foyer.”
“Perhaps,” Isaak said, liking that practical answer. “I must have seen it then.”
He took a call from the jeweller who had a couple of names of jewellers that they might want to look up.
“We could go to the library,” Kate suggested.
“If you had told me a month ago I would be married, I would not have believed you, and if you had told me I would be spending half my honeymoon in a library…”
“We can go out for coffee then.” Kate smiled, but she knew that the library had won.
*
Here she was in her element and Isaak watched as she pored through old books, making notes, barely looking up and he knew it would be almost an impossible ask to find out who his babushka ’s lover had been without her here.
“What?” Kate looked up from a book and smiled.
“Did you find anything?”
“If you ask me that again….” Kate rolled her eyes and got back to work but then frowned in irritation as Isaak broke a universal rule when his phone went off.
Kate wasn’t the only one frowning.
“Pardon,” Isaak said, but he did not turn his phone off, instead he answered it as he walked out.
“Hey,” Isaak said to his brother, “How are you?”
“Freezing,” Roman said. “Hungover.”
“So, you are good then,” Isaak smiled.
“No.”
Isaak stood in the hallway outside the reference section and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as Roman shared the reason he was ringing.
“I know that there have been a few false alarms,” Roman said. “But I really don’t think that he has much time, he’s asking for you.”
“I see.”
“You need to see him.”
“No, Roman, I don’t.”
“Isaak, listen to me. I was so angry with Ava, I still am. But when she was in intensive care, a nurse told me to try and put it aside, and it is the one thing, out of this whole sorry mess, that I am glad I did.”
“You haven’t forgiven her though.”
“I doubt I shall,” Roman said “But she died thinking I had. She had some peace.”
“I don’t want him to have peace,” Isaak retorted. “What peace did he bring to our mother? What peace did he bring to our lives? I have nothing that I wish to say to the man.”
He ended the call and looked up to see Kate walking out.
“We’re being thrown out.”
“Because of a phone call?”
“No, because it’s 9 p.m.”
They had both been so immersed they had completely lost track of the time.
“Wow,” Isaak said putting his arm around her shoulders as they stepped out into the night. “You could lose years of your life with this.”
“I have!” Kate said.
“Not lost.” Isaak kissed the top of her head. He was trying to speak normally but his heart was hammering. The thought of his father lying there old, feeble, and ill and asking for him had guilt tugging at his heart even as his mind insisted he owed that man nothing.
“We could climb it,” Isaak said pointing to the Eiffel Tower.
“No thanks,” Kate said. “I like my views from the ground up.” She looked at his pensive face. “What did Roman want?”
Isaak was not used to answering to anyone, and certainly this was news that he would prefer to process alone, but he pushed through it and answered. “My father is asking to see me.”
“If you want to cut short our time here…” Kate offered.
Isaak let out a breath of tension for a part of him was thinking the same thing and no, he did not want some tender deathbed reunion with a brute, who had made life hell.
“Maybe you should think about seeing him,” Kate persisted.
“And maybe you should stop trying to run my life,” Isaak snapped, but he regretted his harsh tone straight away. “Kate, you don’t know what it was like.”
“I know that I don’t.”
“And if you did, you would understand why I am not hopping on a plane.”
He did not want to think about his father. “These letters to Ivor when he was in the army, do you have them?”
“They’re in the safe in my office but I have copies on
“Perhaps,” Isaak said, liking that practical answer. “I must have seen it then.”
He took a call from the jeweller who had a couple of names of jewellers that they might want to look up.
“We could go to the library,” Kate suggested.
“If you had told me a month ago I would be married, I would not have believed you, and if you had told me I would be spending half my honeymoon in a library…”
“We can go out for coffee then.” Kate smiled, but she knew that the library had won.
*
Here she was in her element and Isaak watched as she pored through old books, making notes, barely looking up and he knew it would be almost an impossible ask to find out who his babushka ’s lover had been without her here.
“What?” Kate looked up from a book and smiled.
“Did you find anything?”
“If you ask me that again….” Kate rolled her eyes and got back to work but then frowned in irritation as Isaak broke a universal rule when his phone went off.
Kate wasn’t the only one frowning.
“Pardon,” Isaak said, but he did not turn his phone off, instead he answered it as he walked out.
“Hey,” Isaak said to his brother, “How are you?”
“Freezing,” Roman said. “Hungover.”
“So, you are good then,” Isaak smiled.
“No.”
Isaak stood in the hallway outside the reference section and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes as Roman shared the reason he was ringing.
“I know that there have been a few false alarms,” Roman said. “But I really don’t think that he has much time, he’s asking for you.”
“I see.”
“You need to see him.”
“No, Roman, I don’t.”
“Isaak, listen to me. I was so angry with Ava, I still am. But when she was in intensive care, a nurse told me to try and put it aside, and it is the one thing, out of this whole sorry mess, that I am glad I did.”
“You haven’t forgiven her though.”
“I doubt I shall,” Roman said “But she died thinking I had. She had some peace.”
“I don’t want him to have peace,” Isaak retorted. “What peace did he bring to our mother? What peace did he bring to our lives? I have nothing that I wish to say to the man.”
He ended the call and looked up to see Kate walking out.
“We’re being thrown out.”
“Because of a phone call?”
“No, because it’s 9 p.m.”
They had both been so immersed they had completely lost track of the time.
“Wow,” Isaak said putting his arm around her shoulders as they stepped out into the night. “You could lose years of your life with this.”
“I have!” Kate said.
“Not lost.” Isaak kissed the top of her head. He was trying to speak normally but his heart was hammering. The thought of his father lying there old, feeble, and ill and asking for him had guilt tugging at his heart even as his mind insisted he owed that man nothing.
“We could climb it,” Isaak said pointing to the Eiffel Tower.
“No thanks,” Kate said. “I like my views from the ground up.” She looked at his pensive face. “What did Roman want?”
Isaak was not used to answering to anyone, and certainly this was news that he would prefer to process alone, but he pushed through it and answered. “My father is asking to see me.”
“If you want to cut short our time here…” Kate offered.
Isaak let out a breath of tension for a part of him was thinking the same thing and no, he did not want some tender deathbed reunion with a brute, who had made life hell.
“Maybe you should think about seeing him,” Kate persisted.
“And maybe you should stop trying to run my life,” Isaak snapped, but he regretted his harsh tone straight away. “Kate, you don’t know what it was like.”
“I know that I don’t.”
“And if you did, you would understand why I am not hopping on a plane.”
He did not want to think about his father. “These letters to Ivor when he was in the army, do you have them?”
“They’re in the safe in my office but I have copies on
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