by Jenny Lykins
She heard him mumble a few unintelligible words, a look of regret stamped on his face, before he closed the door behind him. Was the regret from having to leave her, or from ever coming through that door in the first place?
She sat on the floor for several minutes and stared into the distance. What should she do now? Everything she did was wrong.
She forced herself to shake off her doldrums and rise to her feet.
There was going to be a ball here tomorrow night, followed by a day of picnics and outings, and she had more important things to do than sit around feeling sorry for herself.
As a guest, she had little to do with the preparations, but she planned to check with Lil and Nell to see if there was anything she could do. And there was one last fitting for her gown.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A refreshing breeze blew away the humidity on the morning of the ball. The scents of bougainvillea, honeysuckle and earth mingled with the smells of hundreds of fresh cut flowers, beeswax and baking bread.
Elise kicked the sheets from her and stretched her legs until they shook. She bounced from the bed and swept back the draperies, blinding herself momentarily, then reveled in the cool breeze and pure sunshine caressing her skin. The air in the twentieth century never smelled so good.
A day like this always made Elise feel invincible. There wasn't anything she couldn't do, and stopping this marriage was first on her list.
*******
I can't believe my knees are shaking. I've flown Air Force missions and captained 727's, but my knees decide to give out on me over a dance.
She lowered herself to the chaise lounge in disgust, giving her knees a break and marshaling her courage. There was no sense rushing downstairs now. She'd taken so long getting ready there was no choice now but to make a grand entrance.
Several deep breaths and a few minutes of biofeedback stilled her racing heart. When her legs regained their strength, she rose from the chaise and picked up the fan of peach-colored feathers. A last minute survey of her reflection in the pier glass bolstered her ego. Not bad. She'd seen herself looking worse. Actually, she looked darn good. She laughed at herself when she flicked open the fan and batted her eyelashes at an imaginary Reed. Thus fortified, she threw open the door and sashayed down the hallway.
At the top of the stairs she faltered for a moment, surprised by the crush of people mingling at the bottom. Her resolve returned, though, when Reed stepped into her view.
He was bending forward politely, his head cocked to better hear the comments of a fragile-looking, silver-haired lady. As if her gaze beckoned him, he looked up at Elise. His eyes did a double-take, then seemed to absorb her as he straightened to his full six feet.
She curved her lips into a minuscule smile, trying to cloak herself with a serene aura.
Seconds dragged by as she stared at Reed. The crowd of people receded into a dark mist until just the two of them were left alone. A bolt of electricity joined them as surely as if they were touching.
Elise moistened her lips and fought the urge to run to him.
Reed's body moved ever so slightly toward the staircase, his gaze still looking upward, when a disembodied hand reached out to caress his cheek and force his attention away.
The dark mist vanished in an instant, and the crush of chattering, brightly dressed revelers stormed back into Elise's consciousness. Angeline was at Reed's side, her hand now moved from his cheek to his chest. At that moment Elise seriously considered asking Nell for a voodoo doll of Angeline. She would love to try her hand with a couple well-placed pins.
The moment was over, but she was certain she had shared something special with Reed. A heady warmth lingered at the base of her neck as she made her way to him.
She tried her best to descend the stairs gracefully for a change, and did a darn good job of it. Until she ran smack into Jeffrey.
"Miss Gerard. May I say how lovely you are tonight?" He bowed over her hand, brushing his lips against her knuckles without the slightest breach of etiquette.
Leave it to you to be on your best behavior, Jeff. You wouldn't do anything out of line with a whole houseful of people watching.
Elise recovered her hand and used both to hold her fan. She tucked her elbows close to her sides so he wouldn't feel invited to take her arm and lead her away.
"May I also say that your gown is by far the most fetching one here? What color would you say that is, precisely?"
"Peach."
"Hmmm, yes. A very becoming color on you."
"Thanks."
She hoped her monosyllable conversation would discourage him and he'd go away. Reed, however, saved her by appearing beside them, Angeline hanging on his arm as if super-glued to it.
