Deceive Not My Heart (43 page)

It was the sound of Justin's laughter that eventually woke Morgan. For a moment he blinked sleepily up at the branches of the sycamore tree before his eyes caught sight of Leonie and Justin. A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he watched Justin splash and paddle in the water.

Leonie too made him smile, the expression on her face making it obvious that under different circumstances, she also would have shed her clothes and taken the same pagan enjoyment of the pool that Justin did. The glimpse of her bare feet beneath the hem of her gown caused his smile to widen and for one wicked moment he considered suggesting to her that they
both
join Justin.

Regretfully, he relinquished the idea and assumed a sitting position. As he chewed a blade of grass, the disturbing thought occurred to him that he had never seen his own son play with such natural abandon. Stephanie wouldn't have allowed it, and Morgan frowned at the comparison that was shaping in his mind. Almost angrily he pushed the annoying thoughts aside. Damnit, Leonie
wasn't
his wife, and Justin wasn't his son, so there were no comparisons to make.

He lounged there for some minutes, enjoying the sight of Leonie and Justin, and wondering how she was going to react to his plans for the rest of the day. Even with Justin along to halfway guarantee her good behavior, he rather thought he was going to have his hands full.

Morgan wasn't deliberately using Justin to control Leonie, but he had to admit, he
was
taking advantage of her obvious love for the child. There was no way in hell that she would have consented to come for a ride alone with him, but in front of Justin... ah, that was a different matter.

The plan hadn't sprung full blown in his mind, but that morning a glimmer of an idea had occurred to him. He had been in his office riffling through some correspondence when a note from his mother telling him of the ball being held the next evening for Aaron Burr attracted his attention.

He had been disappointed that there was nothing from Jason, even though he knew there had been barely enough time for Jason to have received his letter, but the note from Noelle had aroused his curiosity. What in the devil was the ex-vice-president doing in Natchez? And why in the hell had his mother thought he and Leonie would like to attend a ball in Burr's honor?

Sighing, Morgan had tossed the note aside, Aaron Burr the least of his worries, Leonie and Justin uppermost in his mind. Staring blankly out the French doors, he had admitted to himself that his decision earlier this morning not to fight against the silken chains Leonie was weaving about him wasn't going to be easy to carry out. For one thing, his little wife was going to view every move he made with suspicion, and, a cynical smile crossing his face, he had admitted she had good reason.

Certainly she wasn't going to accept any advances he made... and that was when the idea of combining his desire to spend the day with Justin and his equal desire to disarm Justin's mother occurred to him. Why not simply include Leonie in the plans that he had made with the boy? In Justin's presence it was highly unlikely that she would refuse to accompany them.

Pleased with himself, just about the time Leonie was learning of his return, Morgan had left the office and immediately set his plans in motion. He had made a swift trip to Bonheur to have an interesting conversation with his mother.

Noelle, her pretty dark eyes seeking understanding, had said, "Morgan, I was not being critical of your wife nor was I trying to make judgments about her! But if it's escaped your notice that Leonie possesses only three gowns, it hasn't escaped mine. I suggested to her that as the wife of a very rich man there would be nothing wrong with her ordering a few new gowns." Throwing him a resentful look she added, "And I
was
tactful!"

Smiling down into her ruffled features, he had said, soothingly, "I'm certain you were." Then cocking an eyebrow at her, he asked, "Am I to believe that her refusal stopped you from doing anything further?"

A guilty expression flitted across his mother's face. "N-n-no," she got out uncomfortably. "I did go ahead and have Mercy give me Leonie's measurements, and I've had Mrs. Dobson start a limited wardrobe for her." Somewhat defiantly she added, "For the boy and Yvette too!"

"I see. And now I take it you need my help?" Morgan had inquired mockingly.

"Well, yes, you see, several of the gowns are ready to be fitted...." Her voice trailed off.

"And you need me to make certain Leonie is there," Morgan finished for her.

"Oh, yes, Morgan! That would be splendid!"

Giving his mother an old-fashioned look, Morgan had said resignedly, "All right. Somehow, and God knows how, I'll get her to Mrs. Dobson's. When?"

"At three?" she had asked hopefully.

"At three it shall be."

It had seemed rather simple when he had discussed it with his mother, but now he wasn't so certain. And glancing at his watch, the small, gold crucifix dangling from the watch chain, he realized that he didn't have much more time before taking Leonie for her fitting. A fitting he was very certain she was going to object to. But with Justin along.... He sighed ruefully, hoping it would work.

Standing up, he walked over to where Leonie was watching Justin, his approach so quiet that Leonie didn't even realize he had left the quilt until he was directly behind her. His warm breath on her ear and his arms gently closing around her waist was the first warning she had that he was no longer safely asleep.

Startled, and not liking the way her heart began to race at his nearness, she muttered, "Let me go, monsieur!"

But Morgan ignored her and nuzzled her ear, murmuring, "Mmmm, I think next time we come here, we should leave Justin at the house, don't you?"

Unbearably conscious of his tall, warm body behind hers and the strength of the arms that were clasped loosely about her waist, Leonie was suddenly tongue-tied, one part of her wanting to melt against him and another part of her angry with the way he played with her emotions, furious with herself for responding to his practiced charm.

Stiffly she finally got out, "I do not appreciate your comments, monsieur. And you are an imbecile if you think what happened here once will ever happen again."

