Heart of Glass

by Jill Marie Landis

  “I suppose I should go up and see to their prayers.” Kate hesitated, then surprised him. “Would you like to join me? I’m sure they’d be happy to have you tuck them in.”

  “I don’t think I could make it up the stairs tonight. I’d best get back to the garçonnière.”

  Kate’s eyes were huge behind her glasses; her face flushed. Was she about to burst into tears?

  “What is it, Kate? Damian is all right. There’s no need to worry.”

  She glanced out the door. The light in the garçonnière window beckoned.

  “Would you …? Should I …?”

  Suddenly it hit him. Over the past week they discussed the children, her work, the cane crop, and field workers, but never once had they discussed the intimate guidelines of their marriage. Kate wasn’t sure what to expect.

  He set the sword on the sideboard and took Kate’s hands in his. Hers were as cold as ice.

  “Thank you, Kate.”

  “For what?”

  He could barely hear her.

  “For the sacrifice you’ve made for the children and for me.”

  She looked so vulnerable and confused that he couldn’t help but kiss her. Unlike during the ceremony, this time Kate kissed him back. Tempted by her response, Colin longed to deepen the kiss, but he had no intention of toying with her. He pulled back. Kate’s face was still tipped up, and she blinked at him as if she’d just had the wind knocked out of her too.

  He rubbed his thumb against the vulnerable underside of her wrist. Was Kate Keene unwittingly storming his heart the way she had Belle Fleuve?

  “I can feel your pulse. Your heart is racing,” he whispered.

  “I …” She dropped her gaze. Her cheeks flamed.

  “Kate, there’s no need to be frightened. I will never press you for more than you are willing to give.”

  “I thought that you might be moving in with … us.”

  “I’m comfortable in the garçonnière.”

  Another moment passed before she met his eyes again.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He kissed her hand before saying good-night and walking away.

  FIFTEEN

  Somehow Kate survived the first week of her marriage without dying of embarrassment. Thankfully, Colin never once mentioned their awkward wedding-night exchange.

  They quickly settled into a routine; he spent his time overseeing the work on the cabins and making sure the new hands and their families were settled. Together he and Jason met with other planters on River Road.

  Kate spent the time completing the plans Jamison had assigned and tending to Marie and Damian. The day after the wedding, she approached Colin about taking his evening meals with them, stressing that she felt it was important for the children to see them as a united front. He immediately agreed.

  The first time he joined them in the dining room of the main house with his shirt open at the neck and his damp, dark hair tied back, she almost wished he would have chosen to continue eating alone in the garçonnière. The lamplight in the dining room hid the lines and hollows on his face, making it hard to remember that he was not the Colin she knew in her youth and that theirs was a partnership, not a marriage.

  The four of them gathered around the table was a stark reminder that Amelie was gone. Sometimes Damian or Marie would struggle to fill awkward silences. On occasion Colin tried to make conversation, but often seemed distracted. Kate suspected he was either worried about the future or in pain.

  To someone peering through the window they might seem an ordinary family, but the reality of the situation was achingly clear; they were trying to cobble together a life and none of them knew how to go about it.

  As much as she wanted to concentrate on her duties as the wife of a struggling plantation owner, inexperienced mother of two, and fledgling architect at Belle Fleuve, duty demanded that Kate make the trek to New Orleans to meet with Roger Jamison.

  Upon arriving in New Orleans Kate walked the Garden District, enjoying perfect fall weather and admiring the architecture. A few homes were made of brick and stucco like in the French Quarter, but most were made of wood and were surrounded by large gardens with enough room for oaks and magnolias. Though she enjoyed New Orleans, with Colin and the children never far from her mind, the city no longer felt like home.

  When she finally reached Roger Jamison’s stately house, she rang the bell and then admired the decorative ironwork used on the side gallery as she waited for him to answer. He opened the door, pleased to see her.

  “Miss Keene, come in. Come in. I’d all but given up on you.” He noted the roll of plans in her arms. “I see you’ve brought the designs along. Good. Good. I’ve been anxious to see them.”

  He led the way into his office. Kate followed, hoping that her work would meet his approval. The plans were not very inspired, but she thought she’d produced some good, solid additions.

  “I’m sorry this has taken so long,” she began.

  “I heard that Amelie Delany passed.” He cleared space on his design table, his expression one of sympathy. “Are you still at Belle Fleuve?”

  She nodded and tried to hide a blush. “Actually, yes. Colin Delany and I were married last week.”

  He peered at her over his spectacles.

  “That was rather sudden, I take it?”

  “Amelie returned with two children, a boy and a girl. Colin and I promised to look after them together.”

  “So you married him?”

  “It’s more of a partnership, actually.”

  “I suppose this means you won’t be able to assist me after all.” He hadn’t even seen her plans but sounded disappointed.

  “On the contrary, I’m hoping the designs meet your approval and you’ll keep me on as your assistant — as long as I can work at Belle Fleuve. Naturally I’ll come and meet with you when needed.”

  “As long as the clients are happy, I don’t see why that should be a problem.” He took her plans and spread them out. As he studied them intently, the only sound in the room was the tick of the clock on the mantle and Roger’s occasional “Ah.”