Reed shrugged free of Angeline's grip to take Elise's hand and kiss it lightly, as Jeffrey had. However, he held it for several seconds before releasing her fingers.
"Breath-taking, Miss Gerard." His husky voice sent a ripple traveling up her arm.
"Whoever did you have make your gown, Elise?" Angeline's eyes were wide, her look of sincerity spurious at best.
"Sukie made it. Exactly to my specifications."
Angeline's slow nod and quick scan of the gown was meant to be an insult. But Elise was confident the deep peach silk suited her. The off-the-shoulder neckline was draped with a diaphanous silk that rippled gracefully when she walked. The whole dress was cut for fluid movement, and Sukie had captured it to perfection. Best of all, there wasn't a ruffle or bow in sight.
"How very brave you are to wear a style so...unknown. And most women would be afraid to forego their crinolines for fear of looking, well, limp."
"Thank you for noticing, Angeline. I've never been one to act like a sheep. You know, following the flock blindly no matter how outrageous their fashion statement is."
Elise almost laughed aloud watching Angeline try to decide whether or not she'd just been insulted. Her narrowed eyes made it clear the moment she'd decided she had been.
Reed interrupted before she could make a retort.
"Angeline, I feel I should take my house guest around and introduce her to my friends. Will you excuse us for a moment?"
He slid Elise's arm under his and turned to enter the parlor, but Angeline grabbed her other arm and halted their progress.
"Oh no, sugar. You see to your other guests, and I'll make sure Elise meets everyone. After all, in a sense she is my guest, too."
Reed's eyes flickered with irritation, but only for a second. Before he could respond he was tapped on the shoulder by a rotund, florid-faced gentleman who asked his opinion on an investment. While Reed's attention was elsewhere, Angeline dragged her to a group of women and began making introductions.
"Mrs. Pembrooke, Mrs. Albright, Mrs. Cannon. May I introduce you to Reed's house guest, Elise Gerard. Elise is suffering from memory loss and Lilianna Dubose is staying here, looking after her. The poor dear does not even know what happened to her trunks or where she came from." Angeline's face was the picture of sympathy.
This procedure was repeated several times. Each time Elise tried to jerk away from Angeline's grasp, the grip would tighten as they moved to the next group.
All right, lady, I've had enough of your game. Elise dug in her heels and stopped in the center of the room.
"Angeline...sugar," she began in a loud, carrying voice, "I'm sure you don't realize this, but your nails are very sharp, and right now they are deeply embedded in my arm."
One final, ten-pointed jab squeezed her arm before Angeline bothered to remove her claws. Elise looked pointedly to the imprints, several half moons in the skin of her forearm, then raised her gaze back to Angeline.
"Why, thank you, sugar." Elise issued a veiled challenge with her forgiving smile.
The first notes of music drifted from the ballroom to filter throughout the house and into the gardens. The music hung in the humid air, mingling with scents of gardenia and frangipani. Drawn by the festive tune, pairs of exquisitely dressed cou
ples wandered to the solid white ballroom.
Reed made slow progress himself, stopping every few feet to chat with well-wishers. Even though the announcement hadn't been made, everyone took for granted the reason for this party.
When he saw a break in the crowd he headed for it, knowing that his first duty was to find Angeline and begin the dancing. She nearly knocked him backward when she stormed through the parlor door.
If she had been an animal, her hackles would have been raised and her fangs bared.
She parted the waves of people like a prow of a ship. He stood, bemused, and watched her flounce up the staircase to disappear with a flip of her skirts into the room set aside for the ladies. Several eyebrows shot skyward. Her trip upstairs had been followed by dozens of eyes, all of which turned to Reed when she disappeared from view.
He knew without turning around who would be in the room Angeline had just left.
