Mardi Gras Masquerade (3 page)

Maria, at this point, managed to gasp out, “Who are you?”

The man looked at her, but she could not see his expression behind the mask.

“I’m the man who’s saved you from an unsavory experience.”

“But who
are
you?”

In a low voice, he replied, “Someone who likes to save damsels in distress.”

Once again, he looked away.
 
As Maria’s heart slowed down enough for her to breathe more regularly, she whispered, “Should I be afraid of you?”

“Perhaps, but not now,” the man gravely answered.

Maria could not decide how to interpret this cryptic response.
  
She huddled into herself and her breathing quickened again.
 
When the man did not move for some minutes, she began to relax a little.
 
He was not posing any particular threat outside of his formidable presence, and he gave her no indication that he intended to hurt her.

Compared to the streets, it was very quiet here on the bank of the
Mississippi
.
 
As Maria glanced to her side, she saw a couple of lovers on the bench beside her.
 
They were rapt in their passion for each other.
 
No one else had come up from the stairs during those past few minutes.

The man was close to her, yet distant.
 
In his obvious abstraction with the water, she turned her head to look at him.
 
His body was hidden by the black cloak that covered him, but she could see that he possessed a large, imposing build.
 
The dim lights along the levee picked up blue-black highlights in his dark hair.
 
His features were still covered by a plain, black mask.

In a tremulous voice, Maria asked, “May I go now?”

“If you want to,” was the man’s indifferent reply.

By all rights, Maria knew she should have gotten up and left then, but some force beyond her reckoning held her captured in its spell.
 
She remained seated and looked out at the river.

After a moment, her confidence grew and she said, “I want to thank you for what you did.”

“I did nothin’,” the man softly replied.

“That’s not true,” Maria corrected him.
 
“I don’t know what that person had in mind, but I’m sure he was up to no good.”

This won a response from the man.
 
He turned to look at her.
 
While she could not see his eyes, she could feel the penetration of their intensity.

He held her pinned back against his gaze for a moment, and then said, “
What
are you doin’ here, all alone?”

Maria took a deep breath and replied, “I’ve come to see Mardi
Gras
.”

The man now shifted his position to face his body toward hers.
 
She pulled away in her mind, but Maria’s body did not move.
 
When man spoke again, it was in a taunting voice.

“What does a little, red butterfly like you have to do with Mardi
Gras
?”

“I’ve always wanted to see it,” Maria responded in a small voice, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by his direct presence.

“All alone?” he inquired.

“I’ve never had a problem like that before.”

“And where is the man who should be takin’ care of you?”

This question confused the young woman.
 
She said, “My father is with my mother in Illinois.”

There was a period of silence that she found to be uncomfortable.

Then, the man asked, “How old are you, child?”

“I’m not a child!” Maria heatedly replied.
 
“I’m twenty-four!”

“And your twenty-four years led you here?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“That isn’t the way I saw it.”

Maria fidgeted nervously on her seat, and then returned, “You just happened by at an unexpected moment.”

“Life is full of unexpected dangers.”

This interplay of words grated against Maria’s sense of independence.

She refuted his doubts by saying, “I could have handled it.”

The man laughed.
 
It was only a wisp of sound, and then it was gone.

“What’s your name?” he asked in a more conventional voice.

“Maria.”

He turned to look at her more directly.

“This can be a dangerous city, Maria,” he finally said.

“I can see that,” the librarian asserted.
 
“I’ll have to be more careful about where I go.”

“Would you like me to walk you back to your hotel?”

“How did you know I was staying in a hotel?”

“Where else would a little butterfly like you stay?”

These words made Maria pause for a moment.
 
Finally, she relented, saying, “I would appreciate that.”

Without asking what question she had replied to, the man stood up.
 
He towered over Maria as she followed his lead.

“Which hotel?” he asked.

After deciding that she would be safe in his company, Maria told him where she was staying.
 
The man turned and walked on.
 
She followed him.
 
It felt uncomfortable to be led like this, so when the sidewalk would allow it, she walked at his side.
 
Briefly, she would steal glances in his direction, but he did not look back at her.

At the front entrance of the hotel, the man stopped and said, “Here we are.”

Maria was equally terse when she replied, “Thank you.”

When she would have gone in without saying another word, her masked protector stopped her by putting his hand on her arm.
 