"Is that so?" Morgan replied interestedly, as he loosened his hold on her and turned her around to face him.

Her small face set in stubborn lines, she stared up into his dark, handsome features, disliking the amusement she saw in the blue eyes. "Yes, that is so!" she said with unwonted fierceness. "We agreed that ours was not to be a normal marriage. And I have your signature on just such an agreement, monsieur.... Force me and I shall give
that
to the judge also!"

"Ah, yes," Morgan said, a half-smile curving his full mouth. "You did mention that there was another agreement, didn't you? You really must show it to me sometime—my lamentable memory, I'm afraid, has allowed me to forget all about ever signing it."

"Your memory is very convenient, monsieur!" Leonie said through gritted teeth.

Morgan grinned at her. "It is, isn't it?"

Leonie took a deep breath, her hands clenching into small determined fists at her side. "You find it amusing now, monsieur, but when Judge Dangermond orders you to repay me my dowry, I wonder if you shall find it quite so laughable."

Infuriatingly he murmured, "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we, sweetheart."

Leonie might have continued the exchange, but Justin came wading up to them at that moment and in the bustle of getting him dried off and dressed, the opportunity was lost.

Seated once more in the gig, Justin between herself and that abominable creature she was married to, Leonie stared stonily ahead. She relaxed slightly as the house came into view, wanting nothing more than to put a great deal of distance between herself and her husband.
Mon Dieu, but he is impossible,
she thought wrathfully.
He smiles when he should rage and jests about the most serious things!

When Morgan drove smartly by the house, with not even a break in the stride of the horses, Leonie stiffened in her seat, and sending Morgan a look that could have killed, she asked, "More surprises, monsieur?"

Never taking his eyes off the horses, Morgan replied, "Not precisely. An inevitable event, I think, would more correctly describe the situation."

The green eyes beginning to flash with rising temper, Leonie demanded, "And where does this inevitable event take us?"

"Why, to the dressmaker, of course," Morgan said coolly.

Chapter 21

An ominous silence seemed to engulf the gig. Even Justin felt it, and turning to look up at his mother, he asked uncertainly, "Is something wrong, maman? Don't you want to go to the dressmaker's with us?"

Leonie took a deep, fortifying breath, fighting to hold onto her flaming temper. With an effort she smiled down into Justin's face and said, with as much lightness as she could muster, "But of course I do,
mon coeur!"
Glaring over at Morgan, she added, "I just wish your papa had discussed the matter with me first!"

Morgan smiled. "I would have," he said, "but if you'd known, you'd have found an excuse not to come."

"Why?" Justin asked. "Don't you like the dressmaker?"

Leonie gave him a strained little smile. "Yes, yes, naturally I like the dressmaker. It is just that I had other things I'd planned to do this afternoon."

"What?" Justin innocently persisted, and Leonie had to suppress a decidedly unmaternal urge to shake him.

Angry with herself for growing angry with Justin when it wasn't his fault, she resolutely swallowed the rage against Morgan that rose in her throat. Helplessly, she muttered, "I don't remember exactly."

"Well, then," Justin said sunnily, "you can come with us,
oui?"

Morgan's strangled snort of laughter was almost Leonie's undoing, but beyond glaring at him, she nodded yes in answer to Justin's question, and the remainder of the journey into Natchez was without further incident... but only on the surface.
How dare he!
she thought furiously.
To use Justin as a weapon against me!
Angrily she shot Morgan a look, the palm of her hand itching almost uncontrollably with the desire to connect with his face.
Unscrupulous bastard!
If they had been alone...

Mrs. Dobson's home proved to be a neat white little cottage near the edge of town. A pristine white picket fence surrounded the small house and beautiful, sweet-smelling yellow roses grew rampant across the front of the fence.

Morgan tethered the horses to the painted white iron hitching post, and he walked around to Leonie's side of the gig and politely helped her down. Catching a glimpse of the chagrin and thwarted temper that raged in her eyes, his lips twitched. Obviously the little madame didn't like being crossed nor, it appeared, did she care much for his tactics.

Concealing his amusement, he pulled her arm through one of his and murmured, "Mrs. Dobson is quite nice; you don't have to be frightened of her."

Leonie refused to meet his eyes, her temper not helped in the least by Justin's happy acceptance of the situation. Unaware of the currents passing between the adults, he skipped merrily along at Morgan's side.

Feeling like a condemned prisoner, Leonie allowed Morgan to escort her into Mrs. Dobson's parlor. It was a cozy room, cheerful chintz curtains hanging at the windows and an obviously prized blue wool carpet covering the wooden floor. The room smelled of fresh air and beeswax, and the simple oak furniture gleamed with the deep shine that only repeated polishing could give it.

Mrs. Dobson, a plump widow with four daughters to raise, greeted them pleasantly, her expert seamstress' eye running over Leonie's slim figure and Justin's sturdy little body. A pleased smile wreathing her round, kind face, she said, "I think that several of the items will fit with hardly any alterations. How fortunate!" And seeing that Justin was appraising the room with the look of a young gentleman about to embark upon mischief, she said brightly, "Perhaps we can have Master Justin try on his clothing first?" Pointing to several fashion plates with swatches of material attached to them, she added, "Your mother-in-law had only ordered certain things that she felt were the most necessary and, if you like, you may look through those plates for additional clothing."