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Chapter 14
They were not after Julia; they threatened her to hurt and demoralize Mason. They succeeded, so the
second part of their plan went smoothly. They let him save Matt, and so Mason went away with his
kidnappers without a slightest noise or protest. Julia knew it as well as if she had seen it with her own eyes.
Of course CC was having a hard time now, with all those suits and courts, without Mason's inventive brain,
silver tongue and (whatever CC would accuse his son of) boundless devotion.
Days were passing, day by day lost in the velvety hot darkness of the night. Matt was growing, as well as
Julia's belly, and there was no Mason.
He phoned her, twice. A distant voice, strangely husky; many pauses. She could have thought he was drunk
if she had not known better. He told her he was delayed.
'Julia...'
She jumped up. His voice again. She was hallucinating, she knew. She was just missing Mason so much;
they had had so little time together.
His voice. Mason never called her by any tender nickname, never used any term of endearment; his voice
made her name a caress. His eyes made her feel he was touching her, with love.
Julia sighed and sat up on her bed. She could not sleep. Still another sleepless night; not too good for a
pregnant woman.
*
Whatever CC thought of Mason he would not let his first grandson stay away. So he took him from Cruz and
Eden's house and would not let Julia have him; Matt was taken to the Capwell mansion.
The first time Julia came there she had to fight to see the boy. She was not quite prepared for this.
CC opened the door himself. "Ms Wainwright?"
"Mr Capwell."
"How can I help you?" His voice was ice-cold.
"I want to see Matt."
"Why?"
Julia hesitated for a moment. "I promised Mason I would take care of his son."
"Are you going to check whether my grandson is getting enough food and sleep?" CC asked mockingly.
"No, Mr Capwell. I'm going to come and give him some l o v e," Julia snapped.
CC glared at her; she saw it struck home. The words might have seemed familiar; well she never concealed
she was from Mason's camp in this war.
"So Ms Wainwright," CC said haughtily, and from his tone Julia could tell he was about to say something
extremely nasty and insulting. She interrupted, "If you please - I'd rather sit down."
Her pregnancy was evident already, and she counted on CC's recalling he was the host here. He did. "Oh,"
he said. "Please--"
"And can I see Matt?" she smiled.
CC took her to the nursery. The little one smiled broadly when he saw Julia and heard her cooing. He
reached out to her. CC was watching them gloomily.
Julia stepped aside and sat down into a comfortable armchair. Immediately, Matt started complaining. "I'm not
allowed to lift any serious weight," Julia said apologetically. "If you'd be so kind - could you take Matt here,
please?"
CC did that, and Matt got to playing happily in Julia's lap.
"Afraid to loosen your grip, Ms Wainwright?" CC said with sarcasm.
"No," she argued. "I just - love Matt. And Mason. Does that seem so improbable to you?"
CC sat down and crossed his arms on his chest. "Ms Wainwright. There's no use trying to convince me you
love my son. He is a cold, manipulative, scheming liar. As to your motives--" he made a pause heavy with
unvoiced accusations.
Julia felt she could explode. She did not get too insulted for herself; she just felt she could not betray Mason
by not arguing with his father. But what was the use of arguing with him now, could she prove she knew
Mason better than his own father (which she thought she did)?
"Mr Capwell," said she looking him in the face. "Mason is nothing like this. If you care to know, I dislike lies as
much as you do. Can I be frank with you?"
CC nodded coldly.
"I--"
It was harder than she'd thought. She hugged little Matt to herself for support.
"I wanted a baby desperately. I went through lots of tortures for this, but without success. By the time we -
got close with Mason I had given up the idea. I believed I was infertile. I don't think you know how it feels.
And when I got pregnant, I was as shocked as Mason."
Julia bit her lip. "I do not want you to think I trapped Mason with this baby. Now, by that time I had fallen in
love with Mason. I love your son dearly, Mr Capwell, not because he's given me the baby when I had given
up hope; not because he has never reproached me for this. Just because--" she paused. "You do not know
your son, Mr Capwell, if you'd forgive me. He's not cold, he's very loving and very sensitive. He can be
manipulative and - cynical, but he would do anything, anything to help the ones he loves."
