Pandora pulled away. “Jacob, let’s get married right now!” she said breathlessly.
Gazing into her sparkling green eyes, he was sorely tempted. But his calm, serious nature forbade such a hasty change of plans.
“We can’t, Pandora. You know that. Why, you’re all set to leave for Europe day after tomorrow. What kind of a honeymoon would that be, with me here and you in Paris?”
“I don’t have to go,” she insisted. “I’ll stay here with you as your wife.”
Jacob smiled and sighed. “It’s tempting, my dear.” Then his smile turned to a frown. “But what about your appointment with Dr. Pinel? You really should see him.”
Some of Pandora’s enthusiasm cooled. “You’re right. I did promise.” Then she brightened. “You could come with me to Paris, Jacob. Use Cassie’s ticket. The trip would be a wonderful honeymoon.”
He shook his head slowly. “Pandora, you’ve lived your entire life on a whim. I love that about you. You do whatever you please, whenever you please. But I can’t live that way. I have responsibilities to my patients. I can’t just pack my bags and run off to Europe. If I did, we’d have nothing to come back to. Don’t you understand?”
Pandora felt tears very near the surface. The idea had been so thrilling. She hated to admit that Jacob was right, but he was. It made no sense to rush to the altar now, without proper preparations. Nor would it be wise for her to postpone her trip.
“I understand,” she said softly. “Still, it was an exciting thought.”
He kissed her again, lightly this time. “The thought of marrying you has excited me for as long as I can remember, Pandora. It won’t be long. You’ll see.”
Suddenly, the initial reason for their discussion came back to mind. “As for Ward Gabriel, you needn’t worry, Jacob. I told him and Uncle Horace that I would see him while I’m in New York. Actually, I planned to give instructions to the desk clerk that I was not in if he called.”
Jacob ran a finger down inside his tight collar and a sheepish look came over his distinguished face. “Pandora, I don’t really mind if you want to go to dinner with him or to the theater. What bothered me was that I thought the whole thing had been your idea—that you’d rushed ahead with plans before even consulting me. As your fiancé, I do feel I have certain rights. But your uncle is correct. You shouldn’t be gadding about New York all alone.”
“Jacob! Since when have I ever been known to gad about?” She drew back, suddenly angry.
Another man might have laughed at her reaction, but Jacob Saenger turned deadly serious. “Always, I’m afraid.”
Pandora felt a stab of guilt. He was right, of course. She defied convention at every turn, never “giving a good damn,” as Nettie would have said, about what people might think. As Jacob’s wife, she would have to mend her ways and settle down. She was about to promise to do just that when Jacob spoke up.
“I have a proposition for you,” he said. “We’ll trade off so neither of us will have to feel lonely while we’re apart. You have my permission to go out with Ward Gabriel in New York, if I may, with your blessing, call on Angelica occasionally.”
Pandora stared at him for a time and then began giggling. “Oh, Jacob, that’s priceless! You want to see Angelica?”
“Well, it’s not that I want to so much, but she’s your cousin and she can be entertaining company. I’ll be lonesome, too, you know.”
She stared at him, trying to look as serious as he. “Jacob, it’s good that you’re a doctor. You’d make no businessman at all. That’s no proper deal! I get a man you’ve styled a seducer of women—a rogue, a pirate—while you get a mere child in the bargain.”
“Who would you have me see while you’re gone—Abbie Allen?”
Pandora drew back at the name as if Jacob had struck her. “By no means! If you would like to take my little Cousin out while I’m away, you have my whole-hearted approval.” Suddenly, her bright smile faded. “But as for Ward Gabriel,” she murmured, “I don’t know. I just don’t know…”
Chapter Five
New York was rainy, windy, and gray the day Pandora arrived. The heavy skies reflected her mood during the journey from Galveston. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the depression that had gripped her as she’d seen her island home and Jacob disappearing from view.
