Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) (20 page)

Thirty minutes passed. Marian kept her focus
on the new accounts she intended to retain. Anything to keep her
mind busy and not think about the office across the hall.

A knock on her door interrupted her and she
glanced up. “Come in.”

Louis stuck his head around the doorframe.
“Are you busy? I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

She took a deep breath, not really wanting to
meet the widow, but not sure how she could politely refuse.

“Who?” she asked, pretending she didn’t know,
the smile on her face feeling forced.

Louis pushed the door the rest of the way
open and the widow swept in, holding out her hand. “Mrs. Cuvier,
I’m Evette Simone, thank you for seeing me. It’s a pleasure to meet
you in person.”

Marian stood and walked around her desk to
greet the widow. “Thank you.”

“I have a lot of respect for a woman who has
ensconced herself in a man’s world. I know you’re in mourning, but
I’m giving a small dinner party next Friday night and I would love
to invite you to be my guest.” She turned toward Louis. “Louis, you
wouldn’t mind escorting Mrs. Cuvier, would you?”

Louis glanced at Marian, his brows lifted,
questioning. “I would enjoy being your escort to the party,
Marian.”

She looked from Louis to the widow, wanting
to say no, but suddenly very curious about Evette and her dinner
parties. “Yes, I’d be delighted.”

“Wonderful.” The widow held out her hand
again. “I look forward to seeing you Friday night at my party.”

“Thank you for the invitation,” Marian
replied.

“You’re quite welcome.” The widow turned to
Louis and reached up to place a goodbye kiss on his cheek. “I would
ask you to save your flirtations for me, but I know that’s
impossible. I’ll talk to you later.”

Louis smiled. “Always.”

“Goodbye,” Marian called as the widow swept
out of the room almost as quickly as she had entered.

As she walked down the hall, they could hear
her heels tapping against the wooden floor in a steady rhythm. The
scent of her perfume lingered in the office, a pleasant flowery
scent. Marian felt like an awkward girl compared to the woman who
had just left.

“So what do you think of the notorious widow
Simone?”

Marian shrugged as she gazed up at Louis
expectantly and tilted her head to one side. “She’s beautiful and
seems very pleasant.”

“She is,” Louis responded.

Marian sighed, the sound almost whimsical as
she gazed off in the distance. “I wonder what men find attractive
in a woman like that? I’m not being critical, I’d like to
understand what men find fascinating about certain women.”

Louis begin to laugh.

She turned and stared at him. “Why are you
laughing? While I’ve been here there seems to be a steady stream of
women through your office, and all of them appear confident and
sure of their womanly appeal. Is this why you’re attracted to these
women?”

“I’m sorry, Marian. I’m laughing because
you’re the only woman I know who would try to search out the reason
why men find women attractive.”

He took a step closer to her, the smile on
his face somehow tender.

Marian refused to budge though she wanted to
run back behind the desk to have as much furniture between them as
possible.

“Let me try to explain. Men are attracted to
women for different reasons. With some women, it’s their smile.
Could be the way they laugh, or the way they look, or what they say
to you. Most of the time, it just happens and you’re not even aware
of their allure, until you realize you can’t seem to get that woman
out of your mind.”

“Is that the way it is with you?” she asked,
her voice coming out in a breathless rush.

He moved closer, reaching out to push a
tendril of hair away from her face, his eyes large and dark.
“Sometimes.”

Marian swallowed, her throat feeling tight
and constricted. “Are you attracted to the widow?”

“Evette? She’s beautiful and charming, as
well as witty. I enjoy bantering with her. Just as I enjoy flirting
with you.”

“Me?” she interrupted suddenly feeling very
uncomfortable.

“Yes. Don’t you enjoy flirting? Most women
enjoy trifling with a man and testing their womanly wiles.”

“I—I’ve never been a flirt. Jean and I never
‘bantered.’ And I certainly don’t think I have any womanly wiles,”
she said, the palms of her hands beginning to perspire.

