The woman exited with Henri. The sight of him carrying the baby took Cade aback. The couple embraced, the baby between them, and Henri gave the woman a lingering kiss. Cade wasn’t surprised to see him flaunt the affair in front of him and Robbie.
It was a well-known fact that servants knew everything that goes on in a household.
CHAPTER 15
After tea with her great-granddaughter, Mrs. Fontenot asked Lilly to accompany her to her room so that she could rest a couple of hours before supper. Lilly was about to leave when the old woman said, “Stay and visit a minute, Brona.”
Lilly’s initial response was panic. The last thing she wanted—or needed—was to be questioned by her employer and run the risk of saying something that would lead her to realize that she and Cade were not who they pretended to be. Forcing calm she didn’t feel into her body and her voice, she turned and met her boss’s gaze. “Is something wrong, Madam?”
LaRee Fontenot’s smile pushed the wrinkled apples of her cheeks upward. “Not at all. On the contrary, all is quite well. I believe I feel a bit better breathing the country air, and I actually think I might be able to eat a bite at suppertime.”
“I’m glad, ma’am,” Lilly said, “but what I meant is, is everything all right with my work?”
“Stop worrying, child,” the older woman chided. “From everything I’ve seen and heard, you and your husband are doing an excellent job.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The diminutive woman gestured toward the chair sitting by the bed. “Indulge an old woman and sit for a moment. One of the things I hate about growing old is that family and friends leave one by one. It gets lonely.”
Lilly saw the sorrow reflected in the old woman’s eyes. “I can only imagine how hard it has been to lose Miss Suzannah and Miss Patricia, and in a sense, even Miss Cassandra,” Lilly said, taking the seat and folding her hands in her lap.
“It’s been . . . terrible. Young people like Suzannah are not supposed to go before us old ones, and”—her voice broke—“she should never, ever have to suffer the atrocities she did before she died.”
Though Lilly knew exactly what had happened to Suzannah, she looked inquiringly at Mrs. Fontenot, who gave a shake of her head. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s my sorrow to bear, not yours. Cassandra is a wonderful, caring woman and I love her very much, but I do miss Suzannah. She was so full of life! Always smiling, laughing, and into things. To be truthful, your Robbie reminds me of her in many ways.” She smiled. “I’m actually glad he came with you and Bran. I’m enjoying watching him flitting about.”
Lilly attempted a smile. If only she knew. Lilly was almost one hundred percent certain the boy had taken the missing snuffbox. “It’s been good for us as well, and I hope he isn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be.”
“Not to my knowledge. Both he and Bernard are very inquisitive and eager to learn.”
Lilly had noticed that when he was with Cade. “He can be quite taxing from time to time.”
Mrs. Fontenot laughed. “Oh, that’s quite obvious. He is, as my mother used to say about me, and we said about Suzi, ‘full of himself.’”
“That he is, ma’am.”
“Do you know what I saw him doing the other day?”
Lilly felt her heart take a sickening dip. “I confess I am almost afraid to ask.”
“He was trying to make friends with Lucifer.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Bran and I have cautioned him about the cat, so if he gets scratched or bitten, he’s been warned.”
Lilly had seen him trying to tempt the cat to take a scrap from his hand. Cade had told him that if he didn’t stop he was apt to come up missing a finger, but Robbie only smiled and said the wicked feline no longer hissed and swiped at him, and had even taken a bite from his palm a time or two, so he was making progress.
“It’s the strangest thing,” Mrs. Fontenot said. “I’ve seen them stare at each other for moments on end, almost as if they’re trying to take each other’s measure. When I mentioned as much to Robbie, he just smiled that impish grin of his and told me they understand each other perfectly, and that they are two of a kind, which I thought was a strange thing to say. I hadn’t a notion of what he meant.”
“With Robbie it’s hard to say. How did you get Lucifer?” she asked, trying to find a neutral topic for the conversation.
