Lilac Temptress (37 page)

“
Surely Drake—you do not
think I will get into trouble if I stay here alone without your
supervision? I will be mistress of the house soon.”

“
I thought you might enjoy
my company... my darling.” Drake tried to assuage her dismay,
taking a gentler tone of voice. He absolutely did not want trouble
underneath his roof while he was away. He was too keenly aware of
the natures of these three women that he cared for. He knew they
might behave as poorly as children if he were not here to keep them
well behaved. He had to stay and keep his eye on them. “Now, I
intend to dress, and I will return shortly to help you find a
suitable room to your liking.”

Isadora weakly smiled at
him, even though she knew he must have noticed how agitated she was
before he exited the morning room.
I must
bed him as soon as possible.
She did not
understand how Drake was able to deny her advances so easily. He’d
always been eager in the past. He had never hesitated to make love
to her. No, something was definitely amiss. She could feel it in
the passionless way he kissed her. His self-control made her think
that his mind was elsewhere—and what of that Sierra woman? Did she
have anything to do with Drake’s distant behavior? She wondered,
soon reaching the conclusion that her arrangement made with Drake
was far too advantageous for him to forfeit.

Chapter 16

Sierra swiftly descended
the spiral staircase hoping to avoid being caught by Drake, though
she realized that he was probably preoccupied with business matters
and his
fiancée
,
and wouldn’t notice her absence.

Just before noon, she had convinced
Ben, the coachman, to take her into town without notifying Drake.
She promised to take all the blame if Drake would find out and be
angry with him. However, Ben had said that he had a way with Drake,
and not to worry so much about it. And Ben hadn’t asked her any
questions as to why she was leaving. He simply stated that he would
be happy to assist her.

As she exited the mansion and hurried
down its front steps, she saw Girard’s familiar carriage pull up
beside Ben—who drove a smaller cherry and gold stagecoach with only
a two-horse team, hitched. Thomas—the shotgun messenger, sat
comfortably beside Ben.

No more thoughts of
Drake
, Sierra chided herself as she
prepared to greet Girard.

“
Good afternoon. You’re
headed out today, Sierra?” Girard called to her as he stepped out
of his Concord.

Sierra’s eyes swept over
Girard, who was no longer Drake’s far-away friend, and certainly
not a stranger, though her description of him as handsome still
fit.
He was attractively dressed in
a dignified charcoal vest exposing his royal-blue
shirtsleeves with matching slacks and polished leather boots, she
noticed.
“Good Sir, I am off to the city.”
Sierra smiled warmly at Girard as he approached her and took her
hand to help her into her vehicle.

“
Alone? Surely Kyle or
Drake...” his voice trailed off as he realized the men’s
absence.

“
Not alone—I have Ben, and
if my memory serves me correctly, Thomas, to accompany me,” she
said confidently while she settled into the cushioned seat, hoping
that her tone conveyed that she would not be dissuaded from
venturing beyond the mansion’s walls.

Girard chuckled as he thought of the
shotgun messenger who always wore a very severe face and never
showed his teeth. “Thomas doesn’t speak much.”

“
Thank you for the tip. I
wouldn’t want to think that I was putting him off,” she remarked,
before passing on a tip of her own. “When you enter the house you
will find that Drake is preoccupied with a guest, and Kyle is off
riding this morning with Rosaline. So, don’t worry over me. I will
enjoy the city today, in the company of these two fine gentlemen,
and return before nightfall.”

“
Then don’t let me keep
you,” Girard said politely as he shut the coach door, and then he
tilted his hat at Ben and Thomas. He watched Ben drive the coach
through the gate, before making his way up the staircase to the
front entrance.

Henry the butler, instructed Girard on
entering the house, to Drake’s whereabouts. Girard, who was
considered family, was then left on his own, not requiring an
escort.

Girard cut through the sitting room in
order to reach the study, finding Isadora sitting quietly on a sofa
shuffling through large albums, set before her on a
table.

“
Girard—” Isadora drawled
frigidly, standing at once when she realized that he’d entered into
the room. “Your visit is quite unexpected.”

“
Neither did I expect to
meet you here. Congratulations on your engagement, Drake is a
fortunate man.” Girard offered his humble smile, which he hoped
she’d received as flattery. She was the last person on earth he
wanted to make his enemy, he thought. Drake was his best friend. He
didn’t want future meetings with Isadora to turn sour.

“
Thank you, Girard. We
missed you last night.”

“
My apologies. I had to
retire early.”

“
So I was told. However, I
saw you pursue her. Sierra, that is,” Isadora added
coolly.

“
She fell ill,” Girard
replied defensively.

“
And it was so
very
generous of you to
offer her your assistance, even after the big announcement of your
best friend’s engagement,” she dripped with
sarcasm.

“
Was Drake not responsible
for Sierra in some regard? He escorted her. Better that I tended to
her than he, don’t you think?”

Isadora stood silent for a moment. She
scrutinized Girard before she spoke again. “I believe Drake has
things he would like to discuss with you, and I have a wedding to
plan. Please excuse me.” Isadora took her seat again and fumbled
through the large albums once more. Every minute wasted on Girard
was time that she could use for planning.

Good heavens! That woman
is so unpleasant
, Girard thought as he made
his way to Drake’s study.

Drake, sitting behind his huge
mahogany desk, peeked up from his documents to discover Girard,
sauntering in through the open doorway. “Very bold of you to carry
her off and away like you did,” Drake remarked.

For God’s sake, not you as
well!
Girard thought. “What else should I
have done? Sierra was determined to leave, and if it had not been
me who delivered her back here, someone else surely would have
volunteered,” Girard stated his argument, settling himself into the
chair opposite of Drake.

