Chapter 31

"Hmmm…what? Oh Mouse…no Father, or at least I don't think he's been up to anything new. I haven't seen him at all today."

"So what is it that is on your mind then?" Father was not giving up that easy.

Mary smiled from across the table, "Could it have anything to do with a certain young lady?"

"What ever would give you an idea like that Mary?" Father questioned with a shocked look.

"Well he has been mooning around like a young man in love," she responded with a knowing grin.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Father exclaimed. "Vincent, tell her that she is mistaken!"

Vincent gave a start at the sound of his name and looked from a smiling Mary to Father who was clearly waiting for a response to something Vincent had not heard. Carefully Vincent replied, "Yes Father, of course you are right."

"You see Mary!" Father crowed in triumph.

Mary simply sat there knowing Vincent had no idea what he had just agreed to and in her mind that just proved her point.

Vincent had been pacing in his chamber for an hour waiting for the sun to go down. Even though there were no windows or clocks to tell him the time, Vincent knew when the shadows were growing longer and unable to wait another moment he swung his cloak on and headed for the drainage tunnel in Central Park.

Remembering how Vincent had loved lighting her scented candles, Catherine had dimmer her apartment lights and began to light her them. A knock on the front door when she was only halfway through stopped her. Knowing it had to be Jenny, she went to the door to let her friend in.

Jenny had been about to greet her friend when she glanced over Catherine's shoulder and saw how dim the candlelit apartment was. "Why in the heck is it so dark in here?" she asked as she stepped through the door and flipped on the light switch on the wall.

"Because Vincent's eyes are sensitive to electric light," Catherine replied turning the switch back off. "If you give me a couple minutes, I was lighting more candles."

"He's sensitive to light? What is he a mole?"

"If in the strictest sense, you mean someth…one that lives under ground, then I guess I could answer 'yes'," Cathy told her.

"Huh?" Jenny questioned.

"I told you that Vincent was special that…"

Jenny interrupted her, "I know…I know…you want me to be nice to him because you think you might be in love with him even though I know…"

This time it was a knock on the balcony doors that interrupted what was being said. Catherine's heart jumped in fear that Vincent might have heard Jenny's comment, but he had knocked on the bedroom set of doors. As she rushed to answer it she tried to reassure herself that even Vincent's hearing couldn't be that good!

Vincent had felt Catherine's dread that followed his knock and wondered if this meeting was something she was regretting setting up.

She searched his face as she opened the door trying to tell if he had heard. Vincent saw this and his doubts grew. Before she could greet him he said, "Catherine if you have thought better about this meeting, I could simply turn around and leave."

"Oh no Vincent! I want the two of you to meet!" she assured him.

"Then why were you feeling dread as I arrived?"

"I was only worried that Jenny and you wouldn't get along," she lied quickly.

Vincent's heart fell. She had never lied to him before and he wondered why she felt the need to do so now. What was it that she was trying to keep from him?

"Please come in," she begged, as she tugged on his hand. "Jenny is in the living room…"

"Are the two of you ever going to get in here or do I need to come in there to meet this guy Cath?" Jenny's voice called out from the other room.

With an amused glance at Vincent, Catherine explained, "Jenny has never been known for her patience."

"I heard that! And you know my answer has always been…that if I wanted patients, I would have become a doctor!"

To be continued….