Schwartz's words made me feel alarmed.
'I wanted to talk to you.' When he said it so seriously, I looked at him, my lips parted in uncertainty.
"Hey, chill!' he said, but his expression was sober.
Now I was intrigued.
Shooing the kids over to Beatrice, I indicated the wide kitchen windows where I could sit on a chair and no one would be within earshot.
After I was comfortably settled, he perched on the counter, gazing at his hands for a long time.
I leaned my head back, folding my hands over my stomach. I was prepared to wait.
Taking a deep breath, he went into his recital bluntly.
'You do know that Delano is ... that he cares for you, right?' he began unceremoniously.
I scowled at him, my plump mouth thinning. As I made to stand up and move away, he gripped my wrist.
Staring at him, I looked down at the hard grip on my wrist. Schwartz had always been gentle, caring, and never the one to use brute force so I was startled.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sita Kumar tense. She unobtrusively moved to position herself closer to me. I could feel her tension and I realized with a shock that she was preparing to protect me.
I looked into Schwartz's green eyes which were now cold as hard emeralds.
'No, Proserpina. You have to listen.' He said and the earnestness in his voice came across.
I sat back down but stiffly. I knew that I looked as though I was about to take flight any moment now.
He shrugged his shoulders and stared at the floor...
'Lucien Delano had a dreadful childhood...' he began.
"Spare me the sob story,' I scoffed rudely, "My childhood wasn't fun and games either.'
***
When Schwartz turned and he looked at me, there was nothing humorous in his lean, intense face.
'That man cares for you, you silly cow!' he snapped.
I rose to my feet awkwardly, incensed.
"You call that caring? Sleeping with any and every female he sees. Drinking himself senseless? And for the haste with which he kept sleeping with anything that he could get his...'
I stuttered as I stopped. I could not bring myself to say the disgusting words.
Taking a deep breath, I went on.
"Sorry mate, ' I said, mimicking him, ' sorry but I ain't no idiot.'
My face flamed and I lowered my voice and hissed, leaning forward, my stomach pressing against the counter.
" A womanizer, forever sticking it into other women? I mean, come on!'
I was in no mood to listen to the Legends of Lucien Delano
I made to move away but he gripped my arm firmly.
"No little woman, YOU listen to me, 'he said in a fierce voice.
***
I stopped and stared at him. The gentle, laughing Schwartz had disappeared. This man had a similar expression to Lucien's; hard and unfeeling.
"Let me go!' I spoke in a low voice in fury and the women in the kitchen stopped to share in shock at him. Sita stepped up behind me and I felt her anger.
"Leave her. ' she said coldly ' Leave her NOW or I shall call the Boss.'
My kids scampered over. Ria had the rolling pin in her plump arms, ready to attack him. She stood in a ninja stance, probably influenced by the TV shows she watched, I thought and suddenly I felt like laughing.
The sight of the tiny tot preparing to defend me made my anger disappear. Shaking off Schwartz's hand determinedly, I smiled and hugged her to my waist.
***
Raising his hands in surrender, Schwartz said harshly, glaring at the angry faces in the room,
"I would never hurt Proserpina! I just want this thing between the Boss and this young lady to be resolved.'
I snorted.
And then, pleadingly,
"Proserpina girl, please listen to me. If you don't want to, don't do anything but the man is my friend and you are...'
He came to an abrupt stop. I thought for a minute and nodded my head.
"Ok,' I said, 'Alright.'
Now the women stepped back and I sat down.
Glaring at the handsome man before me, I said irritably,
"Oh go on then!'
Moving closer, so close that I could inhale the cologne he used, the dapper man that he was, he said in a low, urgent voice,
Can't you see, Proserpina?' he sighed in exasperation at the look on my face and went on,
' He doesn't know how to say it. He's never had a woman in his life he cares for.'
I rolled my eyes and mouthed,
'Seriously?'
But Schwartz snapped,' Damnit, he's never had feelings for a woman before.'
He spelled out the word slowly, his green eyes glittering with impatience,'
'F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S.'
I opened my mouth to retort that I wasn't exactly super experienced myself but the earnestness in his eyes made me stop.
And then he added, crossly,
"Fuc*ing a woman does not amount to love, and that's what he has been doing all along.'
As I shrank back in surprise at his crudity, he went on,
'He's trying to run away from you, trying to get over that feeling of wanting to be with you and these kids, HIS kids, all the time.'
Seeing my unimpressed face, he said angrily
, "Damn, Proserpina! You are like a drug for him, can't you see? The Boss is walking around like a f*cking addict! He wants you but he doesn't want to want you.'
I met his eyes as I asked, heatedly, sizzling with temper at being described as an addiction,
"Why did he come to Bhutan then? Why drag me all the way here and marry me? I never asked him to!'
"Don't you see?' He exclaimed in excitement, 'Delano was half a man without you. He couldn't survive. It's; a grand thing that Dmitri didn't come at him then, Delano would have given up without a fight!
I frowned my temper rising at the mention of a name I had never heard before.
'Dmitri? Now who's that? Another woman? A jealous husband who discovered that the Great Don was having a fling with his wife?'
"Ah, Lordie! ' he cried, smiting his forehead, and then in exasperation, he muttered,
"Nah, forget what I said, forget I came here. at all!!!'
And sliding down from the counter, he made to stalk off, his shoulders slumped.
Something about the way he was speaking, made me realize with a dawning realization, that just perhaps, I could be wrong too.
This time I stopped him. Shifting frantically on my stool, I grabbed his sleeve and looked up at him, pleadingly,
"What did you mean, James?' Please, tell me.' I said softly.
Sita had magically materialized beside me and I looked up in time to see a warning look on her face.
That only incensed me.
'Who is Dmitri?' I stormed, awkwardly rising from my seat as Beatrice came forward, tut-tutting in annoyance.
Pushing me back into the chair gently, Schwartz sank to his haunches at my feet and said gently, placing his hands on mine,
'Sweet Proserpina,' and his eyes were full of an emotion that had me stop and stare,
'Sweet girl, I know what you have endured. But forgive him. He's suffering. And there are threats to him. To his life. '
He took both my hands in his large, shapely ones and said, in a slow, sad voice,
'I made mistakes in my life. I lost the woman and the child I loved more than God's own earth.'
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
" Lucien did things for me, things that only a brother would do.'
He raised tortured eyes to me, pleading as he went on softly,
" He's a good man, but he's like a rough, uncut diamond. Give the man a chance, love.'
I opened my mouth to speak, but he placed a finger on my lips.
"SSSH, little one,' he said and the genuine affection in the words made me stop,' Life is too short to whittle away by playing egotistical games. You aren't this embittered woman in reality. I know. You love him. Now get on with your life before it's too late.'
He rose to his full height, towering over me.
Tilting my chin gently, almost lovingly, he studied my face
Then, moving away, thrusting his hands in his jacket pockets, he went on in a half-whisper, his face averted but I could sense the pain in him as he spoke,
"I had a woman I adored. Today I wish I had spent more time with her.'
Dropping his hand almost abruptly, he turned to leave and said, his deep dimples flashing once more as he spoke,
'Don't be too late to make a decision, pretty one.'
***
I relaxed but his words, the desperate effort he had made to try and make me understand seemed to make sense to me.