"He's my brother. Should I turn my back on him?"
"No. But this time there doesn't seem to be much else you can do."
"I must talk to him again."
"Him?"
"Marc Copeland."
"You are joking. You would go to him after he has refused you?"
"Don't you see, Travis, if I had the money he wanted, I could reach him and explain that this is all a terrible wrong, surely he would show some decency. Ultimately he would let me buy the Belle back."
This put an entirely new light on the situation. Travis was elated. Finally he had found some way to make Catalina indebted to him. First with money ... and then with gratitude. He would be the one to be there when she needed him.
"All right, Cat," he said gently. He went to her, took her hand, and raised it to her lips. He kissed it softly. I'll help you. Maybe together we can save this foolish brother of yours from himself."
At first Catalina blinked in surprise, then she smiled, her eyes warming with a gratitude that made Travis's pulse pound.
"I'm sorry I doubted you. You really are Seth's friend. I am grateful for your kindness and understanding. Seth and I will pay you back I promise."
"Don't worry about it Let's just take care of this messy situation first. Then we can worry about paying me back. The money couldn't be put to better use."
"Thank you, Travis."
"When will you see him?"
I'll go to the Belle tonight"
"Shall I come with you? He could be dangerous."
"No. I'm not afraid of him."
"All right."
"Travis, is Seth at your home?"
"Yes."
"Go and tell him we're doing our best. He must be worried to death. I'm afraid he will do something stupid."
"I can go to Baton Rouge and come back in a few days. Shall I bring Seth back with me?"
"Yes, bring him back. Maybe this has finally reached him. We can finish it up, and he can start over." "I'll get you the money this afternoon." "Thank you."
He kissed her hand again, then turned to leave. Catalina watched him walk away. This was the only chance she had to keep her brother's mistake from becoming a tragedy, yet she couldn't fight the idea that she was making a mistake that might be hard to walk away from.
❧
Travis did give Catalina a black carpetbag containing the money late that same afternoon, and she spent the balance of the day in her room, steeling her nerves for the night's confrontation.
Late that evening, thinking that Catalina was, at that very moment, with Marc Copeland, Travis sat in a darkened corner of a tavern with two unsavory characters.
"You know what he looks like?" Travis questioned.
"That we do, mate. We've seen the gent around for a while," one replied.
"You know where the Belle is berthed?"
"We know that too. What we wants to know is where the money is?" the second man growled.
Travis reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a thick envelope. He tossed it onto the table, and the man snatched it eagerly.
"I want him taken care of at your first opportunity," Travis declared quietly. "But make sure he's not on his boat. He'll have too much help there. I'd rather he just disappeared."
"Don't ya worry, we'll take care of him. He won't even know what happened."
"But remember to be careful. He's no fool, and don't think he'll be easy. If you strike and don't succeed, he'll make you wish you'd never been born."
Both men nodded, smiled grim determined smiles, and then left the table. Travis finished his drink with satisfaction, and he soon left the tavern.
In good time, he thought, I will have access to what I have wanted for a long time, a place in the circle of the wealthy. I will move in the midst of the Carringtons and their friends. I will have Catalina ... the boats ... and everything I want.
There was much about Travis's past that no one knew. He had struggled against severe poverty, in a small town on the muddy banks of the Mississippi. The road to where he now stood had been a long and very difficult one.
He had used whatever means were necessary to travel it—brute force and deception and theft. Inside him burned twin fires: one for Catalina herself and the other for her wealth. He was determined to have both and he wasn't going to let her stupid brother or Marc Copeland stand between him and his goals. He would rid himself of any threat as he had before. He would simply eliminate it
Travis left the tavern and walked to his carriage. He ordered the driver to head for the docks, and in a short while he was looking at the graceful beauty of the Southern Belle and wondering what was happening in the captain's quarters at that moment.
❧
Seth was wretched. The longer he was inactive and frightened, the closer he began to look at himself and his wasted life.
He had enjoyed the wealth and prestige of his family without realizing he had a moral obligation to those who had given him so much. He realized now the effect his slide toward debauchery had had on his relationships with the people who loved him and consistently made excuses for him. He thought of Catalina and his misery worsened. Again he had let her take command and try to right his wrongs.
It had taken this final blow to scrape away Seth's veneer, to make him search for a strength he hadn't known he had.
After several hours of waiting and worrying Seth made a decision. First he was going to go to Catalina and tell her that this time he would be responsible for what he had done. Then he would tell his father the whole sordid truth and accept his punishment. After that, he would begin to build his life again. Maybe, he thought hopefully, in time his family would look at him with pride again. And maybe after a while he could begin to look upon himself without shame.
Seth sent for his horse and left Rosepoint, determined to talk to his family. But it was not to work out the way he had planned. When he reached Belle Haven, he found that Catalina was gone and his parents were not there either.
"Where are my father and mother, Thomas?" he asked the butler.
"They received an invitation, sir. They have gone upriver to St. Louis."
"And where is Cat?"
"She left for New Orleans, sir. It seems a friend of hers is quite ill and she has gone to help."
