Petals on the River (96 page)

astute than the rest of her family.
 
True, she was more attentive to the

lectures of our tutors than I was ever wont to be. But I have other

names that suit her better ...
 
Boring, Conceited, Priggish...."

A muted groan came from the one being defamed, and like her brother,

Garland advanced upon her twin as if to take her revenge, drawing a soft

cackle of glee from Gabrielle.
 
Wagging her head like a child who took

great delight in taunting her playmates, the impish sister danced

lightly away.

"Girls, behave yourselves," Charlotte implored, throwing up her hands in

disbelief.
 
"What will these good people think of us?
 
No good, I trow."

Gage chuckled, thoroughly entranced with the family.
 
"On the contrary,

madam.
 
They make me realize what I've missed by being an only child."

"We're a rather undisciplined brood," Nathanial admitted drolly. 'We

also have another brother who hasn't reached a full score years yet.
 
He

had a friend visiting and preferred to stay at home and do all the

things with him that lads his age are wont to do.
 
When last I saw them,

they were flirting with the neighbor's girls." Nathanial's eyes gleamed

with enthusiasm as he allowed his gaze to flit around the deck.

"I'm growing anxious to see this beauty of a ship you've built, sir."

Accepting his statement as her cue, Shemaine faced the three women.

"Shall we go to the cabin, ladies?
 
My husband and I have other guests

I'd like you to meet."

They all heartily agreed.

Maurice du Mercer had earlier retreated to that particular haven, but

when Shemaine entered, leading the other three ladies into the parlor,

he rose from the chair where he had been watching the foursome play

whist.
 
He was certainly thankful to have a more enchanting diversion

than the card game, but he had not expected it in multiple numbers.
 
He

was first introduced to Charlotte and then to Gabrielle, who asked .

him so many questions in a flurry of breathless haste that he found it

difficult to answer her and stare at her sister at the same time.

Garland had paused to admire the furnishings, but when Shemaine brought

her forward to make them acquainted, he found himself staring into

darkly lashed amber eyes.

"Garland, this is a family friend, the Marquess du Mercer," Shemaine

said.
 
"Your lordship, this is Mistress Garland Beauchampþ" "Maurice

will be sufficient," he said, sweeping Garland a courtly bow.

The young woman dipped into a shallow curtsy.
 
"And if you would, my

lord, my name is Garland." A smile flitted across her lips. "Mistress

makes me sound so .
 
.
 
.
 
so unbelievably spinsterish."

"A very young and beautiful spinster, to be sure," Maurice murmured

warmly.

Gabrielle mentally sighed, realizing it would do her little good to

monopolize the Marquess with witty conversation.
 
A blind woman could

see that he was taken with her twin.
 
Long ago it had become evident to

her that when the right people came together, it usually took something

akin to an ax to drive them apart.
 
It certainly seemed to be the case

in this instance, although Garland graciously maintained a nice

favorable reserve that bordered interestingly upon aloofness. Gabrielle

promptly decided she needed to take close note of the lessons her sister

was presently demonstrating, for she had never yet enchanted a suitor

with her own gift for incessant gab.

A valiant loser, Gabrielle made one more inquiry for the benefit of her

sibling.
 
"And is there a Marchioness, your lordship?"

"Beyond a grandmother, I'm without wife, kith or kin," Maurice answered,

glancing meaningfully toward Shemaine, whose resulting blush lent him a

small measure of satisfaction.

Gabrielle set a finger aside her mouth and pondered his reply.
 
"I

wonder how I might fare as an only child.
 
There's five siblings in the

Beauchamp family, and with Garland as my twin, we've had to share

everything ...
 
or else...."

Maurice was careful to remain silent, for he wasn't at all sure but what

Gabrielle was suggesting that they would have to share him, too.

"Dear, we'll need more chairs," Camille informed her daughter. "Do you

have others available?"

"Of course, Mama," Shemaine replied, and would have bade Nola to fetch a

pair from upstairs, but the sight of Bess trying to catch her eye from

the kitchen made her excuse herself immediately and go to solve the

cook's dilemma over the kind of sauce that she should make for the

venison.

"I'll get the chairs," the Marquess offered in gentlemanly manner having

seen several on the front porch.

The cards had been put aside earlier, and the ladies' hats were doffed

as the chairs were brought in.
 
