Though This Be Madness

by Penny Richards

  “Nor of names either, I don’t imagine,” he said.

  “No.”

  He waved and gave a sharp whistle at a cab drawn by two tired-looking mares headed their way. The driver pulled the calash to a stop, and Cade offered Lilly his arm. She wrapped her gloved hand around his biceps, feeling the hardness of tempered muscle beneath her fingertips.

  “I was thinking Brona and Bran Sullivan,” he said, pausing to give her a hand into the carriage. “I imagine you would be better at affecting an Irish accent than I would ridding myself of mine.”

  Lilly nodded and looked up at him. “Why Brona?”

  He flashed her an unrepentant smile as he swung up into the cab next to her. “I considered Colleen, but for some reason, I ken you’ve a certain revulsion to the name.”

  Lilly glared at him, and he continued to smile. Then she looked away and stared at the storefronts as the carriage passed. Let him wonder, she thought, lifting her nose into the air. They might be forced to work together, but that did not mean she had to share her life story. She would keep to their business arrangement, but she would not give him the satisfaction of explaining why the name was so repugnant to her.

  They found a nice but inexpensive restaurant, where they ordered steak, potatoes, and Boston baked beans with thick slabs of fresh-baked bread, topped off with apple pandowdy and hot, strong coffee. They were also served the thick, sweet Borden’s condensed milk that Lilly loved in her coffee.

  “One thing you must learn about telling lies is that the closer it is to the truth, the easier it is to remember. I think we both grew up here in Chicago,” Cade said as they ate. “And we went to the same church, so we’ve known each other all of our lives.”

  “Hmm.” Lilly eyed him beneath the sweep of her eyelashes. She braced her chin on her left palm and lifted her coffee cup to her lips. “And how many years have we been married? I am quite long in the tooth to be a newlywed, aren’t I?”

  Cade crossed his arms and regarded her face, taking in every detail. “What are you—all of twenty?”

  When she didn’t answer immediately, he gave her a wicked smile that caused her heart to race. Why was she cursed with her mother’s weakness for good-looking men?

  “Come, come now. You may as well acknowledge the corn. It isn’t as if your age makes a bit o’ difference.”

  “I’m twenty-two, if you must know,” she said, hardening her heart against the charm he turned on and off so easily.

  “Aye, I must,” he said. “As any husband should.”

  “And you?” she countered.

  “Twenty and eight for a couple of months yet,” he said. “So, perhaps we should have been married three years. What do you think?”

  “Sounds fine with me.”

  “We’ve been in Chicago, where we both worked in factories, but I have a brother who’s been living in the South for several years. He wrote telling us of the mild Louisiana winters, and since you had a bad bout of croup last December, we decided to make the move. This job is a godsend.”

  “Why didn’t you have the croup?” Lilly asked, just to be obstinate. “Men get sick.”

  “Aye, but I had to make a living.”

  “Ah.” She took another sip of her coffee. “And what of children? If we’ve been married three years, why don’t we have one, or at least one on the way?”

  His face turned a sickly white. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He looked as if he were contemplating stepping off a very high ledge.

  “You . . . you don’t actually have a wife and children, do you?” she asked, hearing the quiver in her voice and wondering why the possibility should be so devastating.

  He opened his eyes, and she saw that the desolation was back. “No,” he told her. “I am not married, and I have no children.” He drew a deep, almost steadying breath. When he spoke his voice sounded almost tentative. “We will say that we want children and that it is one of our greatest disappointments that God has not blessed us with a child.”

  * * *

  Later, as Lilly lay in bed in her rented room, she thought about everything that had happened that long eventful day. She’d been furious when William announced that she and Cade were to pretend to be man and wife as they worked the case in Louisiana, even though she knew that it was the best for her to have some coaching for now.

  She also knew that Andrew Cadence McShane was not only a dangerous man, he was a man who needed no one. He was knowledgeable and self-sufficient, and she figured she was right when she’d said he’d done something to get himself into trouble with the agency. Sticking him with her was his punishment.

