“Yes, every young blade in New Orleans will be pestering you for dances.”
“I can’t dance, me,” Fleur said. “Just the zydeco is all I can do. I bet you don’t do that where we going.”
“I don’t think so.” Simone was taken aback. She assumed that every young lady could dance. She looked at her brother. “Bayard, you’ll have to stay with her.”
“We don’t have to dance,” Bayard said. “We can just walk around and sample the food and meet people. Come along now, we don’t want to be late.”
Colin had arranged for the company to have a night off. They had worked hard, and except for Sunday nights, they had performed regu-larly. He was stepping downstairs from his room when he saw Rosa crossing the lobby. He called out to her, and she turned to smile at him.
“Hello, Colin. Where are you going?”
“I’m trying to decide whether to go to that reception for the lieu-tenant governor. I don’t like such things usually, but I suppose I ought to go.”
“It should be fun,” Rosa said.
“I’m a little bit worried about the young woman I told you about—the one who’s staying with Simone and Bayard.”
“The one named Fleur, who rescued Bayard? I’d like to meet her.”
“Well, here’s your chance.” Colin made up his mind suddenly. “You go with me. I’m afraid Fleur’s going to feel out of place. She’s never been to a thing like this. She’s just a country girl, really.”
Rosa offered, “You want me to go with you?”
“Yes. Let’s go to the blasted thing. We can make her feel at home.”
“All right. Let me stop at home to put on a different dress, and I’ll be ready.”
The ballroom was filled, for the new lieutenant governor of Louisiana was already a power in the state. Everyone knew that he would be the next governor and was anxious to show him respect.
As Bayard and Simone arrived with Fleur, they were greeted on every hand, but Fleur could only look at the magnificence of the ballroom.
The room was large and oval-shaped, with domed ceilings and pic-tures of gilded angels and clouds painted throughout. The walls were painted a brilliant white, and the floor was highly polished marble of white with gold flecks. Large, round columns encircled the room about ten feet in from the outer walls, and upholstered chairs of gold and blue silk damask and tables covered with fine white linen, china, and crystal lay behind the columns. Floor-length windows around the room were covered with heavy blue velvet curtains and crystal chan-deliers seemed to be everywhere, lit with hundreds of candles.
Fleur felt terribly uncomfortable, and her face was pale, but nei-ther Simone nor Bayard noticed. They were too busy greeting people. Finally two men came up, and the shorter one was introduced as Governor Taylor while the tall man beside him was Jeffrey Williams, the incoming lieutenant governor.
“Are your parents here, Miss d’Or?” Governor Taylor asked.
“They will be here later, sir.”
“You’ve met the new lieutenant governor, Mr. Jeffrey Williams?”
“I have not. Glad to know you, sir. This is my sister, Simone, and our good friend Miss Avenall,” Bayard said.
The lieutenant governor’s eyes were fastened on Fleur. He stepped forward and bowed from the waist. “Happy to know you, Miss Avenall. Perhaps you’ll honor me with a dance?”
“No, I don’t dance.”
Both the governor and the lieutenant governor looked shocked.
Bayard said quickly, “She is new to our city and hasn’t yet picked up our ways.”
“Well, if you ever learn, I’ll be first in line.” Williams smiled, and the two men wandered off.
“I don’t think this a good idea,” Fleur said.
“Now, don’t be foolish. Come along, let’s just walk around,” Bayard said. He took her lightly by the arm and steered her toward the refreshment table. They were sampling the food when George Ahern, the mayor, came up. Bayard introduced him to Fleur, and Ahern asked, “You’re new to our city?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you from, may I ask?”
“Whiskey Bay.”
Ahern’s eyes flew open. Whiskey Bay was one of the many spots deep in bayou country. “Well,” he said, “we’re glad to have you here tonight.”
Several others had been within hearing distance, and one of them, a tall, fashionable woman remarked, “Whiskey Bay—nothing there but alligators and moccasins.”
