The Tiger Lily (54 page)

Her
smile faded, and she searched his face keenly. She wasn't greatly surprised at
his news, nor, if she were honest, very distressed by it. It would be such a
relief not to have to listen to her aunt's sly insinuations and grievances
about Brett. Hesitantly she asked, "Did you tell her about us? About our
coming marriage?"

Brett
nodded, a little thrill running through him at the ease with which she had said
"our marriage."

"Was
she very upset?" she asked, dismayed.

Brett
shrugged his broad shoulders and said lightly, "Let's just say that she
has even less love for me now than she did in the beginning!"

Sabrina
made a little face. She hated discord and she wished that Tia Francisca hadn't
taken Brett in such violent dislike. "Where did she go?" she
questioned unhappily, and glancing at him, added appealingly, "You do
understand that I can't just abandon her? She is my aunt, and she was very kind
to me when my father died."

Suddenly
aware as never before of the deep sense of loyalty Sabrina had for her,
unfortunately, unpleasant relatives, Brett bit back the blunt comment he would
have liked to make. Quietly he said, "She is welcome to visit you whenever
you wish, and I certainly have no objections to you seeing her—I'm no jailer,
sweetheart, but I don't want to guard my back for the rest of my life
either." He smiled faintly and added, "But to answer your question,
she is, I believe, staying with her friends, the Correias."

Sabrina
noted that he made no mention of Carlos being welcome, which suited her
perfectly, and nodding her head, she said softly, "Yes, of course she
would go to them —they are old acquaintances of hers, and I'm positive she will
be happy visiting with them, once she gets over the chagrin at being asked to
leave your house." She glanced across at him and asked with a twinkle of
amusement in the amber-gold eyes, "Were you awful to her?"

Brett
looked suspiciously innocent. "No more than I had to be," he answered
smoothly.

Sabrina
snorted. "Which means you were probably beastly!" she retorted dryly.

He
smiled and drew her arm within the crook of his. "But all for a good
cause, darling, all for a good cause. And lest you worry, I have already found
a new duenna, the widowed sister of my business agent, Mrs. Bonnel, a most
worthy woman, I am told. She is waiting in the blue salon for us, and before
our guests arrive I would like to introduce you."

Strangely
lighthearted, loving him to distraction, Sabrina grinned at him and murmured
impishly, "You are, I can see, going to be a very managing husband!"

The
sweet accord that had so unexpectedly sprung up between them remained through
the evening that followed. A soft glow in her eyes, a scintillating smile on
her lips, Sabrina was the very vision of a young woman in love as she moved
about the blue salon greeting their guests. Brett was little better than
Sabrina at hiding his feelings and as the guests left, there wasn't one who
wasn't convinced that here was a true love match. Only the two most intimately
involved had any reservations, and both were blind to what was so clearly
evident to everyone else. Yet if Brett couldn't see that Sabrina was plainly a
woman in love, and if Sabrina didn't recognize him as a man obviously besotted,
one who was falling deeper and deeper in love with every passing hour, there
was a growing sense of peace within them, an increasing hope, a burgeoning,
exhilarating anticipation of the future.

Time
flew by after that evening, and there existed a tacit agreement between them
not to disturb the fragile optimistic mood that prevailed. They avoided all
talk of the past, both seeming to draw back from any conversation or comment
that would arouse any of their sleeping demons.

The
certainty that Carlos had been the root of the disastrous ending of their first
betrothal had grown in both of their minds. But Sabrina was conscious that even
knowing Carlos's lies had set her against Brett, that still didn't explain
Constanza. It troubled her greatly, but she was too much in love to let it stop
her from marrying him.

As
for Carlos . . . Carlos not unnaturally made several brazen attempts to see
her, but Sabrina would have none of him. She didn't want to see him or talk to
him just now, afraid he might spread more of his poison and equally afraid that
when she saw him, she would forget all the good memories she had of him and
allow the contempt and anger she now felt for him to rule her.

There
was only one really ugly incident to mar her growing happiness, and that was
the unpleasant interview she had with her aunt about a week after the
announcement of her betrothal to Brett. Sabrina sought out her aunt when it
became apparent that Francisca was not going to accept the inevitable. Calling
at the Correia house one afternoon in the first week of June, Sabrina was
relieved when Francisca consented to see her.