“He was just a young thing, probably just a few months old, when Amos found him in the carriage house. He’d been in a fight, and was hurt badly. Bite marks and scratches all over, and that one ear almost gone and his eye put out. When he wouldn’t allow Amos to touch him, Amos came and got me, since I’ve always been a cat lover.
“With patience and a little food, I was able to win him over in a few days. For obvious reasons, I decided to call him Lucifer. To this day he won’t tolerate anyone but me touching him.” She gave a rusty laugh. “I have a feeling young Robbie is about to change all that.”
“If you’d rather him not bother the cat, I’ll tell him,” Lilly said. After hearing of Lucifer’s background, she thought she knew exactly what Robbie meant by the two of them understanding one another. They’d both been abandoned and left to survive by any means available. And, fortunately for them both, they’d each found a rescuer.
“Oh, heavens! I don’t mind at all. I’m no spring chicken, and as I’ve learned the past year or so, something could happen to me at any time. I rather like knowing that if it did, Lucifer would have a friend.”
Lilly smiled. “All right, then. As long as he isn’t causing any trouble.”
“None at all.” Mrs. Fontenot sighed and smiled. “Well, my eyes are getting heavy and I’ve kept you long enough. Thank you for indulging an old woman in a moment’s loneliness.”
“Anytime, ma’am.” Lilly stood and went to the door, where she turned. “Have a good rest. I’ll be up in time to get you ready for dinner.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
Back in the kitchen, Lilly found both Vena and Neecie in a state of agitation. “Is something wrong?”
“We just talked to Mr. Easterling and he told us that since Miz Fontenot is visiting he’ll be staying at home to help entertain her,” Vena said.
She glanced at Neecie, who stood chewing on her thumbnail, her striking face a study in misery. “We thought he’d go back to the city in the morning.”
“I don’t understand.” Pretending ignorance, Lilly hoped the statement would lead to more information. “Is there a problem? I’ll be here to help with any extra work. I came to see to Madam’s needs.”
“It isn’t the work.” Vena threw her hands into the air in a gesture of helplessness. “I’m sorry, Brona. We shouldn’t have mentioned it, but when he’s around everyone is more . . . frazzled, I guess you could say.”
With that, Neecie stormed out of the kitchen.
“Is she all right?”
“As well as can be expected under the circumstances, I s’pose. Will you wash some of those new potatoes? Mr. Easterling likes them with the skin on them in a cream sauce with his ham.”
CHAPTER 16
Mrs. Fontenot seemed to feel much better in the country—the nausea and dizzy spells had departed—and Lilly was glad for that, but time felt like it dragged.
She’d been accustomed to a rigorous schedule of practice and performing when she was onstage, and even on her first assignment, she’d been busy from daylight till dark. Under Vena’s deft hand, she and Neecie kept the household running smoothly, and there was little for Lilly to do. Inactivity did not suit her.
In an effort to break the monotony, Preston, who himself complained of boredom, had planned a small dinner party on Monday evening in honor of Mrs. Fontenot and invited three couples who’d known her when she and her husband made the plantation their home. That had been the night before last.
To pass the time when she finished her chores, she’d been spending several hours a day thu
mbing through the magazines in the library, with Mrs. Fontenot’s approval, of course.
When she’d asked the matriarch’s permission, the old woman pinned her with a curious expression. “Certainly, Brona. I always like to see someone who wants to gain more knowledge. Do you have any favorites?”
“Actually, ma’am, my taste is varied. I am quite a fan of dime novels, but I adore Shakespeare.”
Mrs. Fontenot smiled. “That is quite a difference. If you’re like the other young women I know, I imagine you like the ladies’ magazines, too.”
“Actually, I prefer Harper’s Monthly and Puck.”