  What had he done? When he’d approached her at the theater in Springfield, she sensed there was more to him than the brash boxer he claimed to be. For all his arrogance, he was too aware of people and his surroundings. She suspected that little got by him and sensed in him both controlled anger and a bottomless pain. Perhaps even guilt.

  She wondered what had caused it.

  * * *

  Like Lilly, Cade lay in his solitary bed, his arms folded beneath his head, thinking of the day and the strange course his life had taken. He wished he’d never allowed his grief to overtake his common sense. If he’d only kept his wits about him, he wouldn’t be in this fine mess. But he hadn’t, and he was in a mess, and there was no sense crying over spilt milk, as the saying went. There was nothing to do but what he always tried to accomplish: make the best of things.

  He had to give his new partner kudos for solving her first case alone, though. He doubted that he’d have had the intuition it took to understand all the purely feminine aspects of the case she’d just solved.

  William had confided in him that Lilly was divorcing the husband who’d stolen her savings and physically attacked her, but something deep in Cade’s gut told him that something more than that one incident had driven her to change the entire course of her life.

  She was smart and quick and very pretty with those large brown eyes and that vibrant red hair. From following her during the last assignment, he’d seen firsthand that she had spunk and potential, but on the other side of the coin, she was impetuous, filled with defiance, and carried a big chip on her shoulder, at least when it came to him. Again, he suspected there was something more behind her animosity than her desire to work alone. Perhaps she was still enraged over her husband’s actions.

  Well, whatever her story, it wasn’t his problem, thank God. He had enough troubles of his own. As much as he would rather be working alone, if Lilly upheld her end of their partnership, he’d be happy.

  CHAPTER 3

  Three days later, Lilly got her first look at the Mississippi River and the paddle-wheeler that would carry them to New Orleans. She and Cade had taken the train from Chicago to St. Louis and would spend the next few days aboard the Belle of Memphis, which was making its maiden trip to New Orleans.

  Her first glimpse of the Belle took her breath away. She’d never imagined a steamboat was so large. The side-wheeler was somewhat shorter than the average of 275 feet, but impressive nonetheless—from her three decks to the large anchor that was prominently displayed between the two towering smokestacks.

  According to Cade, this was the second Belle of Memphis to ply the river. Unlike many of the paddle-wheelers that roamed the waterways, the first Belle had not succumbed to a sandbar, “sawyer,” or explosion, the fate of so many of the fancy boats, but had simply been dismantled and her engines reused in her second incarnation.

  The boat would make several scheduled stops along the way to New Orleans, and Lilly couldn’t help the tingle of excitement that shivered through her as she boarded. It promised to be a thrilling trip, with the opportunity to enjoy, for a few days, a lifestyle she’d never before experienced.

  “I paid our passage as Mr. and Mrs. Bran Sullivan so that you could have a private stateroom,” Cade said, as they stood at the railing and watched the other passengers board. She glanced up from beneath the wide brim of her straw bonnet. He se
emed tense to Lilly—watchful and on edge—and she had no idea why, other than that he was still miffed at being paired with her.

  “We can’t afford that on our daily stipend,” she said, sounding very much like the wife she pretended to be.

  “If we pool them both, we can.”

  “But where will you sleep?”

  His gaze searched the crowd of people saying their good-byes while others clamored to board the boat. “I’ll find a place on deck, just like a goodly number of other passengers.”

  Considering how he felt about this assignment, the unexpected consideration was touching. “I can’t let you do that.”

  He finally looked at her, a wry smile slanted in her direction. “Are you offering to let me share the room with you?”

  Her heart took a misstep. “Of course not!”

  “I thought as much,” he said, returning his gaze to the passengers. “It’s too late for any objections. Believe me, it’s as much for me as you. Since I’ll only have deck space, it would be nice to have a private place to take a bath and change clothes. If that’s acceptable to you,” he added.