Elise stood in the center of several of his guests - mostly men casting admiring looks and comments. Reed felt a hackle or two of his own rise. When she saw him staring at her she just smiled, shrugged, and crossed her eyes. The impish gesture was so unexpected he burst out laughing, then he wound his way through the crowd of people. He felt pulled to her like iron to a magnet. Her hand slipped into the crook of his arm, and she excused herself from her admirers. The movement was made without thought, as if they had been walking together for years, and it caused a dangerous coil of warmth to curl in Reed's chest.
They may as well have been alone for all the notice they gave others. When they entered the white, gilded double doors to the ballroom a waltz had just begun. Reed released Elise's hand on his arm reluctantly. The pair stood together with an air of uncertainty. Several guests swayed or tapped their toes to the music in anticipation of dancing. No one was about to breach etiquette by dancing before the host officially opened the ball.
Reed cast his gaze around the room in search of Angeline, who was apparently still pouting upstairs. This called for a spur of the moment decision. He bowed to Elise and said, "May I have the honor of this dance?"
Elise didn't answer with words. She simply looked up at him with sparkling eyes and slid into his arms.
They froze for a second, waiting for the beat, then stepped as one into the dance. Reed could not tell which beat he was dancing to - the music's or his heart's. His gaze locked with Elise's, and when he stared down into the mossy green depths of her eyes he felt as if the dance they were dancing was spiritual rather than physical. He gave no thought to the steps. Elise moved as if she were an extension of his body.
So focused was his attention on her face, he didn't realize the only sound around them was the music. The chatter of his guests died down, and an uncomfortable silence fell over the crowd. He had chosen to dance the first dance, not with his betrothed, who was nowhere in sight, but with a house guest who had just delivered a set-down to the absent woman.
The couple swirled around the dance floor, all eyes focused on them. Jeffrey stood back for several minutes, a silent observer, then turned to the debutante beside him.
"I believe this ball is officially open, Mrs. Trahan. Would you do me the honor?"
The pretty, strawberry blond murmured, "I would be pleased Mr. Vancoeur," and the pair swept onto the dance floor.
Others followed. Within seconds the floor was alive with a rainbow of swirling silks and satins.
Reed at last pulled his gaze from Elise and was surprised to see they were not alone. He was astounded then at his own behavior, at his breach of etiquette in not only beginning the dance with another woman, but at his total lack of attention to his guests. Elise had cast a spell over him, and he had rejoiced in it. He looked down at her again, and the facts struck him like a bolt of lightning.
I love her! Dear God, how I love her! And he knew without being told that she felt the same.
He fought the urge to pull her to his chest, and had to glance away from her face to gather his wits.
Their reflection danced in the mirror in front of him. Peach silk swirled around their legs, and Elise's hair, worn loose around her shoulders, rippled in the breeze from the French doors.
Reed's breath caught and he nearly stumbled when he watched their reflection dance by. For a brief moment he saw Elise with her hair up, in a loose sort of fashion, and her dress had glittering things dangling from it. And he was in his shirt sleeves, holding her so close their legs were touching.
He had never, to his knowledge, hallucinated, but now he considered it might be a worthwhile pastime. The feelings he experienced during that moment were very nearly overwhelming. He only hoped no one noticed how...overwhelmed he was.
Trying to recover from the effect she was having on him, he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Is it not amazing, Miss Gerard, what a few simple dance lessons can do for one's coordination? I must say you have improved immeasurably."
"Oh, Mr. Blackwell," Elise's voice nearly purred, "you ain't seen nothin' yet."
Elise's eyes crinkled with mischief, and he felt her, not surprisingly, take over the lead. She danced him away from the center of the room. Several huge, potted ferns stood on wide bases, and when Reed guessed that to be her destination he followed her there with a flourish.
The two swirled behind the giant fronds. Elise held his gaze with a searing look and only the barest hint of a smile. The next step brought her against his chest and he felt her thighs against his. Jolts of electricity shot through him at every point their bodies touched. Heat crept up his neck. The suggestive movements of her legs, her right knee between his, the rhythmic, ancient moves of her hips, sent flames licking through him. The heat of her stare told him she knew exactly what she was doing; this was no awkward misstep.
