A Bordeaux Dynasty: A Novel Read Free

assailed him, jumbled and powerful, troubled him deeply. He would have recognized Jules’s gait anywhere in the world. Jules marched through life with long strides—keeping up with him had always been difficult. Jules stopped in front of the Porsche and smiled.
    “Hey, Doc,” he said, his voice drawling and affectionate.
    Robert took the last two steps separating them. They didn’t hug each other or shake hands. They just stood there.
    “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” whispered Jules, as he turned toward the vines. “Nothing has changed since the last time you were here.”
    Robert rested his hands on Jules’s shoulders and shook them.
    “Hey, little bro …”
    Jules looked at him for a second, then set his eyes on the Porsche.
    “Still a car fanatic?”
    Robert pushed him toward the door on the driver’s side. They hopped in and Jules pulled away.
    “Is everyone sleeping?” Robert asked.
    Jules nodded and stopped the Porsche at the front steps.
    “I’ll park it in the garage later,” he said as he got out of the car. “You want to go to sleep or eat something?”
    Robert stretched his arms, went up three steps and said, “Coffee first, if you have any.”
    They slipped inside the house quietly. In spite of the semidarkness, Robert recognized the hall’s heavy and austere furniture. He ran his fingertips along a tapestry, a familiar gesture he’d forgotten all about. Together, they pushed the kitchen door open. Jules turned on the lights, and Robert naturally sat in his old spot on one of the benches.
    “I’m glad you came,” Jules said, setting two mugs on the table.
    Aurélien’s voice startled them.
    “That car outside, is it a sign of economic success or early dementia?”
    Standing in front of a window, Aurélien was looking at the Porsche. He turned to his sons, smiling.
    “We haven’t seen you in a million years. I’m happy you’re here.”
    Unlike Jules, Aurélien didn’t know the exact reason for Robert’s estrangement, and he assumed it had to do with his career.
    “So, that hospital of yours finally let you take a break? And you’re here until harvest? Your room is all made up.”
    Though fatherly and benevolent, with those few words Aurélien was establishing his natural authority. Robert felt like a kid again and, for a moment, didn’t think about Pauline.
    The dreaded encounter took place later that morning, on the terrace, where the family had gathered for breakfast. That’s where Robert found Pauline and Louis-Marie. He overcame his initial hesitation and made himself go over to them. His older brother sprang to his feet right away. Pauline, much more at ease, flashed her brother-in-law a dazzling smile, wanting to thank him for coming.
    She’d gone to see him at the hospital. She’d found the courage not only to make an appointment under a false name, but to approach him without embarrassment or false shame.
    Many years ago, when he was a very young man, Robert had been quite the skirt chaser. Everything was going his way back then: His career as a surgeon was off to a terrific start and he had great success with the ladies. Satisfied with his short-lived affairs, he’d driven many women crazy and made a lot of enemies among his rivals. From a good family, elegant, charming, Robert had for a long time cast his superb green eyes on the world with the indifference of a spoiled child. Then he’d met Pauline and fallen madly in love with her. Dazed, he experienced with her a love story he thought would last forever. Until Louis-Marie came on the scene.
    Robert vividly remembered that dinner at his brother’s. Robert and Louis-Marie saw a lot of each other then, and Robert couldn’t wait to introduce Pauline to him. The evening had been a catastrophe, as Pauline and Louis-Marie had liked each other at first glance. In spite of a fifteen-year difference in age, they seemed to be made for each other, and they’d flirted in an obvious, provocative, relentless fashion.