“
But
you
—Girard,” Drake
emphasized, indicating by his tone that Girard’s actions were
unexpected. “Sierra feared you cared nothing for her. You scarcely
acknowledged her during our travels,” Drake said while shuffling
papers.

“
She was in distress,”
Girard replied genuinely. “And you, of course had already made your
big announcement. I take it you are extremely satisfied with your
arrangement—I mean engagement to Isadora,” Girard said, correcting
himself in mid-speech.

Drake glared, irritated at Girard,
catching his blunder. “I sent word that I will be out of the office
for a while.”

“
Daniel and me did receive
your message. Actually, I came out here to congratulate you in
person, and to also see how Sierra had fared. But judging by her
speedy departure just moments ago, and now that I’ve seen
Isadora—”

“
To see how she had
fared—and what do you mean by her departure?” Drake interrupted,
his temples flexed; his face broadened into an incredulous
expression. Sierra had not asked him permission to leave nor had he
given any driver his permission to carry her off the property. A
knot began forming in the pit of his stomach, and an awful
sensation took hold of him.

“
You were not aware of her
departure were you?” Girard asked with a straight face. “She left
twenty minutes ago accompanied by Ben and Thomas.”

Drake put his elbows on his desk.
Leaning his head into his hands he inwardly groaned. “She just
cannot flee any time she feels like it. Good heavens, what am I to
do with her?” he asked, exhaling.

“
Nothing. She has gone, and
you are engaged. She is a grown woman, Drake. She is not alone, and
she will do well enough in the city. She’s off to New Orleans to
see the sights I guess.”

“
Is that what she is
up to? Because I seriously doubt it.” Drake shook his head in
disapproval. He knew that Sierra was upset with him and that she
had every right to be, but must she leave
Newhaven
without informing him? Drake
sat quietly trapped in his thoughts until Girard’s question snapped
him out of them.

“
Have you no
conscience, Drake? Such selfish behavior you’ve displayed! If you
really must know—since you appear so oblivious,
you
hurt
her
,” Girard responded accusingly.
“Don’t look at me with contempt. It was evident, even to you, that
you wounded her last night. So make no pretense in my presence that
you did not take notice. I honestly think that she needs some time
away from you.”

“
You escorted her home last
night, and now you think that you expertly know her!” Drake
thundered, standing to his feet. He slapped his hands flat on his
desk with wild eyes, and leaned in toward Girard.

“
How well I think I may or
may not know her is hardly the question. I don’t want to quarrel
with you,” Girard said promptly, unmoving and giving his friend a
heavy glare in return. “It will do us no good to dispute over
her.”

Drake let out a baffled laugh and
shook his head sideways back and forth. “I don’t know what’s gotten
into me. She’s turning my life upside down,” Drake said out loud
without thinking, and now he wished that he had kept his thoughts
to himself.

Girard studied Drake, who was pacing
around behind his desk like a mad man. He had never seen him so
troubled by anything or anyone. Sierra clearly affected him. Girard
wondered if Drake even knew what it was that he truly
wanted.

“
If it had to be anyone,
I’m glad that it was you who brought her home,” Drake said,
suddenly aware that his behavior must appear absurd, so he
collected himself and changed the subject. “I am actually glad that
you are here. Would you do me the honor of being my best
man?”

Drake’s request took Girard by
surprise. Not because Drake wanted him to be his best man, but
because Drake could speak of Sierra, and his marriage to Isadora,
without a pause for thought. “Of course I will be your best man,”
he answered automatically. “But I have to ask,” he added in a more
careful tone, “are you positive you are doing the right thing by
marrying Isadora?”

Drake kept silent for a moment before
responding. “I am certain I am doing the right thing,” he said,
camouflaging his reservations with a convincing tone and calm
facade. He had spent all his life readying himself to succeed his
father. Isadora fit well into his plan—he wouldn’t sacrifice it
just for a woman, even if that woman were Sierra, even if marrying
Isadora affronted his heart.

“
Good, then we rightly have
cause to celebrate,” Girard announced, wanting to believe Drake,
but he was not entirely convinced that Drake was telling him the
truth.

However, in the spirit of his new role
as best man, Girard stood up, approached a small ginger cabinet and
opened the doors. He pulled out a bottle of bourbon and poured a
healthy amount in two glasses.

* * *

Canal Street bustled with coaches,
horsemen and carriages dividing the Creole quarter in the West and
the American business district in the East.

Sierra peered out the coach window
while passing gentlemen clubs along the upriver side of the busy
street. She gazed at hooded moulds over arched windows and spotted
a sign, which read “Chess, Checkers and Whist.” She gazed
alluringly at the neo-Gothic, Greek revival and Victorian buildings
of the central business district. The city streets were crowded
with people of diverse nationalities.

The day was nearly over and she had
not had any luck with finding work. The fancy boutiques, where
women of leisure shopped unencumbered by financial worries, were
fully staffed with seamstress, sales personnel and cashiers. In
those boutiques, Sierra noticed how the finer ladies had many
servants tagging along with them to carry their day’s purchases.
She also realized how noisy and impatient those well-bred Society
women could be.

The markets and hotels preferred
hiring clerks fluent in French as well as English, but Sierra had
no talent for the romantic tongue—and for a moment she silently
pouted over her inadequacy when she discovered that Ben and Thomas
were quite fluent.

But her spirits had risen
once again, upon discovering the St. Charles Theatre. She hoped
that perhaps a touring company might need extras for its
play,
The Gypsy’s
Prophecy
, opening in a few days. But to her
dismay, she was told that starring, and supporting actors were
constants. Playhouse auditions were not being held for any tragedy
or comedy, melodrama or farce, or a variety of acts including
acrobats, jugglers, comics, singers or dancers.