The Moon and the Stars

by Constance O'Banyon

  “I know that. He told me.”

  It was too painful to talk of her father, so she switched the subject. “I suppose you have many servants?”

  Wade was more than happy to talk about something else. “Actually, no. I do not like a lot of people around the house. There is Mary—I told you about her. She is the cook and housekeeper. She has two ladies who help her with the cleaning, but they go home at night. There is Louis, of course, and two gardeners. Of those three men, only Louis lives on the grounds. His place is above the carriage house.”

  “And what about Jonathan?”

  “So,” he said, crossing his legs and resting his hand on his boot, “Dolly told you about him, too.”

  “Yes, she did. Will I be seeing him?”

  “Not at this time. He is away at school.”

  She could tell from his irritated tone that he did not want to talk about the boy. But Caroline was at her best when she was gleaning information. Her father had always said the troops could have used her during the war to ferret out information from the enemy. “He goes to school in the city?”

  “Apparently, Dolly did not tell you everything,” he remarked stiffly. “Jonathan attends a school in Baton Rouge.”

  At the present, they were passing out of the city and down a country lane. In the distance Caroline could hear the water of the Mississippi River as it lazily wound its way toward the Gulf of Mexico. The road curved, and they traveled beside the river. She craned her neck to get a better look. To her left, along the river road, she saw several large estates with very fine houses.

  Louis turned between two huge wrought-iron gates and maneuvered the horses up a curved driveway. The house was a two-story red brick with a wide veranda sweeping across the front of the house, and a gallery that curved along the second story.

  “Your home is very beautiful,” she said, more puzzled than ever as to why he would revert to being a bounty hunter if he lived so well. He was definitely a man of prominence. “Just how much money did Brace offer you to find me?” she asked.

  He stared down at her, his jaw muscle tightening, refusing to answer her question. “I have never thought of this as a home, but merely a place to live.”

  She thought it was a strange statement for him to make, and she wondered if his cryptic words had a deeper meaning. He was too complex for her to understand, and she certainly was too weary to verbally battle with him at the moment.

  He disembarked and held his hand out to her. “Welcome to Renault Manor.”

  She looked at him and frowned. “Who are you? Are you the man who unfeelingly took me captive, or . . .” She indicated the house and grounds. “Why did you come after me?”

  “Perhaps I will tell you some day.”

  As he led her up the walk and onto the porch, a cool breeze stirred the huge cypress tree in the front yard.

  “This would be such a lovely place to raise a family,” she told him, turning and looking at the Mississippi River curving around the bend.

  Wade’s clasp on her hand tightened as he momentarily envisioned children with her sky-blue eyes running and playing on the lawn. He opened the front door and ushered her inside. “Are you feeling all right?”

  She gave him a tired smile. “I am fine. I wish you wouldn’t worry about me.” That thought suddenly took her by surprise—he really did worry about her. She realized that he was probably feeling guilty for the ordeal he had put her through. It suited her just fine to let him bear the guilt.

  They entered a room that was so large it took up the whole front of the house. It was light and airy, filled with sunlight from the windows on both sides of the room. There were three lemon-yellow couches and chairs and several end tables set about the room. The wooden floor gleamed as only aged oak can when highly polished. There was a door to the right and an ornate staircase leading to the second floor.

  She heard the ticking of a huge grandfather clock that seemed to preside majestically over the room. She glanced up at Wade and found him watching her as if waiting for her assessment. “It is very lovely,” she said, turning around as she tried to get the complete picture of the room. “Lovely indeed.”

  His attention was drawn to the doorway, and a genuine smile curved his mouth. “Mary.” He stretched out his hand to a woman who wore her silver-white hair in a tight bun. Her faded blue eyes danced with delight, and she rushed forward to grab him in a hug. It was the first time Caroline had seen him display genuine affection for anyone.

  “Well, if it isn’t himself, deciding to grace us with his presence once more,” Mary said in a soft Irish brogue. “We’ll not be letting you go so soon again.”

  “Home at last, Mary.”

  She turned, smiling at Caroline, and pulled her hand away from Wade, patting her hair into place and straightening her snowy-white apron. “And this would be Mrs. Duncan. We have been expecting you,” she said, not giving Wade time to introduce them.

  “I have heard much about you,” Caroline said.

  The housekeeper’s gaze was guarded, and it seemed to Caroline that she was carefully measuring her. “If himself told you about me, you should take only half of what he said as truth.”

  Wade smiled down at Caroline. “I want you to meet the woman who runs my life. She boxed my ears when I was a lad, and I believe she would do the same today if she decided I needed it.”

  “Now, don’t be taking anything he says to heart, and don’t let him be fooling you, ma’am. He has had me right where he wanted me since the day I first laid eyes on him. I never could discipline him, and he needed it more than most.” She smiled at him. “You know you did.”

  He was clearly amused. “Perhaps I still do.”

  Caroline could see that the housekeeper adored Wade. It was strange to see him in a domestic setting. This was still another side of him that didn’t fit. She wondered what other surprises she would discover about him.