  When he was finished he slipped off his glasses, folded the stems, and set them down. Kate held her breath.

  “I must say this is very nice work, Mrs. Delany.”

  Hearing him address her as Mrs. Delany caught Kate off guard. It was a moment before she responded.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jamison.”

  “Having known Patrick Delany’s work, all I can say is that he would be proud to have you carrying on the family name.”

  She thanked him again, and he rolled up the plans and invited her to sit down over tea to discuss a project he wanted her to start on immediately: the remodeling of a home recently purchased by a steamboat captain from Baton Rouge.

  “It’s a place with good bone structure. Perhaps you’ll have more luck persuading him to change some of the crazy notions he’s come up with.”

  “Crazy notions?” She was intrigued as well as concerned. “Will his ideas ruin the integrity of the house? If so, what should I do?”

  “Make him happy, Mrs. Delany, or forfeit the work and I’ll find someone who will.” He gave her a nearby address.

  “I’ll walk past it on my way back to the French Quarter,” she told him.

  “You don’t have a carriage waiting?”

  She hadn’t wanted to spend the money when she was quite capable of walking.

  “It’s a lovely day for a walk,” she said.

  “That it is.”

  They shared a pot of tea, and then he gave her the original plans he’d found in the New Orleans city archives to study.

  “Captain Stevens will want to meet with you on his next trip to town.”

  “Just send word and I can be here whenever you say. I’ll go over these drawings and come up with some of my own ideas before we meet. Hopefully he’ll be pleased.

  “Is there anything else we need to discuss? I have an appointment with my accountant i
n an hour,” she added.

  “Just one more thing.” He disappeared into his office, returned with a bank draft, and handed it to her.

  “Payment for your first assignment,” he said.

  Kate looked at the check in her hand. A few weeks ago it would have seemed modest. Today she was not only happy to have it and pleased to have become a professional architect at last, but elated that Jamison had said Patrick Delany would be proud.

  “I hope this is just the beginning of many successful projects.” Jamison opened the front door for her.

  “Thank you, sir. I hope so too.”

  As Kate bid him farewell and walked away smiling, her steps felt a bit lighter and so did her heart.

  An hour later she was in Dan Rosen’s office in the French Quarter.

  “I don’t know what to say, Kate.”

  “You don’t have to say anything but congratulations,” she said.

  “Your father asked me to do what I thought best for you, to counsel you.”

  “You’re not my father, Dan.”

  “When your mother sent word from Italy that she’d married a count I wasn’t surprised. It was exactly something Nola would do, but your marriage to Delany is quite a surprise.” He shook his head and added, “Then again, maybe I should have seen it coming.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You didn’t think twice about paying off years of back taxes on Belle Fleuve. Where that place is concerned, you throw caution to the wind.”

  “Is that what you think I’ve done? Married him to get Belle Fleuve?”

  “When did Colin Delany propose?”

  “Shortly after Amelie died.”

  “So it’s not as if you are in love with him.”

  What would Dan say if he knew she had always been in love with Colin?

  “We’ve entered a kind of partnership,” she admitted.

  “A partnership.” He studied her carefully. “Does he know your inheritance is almost gone?”

  “I don’t think he knew I had an inheritance to begin with.”

  “Really, Kate?”

  “Yes, Dan. We married to raise Amelie’s children together.”

  “If you run out of money, how do you plan on feeding them? Does Colin have any resources at all?”

  “He saved some of his army wages.”

  “I believe soldiers are paid less than two hundred per year.”

  Kate sighed. “I have my first paycheck in my reticule, and you are going to rebuild my account.”

  “You’re as stubborn as ever.”

  “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. I haven’t felt much of anything lately, let alone trying to muster the strength to argue with anyone.”

  “You say this is a partnership, Kate. Am I to assume it’s platonic?”

  “I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”

  “I’m concerned for your welfare. If the marriage isn’t consummated, you can always engage a good lawyer and have it annulled.”

  “I don’t want it annulled.”

  His brows shot up. “So that’s how it is. You are in love with him.”

  “You have no idea how it is.” She straightened her hat and stood up. “Now that I’ve delivered my news, I’ll be leaving.”

  “Kate, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m merely concerned. As I said, your father bade me to watch out for you. Now I’m afraid I haven’t done a very good job.”

  “I’m twenty-nine and perfectly capable of looking out for myself.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” Dan pushed off the corner of his desk where he’d been sitting and walked her to the door. “If you need my help with anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  Kate had the rest of her belongings moved out of the suite at the St. Charles, and by late the following day she was back at Belle Fleuve. Though her trip to the city was brief, it seemed she’d been gone forever, and she was happy to be back.

  No one was there to greet her carriage when she arrived so she had the driver unload her things before she went in search of the children. When she didn’t find them upstairs, she went out in the gardens to look for them.

  There was no sign of anyone there either, so Kate continued out to the yard and walked over to the row of cabins. Simon and Eugenie’s place was empty, but a very young woman with a toddler was standing on the porch of the cabin next door. Kate introduced herself.

