Fortune's Flames

by Janelle Taylor

  It had been hard for her to walk down the rows of tombs, realizing that her mother and father were inside one of them, sleeping eternally together. She had wept while reflecting on her life with her parents, and even when she had stood beside the chamber marked James, she had found it difficult to accept her loss.

  “It seems so unreal, Eric. I keep thinking they’re away and will return soon. I can’t imagine what it means never to see them again. How long does it take for pain to go away and acceptance to settle in?”

  “I don’t know. I still think about my parents all the time,” he told her, but he did not reveal that his thoughts were dark and cold ones.

  “What will happen now, Eric?” Maren murmured sadly.

  Misunderstanding her, he replied, “I’ll take you back to the hotel so you can rest. Those boxes can wait until another day.”

  Maren didn’t explain her meaning. She shook her head. “I need to be distracted, and I must get that chore behind me.”

  Eric agreed and took her to the warehouse. He guided her to a back room, which was locked. Once they were inside, he pointed to numerous boxes and trunks and told her all the Jameses’ personal belongings were in them. “Do you want me to stay here with you?” he offered.

  “If you’ll unseal these containers, I can go through them alone. It looks like a big task, doesn’t it?”

  Calmly, Eric said, “Before you get started with it, I must tell you something. Because of a legal involvement, I couldn’t sell Lady Luck to help pay off the firm’s debts. Did you know Uncle Cam had a secret partner and the establishment can’t be sold without his agreement?”

  “What partner?” she inquired, to let Eric think she was unaware of that situation. “I thought Papa owned Lady Luck.”

  “I couldn’t find out who his partner is. All you can do is wait for someone to turn up with the deed in his hand, and keep depositing half of all earnings into an account for him as I’ve been doing. While you’re going through those trunks and boxes, you should look for any papers that might reveal the other owner’s name. Even if you don’t sell Lady Luck, you’ll need to know who your partner is. Your father was giving or sending payments to somebody. I figure the man wasn’t a local resident. If he was, he’d have contacted me by now to get his share. Just in case this mystery person shows up one day, I’ve been placing records of earnings and his share of the profits in a box for him at the bank. I’ll give you the key when we get back to your room. You should continue to follow this practice to prevent trouble or a takeover.”

  “Nobody at Lady Luck knows who this silent partner is?” she questioned.

  “If someone does, I haven’t been told. Perhaps it’s a woman, or someone who needs to keep an interest in a gambling business a secret.”

  “I can’t understand why Papa kept this person’s identity to himself. How would I know how to verify this partner, if he or she appeared?”

  “Whoever it is would have a legal document signed by your father. But make certain you let a lawyer study it to be sure it’s real and binding. Uncle Cam was a smart businessman, but I can’t figure his logic in this matter.” Eric leaned against a stack of boxes and lit a slender cigar. “Your father drew up legal papers for me to use in handling business for him while he was in London, so I had no trouble using them to sell the plantation and townhouse, especially since I was putting all of the money into the firm. But Lady Luck was in your name, thank goodness, or at least half of it. She seems to be financially stable right now, so you won’t have to depend on anyone’s charity. I thought if I kept this news to myself until now, it would help you recover from what you had to face this morning. Despite the war, Maren, your income from Lady Luck will be more than sufficient to support you. And if this bloody war ever ends, your business should be even better. You could become a wealthy woman, little cousin. I hope this makes your outlook brighter.”

  His admission caught her off guard and baffled her. “You’re saying I own half of Lady Luck?” she asked, to test him.

  “Fate must have made your father put it in your name. If it had been in his, I would have sold it with the other things before I learned you needed it. I know you’re a woman and it’s a fancy gambling house, but I hope this news pleases you, Maren. You can always find someone to run it for you. Or you can do it yourself,” he added, grinning mischievously. “I told you everything would work out fine. Now you can see why I was so confident. I can envision you dressed in a red silk gown, wearing that ruby necklace, and dazzling customers with your beauty and talent. Until you’re ready to settle down to a home and family, you’ll be an independent woman with a great dowry.”

