Lilac Temptress (30 page)

Sierra hesitated a moment. Drake
waited for her response, content with the subduing
silence.

“
I am doing better today
and thank you Drake... for everything you’ve done for Kyle and me.
I really appreciate you for helping us like this.”

“
I know Sierra,” Drake said
sincerely.

Sierra wondered if he really knew. If
he could see through her and know how desperately she wanted him to
take her into his arms and make love to her. In his eyes, she could
see the craving there. She recalled him having that look for her
once, in Jadesville.

“
You know if you want to
come in and talk—platonically of course...” Sierra’s voice trailed
off as she reminisced the days they would lie together in her old
bedroom.

Talking will never
do,
Drake thought. “I don’t think that is a
good proposition. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and you
should rest,” he forced the words out despite his body’s
protest.

“
You are right, how silly
of me to ask.” Sierra cast her eyes away from him feeling
foolish.

Drake detected the disappointment in
her voice. “No, not at all.” Drake bowed his head, took her hand
and kissed it. The fingers of her free hand gently caressed his
forehead, which caused him to quiver upon straightening. Drake
stood there for a moment before working up the guts to pivot and
walk away, down the hall.

* * *

Why did he reject me? Does
he have to take this friendship thing to heart?
Sierra silently screamed her frustration.
Could I have been more obvious? Does he want me to spell it
out for him?
Sierra stepped into her room
and flung herself on the bed.

Drake let out a long held
sigh as he shut the door to his room.
What
was I thinking? She practically offered me an invitation into her
bed. But I must be made accountable if I take her virginity.
Drake had learned early on never to take the
chastity of a woman if he did not plan to offer her his hand in
marriage, spoiling her for any other man. Though, his spending
nights with Sierra in Jadesville nearly made him a
hypocrite.

“
I am the biggest buffoon,”
he said, stymied at the sound of his own stupidity. Drake paced the
room back and forth as he violently pulled off his vest. While
continuing to undress down to only his undershirt and trousers, he
decided that a walk through the house might ease some of his
frustration and clear his head. He exited his room and strolled the
length of the upstairs, every so often taking a glance at the
hanging artwork he never really had the time to
appreciate.

It was not by accident that
while studying the shadowy paintings he’d wandered to Sierra’s
door.
If I enter that room I compromise
our agreement. But if I don’t, I remain tortured with desire for
her. This is my own self-made hell.
Drake
leaned forward pressing his hands against her door.
She did invite me in
, he
reasoned
. Knock or go mad,
his devilish side tempted him
.

He tapped lightly on the door. Not
hearing any response he placed his hand on the knob, turning
gently. He glanced at her, curled on her side in a fetal position,
sleeping. He shut the door behind him and walked toward the
terrace—feeling the chill of the room, and closed the balcony doors
thinking that she might sleep easier.

Sierra didn’t notice Drake gently
remove her shoes and set them aside. He pulled her long, tousled,
hair to the side, which had fallen over her face. Sierra suddenly
shifted. Drake heard a little giggle escape her lips as she mumbled
his name, then she easily settled into a deeper slumber.

At first Drake thought he
might have awakened her, but as he looked closer he saw that the
sleeping beauty was merely whispering sweet nothings in her dreams.
He positioned a chair near her bed to face her and sat down
watching her while she slept. He realized this was the second night
he had done this, and tonight she dreamed of him
. Lord, have mercy on my soul. I cannot bring myself to leave
just yet.

* * *

Sierra awakened from her
sleep.
Didn’t I leave those balcony doors
opened,
she mused as she reluctantly sat
upright in her bed. When she noticed a bedroom chair had been
adjusted, she quickly
rose to her feet. Her
shoes were tucked to the side of her bed though she didn’t remember
placing them there during her fatigue last night.

As if seeing it for the
first time, she caught her breath once more at the grandeur of her
surroundings, scanning the room, first with her eyes and then
making a more careful examination by foot, trying to determine if
anything else seemed out of sorts.
It must
all be in my head.
Satisfied that nothing
had been disturbed, she settled down at the end
of the large bed. A tapping on the door brought her wandering
imagination to an end.

“
You may
enter!”
Sierra called
out.

“
You have already
overslept,” Rosaline complained, entering the room. “It is noon and
I could not wait any longer for you,” she said abruptly as if
trying to dissuade any admonishment for her intrusion.

“
We have to ready ourselves
for tonight. Bathe and dress quickly and meet me in my room,”
Rosaline ordered, softening her demand with an enticing offer for a
hearty meal, which she told Sierra, had already been prepared and
awaited her there. Her orders given, Rosaline left the
room.

Sierra did as Rosaline asked without
hesitation, and in less than a half hour, she entered Rosaline’s
bedroom. The dresses they had chosen to wear lie on the bed.
Jeanette stood in the room with another attendant.

“
Eat lightly, Sierra. Your
stomach mustn’t swell in your gown tonight,” Rosaline
insisted.

Sierra suppressed a giggle. She had
never had any problems with an expanding belly but she knew many
women must starve themselves before going to events like this to
ensure they looked their best for the gentlemen. Sierra grabbed a
big shiny red apple, situated appetizingly in a wicker basket
perched on a small table, and took a healthy bite.

“
If a woman is to expect
the adoration of men, she must look her prettiest at all times,”
Rosaline insisted. “Natural beauty is something we may have been
born with, but having beauty that influences and dominates a man is
something you have to work at perfecting. That kind of beauty is
not just in the way you look, but in the way you carry yourself as
well.”

“
However, I am not
attending the ball to impress men,” Sierra said defiantly as she
took a second bite of her apple.

