by Deborah Camp
Griffon smirked. “You mean that it’s not wrong unless you’re caught?”
“You remember,” Balthazar said, glowingly.
“Of course. All of those conveniently self-saving rules were drummed into me from the time I drank my mother’s milk.” A thrill erupted in the pit of Griffon’s stomach, but before he could identify its cause, Lily spoke up and did it for him.
“Excuse me.”
Both men whirled in the direction of the soft voice. Lily moved beneath the arbor toward them.
“Yes, Lily?” Griffon greeted her. “I hear you and Orrie might be going with us to Van Buren after all.”
“That’s right.” She sent him a sidelong glance. “I’m surprised you gave your permission.”
Griffon motioned to one of the chairs. “Won’t you join us?”
“Well, I …” She glanced at Balthazar. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“You aren’t,” Balthazar said. “I was just going inside. Thought I might read some before turning in.” He offered his hand to her. “Good night, Miss Lily.”
She slipped her hand in his, and Balthazar touched his lips to the back of it before leaving her and Griffon alone under the grape arbor. She sat in one of the chairs, stiff-backed, a wariness hovering around her that intensified when he took the chair across from her.
“Does Balthazar like me?”
“Of course.”
She bobbed one shoulder, then fixed him with unflinching eyes. “Why did you tell Uncle Howard it was all right if Orrie and I went along to Van Buren with you and Balthazar?”
“Because I knew it was important to you.”
Her smile mocked him. “And you live to make me happy. Is that what you’d have me believe?”
He laughed lightly, amused by her saucy tongue. “We’re leaving quite early tomorrow. I’d like to catch the first ferry across the river.”
“We can take the carriage.”
“You and Orrie can. Zar and I will ride horseback.”
“How long do you think we’ll be gone?”
“It’s difficult to say. A few days … perhaps as long as a week or two.”
“I’m trying to figure out what to pack.”
“Sensible clothes,” he suggested. “We won’t be making social calls. At least, I won’t be.”
Crickets began making music around them. Lily crossed her ankles and slanted her legs to one side. She arranged her skirts carefully, fluffing and smoothing the white eyelet material that draped in front to make a fetching apron. Her gaze bounced nervously to him, but Griffon waited, forcing her to speak her mind. He sensed her curiosity about him and wondered just how long she’d be able to hold out against it. He felt it grow, felt her struggle against the questions crowding her mind, then knew she’d reached her threshold.
“So, you can read my mind. Is that it?” She twisted her hands in her lap and frowned peevishly at him. “That’s your gift?”
“Part of it, yes.”
“And how long have you been able to poke around in people’s heads?”
“Since as far back as I can remember.” He tented his fingers in front of his mouth, camouflaging his pleased smile. Finally, he thought with relief. She’s finally breaking out of her shell of bigotry.
“Were you made to feel that it was normal?”
“By whom?”
“By your parents—or whoever raised you.”
“Not by them, no. My people believe that such powers are given to females. When it became obvious that I had certain abilities, I was cast out.”
“When was that?”
“When I was just a lad. Nine or ten years old.”
“Where were you sent?”
He shook his head, not understanding her question. “Sent?”
“You said your parents sent you away. To where? Other relatives?”
“Out into the streets. I was on my own.”
Her hands stilled in her lap. “A boy of nine on the streets? How could your parents do that to you?”
“Like you, they were afraid of my abilities.”
“I’m not afraid. I just find them hard to swallow.”
“I sense fear in you.”
“And you’re never wrong? If you sense it, then it’s there?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m wrong sometimes, but not about this.”
She looked away from him. “It’s because of what happened in the barn … that’s why you’re letting me go with you to Van Buren, isn’t it?”
“One little kiss would hardly sway me to—”
“No, not that,” she said, disdainfully. “The … episodes when I saw Cecille in my mind’s eye.” Shadows drifted across her face, hiding most of it from him. “You … you think I’m like you.”
Her rejection of that was so blatant it slammed into him like a fist. “And you can’t think of anything more despicable than that, can you? To be linked in any way to a Gypsy goat! Horror of horrors!” He faked a shudder.
“I was wrong to call you that,” she said, then clamped her lips together in a mutinous expression. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t call you that.”
“Not out loud,” he pointed out, grinning.
“That’s another thing,” she said, rising to her feet. When he stood, too, she tipped up her chin to stare at him. “I don’t want you in my head. Stay out of it!”
“Watch out, Lily. You’ve just admitted that I can slip into your mind. Next, you’ll say that you’re curious about me, that you even find me attractive.”
“You … that I find you attractive?” she sputtered. “Just because I allowed one indiscretion in the loft doesn’t mean that I find you attractive.”
“But you and your cousin Cecille have always had a soft spot for dark, dancing Gypsy men, isn’t that right? Can’t say that I’m much of a dancer, but I am dark-complected and I most certainly am Gypsy.”
“Cecille is the enamored one. Not me.”
He trailed a fingertip down her cheek and was pleased when she didn’t flinch or pull away. “Not even a little bit?” he whispered. “Is that my heart or yours beating so loudly?”
