Chapter 29 #2
A door clicked down the hall. Silver-tipped walking stick in hand, LeBeau stepped out of his office, his eyes puffy as if he’d missed his sleep.
Nick followed, dressed in his shirt-sleeves and waistcoat.
A cigar dangled from his fingers. His boots clicked on the tiled floor like a drum signaling a call to war.
LeBeau’s glare scorched. He thundered toward her. “Where have you been?”
“At a camp meeting.”
“A camp meeting at this hour? With Lucy and Lieutenant Reynolds?”
They must have checked the whole house to see who was missing. “I’ve bothered Lucy for months to take me to one. Not one in town, but a slave gathering where they sing all of the spirituals. I love to listen to them sing while they work, and I wanted to see—”
“I don’t believe you.” LeBeau cut her short.
Nick drew on the cigar. “Spin us another fable.”
A simmering laugh rang out from the top of the stairs.
Thea slithered down, in full day dress as if she’d been up for a while.
Plop, plop, plop, she eased down one step at a time as if she were an actress on a stage.
“I told them about how you sneaked off to the kitchen with the lieutenant the other night. Getting mighty cozy, from what I could tell.”
A tendon in Morning Fawn’s neck twitched. Thea had seen them. Had she overheard? How much could one hear through kitchen windows? What if she’d told them about the mission? Morning Fawn should have warned Devon that Thea had been up that night.
Nick shouldered past LeBeau. His hands curled into fists at his side, the cigar wedged between two fingers. “You met that pauper in secret after you telling me he betrayed you and you wanted nothing to do with him? Not to mention that tale about him investigating me?”
“Where is Reynolds?” LeBeau marched up to the edge of her skirt hem.
Morning Fawn glanced at Thea, then pivoted toward Nick.
“She’s right. I was with Devon in the kitchen two nights ago.
Kissing.” Her tongue tripped over the word.
She should have told them Thea was lying, but it would’ve been her word against her cousin’s.
“My courting you was eating him up. He told me how sorry he was for chasing after Frieda. He begged for forgiveness. I know it was wrong to betray you like that.” She’d say whatever she had to.
Even destroy her reputation if it helped Devon. “I fell for his charms—”
“Meeting men alone at night.” Whap. Her uncle’s hand stung her face like a whip. “You have disgraced this family.”
She covered her cheek. “I’m sorry.” Another lie.
“You’re going to be.” A second slap, this one on the other side. “I opened my home to you. Gave you everything you needed. Even offered you land, and this is how you repay me.”
Thea tittered.
“Get upstairs.” A vein in LeBeau’s forehead bulged. He pivoted and jutted his finger toward his daughter. “You’ve said enough.”
“Father, I can’t help it if my cousin’s a harlot.”
“Hush.” Aunt Judith stood at the railing drawing her robe around her, her frown so deep, it bordered on tears as if she actually cared. “Come up here this instant.”
Thea trounced up to her room, her curls bobbing.
Morning Fawn’s heart pounded. Thea had said harlot, not traitor. Maybe they didn’t—
The back door opened. Hair topsy-turvy and shirt half tucked into his trousers, Owens strode down the hall with Lucy in tow. “Caught this one sneaking to her room as if she’d never gone anywhere.”
Lucy stumbled along at his side, her arm locked in his vice-like grip.
LeBeau narrowed his eyes. “What is she doing in that dress?”
“I gave it to her as a Christmas present.” Morning Fawn took a half step toward her.
Lucy dropped her gaze to the floor, almost bumping into Owens as he came to a halt. “I’s take it off you’s don’t like it, Massar.”
“Get her out of here.” LeBeau grumbled. “Take her into the parlor for now. Don’t let her sit on the furniture.”
“I won’t let her dirty anything.” Owens chuckled and jerked Lucy toward the parlor. A thump and a female groan resonated as he closed the door behind them.
Surely, LeBeau cared for Lucy, even if he forced her to be his mistress. He wouldn’t allow Owens to go too far, would he?
Nick placed a hand on her uncle’s shoulder. “We should talk to Beth in your office. More privacy.”
“I’d be happy to.” Morning Fawn threw back her shoulders and headed for the office before either man could drag her. Every minute they talked to her was one more minute they weren’t on Devon’s trail.
Lamplight and cigar odor filled the room. They’d probably sat in here plotting, waiting for her return. Her legs in danger of giving out, she plopped down in the straight-back chair before they closed the door.
