With One Look (19 page)

Madame Lucretia's familiar scent of spicy herbs and a lingering trace of perfume reached her as they grasped hands, growing as the lady leaned over and whispered: "Why is it such a secret where you are going in France, cherie? I want to write to you," she said, "and share all the delicious gossip, no?"

"Oh, please do!" Jade laughed, drawing back a bit. "Mother Francesca will forward all my correspondence. I'm afraid the convent is in the French countryside far from any society; I shall enjoy any letters you might send."

"Very far from society?"

The pale blue eyes watched Jade's response as Madame Lucretia twirled a pink parasol—no sun ever touched her skin. She looked unquestionably beautiful. Her straight dark hair was lifted in a neat chignon: the crown of hair covered in a loose net of pink, this sprinkled with tiny pearls and even smaller white flowers that matched perfectly the tiny flowers embroidered on her lovely day dress of pink cotton. No lines marked her flawless complexion; it was impossible to guess the age of the mayor's wife, even when she smiled.

Jade could not see her, but she had a picture of her in her mind. Madame Lucretia was reputed to be the belle of all balls. Jade knew better than anyone that people wore their physical beauty in their voices and manner. The woman's attention, like so many people's, had always flattered her. Jade counted all the attention and love bestowed upon her by the community of friends as one of her greatest blessings.

"Indeed. I can't remember the name but please, Mother Francesca will be very good at seeing I receive everything. Good-bye, my sweet lady ..."

A small Negro girl ran up and placed a string of dark red flowers around Jade's neck, then slipped something into her hands. "A good luck charm for a safe travel, Mademoiselle," she said in a singsong Creole patios, then spun around and ran off before Jade knew who to thank.

"What is it?" Jade asked, holding it in the palm of her hand.

Madame Lucretia bent over and examined the gift. "It is a tiny pouch made of white crepe. Oh, it smells delicious," she said. "A good luck amulet, for a safe journey and a quick return. She placed it around Jade's neck and kissed her good-bye.

Soon Jade was waving to the small crowd from the plank of the ship and unexpectedly, she felt she was waving good-bye to a part of her life: a chapter closing and a new one beginning.

Things would never be the same again; she could never be the same again. For she was in love, for the first time in her life she was in love. The emotion shone on her face as Victor came to take her to Mercedes's.

"Spiders!" Mercedes screamed. "Jade, there are spiders on those flowers!"

Victor reacted before Jade could. He yanked the flower necklace from her neck, while brushing the offending creatures from her white dress. "They're all gone, sweetheart."

"Oh, thank goodness," Jade said, drawing a deep breath, recovering from the fright. She did not see how carefully Mercedes examined the neat pile of her hair to make certain. "It's the one of the worst parts about being blind. Not seeing the little beasties ..."

Not seeing the evil, Victor thought.

*****

What a fetching picture the two ladies made in the open-air carriage! Murray smiled, enjoying the lovely sight as much as he enjoyed entertaining them with outrageous stories of his adventures at sea, stories constantly interrupted by Carl's humor.

The two young ladies were dressed for summer and travel. Jade wore a cotton Spanish- style skirt with a bright red-and-gold pattern, and to Victor's enjoyment, a plain white peasant blouse that fell off her shoulders. The white crepe amulet still hung from her neck, blending in magically with her blouse. The thin red ribbon that tied the amulet looked like a small bloodstain against her blouse; Mercedes had even touched it as if to make sure. A wide red ribbon decorated Jade's straw bonnet. Mercedes wore a plain gold-and-cream short-sleeve day dress, accented with lots of ruffles and flounces, all set off by a matching parasol.

"What do you think Victor and Sebastian are talking about up there?" Mercedes asked. "About Dr. Murray. Something he has to do, I can't hear what. Victor says his father made

arrangements with ... Kiton. Kiton?" she questioned, confused. "Isn't he that queer old man who guards the cemetery? I know him from church! Well, how very odd. I can hear them perfectly. I can even tell Sebastian is eating an apple."

