East of Orleans (50 page)

When she went inside the house Jesse approached her eagerly. “What was dat bout?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve trusted secrets to too many people already.”

Jesse’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I thought you trusted me ever since I come here with you.”

“What you don’t know won’t cause you any problems.”

Looking deeply into Isabella’s eyes Jesse said, “I ain’t got nuthin’ to lose.”

“I hope you’re right, but you know it could cost you,” she said.

“Whatever the cost you know I’m here to protect you. I promised Granny.”

“Jules knows I went to the DeSoto to see Tom.”

“You determined to get yourself in trouble, ain’t you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Isabella said as she stormed out of the room.

“Sometimes…dat girl,” Jesse said. “Her curiosity is a curse.”

Isabella must have slept until almost supper. After she met with Jules that morning she had gone in and laid down across her bed and then fell asleep. She wanted to cry, but who would care? All her years of prayers and beliefs were gone. As a child, everything had seemed so simple, so clear. Not anymore, not ever again. And as for God, she began to wonder how, if he loved her, he could keep letting her go through all this pain. Tom was right—Jules never loved her; all he had done was use her and now she was alone. Not only was she alone, she had been humiliated. She wondered who saw her come out of Tom’s hotel room and who really sent the earring to Jules. Was it Mae and one of her girls or those two nosey biddies that testified against Jacqueline, maybe it wasn’t any of them, but someone that she had no idea about. Someone that Jules had paid to watch her. Well, she would never find out. She remembered a street preacher saying that wives without husbands were vessels of temptation and should remain behind closed doors. She thought that she had rather remain behind closed doors. Perhaps that would be her fate.

And then there was Elora. She couldn’t really raise a child in a hotel so she took her to Kate’s and Kate agreed to look after Elora until Isabella could work out her problems with Jules.

Isabella checked into the DeSoto and while she was busy trying to drag her three suitcases through the lobby, she ran smack into a beady-eyed woman carrying a huge vase of hydrangeas. “Oh, my goodness, dear, I’m so sorry—here I am trying to hurry to the ballroom and I almost knocked you down,” said Annalee Hancock. “Are you here for the flower show?”

“No, No, I’m not. Are you okay? I’m terribly sorry.”

“That’s quite alright, dear, I wasn’t paying any attention myself. I’ve been wandering around this hotel trying to find out where the flower show is being held. Our garden club is having a show for prize hydrangeas.” Annalee smiled and then her eyes flickered. “Forgive me, Isabella, I didn’t recognize you, dear,” she said taking Isabella’s hand. “You should come to one of our meetings some afternoon.”

“Thank you, I’m sorry but I’m afraid I don’t know much about growing prize flowers.”

“You’d be surprised, dear, at how many of our members started out feeling the same way as you,” Annalee said, turning the collar of her dress inward so her diamonds could be seen. Annalee leaned toward Isabella and whispered, “I want to tell you how sorry I am about that terrible trial and the disappearance of your friend, Mrs. O’Brien. And—poor Kate. You tell her, if you will, dear, that our garden club has been praying for her and her family. I don’t mean to meddle, but will you do that for me?” Annalee glanced down at Isabella’s bags and stared at her more closely. “Are you going somewhere dear?”

Isabella paused, and then struggled for words, but none would come.

“My poor dear,” Annalee said, sitting her vase of hydrangeas on the marble floor and wrapping her arm around Isabella. “You are having marital problems, aren’t you?” Annalee smiled, gave a slight shrug and whispered, “Thank God for garden club meetings. No one knows this, but shortly after Mr. Hancock and I were married, I did the same thing as you’re doing now. I gathered my things and ran to my mother’s. I guess you don’t want your mother to know, no, I would think not. Well, rest assured, my dear, your secret is safe with me,” said Annalee with eyes that danced.

Isabella nodded slightly and turned to walk up the winding staircase to her room.

Lucy Baker came up to Annalee. “We’re waiting on you, where have you been?”

Annalee sighed. “Such a young girl, so sad. Her situation is horrible.”