  Maren did not want to face any more unpleasant surprises in the future, so she asked, “But what about Papa’s debts, Eric? Shouldn’t I sell Lady Luck to repay them?”

  “I’ve just about gotten things running smoothly again. I told you, I managed to get two ships through the blockade, plus I made that successful trip with you aboard. Don’t you worry about the firm’s troubles; I can handle them. Besides, good fortune is smiling on you. You can’t legally sell Lady Luck because of your secret partner, and no one can force Maren James to turn over her earnings to pay Cameron James’s debts. You run your gambling house, and I’ll run my shipping firm. If all goes well, we’ll both survive this nasty war and we’ll be rich.”

  “But what about the necklace?” she asked, utterly confused by now. “Don’t you need it for an emergency? It’s worth a great deal.”

  “It’s yours. Call it payment for some of the things I sold to keep the firm afloat. If I hadn’t been here to take care of the business, there wouldn’t be one left. I’ve put my money, wits, and blood into saving James Shipping. It’s my child, my wife, Maren. I’m afraid your father’s original investment and holdings are gone, but I feel I still owe you something for using your inheritance to clear your father’s debts. Uncle Cam trusted me to do the right thing, so I’ll make certain you don’t lose Lady Luck. I hope you realize I didn’t sell everything; Uncle Cam sold a lot of stuff during the hard times to make ends meet. When things improve, I’ll try to give you more.”

  Before thinking this curious statement over, she replied rashly, “Don’t worry about it, Eric. You’ve been wonderful about everything. I’ll be busy, and that will be good for me. I have a business to run and a mystery to solve.”

  “One last thing, little cousin, I have to leave early Saturday morning. I have that gold shipment to deliver and a report to make to the President. After that’s done, I’ll stop by to see Murray before I return. Do you think you can get along without me for six or eight weeks?”

  “Your trip will be dangerous, Eric. What about the blockade?”

  “Captain Canton is an expert at eluding the British. We learned a lot from losing several ships to them. We plan to move from cove to cove during the night, too close in for the British to threaten us. Remember, we know our coastline, but they don’t. If we’re going to win this war, I have to get that gold to the President, but I’ll sink my ship before I allow those Brits to take the gold from me and use it to wage war on us. Like your father, the President trusts me.”

  Maren hugged him tightly and murmured, “As I said earlier, you’re wonderful, Eric James. Too bad you’re my first cousin.”

  Eric embraced her and then chuckled. “A damn shame if you ask me. I’ll arrange to have some lunch brought to you, and I’ll come to take you home at about five.”

  “That sounds fine.” She watched him open the door, chiding herself for her previous suspicions. “Eric,” she called out, halting him. “Thank you for everything—especially for being you.”

  Eric turned and looked at her. He smiled. “Yep, a damn shame, Maren, ‘cause you’re the best woman around. Don’t overdo it today.”

  “I won’t,” she promised, and returned his warm smile. Eric had surprised her. Even if he had made mistakes or had been overly greedy, he was trying to make amends, to help her. Could she fault him for concentrating on
self-preservation? she asked herself. No, she replied.

  Maren began to explore the containers. Many were filled with linens and dishes. In others she found family pictures, an old Bible, clothing, hats, books, letters, embroidery, keepsakes, old dolls, and more. She found no silver, coins, or jewels; Eric must have sold them. She tried not to be annoyed with him, for he had believed she was married to a wealthy man—a man who would be an English lord—and would not be returning home. Each time she came to a trunk or box that contained her own belongings, she pushed it aside to be rummaged through later. First she wanted to look through her parents’ things to see if she could find any reference to her father’s partner. Later, she would decide what to do with these belongings.

  Maren screamed and jerked aside when Horben Wolfe touched her shoulder. Whirling about on the chair, she then glared at him. “Don’t do that! You startled me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry, Miss James. I thought you were asleep with your eyes open. I called your name, but you didn’t respond. Are you all right?”

  Maren swallowed several times before inhaling deeply to slow her racing heart. She did not like this creepy man. “What do you want?”