“
Even so, you cannot be
thought of as undesirable. Image is everything, especially for a
young woman. It is how she gets the best male suitors for marriage.
It is a competition really, against the other ladies of
Society.”

Sierra watched Jeanette as she opened
decanters placed across the dresser, which emitted interesting
aromas. She noticed a silver comb and hairbrush set, jars filled
with creams meant for facials, pomades, and tinctures, lip balms,
hair pins, small containers of powder, rouge, and glittering
bottles of fragrances.

“
Jeanette will help us
prepare. We have castile soap to shampoo our hair with, which will
leave a glorious shine. Afterwards we will dry our hair and
Jeanette has heated tongs for curling. She will make up our
faces—careful not to give us a non-virtuous look.”

Sierra sat amazed after discovering
what it would take to prepare themselves. “I use the scent of lilac
in my hair.”

“
The scent will be just
fine to use.” Rosaline glimpsed the brief hesitation on Sierra’s
face. “Don’t worry, Sierra. It is every woman’s duty to make
herself look as beautiful as possible. It’s not easy to prepare for
a ball.”

Sierra stayed in the room with
Rosaline for the rest of the afternoon. From facials to re-bathing
in Rosaline’s water closet, to hair styling, all of it was
exhausting business. Jeanette helped both women squeeze into their
corsets, coaching them to hold their breath and stomachs in all the
while.

At least my corset has
some give to it and is a far cry from the cage that I am used to
wearing on stage,
Sierra thought as
Jeanette continued to pull and tug at the back-strings of her
dress.

A light tapping sound on Rosaline’s
door caught Sierra’s attention.

A maid slightly opened the door. “Lady
McCalister and Lady Maudet, your brothers await you outside,
standing at the entrance, near the Concord. It’s a six-horse hitch
this time. Ben will be the reins man tonight. He has also promised
to make the Shires gallop for you, Lady Rosaline, if at all
possible.”

Rosaline laughed. “Ben always says he
will get the horses to gallop for me. He has told me this since I
was a little girl,” she shared with Sierra, smiling wide. “But I
have yet to see him do it.”

They exited the room guiding their
dresses with their hands as they walked down the hall. Stepping out
of the foyer into the brisk evening air they saw Drake and Kyle
standing by the doors of the fine-looking coach. Ben was already
sitting in the box next to Thomas who carried a rifle.

Chapter 14

Drake, unable to turn away, froze with
fascination and his heart skipped a beat upon beholding Sierra, who
gracefully glided down the stairs as if her feet never even touched
the ground.

Sierra coaxed herself to take her time
while she made her way down the steps remembering what Rosaline had
taught her. The ball gown she wore, pale, rosy-silk adorned with
black lace, made her feel like a princess. She had wanted to wear
this dress when she had first seen it in Rosaline’s closet because
it carried an elegant simplicity that she admired.

The bodice had a v-neck, which scooped
daringly low and was outlined in black lace. Jet beads and lace
also cascaded from the shoulders of the sleeveless gown. Lace was
sewn between the bodice and the billowy skirt from hipline to
hemline and continued to the end of the train. She wore matching
pink gloves to her elbows. Her hair flowed down her back in
twirling tendrils that Jeanette had taken hours to create. Because
of all the time spent on Sierra’s hair, Rosaline had settled for an
up-do.

Sierra smiled warmly at Rosaline,
donned in a smoky blue-green satin bustle gown and train, looking
as elegant and sophisticated as Sierra imagined she would. However,
Rosaline didn’t notice Sierra smiling at her. Rosaline’s eyes were
set on Kyle, who Sierra noted, looked more handsome than she had
ever seen him in her life. He was sharply dressed, wearing an onyx
dress coat, a matching vest and trousers, and a crisp white shirt
with a wing-tipped collar and bow tie. His black shoes were a
perfect shine. Something seemed changed in her brother. He was
manlier somehow, his eyes piercing Rosaline as if he might devour
her.

“
You will be the most
beautiful woman there,” Drake spoke softly, meeting Sierra on the
stairs. He offered his arm; his pulse quickened as she placed her
gloved hand on his sleeve. “I cannot find the words for how lovely
you look this evening.” Drake gazed at her mesmerized.

“
And you no doubt are the
most handsome man in all of New Orleans,” Sierra beamed warmly at
him. Her heart leapt for a few seconds. Drake looked so eminent,
grander than life in his black tuxedo. Sierra searched his face and
peered into the blue eyes she had come to admire so
much.

“
We must go now,” Drake
insisted, breaking Sierra out of her trance. “Lest we linger here
all night offering up compliments to one another and miss the
entire affair.”

Drake led Sierra to the Concord. Kyle
had already helped Rosaline inside and was sitting beside her.
Drake gave Sierra his help and shut the door after making his
entrance.

* * *

Sierra drew in her breath reverently
as she blinked her eyes a few times in disbelief. Faircrest stood
in all its glory, offering an invitation to them as the Concord
pulled into the estate. It was clearly the home of an industrious
man and if she had thought Drake’s home grand, this
Victorian-styled mansion overlooking the river humbled
his.

The house was nestled among giant moss
draped oak trees. It sat on many acres of quiet land. Adding to its
splendor, azaleas bloomed and scented the air with a wonderful
fragrance. Rich, extravagant horse-drawn carriages and coaches
lined the driveway led by the most beautiful stallions.

Sierra glanced at Drake. She knew this
would be a most eventful night. Her eyes were wild with excitement,
but only Drake seemed to detect her nervousness. He squeezed her
clammy hand lightly to comfort her.

“
Do not let my parents’
home make you feel uneasy,” he spoke softly reassuring her. “I
would not leave your side if I could help it, but I am likely to be
called away occasionally. However, I will always be
near.”