Finding Grace: A Novel (39 page)

He loves me, and no one
else
, she thought.
I see it in his eyes, and I felt it just now, in his arms. I
owe him my trust
.

She wanted to trust him, as he had asked her
to. She had seen in his expression that he did not want to hurt
her…that he would rather have stayed with her, and only her. But
she was aware that sometimes, the best was brought with great pain,
and this it seemed was one of those times. She sighed, feeling the
weight lift a little from her heart. When the night was over, he
would certainly come to her and offer a comfort, perhaps an
apology. And she smiled to herself then, thinking how she might
tease him a little just for fun. It gave her spirit an uplift, and
with fresh energy, she turned to go back inside.

As she reached for the door someone came out
first. And when she looked up her breath caught. A figure appeared
before her, one she had not thought to see again. And the look in
his eyes struck her cold with fear.

"Charlie," she said, her voice a whisper.
"Why are you here?"

Before she could ask more, he suddenly
gripped her shoulders and pushed her back against the wall. Her
eyes grew wide with fear.

"They've ruined you,” he said.

Her voice squeaked. "Ruined me?"

"I saw you in there, Gracie. I saw you dance
with those men. In this place. This evil place, full of sinners.
You used to be such a good girl. What have they done to you?"

"No one has done anything to me.” She wanted
to be strong, but his face was intense and wild, and it struck her
to the core with fear.

"Yes, they have," he insisted. "You’re not
who I thought you were. They've shown you their wicked ways.” He
backed away, shaking his head. He continued to slowly retreat, and
as he moved from the light into the dark of the street, she saw him
turn his back on her and disappear into the night.

Chapter 20

“
Someone to Watch Over
Me”

What was she to do?

Her hands shook a little as she opened the
door and went back in, and though she tried to calm herself, the
encounter with Charlie had left her shaken. His look had been so
frightful, almost mad in its way, and now she just wanted to go
home where she could escape to the security of her room…where she
could think, and decide what to do. She did not want Jack to know,
for if he found out he would be furious and might do something
foolish. Henry would be just as angry if he knew, of that she was
certain. No, neither of them could know. And as for Alice…well, it
would only cause her to worry if she knew, and in her condition,
stress was the last thing she needed. Somehow, she would deal with
this herself. Maybe she could find a way to go to where Charlie was
staying and talk some sense into him. There had to be a way to end
this without anyone getting hurt.

She was looking back towards the door,
thinking of Charlie, when she neared the stairs. In her mind, she
was hoping not to run into Henry. If he saw her in this current
state, he might ask one too many questions, and she might not be
able to keep from hiding the truth. She turned toward the stairs.
It was not Henry she saw, but Jack and Alice.

"There you are, baby sister. We were
wondering if you got lost."

She just shook her head, trying to smile,
but was hardly able to. They looked at her curiously as they came
down the stairs, and she hoped they would associate the look on her
face with the Henry incident. But Alice had always been able to
read her better than almost anyone, and she knew something else was
amiss.

"You're white as a sheet," she said. "What's
wrong?"

"Nothing, really," Grace insisted. "I'll be
fine."

"You're hands are shaking," Alice noted,
taking Grace's hands in her own. "Jack, look at her." She looked
worriedly at him, then at her again, and wanted an explanation.
"Grace, what is it?"

Jack was staring at her, his eyes intense,
and Alice was gripping her hands firmly. She knew she would have to
say something, or they would never let her be until she did.

"I saw Charlie," she confessed.

Alice gasped, and Jack did what she knew he
would. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, and he cried, "What?
Where?" He looked ready to kill, but Grace just sighed.

"It doesn't matter right now," she said. "I
just want to go home."

Alice nodded, as did Jack, and he hurried to
open the door, ushering them out.

* * * * *

She was all wrong, and he felt it.