Pandora had stood on the deck of the El Valle, feeling lonely and depressed that morning. She knew she cared for Jacob Saenger. She realized she would miss him while she was gone. She had not expected such a dismal, heartrending misery to Overtake her as she watched his tall figure on the dock growing smaller and more distant. Never in her life had she experienced such an empty feeling, such an all-consuming pain. It had seemed as if the ship, slipping slowly away from Galveston, was carrying her into another life.
And now, as her rented carriage—its isinglass curtains closed against the foul weather—swayed along New York City’s Broadway, her spirits grew no lighter.
“When we get to the hotel,” Cassie said, “I’m going to find where they sell Dr. Rose’s Celery Malt Compound and buy a whole case full. I never seen you so jumpy and out of sorts, Miss Pan.”
Pandora, who was usually too excited to hold still at her first glimpse of this great city, smiled weakly at the older woman. “If it will help, I’ll drink a case of it, Cass. I can’t figure what’s come over me since we left home.”
“I reckon it’s love, pure and simple,” Cassie replied, patting her charge’s hand solicitously. “I remember once when I got struck down by the very same ailment. Thought for sure I’d die of it.”
Pandora turned to Cassie, concerned with something other than her own misery for the first time in over a week. “You were in love, Cass?”
Cassie stiffened and sniffed. “You got no cause to say it like that, Miss Pan. I can fall for a good-looking, sweet-talking man easy as the next woman. And, mercy me, my Elmo was one sweet talker!”
“Elmo?” Pandora sifted through her memories, trying to recall Cassie’s beau. “I don’t remember any man by that name.”
“You wouldn’t, Miss Pan. You was no more than a baby at the time. I’d just turned fifteen. Elmo came through Indianola with a medicine show. He played the fiddle fit to kill while that sporting man, Curly Jim, sold his snake oil to the folks. I reckon my Elmo learnt all his slick talk from that medicine man. They was something, the two of them in their fancy duds, in that bright yeller wagon. I could almost believe that that nasty-tasting concoction they sold could grow hair, cure what ailed you, or make a man fall in love.” She paused and sighed deeply. “I reckon I should have paid my two bits for a bottle of it to use on Elmo.”
“Then nothing came of your romance?” Pandora was feeling depressed again.
Cassie shook her head, and Pandora could have sworn she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “No, child. Nothing came of it. But, I tell you, that flashy city boy sure taught this country girl what lovin’ was all about!”
Pandora gasped softly. “You mean…?”
“That’s right, Miss Pan! I ain’t never told another soul and I ain’t sure why I’m telling you now. Me and Elmo loved us up a storm right out there in your papa’s hayloft one starry June evening with the full moon peeking through the cracks in the roof.” Cassie, tears dribbling down her dark cheeks, looked away. “And—Praise God!—it was beautiful! So beautiful it was almost holy!”
“What happened to Elmo?” Pandora asked gently.
“Next morning, Curly Jim up and left, and my Elmo with him. It fairly broke my heart. I never saw hide nor hair of him from that day to this. But I got my memories. Oh, yes! I got those to treasure of a dark and lonely night.”
Cassie’s tale, sad as it was, worked better than celery tonic on Pandora’s nervous system. Suddenly, she forgot all about her own state of melancholia and began to think of her companion. She gazed out the window, trying to figure a way to lighten the mood.
“Oh, lo
ok! We’re almost to the hotel, Cass. I can see the tower of Madison Square Garden in the distance. It’s all lit up. I can almost make out the figure of Diana on top.” Pandora leaned toward her servant and whispered, “They say she’s as naked as a jaybird these days—lost every last shred of her drape in a thunderstorm!”
Cassie chuckled. “Lord, Lord, who’d of ever thought that me of all people would be seeing these sights one day. And traipsing off to Paris, France, at the drop of a hat. You ought to have one of those high-toned ladies’ maids along with you, Miss Pan. Me? I’m just a past-my-prime mammy trying to keep up.”
Pandora knew that what Cassie said was true. But the very fact that her friend was no proper chaperone made her the best companion of all. What fun was travel if you had some sour-faced guardian watching your every move?
