Heart of Glass (22 page)

“Captain Stevens will want to meet with you on his next trip to town.”

“Just send word and I can be here whenever you say. I’ll go over these drawings and come up with some of my own ideas before we meet. Hopefully he’ll be pleased.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss? I have an appointment with my accountant in an hour,” she added.

“Just one more thing.” He disappeared into his office, returned with a bank draft, and handed it to her.

“Payment for your first assignment,” he said.

Kate looked at the check in her hand. A few weeks ago it would have seemed modest. Today she was not only happy to have it and pleased to have become a professional architect at last, but elated that Jamison had said Patrick Delany would be proud.

“I hope this is just the beginning of many successful projects.” Jamison opened the front door for her.

“Thank you, sir. I hope so too.”

As Kate bid him farewell and walked away smiling, her steps felt a bit lighter and so did her heart.

An hour later she was in Dan Rosen’s office in the French Quarter.

“I don’t know what to say, Kate.”

“You don’t have to say anything but congratulations,” she said.

“Your father asked me to do what I thought best for you, to counsel you.”

“You’re not my father, Dan.”

“When your mother sent word from Italy that she’d married a count I wasn’t surprised. It was exactly something Nola would do, but your marriage to Delany
is
quite a surprise.” He shook his head and added, “Then again, maybe I should have seen it coming.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t think twice about paying off years of back taxes on
Belle Fleuve
. Where that place is concerned, you throw caution to the wind.”

“Is that what you think I’ve done? Married him to get
Belle Fleuve
?”

“When did Colin Delany propose?”

“Shortly after Amelie died.”

“So it’s not as if you are in love with him.”

What would Dan say if he knew she had always been in love with Colin?

“We’ve entered a kind of partnership,” she admitted.

“A partnership.” He studied her carefully. “Does he know your inheritance is almost gone?”

“I don’t think he knew I had an inheritance to begin with.”

“Really, Kate?”

“Yes, Dan. We married to raise Amelie’s children together.”

“If you run out of money, how do you plan on feeding them? Does Colin have any resources at all?”

“He saved some of his army wages.”

“I believe soldiers are paid less than two hundred per year.”

Kate sighed. “I have my first paycheck in my reticule, and you are going to rebuild my account.”

“You’re as stubborn as ever.”

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. I haven’t felt much of anything lately, let alone trying to muster the strength to argue with anyone.”

“You say this is a partnership, Kate. Am I to assume it’s platonic?”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me that.”

“I’m concerned for your welfare. If the marriage isn’t consummated, you can always engage a good lawyer and have it annulled.”

“I don’t want it annulled.”

His brows shot up. “So that’s how it is. You
are
in love with him.”

“You have no idea how
it
is.” She straightened her hat and stood up. “Now that I’ve delivered my news, I’ll be leaving.”

“Kate, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m merely concerned. As I said, your father bade me to watch out for you. Now I’m afraid I haven’t done a very good job.”

“I’m twenty-nine and perfectly capable of looking out for myself.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Dan pushed off the corner of his desk where he’d been sitting and walked her to the door. “If you need my help with anything, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

K
ate had the rest of her belongings moved out of the suite at the St. Charles, and by late the following day she was back at
Belle Fleuve
. Though her trip to the city was brief, it seemed she’d been gone forever, and she was happy to be back.

No one was there to greet her carriage when she arrived so she had the driver unload her things before she went in search of the children. When she didn’t find them upstairs, she went out in the gardens to look for them.

There was no sign of anyone there either, so Kate continued out to the yard and walked over to the row of cabins. Simon and Eugenie’s place was empty, but a very young woman with a toddler was standing on the porch of the cabin next door. Kate introduced herself.

“I’m Portia,” said the girl. “This is Betsy.” She bounced the baby on her hip.

“Have you seen Eugenie or Simon?” Kate asked. “Or Mr. Delany and the children?”

“Eugenie went to the foreman’s house to help birth the Bolton
baby. Mr. Delany took a few of the men over to another place to load up some cane cuttings, but they came back a few minutes ago. He’s still over at the barn.”