Louis nodded. “Jean wasn’t very bright when
it came to women. He seemed not to notice what was right beneath
his nose, because you definitely have womanly wiles. Very nice ones
too.”

“Oh?” Marian raised her chin and gazed at
Louis with interest. The conversation had taken a definite personal
turn. Somehow she had to get it back on more familiar ground, where
she felt less exposed. “Wiles are not physical. Wiles are to entice
or deceive.”

He grinned. “I know. Entice is what I
meant.”

She shook her head. “I’m hardly
enticing.”

“I disagree,” his voice was deep and sure and
sent tremors through her body.

She felt her face flush and she thought she
could hear her heart pounding. The conversation had definitely
gotten personal again.

And then she asked the question that had
bothered her almost from the day they first met. “Do you notice the
women around you, all the time?”

“Pretty much.”

She pursed her mouth. “Then I would have
thought you would be attracted to a woman as lovely as the
widow.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” he said watching
her. “Evette is beautiful, but she’s the type of woman who will
never marry again. And I usually expect more from a woman than I
think she could give me.”

“What do you expect?” Marian asked risking
the conversation turning personal again. But she had to know.

“I like a woman who greets a man and makes
him feel welcome and accepted. Whose attention makes him feel
special, like he’s the king of the world and she’s his queen.” He
stepped in close and cupped her face in his hands, tilting her face
up toward him.

Marian took a deep breath and felt as if the
room seemed to recede from the edges of her vision.

“I like a woman who laughs easily and isn’t
afraid of getting mussed.”

She swallowed, feeling as if her throat were
the size of a single thread.

His voice dropped lower. “I like the way a
woman's eyes sparkle when she’s excited.” He ran his finger down
the bridge of her nose. “The way her nose is gently turned up at
the end and she raises it ever so slightly when she’s angry.” His
fingers continued their path down her face to her lips. “The way
her lips are soft and subtle and made for kissing. And the little
sighs that come from between them when she’s complete.” His thumb
felt rough against her lower lip and she could scarcely breathe. He
was going to kiss her. She knew it, just as surely as she knew her
next breath was just a heartbeat away. He lowered his mouth—then
she heard Henry calling his name.

“Mr. Fournet?”

Louis stepped away from her immediately,
breaking the spell that circled them. He swore, and then gazed with
longing at her, taking several deep, long breaths and shook his
head as if trying to clear it.

He glanced at her once again, his face a
worried frown. The spell completely broken. “Excuse me.”

He walked from the room, his step sure, once
more in control, but when he reached the door, he glanced back at
her with one last look of longing.

Marian sank down into her chair and released
a heavy sigh. She wanted to cry. His intention had been to kiss her
and she’d longed for that kiss, ached for the feel of his lips
against hers.

She glanced at the doorway through which he’d
disappeared feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. She
needed to get out of here. She needed fresh air.

They had been mere seconds from pressing
their lips together. She grabbed her reticule, jumped up from the
chair and all but ran out the door. God, she’d desired that kiss
more than anything she had ever wanted in her life.

What was wrong with her? All she could think
about was being in his arms. Foolish, very foolish indeed.

Marian jumped into her carriage, leaving the
office behind.

“Take me to my sister’s house,” she
demanded.

She needed to speak with Claire. The
questions and the doubts had to end and Claire was the only person
she trusted to help her decide what to do.

At thirty years of age, she had needs. Too
many years had passed since she’d been with a man and the last
times with Jean had been less than memorable. Suddenly her body
refused to be ignored, screaming for attention every time Louis
entered the room, she wanted him. No longer could she deny her
curiosity, if being intimate with Louis would satisfy her.

She’d never in her entire life thought of
being loved this way. Why now? Why had this man awakened her
sleeping body?

When the carriage pulled to a stop, Marian
jumped out and all but ran to her sister’s door. She pounded on the
door until her servant opened the portal. “Is Claire home?”

The servant looked startled to see her.

“No, ma’am. She’s spending the afternoon at
the Dupree’s residence. She asked that the carriage pick her up at
three-thirty.”