  “I’m Portia,” said the girl. “This is Betsy.” She bounced the baby on her hip.

  “Have you seen Eugenie or Simon?” Kate asked. “Or Mr. Delany and the children?”

  “Eugenie went to the foreman’s house to help birth the Bolton baby. Mr. Delany took a few of the men over to another place to load up some cane cuttings, but they came back a few minutes ago. He’s still over at the barn.”

  Eager to see him again, Kate hurried across the stable yard. She soon heard his voice coming from the dim interior of the barn. His low, mellow tone sounded confident again. She took a deep breath and paused long enough to tuck a strand of hair back beneath the front brim of her small hat. She gave the hem of her short jacket a tug and tried to ignore the flush of excitement she felt.

  Kate smiled as she stepped into the barn. Colin and Simon were covering a wagon bed with canvas.

  Colin felt her presence before he saw her. Thinking only of Kate, he turned around and stepped off the wagon bed onto his bad leg. The pain made him stagger. Kate was beside him in an instant, slipping her arm around his waist, supporting him as he fought back a wave of dizziness.

  “Are you all right?” Concern for him shadowed her expression.

  “I am now.” He almost kissed her but Simon intruded.

  “Here’s your cane, Mr. Colin.” Simon handed it over.

  “Thank you, Simon. I’ll leave you to finish here.” He turned to Kate, hating for her to move away. It felt natural to have her tucked beneath his arm. “We just picked up a load of cuttings. Got them for a good price. We’ll start planting soon.”

  “I hear Eugenie’s at the Boltons’.”

  He nodded. “Jason came to get her. It’s Cora’s time.”

  “Where are the children? Not with Eugenie, I hope.”

  Did she seem loathe to let him go? She took her time moving away.

  “They were with us.” He looked around and shrugged. “They were right here a minute ago.”

  She walked the interior of the barn and came back looking piqued.

  “They aren’t here. Did you see them leave, Simon?” She placed her hands on her hips.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “There are snakes everywhere and alligators that come up from the marsh and a thousand other ways Damian could get hurt.”

  “Kate, they were just here. I’m sure they’re fine.”

  “You have to watch children every minute.” She marched to the barn door and surveyed the property. “We have to find them.”

  “I’d come with you,” Colin offered, “but I’d only slow you down.”

  She turned to Simon. “Saddle Colin’s horse in case they wandered away from the house.”

  “Can you ride?” Colin tried to picture her tearing across the fields like a madwoman.

  “I’m not the best rider in the world but I can manage.”

  “You could also break your foolish neck. Simon will go look for them.”

  “They’re our responsibility, not Simon’s and not Eugenie’s.” Her alarm was contagious.

  “Fine, but I’m telling you they can’t be far. Maybe they’re back in the house by now.”

  Colin admired the flash of her ankle when she hiked up her skirt and ran back to the house before he turned to Simon.

  “You have any idea why she’s in such a lather? Those two can’t have gone very far.”

  “Eugenie would snatch us bald if she knew those children had slipped away someplace when we weren’t watching.”

  Colin lifted his hat and wiped his brow with his shirtsleeve.

 
; “I’ll go saddle up your horse.”

  “Hold off, will you? I’ll take care of this.” The last thing he needed was for Kate to break her neck.

  Colin heard her voice echoing through the house calling for Damian and Marie. He was halfway across the stable yard when he noticed a stem of wild geraniums lying in the dirt. Marie had gathered an armful of the flowers that had been growing beside the road. Seeing the flowers on the ground, he knew where the girl was headed. Hopefully, Damian was with her.

  Colin was sweating by the time he reached the house. He called out to Kate and she came running. She had shed her hat and gloves and her hair had slipped loose around her shoulders.

  “Did you find them?”

  “I think I know where they are. Come with me.”

  He walked around the house, sensing Kate’s impatience at his slow pace. When they rounded the overgrown hedge, the Baudier crypt came into view. Marie was seated on the bench in front of the monument where she’d placed the wildflowers.

  Relieved, Colin turned to Kate.

  “You see? No need to panic.”

  “But where’s Damian?”

  Just then Damian called, “Aunt Kate, Uncle Colin! Look at me!”

  “I still don’t see him.” Kate shaded her eyes and stared across the lawn.

  Colin spotted Damian in the limbs of the nearest oak.

  “He’s right there.”

  “That’s a good twelve feet off the ground!” she cried.

  “No snakes, no alligators.”

  “What if he falls?”

  “We’ll be here to pick him up.”

  They started across the lawn together, Kate adjusting her pace to his.

  “Can we do this, Colin? I’m not sure my heart can take it.”

  “If anyone can do this, Kate Keene, it’s you.”

  “Mr. Jamison called me Mrs. Delany yesterday. It felt odd.”

  “How was the meeting?”

  “I’ll tell you once Damian is out of that tree. Do stop him before he goes any higher.”

  Marie ran toward them.

  “Aunt Kate, you’re back!” She greeted Kate as if she had been gone for weeks instead of two days. With one eye on the oak tree, Kate hugged the girl tight.

  “I see you brought your mother some lovely flowers,” Kate said.