“Yours.” Her eyes sparkled in the semidarkness of the grape arbor. A smile colored her voice. “Mine’s fine, thank you.”
“Wonder what I’d find among your thoughts right now?”
“Please, don’t pry.”
“Then tell me. Tell me true, Lily.” He leaned closer still, drawn by her beauty, her spirit. “Wouldn’t you like a good-night kiss from me?”
Expectation sizzled between them. Lily’s lustrous eyes grew heavy-lidded as Griffon cradled her chin in his hand, tipping her parted lips up to him.
“Lily? What’s going on here?”
They broke apart guiltily to stare at the intruder. David Jefferson planted himself at Lily’s side and glared at Griffon as if he were a monster and David had come to slay him.
“David, thank heavens it’s you. I thought it was Uncle Howard, and if he’d seen us like this—” She placed a hand to her forehead. “Well, he’d never let me out of Fort Smith.” She drew in a calming breath and released it slowly. “What are you doing here?”
David fixed cold eyes on the other man. “Goforth, what was going on here just now? Were you trying to take advantage of this young lady?”
“No, she was trying to take advantage of me,” Griffon rejoined, having no use for theatrics after a lifetime of it.
“Stop it, please.” Lily stood between them and rested a hand on each man’s chest. “Spare me the absurdity of a duel.” She gave her attention to David. “Whatever was going on is none of your business.”
“Lily!” David’s mouth dropped open. “I have a mind to consult with your uncle over this matter.”
“Haven’t you damaged me enough?” she bit out, and David’s self-righteous manner dissolved under the heat of her temper. She turned to Griffon. “Would you mind? I’d like to talk with David privately.”
Griffon found that he did mind, but he a
cquiesced and moved from beneath the arbor.
Lily waited for the shadows to swallow Griffon before she whirled to face David again.
“Lily, what I just saw … you weren’t going to let that man kiss you, were you?”
She owed him no explanation and refused to offer one. David had deceived her. He’d withheld information from her and her family. Crucial information.
“I won’t discuss that with you.”
“Please, Lily, don’t be a fool. Look what happened to Cecille when she got involved with a Gypsy.”
“From what you’ve told me, your cousin isn’t a Gypsy.”
“That’s beside the point. Goforth isn’t the kind of man a lady should be consorting with. I spoke to Mr. Vick about him and was told that Goforth purports to have magical powers. He’s a charlatan, Lily, and you shouldn’t—”
“David, have you anything else to tell me about Cecille?” Lily cut in, resenting his preachy attitude. “Did you remember any other secrets you two kept?”
“Lily, it wasn’t like that,” David said on a long sigh. “You know how devious Cecille can be.”
“ ‘Devious’ is a word I associate more with you than with Cecille.”
“Lily, don’t let this come between us.” He reached out to her and Lily retreated. “I never meant to hurt you.”
“Then why did you lie?”
“I was protecting Mother. We did what we could without being roped into this thing. We sent Mr. Vick, didn’t we? He checked everything out for us.”
“Mr. Vick was supposed to be working for Uncle Howard,” Lily whispered fiercely, trying to keep her voice down. “My family hired him, not yours. If you’d told us about your connection with those people, we would have understood. You didn’t have to lie to us, David.”
“I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to keep secrets with Cecille, either.”
“Then why did you?”
“Cecille was serious about telling everyone that we were related to those hill people.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at a tuft of dry grass with the toe of his boot. “You know how persuasive she can be.”
“Yes, especially with men who are in love with her. Men like you.”
“No, Lily.” David shook his head vehemently. “It’s not like that.”
“Please, David. Be honest. The only reason you escorted me was because you couldn’t be with Cecille. You’ve been hoping that Cecille would change her mind and want to see you again. I was a substitute.” She looked squarely in David’s eyes to prove to him she wasn’t destroyed, that she’d survive. “You’re a nice man, David, but you’ve done me and my family a disservice.”
“Won’t you accept my apology?”
“It seems insignificant at this juncture.” She shrugged, but his crestfallen expression stirred her compassion. “Very well. I accept your apology, but by doing so I do not condone your actions.”
He released his breath and offered a smile of relief. “Thank you, Lily. I do care for you, and I want to find Cecille as much as you.”
She sent him a dubious glance. “I’m going to Van Buren tomorrow with Griffon Goforth. I have a feeling she’s there, no matter what your friend Mr. Vick says.”
“You’re going to Van Buren with that … that Gypsy soothsayer? Surely your uncle won’t allow this.”
“Orrie’s going as my chaperone.”
“This could start tongues wagging.”
“Oh, I don’t care what gossips say. Cecille is missing and I’ll do whatever I can to find her.”
“You’ll be wasting your time in Van Buren.”
“Why?”
“Those people know nothing. Anson thought he’d been stood up by Cecille that day. He had no idea she was missing.”
“Anson. That’s his name.?”
“Yes, Anson Jeffers.”
“All you have is his word. That’s not enough, David. I’m certain Cecille and he met and went out to the Sutton place. They argued there. I think he took her with him by force.”