As soon as she’d answered the innocent question, Lilly felt her heart lurch in dismay. Once again, she’d acted without thinking. She should have lied about her answers instead of speaking the truth. No doubt Mrs. Fontenot would find it strange that a mere servant girl liked Shakespeare and preferred magazines that featured essays, biographies, and social topics rather than clothing, home, and family.
Thank goodness her employer made no comment about her reading preferences.
“Well, feel free to enjoy what we have to offer while you’re here.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
* * *
Thursday dawned bright and hot and humid. Another day to get through. With her chores all completed, Lilly was headed to the library once more. Thankfully her employer had announced at breakfast that they would be heading back to the city Sunday morning, saying that she knew Brona must be anxious to get back to her little family.
Though it was hard to believe she’d said it, much less meant it, Lilly admitted that she did miss them.
She was dusting the library when she saw a collection of Lord Byron’s poems. Laying aside the duster, she began to thumb through the book. She was thinking that she should get back to her work, when she caught a movement through the partially open window that looked out over the rose garden. Preston had hold of Neecie’s upper arm and was propelling her along beside him. That Neecie was resisting was obvious from the expression on her face and the way her body was angled away from him.
Pressing against the back of the sofa, as if she could hide from any eyes that happened to look into the room, Lilly prayed that neither would turn and see her. As she watched, Preston, who was facing the window, jerked the girl close and tried to kiss her. Neecie’s head whipped back and forth as she tried to evade him, and it was obvious that she was trying to push against his shoulders, but she was no match for the man, who was so intent on getting what he wanted.
Once again, an innocent woman was being taken advantage of by a ruthless, selfish man. A married man whose wife was expecting a child.
Fury flared in Lilly’s heart and began a slow burn as an image of Timothy kissing Colleen McKenna came to mind. She wondered for perhaps the hundredth time if Cade had been able to find Tim, and if so, what had happened.
“Neeeecie!”
The sound of Vena’s voice drifted through the window, jolting Lilly from her troubled thoughts. The couple surrounded by budding rosebushes froze. Reluctantly, it seemed, Preston lifted his head. When he did, he looked straight into the library, his narrowed gaze unerringly finding Lilly, who sat wide-eyed and immovable. Then Preston released his hold on the young woman’s arms and took a step backward.
Neecie lost no time in darting around him and heading for the security of the kitchen, scrubbing her fingertips over her lips as she went. After smoothing his dark hair with his palms and straightening his cravat, Preston once again sought Lilly’s gaze. He smiled at her, a smug, confident sort of smile that told her that he knew he need not fear her telling anyone what she’d seen. And then he followed the servant.
Lilly wasn’t completely innocent. She’d heard how, in the past, plantation owners had often taken advantage of their slaves, but Neecie was not a slave. She was free, working for a wage, just as Lilly was. She was also married and expecting a baby.
In and of itself, adultery was appalling, but using social status and masculine strength to compel an unwilling victim, an unwilling pregnant victim, was nothing short of detestable. And any way you looked at it, it was rape.
Suzannah had been violated before she was murdered.
The sudden realization that the unspeakable act could happen to anyone sent Lilly surging to her feet. Her book fell to the floor. With her heart racing, she picked up the slim volume and replaced it on the shelf. She needed to make herself scarce, just in case he took it upon himself to come and confront her about what she’d seen.
Her mind filled with images of what she’d witnessed, Lilly hurried down the hall toward the kitchen stairs. She rounded the corner and literally bumped into someone coming up.
Hands grasped her shoulders to keep her from falling. “Careful there.”
She looked up to see Preston Easterling standing in front of her. What on earth was he doing coming up the servants’ stairs? “I’m so sorry, Mr. Easterling,” she told him. “I was in too much of a hurry to watch where I was going.”
The hands grasping her upper arms gentled and he actually had the audacity to run his palms up and down her arms.
“That’s quite all right.” He smiled his too-perfect smile. “You’re a pretty thing, Brona.”
“Please, don’t do that.” Her stomach churned with nausea at his blatant lack of respect and memories of what she’d so recently witnessed. Suppressing a shudder, she shrugged free.
