Winds of the Storm (29 page)

Then he heard a voice that was as familiar as his own heartbeat. “You love me?” And to his anger and yes, extreme delight, Zahra Lafayette stepped out of the trees. Even as his heart swelled at the sight of her he swore, “Dammit, woman. Cut me down!”

Zahra and her father James had been out hunting and she'd been trailing him by a few yards. She'd heard him talking up ahead but had no idea he was talking with Archer until she stepped out of the bush. Knowing the man she loved more than anything else in the world was here filled her heart with joy. He certainly looked comical hanging up there twisting gently though, and she didn't
have to see his face to know that he was also furious. But her surprise at finding him here paled in comparison to what she'd just heard him say.

He barked, “Zahra, if you don't cut me down, I'm going to make you wear corsets and shoes every day for the rest of our married life!”

She chuckled, then said to her father. “Let's get him down, Papa.”

James looked down into his daughter's happy eyes and asked, “You sure?”

“Positive.”

Once they lowered him to the ground, Archer was too dizzy to do anything more than lie there. When she came to kneel at his side, he took in the simple patched dress she was wearing and the beauty of her face and he felt his world right again. He smiled and asked. “Will you marry me?”

Zahra looked down at him in his dirty clothes, the profusion of raised insect bites on his golden face and replied, “Yes, Archer. I will marry you.”

Relieved and satisfied, Archer gave in and blacked out.

Z
ahra and Archer were married a month later at Saint Louis Cathedral. Her parents were in attendance as were dispatches from across the nation. That night as Archer carried her over the threshold of his suite above the Christophe, he asked, “So, what ever happened in Washington? Did you give the Death Book to the president?”

Zahra was the happiest woman in the world and kissed him to show him how much before replying, “No. He was in Boston, and I wasn't leaving the book with his secretary and maybe have it disappear, so I gave the man my written report and left. Araminta has the book now.”

He set her down on the sofa, kissed her soundly then sat beside her. “She'll know what to do with it.”

“Yes she will.”

Archer was slowly undoing her gown and placing sweet heat-filled kisses on her mouth, throat and the tops of her breasts.

“Who will you be in bed tonight, ma chérie—Domino, Zahra Crane, Zahra Lafayette?”

Feeling arousal taking hold in response to his expert kisses and caresses, Zahra purred, “I think I'll be Zahra Le Veq, the virgin bride.”

Archer chuckled and bit the lobe of her ear gently. “Virgin?” he asked with amused interest and delight.

“Yes, which means you'll have to show me what to do.”

“I believe I can handle that task.”

“Are you sure?”

He slid the top of her gown down and brushed a kiss over her soft skin. “Most definitely.”

“I love you, Archer,” she breathed as his mouth pleasured her.

“I love you, too, Zahra.”

And, later in the bedroom, he proved it until she screamed.

A
rcher Le Veq was first introduced in my fifth novel,
Through the Storm,
published in 1998 by Avon Books. That story revolved around Sable Fontaine and Raimond Le Veq, but Archer and the Brats made such an impression that fans have been demanding a sequel ever since. I've been waiting for Archer and Zahra, too, so I hope you had as much fun reading about them as I had bringing their story to life.

To my surprise, the institution with the most complete information on Black Dispatches, male and female, turned out to be this nation's Central Intelligence Agency! An article by P.K. Rose titled
The Civil War: Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence
can be found at:
www.odci.gov/cia/publications/dispatches.dispatch.html.

It's filled with fascinating little known facts of
the race's contribution to the war, and I'm pleased to have my tax dollars contributing to the preservation of such an important aspect of American History.

Dorothy Sterling, in her book
The Trouble They Seen: The Story of Reconstruction in the Words of African Americans,
published by Da Capo Press, describes Henry Adams as a “one-man investigating committee.” Those of you who have read my first novel,
Night Song
, know that he played a significant role in the Great Exodus of 1879, and that my fictional town in which
Night Song
takes place is named for him. However, I'd no idea he was so politically active before the Exodus, nor was I aware of the covert activities he and his volunteers conducted during the dark days of Redemption until I read Ms. Sterling's book. Adams mentions his investigators in testimony before a committee of the United States Senate. (For further information please see: Senate report 693, 46th Congress, 2nd Session and/or Sterling's book.)

The Death Books Zahra and her forces were hunting were real, and they are referenced in Adams' Congressional testimony, as well. In my humble opinion, a full historical treatment of Henry Adams and his contributions to the race is long overdue, so all of you true historians out there, the ball's in your court.

The name and accomplishments of Oscar J. Dunn have faded so much over time, he has all but disappeared from the history books. The controversy surrounding his untimely death
remains unresolved. No one knows why his family refused the autopsy, or why considering the numbers of other Republicans who claimed to have had the same symptoms, Dunn was the only one to die. The only article I could find on the circumstances of his death was published by the journal
Phylon,
and written by Marcus B. Christian.

Reconstruction is one of the most compelling eras of American history but trying to include all of the facts and stories is impossible, so please consult my partial list of sources below for more information.

Blassingame, John W.
Black New Orleans: 1860–1880.
University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London, 1976.

Foner, Eric.
Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution. 1863–1877.
Harper and Row, New York, 1988.

Gehman, Margaret.
Free People of Color of New Orleans.
Margaret Media, New Orleans, 1994.

Quarles, Benjamin.
The Negro in the American Revolution.
University of North Carolina Press, 1961. (See this book for information on the original James Lafayette.)

Writing this book became very personal for me. While I was working on it Hurricane Katrina entered our lives. My heart goes out to the Americans impacted, especially those in New Orleans.

For all those who sent cards and wishes to me after the publication of
Something Like Love,
please
know that I am alive and doing well. Thank you for the outpouring of love, concern, and support.

Stay Blessed,
B