Lily (Song of the River) (16 page)

“Would the two of you like to go with me?” Lily pinned a bright smile on her face. She was not happy about the way Camellia mooned over the gambler, but she had to admit he always treated the girl like a younger sister. In the past week, all of them had spent a great deal of time in close quarters as they polished, dusted, and scrubbed their way from aft to stern. And Blake had a knack for getting more work out of Camellia than anyone else. Lily wrestled with a touch of jealousy at the easy camaraderie he shared with her sisters. Why couldn’t he be as charming to her?

“I do!” Jasmine executed a twirl in the center of the room, managing to bang her hand against the table holding their bowl and pitcher.

Lily grabbed the table before it could overturn, so relieved to have a new focus for her unruly thoughts that she didn’t chastise Jasmine.

Camellia walked over to the mirror and leaned against one wall of their bedroom. “I don’t want anyone to see me looking like this.”

“Suit yourself, Camellia. You can stay in the carriage and wait for us.” Lily ignored the exaggerated sigh and left the room to get Tamar.

Walking the length of the second floor, she had to admit to a feeling of accomplishment. The tables Blake had made for his gambling salon had become dining tables, lined up with military precision along one side of the former ballroom. Sparkling crystal chandeliers would illuminate the room during meals. A wood-burning stove in the far corner would offer warmth during cool, damp evenings. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see well-dressed passengers sitting around the stove as they discussed their comfortable travel. Maybe they could find a piano. That would please Camellia. It was the thing she bemoaned most often.

Blake’s deep voice interrupted her daydreaming. “Jensen is waiting outside.”

Lily could feel her cheeks heating. The man had a talent for making her feel inadequate. She tried to quiet her heart as she turned to face him. “Did he have any trouble finding a carriage?”

As usual, Blake wore only dark trousers and a flowing white shirt with sleeves rolled up above his elbows. His dress should have made him look like a greengrocer or laborer, but he carried himself with the assurance of a planter. From the set of his shoulders to his wide stance, Blake was a man one could not ignore. “I doubt it. Jensen has a way of acquiring whatever we need.”

Had he stolen the equipage? She hesitated to voice the question. What if he confirmed her fear?

“I sent him to the livery stable.” The lift of his right eyebrow and the half smile on Blake’s lips indicated he’d read her thoughts.

More hot blood rushed to her face. She glanced down at the floor. “Have you seen Tamar?”

“She’s already outside.” He stepped closer and lifted her chin with a finger. “Unless I am mistaken, there is romance in the air.”

Her brain sizzled. What did he mean? Had he formed an attachment for her? Impossible. They barely spoke.

“I only hope Tamar will not break his heart.”

Her heartbeat slowed its frantic pace, and Lily pulled away from his hand. “Tamar would not be so foolish. She is here because of her love for us, not because she wants to find a husband.”

He just raised that eyebrow again.

Camellia and Jasmine exited the bedroom and stood beside Lily. “We will be back before too long.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me to accompany you?”

She shook her head.

“You have the list I made out?” His question chased her down the stairs.

Lily shooed her sisters ahead of her. The sooner they left him behind, the better. She breathed deeply as they hopped off the deck and picked their way to the road.

She cast a furtive glance back toward the boat as she settled on the seat of the rented carriage, but Blake was not standing on the deck. The feeling that pierced her chest could not be disappointment. It had to be relief. Didn’t it?

“What do you think of this material?” Tamar held a length of navy-blue broadcloth. “Would it look good on the dining tables?”

Lily’s eyes widened. “It’s perfect. All it needs is lace edging.” She looked around for a bolt of the lace she envisioned.

A bell tinkled at the front of the mercantile, and she looked up to see if it was one of her sisters. They had begged her to let them go to the park. Camellia wanted to stroll; Jasmine wanted to explore. Lily agreed to let them go after making them promise not to talk to strangers.

But instead of seeing one of her sisters, her gaze met the dark eyes of the intriguing Jean Luc Champney. “What a happy coincidence.” She moved forward with her hand outstretched.

Jean Luc took it in his and placed a warm kiss on her skin.

The gesture should have made her heart race, so why didn’t it? Why didn’t blood rush to her cheeks the way it did every time Blake Matthews talked to her? Maybe because Jean Luc was not abrasive and challenging like Blake always was. Yes, that had to be the answer.

“I thought I saw you and your slave entering.” He squeezed her hand before releasing it. “How are things going on the boat? Has Captain Steenberg moved aboard? I trust he meets with your approval.”

“Yes, thank you for sending him.” She paused, choosing her words with care. Truth to tell she had not been overly impressed with the man. He was loud and did not practice the best hygiene. “He is quite a colorful character.”

“Yes, well, he is an excellent captain. You will come to no harm while he guides the boat. He can probably supply you with an engineer and several crewmen.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” Lily could not imagine more of the same type of men on her boat. They would not impress the passengers she hoped to draw. “We’ve already hired a new crewman, and Mr. Moreau is going to act as our engineer for now.”

He shrugged. “Whatever you—”

“Lily! Lily!” Jasmine barreled into the mercantile like a cannonball. She ran past Jean Luc, grabbed Lily’s hand, and tugged her toward the door.

“Wait a minute, Jasmine. What’s wrong?”

“Come quick. They’re going to kill him.”

