eyes widened at her tall order. "All I can promise is to do my best."
"Thank you," said Jean. "That will have to be good enough."
Lucien reflected that his fiancée perhaps knew him too well, how he'd been known to let his enthusiasm get the best of him from time to time. But he had no intention of risking his life now, not when he had so much to look forward to.