Relief
quickly turned to anger, however, when it became obvious that Francisca had
agreed to see her only so that she could heap her fury and bitterness at the
situation upon Sabrina's head. Francisca was nearly hysterical with her rage,
and it was then that Sabrina learned of Carlos's intention to elope with her
the night of the Robles soiree. Appalled by Francisca's blind fury, disgusted
and further disillusioned by the ugly knowledge of Carlos's deplorable tactics,
Sabrina knew then that her sincere desire to mend the breach with her aunt was
fruitless. Rising gracefully from the sofa, she pulled on her lacy gloves and
prepared to depart.

Malevolently
Francisca stared at her. "Leave the gringo," Francisca said suddenly.
"Leave the gringo and marry Carlos, and all will be well. My son loves
you, he still wants to marry you." With a desperate intensity, Francisca
added, "It was his profound desire to marry you that drove him to even
consider a runaway match. You must know that he adores you and would do an3rthing
within his power to make you happy."

It
was as well that neither Sabrina nor Francisca knew the full extent of what
Carlos had planned, but as it was, Francisca's plea didn't sway Sabrina from
her path. Sadly she shook her head and said gently, "I cannot, Tia."

Furiously
Francisca spat, "If you leave here today, if you refuse to do what I ask,
I will never willingly have you in my sight or presence again! Take your
choice—your family or the gringo!"

"There
isn't," Sabrina replied steadily, "any choice to make."

CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT

The
arrival of Brett's parents the following week banished Francisca and Carlos
from everybody's minds. Sabrina was delighted to see her aunt after all these
years. Sofia was just as delighted to see her only niece, and throwing her arms
about Sabrina's neck, she exclaimed, "Oh, my dear! How could we have let
so much time pass? Seventeen years! It is unbelievable! And you are just as
lovely as I always knew you would be! Come now, tell me
everything!"

Hugh
and Sofia both were absolutely thrilled with the match. "It is what I have
always wished for!" Sofia had informed Sabrina that first evening in New
Orleans. Her dark eyes sparkling, Sofia had added, "Just think, now you
will be not only my beloved niece, but also my best-loved
daughter-in-law!"

Time
had changed Sofia little. Only a few years from being fifty, she was just a bit
plumper than Sabrina remembered; the silky black hair had a few silver strands
in it, and the laughing eyes and enchanting smile were exactly the same. She
reminded Sabrina vividly of her mother, and spontaneously Sabrina burst out,
"You look precisely as I remember Madre."

They
were upstairs in the suite of rooms that had been set aside for the senior
Dangermonds, and Sofia's smile softened and she walked over to where Sabrina
was sitting on a velvet stool. "Dear child, what a lovely thing to say to
me!" Her expression a little sad, she added, "If only she were here
with us, and your dear father, too—how happy they would be for you!"

Fighting
back a sudden impulse to weep, Sabrina nodded her bright head. "I know. I
feel it—sometimes, lately, I have felt that they are very close to me and that
they are smiling."

Dressing
for dinner on the eve of her wedding, Sabrina was reminded again of that
conversation, and for one spine-tingling moment, she was certain she heard her
father's voice saying, "It is good,
chica
, it is what I wished for
you. Be happy."

And
later that evening, as they were all sitting around enjoying a glass of wine,
the sensation that Alejandro and Elena were nearby was suddenly very strong
within her. Oh, but they would have been delighted, she mused with a
bittersweet pang.

Almost
as if sensing
her thoughts, Brett stood up, and raising his wine glass high, he said softly,
"I would like to offer a toast—to Alejandro and Elena del Torres."
His eyes locked on Sabrina's, he added, "May my marriage to their lovely
daughter be as full of joy as theirs was."

It
was as close to declaring the love he felt for her as Brett could come for the
moment. He still had demons to contend with, but like Sabrina, he was putting
his trust in the future. In time, he had told himself fiercely, night after
night these past weeks, in time, we will be able to speak of the past, and then
there will be no shadows between us.

The
remainder of the evening passed in a rosy mist for Sabrina, and before she knew
it, they were all saying good night and departing for their various bedrooms.
Sabrina had thought she would find sleep impossible, but such proved not to be
the case. The instant her head hit the pillow, she drifted off into a delicious
dream of the wonderful time-to-come that awaited on the horizon.

