The Moon and the Stars (15 page)

“His childhood?”

“I probably shouldn't have said anything about that.”

Caroline was trying to imagine Wade as the benefactor of a waif—she just could not see him in that way. “How long have you been acquainted with Mr. Renault?”

Dolly motioned for Caroline to eat. “Let me see now. Wade and my Nate go back a long way. He's been awful good to both of us through the years.” She swept her hand outward. “We wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for his generosity.”

“I see.” She didn't see at all, but it didn't matter. She touched the delicate handle of the china teapot and traced a swirling vine pattern with her finger. “Mr. Renault seems very fond of you.”

“Wade takes an interest in all the people he cares about.” Dolly watched Caroline's face as she said, “He let me know that you were particularly fond of tea, so Nate got you some down at the general store last week.”

Caroline frowned. How could Wade have known about her passion for tea?

“Well,” the older woman stated, “I'm going to leave
you alone so you can eat and take a bath. Come on down when you're ready.”

Caroline sat silently for a long time after Dolly had gone. Wade was a complex man, and it seemed there were many sides to his personality that she didn't understand. It didn't make sense to her that he made his living as a bounty hunter if he had enough money to own a private railroad car. Did a bounty hunter make that much money? She wondered how much money Brace had offered him, and how Brace thought he would get the money to pay Wade. She had no doubt that Brace was taking all the profits from Michael's estate, but that would never be enough for him—he would want it all.

She pressed her hand against her temples, wishing her head would stop hurting. At last, hunger induced her to eat an egg and a biscuit dripping with butter and jam. She was pouring her second cup of tea when Trudy returned with a bathtub.

After fussing around to make sure the bathwater was the right temperature, Trudy left.

Caroline placed her empty cup in the saucer and stripped off her nightgown, tossing it on the bed. She sank into the water and closed her eyes, enjoying the luxury of hot water, something she had not been able to do for a very long time. Her bathtub in San Sebastian had been nothing more than a small washtub, and she hadn't even been able to unfold her legs in it.

Caroline smiled delightedly when she saw that Trudy had left lilac bath salts and soap that smelled of vanilla. But after she lathered her hair, it felt as if a heavy weight were pressing on her chest. She gasped and lay back until the feeling passed. It wasn't until
the water had cooled that Caroline climbed out and wrapped herself in a thick towel.

She cautiously opened the first box and lifted out a yellow silk taffeta gown with several rows of seed pearls around the edge of each sleeve, and back-pleats that swept to the floor. There were undergarments, stockings, and a pair of yellow doeskin slippers.

While she was sliding her foot into one of the slippers, she felt flushed and hot. Her head felt as if someone were hitting her with a hammer. She had not been feeling well for several days. She feared she was coming down with something. She could not be sick! There were things she had to do.

When she was dressed, she stood before the fulllength mirror and studied her image. The garments might be store-bought, but they were very fine. Everything fit perfectly, even the corset and shoes. No one could guess her size from head to toe without some kind of help. Even Wade was not that good.

She frowned at her reflection. She would demand to know how Wade had come by that bit of information, and how he knew so much about her. He could not have guessed her sizes or her preference for tea over coffee.

Caroline thought Wade must have heard her on the stairs, because he was waiting at the bottom for her. His gaze swept over her, and he nodded. “Everything is a good fit, is it not? I hope you are pleased.”

She didn't answer for a moment, because she was staring at him. He looked so different wearing a dark blue suit and a stiff white shirt. “The gowns I have at home also fit me well.” She held out the skirt of her dress. “I would not have needed these things if you had allowed me to bring my own clothing.”

He ignored her irritation, his eyelids falling to halfmast. “Do you have everything you need? If not, just tell me and I will see that you get it.”

“It would seem you have forgotten nothing. Dolly did exactly as you instructed her. This is certainly better than the wardrobe
you
forced me to wear when you took me away from San Sebastian. Tell me—just how do you know my exact sizes, and how did you know that I have a preference for tea?”

He led her away from the stairs and paused. She saw that he was undecided for a moment, but nothing caught him off guard for very long, she thought, so she pressed her point. “If you don't tell me, I will only use my imagination. And you may be aware of how far a woman's thoughts can take her—especially this woman. You were sneaking through my house, weren't you?”

He saw no reason to deny it. “I visited San Sebastian a week before you saw me ride into town,” he admitted. He did not tell her that he had watched her from afar for several days, or that he had carried her likeness next to his heart.

“I should have guessed you would never leave anything to chance. But it's strange that no one mentioned seeing you in San Sebastian before that morning in the rain. How did you manage that?”

He shrugged. “It is very simple. I did not intend that anyone should see me until I was ready. I was ready the day you saw me ride into town.”

She stared into eyes that seemed to dance with amusement. “Just how did you accomplish all that?”

“There were several times I slipped into town at night while most people were sleeping. Another time I was there when you were in church.”

She poked her finger against his chest. “And what did you do with your time there? Spy on me?”

He caught her hand and held it firmly. “I have always been truthful with you, and I will not lie to you now. As you suspected, I went into your house.” His arrogant gaze as much as told her that he was making no apology for what he had done. “There were things I needed to know about you.”

She wriggled her hand free of his. “I can hardly believe you were so bold as to trespass on my privacy.” She covered her eyes for a moment and shook her head. “You were in my house, going through my belongings?”

“It pains me to admit it, but
oui
.” He pinned her with a direct look and smiled slightly. “Archimedes was my partner in crime. He stayed with me while I learned your trouser and boot measurements.”

“You went through my clothing?”

He glanced away. “If I do not ask your pardon for anything else, I do ask you to forgive my going through your personal belongings. It was necessary.”

