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"You sound like a proud father"

Kingsley winced Father of an eighteen-year-old girl? Possible, yes, but God, he couldn’t ier

"She’s a sweet girl That’s all," Kingsley said And then he asked a terrifying question "Do you want children?"

"I’ve thought about it Under other circumstances I would"

"Could you have them with him?"

She shook her head "He won’t allow it"

"Why not?"

"His daughters don’t know about rew up in his homeit would be a scandal Even for the French it would be a scandal I’ but the housekeeper to anyone but us He wants to keep it that way"

"You’ve asked, haven’t you? Asked if you could have children?"

Juliette visibly sed "I’ve asked, yes"

"And what did you do when he said you weren’t allowed to have children?" Kingsley asked

She raised her hands again They were still esley closed his eyes and exhaled He felt his heart crack like an eggshell

"Bastard," he breathed

"C’est la vie," she said

Kingsley stopped walking They were near his beach hut now

"I could help you," Kingsley said "I have money, too"

"And ould I do? Be your lover?"

"Of course"

"Be your property?"

"Not like you are now You’d have freedo his bed for your bed, his money for yourthe deed of ownership"

"It wouldn’t have to be like that"

"What if I left you?" she asked "What if I cheated on you? What if I betrayed you? Would you still take care of sley didn’t have a good answer to that

"What’s that English phrase?" Juliette asked "Better the devil you know?"

"I won’t leave Haiti without you," he said,the words more now than he had when he first said them

"Then I hope you love it here Because you will be here for a very long time"

"I suppose I will then"

She stood in front of hiry Don’t be hurt," she said "And don’t be afraid to leave me here I’m fine I won’t kill myself, I promise"