Chapter 4

This picks up after episode 5.4. Hope you enjoy.

They stood there for some time, holding each other. He wished he could make it all go away. He could see the pain and grief the divorce, or there lack of, was causing Jean. She looked so excited and anxious when Mei Lin's letter arrived. She thought it would hold good news. Instead, it just held more frustration for them. The deflated look on her face after reading the letter squeezed at his heart. He hated seeing her dejected. There had to be some way to fix this quickly. Lucien broke the silence. "Everyone already knows that I enjoy a drink. It's not like…"

She pulled back to meet his eyes, interrupting him. "Lucien, you promised." Her voice carried a warning tone along with that look that always scared him into temporary submission.

"Okay, okay. You're right." Admitting defeat. For now. "How about a cuppa?" He asked her as he continued to rub her back.

"Yes, that sounds good." She gave him one last squeeze and they headed to the kitchen.

They were sitting at the table drinking their tea in silence when Matthew and Charlie walked in. Sensing the tension, Charlie exchanged pleasantries and excused himself to his room. Matthew decided to see if he could figure out if this was just a lovers' tiff or something more. He grabbed a cup, poured his tea and joined them at the table. He watched them for a bit. They were holding hands so they weren't upset with each other. Curious, Matthew started the conversation. "Tough day?" Eyes darting between Lucien and Jean.

Lucien gave a sad smile as he looked at Jean. He sighed and responded. "We received a letter from Mei Lin yesterday and our options for divorce are a bit…limited. We were just trying to mull it over."

Realization hit Matthew. "Ah."

"I suggested we use the excuse that I'm a drunk." That earned him a scowl from Jean.

Matthew shook his head. "Lucien, if you were to admit that, I'd have to fire you."

"I'd rather be fired and married to Jean than continue putting her through this."

Jean opened her mouth to speak but Matthew beat her to it, a bit louder than he intended. "So, you'd rather put her through everyone calling you a drunk and dealing with the backlash of that?"

Lucien stood abruptly and raised his voice. "Damn it, Matthew. There has to be a way to end this!" He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing.

Matthew understood his frustration but he also knew using his drinking was a horrible idea. Jean rose gracefully, walked over to Lucien, and put a hand on his forearm. She spoke softly, "We will find a solution. You have to be patient."

He put his hand on her cheek. "My dear, where you are concerned, patience is not my strong suit." They embraced.

Matthew felt like he was intruding, sitting there, watching them. They were perfect for each other but God help her, Lucien could be a handful. He struggled to get up from the table, which Lucien noticed. "We're going to be working on that tomorrow, Matthew. Getting up from a chair."

"I get up just fine, thank you very much." He began to hobble away. "Just sore from your abuse the other day." He continued to his room, yelling back, "Night, you two."

"Night, Matthew."

"Good night, Matthew." Lucien kissed Jean's forehead, letting his lips linger. "You should turn in as well. It's been a day."

"Yes, it has." She kissed his chin. "What about you?"

"I have some prep I need to do with patient files for tomorrow. I won't be long."

She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss, whispering, "Good night, Lucien."

"Good night, love." He watched her walk away and sighed. At his desk, he reread the affidavit over and over. This must be the way to go. This would be the fastest possible way. They can handle the backlash. It'll all blow over quickly. The important thing is they would be free to marry. He allowed desperation to win over logic, forgetting all about the promise he had just made to Jean. Maybe not forgetting, but definitely paying it no attention.

He finished up his work and headed to his room. He undressed until he was just in his vest and trousers. He needed to see Jean. He went to her room. Opting not to knock, he opened the door slowly and closed it behind him. She was on her side, back to the door. He tiptoed over to her bed. She felt the bed dip and turned slowly. He could barely make out her smile in the dark. "I know I already said good night but I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you."

She wrapped herself to his side, legs intertwining with his. "You say some of the sweetest things sometimes."

He stroked her hair. "Sometimes, eh?"

She laughed. "Indeed. Sometimes. I love you though."

He matched her laugh. "Okay, I'll take that. I love you too, Jean." He held her hand against his chest and rubbed her back soothingly with the other. She was out within minutes. He lay there awake for hours, content to listen to her breathing and feeling her draped over his body. He thought it had to be one of the best feelings in the world. It just reaffirmed his idea to submit his affidavit as is. It'll all be okay. Surely Jean will understand. Won't she?