Lucian's Children

CHAPTER 10 PART 2

“So, am I my dear…they are so little, so precious and so beautiful, but already they have by far surpassed their peers, yet would not as yet be accepted by their intellectual equals, who would most likely be intelligent young adults… what life could that be for young children?”

“I wish I knew what to do Mom…”

That night as I sat with my children in their room, I asked Marcus whether he could again try to contact his father. Until then I had found it difficult to believe that Marcus could ‘speak’ to his father, but that night I wanted and needed to believe him.  I needed help and advice and all afternoon something Marcus had said had resonated with me. Marcus said his father would understand as they were like him…

Like before the children sat on either side of me, took my hands and closed their eyes. As I felt their hands stiffen in mine, I started a conversation in my mind. I asked Lucian for his help and guidance, begged him to return to us…then I heard it…

“I’ll come…soon.”

I do not expect anyone to believe me and for days afterwards I did not truly believe it myself, but it was Lucian’s voice I heard, the very same deep baritone with a distinctly British accent.

I woke up the following morning feeling sluggish and introspective and remained that way for another two days.  The children seemed to understand and did not demand much from me yet stuck close to me. They watched me constantly and seemed more caring and almost over-protective, fetching and carrying, touching and hugging me constantly.

Finally, towards the weekend I decided to pull myself from the semi-trancelike state and get some things done, like buying Marcus new trousers and Mary new shoes. Before I could however make plans for a shopping trip, the telephone rang and as I was the closest, I picked up the receiver and was stunned when I heard Mr. Henderson’s voice on the other end.  I had been so concerned for my children and so confused after hearing Lucian’s voice that I had completely forgotten about Mr. Henderson.

“Ms. Marks, are you there?”

“Uh… yes…I am listening…any news?” I knew I sounded like an i***t and tried to focus.

“Ms. Marks, I have some bad news and some good news.  I have been unable to trace or gain any new information with regards to Mr. Lucian Grey, no birth record, no tax returns filed in that name over the last ten years, no travel record or passport issued in that name… knowing that he had travelled from Great Britain to the United States I find it hard to believe that I cannot trace a passport having been issued in that name, however, as I was about to accept that Mr. Grey was not your…uhm…not his real name, I had a call from my colleague who is helping me on this case, telling me that he found records of a young marine who had given the name Lucian Grey as next of kin. The fact that these records show that this Lucian Greys works as a mechanical engineer in Manchester leads me to believe that we are onto something here. My colleague is on his way to the marine’s base as we speak, and I am about to leave for Manchester in the next hour or so…”

I did not know what to say to Henderson. Part of me was desperate to find Lucian and another part of me afraid of what I was going to find and learn when we did. Finally, I got my breath back.

“Thank you, Mr. Henderson.  I am really anxious to hear from you again…” was all I could muster under the circumstances.

Replacing the receiver, I felt my knees buckle under me and I had to sit down for a while. My mother found me there.

“Margot, you look like you have seen a ghost.  Come, let us go into the kitchen, make some tea and you can tell me about it.”

I followed my mother into the kitchen.  My father and the children were doing the breakfast dishes but one look at my face and dear old Dad ushered the children out the back door.

I told my mother about going to see Henderson and about his call.

“But that is good news, isn’t it?”

I could not bring myself to tell my mother about what I had experienced with the children, so I had to think fast.

“Yes Mom, it is, it is just that after all this time it comes as a shock that perhaps in a day or two, we’ll know more about Lucian and his whereabouts and although that is exactly what I had wanted, now that the time has come there are so many things I have to consider..."

“It will be all right, I am sure of it.” My mother patted my shoulder and passed me my tea.

I finished my tea, called the children, had them dress warmly and together the three of us took the train into London.

It felt strange, almost like we were three characters in a movie.  There was this sort of anticipatory silence between us, like we were waiting for something to happen, something we were not yet ready to talk about.

 We found Mary a nice pair of pink padded Wellingtons and Marcus loved a pair of camouflage pants with a multitude of sewn on pockets.

Neither of us felt like going home, but we did not feel up to doing touristy things either. Finally, I bought a bag of fresh croissants, fruit and freshly squeezed juice and we had a quiet picnic in Hyde Park.

“Mommy, what did you and Granny talk about this morning?” Mary looked at me and the seriousness in her little face had my stomach in knots. I did not want to get their hopes up yet again, but I did not intend lying to them either.

“I wanted to spend more time with you, so I came up with the idea to employ a private detective to look for Daddy instead. He is a good man with a good reputation. He called this morning, and he may have a lead on your dad’s family. I really do not want you to worry about anything or to get your hopes up.  We’ll wait for Mr. Henderson to call us in the next few days, and we’ll take it from there. Agreed?” Both children nodded solemnly.

It was nearly four thirty when we caught the train back to Wycombe and already the train was filling up with people on their way home from work. My children sat stiff and quiet all the way back.