  Thinking of the implied intimacy, Lilly felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She didn’t mind him using the room for his basic needs, but she intended to make sure she was nowhere near when he did so. “I don’t mind at all, under the circumstances.”

  Finally, he gave her the full impact of that piercing blue gaze. “Thank you.”

  His unfailing politeness and professionalism since the day they’d been thrown together on the Fontenot assignment was welcome, yet she wished he’d show more emotion. Irritation or anger would be preferable to his cool, unfailing civility. She chalked up her feelings to the growing realization that despite her wishes to the contrary, she was attracted to the dratted man. Lilly hated her mother’s blood that flowed so hotly in her own veins.

  Kate Long had been cursed with beauty, and men were undeniably attracted to her. There had been a lot of them through the years, including Pierce, the man who’d been like a father to Lilly since she was eleven and one of her mother’s lovers had killed her. Recently, Pierce confessed that he’d always thought he might be her father, but there was no way he could know for certain.

  Ever since she’d grown old enough to understand the attraction between men and women, she’d gone out of her way to disprove her fear that she was anything like her mother; yet no matter how hard she’d tried, there was no denying that she had fallen for the unscrupulous, thieving Timothy Warner, to whom she was still legally tied. She sighed. Now there was this unwanted fascination for Cadence McShane.

  “If you’ve seen enough, I’ll show you the main cabin.”

  The sound of his voice brought her back from her troubled thoughts. “Then perhaps we can find someone to show you to your room.”

  He pulled a pocket watch from his vest. “I believe dinner is served at seven, so you should have plenty of time to relax before we eat.”

  Having reached the main salon, she preceded him through the doorway. The long room had undersized, high-set windows every few feet, with small lights hung over each one. Comfortable chairs and settees were arranged for conversational seating over floral carpeting. Chandeliers were spaced throughout the room. It was as elegant as the fancy restaurant where she’d treated herself to dinner before attending Chatterton’s Opera House in Springfield a few weeks earlier. She said as much to Cade.

  “It is spectacular, isn’t it? But I understand there are some even finer.”

  They watched as several men moved the conversational seating aside. Others carried in tables. A huge copper urn with spigots all around for the dispensing of water or maybe lemonade was placed in the center of a round table.

  “What are they doing?”

  “The main cabin doubles as the dining room,” he told her. “They move things out between meals.”

  Left speechless by the grandeur and caught up in an excitement she’d seldom experienced, Lilly took his arm and they strolled from the room. “Would it be all right if we take a walk around the deck before we go to my room?”

  Cade paused just outside the door and looked at her questioningly. She gave a little shrug, wishing she’d held her tongue. “It seems as if they’re casting off now, and I’ve never seen a boat launching. I’ve only traveled by train or stagecoach until now.”

  He gave an abrupt nod, and they began to move around the deck. She observed the other occupants who were sitting in deck chairs or standing in groups of two or three, chatting and drinking lemonade. It made her feel very special to be part of this exciting experience.

  Cade’s hand tightened on her arm. She turned and saw an expression of urgency in his eyes.

  “Stay here,” he commanded. Without waiting for her to answer, he moved toward the stern of the boat, purpose in his long stride, determination in the set of his wide shoulders. She sighed, wondering whom he’d seen that had caused his hasty departure. Shrugging, she turned to gaze at the people around her.

  He was back in a matter of minutes.

  “What was it?”

  “I thought I saw someone I knew.”

  “And?”

  “I lost sight of him.”

  “Oh.”

  After a while, they found someone to show them the cabin he’d booked, and she looked around with interest. Except for the size, which couldn’t be much over eight by ten feet, it had all the amenities of a fancy hotel room, including an iron bed and an oak wardrobe. One corner held a washbasin with crisp linen towels hanging above; another held a small slipper chair. Lilly experienced a twinge of guilt. Though there was barely enough room to turn around, she would be far more comfortable than Cade as he slept in a chair on the decks.