The
wedding was necessarily small, but it didn't matter to Sabrina; she had eyes
only for Brett as he stood tall and handsome beside her in the quiet coolness
of the St. Louis Cathedral. The priest's words flowed sweetly over her, and
softly her responses echoed through the cathedral, Brett's deeper, more ringing
tones almost overshadowing hers.

They
made a handsome couple, Brett resplendent in a dark blue frock coat of
superfine and buff pantaloons, Sabrina glowing in a gown of pale yellow, an
overskirt of ivory lace gently billowing out whenever she moved. The
cream-colored mantilla that her mother and her aunt had worn at their weddings
was draped attractively over her fiery curls. As they slowly walked from the
cathedral, now man and wife, Sabrina was reminded of the questions she had
asked her aunt on that long ago day when Sofia had married Hugh. Was she as
lovely a bride as Sofia had been?

Back
at the house, where the guests who had been invited to attend the ceremony and
the informal luncheon that would follow were gathered, Sabrina had her question
answered. Sofia surged up to her and clasping her about the waist, cried out
gaily, "You see, my dear, I once said you would make a lovely bride—and
oh, pigeon, you have!"

Hugh
walked up more slowly, relying a little on his silver cane. The black hair was
now nearly completely silver, but he was still a very handsome man, and looking
down at Sabrina, he said sincerely, "My dear, I am so happy for you. . .
." And glancing across at his son, who stood possessively by her side, he
continued half-seriously, half-teasingly, "And I almost regret that I let
this young rapscallion talk me into changing my will—you would have made a
lovely mistress for Riverview some day." He winked at her and added
lightly, "You'll have to watch him—he already gave the family plantation
to his younger brother, Gordon. Make certain he doesn't, in one of his wild
moods, give away the roof over your head!"

How
Sabrina kept her mouth from falling open she never knew. It had been
Brett
who had not wanted Riverview, not Hugh who had disinherited him! She swallowed
painfully. Oh,
Dios!
Here was more proof that she may have terribly
misjudged the situation all the years before. But I have a second chance, she
thought with relief. A second chance to
trust
my love.

Morgan
and Leonie Slade joined them just then, and Sabrina had no time for further
speculation. Proudly Morgan presented his wife, and Sabrina felt herself
immediately drawn to the small, honey-haired young woman. Sea-green eyes
reflecting her own instinctive liking, Leonie said warmly, "It is a
pleasure to meet you, Madame Dangermond, and I want to extend my most sincere
wishes for your happiness."

Shyly
Sabrina thanked her and then added, "And you? Am I not to offer
congratulations, too?"

Leonie
beamed. "
Mais
oui!
Our sweet
bebe
, Suzette, is now
almost six weeks old and simply adorable!" Leonie instantly blushed and
contritely added, "I should not say such things about my own daughter, but
I cannot help it!"

They
talked happily for several moments, and before Leonie and Morgan moved on, the
invitation to visit them at Chateau Saint-Andre was issued again. Morgan's blue
eyes glinted with amusement as he said to Brett, "Fox's Lair is only a
day's ride from us—and now that your wanderings are over, you have no excuse
not to come and visit."

Brett
grinned and murmured, "You will allow me time for a honeymoon first?"
His arm had slid around Sabrina's waist, and looking down at her, he said
huskily, "I've waited a long time for this moment, and I'm afraid I'll
want my wife all to myself for quite a while."

Sabrina
flushed, and everyone laughed. Laughter seemed to be the order of the day,
everyone enjoying themselves immensely.

It
had been decided that Sabrina and Brett would leave for Fox's Lair in the
morning. Hugh and Sofia would remain in New Orleans for a bit longer before
joining the newlyweds, and her gaze mischievous as she helped Sabrina prepare
for bed that night, Sofia said, "Entertaining your in-laws on your
honeymoon is not what I would have wished for you, pigeon, but we will not stay
long, and then in the fall, perhaps you and Brett will come up to visit us in
Natchez,
si?
As for now, I will leave you—your husband awaits you!"

Sabrina
nodded, and with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation, she watched Sofia
sweep out of the room. Left alone in Brett's bedroom, she moved aimlessly
about, her heart catching in her throat when she heard the outer doors open.