Mercedes quickly thought to change the subject, making a mental note to warn Victor of Jade's superior listening ability. "Sebastian," she said, "looks gallant and handsome riding the gray- and-white horse, though a bit ridiculous. He is wearing only black breeches and a wide-brimmed black Spanish hat as if he sprang from the pages of Don Quixote. Did you read that book?"

"Oh, yes! Well, Sister Gabriel read it to me. Father Nolte made me a present of it." They enthusiastically, though briefly, discussed the book before Jade returned to the more pressing subject. "What of Victor? What does he look like?"

"Victor is wearing white cotton breeches, sailor pants, I think, and those ... Indian boots ... moccasins. He has no hat, though there's a red scarf tied around his head for a sweatband. He looks so ... so—"

"Yes? Handsome like Sebastian?"

"No, not handsome like Sebastian," Mercedes said slowly, staring at Victor's proud, muscled back, his bronze skin, the ease with which he carried himself. Like most women, she knew the exact word to describe Victor, but she chose the more delicate statement. "He is so attractive," she said. "It is difficult to describe but there is something so ... so magnetic about him."

"Magnetic," Jade repeated with a small smile.

The hot midday sun beat down on the carriage. How much longer could she last? How did the others nap? Jade perspired profusely. Small trickles of moisture ran over her skin, tickling her all over. She removed her bonnet, twisted her hair into a knot and stuffed it back into her hat. One hand fanned her flushed face while the other wiped a moist cloth around her neck and over her bosom.

Watching from above on his horse, Victor groaned, irritated that he could be teased by such innocent gestures. Arousal was becoming a permanent condition around her. It was all he could do to stop himself from carrying her off into the surrounding woods, showing her just how much that beautiful body of hers could perspire ...

"Goodness," Jade whispered, more to herself, "I do believe I am melting right into this

seat."

Victor couldn't take it, not a second more, and with an alarming chuckle, he leaned over the

side of the carriage and pulled her up, lifting her over his mount in front of him. Jade gasped, then laughed as her arms wound around his bare waist for support.

Victor found himself in fierce battle for some semblance of control. Did she sense it? Was that why alarm crossed her face, why she quickly positioned herself to put some distance between them? Yes, she must know. She began chatting; asking questions about his background and travels, especially the Orient.

They soon dropped far behind the carriage, slowing as the world disappeared past the reach of their arms.

Victor kept his gaze carefully on the surroundings, more out of habit than from any threat to her now. Indeed, she would be safe from now on and they all felt it. An easing of tension occurred as the day wore on, Jade's safety assured by the knowledge that no one but his father and Mother Francesca now knew where they were.

Jade was obviously enthralled by his stories of the Orient, and he watched her relive the tales in her head, expressing fear, amazement, excitement and often amusement. Encouraged by her laughter, and without even realizing it, they forgot their acute consciousness of each other. For a while they knew only laughter and enjoyment. ...

"No, I don't believe that!"

"I'm afraid it's all true." He smiled. "I have the scars to prove it." "Where?"

Victor took her hand and placed it over the scar on his back, took her other hand and placed it on the gash on his chest. "It is true," she said, running her hand lightly over his skin, remembering having found the scars before.

The horse stopped as Victor knew only the touch of her hand on his skin, the small drop of moisture slowly sliding between her breasts, seeming to collect around the odd decoration that hung there. A tease to which he was particularly vulnerable. He slowly placed her hands back in her lap. Jade felt her hot cheeks flush even more, and from out of the blue, she became acutely aware of the shimmering heat. She could hardly breathe. Moisture slid down her neck, tickling again. She reached a hand to her face, first wiping, then fanning. "Goodness, but it's hot out."

Victor chuckled as he shook his head, pulling a water cask from his saddlebag. "Here, this is water. Tilt your head back," he said, putting his arm around her to keep her from falling. Jade felt the cask come to her lips, a blessed relief as the cool liquid slid down her parched throat. She tried to sit back up but he held her back as the water came over her flushed face, pouring down her neck and bosom.

With the music of her laughter, Victor watched the water spill off her. She was turned to the side, almost facing him. He could no more resist the tease of those lips than he could stop the tide from rising. A hand reached to her hair, gently tilting her head back as he brought her small body against his hot skin and pressed his mouth to hers. His body permitted no protest but then she offered none, surrendering as the kiss deepened—

His muscles tensed all of a sudden and he broke the kiss. A strange scent assaulted his senses, coming from the girl. He looked down at her neck to the amulet.