Nick ambled over and leaned his backside against the desk. His dark eyes bored into her. “I’ve had word back from my agent. You know what he said?”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me and show me how wrong I’ve been about Reynolds.”
“Reynolds is a Unionist.” His lip curled.
Best play dumb. “A what?”
“See, I told you she doesn’t have the brains to be a traitor.” Her uncle stomped over to the side of the desk.
Nick held up his hand. A man who could shush her uncle? “A Yankee sympathizer. A worm who’d turn on his own people.”
She blinked at him. “As I said before, I don’t know much about the war and don’t care one way or the other, but if your agent told you this, are you sure you can trust him?” She glanced in her uncle’s direction. “I assume you told him what I overheard Reynolds say?”
“I did.” A slick smile spread across Nick’s lips.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said.
And it occurred to me that if my agent was working for Reynolds and Confederate headquarters, why would he want to discredit Reynolds?
It doesn’t make any sense. If he was working with the man, he’d bring back word that the lieutenant was an angel and a flag-waving Confederate. ”
She shrugged. “I have no idea why your agent would or wouldn’t say anything. All I know is what I heard Reynolds say when I snuck up on him and Frieda. But it occurred to me that maybe he knew I was there all along.”
Nick smashed the end of his cigar in the ashtray. “If that were the case, why would he make up such a story?”
“Where is he?” LeBeau’s handlebar mustache twitched like a rat tail. “You tell us before we send the dogs out.”
She flinched. Could the animals discern a fresh scent? Devon had been all over the yard and stables in the last few days. She smoothed her voice. “I don’t know where he is.”
“Don’t know or won’t say?” LeBeau grabbed the back of her chair and jutted his face within inches of hers. His unsettled dinner hung on his breath. “We know you were with him tonight. We checked all of the rooms and the stables looking for the three of you.”
Nick tapped his fingers on the desk.
She pressed her hands on her lap. “We…he was with us at the meeting. Lieutenant Reynolds heard I was going with Lucy and wanted to follow along. Not that he cared about the singing and all. I think it was more of a chance to get me alone in the dark, sneak another kiss.”
“I bet that wasn’t all he snuck.” LeBeau grabbed her chin. His fingers bit into her flesh.
She glared deep into his ice-blue eyes. “I never let any man have more than a kiss.”
LeBeau flung her head to the side.
Her nose collided with the chair’s wooden trim, pushing her teeth in her lip.
A metallic taste lingered on her tongue.
“I don’t care what you believe. It’s the truth.
And Reynolds didn’t walk us back. Said he had a friend to visit back home”—they’d never believe he’d visit family—“and planned to use the days you gave him off for Christmas.”
Both men sat back against the desk, studying her.
Nick smoothed his fingers over his bearded chin. “We need to look for Reynolds. Question the slave and see how her story lines up with Beth’s.”
“I’ll do better than that. I’ll have Owens bring a handful of them in one by one. If there was a meeting, Lucy and my niece wouldn’t have been the only ones at it.”
“We’ll need men to search—”
“What do you need a bunch of men for? I told you where he went, or at least where he said he was going.” Morning Fawn sat straight.
Nick smirked. “I know what you said. I also know you’re the smartest and quickest little darling I ever met. In need of a man to tame you. More woman than a scrawny fellow like Reynolds can handle.”
She narrowed her eyes at the man. He’s more man than you could ever dream of being. “Personally, I’d rather turn into a withered spinster and never own an inch of land than to have anything to do with either of you.”
“You brat.” LeBeau shoved off the desk, ready to strike again.
She ducked.
Nick grabbed his arm, then released it. “Let her sauce off. I can take it. Maybe we’ll get some truth out of her, sooner or later.”
LeBeau tugged down his sleeve where Nick had touched him, splitting his glare between him and her.
“I don’t care what you believe.” She jutted out her chin, her cheek still throbbing from the previous blows. “I’ll let you and Reynolds work it out amongst yourselves when he returns. I’d just as soon go to my room and forget the whole night.”
Nick bent close, bracing himself on the chair arms until the pampered flesh of his face was only a few inches from hers.
What did he see in her eyes? She pressed her lips shut and steeled herself against the onslaught of his prying stare.
“Maybe I’ll still marry you.” He chuckled mirthlessly and stood.
“You’d still consider marrying her?” Lebeau almost tripped over himself.
She half choked. “I’m not volunteering.”