"He would do anything to ruin the ones he hates," CC grumbled. "And the only person Mason loves is
himself. ... Not that he does not hate himself, into the bargain."
Julia was angry; but she had had experience dealing with Mason's similar reactions, and she could see the
pain behind the harsh words.
"You are wrong," she said earnestly. "Mason's got a loving heart, only he's trying to conceal it, in order not to
get hurt. He's really vulnerable. He loves his family, his mother," (CC winced), "and his son, he loves his
siblings, and he loves you."
"Oh, and this is why he did what he did?"
"He did nothing to harm you. Didn't Cruz tell you I was kept hostage in my own house?"
CC nodded reluctantly. "He did."
"It was a part of one great scheme against you - AND Mason. And whereas you stay here to fight in court,
Mason is out there in great danger."
"I don't believe it. I don't believe a word you're saying. You yourself wanted frank, Ms Wainwright; I don't trust
you."
"Ok," said Julia. She did not care too much. "Back to Mason. Do you believe Mason loved Mary?"
CC stirred. "Mary... yes, he did. But Mary, Ms Wainwright, she was - there's no one like her. And when he
lost Mary--"
"...he did not lose a heart full of love," Julia completed.
"Ah, Ms Wainwright," CC snapped. "Do you hope to take Mary's place?"
"No. It'd be impossible. But I've got my own place in Mason's heart, whether you like it or not."
CC eyed her. "Ms Wainwright, you're - different from what I thought you to be," he acknowledged. "IF - If
you're sincere now, take care, you'll be hurt. Mason's not like what you're painting him, and you'll be hurt
when he walks out on you."
Julia shook her head. "These arguments are fruitless," she pointed out gently. "Anything can happen
between a man and a woman, and I won't say we'll live happily ever after. All I know is that Mason is really
determined to give it a try. He did not have a good role model - I am sorry, Mr Capwell; neither did I. But we
shall do our best."
She'd said it all, so she concentrated on Matt. Much to her surprise, CC was keeping silent.
"Good luck, Julia," he said after a long, long pause. "My son is not a godsend."
"What makes you think I am?" said Julia quickly.
CC laughed, and Julia laughed with him. She felt it was a unique achievement.
They were not after Julia; they threatened her to hurt and demoralize Mason. They succeeded, so the
second part of their plan went smoothly. They let him save Matt, and so Mason went away with his
kidnappers without a slightest noise or protest. Julia knew it as well as if she had seen it with her own eyes.
Of course CC was having a hard time now, with all those suits and courts, without Mason's inventive brain,
silver tongue and (whatever CC would accuse his son of) boundless devotion.
Days were passing, day by day lost in the velvety hot darkness of the night. Matt was growing, as well as
Julia's belly, and there was no Mason.
He phoned her, twice. A distant voice, strangely husky; many pauses. She could have thought he was drunk
if she had not known better. He told her he was delayed.
'Julia...'
She jumped up. His voice again. She was hallucinating, she knew. She was just missing Mason so much;
they had had so little time together.
His voice. Mason never called her by any tender nickname, never used any term of endearment; his voice
made her name a caress. His eyes made her feel he was touching her, with love.
Julia sighed and sat up on her bed. She could not sleep. Still another sleepless night; not too good for a
pregnant woman.
*
Whatever CC thought of Mason he would not let his first grandson stay away. So he took him from Cruz and
Eden's house and would not let Julia have him; Matt was taken to the Capwell mansion.
The first time Julia came there she had to fight to see the boy. She was not quite prepared for this.
CC opened the door himself. "Ms Wainwright?"
"Mr Capwell."
"How can I help you?" His voice was ice-cold.
"I want to see Matt."
"Why?"
Julia hesitated for a moment. "I promised Mason I would take care of his son."
"Are you going to check whether my grandson is getting enough food and sleep?" CC asked mockingly.
"No, Mr Capwell. I'm going to come and give him some l o v e," Julia snapped.
CC glared at her; she saw it struck home. The words might have seemed familiar; well she never concealed
she was from Mason's camp in this war.
"So Ms Wainwright," CC said haughtily, and from his tone Julia could tell he was about to say something
extremely nasty and insulting. She interrupted, "If you please - I'd rather sit down."