She wished she could see his face. "Victor?"

Suddenly she smelled it as well. "Victor, there is a foul scent ... I can't identify it—" She felt his hands lift the amulet. He jerked it from her neck. "It's this thing," he said,

looking at it.

"Oh my! So it is! A little girl gave it to me as a parting present—for good luck on the journey."

"Good luck and foul scents," he said with baffled amusement. Yet, as he examined the amulet closer, a shape emerged beneath the crepe. His smile disappeared. "Here, let me put you on your feet for a moment." He swung off his horse and lowered Jade to her feet, gathering the reins in his hands and giving them to Jade to hold.

"What is it?"

"I just want to see what's inside this thing." He pulled off the thin red ribbon gathered at the top of it, then unfolded the sides. For a long moment he stared, just stared.

"What's inside it?"

"A bit of powder is all," he lied, staring at the dark green powder, the color of her eyes, tiny burnt crystals, a large dead spider and—

Victor picked up the tiny piece of black wax, no larger than a child's nail, and examined it up close. The craftsmanship was a marvel, an absolute marvel. For the wax formed a perfect human skull, its eyes empty holes and a jagged neck, as if it had been severed....

"I'm lifting you back up," was all he said as he reached for the reins. He lifted her easily to the saddle and mounted behind her. He pulled his horse to abrupt attention, kicking him into a gallop. The hot wind slapped her face and before she could lift back her hat, they flew past the landscape, dust rising where seconds before he had kissed her.

Victor caught up to the carriage, already stopped at the lake where they would spend the night. A forest, shrouded with thick blankets of moss, surrounded a small freshwater lake. The long, spindly branches of the trees stretched wide, providing a mercifully pleasant shade. A tributary of the Mississippi ran through the lake and kept the water cool, fresh and filled with catfish to be caught and cooked in the open air for supper.

The camp was already set up. The matting, brought specifically for Jade and Mercedes, had been rolled out beneath the trees, crushing the lush carpet of ferns, and mosquito nets had already been hung over the mats from the overhanging tree branches. A huge blanket had been spread out, a pile of firewood gathered. Wine cooled in a bucket of cold lake water. Carl slept under another mosquito net and Murray sat against a tree, reading a book.

Victor swung off before lifting Jade down.

"We were wonderin' what became of you two." Murray smiled. "Glad you could finally make it."

"Sebastian and Mercedes?" he asked, bringing Jade to sit by the doctor. "They already have their poles out, just down yonder."

Jade stretched her arms, savoring the cool shade. Victor left to water his horse, while Murray thoughtfully described the surroundings to her. He handed her his water cask and she drank again.

"How far are we from the lake?" she asked.

"Oh, about fifty, sixty paces. Carl's napping over there. I imagine you're exhausted from the journey and the heat. You can nap if you want. Sebastian arranged a pallet and a mosquito net for you. Supper won't be for some time now."

"Yes," Victor added as he returned, thinking of the horror of the night, the seizures, the doctor's letter. "After our long trip, perhaps you should rest."

Rest? Exhaustion? "Oh, dear," Jade said. "I see now what has happened. The Reverend Mother must have read you a letter from an English doctor who said I shouldn't be excited or overly taxed, am I right?"

Victor cast a glance at Murray before he knelt down beside her. "Yes," he said softly, "and Jade, when I think of what happened to you—"

Jade's hand stopped him. She gently laid fingers against his mouth. "Victor, please do not worry about that, about me. It is true I am blind, but I assure you, my constitution is not as delicate as that doctor suggested. Why"—she spread her arms and laughed—"there's nothing at all delicate about my constitution. I'm as fit as a fiddle and I'm not in the least tired. I want to go down to the lake!"

"But your seizures, Jade?"

All gaiety fell away in the instant as she shook her head. "That doctor was wrong. The seizures don't come from being excited. They come from ... from being reminded of the accident.... From thinking—oh, please!" Fear changed her face as she grabbed her head. "Don't make me talk about it."