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“Good.” He was a man of many talents but not even he could drive two vehicles and ride a horse at the same time. He glanced between the two women. “Are you ready to leave now?”
His mother nodded but Valinda said, “I just need to get my bag and valise.”
“Where are they?” he asked. “I’ll get them.”
“By the buffet table.”
He fetched them and led the ladies out into the night.
By the time they made it to his mother’s large house in the Treme district, their guest was asleep.
“Poor thing,” Julianna said, glancing at Valinda curled up on the back seat. “I don’t want to wake her. Can you carry her up to Sable’s old room?”
Drake knew that the close physical contact was sure to ensnare him further, but he couldn’t tell his mother no. After assisting Julianna out of the carriage, he reached in and gently eased Valinda into the cradle of his arms.
Inside, he laid Valinda down on the large four-poster bed and stepped away.
Julianna covered her with a light blanket and they closed the door behind them.
He asked, “How long will she be staying with you?”
“I don’t know. She and I will discuss that in the morning. Little Reba and I are the only ones here, and there’s plenty of room, so she’s welcome as long as necessary. Are you staying over so you can take care of that leak in my greenhouse roof?”
Guilt singed him. He’d been promising to see to the roof for weeks. “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten over here to fix it.”
“My orchids don’t like being dripped on.”
“I understand.” He was building a house on his portion of the LeVeq land and had been concentrating on that. “I’ll stay and go home when I’m done. It shouldn’t take that long.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.” She beckoned him down. When he complied, she raised herself on her toes and placed a motherly kiss on his cheek. “Good night, son.”
“Night, Mama.”
Settling into the bedroom he once shared with Phillipe and Beau, Drake continued to think about Valinda. The feel of her slight weight in his arms and the sight of her peacefulness had indeed tightened the snare. She belonged to another, however, which meant he needed to tamp down any thoughts of pursuit. The idea left him grumpy though. Determined to put her out of his mind, he undressed and climbed into bed.
When Valinda awakened, she groggily noted that she was fully dressed and had no idea where she was. Shaking away sleep’s lingering fog, she sat up and looked around the beautifully appointed room. The dark gold drapes were drawn closed but a line of light at the base gleamed brightly against the polished wood floors. The bed was enormous, and the tufted gold upholstery on the dainty ivory chair by an ivory-colored vanity table matched the drapes.Where am I?Her last memory was getting into the carriage with Captain LeVeq and his mother. Had she fallen asleep on the drive? That had to be the explanation as to why she didn’t remember. The knowledge left her appalled and more than a bit embarrassed. Granted, she’d had a long terrible day, but she could’ve at least stayed awake long enough to thank his mother for generously offering a place to sleep for the night. And how had she gotten to the bedroom? Had someone carried her? That it might have been the captain left her cheeks hot.
Surveying her wrinkled, soiled clothing, she wondered where she could wash up and change into something cleaner. She spied her carpetbag near the vanity. Leaving the bed, she noticed three doors. One turned out to be a large closet. The other led into a quiet hallway, and the last one opened into one of the largest and grandest bathing rooms she’d ever seen. There was a water closet and a sink with shiny brass fixtures. The claw-footed tub, big enough for two people, drew her in and she ran a hand over its smooth curved edge. Having had nothing but tepid hip baths at the Dumas house, she longed to immerse herself and take a long hot soak, but she wouldn’t be so presumptuous without the permission of her hostess, so after availing herself of the facilities, she dug out the sliver of soap from her carpetbag and washed up as best she could. The injury on her cheek was now bruise blue. Viewing it in the mirror brought back those terrifying moments of her attack, and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to draw in a deep breath until the lingering fear receded. Wondering if she’d ever rid herself of the incident, she set it aside for the moment, donned clean clothes, redid her bun, and left the room. A short walk down the hallway led to a staircase. Descending the steps to the floor below, she found herself facing a grand door she assumed led outside. To her right was a large parlor with many windows, fine furniture, and expensive-looking lamps, but no one was about. Trying to determine where she might find the captain’s mother, Val heard, “Valinda? Is that you, my dear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll be right there.”
A few seconds later, the LeVeq matriarch appeared wearing a lovely gray morning dress. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. What time is it?”
“Almost one.”
“In the afternoon?!”
Julianna chuckled. “Yes. Is something wrong? Did you have an appointment of some kind? If you missed it, my apologies for letting you sleep. I thought you needed the rest.”
“I did want to see the Sisters this morning. I’m not accustomed to rising so late.” And she wasn’t. Back home, she was up every morning by six to start the fires and light the stove for breakfast. The Dumas sisters had been early risers as well. Thinking about Madeline’s death made her send up another silent prayer for her soul.
“I sent them a note earlier to let them know you were here. They sent back that the bishop was visiting, so they’ll be in prayer and there’ll be no school.”
Valinda sighed. Even though her visit would only be delayed a day, it felt like another setback.