“Oh…what did she say?” asked Lucy. “There’s been rumors all over town.”

“I’m sure that’s not the half of it,” said Annalee.

The hotel room felt strange to Isabella. Even if she had not have felt out of place and thinking that everyone that she passed in the lobby knew why she was there, it hurt so much to be away from her home and her daughter. She even missed Priscilla. And when Jesse found out, she did not know what he would say. She sat still on the bed and thought that what she had done with Tom was sure to be her damnation.

The room was cool, damp and musty smelling. She closed her eyes and rocked back and forth on the bed. Nothing seemed certain to her and for the first time, she knew that there was no one to depend on but herself. She thought about Granny and her mama she thought about Tick, Blue and Freckles. By the light of a single candle, she traced the lines of the scarlet flocked wallpaper with her eyes. Then her daddy’s face appeared on the wall. She closed her eyes and tried not to see him. But he would not go away. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep and the last thing she saw was her daddy looking down on her with a smile on his face. He looked like what she thought God would look like. He spoke to her and said, “Do not be afraid; I am here with you, I am always with you.” As she reached out to touch him he faded away. But it was the first time in a long time that Isabella had a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, in the hotel lobby, Jesse walked up behind Isabella and said, “Where have you been?”

Isabella spun around. Jesse grabbed her by the shoulder and then shook her. “What are you doing?”

She grabbed the bottom of her skirt and started out the hotel lobby door.

“Look at me! You can’t run from this,” Jesse said, running outside after her. “Don’t lie to me, why are you here?”

Isabella stared at him for a minute. Then she shook her head in utter despair, “You don’t understand. You’re not a woman; you’ve never been in love.”

Jesse looked up and said quietly, “I ain’t a woman, but you don’t know anything about how I feel and who I’ve loved.”

Isabella studied his face. “Are you in love with Poppy?”

Silence grew and Jesse did not take his eyes off her. “No, I’m not in love with Poppy.” He looked away and then said, “Did you just think you could drag your things half way across town and everything would be okay? Running ain’t gonna get you anywhere. You’re running in circles; aren’t you clever enough to know that?” Jesse paused, “I come to take you home.”

Isabella started to cry.

“For the sake of Elora, come back to the house,” Jesse said.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore. And I don’t want Jules touching me.”

“That won’t happen. He’s changed. I think he working night and day to try and bring Miz Jacqueline home.”

“You know?” asked Isabella.

“You think dis ain’t all over town?” asked Jesse.

Isabella returned home and Jesse proved right; Jules did not bother her. Her husband had grown thin and it was as Jesse had said: Jules was spending all his time arranging for Jacqueline’s return he had even approached Isabella about testifying for Jacqueline. There were rumors that he had been to church on a couple of occasions and asked for God’s guidance.

On Isabella’s the first night back in her house, Jules was seated at his desk with a stack of books piled before him. Jules said to her when she entered his study, “I did not force you to marry me, you know.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

He looked up at her then his eyes strayed back down to his ledger columns. “I’m happy you’re home.”

Isabella stood, staring into space. She felt like a young girl who had just defied her father. Days passed and they did not talk. Then one afternoon, she asked him, “Is it possible to save her?”

Jules caught Isabella’s eye. “I think so.”

“How long before she is back?” asked Isabella.

Jules shrugged. “I may need to bring her home sooner than I thought. An illness has broken out in
Paris
and it may be dangerous to leave her there.”

“More dangerous than here?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Bodies are arriving at the morgue. There is panic and talk of an epidemic. If I do not get her out in the next few days then she may be under quarantine.”

Influenza spread throughout
Paris
, but it was not an epidemic as feared. The artists had taken to painting inside their houses; the city was different now. The news of Jacqueline Rousseau O’Brien returning home filled the streets of
Savannah
. Of course, Jules finally struck a deal with Noble Jones. Jules never admitted to being responsible for Jacqueline’s absence. Jones had been in power in a small way, but with an election coming up and with the generous contributions of Jules McGinnis, Jones saw it as a benefit for the people to proceed with Jacqueline’s trial as quickly as possible.