“I’m your employer.”
“My employer is Mrs. Fontenot,” she corrected. “Not you.”
In response, he gripped her chin so hard she flinched, forcing her to meet his cold gaze.
“A mere technicality. I can still make life difficult for you. Don’t forget that I saw you in the library earlier, shirking your duties.”
Lilly knew it would do no good to tell him she had Mrs. Fontenot’s permission to use the room when she could. She refused to drop her gaze or show him any kind of alarm at his threat. Instead, she countered, “I saw you, too.”
The statement lay there between them. Acknowledgment that she knew exactly what he was up to with Neecie. Stalemate.
He released her chin, and she had to force herself not to rub at her throbbing skin. She hoped she wouldn’t bruise.
“As I said, I can make things difficult for you.” Without another word, he stepped past her and sauntered down the hall as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
The longer she worked as a Pinkerton the more she realized what a monumental task finding justice was. Pierce and Robert Pinkerton were right: She was an innocent when it came to the ruthless ways of the world, yet she was learning quickly. One betrayal after another eroded her naïveté and opened her innocent eyes.
She felt a rush of tears as a sudden longing for Pierce and Rose swamped her. Her life in the troupe had been one of consistency, of knowing what to expect each day from the people around her and from her own efforts. Now she was floundering in a sea of ignorance and uncertainty, trying to decide what to do next, making decisions she had no business making . . . trying to repair the damage done to the lives of others when she was still dealing with her own wounds.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Lilly Long. You’ve never been a crybaby. Where is your spunk? Your backbone? That hardheadedness Pierce is always fussing about?
She swiped angrily at her eyes. William Pinkerton had assigned her to this case because he’d known it was one she would identify with and pursue with her best efforts. He trusted her and Cade to solve it. Mrs. Fontenot was expecting someone to find out the truth of Patricia’s mental state and whether or not Henri was scheming to do away with his new wife to gain the family fortune. She deserved an honest assessment, whatever it might be.
Whether or not Henri was dallying with Mrs. Abelard was of no consequence to the case, unless, of course, the liaison could be part of his scheme in some way. Could the housekeeper be privy to information that might be gained by some means of cunning on Lilly’s or Cade’s part? It wa
s an avenue they’d overlooked.
At the moment, she had no way of knowing if Henri was up to something wicked or not. She did know that both he and Preston were despicable and immoral, though Preston’s character—or lack thereof—had nothing to do with the assignment. Nevertheless, it was enough incentive to stir up Lilly’s moral outrage. Ill-equipped for the job or not, she was not a quitter. People were counting on her, and as she’d done in Vandalia, she vowed she would not let them down.
* * *
Cade pulled off his boots at the bottom of the stairs and tiptoed up the steps. He was dog-tired and looking forward to sleeping in the bed he’d taken over during Lilly’s absence.
“Did ya find out anything?”
Robbie’s low question came out of the darkness. Cade strained to see where the voice was coming from and spied the dark outline of the boy leaning against the door to the room he shared with Lilly.
“What’re you doing up at this ungodly hour? You’ve been throwing up your toenails. You should be in bed.”
“I started feeling a wee bit better after drinking that foul stuff Lamartine gave me. I wanted to make sure you got in okay.”
“I’m a grown man, Robbie.”
“Don’t mean something can’t happen to you.”
Cade was torn between the urge to laugh and a rush of tenderness. Was the boy so concerned about his welfare that he’d left his sick bed to wait up for him? Or was he sitting here to see for himself whether or not Cade had fallen off the wagon while hoping for a glimpse of Tim Warner. Either way, it was a sad testimony to their past and their current relationship.
“I haven’t been drinking, Robbie. Now go to bed.”
“Not until you tell me if you found ol’ Tim. Why are you lookin’ fer him anyways?”
Though This Be Madness Page 16
