One Step Ahead William stared at the disaster area which, just a few hours earlier, had been his bedroom. For a moment, he thought something very terrible must have happened – a robbery or the like; what other explanation was there for the contents of Julian’s dressing room to have so thoroughly spilled over into their shared space? – but then he heard the click of a camera from the dressing room and was thoroughly distracted by the bizarre sight of his wife photographing a dressmaker’s dummy wearing a combination of the real woman’s clothes.
“Sweetheart?” he called out uncertainly.
“Hi,” called Julian back. “Just a minute – “ She snatched a hat off the head of the dummy and picked up a heavy white enamel bracelet studded with gold and brightly-colored cabochons. “Do you think this is too light to go with this dress?” she asked.
“I have no idea, sweetheart,” said William.
“Hang it – I’ll just stick it on there and hope the expert says something about it,” said Julian, putting the bracelet on the mannequin.
“Expert?” asked William, in a tone of not-quite-controlled dread.
“Charlie – you remember Charlie, right? School friend of mine? I’m sending him pictures of some things to ask if I’m right about how they go together, hopefully he won’t be too busy being bitchy about other fashion students….” Julian made a face as she finally actually entered the room William was in. “Apparently Miss Meeks – “ this was said in a tone which quite cancelled out the technical honorific – “is studying clothes, which would be helpful since I have to go see her so often anyway, but she’s just starting out and I haven’t decided if I like her or not yet anyway.”
This was a mild description. William had rarely seen Julian in such a temper as she had been after she’d found out about the latest addition to John’s living arrangements – though predictably, Julian had been angrier at Miss Meeks (for existing) and at Joe (for not somehow magically making John stop doing the thing, or in this case apparently person, Julian would rather he not do) than at John (the person actually engaging in the behavior which offended her). William had to hand it to his second-to-least-favorite brother-in-law – he had played a very bad hand very well. Julian had far more often than not treated him like spun glass ever since she got him back, apparently afraid he’d vanish again if she took her eyes off him for too long or raised her voice once too often. William decided to ignore this, as Julian and John’s relationship frankly disturbed him and he avoided thinking about it too much. Of course John wasn’t really Julian’s brother, there was that, and the first months of William’s marriage had been dull enough that he could believe Julian had been a virgin when they got married, which was a great comfort to his mind, but still…It was just peculiar, whatever it was.
“Why do you need so much help putting your clothes together, sweetheart?” he asked. “Surely you haven’t been doing this all along and I just now noticed?”
“No,” said Julian. “But there’s so many seasons now and I don’t even know half the time what should go with which one and I’ve set it up so I get photographed next month – it has to be plausible for people to say something nice about it if I make the caption. I don’t think I will, I think it’ll focus on Abby Maugham, but still – I will be in the photograph.”
“I see,” said William.
“One good thing, I got a note back from the Pierces – they appreciated our congratulations on the babies – “
“The whos?”
“Americans – I went to school with Thaddeus and Alicia, they were the heads of the school that year the teachers disappeared, and they got married right after that. Now they’ve had twins, both little boys, and since Alicia’s brother is the person Bertram wants to set up with Lenore….”
“Nobody really expects that to happen, though,” said William.
“No, but they’re both well-connected and absolutely terrifying, so either way, I’d rather they thought about me and you as nice people first, hm? Stay a step ahead of that either way.” Julian shoved aside a coat and flopped down on her side of their bed. “I was thinking – when do you think you’ll have the new bill drafted and ready for a press conference? I want to have a party for your office staff after that – that should make people like you, don’t you think?”
“I suppose so,” said William, moving shoeboxes so he could sit down on his side as well. “Sweetheart, don't you think this is all a little much?” he asked. "I hardly see you when you're not knee-deep in this anymore."
“Go big or go home,” said Julian cheerfully. “But are we talking weeks or another couple of months before you’re done with that? I’d really rather get it all done as soon as we can….”
“What’s the rush?” asked William.
* * * * * * * *
William kept his face straight in front of his wife. He would, for the remainder of his life, be proud of himself for that. He said the right things, he kissed her, he even smiled. Then, as soon as he convinced her to have a nap and worry about which bracelet went with which dress later, he collapsed.
He paced up and down in front of Lenore’s desk, running his hands through his hair and trying to think straight. Lenore, infuriatingly, showed no signs she even knew he was there, lying on her sofa with her back propped up by cushions and her book propped up on her knees – or at least did not until he stumbled on the rug and swore out loud, nearly hysterically.
“Something wrong, Will?” she asked finally, turning another page of her book.
“Yes,” said William. “And it’s as much your problem as it is mine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” said Lenore.
“That stupid ----- is pregnant,” said William.
Lenore looked up as William – the actual words having hit him like a blow to the stomach; saying it out loud made it real – sank into the chair nearest her sofa, trying to not throw up on the rug. Lenore’s dark eyes, behind the big, round tortoiseshell glasses she wore when reading in bed or on sofas, were wide with surprise, but her tone was even as she said, “You’re going to have to be a little more specific before I decide if I have a problem with it.”
“Julian,” said William shortly.
Lenore closed her book slowly. “You have a problem, anyway,” she concluded.
“We both do,” snarled William, rising to pace again. “Unless you’re willing to murder your infant cousin – “
“Which I’m not,” said Lenore, sharply, half-sitting up. She glared at William over the glasses. “You and I have both done some pretty screwed-up things in our day, but we’re not monsters, Will.”
“Oh, shut up. Sanctimoniousness doesn’t suit you.” He ran his hands through his hair again. “There's no way out now," he said slowly, adjusting to the idea. "I can't see any way out of it now. How could this happen?”
“I think that’s a conversation you should probably have with Algy or your father instead of me,” said Lenore, sarcastic again, reclining on her pillows again. William glared at her. “Oh, come on – you can’t actually be surprised that your little goody-two-shoes Catholic wife doesn’t know how not to have a baby. I’m just amazed it hasn’t happened already – unless she’s too much of a prude to give it up with any regularity. Is that why you’ve been in such a bad mood for the past year? I’d wondered.”
“Shut up!” snapped William, rising and striking the desk with his fists as an alternative to doing the same to her. “How did we get here?” he asked as he collected himself. “We were never supposed to get here – I was supposed to have left her by now.” He ran his hands through his hair again. “How did she think of it?” he asked in despair. “How did it ever occur to her to set up her financial arrangements….”
Lenore stared off into the middle distance for a moment. "I suppose she just got one step ahead of you, Will," she said, and he had no better answer.