Mardi Gras Masquerade

by L A Morgan

  “I’ve paid your price,” she said without any doubt that she would continue to pay for her impetuous surrender. “It’s time to go in.”

  Steve smoothed down the front of his jacket as he replied, “I agree, but not the way you’re suggestin’.”

  The woman stood up. She could not bear this any longer. Against her the powers of reason, she had placed herself in serious danger of falling completely in love with this formidable man. She knew he would not hesitate to use her to satisfy his own ends.

  “Goodnight,” she said in a trembling voice.

  Steve did not reply or make any attempt to stop her as she walked off into the darkness.

  CHAPTER 7

  When Maria awakened the following morning, the first thought to cross her mind was that she knew she had to get away from Steve DuPont. Her feelings for him had become too strong to resist. She loved him, but she could only believe that what he felt for her must be only instinctual. There could be no tender affection in his soul, not after the unconscionable way he had forced her to submit to their mutual desire last night.

  After she had breakfast alone in the dining room, she walked out into the garden to think about what she should do. A while later, one of the maids found her to say that the dress designer and her assistant were waiting to see her. Maria went in and showed them to her room.

  The designer was an animated, mature woman who had been caught up in the romance of the approaching nuptials. She asked Maria to turn her back until she had taken the wedding gown out of its wrappings so she could display it properly. When Maria finally turned back, she was overcome with ecstasy.

  The gown was like something out of a storybook romance. The skirt was composed of layer after layer of delicate lace that would bell out around her when she wore the accompanying petticoats. The high, puffed sleeves at the shoulders supported the form-fitting bodice with its sweetheart neckline.

  Feeling truly like a bride, Maria could not wait to try it on. After slipping out of her over-garments, the designer helped her into the matching lace petticoats. Once she got the dress over her shoulders and fastened by a row of tiny pearl buttons in back, she knew that it fit her perfectly. Even the designer had to comment that the measurements Mr. DuPont had given her were so accurate that no alterations would be necessary. Maria hid her embarrassment as she recalled how these measurements had been acquired.

  As she stepped into the dainty white high heels with silk rosebuds on top, the assistant placed the full-length veil on her head and pinned it to her hair. Maria swirled about the room in ecstasy.

  The façade was forgotten as she allowed herself to believe this really was her wedding gown. She could not imagine that any other dress in the world could be lovelier.

  “Would you like to look in a mirror?” suggested the designer.

  “Oh, yes,” Maria answered the smiling woman.

  She quickly walked to the closet and threw open the door. Inside was a full-length mirror. Maria drew in her breath when she saw how she looked. The tight bodice accentuated her slim waistline against the outward swell of the tiers of lace. The puffed-up top of the veil gave her an appearance of greater height. It was the perfect gown to display her natural assets.

  This was the gown that Steve had selected for her. The smile slowly faded from Maria’s face as she stared at herself in the mirror. She had no right to be happy. That woman in the white gown had never been asked to be a bride, and Steve would not be the groom who waited at the altar next Tuesday.

  It had all been a fantasy. By believing in it, even for these few precious moments, Maria had let herself see the fulfillment of her dreams that could never be. The return to reality from such heights had a devastating effect on her. Now, more than ever, she understood exactly what she wanted from life, and there could be no acceptable alternative.

  “Is something wrong?” asked the designer.

  With a downcast expression, Maria replied, “I want to take off the dress now.”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “It’s the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen.”

  “Ah, I understand, Mademoiselle. You are overcome by your rapture!” the woman exclaimed, feeling the need to make things right.

  “Yes, I love it,” Maria agreed, so she would not hurt the designer’s feelings by giving her the wrong impression.

  After the dress had been put back in its wrappings, the woman told her that she would take it back to her shop to press it again. The veil and shoes would remain, and the gown would be returned shortly. Maria thanked her, and she was once again left by herself.

  All of the magic was gone now, leaving only despair in its wake. Maria stared at the lustrous veil that had been left on a head form on her dresser. It was as ethereal as the dream she had dared to believe, and like the dream, it was not meant for her.

  Suddenly, the room became a cold, haunting place. She did not belong there. This was all meant for another.

  Without considering what she was going to do, Maria swiftly packed her bags. Hot tears scalded her cheeks to fall and dampen her possessions. It did not matter how; she had to get out of there today, right now. It was Friday, the last day that she would have all to herself. It did not seem likely that Steve would work on the weekends. This would probably be her only opportunity to escape. She had to hurry. There was a chance that he might be on his way home right now.

  When Maria was done packing, she went into the bathroom to place a cool, damp cloth on her eyes. It would not do for anyone to see she had been crying.

  The time had come for her to think of a way to get out of this situation before Steve dragged her into it any deeper. She would have to leave before he came home from work. While he was in the house, she would never be able to affect an escape.

  Their goodbyes would have to be forgotten. Even if Maria could manage to look the man in the face for what she knew would be the last time, he would never let her go. To him, she was only his brother’s property, meant to be protected and restrained if necessary.

  When Maria considered her appearance to be satisfactory, she sat at the vanity table to apply a bit of makeup. She had to look natural and carefree for the servants.

