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Date Posted: 10:53:47 08/16/08 Sat
Author: Hannah (shorter than usual... sorry)
Author Host/IP: port145.dialup.bfree.on.ca / 66.207.116.145
Subject: Northern Woods, Chapter 156
In reply to: Hannah 's message, "Northern Woods" on 09:32:57 08/07/08 Thu

Chapter 156

In the meantime, Madeleine was standing between Michael and Claire, while Veronique stood defiantly to the one side.

Veronique’s parents were whispering in her ear, alternately chiding her for her childish antics and urging her to apologize to Michel. She steadfastly shook her head in the negative, maintaining both her refusal and her silence.

An unrepentant Claire was also standing near her family, while friends and admirers fussed over her. There was no apparent condemnation in their attitudes for her earlier actions, and that made Michael even more upset.

“Madeleine… step aside. I’m going to handle this personally.” Michael growled, trying to move around his legal determined counsel, but with no success.

“Non Michel. Calmé toi!” Madeleine said firmly as she crossed her arms against her breasts and glared at him stubbornly.

‘Mon Dieu… his temper is formidable! He’s so angry he’s shaking! I can’t blame him for being mad though. That witch was totally out of line and letting him loose on her would serve her right.’ Madeleine thought as she watched the pent up rage behind her client’s eyes in awe. ‘However, as his legal counsel, I can’t let him do that. He’d open himself to a lawsuit in response!’

“Madeleine!” Michael hissed in frustration as he glared at his attorney and repeated his demand. “Step aside. That’s an order!”

“Michel… non!” Madeleine stubbornly hissed back as she raised her face defiantly, while noting the fury in her client’s eyes. “I know you’re upset, and I don’t blame you one bit for feeling that way. However, this is not the solution.”

“What is the solution then?” Michael demanded hotly. “Tell me!”

“Not until you calm down.” Madeleine repeated stubbornly.

“It’s not going to happen…” Michael hissed back, “and you know why.”

“Yes, I know precisely why.” Madeleine retorted. “Claire attacked Nikita and you’re furious.”

In response, Michael’s jaw set harder and he nodded his head in the affirmative.

“And what, may I ask *would* you do… that is, if I *allowed* you to get to Claire?” Madeleine asked sarcastically.

“The hell with security tossing her out… I want that pleasure personally!” Michael retorted sharply, oblivious to his attorney’s taunting tone. “It’s what that bitch deserves.”

“It may be what she deserves Michel.. on that point, I agree with you totally.” Madeleine replied. “You’re angry and you have every right to be. However, as your lawyer, I can’t allow you to do something you’ll regret later. As difficult as it’s going to be for you to accept my advice on this matter, you must listen!”

“And what is it that you wish to say to me Madeleine?” a still angry Michael shot back.

“I know you’re angry…. And I don’t blame you. However, as hard as this is for you to hear, you need to calm down.” Madeleine replied quietly.

“Angry? You’re damned right I’m angry.” Michael hissed. “That bitch attacked Nikita!”

‘Angry? Oh wow, is that an understatement!’ Madeleine thought in amazement. ‘Claire’s lucky I don’t step aside… he’d kill her! He’s acting like a wild-man right now! And is it any wonder? His *mate* has been attacked!’

“Yes, I know.” Madeleine replied, hoping that her client’s anger would soon dissipate.

“I’m not going to regret this…. and I don’t want to calm down. I want some revenge.” Michael shot back heatedly. “Nikita deserves that.”

“Nikita wouldn’t want revenge Michel.” Madeleine replied softly, staring directly into his green eyes and seizing on that comment in an effort to make him see reason. “You know that as well as I do. She’s a lady and she wouldn’t want you to do something rash like that because of her. Right now you’re so upset that you’ve forgotten that. That’s why you need to calm down.”

Michael shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, Madeleine was relieved to see that his emotions appeared to be more under control and his ire seemed to be cooling.

“You’re right.” He retorted now in a subdued voice. “Nikita would be ashamed of me if I did something like that in a fit of temper.”

“Precisely.” Madeleine replied, relieved that she seemed to be breaking through his rage. “Nikita will expect you to act like the gentleman you normally are. Even over this. What you need to do is calm down, and then we’ll tackle this situation rationally.”

“All right.” Michael replied in a calmer voice. “I’ll try, but it won’t be easy.”

“I’m sure it won’t.” Madeleine replied in relief. “I know you love her and this situation must make you furious. I’d be furious if I were you too. I’m only asking that you try.”

“It’s not just Claire and Veronique that I’m angry with right now Madeleine. It’s Claire’s family too!” Michael elaborated angrily. “How can they come here and accept my hospitality and not be upset with her antics? Even if they’re not my friends, I thought they at least respected me more than that! Do they think what she did was right? She was wrong, damn it! She had no right to treat my wife that way! None of them do!”

“Michel!” Madeleine hissed insistently. “What Claire did was inexcusable and I agree with you totally.”

“I want to throttle her, Madeleine.” Michael ground out between clenched teeth in the softest voice he could manage due to his present fury. “How dare she assault my wife! Kita tried to get me to let them both stay. She wanted to reason with them!”

“I’m sure she did.” Madeleine replied quietly in swift response to Michael’s statement. “It wouldn’t have been possible though. Nikita meant well, but it was hopeless as soon as she arrived in the room. They would not have welcomed her because they saw her as an usurper to your affections. Reason wouldn’t have accomplished anything.”

‘Why did he invite either of them? It was not a good idea for either of them to have been here in the first place!’ Madeleine thought resignedly. ‘What did he think would happen if his ‘old paramours’ were in the same room with Nikita? Did he think they’d civilly accept her? Right! There was no a chance in Hell of that happening. Not with those two bitches anyway!’