“Tell her driver not to bother. I will pick
her up in my carriage and bring her home.”

At three-twenty, Marian sat outside the
Dupree’s home waiting for her sister to appear. She took her fan
and tried to cool herself in the stifling carriage, but the summer
air hung heavy, the clouds bulging with moisture. At any moment
they would burst, releasing sweet rain.

If only they could cleanse this desire from
her and leave her in peace. But her mind demanded answers for her
injured self-pride. Was she really so undesirable?

Finally Claire came out the door expecting to
see her own carriage. Her eyes widened in surprise to see Marian
and she hurried to the waiting carriage.

“Good Lord, Marian, what’s wrong? Is one of
the children ill?” she asked climbing up into the carriage.

“Everyone is fine. Well, everyone but
myself.” Marian took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I had
to speak with someone or go mad.”

“What’s wrong, Marian? You’re worrying me.
You look tense.”

Marian shook her head, laughing. “I am. This
is just difficult to speak about”

“No one has hurt you?” Claire asked suddenly
fearful.

“No. I need to ask you a very personal
question.” Claire looked stunned. “You drove out here to ask me a
question?”

“Yes.” Marian paused and looked at her
sister, needing the truth. “You’ve never told me directly, but
several years ago I heard rumors that you had taken a lover.”

“I hardly think that’s any of your concern,”
Claire said defensively.

“I’m not condemning your actions, but rather
need your advice.” Marian took a deep breath and released it
slowly. “I want to take a lover.”

Claire settled back against the cushions of
the carriage and smiled at her younger sister. “Dear God. I’m
shocked to hear you say that. But pleased.” She laughed. “I’ve
often thought that a lover would be good for you.”

“Really?” Marian said, surprised.

“Yes, you should have taken one years
ago.”

“I couldn’t, not while I was married to Jean.
But now I have so many questions about myself, Claire, that I want
resolved. Though I don’t have a clue as to how a woman lets a man
know she’s interested in sharing her bed with him!”

The carriage bounced over a pothole just as a
loud clap of thunder echoed in the streets of the French Quarter.
“Oh dear, I think we’re in for a shower.”

“Good, the driver can’t hear our discussion
and you can tell me how to seduce this man I’m interested in,”
Marian said in a rush. “I don’t know where to begin.”

Claire grinned at her sister. “May I inquire
as to who you’ve taken an interest in?”

“It’s hardly a secret Louis Fournet who else
could it be?”

“Louis?” Claire asked. “But he’s given you so
much trouble since Jean died. Are you sure of this, Marian?”

“He’s the only man I spend my time with
nowadays.”

“You’re certain you’re ready to make him your
lover?” Claire asked. “He is quite versed with the ladies. I don’t
want you to get hurt”

Marian sighed and heard the first drops of
rain hit the top of the carriage. “I must know if Jean searched out
two other women to marry because of me. Because I lack some
quality. I need to know if I am a desirable wife and lover, or if
the problem was Jean’s.”

Claire shook her head. “You know my thoughts
on your dead husband, though I understand your need to know your
abilities as a woman. But what about Louis? How will he react to
all of this?”

“I don’t know. He’s obviously bedded lots of
women and possesses a casual attitude toward them. Although I could
never treat lovemaking in such a callous manner, I have no
intention of making any demands on him. I’m not looking for
anything permanent Just a lover for one night. Just someone to help
me see if I’m ... desirable. He’s the only man I know well enough
to consider.”

“You’re certain of this, Marian? You know if
you do this it’s going to be hard to face him every day in the
office afterwards. Are you sure you can do this?”

Marian glanced out the window at the rain
that cascaded from the sky like a waterfall, pouring down on the
earth. She watched as people scrambled to find shelter, splashing
as they ran through puddles.

A woman of the streets stood beneath a street
lamp letting the water trickle down her face and over her clothes.
She danced a sensuous dance in the pouring rain, her skimpy
clothing clinging to her curves in a way that was both erotic and
enticing. Marian longed to be as free, so seductive and alluring
that you were certain of your beauty.