Ask a Shadow to Dance (21 page)

“Sporting events? Like croquet?”

“I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to decide what to do next. We have to be prepared for whatever happens before Saturday. If I don’t go with you, I have to hope I’ll be able to find you again, or that we can meet here.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“What?”

“That here, in the Peabody, we can go back and forth between my century and yours?”

“I suppose it’s because the lobby hasn’t changed a lot. Maybe it’s a portal of some kind.
A link between centuries.”

“I think George Peabody would have approved.”

“But he didn’t build the hotel, did he?”

“No, his friend, R. C. Brinkley did, in 1868.
In 1869, when the hotel was about to open, Mr. Brinkley’s friend, George Peabody, died, and so he named the hotel for him. If George hadn’t died, it would have been called The Brinkley House. It was enormously expensive to build. It cost a fortune. Sixty thousand dollars.”

David grinned. Lisette thought it an odd response.

David waved to his brother and the doctor where they were sitting, sipping drinks, near a piano that was playing without anyone sitting at the keys. Joe approached them first.

“Well, what have you decided?”

“I have to go back with her, Joe.”

“I expected that. I think you need to prepare a little first.”

“We can’t take a chance on being apart. My feelings are stronger all the time that we’ll not have this separation problem after the twenty-first.”

What an interesting idea. “You mean after the riverboat disappears?” That thought had not occurred to Lisette, but it certainly had some merit.

“Exactly. I think that wherever we happen to be at midnight on the twenty-first is where we’ll be the rest of our lives. There’s no way to know for sure until midnight Saturday.”

“What if that proves to be 1885?” Joe’s grin had changed to concern.

Lisette slipped her hand into David’s. “It won’t matter, as long as we’re together.” What she saw in David’s eyes had to be love. “We must go home now and try to convince Aunt Portia I’ve been in another century and that we shouldn’t get on that riverboat—even though we have no plans to leave Memphis.”

Bob broke in. “There may be another link, between the
Cajun Star
and the
Memphis Queen III
the night of the commemorative dance, just as there was before. Joe and I will be on the
Queen
, David. I don’t know if we’ll be able to help you, but we’ll be there, just in case.” Bob shook David’s hand. “Good luck to both of you.”

Joe opted for a hearty hug instead of a handshake. “I love you, David. You know that.”

Lisette liked Joe immensely. He seemed to genuinely care for his brother and to wish him happiness. She wished for time to know him better. Perhaps, someday, she would.

“I know. I love you too, Joe. Somehow I’ll make this work.” David turned back to Lisette. “It’s time to go.”

She addressed Joe and Bob. “Thank you for everything. I do hope to see you both again soon.”

She linked her arm with David’s. “How do we get back?”

David gave her a quizzical look. “I don’t know. What happened just before you got here?”

“I came into the lobby. The lights flickered. When they settled again, I was standing by that window over there. They seem to love ducks here, don’t they?”

David smiled and pointed toward the fountain. “Lisette, meet the Peabody ducks. I’m sorry we weren’t here to see them come out of the elevator. They live here in the hotel.”

Ducks swimming in the fountain! “David, they’re charming. What a clever idea.” She hurried toward the fountain to get a closer look. A wave of dizziness shimmered through her. The ducks in the fountain disappeared. “David, what happened to the ducks?” She turned around, searching. The only person in the lobby she recognized was Andrew, coming toward her from where David had stood before.

Chapter Thirteen

“Lisette, stop!” She disappeared.

David sank onto the edge of the fountain and covered his face with his hands, tried to even out his ragged breathing and calm down. If he could just be calm enough, if his heart would stop pounding from the shock of seeing Lisette disappear before his eyes, perhaps he could follow while she was still near the fountain.

Joe and Bob were talking at the same time. How could David concentrate? Somehow, he sensed Lisette had already left the fountain and possibly even the lobby. Had someone been there? Someone she knew? His gut tightened when Westmoreland came to mind. If he hurt her again—

“David, what happened?” Joe sat beside him. David saw a man from the front desk heading toward them. He pulled Joe with him toward the staircase. The man stopped when they left the fountain and went back to the front desk.

“Listen, Joe, I have to follow Lisette—right now. I can’t do it unless I’m by myself. Please. I can’t lose her now.” David hoped Joe would recognize the urgency.

“Got it.
What else can I do besides getting out of here and taking Bob with me?”

“I’m going to try to get calm enough to cross over. Get my medical bag so I can take it with me. What I have in that bag might prove invaluable.” He left immediately. While waiting, David explained to Bob that he intended to follow Lisette and stay with her through Saturday.

Joe came back, breathing hard. It occurred to David he might never see Joe again. David embraced him, tried to convey how he felt. “Good-bye, Joe. There aren’t words . . .”

David could see him struggling.

“Bob and I will be on the
Queen III
Saturday night. I don’t know how we might help, but we’ll be there, just in case.”

David
nodded, his throat tight.

Joe grabbed Bob and they left the hotel. David went back to the fountain and stood for a moment, watching the ducks floating peacefully. He tried to clear his mind of everything but the thought of Lisette and how they belonged together. He pictured the eighteen eighty-five lobby, ladies in long dresses, men in tall hats with handlebar moustaches. Lisette . . .

He closed his eyes and felt a swimming sensation all around. He opened his eyes and looked for the ducks. They weren’t there. Taking a couple of deep breaths, David backed away from the fountain. No one had noticed his appearance. Lisette had to be here somewhere, otherwise David wouldn’t have been able to cross over—if his theory was correct.