  “Eric told me to bring you this lunch. Can I get you anything else?”

  “No, thank you. I was lost in thought about my parents.”

  “No need to explain. I can see you’re hurting real badly today. I wish there was something good I could say to you, but words offer little comfort in times like these.”

  Maren looked at him, surprised by his insight and by his compassionate tone. “You’re right, Mr. Wolfe; this is hard for me.”

  “Please, call me Horben or Ben. Eric’s talked about you so much, it’s like I know you. I’m sorry if my looks frighten you, Miss James, but it’s like that with most people. Don’t worry; I understand and accept it. People can’t help themselves. I don’t help matters any by getting angry with them. Sometimes nature plays cruel jokes on us.”

  Shame filled Maren and she flushed brightly. She had a sudden urge to sob, but controlled it. She was feeling very emotional today, but she did not cry easily as many women did, mostly for attention, Maren had decided long ago. It was narrow-minded and insensitive of her to allow this man’s looks to influence her attitude toward him. As sweetly as possible, she said, “Thank you for the lunch, Horben.”

  “Do you need any help?” he offered politely.

  “I’m afraid this is something I have to do alone, but thank you,” she replied. When he left, she planned to go through the letters to seek information or a clue. Surely her father had recorded something somewhere, and although hers was a lengthy and saddening task, it was a private one.

  Horben was pleased with his progress. At last he had her talking to him and smiling at him. With wit, luck, and patience, perhaps he could reverse her revulsion. “Don’t worry about your safety; I’ll be standing guard out front. I won’t let anyone disturb you.”

  The man’s eerie gaze unnerved her, but Maren concealed her reaction, even scolded herself for it. She tried to be friendly. “You’re most kind, Horben. I can see why Eric liked you and hired you.”

  Horben Wolfe nodded and left. When he joined his boss outside, he said, “You know her well, Eric. It worked like a charm. Before we leave Saturday, she’ll be drooling over us.”

  “Relax, Ben, she’s out of reach for both of us, unless I change my mind about how to handle my little secret. I just hope I can keep her fooled. Maren is special, and I surely would hate to have to get rid of her.”

  “If it becomes necessary, can I have her before you do?”

  Anyone who defied Eric had to be punished and destroyed, even Maren. He glanced at Horben. “I owe you that much, and more. Hopefully she’ll be able to find out who her partner is before we return. I couldn’t find a clue in all that junk. Until we know who her partner is, I can’t take over Lady Luck.”

  “It was smart of you to trick her today. She would have gotten suspicious if you hadn’t said something about that gambling house. Lordy, it’s amazing how clever you are.” Horben grinned knowingly. “I can see why you love her and want her—she’s a lot like you.”

  “If I know Maren, she would have remembered Lady Luck and would have done some snooping after we left. This way, she’ll believe anything I tell her,” Eric vowed smugly. “‘Course, I didn’t like putting that money in a safety box for some mysterious partner, but it’ll be worth doing if it throws Maren off our wake. Besides, the money didn’t come out of my pockets.” Eric chuckled merrily. “Maren’s already been a big help to us. Picking her up in London covered our backs. And she’ll keep Josephine’s necklace safe for me. If I lost it—”

  “Your back would be exposed,” Horben finished for him.

  “Yours too, my friend,” Eric reminded his cohort.

  “How do you plan to get it back when we need it?”

  “Nothing to fear,” Eric boasted. “As easy as a slipknot. When this war’s over, we’ll recover our treasure from Jamaica and live like kings. As for my dear brother, poor Murray won’t be around long enough to catch on to me.”

  “How do you plan to get rid of him when we reach Baltimore?”

  “We’ll decide that on the voyage. I’ve had too much on my mind to give my brother much thought. Do you want to handle it for me?”

  “Sure,” Horben replied, a wicked sparkle in his eyes.

  At midnight on Friday, Maren walked back and forth in her suite. She had never been a pacer until lately, but something was nagging at her. She had finished searching the trunks and boxes that afternoon, without success. Next week she would decide what to do with the belongings. Hers had been delivered to her suite, to be explored leisurely, but only one item had been removed and placed on the lowboy, the dried nosegay Jared Morgan had given her years ago.

