She read the evasion in his eyes. "Can you promise me that in time Charles will be as good as new?"
Cornered, Ericsson was forced to concede: "I must confess the Prime Minister will have a slight but permanent limp."
"I suppose you call that a minor complication."
The doctor met her eyes. "Yes, madame, I do. The Prime Minister is a most fortunate man. He has no complicated internal injuries, his mind and bodily functions are unimpaired, and the scars will eventually fade. At worst he will require the use of a cane."
He was surprised to see her mouth tighten in a grin. "Charles with a cane," she said in a cynical tone. "God, that's priceless."
"Pardon, madame?"
The limp will be worth twenty thousand votes was the reply that ran through her head, but with chameleon ease she transformed her facial expression back to that of the concerned wife. "Can I see him?"
Ericsson nodded and led her to a door at the end of the corridor. "The anesthetic from the operation has not entirely worn off yet, so you may find his speech a bit vague. He will also be experiencing some pain, so please keep your visit as brief as possible. The floor staff has made up an adjoining room if you wish to stay nearby during his recovery."
Danielle shook her head. "My husband's advisers think it best if I remain at the official residence where I can assist in carrying on the duties of office under his name."
"I understand." He opened the door and stood aside. The bedside was surrounded by several doctors and nurses and a vigilant Mountie. They all turned and separated as she approached.
The smells of antiseptic and the sight of Sarveux's unbandaged, reddened and raw arms made her feel nauseated. She hesitated a moment. Then he recognized her through half opened eyes and his lips curved into a slight smile. "Danielle," he said, his voice slightly slurred. "Forgive me for not embracing you."
For the first time she saw Sarveux without the armor of his pride. She had never considered him vulnerable before and Could not relate the broken, immobile body lying on the bed to the vain man she had lived with for ten years. The waxen face tempered with pain was not the face she knew. It was like looking at a stranger.
Hesitantly, she moved in and kissed him softly on both cheeks. Then she brushed the tumbled gray hair from his forehead, unsure of what to say.
"Your birthday," he said, breaking her silence. "I missed your birthday."
She looked confused. "My birthday is still months away, dearest."
"I meant to buy you a gift-" She turned to the doctor. "He's not making any sense."
Ericsson shook his head. "The lingering effects of the anesthetic."
"Thank God it was I who was hurt and not you," Sarveux rambled feebly. "My fault."
"No, no, nothing was your fault," Danielle said quietly.
"The road was icy, snow covered the windshield, I couldn't see. Took the curve too fast and stepped on the brakes. A mistake. Lost control ..."
Then she understood. "Many years ago he was in an auto accident," Danielle explained to Ericsson. "His mother was killed.
"Not unusual. A drugged mind often takes one back in time.
"Charles," she said. "You must rest now. I'll be back in the morning."
"No, don't go." Sarveux's eyes looked past her shoulder to Ericsson. "I must talk to Danielle alone."
Ericsson thought a moment and then shrugged. "If you insist." He looked at Danielle. "Please, madame, no more than two minutes."
When the room was cleared, Sarveux started to say something, but then his body tautened in a spasm of pain. "Let me get the doctor," she said, frightened.
"Wait!" he moaned through clenched teeth. "I have instructions.
"Not now, my dearest. Later when you are stronger."
"The James Bay project."
"Yes, Charles," she said humoring him. "The James Bay project."
"The control booth above the generator chamber ... increase the security. Tell Henri."
"Who?"
"Henri Villon. He'll know what to do."
"I promise, Charles."
"There is great peril for Canada if the wrong people discover" Suddenly his face contorted and he pressed his head deep into the pillow and moaned.
Danielle was not strong enough to watch his suffering. The room began to spin. She put her hands to her face and stepped back.
"Max Roubaix." His breath was coming in short gasps. "Tell Henri to consult Max Roubaix."
Danielle could stand no more. She turned and fled into the corridor.
Dr. Ericsson was sitting at his desk studying Sarveux's charts when the head nurse entered the office. She set a cup of coffee and a plate of doughnuts beside him. "Ten minutes till show time, doctor."
Ericsson rubbed his eyes and glanced at his wristwatch. "I suppose the reporters are getting restless."
"More like murderous," the nurse replied. "They'd probably tear down the building if the kitchen didn't keep them fed." She paused to unzip a garment bag. "Your wife dropped off a clean suit and shirt. She insisted you look your best when you face the TV cameras to announce the Prime Minister's condition."
"Any change?"
"He's resting comfortably. Dr. Manson shot him with a narcotic right after Madame Sarveux left. A beautiful woman, but no stomach."
Ericsson picked up a doughnut and idly stared at it. "I must have been mad to allow the Prime Minister to talk me into administering a stimulant so soon after the operation."
"What do you suppose was in his mind?"
"I don't know." Ericsson stood up and removed his coat. "But whatever the reason, his delirious act was most convincing.
Danielle slipped out of the chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce and peered up at the resident mansion of Canada's leader. In her eyes the three-story stone exterior was cold and morbid, like a setting of an Emily BrontE novel. She passed through the long foyer with its high ceiling and traditional furnishings and climbed the wide circular staircase to her bedroom.
It was her haven, the only room in the house Charles had allowed her to redecorate. A shaft of light from the bathroom outlined a raised hump lying on the bed. She closed the door to the hall and leaned against it, a fear mingled with a warmth that suddenly ignited within her stomach. "You're crazy to come here," she murmured.
Teeth gleamed in a smile under the dim light. "I wonder how many other wives across the land are saying that very line to their lovers tonight."
"The Mounties guarding the residence."