Even as Henry smiled at the feminine face
before him, he couldn't keep himself from silently picking out all
her faults. Too much makeup, for one thing, especially around the
eyes. It made her look like a raccoon. Her breasts were flattened
to make her look more waif-like...it was the style of the times,
though he had never understood how men were attracted to that. He
certainly wasn't. But if her appearance was false, her intentions
were quite truthful, and written all over her face. The way she
looked at him through half-closed lids…the way her hand pressed a
little too firmly on his arm. He knew an invitation when he saw
one.

But she wasn’t who he wanted. She didn’t
feel as warm, not nearly as soft. Her scent was not the sweet smell
that set his senses to reeling, heating his blood with excitement.
No matter what way she looked at him, this woman could never
compare to the one he wanted, the one he needed. And he couldn’t
maintain the pretense any longer. He’d played this part for one
dance, and that was all he could stand for the time being. Placing
a light kiss on the woman’s hand, he turned away from her, catching
the look of disappointment she wore at his sudden departure, but he
didn’t give another thought to her. All he wanted was to go back to
the arms of the one he loved. Maybe he could persuade her to go for
a little late night stroll. Perhaps they could find a quiet little
place somewhere, away from prying eyes. Lord, how his heart beat
fast at the thought of her sweet lips on his. He knew he was
rushing, but at that moment he could think of nothing but being
back with her.

He approached the table
where the Langdon’s had been sitting…and saw it was empty. She was
gone. Why had she left? Where had she gone? He looked around, as if
needing to confirm it, and she was nowhere to be seen. A feeling of
dread fluttered in his heart.
Be
calm
, he tried to tell himself.
She must have gone home.
And yet he couldn’t be calm, no matter how he wanted to be.
Moving towards the stairs, he didn’t give a thought as to who was
watching him. Was she angry at him? Had she changed her mind about
his being with another woman, even if it was under false pretense?
He had to go to her and find out…

* * * * *

At home, Jack paced furiously across the
living room floor as Grace told them what Charlie had said. And his
fury was only driven further when he learned of Charlie's previous
encounter. In telling her brother the truth, she had found herself
confessing all. She didn't want to tell him, knowing how upset he
would be, but it just came tumbling out. Jack crossed his arms and
stared at her, his tone deadly calm.

"Where is he staying?"

She scoffed at his demand."You think I’m
telling you that? I won't have you ending up in jail for murder
while your wife is sitting here carrying your child. It's
ridiculous, Jack. We just have to hope Charlie comes to his senses
and goes home."

He jeered at her suggestion.

"Oh, that's a great idea. That worked well
the last time, didn't it?"

There came a knock on the door, and Jack
threw his hands up in frustration. He cursed at the
interruption."For the love of God! Who the hell is it at this
hour?”

He went to open the door. And seeing it was
Henry who stood on the stoop, he grumbled impatiently.

"What do you want?" Henry looked surprised
by the reaction. But his voice was calm.

"I saw that you all left early, and I just
wanted to know if everything was all right. Is it?"

"No, everything is not all right," Jack
said. "In fact, I'd like to slam the door in your face right now.
But I won't, because you're a part of all this mess. So come on in
here and join the party."

Henry gave him an odd look, slowly stepping
across the threshold. "What are you talking about?"

Grace looked up and saw him. Their eyes met,
and she seemed to sense why he had come. He wanted to know why she
had gone so quickly, and he was looking for answers. But now it
seemed he would get more than he bargained for. Before they had a
chance to speak to one another, Jack went on in his tirade.

"Charlie is back. He met Grace outside of
your club."

Henry’s mouth opened slightly. "Are you
serious?" He turned to look at Grace. "What happened? What did he
say?"

Jack stood between them. "He scared her to
death, that's what happened. And it's all your fault."

Henry’s brow raised, his expression
stunned…and growing upset. "My fault?"

"You're the one who made her come and work
for you.”

Grace rose to her feet before they could
argue further. "I don't want to hear anymore of this.” She fixed
her eyes on her brother. "I went to work for him because I wanted
to, and I still want to. Charlie isn't going to scare me out of it,
and neither are you."

Henry became calm. He tried to be a voice of
reason.