He recognized her dress. She stood with her back to him, talking to Westmoreland. With as much control as David could muster, he approached them, glaring at Andrew with all the venom he felt racing through him.

“You again,” Westmoreland snarled.

Lisette whirled around,
then came immediately into David’s arms. He thanked God for giving him this chance to make everything right.

“Listen to me, Westmoreland, I don’t want you to speak to her or come near her ever again.”

She appeared agitated. Was it from crossing over practically under his nose, or could it be something else? “It’s Aunt Portia. He came to tell me--”

“What’s wrong?”

“Andrew says she’s had an accident.” Her expression, grim and worried, told David there was more she hadn’t revealed. There wasn’t time to waste.

“Let’s go.”

Westmoreland gave Lisette a cruel smirk. “She isn’t dead. At least she wasn’t when I left.”

“I’ll deal with you later,” David told him and led Lisette out of the hotel. “Do you have a carriage?”

“No. We’ll have to hire one.” She asked the doorman to get a carriage for them, which he did, giving David a suspicious look. He knew his clothing would have to undergo a complete change, but right now Portia Morgan had to be his first concern. He hoped he had what was needed in his bag. He couldn’t exactly order other medications through a local pharmaceutical company.

They reached the Morgan home within twenty minutes. It was a pleasant shock to recognize the house from his hypnotic trance and to know he hadn’t invented what he’d seen that night. The terra cotta wedding cake, trimmed in gray, felt like home. They hurried inside. The beauty of the interior took David’s breath away. An ornate staircase led to the upper floors. Lisette ran from room to room. Two doors on the left led into the parlor, with the music room behind, while a door to the right of the foyer opened onto what Lisette called the sitting room. It had a roll top desk and several chairs and bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes on one wall.

The next door opened into an elaborate dining room with a massive table, eight enormous chairs and, in the center of the table, a gorgeous flower arrangement. On the far wall was a bay window framed with heavy draperies. Numerous portraits decorated the walls. Gold filigree and intricately carved furniture was everywhere. David would have to look at everything later, when they had more time. Right now, their only concern was finding Portia.

“Aunt Portia!” Lisette called again and again.

Still no answer. Lisette rushed upstairs. David followed to a bedroom on the left, at the end of a wide space between the rooms that had chairs and tables and a magnificent Oriental carpet on the floor.

What he saw in that bedroom made him wish he’d smashed the smirk off Westmoreland’s face when he’d had the chance.

“Lisette, wait outside for me.”

She acted as though she hadn’t heard. Seeing her aunt’s face, swollen and bruised, her right eye puffed shut, shocked her into silence. Lisette began to cry,
then hurried to the bedside.

“What happened? Did you fall? Andrew--” She stiffened. “He did this to you, didn’t he?”

Portia moaned, nodding the best she could. David eased Lisette back so he could determine how seriously Portia was injured.

“Please, Lisette, wait outside. I won’t be long, I promise. Why don’t you make some coffee?”

“She likes tea. I’ll make some tea.” With tears glistening, she left him to examine the wounds. As he probed gently, feeling to see if any bones had splintered or broken, he spoke softly, hoping to sooth her fears.

“I’m Doctor Stewart, Miss Morgan. We met at the Peabody. Try to relax. Lisette will be back in a minute with some hot tea for you.” Portia tried to smile through her pain. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I have to see about your bruises. Did he hit you with his fists or with an object?”

“Fists,” she murmured.

It was all he could do to stay professional.
“All right. Don’t try to talk. I’m going to give you an injection for the swelling and pain. You’ll feel much better soon, I promise. There’s nothing broken as far as I can tell. You’re going to be fine.”

She clasped his fingers and squeezed, tried to smile again. He could see her relief, knowing he was there to protect them.

Lisette returned with a steaming teapot and three cups on a tray. The fragrance of chamomile filled the room. David motioned her to place the tray on the sideboard, held one finger to his lips and smiled. Portia was already drifting off to sleep. He had to reassure Lisette there was nothing critically wrong. Time would heal the bruises. The memory of fists on her face would no doubt last a lifetime.

Lisette was shaking so badly she almost tripped going down the stairs. When they got to the parlor, she came into David’s arms, sobbing, grieving over what had happened.

“Oh, David, how could he do such a thing to her? She’s an old woman. She could never hurt him. He threatened to harm her or Papa, but I never believed he could actually do such a thing. I should have known. I should never have left her alone.”

David urged her to sit down on a stiff brocade divan. He knew little about antique furniture, but it was obvious every piece in this room would bring a premium in the Memphis he knew. Comfort clearly was not the purpose of this divan, if anyone could call it that. It had only one arm and was barely long enough for the two of them to sit close together.

He rocked Lisette, held her, loved her, knowing she filled the emptiness he’d lived with five lonely years. He could not bear to lose her the way he’d lost Fran. He would not lose her, damn it! Even if he had to stay in the nineteenth century for the rest of his life.

“What are we going to do about Andrew?” Her eyes
brimmed, cheeks wet and flushed red from weeping.

“I’m going to take care of him.” There had to be policemen in this city. If they would not do what was necessary to stop this man from terrorizing this family, then David would. “Have you been to the police?”

“Yes. The lieutenant told Andrew to stay away from this house and everyone in it, but Andrew has no more regard for the law than he does for our right to live in peace.”

“He’s about to learn. He won’t come near this house after I explain things to him.” David knew he’d made a similar promise before but had not been here to enforce it. Now Andrew Westmoreland would have to get past David if he were to hurt anyone in this family again.

“I would love to believe that’s true, David, and I know it will be, as long as you’re here. But what if we get separated? What then?”