Her pregnancy was evident already, and she counted on CC's recalling he was the host here. He did. "Oh,"
he said. "Please--"
"And can I see Matt?" she smiled.
CC took her to the nursery. The little one smiled broadly when he saw Julia and heard her cooing. He
reached out to her. CC was watching them gloomily.
Julia stepped aside and sat down into a comfortable armchair. Immediately, Matt started complaining. "I'm not
allowed to lift any serious weight," Julia said apologetically. "If you'd be so kind - could you take Matt here,
please?"
CC did that, and Matt got to playing happily in Julia's lap.
"Afraid to loosen your grip, Ms Wainwright?" CC said with sarcasm.
"No," she argued. "I just - love Matt. And Mason. Does that seem so improbable to you?"
CC sat down and crossed his arms on his chest. "Ms Wainwright. There's no use trying to convince me you
love my son. He is a cold, manipulative, scheming liar. As to your motives--" he made a pause heavy with
unvoiced accusations.
Julia felt she could explode. She did not get too insulted for herself; she just felt she could not betray Mason
by not arguing with his father. But what was the use of arguing with him now, could she prove she knew
Mason better than his own father (which she thought she did)?
"Mr Capwell," said she looking him in the face. "Mason is nothing like this. If you care to know, I dislike lies as
much as you do. Can I be frank with you?"
CC nodded coldly.
"I--"
It was harder than she'd thought. She hugged little Matt to herself for support.
"I wanted a baby desperately. I went through lots of tortures for this, but without success. By the time we -
got close with Mason I had given up the idea. I believed I was infertile. I don't think you know how it feels.
And when I got pregnant, I was as shocked as Mason."
Julia bit her lip. "I do not want you to think I trapped Mason with this baby. Now, by that time I had fallen in
love with Mason. I love your son dearly, Mr Capwell, not because he's given me the baby when I had given
up hope; not because he has never reproached me for this. Just because--" she paused. "You do not know
your son, Mr Capwell, if you'd forgive me. He's not cold, he's very loving and very sensitive. He can be
manipulative and - cynical, but he would do anything, anything to help the ones he loves."
"He would do anything to ruin the ones he hates," CC grumbled. "And the only person Mason loves is
himself. ... Not that he does not hate himself, into the bargain."
Julia was angry; but she had had experience dealing with Mason's similar reactions, and she could see the
pain behind the harsh words.
"You are wrong," she said earnestly. "Mason's got a loving heart, only he's trying to conceal it, in order not to
get hurt. He's really vulnerable. He loves his family, his mother," (CC winced), "and his son, he loves his
siblings, and he loves you."
"Oh, and this is why he did what he did?"
"He did nothing to harm you. Didn't Cruz tell you I was kept hostage in my own house?"
CC nodded reluctantly. "He did."
"It was a part of one great scheme against you - AND Mason. And whereas you stay here to fight in court,
Mason is out there in great danger."
"I don't believe it. I don't believe a word you're saying. You yourself wanted frank, Ms Wainwright; I don't trust
you."
"Ok," said Julia. She did not care too much. "Back to Mason. Do you believe Mason loved Mary?"
CC stirred. "Mary... yes, he did. But Mary, Ms Wainwright, she was - there's no one like her. And when he
lost Mary--"
"...he did not lose a heart full of love," Julia completed.
"Ah, Ms Wainwright," CC snapped. "Do you hope to take Mary's place?"
"No. It'd be impossible. But I've got my own place in Mason's heart, whether you like it or not."
CC eyed her. "Ms Wainwright, you're - different from what I thought you to be," he acknowledged. "IF - If
you're sincere now, take care, you'll be hurt. Mason's not like what you're painting him, and you'll be hurt
when he walks out on you."
Julia shook her head. "These arguments are fruitless," she pointed out gently. "Anything can happen
between a man and a woman, and I won't say we'll live happily ever after. All I know is that Mason is really
determined to give it a try. He did not have a good role model - I am sorry, Mr Capwell; neither did I. But we
shall do our best."
She'd said it all, so she concentrated on Matt. Much to her surprise, CC was keeping silent.
"Good luck, Julia," he said after a long, long pause. "My son is not a godsend."
"What makes you think I am?" said Julia quickly.
CC laughed, and Julia laughed with him. She felt it was a unique achievement.