Nervously
she pleated the delicate gossamer silk of the enticing lavender peignoir she
was wearing, wondering about the night to come. Would it be as wonderful as the
other nights she had lain in his arms?

Brett
suddenly appeared in the archway, his emerald-green robe intensifying the color
of his eyes. For a timeless moment they stared at each other, and then, with a
smothered groan he dragged her into his arms. Their mouths met, and when at
last they parted, they were both breathless. Thickly Brett muttered, "How
I've stood these past weeks, I'll never know, sweetheart. But no more now,
sweet tiger lily, you're mine . . . my wife." Sweeping her up into his
arms, he carried her to the bed, and all through the long, passionate night
that followed, Sabrina learned explicitly that this night was every bit as
wonderful as the others. More so, she thought dreamily as she lost herself in
the joy of his embrace—he was her husband now, she his wife, and nothing was
ever going to come between them again.
Nothing
.

Fox's
Lair, Sabrina discovered two days later, was, as Brett had warned her, not a
large house. It was two-storied, only the center-pedimented portico, supported by
four fluted columns, saving it from being plain. The second-floor gallery had
wrought-iron railings, and dark green shutters graced the many long windows of
the pristine white house.

Tall
oaks draped with gray-green Spanish moss grew nearby, and the long drive
leading to the house had been lined years ago with more of the sprawling trees.
Despite the unprepossessing facade of Fox's Lair, Sabrina wasn't the least
disappointed. If Brett had wanted to sleep on the bare ground, she would have
been happy to do so.

His
arm around her waist, he escorted her up the stairs to the house and said
almost hesitantly, '*I know it's not much to look at right now, but I intend to
change all that. We can add on a wing or two, and you can make whatever
alterations you like. ... I want you to be happy here."

Sabrina
smiled mistily at him. "I will be," she promised softly, and Brett
felt a tight knot of fear disappear within him. He had been afraid she would
summarily dismiss the house, the stubborn suspicion that she coveted wealth not
quite banished.

Fox's
Lair might have had a plain exterior, but Brett had richly furnished the
interior—silk-hung walls, velvet drapes, and luxurious carpets had been used
throughout the house. Gilt-edged mirrors, sofas done in fine silks and
tapestries, marble-topped tables, and elegantly crafted chairs and other
furnishings were tastefully arranged in the various rooms. But it was the
latticed gazebo that made Sabrina exclaim out loud with delight and joy.

Her
eyes sparkling with pleasure, she impulsively flung her arms about his strong
neck and cried, "You remembered!"

"How
could I ever forget?" he asked roughly, hugging her to him, his mouth
compulsively seeking hers.

The
past still lay between them, but they were each unwilling to destroy this
magical spell. And it was a magical spell. Hugh and Sofia's visit to Fox's Lair
came and went, the days that followed their departure passing Brett and Sabrina
by in a dreamy haze.

In
early July, however, news reached them that created a little cloud on their
happy horizon. The Spanish were once again crossing the Sabine River into
American Louisiana and had occupied the post at Bayou Pierre, near
Natchitoches. The threat of war between the two countries was in the air. Brett
had learned of the worsening situation in a letter from a friend in New Orleans
and had mentioned it to Sabrina. Remembering the men and arms that had been
massing in the Nacogdoches area for months before she had left that spring for
New Orleans, she asked worriedly, "What will happen? Do you really think
that Spain and the United States will go to war?"

Brett
pulled her into his arms and resting his head on the top of hers, said soberly,
"I don't know. I just don't know. It could come to that—certainly many
people here think that it will." His mouth quirked. "Some probably
even hope so."

It
was a terrifying thought, and Sabrina shivered. "Would you go and
fight?"

Brett
shrugged. "Once I might have, but now . . ." He tipped her head back.
"But now I have too much to live for. . ."

The
subject was dropped, but it stayed in the back of Sabrina's mind. Was she just
to have found her love, only to lose him in a senseless war? Any loyalty she
might have harbored for Spain vanished. She was Brett's wife, and Spain and all
it stood for could disappear in a cloud of smoke! In fact, she decided tautly,
she hoped that the potentially dangerous situation on the Sabine River would do
just that!