  Then an audacious possibility came into her mind. As far as anyone there knew, she was destined to become the mistress of this household. Unless the staff had been instructed otherwise by Steve, they would not risk insulting her if she told them she wanted to go out for a while.

  But how could she explain taking her luggage with her? That might present a problem. Would they allow her to go if she said that she wanted to return to the hotel in town until the marriage took place?

  This might arouse their suspicions enough to call Steve and tell him what she planned to do. She had no idea how long it would take a taxi to get to the house and then the airport. It might be far away. During that time, a member of the staff might phone Mr. DuPont at his office to tell him of her plan, and he would return home as fast of possible. He might even ask someone to detain her. That would be no good.

  Then, a new plan occurred to Maria. This one, while it was more perilous, might have a far greater chance of being ultimately successful. She would put it into action immediately.

  Maria left her room to wander idly about the house. In actuality, she was looking around to see where all of the employees were and what they were doing. It was important to be aware of where everyone was.

  Once she felt that her knowledge was complete, Maria looked for the housekeeper, a pleasant, middle-aged woman.

  When she found her, she walked up to the woman confidently and said, “Mrs. Grey, would you please have the car sent over? I’d like to take a ride.”

  “Mr. DuPont is using the limousine in town,” the housekeeper informed her.

  “Aren’t there any other cars on the estate?”

  “There’s only the car Mr. DuPont keeps for his personal use.”

  “Will you show me where it is, please,” Maria replied in her most comm
anding voice.

  “It’s in the garage, Miss Fontaine, but no one has ever used it except Mr. DuPont. I don’t know if he would approve.”

  “Why shouldn’t he? You know my position in this household, Mrs. Grey. Do you think Mr. DuPont would be happy if he found out that you refused to give me the keys to his car? All I want to do is to take a little ride in the country. It’s quite boring for me to sit here by myself day after day.”

  “Of course, Miss Fontaine. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Will you be going out after lunch?”

  Maria had not realized how late it was. It might be wise for her to have a bite to eat now, considering that it might be quite a while before she got another opportunity. On the other hand, she wanted to get away as quickly as possible, and besides, she did not know if she would be able to eat with all of this excitement.

  “I’ll find some place along the road,” she replied.

  “Are you sure you’ll be safe, Miss? It might be best to wait for Mr. DuPont.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but you seem to have forgotten that I’m bored now. If Mr. DuPont calls, you don’t have to tell him that I’ve taken his car. I’ll be home before he is.”

  “Whatever you say, Miss. I can get you the spare set of keys in a moment.”

  When Mrs. Grey left the room, Maria fidgeted nervously until she returned. It seemed to take forever, but in fact, only a few minutes had elapsed.

  “Would you like a map of the area?” the housekeeper thoughtfully asked.

  That was a detail that had not even occurred to Maria. She had not paid any particular attention to the roads while she had ridden in the limousine. If she had set out without a map, she might have become lost in minutes.

  “I would appreciate that, “Maria replied.

  “There’s one in the library. I’ll get it for you.”

  Again, Maria had to wait as the precious seconds ticked away. There might be the smallest possibility that Steve would return home for lunch, even though he had not done this before. She had to be out of there before he arrived or her escape would be foiled.

  Mrs. Grey eventually returned with the map in her hand. After that, she escorted Maria to the garage to point out the black convertible foreign car that Steve DuPont kept for his personal use. Once the housekeeper was gone, Maria studied the map. It appeared that the airport was not that far away. She would drive the car there and leave it in the parking lot. Once she was back in Illinois, she would call the DuPont house to leave a message for Steve to pick it up there. He had the limousine to use until then.

  When she was certain that the housekeeper was in the house, Maria sneaked back inside through a side door. Nobody had been working in this area. With extreme caution and silent steps, she made her way back to her room.

  Once she was inside, she closed the door. Now Maria had the saddest task she had to perform. After taking one final look at the ring on her finger, she slowly removed it and left it in plain sight on the vanity table. She believed this gesture would permanently sever her ties to the DuPont family. She had to stifle a sob before she could get on with her mission.

  Her bags were packed and waiting in the closet. Maria had taken the precaution of hiding them in case a maid came into her room. It was a bulky job for her to carry them all at once, but she did not want to take the risk of having to make two trips.

  As quietly as possible, she stole down the stairs. At one point, she found herself in danger of dropping the small case in which she kept her toilet articles and cosmetics. A quick adjustment of her elbow kept her from making a clumsy clatter. Maria let out the breath that she had caught.

  Without further incident, she managed to tiptoe out of the house. The door that she had selected for her escape led into the garden that faced the river. It was on the opposite side of the house from the garage, but this was the only exit where no one was working.

  As Maria put down some bags to free her right arm in order to close the door behind her, she was startled by a voice that called out, “Wait a minute.”

  She looked up in guilty fear. The gardener stepped out from behind a hedge beside the patio with a pair of clippers in his hand. Maria had not noticed him there before. All of the color fled from her face.

  “You shouldn’t be carrying those bags, Miss,” the man said in a firm voice.