As he placed a chair behind Garland,

Maunce failed to notice that it was rather wobbly, for he seemed

incapable of taking his eyes off the nape of her neck, where the black

hair was coiled in an intricate knot.
 
Beneath the mass, her skin was

fair and lustrous.

Garland was just settling into the chair when the seat came free of the

back and the whole of it collapsed, throwing her backward. Astonished

gasps equaled gaping stares, but Maurice's reflexes had been fine-tuned

to react spontaneously to whatever crisis demanded his attention.

Dipping forward with arms extended, he caught the falling maiden and was

instantly rewarded with a tantalizingly delicate essence, a sweet blend

of lilac and soap that wafted upward through his head like spring wine.

As her head hit his chest, he caught a glimpse of softly rounded breasts

swathed in mauve fabric and cascading tiers of an ecru lace jabot

tumbling from the collar of her fitted bodice before his arms encircled

her narrow waist.

 
"Gracious!" Garland gasped, amazed by how wonderfully secure his arms

felt around her.

Maurice lifted her to her feet again and leaned over her shoulder to

solicitously inquire, "Are you all right?"

Garland glanced around to meet those shining black eyes and felt a

sudden gush of excitement sweep through her.
 
She had always considered

her brother too handsome to have a serious challenger in the area of

good looks, but she would now have to revise her thinking.
 
"Oh,

certainly, your lordship," she hastened to assure the Marquess

nervously.
 
"I was just startled, that's all."

"Maurice," he reminded her in a whisper.

The couple finally became cognizant of the fact that the other occupants

of the room had fallen silent and were watching them.
 
A vivid hue

darkened Garland's cheeks, but Maurice was well acquainted with being

closely observed and took their close attention in stride as he bent to

pick up the chair.

"I say, Shemaine, for a cabinetmaker, your husband leaves much to be

desired." It was a sharp prod he used, but Maurice wanted to make it

vividly clear to his former betrothed that the man to whom she had given

herself was not without flaws.

Shemaine bristled in swift defense of her husband.
 
"The fault lies with

me, your lordship," she replied stiltedly.
 
"I should have paid more

heed to the fact that the chair you brought in from the porch was one

that had been left here for him to repair.
 
It was not one Gage made, by

any means." She swept her hand about to indicate the furnishings filling

the rooms and proudly boasted, "This is the kind of furniture he makes."

Suddenly a frightened wall came from outside, startling Shemaine, who

readily recognized Andrew's cry.
 
Anxiously she brushed past Garland and

Maurice and rushed out onto the porch.
 
Andrew was running full tilt

toward the cabin, having left Gillian some distance behind. Shemaine

hastened down the steps and ran across the yard toward the boy, who

threw himself up into her open arms as if a pack of vicious hounds were

nipping at his heels.
 
Sobbing as she lifted him up, he hid his face

against her shoulder and refused to look elsewhere.
 
Gillian finally

reached them, clearly out of breath.

"What happened?" Shemaine demanded.
 
"What frightened him?"

"Cain," Gillian gasped, panting.
 
"The hunchback was hunkered down in a

rotten tree trunk, an' so well hidden I the'er saw him, but Andy did."

Shemaine remembered the pitiful creature whom she had befriended. She

had considered Cain harmless and was alert to the fact that she might

have been wrong.
 
"Did Cain hurt him?"

"Nay, twas only fright what sent Andy flyin' back here."

Relieved, Shemaine clasped the shivering boy close to her.
 
When she saw

Gage racing toward them, she called out with a laugh, "It's all right.

Andy was just frightened."

When Gage joined them, Gillian was forced to recount everything that he

had said to Shemaine, but his employer made further inquiries. "Did you

ask Cain what he was doing in the woods?"

Gillian nodded.
 
"That's what delayed me.
 
He's hard ta understand, ta

be sure, Cap'n, but as far as I was able ta make out, he was watchin'

over yer missus."

"Watching over Shemaine?" Gage frowned in exchanged a bemused glance

with his wife before the younger man.
 
"Did Cain say why?"

"Aye, he said somethin' bout Potts an' others .
 
.
 
harm."

"Others?
 
Did you question him about them .
 
.
 
.
 
who they might be?"

"I tried, Cap'n, but he refused ta answer.
 
He just wiggled out o' his

cubby, dragged his mule from hidin' an' left." Gillian paused, shaking

his head in amazement.
 
"Cap'n, ye should've seen what he'd gone an'