Thinking someone must have attacked Jensen, Lily tossed a glance at Jean Luc. “Pardon me.”

“Hurry, Lily! Please hurry.” Jasmine pulled harder. As soon as they were outside, her little sister picked up her skirts and dashed across the street, disappearing into an alley between two buildings.

Lily plunged into the alley, following her sister and praying for their safety as sounds of a scuffle reached her ears.

“Leave him alone!” Her sister’s voice carried to her from a shadowy corner.

Dazzled by the change from light to dark, Lily willed her vision to clear. Several boys stood in a semicircle looking down while one of them kicked whatever lay on the ground. It looked like a pile of rags, but from the solid impact made by each kick, someone was under the rags. “Stop what you’re doing.” Lily put all the authority she could muster into her voice.

The largest boy, who was doing the kicking, laughed. “We already took care of your friend. Do you want us to do the same to you?”

Lily’s first concern was for her sisters. She pointed toward the street without taking her eyes off the bullies. “Jasmine, you and Camellia go find Jensen.”

“But—”

“Go. Now.” She listened for the sound of their retreat before raising her parasol in a threatening manner. “If you leave now, I won’t have you arrested.”

One of the other boys grabbed the leader’s arm. “He’s learned his lesson. He won’t be filching our fish no more.”

The other accomplice added his voice. “Let’s get out of here.”

After one more vicious kick, the third boy looked at her, a snarl twisting his face. “I oughta teach you a lesson, too.”

Lily had never been so frightened, but she couldn’t let him see her fear. She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. “It won’t take long for my sisters to find our coachman. He’d probably like to teach you a thing or two himself.”

They took to their heels, leaving her alone with their groaning victim. Lily was about to go to him when Jensen, followed by her sisters, dashed into the alley.

“What’s going on here?” His growl reassured her, slowing the rapid thump of her heart. He looked around for the miscreants. “I don’t see no one here.”

“They ran off.” Was that weak sound her voice?

“Are you all right, Miss Lily?”

“Yes, Jensen.”

Jasmine dashed past them and sat down in the alley, ignoring everything else as she lifted a young boy’s head into her lap. “We have to take him back to the
Hattie Belle.
”

Lily understood her sister’s impulse to help the stranger, but they already had enough challenges to face. “I don’t know if that’s a very good idea.”

Camellia pushed her out of the way and sat next to Jasmine, her hands gently prodding the boy’s arms and legs. “We can’t leave him here.”

Lily sighed and looked from her sisters to Jensen.

“Don’t you remember the story of the Good Samaritan?” Jasmine’s voice held a hint of desperation.

Closing her eyes, Lily remembered the prayer she’d whispered as they’d entered the alley. The Lord had kept them safe. How then could she refuse to do her Christian duty? “I think it would be better to find his parents. They must be worried about him.”

Camellia leaned back on her heels. “What if he’s a foundling?”

“Then we’ll leave him at the foundling home.” Lily realized this was a losing battle. She knelt next to Jasmine and Camellia, bending to get a closer look at their victim. He flinched as she reached a hand toward his bruised face, an awful mat of gashes and bruises. It was the boy who had stolen her reticule. Her heart melted, and she looked over her shoulder toward Jensen. “Go get the carriage.”

J
ean Luc hung around the mercantile for another half hour, waiting for Lily Anderson. He pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open.

“Are you sure I can’t help you, Mr. Champney?” The storekeeper had already asked him the question twice before.

He shook his head and walked to the plate-glass window, staring at tall white clouds that were starting to pile up in the southern sky. How much longer could she be?

“Are you waiting for someone?” The man was at his elbow, as annoying as a mosquito.

Jean Luc sighed. “If you must know, I’m waiting to speak to Miss Anderson.”

“She’s not coming back.” The man smiled as though conferring a gift. “Her man loaded her supplies in the carriage and left a quarter hour ago.”

Anger burned in the pit of his stomach. How dared she ignore him? First she rushed off to see about some child instead of talking to him, and then she didn’t bother to come back. His jaw tightened. Lily Anderson would rue the day she ignored him. He stormed out of the mercantile and headed toward his father’s office.

“Good day, Mr. Champney.”

Jean Luc almost bypassed the man. But then he realized he could begin to settle the score right away. He smiled at the man who owned one of the largest shipping companies in town. “Hello, Sweeney. I trust business is going well.”

Sweeney nodded. “I heard your father sold the
Hattie Belle.
”

“Yes.” Jean Luc tapped his cane against his chin. “I was as surprised as anyone. Especially when I learned who the new owners are.” He shook his head and put an arm around the other man. “Just between you and me, he must have gotten a really good price.”

“Is that so?”

“Why else would he sell to a woman?” Jean Luc shook his head. “I hate to say it, but he may be slipping. Selling the
Hattie Belle
to someone who will likely run it aground on her first run? What sense is there in that?”

The older man looked pensive. Then he chuckled. “Maybe your father is wilier than you think. He’s probably expecting this woman to come running back to him. Then he’ll offer to take the boat off her hands, and he’ll make a tidy profit in the deal.”

Jean Luc raised his eyebrows. “You may be right.” He stood as though considering the other man’s suggestion then shook his head slowly. “Still, I worry about any shipper who lets her take his cargo out. He’ll lose the whole load, and she certainly doesn’t have deep enough pockets to repay the cost.”