  “I have to,” Maria quickly improvised. “I have to meet Mr. DuPont in town immediately.”

  She waited in hushed expectation for what the gardener would say in reply. Would he believe her or would he force her to return to the house?”

  He pushed his hat up higher on his brow and said, “The garage is on the other side of the house, Miss.”

  “It’s so large, I must have gotten confused.”

  “That’s all right,” he replied as he stepped forward. “Let me carry your bags for you. There’s no need for you to do that.”

  Maria could hardly believe her ears. Her plan had not been spoiled after all. After he put his clippers in his pocket, the man stepped forward to take on her burden. When he started to move off around the front the house, Maria said. “I’d rather go the back way. I’ve wanted to take a look at the grounds there.”

  She knew that there would be less likelihood of being seen if they went that way.

  “The path along the front is shorter.”

  “You don’t have to help me,” Maria readily assured him. “I can do this by myself.”

  “I couldn’t let you do that, Miss. What would Mr. DuPont think? We can take the back way.”

  Maria forced herself to smile and then gingerly followed the man. His steps seemed to be far slower than was necessary. She could not keep herself from casting furtive glances at the house to see if anyone was watching.

  By the time they reached the garage, she was covered with a fine film of nervous perspiration. The gardener loaded the bags into the trunk of the car with the same unhurried ease. Maria tapped her foot in exasperation.

  When he was done, she hastily thanked him and got into the car. The controls of the foreign vehicle were unfamiliar to her. She wasted more valuable time as she attempted to figure out what was what. It was lucky that her father had taught her how to drive a stick shift.

  At last, she was ready to go. Maria cringed as the engine roared into life. The garage door was open. She drove out slowly to keep down any unnecessary noise that might attract attention in the house. As far as Mrs. Grey knew, she had left awhile ago. It would not be wise to arouse her suspicions.

  Maria felt joyously free until she reached the main gate. The tall iron bars were closed and locked. Why hadn’t she thought of this before? She looked quickly around the interior of the car, but there was no sign of a remote control. With trembling fingers, she opened the glove compartment. There, on top of a small pile of papers, was a small, black device. Maria took it out and pressed a button. The gates slowly swung open.

  Before she put the car into forward gear, she took one last look back down the drive. Her eyes became misty as she whispered a final farewell to all she was leaving behind her. She might never see Steve again, but he would live forever in her heart.

  Maria wiped away the tears and drove out between the gates. After she closed them, she replaced the control in the glove compartment. She took another brief look at the map to refresh in her mind the route she planned to follow.

  Soon, she would be on a plane back to the snowy north, but it could not possibly be as cold as the chill she felt within her. For now, she must be strong and remain alert in order to carry out her plan. There would be plenty of time for her to wallow in regrets later.

  Maria found the airport without any difficulties. As she pulled into a parking lot, she took a time card from an automatic dispenser, and placed it on the dashboard. Steve would surely find it there.

  There was no porter to help her with her luggage until she walked up to the front of the terminal. From there, her bags were placed on a wheeled cart. Following the porter, she entere
d the terminal. The large room was unbelievably crowded and noisy.

  Maria was so busy looking around at the long lines at the ticket counters that she did not notice when the cart stopped. She carelessly bumped into a man’s back. With a startled exclamation, she looked up.

  “What an unexpected surprise,” said Steve DuPont as he turned to face her.

  “Steve,” Maria exhaled on a breath of futility.

  “Imagine meetin’ you here, darlin’,” the man continued, as if he had just flown in from out of town.

  He walked forward to place his arm around Maria’s shoulders. A casual observer might think this was a meeting of old friends if they did not look closely at Maria’s face. The steel in the man’s grip informed his captive that it would be unwise to resist. Maria was too stunned to speak.

  “As you see,” Steve casually explained to the porter, “my wife wasn’t expectin’ me home so soon. We’ll need you to bring her bags back to the car.”

  He smiled and his words sounded friendly, but there was deadly menace in his eyes when he looked at Maria. As she opened her mouth to speak, she felt his fingers dig into the soft flesh of her upper arm.

  “No emotional welcomes before strangers,” Steve cautioned as an explanation to one listener and a warning to the other.

  Maria gulped and allowed him to lead her out the front doors. Her heart hammered in her chest.

  “Where’s the car, darlin’?” the man asked in a deceptively mild voice.

  Unable to speak, Maria could only point as they walked out to the parking lot. After the porter put her bags back into the trunk, Steve gave him a generous tip, and he left. Then, he extended his hand for the keys.

  “I left them in the glove compartment so you could find them there,” Maria meekly stated.

  “How clever of you,” Steve replied in a cold voice. “I suppose you locked the doors?”

  Maria nodded.

  “It’s a good thing I brought my own set along or we’d have to wait here until my chauffeur returned with them.”

  Without wasting another moment, Steve unlocked the doors and gestured for Maria to get inside. She quickly responded. After the man got in and started up the car, he paid the parking fee and drove out of the airport. Maria sat stonily beside him, waiting fearfully for the inevitable confrontation.