Seth groaned. "Her sick friend is getting sicker by the minute."
"I beg your pardon, sir?"
"Never mind, Thomas. Just pack some clothes for me."
"You're leaving again, sir?"
"Yes. I'm going to New Orleans. I have to find Cat It's time she stopped playing nurse. She has one sick friend who has finally learned he can cure himself."
"Sir?" Thomas was truly puzzled by Seth's ramblings.
Seth laughed. I'll explain some other time, Thomas. Right now I'm in a hurry."
He was already taking the steps two at a time. He entered his room, washed, and changed his clothes.
An hour later he threw a small satchel of clothes into the carriage and started toward New Orleans.
❧
Marc and China were enjoying a quiet evening meal in her cabin. The strange relationship between them was only spoken of in whispers and never where either of them could hear. Yet they were well aware of the gossip, and it amused them to keep explanations to themselves.
Marc was relaxed and comfortable with China; that was so with no other human being. He trusted her completely, and she was the only person who knew the events that had led him to the path he now walked. She was quiet but frank when she spoke, very intelligent, and extremely competent at managing countless details. As Marc had said, China was a mirror, but a mirror that did not condemn or reveal flaws. She merely let Marc examine himself without deception.
He loved her in a way no other woman, and very few men, would understand. Their love had never been physical, yet neither questioned it As for China her love for Marc was akin to worship. Indeed, she would have gladly sacrificed her life for him had the need ever arisen.
Ye
t in their talks they indulged in a freedom rare between a man and a woman. China was the only one who could ask questions—and get answers.
"She is very beautiful, this Carrington woman?"
"Yes, she is." Marc scowled. "Which means little or nothing. She's still a Carrington."
"Is that enough to condemn her?"
"The first thing she tried to do was buy me off. Right or wrong, those people think their money and position make then invincible. Don't you think it's time they learned that's not so?"
"You enjoyed making her plead?"
"That I did." He chuckled. "Too bad the game was over so quickly. I find myself wishing she would accept my bargain. Taming her first might prove rewarding."
"You might not laugh should you fall into your own trap. She might tame you instead."
"No chance of that, China. I have too long a memory. Her very name—Carrington—gives me nightmares. I would never trust her, and caring for someone like her would be a disaster. I don't intend to pay the price my father paid for trusting a Carrington. She's a beautiful temptress, but her heart would be solid stone like those of the rest of her family."
"Marc."
"What?"
"I know your hatred, but think of this one thing. Why would a woman as wicked as you paint her to be care so much for her brother that she would come to you and beg? That is not the thing a hard-hearted person would do. Maybe she does not have the soul of her father ... maybe she loves this young brother."
Marc was annoyed when she expressed a thought that had already occurred to him in an unwelcome moment of weakness.
He rose. "I'm going out for some air and a smoke." He strode to the door, and when he opened it he turned to look at China again. "My plans aren't changing. Don't be deceived by your own gentle heart. She's wearing a beautiful mask, but scratch it and you'll still find a Carrington. I intend to bring them all down. If getting her into my bed will be the faster way, then that's what I'lll do. Don't feel sorry for her, she would probably spit on you."
He left quietly, and China watched the door for several seconds. The look in her eyes was remarkably close to pity.
Chapter 4
Marc paced the deck of the boat on which he still felt himself to be an intruder. The night was young, and the moon sat low on the horizon sending a path of light across the water.
Marc was deep in thought when a carriage stopped near the gangplank. He heard soft feminine laughter, and when the door opened, four women exited in a profusion of petticoats, slim legs, and bright smiles.
He smiled, knowing both he and the boat were facing a unique invasion. Slowly he walked to the head of the gangplank and watched the women begin to board.
The first to step on deck was Paulette Bordeau. She was a statuesque blond with wide blue eyes and a figure that could make any man forget his goal in life. She spoke with a thick French accent... until she was angry. Then she slipped into gutter language that would have shocked a deckhand.
"Paulette.'' Marc chuckled. "As beautiful as ever."
"Ah, Marc mon cher," Paulette laughed seductively as she kissed him with enthusiasm. "It is so good to see you again."
The woman directly behind Paulette was a flame-haired green-eyed beauty with a rich creamlike complexion. Charlene Gilbert lifted lush full lips to kiss Marc.
"Charlene my pet," Marc said, as he put both hands on her waist to pry her slim body from his. "I'm glad you came."
"For you, Marc," Charlene replied huskily, "I would go just about anywhere ... anytime."
The third boarder to step on deck was a creature of delicate beauty. She seemed frozen somewhere between girlhood and womanhood. She was small boned and slender, with eyes of cloud gray and hair that was golden brown. Her innocent air reminded Marc of a lost child, though he knew the dreadful past that had created her.
"Hello, Shawna," he said gently.
"Hello, Marc ... is China here?" Her voice was a soft whisper, as gentle as she was.
"She's here, Shawna." He faced the three, but was more aware of the fourth. "Why don't the three of you go to her stateroom? It's the last door at the end of the passage."
