Wronged (Book 1)

by Sylvia McDaniel

  ***

  Louis hurried down the street to meet Evette for dinner that evening, wondering why he had agreed to this meeting. They were friends and often joked about becoming lovers, but had never taken that next step. Somehow he understood they were meant to be only friends, as their expectations in life were different.

  He walked into Antoine’s Restaurant and saw her waiting for him.

  “Cheri, I begin to think that you had found someone else to dine with tonight,” she said giving him a sultry smile.

  “I’m sorry, Evette. A problem at the office kept me,” he said, his mind picturing Marian and the way he’d last seen her.

  The memory of her standing there in shock, trembling, ready for his kiss, haunted him still. Becoming involved with Marian could be dangerous. When he notified her of a buyer for the business, she would hate him. Kissing her sweet full lips would only fuel her revulsion when she realized he’d sold her out. Still her mouth tempted him, during working hours, but espe­cially when she haunted his mind in the middle of the night.

  “That problem wouldn’t be a young widow who sits across the hall from you, would it?” Evette asked candidly, jerking him out of his reverie.

  Before he could answer, the maitre d’hotel approached. “Your table is ready.”

  “Thank you,” Louis said, and took Evette by the elbow.

  The man pulled out her chair and seated her. Louis sat across from her, flipping out the tails of his tail coat as he sat.

  “Could you bring us two glasses of Bordeaux?” he told the waiter.

  “Yes, sir,” he said, and disappeared.

  Evette glanced across the table at him, the corners of her mouth turned up in slight smile, her brows lifted. “You did not answer my question.”

  “Sorry, we were interrupted. No, Marian is not the reason I’m late tonight. The Captain of one of our boats that was due to leave today has gone missing.”

  “Oh, the trials of the working man.”

  Louis waved her words away. “It’s been taken care of and now I’m here to spend the evening with you.”

  She smiled and opened a delicate fan to fan herself. “I’m glad.”

  An awkward silence seemed to envelop them as Louis sought for something to say, while his mind was filled with thoughts of Marian.

  “What did you think of Marian?”

  “I think she’s very beautiful and much too young to remain a widow for long,” she said watching him carefully.

  “She claims she will never remarry.”

  Evette nodded her head. “It’s understandable for her to feel this way. To face the scandal that has been forced upon her with Jean’s murder would certainly sour one against the idea of forever after. Maybe Jean was a terrible lover and she’s never experienced passion.”

  “What do you mean? She was married and had two children,” Louis said thinking that was unlikely.

  Evette smiled and leaned forward, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes, but just because you have intimate relations with a man, does not mean that he has shown you the fires of pleasure. Many women never experience le grand orgasms.”

  Louis glanced around at the tables around them. Dear God, had anyone heard her? “Evette, are you really saying this to me?”

  “Why not?” She reached over and slapped the back of his hand with her fan. “You’re not a school boy, so quit acting like one. You should know this is true.”

  “The idea of her and Jean together is sickening,” he said, as the waiter set their drinks down.

  Though he knew it was ridiculous, the thought of Marian disrobing for Jean left him angry. Though she bore him two children, Jean’s mistresses had received better treatment than Marian and that bothered him most of all.

  He glanced across the table to see Evette watching him. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

  She smiled. “I think things have changed while I was away. Somehow I get the feeling that you are different.”

  He frowned. “Give me a couple of weeks and I’ll be myself again. With Jean’s death, a lot of things changed.”

  “Yes, I see that.” She sipped her wine. “I also heard they arrested one of the wives for his murder.”

  “I hadn’t heard. I met them all at the reading of the will. Layla Cuvier seemed to be in shock at that time. It’s hard to believe such an innocent looking woman could kill. She’s hardly more than a child.”

  “No, I do not believe it,” Evette said.

  “Her servant told the police that Layla gave Jean laudanum at night to help him sleep. She had the opportunity to poison him,” said Louis.

  Evette shook her head. “Spoken like a man. Think about this, why would she kill her only source of income? Now she has nowhere to go.”

  “Even if she found out he was already married?” Louis questioned.

  Evette nodded. “The woman was wandering the streets when they found her. No woman chooses that kind of life. Not even a wife who has to put up with a husband she detests.” Evette took a deep breath. “I tell you, they arrested the wrong person.”

  “Marian told her she could continue to live in the house in Baton Rouge. Why would she wander the streets of New Orleans?”

  “According to my source down at the police station, the authorities would not let her return to Baton Rouge and the hotel kicked her out. No money, no home. She’s been sleeping wherever she could find a place.”

  Louis shivered. “I wonder if Marian knows her plight. I’ll need to tell her as soon as possible.”

  He pulled out his pocket watch and noticed the time, the urge to talk to Marian overwhelming. Evette had tickets for the opera and they had only an hour to get there. He frowned. Maybe he should consider skipping the opera tonight?

  “What if we miss…”

  She stiffened and her eyes grew large. “Don’t say it!”

  He stopped. “I was going to ask you if we had time to run by Marian’s house and let me tell her.”

  “Marian again.” She gazed at him quizzically. “I think dear friend, that you are much more interested in the Widow Cuvier than you are letting on. I think your affections have changed and you are not quite aware of this new fondness.”

  Louis didn’t say anything. Could she be right? He was all too aware of his attraction to Jean’s widow, but he also realized any tryst would be impossible, especially after he found a buyer for Cuvier Shipping.

  Though lately he’d begun to notice that she seldom left his thoughts and the realization bothered him.

  He reached across the table and grabbed Evette’s hands. He could still play the rakish flirt. “Evette, my affections are still my own. Though I must admit a certain fondness for a very beautiful widow, known for stringing men along.”

  She gazed at him, still frowning. She lifted her chin. “Keep talking and you may yet manage to salvage the evening. Though I don’t believe a word of the pretty lies you’re telling me.”

  Louis lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her skin. “Your intelligence and wit, along with your friendship, are why I continue to see you.”

  She laughed.

  The words were true, but still he couldn’t deny that part of him wanted to find some excuse to leave and go to Marian. To tell her how the police had found Layla Cuvier wandering the streets. But would Marian care or was his need to discuss Layla’s troubles just an excuse to see Marian and finish what they started in her office this afternoon?