“Hush that, Cassandra!” Pandora ordered. “You’re not old enough to be put out to pasture yet. What are you now? Thirty-three? When I’m in my thirties, I plan to be going strong—in every way. And you should be, too. I’d be willing to wager that some sweet-talking Frenchman—who’ll put your Elmo to shame—takes a shine to you the minute we arrive in Paris.” Pandora turned a mischievous look on her servant. “You have to promise me right this minute, Cass, that you won’t run off and get married. Why, I’d be helpless without you!”
Cassie giggled like a schoolgirl. “I promise, Miss Pan. But, lordy-mercy, I sure would be tickled pink if you was right!”
Moments later, they were helped out of their carriage by the uniformed doorman at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. He held umbrellas for both women as he ushered them up the steps to the lobby.
“Thank you…” Pandora paused, forgetting the man’s name, although she remembered his face.
“It’s George, Miss Sherwood,” the beaming man filled in quickly. “We’re honored to have you back with us.”
The desk clerk was all smiles as well. Pandora made no attempt to remember his name. She had never seen him before.
“Ah, Miss Sherwood!” the bespectacled man enthused. “So nice to have you staying with us for a few days. Your trunks have arrived already. I hope you’ll find everything in the suite to your liking. And you might be interested in this.” The clerk shoved a copy of the Times across the desk to Pandora as she signed the register.
“Oh, tonight’s paper. Yes, thank you,” she said, handing the complimentary copy to Cassie.
“If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ring the desk, Miss Sherwood.”
She glanced quickly at the desk clerk’s nameplate. “Thank you, Leon.”
A bellman showed the two women up to the suite, and unlocked the room, throwing open the door with a flourish. Pandora gasped. The whole chamber was filled with flowers—red, yellow, and white roses, irises, mums, and hothouse violets. Her first shock gave way to sentimentality. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Jacob had felt as badly at seeing her leave as she had at having to go. To make up for it, he’d spent a fortune on flowers. How sweet!
She tipped the bellhop quickly, then went to look at the card on the yellow roses—her favorites. A frown shadowed her face as she read: “Welcome to New York, Pandora. Your presence here will turn the autumn gloom into the warm sunshine of spring. Fondest regards, Ward Gabriel.”
Pandora hurried from one bouquet to the next. All of them, every last one was from Ward. Her heart sank. But then she went back to smell the yellow roses. She caressed the velvet-soft petals. She should have guessed, she told herself. She was glad they were from Ward instead of Jacob. Her fiancé, with his budding practice, could ill afford such extravagance. He was saving his money so that they could build a home of their own once they were married.
“Miss Pan!” Cassie gasped suddenly. “You got to read this.”
Pandora turned to see the other woman holding the copy of the Times the desk clerk had given her.
“I never!” Cassie breathed, chuckling as she handed the paper to her mistress.
“What is it?”
“Read it, Miss Pan.”
Her green eyes grew wide as she glanced at the page Cassie indicated. She scanned the lines quickly.
Welcome to Miss Pandora Sherwood
Welcome, Dear Lady, thrice welcome to town.
I’ve flowers and candy and imported French wine
To show you how grateful I am for your time.
We’ll dine and we’ll dance and we’ll do things up right,
Until the wee hours when stars fill the night,
And your green eyes a-glitter with stars from the heart,
Will reflect all my feelings, my joy till we part.
And then, Southern Princess, you’ll sail o’er the sea,
While I live on for now with your fond memory.
So, welcome, Dear Lady, thrice welcome to you.
I’ll call on the morrow and see you at two!
W.G.
Pandora, her cheeks flaming, continued to stare at the paper. She hardly knew how to feel. What a crazy thing for Ward to do! First the flowers and now this! Whatever could she expect next?
“He’s a terrible poet!” she said as much to herself as to Cass.
“But you like what he wrote just the same, don’t you, Miss Pan?” Cassie chuckled and started unpacking. “I can see it plain as day!”