Eager to see him again, Kate hurried across the stable yard. She soon heard his voice coming from the dim interior of the barn. His low, mellow tone sounded confident again. She took a deep breath and paused long enough to tuck a strand of hair back beneath the front brim of her small hat. She gave the hem of her short jacket a tug and tried to ignore the flush of excitement she felt.

Kate smiled as she stepped into the barn. Colin and Simon were covering a wagon bed with canvas.

C
olin felt her presence before he saw her. Thinking only of Kate, he turned around and stepped off the wagon bed onto his bad leg. The pain made him stagger. Kate was beside him in an instant, slipping her arm around his waist, supporting him as he fought back a wave of dizziness.

“Are you all right?” Concern for him shadowed her expression.

“I am now.” He almost kissed her but Simon intruded.

“Here’s your cane, Mr. Colin.” Simon handed it over.

“Thank you, Simon. I’ll leave you to finish here.” He turned to Kate, hating for her to move away. It felt natural to have her tucked beneath his arm. “We just picked up a load of cuttings. Got them for a good price. We’ll start planting soon.”

“I hear Eugenie’s at the Boltons’.”

He nodded. “Jason came to get her. It’s Cora’s time.”

“Where are the children? Not with Eugenie, I hope.”

Did she seem loathe to let him go? She took her time moving away.

“They were with us.” He looked around and shrugged. “They were right here a minute ago.”

She walked the interior of the barn and came back looking piqued.

“They aren’t here. Did you see them leave, Simon?” She placed her hands on her hips.

“No, ma’am.”

“There are snakes everywhere and alligators that come up from the marsh and a thousand other ways Damian could get hurt.”

“Kate, they were just here. I’m sure they’re fine.”

“You have to watch children every minute.” She marched to the barn door and surveyed the property. “We have to find them.”

“I’d come with you,” Colin offered, “but I’d only slow you down.”

She turned to Simon. “Saddle Colin’s horse in case they wandered away from the house.”

“Can you ride?” Colin tried to picture her tearing across the fields like a madwoman.

“I’m not the best rider in the world but I can manage.”

“You could also break your foolish neck. Simon will go look for them.”

“They’re our responsibility, not Simon’s and not Eugenie’s.” Her alarm was contagious.

“Fine, but I’m telling you they can’t be far. Maybe they’re back in the house by now.”

Colin admired the flash of her ankle when she hiked up her skirt and ran back to the house before he turned to Simon.

“You have any idea why she’s in such a lather? Those two can’t have gone very far.”

“Eugenie would snatch us bald if she knew those children had slipped away someplace when we weren’t watching.”

Colin lifted his hat and wiped his brow with his shirtsleeve.

“I’ll go saddle up your horse.”

“Hold off, will you? I’ll take care of this.” The last thing he needed was for Kate to break her neck.

Colin heard her voice echoing through the house calling for Damian and Marie. He was halfway across the stable yard when he noticed a stem of wild geraniums lying in the dirt. Marie had
gathered an armful of the flowers that had been growing beside the road. Seeing the flowers on the ground, he knew where the girl was headed. Hopefully, Damian was with her.

Colin was sweating by the time he reached the house. He called out to Kate and she came running. She had shed her hat and gloves and her hair had slipped loose around her shoulders.

“Did you find them?”

“I think I know where they are. Come with me.”

He walked around the house, sensing Kate’s impatience at his slow pace. When they rounded the overgrown hedge, the Baudier crypt came into view. Marie was seated on the bench in front of the monument where she’d placed the wildflowers.

Relieved, Colin turned to Kate.

“You see? No need to panic.”

“But where’s Damian?”

Just then Damian called, “Aunt Kate, Uncle Colin! Look at me!”

“I still don’t see him.” Kate shaded her eyes and stared across the lawn.

Colin spotted Damian in the limbs of the nearest oak.

“He’s right there.”

“That’s a good twelve feet off the ground!” she cried.

“No snakes, no alligators.”

“What if he falls?”

“We’ll be here to pick him up.”

