After finishing their meal and clearing up, Pierre, Daniel, and Fabrice make their way back to Pointe Pierre to work on the boat and prepare it for fishing tomorrow. Florence suspects they might also pay a visit to The Sharktooth or one of the other bars by the waterfront. Lusette remains behind with the girls.
Reluctantly Marise allows herself to be dragged down to the doctor's office by Florence, she seems at least a little mollified when Laurent offers to walk them both there.
------
The doctor's surgery, the only one in town, is a largely unpainted wooden building with steps climbing up to the open air waiting room at the front. There's a simple hand painted sign that reads 'Dr Louis Clermont, General Physician'. Entering the waiting room it is empty except for a plump middle aged woman with a cheerful smile, Simone Valcin, the receptionist.
Simone looks concernedly at Marise then back to Florence, 'Not busy at all.' She gets up and opens the inner door to Dr Clermont's office, shouting in 'Marise Lavigne is here, Doctor.'
Without waiting for a reply she says to Florence'Go right in, please.'
Laurent stands to go with them but one sharp look from Simone and he sits back down.
-----
At his desk sits Dr Louis Clermont. A tall and distinguished man in his sixties. He motions Florence and Marise to sit down in the simple wooden chairs opposite the desk. 'How is my favourite patient?' he asks Marise.
Laurent can hear what's being said in the consulting room pretty clearly through the half closed door
"She has been having headaches and blackouts," Florence says.
Marise didn't say blackouts, but it's one way she might not remember things she's done without presuming her to be a liar. Florence wants to see how Marise responds before elaborating.
Marise looks askance at her mother but doesn't immediately disagree with her, just sits stiffly in the chair. Instead she says 'I have been having headaches, and they're getting worse, I have them most of the time now.'
Dr Clermont looks at her with concern, 'You are not the only one to be having such experiences recently. And these blackouts...'
'...I'm not blacking out really, just losing track of time.'
'Do you go anywhere in particular?'
Marise purses her lips but eventually answers, 'Anse Douce.'
'And what do you do there?'
'Nothing, just look at the sea.'
-----
On one wall Laurent can see a framed certificate hanging. It's written in French and appears to be a medical degree from Paris in the name of Louis Clermont, dated 1913.
"We've... found clothing there, all bundled into one place," Florence says. "Different people's, all together, including Marise's. But then it makes me concerned when she does not remember meeting anyone..." [Despite having called Marise a liar earlier, in front of a stranger, Florence prefers to express it as if Marise is being honest]
Clermont narrows his eyes and looks closely at Marise, his expression oddly avian, like an owl. He sighs, leaning back in his swivel chair and clasping his hands behind his head. He points at the picture on the wall behind him. In the middle of an otherwise blank expanse of varnished wood hangs a large hand-painted map of the Caribbean, including the Bahamas and the east coast of Florida. 'Une patient préféré, a favourite patient of mine painted this because, dans ses mots, my office was depressingly drab and needed cheering up.'
'You were right, and it does cheer up my office. You were always the brightest girl in the Ecole Dame Marie, so vibrante, so enjouée.'
Although clearly a fluent Creole speaker, Clermont speaks in a slightly affected way, quite formal and using a lot of words from French.
He pauses for an uncomfortable minute then says, 'Marise, did you know that your teacher, Mademoiselle André, she rents my old place, the one down that little side road by the school. We get talking sometimes. She's told me about how you've changed recently, she says your grades have been falling off, and you've become indifférente.'
He turns to Florence and says, 'I don't know what's going on down in Anse Douce, but I'd say it is being used by some people in a way it shouldn't be.' He waves one hand in the air, 'Tu sais comment à Paris... He pauses and looks her up and down. 'Well no, no you wouldn't would you. But à Paris the ideas of Monsieur Freud have had some influence. He talks of the connection between le corps et l'esprit, the physical and the mental. I suspect there is some connection between Marise's physical symptoms and her emotional difficulties.'
Looking back to Marise he looks her straight in the eye and addresses her directly, 'Marice, are you pregnant by any chance?'
The response is clearly not what he was expecting, Marise stiffens, suck in a breath, then shoots to her feet, swaying like a sapling in a high wind, glaring daggers at the old man, eyes on fire with fury. For a moment she took on the cast of a wild animal, baring her teeth in a snarl while backing towards the door. She whirls around, wrenches open the door and storms out, slamming it behind her.
Florence is left with an ashen faced Louis Clermont.
-----
Laurent sees Marise storm out of the doctor's office and watches her stomp down the steps, stopping at the bottom and collapsing onto the bottom step to sit with her head in her hands.
Florence gives Dr Clermont a stricken look - but not an angry one - and rushes after her daughter. Seeing with Laurent, she pauses, watching them both before she reveals her presence.
Marise looks up at Laurent, her eyes are burning like emeralds. He can see a little of the girl she used to be. She seems to be studying his face, there's a hesitancy in hers, 'Laurent, I don't know what's happening to me. I don't think anyone can help.' For a second he sees her eyes well up, as if she's about to cry, they look like the sea. Then she stands and strides off, back towards the direction of the Lavigne's house.
Laurent and Florence hurry after Marise but before they've got very far they see Pierre and Fabrice running up from the direction of Pointe Pierre. Marise stands there dully, waiting for them to catch up.
Fabrice is out of breath but Pierre is able to pant, 'Is Dr Clermont in? There's someone hurt, down at the beach, Mrs Langer, she says the Ti Maman sank.'
