The SPECTRE Of The VATICAN ©

Chapter 24 - Flee to France.

Time: Present Day
Location: HereAfter

Carter and Amelia watched as Monique drove the family home in silence. She was thinking, plotting, she caught herself doing a lot of thinking lately. As soon as they got home Monique went straight to the mailbox and retrieved the bills and letters inside. Amanda saw a white satin envelope.

"Is that for me?" she asked her Mum.

"No!" was the stern reply.

"For Amelia then. I'll bet it's from Peter," Amanda guessed.

"No! It is not! Now get inside."

"Gee, no need to bite my head off!" Amanda cried.

"I'm still angry with you for upsetting Amelia at the hospital," Monique explained none too convincingly. She shoved the letter in her handbag and hurried inside just behind the kids.

Once inside Michelle met them in the kitchen where she was preparing dinner and said, "Oh, you're home already, how's Amelia?"

"She's fine. She'll be getting back to her old self in no time I hope. That's if some people stop upsetting her, eh Amanda."

"It wasn't my fault, she made me," pleaded Amanda.

"I've got no idea what you two were up to, but it was no good I'll wager, now go upstairs and freshen up for dinner. We are staying in tonight. We are going to let Amelia rest, aren't we Amanda? Besides, Michelle and I have a lot of planning to do, so you and your brother can find something to amuse yourselves with. I don't really care as long as you two stay out of our hair, got it Amanda?"

"Yes Mum I get it, you and Aunty Monique are going to take my twin from me. I get it and I don't like it, and neither will Amelia!" was Amanda's parting comment as she bounded up the stairs two by two.

"She's right you know, Amelia won't be happy about any of this," Michelle agreed.

"Do you think I want to send Amelia away?" Monique cried.

Michelle said, "She could stay here and have the baby you know. It's not the end of the world to have a pregnant daughter. It has happened a few times before you . . . I seem to recall a sister having a scare that she was pregnant when she was not much older than Amelia. That would have been frowned upon much more then, than it would be now, even in a Catholic country like France."

"That was different!" Monique argued." I had Jean then. We were in love from the time we met at school, and anyway, I wasn't pregnant was I?Amelia is!"

"Yes, but couldn't you handle it here. I am sure the Academy will hold over the offer of a place," Michelle offered.

"And how would she cope going over there with a baby. Would she even want to? I don't think so," Monique explained, "and there's Jean. Jean will convince her to have an abortion if she stays. They are very close, you know the story, father and daughter. He'll convince her. I don't want that on my conscience, do you? Even if he doesn't, Amelia will want to marry Peter, if he is willing and she keeps the baby, either way, my life, I mean, her life is ruined. No she must go to France, have the baby, adopt it out, come back and resume her music career. That is the only solution, that is what is going to happen. I'm going to see to it."

"Alright, if you've made up your mind, let's get to it. It's probably best to check with Don to see when Amelia will be well enough to fly. I'll talk to Margot and arrange to stay on here until she is ready to fly back with me if you like? But we still haven't tackled the problem of telling Amelia about the pregnancy, she may already suspect something is wrong if she hasn't had her period. But she might think that's something to do with her illness, and then there's Peter, what do we do about Peter? What do we tell her that would stop her trying to contact him when she finds out? It's very messy Monique, lying always is!" Michelle said sadly.