“Why do you think that?”
She shrugged, unwilling to explain the strange mental pictures she’d received. “Griffon and I went out there today.” From David’s expression, Lily knew he wanted something definitive, but she was unwilling to give it. “Let me ask you something for a change. Do you think Cecille was in love with your cousin, or was it just another of her flings?”
“She was serious about him, but she admitted that she couldn’t imagine bringing him home to meet her folks. She knew it was an impossible union.”
“What about him? Did he love her?”
David shook his head. “I didn’t have anything to do with him.”
“Nevertheless, you took Anson’s word that he didn’t know where to find Cecille.”
“Anson wouldn’t be stupid enough to kidnap her. He knows it would bring all kinds of trouble on his head.”
“If he were caught,” Lily noted.
“I’ll be worried about you while you’re gone. That Goforth fellow isn’t a gentleman. I hope Orrie keeps a close eye on you.” David took her hands in his. “I wish you wouldn’t go. It’s foolhardy.”
“I’ll be fine.” Lily pulled her hands from his. “You must go. It’s getting late.”
David nodded. “I am sorry for all this, Lily. I do care a great deal for you.”
“Good-bye, David.” She watched him leave through the back gate. As far as she was concerned, David Jefferson had shown his allegiance and she wasn’t interested in continuing any kind of relationship with him. He and his mother were on the run from themselves and they’d step over anyone who got in their way.
Leaves rustled nearby and Lily glanced in that direction. Griffon stepped into the light cast by a bright moon.
“Have you been eavesdropping?” she demanded, propping her hands on her hips.
“Me?” He fashioned a shocked expression. “No, not me.”
Lily whirled in a circle. “I’m surrounded by liars.”
“I remained at a respectful distance,” he said, laughing a little. “I couldn’t hear what was said. Did David shed any light on his cousin’s shenanigans with Cecille?”
“Not really.” She looked at the house and spotted Balthazar spying on them through one of the windows. “Where did you meet Balthazar?”
“In the circus. He was a carnival barker and I worked a game where I guessed names and ages. Zar took me under his wing. He watched out for me.”
“How did you meet Thurman Unger?”
“He heard about my carnival act while he was on sabbatical in England. He came to see me and was convinced I was a true psychic. He sent me to the best schools and helped me get into Oxford. He’s like a father to me.”
“And Zar?”
“He’s my best friend.”
“He’s watching us,” she said, nodding toward the house. “He’s probably hoping you’ll talk me out of going to Van Buren.”
“He thinks you’ll be a distraction.”
She started to laugh, then a thought struck her. “You didn’t tell him about kissing me out at the Sutton place, did you?”
“I didn’t have to. Zar knows me inside and out.”
“I wish you’d forget about that incident.”
“You’re the one who keeps bringing it up.”
She opened her mouth to deny this, but couldn’t. Clamping her lips together, she weathered the incongruity.
“I can understand how it would haunt you,” he said, his voice dipping to a purr. “The memory of it certainly haunts me.”
“I won’t speak of it again. It’s forgotten.”
“Can you forget it so easily? I find myself wanting an encore. If David hadn’t interrupted us, we might have—”
“Excuse me. I must go inside now to pack. Good night.”
“Run, Lily,” he taunted, laughing as she scurried to the house. “You can run, but you can’t hide. Not from me, and certainly not from yourself.”
Chapter 6
He’d seemed driven, dogged by a need to get on the road. Instead of being miffed by his curt orders, Lily found his mood attractive. It added to his overall mystery. Again, she worried. More and more, she was acutely aware of the mighty pull she felt around him. She was a serene sea except when he was there, and then he acted like a full moon upon her calm surface, tugging at her, sending her into a frenzy of crashing ideals and raging emotions. Around him, she didn’t know what to expect of herself. While she was skeptical about his unearthly powers, she had no doubt of his power over her.
On the first leg of the trip to the Arkansas River, Orrie kept up a breathless monologue. It was her first time across the river to Van Buren, and from the way she chattered like a magpie, one would think they were about to cross the Nile and explore ancient Egyptian tombs instead of the muddy Arkansas en route to a sleepy town. The ferry ride almost sent Orrie onto a swoon, and Lily had to laugh at the woman’s childlike enthusiasm. Even Griffon had chuckled at Orrie’s squeals of delight as the ferry bobbed across the river like a giant cork.
Then they’d eaten the meal Orrie had packed, whiling away more than an hour on the riverbank, before hitting the trail again. By late afternoon Lily spotted clusters of farmhouses and knew Van Buren must be near. Farmers worked in their fields. Jersey cows mooed to them as they passed by. Roosters crowed in the distance. Somewhere a school bell rang, signaling the end of the day and sending children home. Lily watched a woman hang clothes on a line: a man’s shirts and work pants, a child’s nappies and baby blankets, aprons and day dresses. She knew a pang of longing for a home of her own, children of her own, a man of her own. Her gaze swept to Griffon ahead of the buggy. She realized she was looking at him as a possible husband and jerked her gaze away, startled by such a wild fantasy.