Maw. You are a lot like my mawmaw." He paused and looked from Marianne to Luke and back, "Poppi used to have Granny Lisa, but she died. Poppi was very sad for a long time and everybody was worried about him. But, now he is happy again and you are here. Does that mean you my Granny Marianne?"
Marianne did not look up to see the six pairs of eyes blinking furiously, nor did she see Luke's eyes spilling over. She focused totally on the child's question and said softly, "No. I am not your Granny. Grannies are part of the family. I am a really, really dear friend. I love your Poppi very much and, now that I have met you and your family, I think that I shall love you all, too. You could call me Miss Marianne if you want or you could make up some funny nickname like people do in the South."
He beamed and said, "Yeah, Maw Maw has all kinds of friends with funny made-up names. I have one for you."
"What will you call me?"
"Biz."
"Biz? That's interesting. What does that stand for?"
"Promise you won't laugh."
She shook her head, "You know perfectly well I'll laugh. That the point of a nickname, it's supposed to be funny. What does Biz mean?"
"It means, the Biscuit Lady!"
The entire room erupted in hoots and howls. The laughter gave everyone the excuse to wipe away the residual tears without embarrassment, but then Lucas threw everybody another curve. He started to walk back to his picture. Just before resuming his work he looked up at Marianne and said, "You know, Biz, I like you a whole lot and I wish you really were a part of our family."
Marianne's eyes filled with tears and she said, "Thank you." She swallowed hard and stood up, intending to head for the kitchen in order to bring out the pies. She looked around and saw every head in the room nodding. She didn't dare look at Luke. She hurried into the kitchen to compose herself.
Marianne came back with the dessert cart bearing traditional American pumpkin and pecan pie, contributed by Marianne, and a pumpkin and chocolate torte that Marie-Claire had invented, and which nobody touched. They ate dessert and then the rest of the family walked back to the Inn to pack and prepare to leave the next morning. Paul and Lucas had originally planned to stay on for a few days after Christmas, but Paul had received a phone call on Christmas Eve that required him to return to Chicago immediately after Christmas.
Luke and Marianne kissed them each good-night at the back gate. They stood there in the moonlight listening to the voices recede and finally fade as they entered the inn. Soon the chill drove them inside. Luke asked if she wanted an Armagnac She smiled and said, "It seems the last time you gave me Armagnac you took advantage of me."
He said, "And then you broke my heart."
She said, "Maybe we should drink something else."
He grinned, "I would agree except I happen to love the stuff. I think we should give it another shot. What do you say?"
She smiled and nodded. While he was pouring the drinks she sat biting her lower lip. He noticed and said, "That will give you chapped lips. Knock it off."
She stood up and said, "While you're doing that, I want to change. I'll be right back."
Luke leered at her in a joking way and said, "Are you going to slip into something more comfortable?"
She mumbled, "Something like that."
He poured the brandy and set the glasses on the coffee table in front of the love seat. Then he went to find Chantal in the kitchen. He thanked her profusely for her efforts during the holiday and handed her an envelope that she knew without opening it would contain an outrageous cash Christmas bonus. She planned to take off at least a week to spend with her family. He wished her Happy New Year and told her he would look forward to seeing her in a couple of weeks. She asked, "Will you be here or back in LA?"
He said softly, "If things work out as I hope, I will be here."
Tears came to her eyes. Gordes was her home. She longed to move back there full time. If Luke made it his primary residence she could do so. She also knew that if he took up permanent residence in Gordes it would be because he wanted to shelter Marianne from the busy-ness of LA. She said, "I will call you in approximately ten days to find out where you will be."
"Very well."
