Conquest

Joan Stephens

Vivian had retreated to the safety of the tunnels when her last conquest had turned into a stalker and threatened her. As the child of a helper, she was given sanctuary until it was safe for her to return Above, and the first time she met Vincent she knew that he would be her next conquest. So, she had ‘set her cap for him’ as her mother would have said. She set about to win him for herself and found inventive ways to be around him. She had never failed in a conquest and that was exactly what they were: conquests. When she had them firmly tied to her, she quickly tired of them and left them brokenhearted. A hunter of love, the challenge was the enticement that drew her.

The conquest of Vincent became all the more alluring when Catherine returned. She had been gone for a month on an exchange program with the Houston, Texas DA’s Office. Vivian happened to witness their first meeting. At first, they just stood and stared at each other. Humpf, she thought, some romance. Then suddenly they rushed together in the most passionate embrace she had ever seen. She definitely had her work cut out for her.

She became Catherine’s friend, always happy to see her, always around when she needed someone to talk with. And in this way she found the weapon that she needed to pry Catherine out of Vincent’s arms and heart: Vincent’s apparent inability to believe that Catherine could really love him. He had placed her on a pedestal, needing to adore her from afar, and Catherine was growing tired of it.

Never blatant, Vivian played on Catherine’s uncertainty as to her position in Vincent’s heart and in the community. Slyly, the hunter would insinuate that Catherine had no place in the world Below and, therefore, could have no logical reason to expect to remain forever in Vincent’s heart.

She tried to alienate the couple by always being with him when Catherine was away. And when Vincent was on a work detail, she would work beside him. Catherine would never dirty her hands by grubbing in the dirt, but she would, proving to him that she was the right woman for him. Even as she professed her deep affection for Catherine, she made sure that the young attorney would ‘accidentally’ find them together, hugging, even if she had to initiate it.

She dropped subtle hints about what she and Vincent had done while Catherine was away for that month or when she was Above. Subtly, she brought up to Vincent how Catherine would never consent to live Below, how she was only playing at loving him, that she would leave him when the going got too rough, or she found someone else more suited to her station in life. She’d poison his mind against the woman, and she was smart enough to do it too. She’d honed her skills with her other conquests. Catherine was no match for her.

*

One day as she confidently swaggered through the corridor on her way to Vincent’s chamber, she was stopped by the sound of voices coming from within. Catherine was with Vincent, and they were chuckling over some comment that she had made. "I agree, Catherine, you only have to look at Jamie to see that she has realized that Mouse is more than a boy. Now if we can just get him to realize that he has become–all unbeknownst to him--an adult and that love is waiting for him, all Jamie’s problem’s will be solved."

Ask me, Vivian thought, I can tell you what to do.

"That’s the problem and Father’s no help. He continues to treat Mouse as if he’s a mischievous child caught with his hand in the cookie jar." Catherine quietly laughed in amusement at the picture her words had painted.

"Maybe if I have a talk with him I can get Father to see that Mouse has become a man."

"Good luck," Catherine commented. "Speaking of looks, have you noticed how Vivian looks at you?"

Gasping with shock, Vivian took a step backwards. Did she really want to hear what they had to say?

"I’ve noticed that she is everywhere I go, and she makes some very strange comments," Vincent answered. "Just what are you implying?"

"I’m not implying anything; I’m stating a fact. She can’t keep her eyes off you. I think she has designs on you."

Squirming in embarrassment, the hunter mused, Maybe she wasn’t as clever as she thought.

"Does that worry you, Catherine?" he purred.

"Not in the least. I know you’re mine just as I’m yours," Vivian heard and, peeking around the corner, saw them flow into an ardent embrace.

"I love you," Vincent whispered as he lowered his mouth to the lips of the woman he held in his arms.

"And I love you," she replied when they broke apart.

Vivian couldn’t accept what she heard; she had never failed. She wondered where she had gone wrong. It never occurred to her that she was in the presence of a deep and abiding love that nothing and no one could separate.

She jumped when she felt hot breath on her ear as someone sidled up to her and gloatingly whispered, "It didn’t work, did it?"

So intent was she on overhearing what the lovers said that she hadn’t heard Rebecca’s approach. "What?" Vivian asked, spinning around to face her.

"Separating Catherine and Vincent."

"I’m sure I don’t know what you mean," Vivian sniffed as she pulled herself up and away from the candlemaker’s gloating presence.

"I’m not the only one who was aware of what you were trying to do. People have been talking about you for weeks. Haven’t you noticed the cold looks directed your way? You weren’t as cunning as you thought."

Vivian wilted. "I don’t understand. Everything I tried failed."

"You really don’t know why, do you?" Rebecca asked, pitying her.

The other woman looked at her blankly.

"They are connected; they have a bond."

"Bond? What are you talking about?"

"They are connected in such a way that they know what the other is feeling. There is no way that you could have convinced either one that they weren’t loved by the other."

"Well, I tried hard enough." She shrugged an elegant shoulder and then added, "I had no idea what I was up against. I thought that I had lost my touch."

"No, they’re just a force unto themselves that no one can stop."

Catherine’s voice interrupted their little tête-á-tête, "Rebecca, is that you?"

"Yeah, Vivian’s here too." The other woman glared at her as if she wanted to throttle her.

"Come in." Vincent requested.

Rebecca gleefully hurried in, but not wanting to face them and needing to get away as fast as she could to salve her wounded pride, Vivian stopped in the doorway. "I really can’t stay; I’m supposed to help with dinner tonight."

"Oh, then we won’t keep you," Vincent said. "By the way, what is William conjuring up tonight."