“My affections?” Michael echoed incredulously as he stared at Madeleine in utter disbelief. “You mean my money, don’t you? Neither of those tramps ever cared about me. My parents loved me… and Nikita and Adam do… but I don’t think anyone else has.”

“I agree, Michel… those two have never cared about anything other than their own wants. I’d be a fool if I were to argue otherwise.” Madeleine said quietly.

‘I know these two…. and I know him.’ Madeleine thought wearily. ‘He wouldn’t have listened to me on this so he had to find out the hard way. I’m just sorry Nikita had to be the one to suffer for his misjudgment! I can just *hear* his rationale… he probably thought he had to include them because of their parent’s ties to his company! How utterly ridiculous! Talk about setting up and lighting a powder keg! Men! Sometimes, they haven’t a shred of common sense! Normally he does… and if he’d bothered to consult it, he would have known that inviting these two was just asking for trouble! Women don’t normally separate their feelings… *especially* feelings of betrayal from business concerns. Neither of them would have reacted positively to Nikita’s presence no matter what! Their past behaviour shows that they have no sense of decorum at the best of times! This time their antics went too far! Claire especially! She assaulted Nikita… it’s that simple.’

“Right now however, as your attorney and your friend I am advising you to keep quiet and stand perfectly still, do you hear me?” Madeleine continued softly. “Chuck has already called the police and they’re on their way. I’m advising you to press charges of assault against Claire and let Veronique be escorted to her car by security. Do not do or say anything else… d’accord?”

“Okay, I’ll do what you ask.” Michael said as he took in another deep breath, hoping to calm down. He knew he had to regain his control. “But first I have to go to Nikita.”

“No, you don’t.” Madeleine replied firmly as she continued to stand her ground. “Lakeisha and Chuck’s sister Marie are with her. They’ll help Nikita and bring her back to the party as soon as they can.”

“Marie Leconte?” a surprised Michael questioned. “She’s here?”

“Yes, she is. It’s Chuck’s birthday tomorrow, remember? She always comes to Montreal to celebrate it with him. Or had you forgotten that?” Madeleine replied with a gentle smile. ‘Poor man… he *knows* this. With all that’s happened lately though, it’s understandable that he’s forgotten!’

“You’re right. I had forgotten.” a now stricken looking Michael mumbled, stricken now with remorse. “I’d forgotten it was his birthday tomorrow too. What kind of a friend am I?”

“You’re a good friend Michel, and a good man.” Madeleine countered gently as she patted his shoulder consolingly. “Chuck knows you’ve been under a lot of pressure and that you’ve been distracted by your marriage and everything that’s happened with your former life. I doubt he even knows you’ve forgotten his birthday… or that it would bother him if he did.”

“Still… he’s my friend. My best friend. I should have done something for him. I should do something.” Michael trailed off as he numbly let his attorney steer him towards an empty table.

“Shhh Michel.” Madeleine crooned consolingly as she led him towards one of the tables. “You can think of something to make it up to Chuck later. In fact, I know you will. That’s just the way you are.”

Gently Madeleine pushed Michael down into a chair and then pulled up one beside him. After she sat down, Michael tried to rise up again, only to have her gently tug him down once more.

“S'asseoir ! (sit down).” Madeleine commanded gently, as her earlier impatience with her client fled completely. “You’re upset mon ami, and you need to calm down.”

“Madeleine… no…. this is wrong. I need to go find Nikita. She needs me.” Michael objected. “She’ll be upset…”

“No.” Madeleine said, cutting off his protests firmly. “I know you love her Michel, but right now what she needs is the affection that girlfriends give. She already knows you care. What you’re going to do is have a cup of coffee with me and wait for your wife to return to the party.”

“Madeleine…” Michael began again in protest, even as a waiter appeared in front of him in with that beverage in response to an earlier request from Madeleine and sat it before them on the table.

“She will return, won’t she?” Madeleine asked gently, while she kept her concerned brown eyes fixed to her client’s and took a tentative sip of the hot aromatic brew in her porcelain cup.

“Yes, I think she will.” Michael replied quietly. “She’ll come back for me if for no other reason.”

‘The lace dress…’ Michael thought, shutting his eyes briefly in relief at having the foresight to buy that garment. ‘It’s a good thing I bought that dress…and left it with Lakeisha. Oh I hope she won’t be mad about it! She’s been through enough tonight!’

“Cela est bon. (That’s good.) Michel? Do you trust me?” Madeleine asked, interrupting his swirling thoughts as she sat down next to him and stared intently into his green eyes; stroking his arm softly.

‘He’s trembling!’ Madeleine realized. ‘And he’s too pale right now. He needs to calm down!’

“Of course.” Michael automatically replied as he registered the silent plea in his friend’s brown eyes. “But what…”

“If you do, then do what I ask.” Madeleine said simply. “You must know by now that I’m your friend and I’d never tell you to do anything that I felt would reflect poorly on you.”

“Yes, I know that.” Michael said, “It’s just that…”

“I know, Michel, I know.” Madeleine interrupted consolingly. “You love Nikita and you’re worried about her. I understand that. However, she’s not alone… she’s with Lakeisha and Marie right now. She’s known Lakeisha longer than you and if anyone can help her right now, it’s her. She’ll be back soon Michel. Trust in that.”

“I’ll try Madeleine.” Michael reluctantly replied after sighing deeply. “It’s not going to be easy though.”

“I never thought it would be Michel.” Madeleine replied in relief. “However it is the best path. Trust me.”

“I do Madeleine.” Michael said simply. “There’s not many people I do trust, but I know I can trust your advice.”

“Merci mon ami.” Madeleine whispered in a sigh of relief. Then she quietly began drinking her own coffee once more.

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