He returned her gaze with matching intensity and mirrored her movements. Her eyes fluttered closed and her head fell back. A sultry smile ignited a heat in him that threatened to engulf them both.
A ballet of emotions pirouetted through Elise's body as she felt the proof of Reed's desire. She knew the exact moment when he admitted to himself that he loved her, and her heart sang with joy. She no longer felt the dance floor beneath her feet. She was floating on air, and her love was the music she danced to.
She took her time opening her eyes, and when she did she encountered the penetrating heat of his. Their steps faltered, then stopped.
Her hands moved upward, and she lassoed his neck with her arms.
"Refresh my memory, Mr. Blackwell. Is it scandalous for a lady to kiss her dance partner?"
Reed's eyes glowed as he smiled down at her.
"It would be the ruin of her, Miss Gerard."
"Well then, darlin', isn't it wonderful I'm not a lady."
His head bent forward ever so slowly when she came up on tiptoe to meet him. His lips felt like a butterfly against hers when he said, "I beg to differ." Her tongue darted out to entice him closer. He crushed her to him with a moan and kissed her deeply. So deeply it shuddered her soul.
An all-consuming fire of need swept through her. She pulled her arms from Reed's neck only to slip them under his coat and run her hands along the indention of his spine. His shirt was damp, and the heat inside the jacket excited her all the more. Traces of starched linen, sandalwood and mint mixed with the scent that was his very own essence to create an aphrodisiac more powerful to Elise than any drug.
His hands came up to cup her face, and he placed gentle, deliberate kisses on her cheeks, her eyelashes, her nose. When his mouth returned to hers he was no longer deliberate. The kiss had the urgency of being out of control.
With lips still touching he spoke, his breath caressing her mouth.
"I love you, little one."
Elise inhaled deeply of the sweet breath that carried those magical words. She pulled it into her lungs, and her heart, and into every cell of her body.
"Oh, Reed, I never thought I'd hear those words again." The last of her words were muffled as her lips covered his
. Her legs turned to spaghetti when their tongues began playing hide and seek, and she realized the only thing holding her up was the steel band of Reed's arms.
He grinned down at her, a blue spark of jealousy flashing in his eyes.
“You never thought to hear those words again? Has someone else been telling you he loves you?"
Elise raised her eyes only far enough to peer at him through her lashes. Her gaze was torrid - meant to burn into his mind and brand his heart.
"Only you, darlin'...in my dreams."
He groaned and crushed her to him. She slid her hands to his neck. Mindless of the folds in his neckcloth, she shoved it aside and placed her lips to the pulse point of his throat.
Neither heard the click click of tiny, mincing steps until the intruder was upon them.
Aunt Lil rounded the wall of ferns several seconds before the distracted couple sprang apart, exchanging looks of shock.
Lil's bouncing gait and swaying skirts gave her the appearance of the Liberty Bell run amuck. Without ever once looking at the rumpled pair, she bustled by, singing, "Angeline is on her way downstairs. I'll be back in a moment to escort you out of here, my dear. Reed Blackwell, straighten your neckcloth," to a tune somewhat resembling "Yankee Doodle."
The white of Reed's teeth shone in a brilliant, indulgent smile against his rugged, tanned face, but Elise whirled and grabbed his coat sleeve.
"Angeline. Oh heavens, Reed, what about Angeline?"
His smile only faltered for a second.
"Let me take care of it, Elise. Angeline will probably be glad to be rid of me."
Elise couldn't stop her unladylike snort at that optimistic statement.
"You've got to be kidding. Good heavens, Reed, she chased you with the single-mindedness of a lion after its prey. She'll never let you..."
Lil chose that moment to reappear, less hurried but nevertheless a woman with a purpose. She bounced up and smoothed down several sections of Elise's mussed hair. Then she clicked her tongue and grumbled something about men's sweaty palms while she flicked the silk draping that fell from Elise's shoulders back into place. She then slipped her arm through Elise's and patted her with her free hand.