They started across the lawn together, Kate adjusting her pace to his.

“Can we do this, Colin? I’m not sure my heart can take it.”

“If anyone can do this, Kate Keene, it’s you.”

“Mr. Jamison called me Mrs. Delany yesterday. It felt odd.”

“How was the meeting?”

“I’ll tell you once Damian is out of that tree. Do stop him before he goes any higher.”

Marie ran toward them.

“Aunt Kate, you’re back!” She greeted Kate as if she had been
gone for weeks instead of two days. With one eye on the oak tree, Kate hugged the girl tight.

“I see you brought your mother some lovely flowers,” Kate said.

“Come see, Aunt Kate. There are so many pretty ones. Uncle Colin had Simon stop the wagon so I could pick them.”

Kate turned to him, fear clouding her blue eyes.

“I’ll get Damian down.” Colin continued across the wide lawn toward the oak wondering what would it be like to have Kate greet him with open arms?

Talking Damian down from the tree took a while. By the time the two of them joined Marie and Kate, Colin’s ankle was on fire.

As always, Kate sensed that he needed to sit. She helped him lower himself to the bench near the crypt.

“There’s a butterfly!” Damian yelled. “Can we catch it?”

“You can try,” Colin said.

“Stay beside the hedge where we can see you,” Kate warned.

The children ran off, and Colin leaned back.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I will be. Tell me about your meeting.”

“Mr. Rogers liked my work,” she said. “He gave me another assignment and my first pay. I cashed the draft while I was in town.”

“You’ve already invested enough in this place.” He noticed that she blushed and quickly looked away. “Kate?”

“What?” She continued to avoid meeting his eyes.

It shamed him to think he might have to ask her for money sooner than later. The cane cuttings he just purchased cost more than he had planned on spending, but he’d come home with enough to plant a sizable crop.

“I don’t want your money,” he told her.

Finally she turned and looked deep into his eyes, her irritation more than evident. “If we need it for the children, you will most
definitely
use it, Colin Delany.”

“Fine.” He couldn’t help chuckling.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I’m just happy to see signs of the old Kate again.”

T
he foreman’s residence at
Belle Fleuve
was quite modest, but with a fresh coat of whitewash inside and out, crisp cotton muslin curtains, and Cora’s loving touch, the wood frame house was warm and welcoming.

“It’s wonderful,” Kate said as Jason ushered them across the wide enclosed porch into the main room. “I can imagine it must have needed a lot of work after sitting empty for so long.”

She glanced back to see if Colin and the children were following, but they had stopped to pet a hound that came running to greet them. Each time she had tried to initiate conversation on the drive, Colin had answered in short syllables or grunts, his eyes focused on the road.

As Kate walked through the door, Jason pointed out where he had carved his initials into the wood as a child.

“My family was very happy here. I can only hope my children find as much happiness. It’s exciting knowing my son will grow up alongside Marie and Damian the way I did Colin and Amelie.”

Proudly cradling their newborn, Cora greeted Kate. She rocked the babe in a chair Jason claimed his great-grandfather had made.

“This chair has rocked a whole passel of Boltons.” He smiled as he ran his hand over the top of the headrest.

Cora pulled back the blanket and Kate smiled down at the little boy named Jake. She marveled at his round chubby cheeks and plump hands.

“He certainly looks healthy,” Kate said.

“Would you like to hold him?” Cora offered.

Kate hesitated. “He looks so content. Perhaps later.”

She glanced over her shoulder as the children and Colin came through the door. Marie carried the gift they had brought for the baby and handed it to Jason, who remained beside the rocking chair smiling down on his new son.

“Open it,” Damian encouraged.

Jason held the small bundle in his hands. Marie had helped Kate wrap it in a piece of ticking from Eugenie’s scrap basket.

“I’m painting you something for your wall,” Marie said. Cora thanked her and claimed she couldn’t wait to see the finished product.

Colin had little to say. As a career soldier, he probably cared nothing about visits to see newborns. Or perhaps his dark mood was due to pain. Kate made sure he was comfortably seated before she returned her attention to the baby.