"He's just looking out for you.”

She turned to him with a firm look. "Well I
don't need anyone else fussing over me.” Then she turned to Jack.
She pushed a finger in his chest. "You should be worrying about
your wife and your baby. They don't need to hear all of this, and
neither do I." She turned to Alice, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Then she hurried out of the room and went upstairs.

* * * * *

Henry wanted to hurry up the stairs after
her, but he held back that impulse with a strong force of will. She
had been through a bad night, and wanted to be left alone, so he
would grant her that wish. Besides, it would be ridiculous to make
a scene in her brother's house, and make fools of them both. So he
sighed, turning around, and looked in the face of John Langdon.
Once, they had been rather close. Now, it seemed, they were on the
verge of becoming enemies. It was not what he wanted in the
least…not when Grace was so close with her brother. He did not want
to fracture that bond. But neither did he want to go on battling
with this man. They were at an impasse, it seemed. For a moment,
the two of them just stared coldly at one another, until it was
Alice who at last spoke.

"I think this would be a good time to make
myself scarce.” She smiled at Henry, and then turned to her
husband, laying a hand on his chest. "I'll go up and see if I can
talk to Gracie.”

"Are you all right?" he asked, his tone
concerned as he rested a gentle hand on her abdomen. "No pain or
anything?"

"Just you," she replied, smiling, as he
squeezed her hand and kissed it. She leaned in to kiss him on the
cheek, and then turned towards the stairs. Before she went up, she
turned to him again with a little smile. "Jack, please don't get
blood on the rug. It’s a hell of a stain to get out."

Henry smiled in amusement. Alice reminded
him a lot of Grace, and in a way, he envied the loving relationship
between Alice and John Langdon. He hoped that maybe someday, he and
Grace might be such a couple. But before he could even attempt the
start of such a dream, he would have to overcome a few things,
namely her brother, who was now staring at him with a kind of
loathing in his eyes. The smile fell away from Henry’s face.

Jack gestured towards the living room. "Sit
down, why don't you?"

Henry went in, taking a seat on the sofa. He
watched as Jack went over to a cabinet, rifling around. He produced
a bottle of liquor and two glasses. Setting it on the top of the
cabinet with a kind of force, he pulled the cork out of the bottle
and poured some drink into each glass. "I'm not a big drinker," he
grumbled. "I should have been, considering where I come from, but
their ways have never been mine. Still, sometimes the occasion
calls for it, don’t you think?"

Henry nodded and accepted the drink, giving
the liquid only a slight sip. He eyed Jack over the rim of the
glass. He watched him down a gulp of his own drink, and then drop
himself heavily into a large armchair.

"So," Jack said. "What are your intentions
with my sister? And don't you give any bull, either. I ain't in the
mood for it."

Henry sighed, an irritated sound. This
interrogation seemed so stupid and pointless. He wasn’t some
teenager looking to court a girl, hoping for a father’s
approval.

"No offense, John. But I don't really think
it's any of your business. Why should you concern yourself with it?
And while I'm thinking about it, why do the two of them call you
Jack, and everyone else calls you John?”

"John is my given name. Jack is the name I
let people use when I'm close to them. And I'm close with very few.
Now don’t try to change the subject. We were talking about my
sister, who happens to be right behind my wife in a line of
importance. Whether you like it or not, she IS my business. Always
has been, always will be, no matter what anyone else says.”

"And why, exactly is that? Why are you so
afraid to let someone else take care of her?"

Jack’s reply was grim and firm.

"Because…besides me, my wife, and my Granny,
no else ever gave a damn."

He took another sip of his drink as he
spoke. "I was ten years old when she was born. Clear as crystal, I
remember the morning she came into the world. Me and my two
brothers were sitting there with my Uncles while Granny was in with
the doctor and my Mama. Daddy came out of the room. And do you know
the first thing he said, after he told us it was a girl? He said,
'Maybe we'll get it right next time.' Then he just walked out of
the house and didn't come back until after dark."