Instantly Bayard turned and glared at her. She met his eyes and then reddened. She turned and walked away, and Bayard said, “Don’t mind them, Fleur. There are people with bad manners everywhere.”
“Please, Bayard, take me from this place!”
“We won’t stay long,” he promised. He realized that bringing her had been a mistake, but he couldn’t leave so early in the evening. He saw Colin speaking with Simone and another woman he recognized from the opera. “Look, there are some friendly people you should meet.”
He led Fleur over and introduced her. Colin smiled. “Hello, Miss Avenall. May I introduce my friend, Miss Rosa Calabria.”
Rosa smiled and stepped forward. “You look lovely. I’m so happy to meet you.”
“I am glad to meet you. I heard you sing last night.”
“Did you like the opera?” Colin asked.
“Yes. It was loud.”
Colin laughed, and the others joined him. “It was indeed loud. Operas may be good or bad, but they are all loud.”
Fleur looked around with alarm. “Did I say something wrong, Bayard?”
“No, of course you didn’t. I think all of us agree that operas are hard on the ears.”
Colin said, “I thought I might ask you to dance, Miss Fleur.”
“I can’t do that.”
Silence ensued, and Simone said quickly, “I’m going to have Fleur start taking dancing lessons at once.” She was upset and saw that Colin was looking at the girl with pity in his eyes. “It won’t take long for her to learn,” she said.
“I’m sure it won’t,” Colin said quietly.
Simone watched as Colin and Rosa spoke with the girl. Bayard stepped close to Simone and whispered, “We were wrong to bring her here.”
“No, we weren’t,” Simone said. She was still determined to prove that Colin was mistaken. “It’s just a small thing. Anybody can learn to dance.”
“I don’t know. It’s more than that.”
At that moment Claude Vernay strode across the room. He stood before Fleur and said, “Bayard, would you introduce me to your friend?”
Colin turned to face Vernay. “It wouldn’t be proper, Vernay.”
Vernay turned pale, and the people within hearing distance were watching carefully. New Orleans loved its drama, and the townspeople knew the antagonism that existed between the two. Vernay shot a venomous glance at Colin, then turned and walked away, his back stiff.
“Why is that man so mad at you?” Fleur asked.
“Just a disagreement. Come on, let me get you something to drink.”
“I already have something to drink. I didn’t like it.”
“It’s not very good,” Bayard agreed, “but I’m sure we’ll have some entertainment. Did they ask you to sing, Colin?”
“No, they didn’t, and I’m glad of it. I’m about sung out.”
Simone hailed three of her friends across the room. She intro-duced them to Fleur, who said little, but the reaction of Simone’s friends was obvious. They were amused at the young woman. One of them said in a bright voice, “What a delightful friend you have, Simone. She’s so—so exotic.”
Her tone was such that everyone who heard knew she had insulted Fleur. Simone was furious. “Yes, she is, Mary. She is unspoiled and has a sweetness in her that I don’t find in any of my other friends.” She turned around and said, “Come, Fleur.”
Bayard accompanied them, and Fleur reached up and put her hand on his arm. “Please, Bayard, take me home.”
“Yes, I will. Simone, I’m taking
Fleur home.”
Simone started to argue, but Bayard shook his head and led Fleur out of the room.The music was playing, and Colin asked, “Would you care to dance?”
Simone turned and looked at him. She was thinking of the con-versation when he had warned her against the difficulty of bringing Fleur into a world she did not know. “She just needs more training, Colin,” she said firmly, “and I’m going to see that she gets it.”
Colin replied, “Lots of luck. I think you’ll need it.” He turned and walked to Rosa, and the two left at once. Simone knew that he had come for Fleur’s sake, and a feeling of disappointment filled her. Still she thought, It’ll work. I can make her into a society woman. Colin’s wrong about this!
Chapter twenty-one
Simone put down her pen, flexed her fingers, and sat looking at the words she had written in her journal. Nothing is working out with Fleur. I don’t know what to do, but I will not give up.
A knock on the door startled her. “Come in, Lucy.”