  “It’s very nice,” she said over her shoulder. “I appreciate what you’ve done.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He glanced again at his pocket watch. “Why don’t you try to rest awhile?”

  “That sounds wonderful.” She looked down at her hands that still had not healed fully from the cuts and scrapes she’d received trying to escape the attic at Heaven’s Gate. “I’m not quite my old self yet.”

  “You had quite a time in Vandalia. Just a reminder, lass. Remember to play Brona every moment. This assignment is one requiring the utmost discretion. We can’t take chances on anyone knowing who we really are or what we’re about. You’d be amazed at how one small, seemingly insignificant thing can wreck everything.”

  His accent had grown thicker and the torment was back in his eyes. Without another word, he wheeled around and started for the door. Framed in the aperture, he turned. “I’ll be back a little before seven to take you to dinner.”

  Before she could formulate any response other than to thank him, he was gone. Lilly stared at the door and wondered again what it was that caused the expression of suffering she so often saw in his eyes.

  Determined not to give the wretched man another moment of her thoughts, she wandered around the small room, touching the accoutrements with care. Though he’d said there were floating palaces finer than this one, she could not imagine it being true.

  Smiling to herself, she untied her bonnet and hung it on a brass hook next to the mirror, which reflected the color in her cheeks and the gleam of pleasure in her brown eyes. Stripping down to her chemise and pantaloons, she stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes.

  CHAPTER 4

  Leaving Lilly to rest, Cade went onto the deck and lit a sweet-smelling cheroot. Wondering how he’d gotten his life in such a mess, he went to stare over the boat’s railing, watching the eddies left in the wake of the wheels beating at the murky water.

  After a while, he turned and rested his elbows on the railing so that he could while away some time by watching the crowd. He’d had the feeling that he and Lilly were being followed ever since they’d left Chicago, but he hadn’t spotted anyone.

  His gaze settled on a young couple sitting across the way, clearly in love. They must be newlywe
ds. A white liveried porter set a tray with two ice-filled glasses of lemonade on the small table between them. The young man, who looked no older than twenty and two, could barely drag his gaze from his beloved long enough to reach into his inside breast pocket for his wallet. He extracted a bill that he then passed to the hovering attendant.

  Ah, young love. The cynical thought was pushed aside by a rush of memory . . . himself and Glenna when they were newly wed and had been equally fresh and innocent and every bit as in love as this young couple.

  The pain of her loss, as hurtful now as it had been the day it happened, sliced through him with the sharpness of a stiletto. Ah, blast it! If only there were some way to excise the unbearable memories from his mind, but it was hard when he knew that part of the blame was his. He pushed the agonizing thought from his head and turned to flip the cheroot into the water.

  A stealthy movement from the corner of his eye brought his attention back to the young couple. A too-thin, ragtag child had slipped around the corner and was approaching them, his hands shoved into his pockets. The expression on the boy’s face looked innocent enough, but Cade recognized the urchin’s actions and his face as the one he thought he’d seen earlier.

  He lunged from the railing, and in half a dozen long strides was upon the boy, who chose that moment to stumble toward the young bridegroom. At precisely that moment, Cade slipped an arm around the child’s narrow torso, scooping him close instead of allowing him to fall against the young man.

  “So there you are, you little scamp!” Cade said, tossing an apologetic smile toward the young couple. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  He set the boy to his feet and clamped a hand around a thin wrist, half dragging him across the deck. The boy looked at him with a combination of surprise and fury in his eyes. “Holy mother of pearl, McShane!” he spat. “What in blazes do you think you’re doing?”

  “Keeping you from getting thrown off the boat and into the hoosegow, most likely,” Cade said from between teeth clenched together in a fake smile aimed toward an elderly couple. He pulled the boy around the corner of the bow and pushed him against the wall. “What in blazes are you doing here, when to the best of my recollection I left you safe and well cared for at Seamus and Meagan’s?”