With a flurry they were gone, and he turned to look at the fourth woman who had just stepped on the deck. She was regarding him silently.
"Nina," Marc said softly.
"It's been a long time, Marc."
Her voice was deep and throaty, and probably the most sensual one he had ever heard. Despite her beauty and the dignity of her bearing, her sexuality was what you sensed the moment you laid eyes on her. It was a force that had a life of its own.
To women like her every man gravitates when he chooses to find the ultimate in love. In such a woman he seeks forbidden pleasures and the fulfillment of secret dreams. He sees her learning and teaching things that no "lady" should ever know.
"It's been too damned long."
"Shall I go on to see China?" She smiled, knowing the answer, making it needless for him to say the words.
He laughed softly as he extended his hand to her, and when she slid hers into it, he drew her into his arms.
She was tall and luxuriously curved, and a low murmur of satisfaction escaped from Marc as she fit the length of her body to his. Thick lashes lowered over her dark brown eyes as his mouth blended with her parted lips.
"You can talk to China tomorrow,'' he said huskily. "I have other plans for tonight."
"I'm sure"—she laughed—"that your plans and mine are a great deal alike."
"It would certainly be a big disappointment to me if they weren't."
He slid an arm about her waist and they walked to his stateroom. Once inside it, words were unnecessary. Both knew what they wanted. He watched in silent admiration as she slowly undressed revealing lush charms he remembered well. Naked and unashamed she walked to him and began to help him remove his clothes. In moments, they were on his bunk, engrossed in sensual exchanges.
Their lovemaking had always been a source of deep pleasure to him. So, as he lay exhausted beside her, he couldn't understand the strange lack of completion he felt, as if something intangible were missing. He ignored itTThere had been too much tension in his life. Nina would help him ease it while he carried out the balance of his plans ... Damn, why did thinking of his plans conjure up a vision of a golden-eyed woman who had no place in his thoughts now?
Nina stretched luxuriously. Marc was always satisfying. She had enjoyed no other man as she enjoyed him. That his lean hard body could stir her to such rapturous pleasure often surprised her.
She rose and walked to Marc's wash stand, took his brush from it. Slowly she began to work through the tangles in her hair before she again coiled it into glossy ebony ropes wound at the nape of her neck.
Marc watched with a great deal of pleasure, thinking that Nina had the most remarkable body he had ever seen. Their eyes met in the mirror, and both smiled.
"It's good to have you back, Nina. I really have missed you."
"Then why did you leave Natchez so suddenly? Only a note—'Sorry, Nina. I'll be in touch.'"
"It was ... something I had no control over."
"Why"—she turned to look at him—"do I let you walk in and out of my life whenever you choose? You just come and go like a shadow."
He rose from the bed and went to her, bending to take hold of her arms and draw her up into his. They kissed slowly and very satisfactorily.
"Because love," he whispered, "we're good together, and"—he kissed her again—"you are a delicious creature who's the damnedest hellion in bed I've ever had. And"—he laughed—"you're as wild and untamable as I am. We both cherish our freedom, Nina; that's what keeps us together. No chains, no ties, and no promises."
"No promises." She wanted to say much more, to tell him that she had plans, that she intended to make their relationship much more permanent this time. But first she had to find some way to hold him ... for good.
Marc walked away from her and began to dress, while Nina continued her toilet
te.
They were both half-dressed when the door swung open. Nina's eyes sparked in quick anger when she saw the woman framed in the doorway. Marc was so taken by surprise that he stood completely still, the shirt he was about to put on held in his hands.
"Well, Marc," Nina said coldly, "it appears you have company."
Marc's unbelieving gaze met Catalina's disdainful eyes. Of all the people in the world Catalina Carrington was the last person he had expected to see.
❧
Catalina waited out the hours, her nerves stretched to the breaking point. The clock ticked away the minutes so slowly that she could hardly stand it.
She looked at the small black satchel that contained the money. Would he accept it from her when he had refused it from Travis? It was a slim chance, but it was the only one they had. If he refused there was very little more that could be done and Seth would be left to face. ..
She didn't want to think of it for deep inside she was afraid, afraid that her family would disintegrate before her eyes and that she would lose Seth. Hadn't she always been there for him? Well, she would be there now. She was certain Seth would do something foolish should Marc Copeland carry out his threat.
Catalina refused to give any thought to Travis. He had supplied the money, but he had no claim on her. Yet he brought Marc Copeland to her mind.
"What a despicable, hateful man he is," she muttered aloud. "But money seems to be important to him, and I suppose he enjoys seeing me beg. Whatever it takes to satisfy his demands, I'll just have to do."
She moved through the quiet dark house as she heard the clock chime midnight, making her way to the back door. From there she must cross the wide inner courtyard, exit through another wrought-iron gate, and follow the cobbled drive to the carriage house. She expected to find the small closed carriage already harnessed and prepared for her. She had used the last of her small coins to bribe the stable boy.
Upon opening the stable door she sighed with relief to find the equipage ready. An impatient stable boy was holding the bridle of the horse, and doing his best to keep it quiet.
Catalina's Caress Page 4