Maria turned to him in surprise.
 
He was so tall that she had to turn her head back to look up into his face.

“How darin’ do you pretend to be?” he asked.

“I’m no coward,” Maria ardently assured him.

“Meet me tomorrow afternoon at
noon
where we sat tonight.”

“I might not be able to,” the young woman hastily replied.

“If you dare, meet me there.”

Before Maria could make any further explanation, he was gone.
 
She stared after him, but the dark figure was obscured by the passage of others.
 
After she returned to her room, it was a long while before she could sleep.

She had the task that faced her in the morning, and she had the man’s invitation.
 
The first problem, she felt fairly certain she could handle.
 
The second, she was not sure about at all.

CHAPTER 2

Maria was awakened by the sound of a telephone ringing on the table beside the bed.
 
It was the manager.
 
He told her that Mr. DuPont had called and left another message for her, saying he was sorry he had missed her yesterday and that he would not be able to meet her until
seven o’clock
that evening.
 
She should enjoy herself.
 
He would see her later.

Maria began to have doubts about the depth of his love for his fiancée.
 
He appeared to be more interested in business than romance.
 
This did not sound like the ardent lover that Marla Fontaine had described.
 
Perhaps the two months of separation had taken its effect on him, too.

A look at the clock showed her it was just after nine.
 
Maria was surprised that she had slept so late.
 
Her troubled thoughts of the previous night had kept her awake longer than she had suspected.
 
A peek out the window revealed it was another sunny day.
 

Taking advantage of her free use of room service, Maria ordered croissants and coffee.
 
She then decided to dress in the mint green gown she had made to wear as a costume.
 
It was not nearly as elaborate as the one Marla had given her, but its simple lines flattered her figure, giving her the appearance of greater height.

Maria did not put on the white feathered mask that was meant to accompany the gown until she stepped out of the hotel.
 
The street party had continued in her absence.
 
It had swelled to the point that the narrow streets of the old city could barely contain the mobs of party-goers.

Maria allowed herself to be jostled along with the flow of the crowd.
 
  
Bourbon Street
was the center of activities.
 
From almost every doorway came the music of another band.
 
The noise was overwhelming and the whole area smelled profusely of alcoholic beverages.
 
For a while, Maria stood by the curb and took pictures of a passing parade, trying to ignore the unsavory activities that the celebration attracted.
 
There was a mad scramble every time beads or coins were thrown out to the crowd from one of the floats.
 
She managed to catch two necklaces, laughing in triumph as the others did.

By late morning, Maria realized that she was tired.
 
She needed to find a quiet place to sit down and unwind.
 
As she thought about last night’s adventure, she recalled the benches on the levee.
 
She felt it would surely be safe to go there at this time of day.

On her way there, Maria stopped to take a picture of the cathedral in
Jackson Square
.
 
The statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback appeared to be in salute to the crowds.
 
When she finally jostled her way to the view of the
Mississippi
, she took a few shots of the river and a passing paddleboat.

A glance behind her revealed that the bench she had sat on yesterday was unoccupied.
 
Without thinking of anything except her tired feet, she took a seat.
 
The sun was bright overhead, yet Maria enjoyed the warmth it brought to this rather cool February day.

Suddenly it occurred to her that it was almost time for her meeting with the mysterious stranger of last night.
 
She had never quite been able to decide whether or not she wanted to see him again.
 
The way he had presented his invitation as a challenge irked her.
 
She was not afraid to meet him again, but she had to wonder if it would be wise.
 
He had been her protector, and yet, some of his words held an undercurrent of possible danger.
 
Maria wondered if she had subconsciously put herself in this position to meet with him again.

She pondered over the possibilities, and then pushed them aside in the excitement of the Mardi
Gras
festivities.
 
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she must have come to a decision, for it could not have been mere coincidence that had led her to this spot at this time.
 
A look at her watch told her it was almost
noon
.

She still had time to back out, but her thoughts kept her rooted in place.
 
Everything looked so much brighter and safer in the daylight.
 
Even her attitude was lighter.
 
Maria had been delighted with the freedom she had been given that day.
 
She was no longer afraid to be alone in this strange, exhilarating town.
 
It gave her the greatest sense of independence she had ever felt, and that made her feel daring and impetuous.