He kissed her cheek and returned to the living room. He stopped in the doorway. Marianne was sitting on the love seat in the same pink dress she wore on her birthday so long ago. She was wearing the pearl-and-cameo necklace, as well. The dress still fit perfectly, perhaps a little better because she was thinner. Her breasts were a little less full than they had been, her hair was gray (which actually looked fabulous against the pink silk) and her neck was a bit saggy. Luke did not notice any of results of time and age; he was so in love with her he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She patted the seat beside her and he sat down, as much to keep from falling down as anything else. She leaned close to him and said, "I thought and thought and thought about what to give you for Christmas. You have everything. There is nothing material I could buy you or make for you that you don't have or couldn't buy for yourself. So, I decided to give you the only thing I have that you might possibly want. I ran away from you before because I was afraid and because I believed you were not really ready to settle down. What I'm giving you now is me. I'm not going to run away again. The only thing I have to offer you is myself. Now. Tomorrow. Forever, or," she paused and then continued with a ragged voice, "at least until you don't want me any more."
He took a moment to compose himself and then said, "Well, then, I'm guessing I can quit worrying about whether or not you will accept the gift I have for you."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box containing a large but not ostentatious diamond solitaire. He opened it, held it out for her to see and said, "Marry me."
"Oh, Luke, you don't need to go that far....."
He put his hand over her mouth and said, "Shh. I do need to go that far. I love you and I don't want to lose you again. I never want anyone to look at you the way that bitch who is married to Braddock Austin looked at you. I bought this the next day and have been carrying it around in my pocket waiting for the opportune moment to give it to you. This evening it cannot have escaped your notice that every person in this room, including even Paul, agreed with Lucas that we should be a family. This will make that happen."
She looked at him for a long time until she was certain that he was serious. Then she nodded, and he slid the ring on her finger.
They took a only couple of sips of the brandy before going to bed. Marianne laughed about the fact that the most beautiful dress she had ever owned kept ending up in a heap on the floor. Luke buried his face in her hair and said, "I think we should retire that dress after tonight. It has more than served its intended purpose."
The next morning, they walked over to the Inn for breakfast. No one heard them come in the back door; they paused in the doorway. Their combined children and grandchildren were already filling their plates from the breakfast buffet. The French contingent made do with croissants and coffee. The Americans tucked in to eggs, bacon and toast (Marie-Claire didn't even attempt biscuits) with an assortment of local jams and jellies. The group joked, laughed and made wise-cracks as though they were a family with a long history of inside jokes, not a collection of folks who'd only met a few days before. The merging of their families had already begun. Luke and Marianne wrapped their arms around each other and lost themselves in the joy they felt at being together in the presence of the people they loved most.
Madeleine noticed them first. She looked at them, cocked her head to the side with her eyebrows raised, and then grinned. She said loud enough to quiet the group, "Why do I think you two have some kind of announcement to make?"
Marianne beamed and Luke blurted, "Because we do."
He walked over to Lucas and chucked him under the chin saying, "I owe you a debt of thanks, Sport. Someday you'll understand why." Then he walked back to Marianne and put his arm around her. He said, "It should come as no surprise
to you that I am not about to let this woman get away again. We are going to be married. We have not worked out details about when or where, but we will be married as soon as it can be arranged....."
Anything else he might have been about to say was drowned out by the commotion as Luke and Marianne were rushed by the rest of the family and smothered with hugs and kisses and exclamations of joy.
Luke and Marianne originally planned to go to the airport in Marseilles to see the kids off, but Christiane suggested they say their goodbyes in Gordes. Marianne whispered to Luke that perhaps the kids needed some time together to process the announcement they had sprung. He agreed.
After a long, noisy and very festive breakfast, Luke and Marianne bade farewell to their children and grandchildren in the driveway of the inn. After that, they returned to Luke's empty house.
He put in a call to his attorney in Paris to ask about the French marriage requirements. The attorney explained what was necessary in the way of residency requirements and documentation. Luke howled when the attorney mentioned the need a 'certification of celibacy'; he said with his reputation he would never be able to get that. The attorney explained that it really only meant a certification that neither of them was already married.
Luke wanted to be married before the Academy Awards in February. The attorney said they would be cutting