"I don’t know, but it’ll probably be very tasty," Vivian replied, trying, and not succeeding, to act as natural as possible. She spun around and almost darted away. She could hear Rebecca’s amused laughter follow her through the tunnel.

Vivian was so irate that she thought that steam must be spewing from her ears. Surely those she met on her way to the kitchen could see how angry she was, but they passed her by with only a cold stare or a smothered smile. They knew! Did everyone know? Apparently, yes. All along they had known and let me make a fool of myself. Why hadn’t someone warned her? Rebecca, Lena, or even Catherine. It would have saved her a lot of embarrassment.

Suddenly her anger dissipated as a feeling like a cold shower swept over her. She deserved what she got, and she realized that she wasn’t a very nice person. And it devastated her. It never had before; so, why the change now? In a blinding flash of insight, she knew. Suddenly she felt small and sordid, like a dirty little whore. Like a tramp, she had used all the men she had ever professed to love, used their submission to bolster her own lack of confidence in her abilities to search for and to find true love, her inability to give herself wholeheartedly in love to another.

At dinner that night, she noticed for the first time the icy stares and cold shoulders she received when she came out of the kitchen. As she looked for a place to sit, Catherine approached her. "Could we spend a little time together later tonight? I would really like to talk with you."

"I don’t know, Catherine. I feel so rotten about what I tried to do. Is there anything to say?"

"I think so. You are my friend and I hate to see you unhappy. Maybe together we can put this in perspective."

"All right. I’ll ask William if I can be excused from kitchen duty. Don’t count on it. You know how he is."

Catherine laughed, "Yeah, I’ve had to do my share too. Would you like to talk here or in my apartment?"

"I think I’d like the privacy of your place."

"Ok," Catherine agreed. "I’ll see you there then." With a sincere smile, she returned to Vincent’s side. Vivian found a seat at a corner table and ate her lonely dinner.

*

Catherine was in the kitchen preparing the tea when there was a knock on the door.

"Hi," Vivian said when she opened the door.

Motioning the other woman to a seat on one of her love seats, Catherine returned to the kitchen, returning with a silver tea set. Setting it on the coffee table, she settled into the opposite small sofa.

Glancing around the apartment, Vivian said, "Wow! This is a beautiful place."

"Thanks, it’s all right."

"You have all this, but you’d rather spend your time in a cool, dark hole in the ground?" The young woman was finding it hard to understand why she would.

Handing the other woman a brimming cup of herbal tea, Catherine said, "My heart isn’t here; it’s Below."

Sipping at the hot tea, Vivian set the cup and saucer on the coffee table. "And you’d give up all this if he asked?"

Catherine shrugged. "He is my life," she stated simply.

Vivian bowed her head. "I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble."

"And I’m sorry if we hurt you with our casual comments. We meant nothing unkind by them."

"I know. You know the old expression: ‘Eavesdroppers hear nothing good about themselves.’ I learned that I’m not a very nice person."

"Oh, I wouldn’t go that far," Catherine demurred, trying to ease the other woman’s distress.

"I would." Vivian replied firmly. "I’ve learned my lesson. I’ve seen what real love is all about, and I’m ashamed of all the pain I’ve caused: to you and all those before you."

"Maybe you can find them and apologize. I hear it’s good for the soul."

"I’m going to give it a try. To do that I think I need to return Above. I’ve made a sufficient fool of myself." Vivian smiled grimly. "Rebecca made that plain enough."

"She has always looked out for Vincent. She’s like a sister to him."

"Yeah, that’s one thing I don’t understand. Here’s this gorgeous hunk of man down there–a little different, that’s true--and none of the women even think of him as a lover? Are they blind or something?"

With a merry laugh, Catherine said, "Oh, not all of them think of him as a brother or a son. Have you ever seen the way Lena looks at him?"

"Come to think of it, she does kind of gaze at him like a love sick cow. What did you do, have to fight her off with a stick?"

"No, we had a similar conversation to this. Poor Vincent was really distressed when he thought that he had hurt her. He feels the same way about you. He doesn’t want to lose any of his friends."

"Am I his friend, Catherine? Really?"

"Of course, unless you prove yourself otherwise."

"Well, haven’t I?" Vivian answered sadly.

"No." Catherine reached across the coffee table to lay a comforting hand on the other woman’s arm. "You were just headed in the wrong direction."

"Yeah . . . well, I’m going Below to apologize to Vincent, and then I’m going to get a good night’s rest. I’m going to be very busy for a while."

"You don’t have to apologize to him. He knows how you feel."

"How can he? He’s not here." Vivian objected.

Catherine smiled at her and said, "The bond."

"You mean he can read your mind?"

"No, but he can feel my emotions. And what I’m feeling now will tell him all he needs to know about you."

"Well, I’m going to apologize anyway. Let’s call it practice." She nodded her head soberly but with a gleam of laughter in her eyes. "And I’m going to get a lot of practice."

Chuckling, Catherine rose and escorted Vivian to the door. "I’m sure it will get easier the more you do it."

Standing in the open doorway, the other woman said, "I certainly hope so. Thanks, Catherine, for being so understanding. I hope I can count you as one of my few friends." Impulsively, she hugged the other woman.

Startled, Catherine returned her embrace, patting her soothingly on the back. "Of course, you can. If you need any help here Above, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do." Standing in the doorway, she watched Vivian strut down the hallway to the elevator. Thinking to herself that the swagger would never go away, she closed the door. Vincent would be coming soon after he had graciously accepted Vivian’s apology. She hurried into the bedroom to prepare for the coming evening.

Fini