Taltos (Lives of the Mayfair Witches #3)(41)
Author: Anne Rice

“Do you want a reason to get rid of it?”

“No, absolutely not. There’s nothing on earth that’s going to make me get rid of it.”

“You’re certain?”

“How certain do I have to be?” Mona asked. “Rowan, this is a Catholic family. We don’t do away with babies. Besides, I wouldn’t do away with this baby no matter who the father was. And if it’s Michael’s, that’s all the more reason for everybody to be happy, because Michael’s part of the family! You really don’t know us so well, Rowan. You’re not getting it, even now. If it’s Michael’s baby … if it’s really there, that is …”

“Please finish.”

“Why don’t you finish for me?”

“No, I would like to hear you say it, if you don’t mind.”

“If it’s Michael’s, then Michael would be the father of the next generation that will inherit this house.”

“Yes.”

“And if the baby were a girl, I could designate it as the one to inherit everything, and … you and Michael could be its godparents and we could stand at the baptismal font together. We could stand there and then Michael would have a baby, and I’d have a father who I wanted for the baby that everyone will trust and love.”

“I knew you would paint a more colorful description than I would,” said Rowan softly, a little sadly. “That went beyond my expectations. You’re right. There are still things about this family I have to learn.”

“Color in St. Alphonsus Church, where Stella and Antha and Deirdre were baptized. And I think … I think they baptized you over there too.”

“That they’ve never told me.”

“Seems I heard it. Seems like something they would do.”

“There’s no chance that you might decide to get rid of it.”

“You gotta be kidding! I want it. I’d want any baby of my own, be serious. Look, I’m going to be so rich I can buy anything in the world, but there’s no substitute in existence for my own baby. I can make that happen only one way. Oh, if you knew the family more, if you hadn’t spent your life out there in California, you’d understand it’s not even a question, unless, of course…. But even then …”

“Even then?”

“Let’s worry about that when it happens. There must be indications, all kinds of little signs, if it’s abnormal.”

“Perhaps so. Perhaps not. When I carried Lasher, there were no signs until the moment came.”

Mona wanted to respond, to say something, but she was too deep in her thoughts. Her own child. Her own child, and nobody, I mean nobody, was going to shove her around anymore. Her own child, and she would have passed over into adulthood regardless of age. Her own child. Suddenly she didn’t think thoughts so much as she saw things. She saw a cradle. She saw a baby, a real live little baby, and she saw herself holding the emerald necklace and then she put the necklace around the baby’s neck.

“What about Yuri?” asked Rowan. “Will he understand about this?”

Mona wanted to say yes. The truth was she didn’t know. She thought of Yuri, quickly, sort of completely. He was sitting on the side of the bed that last night, and saying to her, “There are all sorts of very important reasons why you must marry among your people.” She didn’t want to think that she was thirteen and fickle. She realized suddenly that Yuri’s understanding about the baby was the least of her worries, the very least.

Why, she hadn’t even found out yet how they tried to kill Yuri. She hadn’t even asked if he was hurt.

“An attempt was made to shoot him,” said Rowan, “and the attempt failed. Unfortunately the assassin was killed by the person who foiled him. And the body won’t be easy to find. We won’t try to find the body anyway. We have a different plan.”

“Listen, Rowan, whatever your plan, you’ve got to tell Michael all this. You can’t just leave.”

“I know.”

“Why aren’t you scared that these bad guys will kill you and Yuri both?”

“I have a few weapons that are strictly my own. Yuri knows the Motherhouse completely. I think I can get into it. I can reach one of the very old members, one of the most trusted and revered. I need perhaps fifteen minutes with him to know whether this evil springs from the Order collectively, or from a small group.”

“Can’t be one person, Rowan. Too many people are dead.”

“You’re right, and three of their soldiers are dead. But it could be a very small group within the Order, or outsiders who have a connection within.”

“You think you can get to the bad guys themselves?”

“Yes.”

“Use me for bait!”

“And the child inside you too? If it is Michael’s—”

“It is.”

“Then they might want that more than they want you. Look, I don’t want to speculate. I don’t want to think of witches as some sort of rare commodity to those who know how to use them, of women in the family falling victim to a new species of mad scientist. I’ve had enough of mad science. I’ve had enough of monsters. I only want to end this. But you can’t go. And neither can Michael. You have to be here.”

Rowan pulled back the black silk of her jacket sleeve and looked at a small gold watch. Mona had never seen her wear this watch. Probably Beatrice had bought it too. It was delicate, the kind of watch women wore when Beatrice was a girl.

“I’m going to go upstairs and talk to my husband,” said Rowan.

“Thank God,” said Mona. “I’m going with you.”

“No, please.”

“I’m sorry. I’m going.”

“For what reason?”

“To make sure you tell him everything that you should.”

“All right, then let’s go together. Maybe you’re one jump ahead of me. You’re going to give him the reason to cooperate. But let me ask you one more time, Jezebel. Are you sure this child is his?”

“It was Michael. I can tell you when it probably happened. It happened after Gifford’s funeral. I took advantage of him again. I didn’t think about precautions any more than I had the first time. Gifford was dead and I was possessed of the devil, I swear it. It was right after that that somebody tried to get in the library window and I smelled that scent.”

Rowan said nothing.