The sun is bright in the morning sky. Jean blinks stepping out of the house, Lucien's hand guiding her down the front steps. "You really don't need to come with me this morning. I know you don't care for church."
"No but I care for you. You shouldn't have to be alone when there is no need for it." Lucien beams at the prospect of spending the day alone with the woman of his affections.
"Thank you, Lucien. I didn't realize that Christopher and Ruby don't attend mass regularly. I just presumed. Well, it doesn't matter." They stroll down the sidewalk, Jean's hand remaining in his.
Jean had been more than a little surprised when her son entered the kitchen still donning his pajamas for breakfast. She herself wore her best blue dress that she freshly cleaned and pressed after the journey from Ballarat. The disappointment was clear on her face when he confessed over the hot scones that he and Ruby rarely attend church. Lucien eagerly stepped in to accompany. Might as well make it a day of it.
"It is good for Chris and Ruby to spend time together with Amelia."
"Yes, you're absolutely right." She sighs.
"Jean…?" he questions.
"I realize how little I really know of my son's life. Both of them. They were still so young really when they left Ballarat...me." She drifts off, melancholy washing over her.
"Life can be cruel in what it hands us sometimes."
Jean stops causing Lucien to turn. "I am sorry Lucien. I have no right to be feeling sorry for myself when your Li was…"
His hand cradles her cheek. "Jean you have as much right as any of us. But that's all in the past. We can't change that but we can live for today and we can look to the future. And right now I get to spend all bloody day with you."
Jean gives a quick look around before closing the gap between them. Kissing Lucien a heartbeat longer than she should before pulling away. "All day."
"Chris, you shouldn't be spying on your mum." Ruby goes on her tiptoes to get a better look over his shoulder.
"Did you see that? She kissed him in broad daylight!"
"Good for her."
"Ruby that's my mother!" Christopher tries to sound shocked but the smile he wears tells a different story.
"Well, maybe your mum isn't the same person you remember as a little boy."
They sit in the back pew tucked in a far corner. A few parishioners give a welcoming nod but most don't give the couple a second glance. To people attending mass they look to be a long married couple with the ease and comfort for which they move in sync with each other. They sit close, Jean's small hand resting on his leg as his own large one covers hers. When they stand to sing the hymns Lucien's arm wraps around her. His hand looking at home on her waist. Outwardly this misleads when in truth both inwardly are a jitter with the newness of their relationship.
At the end of the service they slip out before the crowd. The heat and humidity are heavy in the air. Lucien puts his hat on while Jean shields her eyes from the sun, allowing them to adjust to the light. "Thank you for joining me."
"Of course."
"It wasn't so terrible now was it?"
Lucien takes her hand to lead them away from the church and the parishioners that are starting to exit the stone church. "Being close to you is always a pleasure. But I could do with a little less…". Jean's brow raises in warning. "Churchiness."
"Hmmm. I don't think that's a real word Lucien."
His hand, the one not in her tight grasp, runs along the back of his neck nervously. "You understand?"
"Actually, I don't Lucien but thank you anyway for accompanying me. There is no need for you to make a habit of it." Her tone is curt which leaves him regretting being a damn fool once again.
"I am sorry Jean. I do know how much the church means to you. Please can we forget I said anything and enjoy the rest of our day."
She looks away from his pleading eyes and contemplates the man before her. A small rational part in her brain tells her once again that they are wrong for each other. The pressure of his hand upon hers increases ever so slightly pushing that thought away. She gives a heavy sigh before looking at him once again. Her heart, skipping a beat, wins this round. "I hope you know where you are taking me to lunch. I'm famished."
His smile seems brighter than the sun over head. "I happen to know exactly where I am taking you and I think you are going to love it.
"Where are we going?" They join the queue for the tram.
"You'll see." Lucien looks at the crowd, a befuddled look on his face.
Jean whispers, "It's Sunday. Services are letting out and families do things together."
"Of course."
The swaying tram gives Lucien a reason to hold tight to Jean. They stand close hidden in the crowd. Before long their stop is upon them. Lucien guides her once more down the steps, ensuring she steps safely on the ground.
They cross the street to an Italian restaurant that is near the entrance of the Botanical Gardens. "I thought we might eat here first then explore the gardens?"
"That sounds lovely Lucien but it doesn't appear to be open."
"What?" He tears his gaze away from her to glance at the door before them. The large CLOSED sign hangs at his eye level. "Damn!" He slouches in disappointment.
"It's alright. We can grab anything to eat. The gardens aren't closed and it's a beautiful day." She brushes her hand along his beard before lifting his chin so that he must look her in the eyes. "It will be perfect." She takes a hold of his hand leading the way.
The pair find a quiet secluded bench on the peripheral of the Rose Garden to eat their cold sandwiches. It is not the posh lunch Lucien had planned but on reflection this is more to their liking. The sweet fragrance of the gardens surrounds them, clingy to the heaviness of the air.
Jean lets out a sigh, "We need to talk Lucien."
"I thought we were talking." His smile fades at the seriousness in her face.
"I mean about us, this thing between us. You need to go home soon, Lucien. You have patients that rely on you. The police that rely on you."
"Yes, you're right, of course. I'll make arrangements for later in the week." He picks at the dry sandwich in his hand. He ventures tentatively, "Should I buy two tickets?"
Jean thinks hard on the offer before answering. "No, I think I should stay here a little longer." She sees the hurt flash within his eyes. Her hand immediately reaches for his. "Just for an extra week or so Lucien. I am coming home. Promise."
He holds tightly to hand, "But?"
Jean pulls her hand from his grasp to nervously play with her hem. "But...What happens next? I need to know where we go from here. This...what we have here in Adelaide far from anyone that knows us seems like a dream. We can't have this in Ballarat and we can't go back to the way things were, can we?"
"No we can't and I don't want to. I want more Jean. I want to court you properly." Her eyes well with unshed tears as she shifts to conceal her face to compose herself. "Don't you want that too?"
When she looks at him a lone tear betrays her, rolling down her cheek. "I do Lucien, I truly do but it's not that simple for us. I am your housekeeper. I live in your home."
"Our home."
She sighs once again at his naivety of the hierarchy of a town like Ballarat. "People already talk about us, Lucien." His eyes cast downward, giving himself away that this is not new knowledge to him. "If we start stepping out together, openly ….it would just be fuel for the town gossips only there would be a thread of truth in their words." She takes his hand once again. "I don't know if I could bear if what we have together be the talk at sewing circles."
"I understand Jean."
She interrupts, "Unless you want me to move out in order to court?"
"What? Never! I'd move out before I ever ask you to leave. Come here." He pulls her into his chest. "We will live our life in our home together, privately for as long as you want. To the outside world you will remain Mrs. Beazley, my housekeeper. But I can't hide my love for you, eventually people will know but I'll do my best. Agree?"
Her heart swells at his declaration of love. She brushes her lips on his as their foreheads rest together. "Agree." They kiss longingly in the shadows, thunder rumbling far in the distance.