  He immediately assumed the role of master of the house. “Mary, will you see Caroline to her room? The doctor says she needs plenty of rest.”

  “Everything is ready as you instructed in your telegram. I’ll have Louis fetch the doctor as soon as I get Mrs. Duncan settled in.” She waited for Caroline to precede her to the stairs.

  But Caroline turned to Wade. He must have communicated with the housekeeper at the last stop the train made. Of course, he would never leave any detail to chance. “I’m feeling so much better, thank you. I don’t really need a doctor.”

  “Do not distress yourself,” Wade told her, his mind already moving to other matters. “The doctor may suggest nothing more than a proper diet to build back your strength.”

  A frown creased Caroline’s brow. “I want to get well as soon as possible. I have to go home.”

  “Go with Mary so she can get you settled.”

  He watched her climb the stairs, seeing her strength wane when she was halfway to the top. He wanted to rush forward and carry her the rest of the way, but Mary sensed that Caroline needed assistance and took her arm, helping her to the landing.

  The bedroom Caroline entered was so large it overlooked both the front and the back of the house. It served as a sitting room as well as a bedroom. The decor was striking, and the colors included every shade of blue she could think of. The Aubusson rug was a soft blue. The bed hangings and matching spread were in dark blue with cream-colored edging. A blue velvet couch and two chairs made a charming sitting area. Just off the bedroom was a large dressing room.

  Mary pulled the drapes open, allowing sunshine to flood the room. “I have opened the windows on both sides so you will have a cool cross breeze. I hope you will be comfortable here, Mrs. Duncan.”

  She smiled at the housekeeper. “How could I not? This is a lovely room.”

  Mary moved to the double doors and threw them open wide. “Although it is a large room, I think you will find it cozy. I believe you will find the balcony equally delightful. What is unusual about this room is that it has two galleries—one looking no
rth and the other south. The north gallery has stairs that lead down to the garden.”

  Caroline walked out on the balcony and caught her breath. She gazed upon a sweeping lawn, then spotted a tempting path that led past a tinkling fountain. To her left was a colorful garden with flowers of so many varieties she could not have put names to all of them. Oak, hickory, and dogwood trees vied for space in the huge area. She could only imagine how beautiful the grounds would be in spring when the dogwoods were in bloom. She decided that at the first chance she got, she would explore every corner of the garden.

  She put her hand on a cane-bottom rocking chair, resisting the urge to sit in it and rock. She was startled when she noticed that another door also led to the gallery.

  “Mary, whose room is that?”

  “It belongs to himself, but have no worry about that. He had me move his belongings to a bedroom at the other end of the hallway so you would feel more comfortable here.”

  “I did not want to put him out of his room.”

  “He would have it no other way. He thought you might be uncomfortable if he were so nearby. He was always one to observe proprieties.”

  Caroline knew that about Wade if she didn’t know anything else. Sometimes she thought he was too much of a gentlemen. “And no one will ever gainsay him,” Caroline observed.

  “No one I know of would ever dare,” the little Irish woman replied with honesty.

  Caroline felt a sudden chill as she remembered another house with two bedrooms leading to a gallery. Only in this house there was no fear. Wade would be nearby if she felt threatened.

  She had grown accustomed to him, and she had begun to depend on him more than she should.

  The housekeeper gave her a cheery smile and turned to leave. “The doctor should arrive within the hour.”

  Caroline dropped into the rocking chair and leaned her head back as she rocked. What was going to happen to her now?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Wade was waiting for Mary when she came downstairs. “Is she comfortable?” he asked anxiously.

  “I believe so.” It was a warm afternoon, and Mary fanned herself with her apron. She had watched Wade grow from a boy into a man under this roof with a father who demanded too much from him. She had hurt for Wade the day he had walked out of the house—the day Anton made it impossible for him to stay. She remembered when he had returned to watch his father die. And now she saw something in Wade that she had never seen before, not even on his worst days when Anton was so ill: She saw hopelessness.

  She had never minced words with him and she didn’t now. “How did you come to bring this young woman home with you?”

  “It is a very long story.” He propped his booted foot on the marble slab that jutted out from the fireplace. “And I fear the telling of it would not reflect well on me.”

  She eyed him carefully. “Then keep it to yourself, and I’ll be thinking my own thoughts.”

  “What do you make of Caroline?” he asked, watching her closely because he always valued her opinion, and her impressions of people were usually correct.

  “She seems to me to be a charming young woman. She’s frail. It’s easy to see she’s been ill. But I knew about her illness because of your telegram.”

  He waved that aside. “What do you think about her as a person, Mary?”

  “I don’t know her well enough to judge.” She was put out with him. He had been acting strangely since he’d received that package in the mail and had left directly for South Carolina. “If your reaction to her is any indication, I would be guessing that she will be mistress of this house before too long.”

  He raised himself away from the fireplace and straightened his coat. “Your leap from her being charming to my marrying her is most imaginative. Why do women always do that?”

  Mary went right to the point. “I suppose it all depends on how charming you think she is?” She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “What do you think of her?”