Her maid entered the room, her eyes big. “Lord Beaufort is here to see you, Miss.”
Simone rose and said, “Very well. I’ll come down.”
“Is he really a lord like they say?”
“Of course he is, Lucy. That’s why they call him Lord Beaufort. What a silly goose you are!”
She descended the stairs and found that Colin was waiting for her in the foyer. He was wearing a pair of worn brown trousers, a green-and-white checkered shirt, and a short wool coat that came down to his fingers and was open at the front. His boots were heavy and had thick soles. “I came without an invitation, Simone,” he said, and his eyes were dancing with some kind of excitement.
“Well, come into the parlor.” They had parted on icy terms at the ball, and she wasn’t sure whether she was glad to see him or not.
“No, I’ve come to take you for an outing.”
“An outing? What sort?”
“I bought a small boat some time ago. I’ve been meaning to ask you to come for a sail with me.”
“But Colin, it’s freezing out there!” Indeed, the first of November had just passed, and New Orleans had been held in extremely cold weather, which was very unusual for the city.
“Don’t be so picky, Simone. It’ll be something new for you. I imagine you haven’t been out on many small sailing crafts.”
“No, and I’m not sure I’ll like it,” Simone said. “I can’t swim.”
“You won’t have to. I can pull you out, but we won’t capsize. Come on. I need your company.”
Simone had been upset with Colin for his advice about Fleur Avenall, but at the moment, she was tired of balls and parties and the formal manners of her world. So she sighed and asked, “What does a lady wear on a boat like this?”
“The oldest clothes you have. Good boots and warm socks and warm underwear.”
Simone was surprised. No man had ever mentioned underwear in her presence, and she saw that he was waiting for her to complain.
Instead she fell into his mood. “All right. Give me a few minutes. You might as well go back to the kitchen. They’ll give you something to warm you up.”
“I’ll wait for you there.”
Upstairs Simone searched her closet for something suitable. Lucy asked, “What are you looking for?”
“Some winter clothes. The warmest I have.” She picked out a wool dress that she had not worn for years.
“Why, you can’t wear that old thing. I don’t know why you keep it.”
“It’ll do. Now, find me two sets of the warmest underwear I’ve got.”
As Simone stepped out of the carriage, the breeze off the river cut into her like a knife, despite two sets of underwear and her heavy woolen coat. She gasped, but Colin did not seem to be troubled. He did not even bother to button his coat. “There she is, right over there,” he said, pointing. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
Simone walked with him to the pier, where the boat was bobbing up and down. “It’s so small,” she said.
“Twenty feet long and plenty of room. She’s got a good wide beam and a deep draft too.” A man was working on it, a short, tub-shaped fellow with a red face and blue lips. “A bit rough out today, Cap’n.”
“Just right for sailing, Frank.”
“Well, sir, she’s all ready.” He offered his hand and said, “Let me help you in, Miss.”
Simone stepped gingerly into the boat, and Colin said, “Take that seat up in the bow.”
Simone obeyed and sat down. While Colin spoke with the man and then boarded, she looked out over the river. Few boats were on the water, only a few paddle wheelers headed for the docks of New Orleans. The wind bit at her, and she shivered and wished she had put on three sets of underwear. She was glad she had worn a pair of fur-lined leather gloves.
“All set?” Colin asked cheerfully.
“I suppose so. I still think this is insane.”
“Anybody can go sailing in the spring or summer. It’s good to have a challenge.” He began to loose the ropes and cast them off, and the man took them and rolled them up. Colin moved quickly, pulling at a rope that raised a sail, and at once the stiff breeze caught the vessel and pulled it sideways. Simone watched as he leaped back to the tiller and cried out, “Well, here we go!”
“Be careful of them waves, sir,” Frank called out. “They can turn you over before you know it.”
“I’ll watch ’em, Frank.”
The small craft moved swiftly through the water, and Simone saw Colin smile. He’s really enjoying this. I don’t know why anybody would!