Ignoring Cassie’s remark, Pandora reread Ward’s schoolboy verse. She knew that fashionable gentlemen often wrote witty poetry dedicated to attractive ladies they admired, but never before had anyone honored her in such a wonderfully silly way. A blush of sheer pleasure warmed her face. She looked up, gazing again at the profusion of flowers. Suddenly, she realized that the depression she’d suffered since leaving Galveston was completely gone. She felt light-hearted, excited, and ready for anything. Gone too were all her misgivings about seeing Ward while she was in the city. She’d always loved New York and she meant to enjoy every minute of her stay here. She knew that Ward Gabriel would add a pleasant dimension to her next few days.
Was it Ward’s bouquets… his quaint poetic tribute that had worked this magic? Surely not! Pandora told herself. But she did have to admit that she found it exciting to receive such lavish, outrageous attention from as charming and sophisticated a man as Ward Gabriel.
The next day was as blustery as the one before it, so Pandora dressed warmly in a new coat of soft wool and pearl-gray velvet. The lovely ensemble from Paris was trimmed in black Persian lamb at the neck and wrists, with strings of jet bead fringe festooning both front and back. The little capote nestled atop her bright hair was fashioned of gold braid and black lace, ornamented with a large dragon-fly, its delicate wings of gleaming blue and gold.
She was totally pleased with the effect. In Galveston, the costume would have been a bit too showy. But it would be perfect for a chill, rainy day in New York, even if her escort did show up in the usual, dreary business suit.
True to his word, Ward Gabriel called for Pandora at precisely two.
To her delight and surprise, when Cassie went to the door to let him in, Ward stood before them looking dapper and suave in a long sealskin coat and a black top hat. Pandora could hardly hide her pleasure. All heads were sure to turn as the fashionable pair paraded along Fifth Avenue.
“Well, ladies, I must say this is a pleasure!” He handed each of them a box of chocolates wrapped in shiny foil, then offered a sweeping bow. Pandora returned an exaggerated curtsy, while Cassie giggled with delight and a touch of embarrassment.
“Lord, Mr. Gabriel, if you ain’t one to turn a girl’s head! No man ever brought me chocolates before.”
He gave her a bemused smile. “Then, Cassandra, it is high time.”
At a slight nod of dismissal from Pandora, Cassie scurried out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Ward turned serious. “I wasn’t sure you would see me. I figured when you agreed to this in Galveston it was for your unc
le’s benefit… and to get rid of me as quickly as possible.”
Pandora felt a moment’s panic. How could he read her so well? Finally, she decided honesty to be her best course.
“You are very intuitive, Ward. That was exactly my plan.”
“What changed your mind?” His dark eyes glittered merrily at this cat-and-mouse game.
Pandora held herself as straight as the patrician lady she was trying to appear and did her best to assume a haughty expression. “Well, it certainly wasn’t your poor attempt at a love sonnet. And it was hardly your extravagant display of floral excess. Ward Gabriel, do you realize how many of the world’s starving you could have fed with all these bouquets?”
He belted out a laugh. “My dear Pandora, I know very few people—even starving ones—who would relish a banquet of roses for supper!”
Her anger flared. He was making fun of her.
“Be that as it may, Ward, you went overboard! As for my reasons for seeing you, it was Jacob’s idea.”
One dark brow arched and his smile changed to an expression of surprise. “The man has more faith in you than I imagined. Surely, he can’t trust me all that well after the night of your birthday party and what happened at my house.”
Suddenly, Pandora felt hot all over. She snapped at him, “Nothing happened at your house!” Avoiding his gaze, she added, “Besides, Jacob doesn’t know I was there that night.”
Now Ward was grinning malevolently at her. “If nothing happened, then why didn’t you tell Jacob you were there?”
Why was he doing this to her? “Can’t we forget that night?” she begged.
Ward took her hand and kissed the back of her glove gently. “We can stop talking about it, if that’s what you want. However, I doubt that I will ever forget it.”
His words sent a strange shiver through her. For a fleeting instant, she saw herself again, standing naked before her vanity mirror with blood on her thighs. The horror of that moment renewed itself, sending a chill through her. She must find out for sure exactly what happened that night before she and Jacob married. Pandora made up her mind in a flash. She would see a doctor in Paris. An examination would reveal the truth of the matter.
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