  “I can tell you that she has the devil’s own temper. When she gets a notion in her head, she can be fierce. I have never seen a woman like her before.”

  “She’ll need to have a temper if she remains around you for very long. If she’s going to continue handling you, she will need something more than a temper.”

  “Who said she was handling me?”

  “I have known you most of your life. I see that your concern for Mrs. Duncan goes well beyond mere politeness.”

  He rubbed his neck. “Sometimes, Mary, you see things that are not there.”

  The housekeeper let out her breath and broached the subject she had been dreading. “Jonathan is home.”

  He walked to the window and stared into the garden. “Dammit, Mary, you should have had Louis take him back to school. How did he get here this time?”

  “By stage, the lad told me. Saved his money until he had the fare. We’re lucky he came home and didn’t run off somewhere like you did when you went to Texas.”

  “I was twenty when I left home. He’s only eight. Anything could have happened to him.”

  “God preserves the fools of this world, and the little child,” she said quoting Irish lore.

  “He is going to need someone to protect him from me, this time. I have been very patient until now, but no longer.”

  Mary knew Wade had never raised a hand to the lad and he never would. “He knows you’re home. Do you want me to bring him down?”

  “I will not tolerate his disobedience. You know my views on his having a good education.”

  “He’s so young, Wade. Did you ever think that he might rather be home with you than off in some strict school? He likes to be where you are, and he wants to grow up to be just like you.”

  “I will talk to him later. I’m too angry right now. But make no mistake about it, he will go back to the academy just like before.”

  She knew it would do no good to argue with him when his mind was set on something. “You have a telegram from Nate. I put it in on your desk.”

  He started for the study and said over his shoulder. “I want to see the doctor as soon as he has finished examining Caroline.”

  The housekeeper shook her head on her way to the kitchen. Himself was on a rampage, and Mary speculated that the woman in the master suite had a lot to do with it. She smiled at the thought of the firm grip that lovely young woman had on Wade’s heart. She wondered if Mrs. Duncan was even aware of it. It was about time a woman got under Wade’s skin. It was long past time for him to settle down and have a family.

  Wade paused before entering the study, as he always did. He still had the feeling that the room belonged to Anton. He had even left most things the way they were when Anton was alive. A strange homecoming this had turned out to be, he thought, picking up the telegram and opening it. He scanned the page and slumped down in a chair. He reread it to make sure there was no mistake:

  Richmond shot. Died two days later. Assailant unknown.

  Time passed, and still Wade did not move. His thoughts were troubled, his mind on the young woman who had already lost so much and now must be told that she had lost her father. How would he ever be able to tell her that her father had been murdered?

  He tried to think who might have something to gain by killing her father. He just didn’t know the family well enough to guess. He tapped the telegram against his hand. Caroline had once called him a fool, and that was what he was where she was concerned. If the truth were known, he was probably responsible for her father’s death. It all fell into place in his mind—the killer was Brace Duncan.

  And Brace Duncan had also killed Caroline’s husband.

  Wade could almost see how the man’s mind worked. Brace had found out that Wade had questioned the father and had feared what he might have learned from Mr. Richmond.

  Wade’s eyelids came down over his narrowed eyes. Brace Duncan was the man he would have to go after, because Caroline would be his next victim. He had to guard her, to keep her safe at all times
. He thought of the two Webber brothers who worked for him at the docks—they were men he trusted to guard the house. Of course, he could not let Caroline know what he was doing. If he did, she would give him trouble.

  He stood up when the heavy knock fell on the door. “Come in.”

  Dr. Davis was heavyset with a boisterous laugh, and a voice to match. His gray hair was thinning now, and his shoulders were a bit stooped. Wade had known him since first coming to live in this house as a child.

  “I’ll take a drink of brandy if you’re offering one.”

  “Of course.”

  Dr. Davis lowered his bulk onto a leather chair near the window. Wade moved to the sideboard and poured amber liquid into a snifter and handed it to him.

  “How is Mrs. Duncan?” Wade asked.

  “I’d say that young woman has been through a lot. A few of Mary’s good meals would be of benefit to her. Her lungs are clear, no trouble there.”

  Wade leaned against his desk. “How strong is she?”

  “I practice on instinct and have for years, and I’d say that Mrs. Duncan is troubled about something that has nothing to do with her health. It’s more what she didn’t say that caught my attention.” He narrowed his bushy eyebrows. “Maybe you know what her trouble is, Wade.”

  “Oui. Some of it.”

  “If you know what it is, then maybe you can help her.”

  Wade glanced down at the telegram, not realizing he had crumpled it in his fist. “I just got word that her father has been murdered. Should I tell her or keep the news from her until she is stronger?”

  The doctor’s eyes widened before he took a drink. He nodded his head. “I don’t think I’d tell her just yet. Perhaps you should wait a week or so.” He took a last swig of brandy, placed the snifter on the side table, and rose. “Maybe someday you can tell me her story.” He walked to the door. “Meantime, send Louis for me if you need me.”

  It was only moments after Dr. Davis’s footsteps faded down the hallway that Wade heard quick steps coming toward the study. Jonathan poked his head around the door.