What shocked her most was that he would dare to ask her pardon for such a deed. “I will never pardon you. Never! You broke into my house, spied on me, and made me wear those horrible trousers. But worst of all was when you accused me of shooting my husband. I will never forgive you for all the things you have done and said to me.”

He seemed undaunted. “I thought you might see things that way.” His words were laced with heavy irony. “Before I met you, I had never known a woman to try my patience as much as you have, Caroline. If you had been a man, I would have come for you without all the extra fuss. You have been nothing but trouble.”

She took a breath before answering him furiously. “Good! I am glad. I may be your prisoner, but you will never conquer me.”

He was standing near a table where a world globe was displayed. With a hefty spin he sent it twirling,
but his eyes were on Caroline and not the world as it spun on its axis—he had become fascinated as she paced in front of him. Every move she made, every gesture of her hand, enchanted him. Did she know how adorable she looked in that yellow gown?

“One conquers in a war. I am not one of your soldiers who fall all over themselves to get your attention.”

“No. You are not.”

“And you continue to trouble me, madame.”

She drew herself up tall and gathered her wits. “I'm happy if I have inconvenienced you in any way. I want you to think about me, and remember what you did to me long after I am out of your sight.”

His eyes narrowed. “I will not soon forget you.”

“I'm counting on it.”

He glanced away from her. “Looking at the situation from your point of view, I suppose it may seem—”

She pressed her hands over her ears. “I won't listen to anything you have to say in your defense. I hate you!” She watched him flinch at her angry words, and she was glad if she had pierced his thick skin.

“I hope that is not true, Caroline.”

She reconsidered, softening her stance a bit. “I don't really hate anyone except Brace. You, I just don't like.”

“But you are no longer afraid of me.”

“I was at first.”

“Yet in San Sebastian you came charging to my room to confront me. I see something of the survivor in you.”

“I have had to confront many people in my life.”
She rubbed her temples again, wishing her headache would go away. She was not prone to headaches, but this one was persistent. “I should have left town that day.”

“I would only have caught up with you.”

She nodded. “Yes. You would have.”

“Caroline,” he said, his tone deepening. “I wish it could have been different. I did not set out to hurt you.”

She was staggered by his statement. “And what do you call what you have already done to me? Can you not see that?”

He was thinking how adorable she looked when she was mad. He was thinking the sun that shone through the front window fell on her hair and streaked it with gold. He was thinking she had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. “I believe we should join our hostess.”

She hesitated when he extended his arm to her, but when Dolly suddenly entered the room, Caroline decided not to make an issue of it, and quickly placed her hand on his sleeve.

“Why, honey, you are just as pretty as you can be.” Dolly walked around Caroline, inspecting her carefully. “It's no wonder Wade has lost his head over you.”

“I'm . . . not, he isn't—”

“What Mrs. Duncan is trying to tell you,” Wade said, coming to her rescue, “is she does not think of me in that way.” He nodded down at her. “I am right about that, am I not?”

“Wade told me you are a widow,” Dolly said soothingly. “It's too bad that you lost your husband at such a young age. The passing of time will dull the grief.”

Caroline was uncomfortable talking about Michael with Dolly. “I loved my husband very much.”

For the first time, Dolly saw the angry flush on Caroline's face, and she realized that she had come in on a confrontation between the two of them. “I'll just wait for you in the sitting room. You can come in when you want to. I told Trudy to bring in the tea when you're ready.”

Dolly disappeared through the arched doorway, and Caroline turned her attention back to Wade. “It is unthinkable for me to deceive that kind woman. When do we leave?”

“I have business that will keep me in town today.” He reached out and tilted her face so she was forced to look at him. “San Antonio is a rowdy town for a woman alone. You will not want to venture outside the house.”

She pulled away from him. “My life has not been my own since the day I met you.” She took several quick steps away from him. “Or should I say since the night you went prowling in my house without my knowledge?”

“I will return later this afternoon.”

She watched him walk away as an unsettling feeling hit her. She should be furious with him, and she was, but she had been with him for so long, she almost panicked at the thought of his leaving her. Her headache was getting worse, and for a moment she could not take a deep breath. Caroline knew she was ill. But she could not let anything delay her return to Charleston.

After several tries, she was finally able to take a deep
breath. She was slightly lightheaded and held on to the stair railing until the dizziness passed. After she had composed herself, she moved toward the sitting room, thinking a cup of tea might make her feel better.

Dolly was sitting before a large tapestry frame, her needle darting in and out of the canvas with vigor. She looked up, smiled at Caroline, and nodded for her to be seated in the chair by the window. “I'm sorry if I busted in on the private talk you and Wade were having.”

“Please do not be concerned. It amounted to nothing.”

Dolly frowned as she took a stitch. “I knew when I first saw you and Wade together that he's in love with you.”

Caroline was taken aback by Dolly's incorrect assertion. She could not tell Dolly that the intenseness with which Wade watched her had more to do with intimidation than any soft feelings he might have for her. “You are mistaken. I can assure you he does not feel that way about me.” She searched for the right words. “Mr. Renault and I have a sort of business arrangement.”

Dolly was curious, but she was too polite to press Caroline on the matter. But she did know Wade, and he was smitten with Caroline. “You see, Wade has a way of looking at people as if he were measuring them for a pine box. But when he looks at you, there isn't a doubt in my mind what he's thinking.”

Caroline was glad that Trudy chose that moment to enter. There was only one cup on the tray the maid placed on the small round table beside her. “Dolly, will you not have tea?”

“I never developed a taste for it. I'm an old west-Texas gal and the only thing I'd drink hot is strong coffee.”

Caroline poured a cup of the steaming brew and added cream. “Will I be meeting your husband?”