  She had eaten with Eric Thursday evening and this evening, Horben accompanying them both times. The men were to sail at dawn, and she was glad. Although Eric seemed to say and do everything right, she had perceived that something was wrong. Maybe she had sensed something in her cousin’s tone, in his expressions, or in the exchanges and undercurrents between him and Horben.

  Yes, she was holding the key to the box that contained money for her secret partner. But was the money already hers? Was there really a secret partner? Was it Eric? If so, why had he given her the key and the records? He could have kept Lady Luck and the money, and she would not have been the wiser. If this was some clever strategy of his, she could not figure it out. However, she felt she was being duped. Possibly the answer to this riddle was Eric’s need of her agreement to sell and her ability to discover the identity of her partner.

  She had worn the ruby necklace to dinner, and the two men had gazed at it often as if it had some crucial significance. She had been a bit nervous because Horben Wolfe had followed her each time she had left the hotel, as if he were spying on her instead of protecting her. And Marc was acting crazier than ever. He seemed afraid of his brother. Eric… he was being too good to be true. Nobody changed that much. Had her cousin forgotten she knew his weaknesses as well as his strengths, his bad side as well as his good? The more she was around Eric, the more she realized she must not trust him, and that saddened her.

  Maren halted at her dresser to finger the ruby necklace. There was something odd about it…. But what? So many mysteries were plaguing her. When Eric left in the morning, she would begin to solve them.

  As Maren approached Lady Luck, she wondered if Mary Malone and Dan Myers knew more than they had told Eric. Perhaps her father had sworn them to secrecy. Just this morning she had realized that Eric had been using her earnings at Lady Luck to pay his expenses, yet he was claiming that the entire shipping business was his. How could that be when only the New Orleans office was Cameron James’s share and that had been saved by the sale of Cameron’s holdings? Yes, Eric had taken care of the business after her father’s death, but it was wrong of him to keep it. He was too smart not
to realize he was taking what was rightfully hers. His father had been cruel to him and he had worked hard here, but that did not excuse his greed or his deceit. For weeks her mind had been too cluttered by her tragic losses and her apprehension about returning home to allow her to think clearly. And Jared Morgan’s sudden intrusion on her life had flustered her. Now it was time to think, to plan, and to act.

  Maren looked at the lovely structure of the gambling establishment, which leaned more to the Federal style than the Georgian. It had two full stories, plus a large wine cellar and several small attic rooms for storage. Built of red brick, it was trimmed with vermilion and white paint. Artistically carved swan pediments graced each window and door, and a large half-moon porch kept patrons dry when they arrived or departed during stormy weather. Maren approached the carved front door and knocked. When no one responded after several raps, she walked around the house and tried to gain access at the back door. While she waited, she turned and glanced at the well-kept stable that served the Lady Luck’s clientele.

  As she did so the door finally opened, and a woman in her early fifties asked what she wanted. When Maren turned to her, the woman stared for a moment before smiling in recognition and inviting the young woman before her inside. “Is it really you, Miss Maren?” the cook and head housekeeper asked.

  “Yes, Mary,” Maren responded, happy to see the cook’s warm blue eyes. The older woman’s brown hair was slightly streaked with gray now, but only a few lines had etched her genial face. “It’s so good to see you. Tell me how you have been,” she said quickly, sounding a little like Marc.

  “Mister Eric told me you were back. What took you so long to visit me?” Mary Malone teased, pulling out a chair for Maren in the kitchen. “Sit down, child. You’re the one with all the news. Speak up.”

  Maren laughed. She was fond of this woman she had known for so many years. Mary had always made her think of a kindly grandmother, even though the woman had no children and had been widowed since twenty. Maren had often wondered why Mary had not remarried. Mary was pretty and not excessively plump, yet she had been content to prepare light meals and refreshments for Lady Luck’s patrons and to keep the gambling establishment clean from top to bottom.