As the boat moved along, Colin spoke about how he had found her and restored her with Frank’s help. “She’s a real traveler. Someday I’d like to have a bigger boat. I miss the sea.”
The wind whipped about Simone, seeming to wrap her in its coldness. The sail was stiff with the breeze as the craft drove through the gray water, and from time to time she saw Colin adjust the tiller. He was jolly, seeming not to feel the cold weather, and he began to speak of the time when he was a fisherman. “I never thought I’d miss those days,” he said. “It was a hard life, but there were some good things about it.”
By the time they neared the Gulf, Simone felt that she was frozen. It was impossible to keep her face warm, and her lips were numb so that she had difficulty responding to Colin. Her eyes watered, and she beat her hands together from time to time and stamped her feet to get the blood going.
Finally the Gulf opened up before them, and the waves made the small craft bob up and down like a cork. Once a wave smashed into their side, and the small craft listed alarmingly.
“Colin,” Simone said, “this is enough! I’m freezing to death!”
“Why, this isn’t too bad. I can take you down and show you some islands that we might even explore a little bit.”
“No, I want to go home.” At that moment the wind rose, and the craft bobbed some more. “Please, Colin, I’m afraid!”
Colin looked at her, then shrugged. “Well, fishermen pay no atten-tion to this sort of weather, but we’ll go back.” He put the sail around, then grabbed the tiller and straightened the vessel. They ran before the wind all the way back down the river. Simone was as miserable as she had ever been in her life. Her world was comfort and warmth and someone looking out for her. She thought as she watched Colin maneuver the boat back toward the dock how hard his fisherman’s life must have been. Just the thought of putting her hand in that cold water was painful.
Colin pulled up to the dock and said, “I guess Frank went to get something to eat.” They had been gone for two hours, and he leaped out and quickly secured the boat fore and aft. Then he reached for her and said, “Come along. I’ll help you out.”
Simone had trouble when she got to her feet. She had no feeling in them and was afraid she would twist her ankle. She took his hand and stepped on the dock, shivering. She repeated, “I’m freezing!”
“It’s not that bad. I’ve been out when ice was on the water. Look, th
ere’s Frank’s shack up there. Let’s go see if we can get something to warm us up.”
He held her arm firmly until they reached the small shack. When he knocked, no one answered. “He must have gone to get a drink. Come along.”
“We can’t go into his house.”
“He won’t mind. Come inside.”
Simone stepped into the shack, which was no more than twelve feet square. A stove was throwing out waves of heat, and she went over to it at once and held her hands out. Great tremors ran through her, and she had to clamp her teeth together and force herself to be still.
Colin soon had water boiling, and by the time Simone was fairly comfortable, the coffee was ready. He took two unmatched cups, poured them full, and said, “No fancy trimmings. Just black and hot.”
Simone took it and sipped it cautiously. “It’s good,” she said. She drank the coffee gratefully and looked up to see Colin smiling at her. “What are you grinning about?” she asked.
“You didn’t have a very good time.”
“Of course I didn’t. It’s miserable out there. I can’t think why’d you ask me to go.”
Colin sipped his coffee, swirled it in the cup, and stared down into it. Finally he lifted his eyes. “Not your kind of a world, is it?”
“No, it certainly isn’t.”
“I could teach you to live in it.”
“I don’t want to live in it. I like my own world.”
He seemed not to have heard her. “It would take a long time, but you would learn.”
“I have no interest at all in joining that kind of world.”
Colin moved closer, reached out, seized her arm, and squeezed it. His voice was level, and his eyes were direct as he said, “Neither does Fleur want your world, Simone. She was as miserable at that fancy ball as you were out in that boat. Fleur could learn to live in your world, but it was as cruel of you and Bayard to throw her into that place with no preparation as it was for me to take you out in an icy, rough sea.”
Simone felt the pressure of his hand squeezing her arm and of the intensity of his bright blue eyes. She understood then why he had taken her out there. “You did this to teach me a lesson.”
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