Fortune's Flames

by Janelle Taylor

  “I know, Dan, and it worries me.” She revealed her assailants words to her father’s old friend.

  To mislead her, Dan responded skeptically. “You aren’t saying you believe that malarky about Eric’s innocence?”

  “No, I’m sure it was meant to deceive me, yet I can’t help but wonder if Eric’s men are not harassing me on their own.”

  Dan pretended to think over her words before seeming to concur. “I have to admit it seems rash for your cousin to institute schemes which point toward him as the guilty party. And I think you’re right about him being too smart to be responsible for your current troubles. I believe we should begin a serious search for the real culprit, but right now let’s get you home.”

  “Not like this, Dan. We could be seen in the carriage or someone might come to work early. I don’t want anyone to know about this incident. My mother’s trunks are still here. I’ll find something in them to put on.”

  After dragging George’s body out of the room, Dan joined Ned and Harry while Maren searched for a gown to wear. Having found one she could get into alone, she hurriedly donned it. Then she tried to rearrange her hair and put on her bonnet, aware it didn’t match the yellow muslin dress which Carlotta James had owned. She rolled the torn gown and chemise into a ball and took them with her. She would destroy them at Lady Luck.

  Before leaving, she looked around the storage room, grateful that she had no more than bruises and scuffs to show for her time there. Once outside, she thanked the men for their timely rescue.

  Maren was escorted back to Lady Luck by three protective men. Then Mary prepared a hot bath and she soaked in it until the water was cold. As she dried herself, a dismayed Maren saw bruises forming on her arms and legs, especially on the inner surfaces of her thighs. And she had scratches on her chest made by ragged fingernails. Tears filled her eyes as she recalled how those vicious men had abused her.

  And this time she could not prevent herself from crying. She needed the cleansing effect of the tears. She wished Jared were there to hold her. “Jared, my love, my husband, please beware of those around you,” she whispered.

  Mary checked on her several times that evening, and when Maren told her what had happened at the warehouse, the older woman blamed herself for not preventing her charge from leaving with the sailor. “I’m so sorry, Miss Maren. I would die if any harm came to you. We promised Mr. Morgan we’d look after you day and night. We’ll have to be more careful. Those ruffians are dangerous beasts, unfit to live on God’s earth.”

  On Thursday Maren kept to her room and again went over the papers in the hidden compartment. She couldn’t forget what her attackers had said about Eric, and she wondered if his cohort was betraying him. If so, how could she and Jared make use of that situation? She kept halting during her chore to worry about her husband. She knew Jared was smart and alert, but would he be careful enough on his own ship?

  In Howard Heath’s home, Dan Myers roughly shoved Heath against the wall as he berated him. “You bloody fool! I’ve warned you to settle down or you’ll put all of us in jail or in the cemetery. Those stunts with the stairs and the squirrels and that foul business you pulled yesterday will have the finger pointing right at me!”

  “Why would they suspect you, Myers?” Heath argued.

  “Because the timing indicates someone inside planned it. Jared and Maren are already on to Evelyn Sims. When Jared puts the grips on her, she’ll talk plenty, and then we’re all done for. Evelyn’s so stupid she visited Maren after her fall and let information slip. When Jared gets home and hears about this attack on Maren, he’ll be all over her, then over you.”

  “Not if Evelyn’s gone before morning and can never return.”

  “You’ll silence her for us? For good?”

  “With great pleasure. I won’t let no bitch betray me again.”

  Dan could not believe he was standing here discussing the cold-blooded murder of a woman. He changed the subject. “How did you pull off that warehouse trick?”

  “I had two notes ready to use Wednesday morning,” Howard boasted. “You and Jared left so I didn’t have to use but one, hers.”

  “What did the other note say?” Dan asked, to test the man’s wits.

  “That I knew who was behind the mischief and I would sell you two the information if you met me within an hour. I knew Jared would come running after I lured Maren out of the house. I had a trap set for him too, but he conveniently escaped it.”

  “What if Jared hadn’t left and he had responded to your note? He could have done in your men; then he would have known who’s involved.”

  “I didn’t sign the note, and it wasn’t in my handwriting. Ev wrote it.”

  “Did you destroy it?” Dan asked nervously.

  “Yep. But I’ll get Morgan the next time. He’s in our way, Dan, and his hide is mine. We can’t scare her out with him there.”

  “You’re a fool to challenge Jared, and a bigger one to go against Eric James’s orders and harm Maren. Lay low while I try to point the finger at him. Maybe I can get Maren to think Jared is romancing her to throw suspicion off of himself. I have to admit you’ve timed these accidents so that he’d be implicated, but I’m not sure Maren will fall for that. If you halt your pressure for now, perhaps she’ll kick him out for us.

  Then we can work on convincing her to sell out to Eric. That is the plan we’ll follow.”

  Howard was angry with Dan for killing his hirelings, and he had no intention of following Dan’s advice. “I’ll take care of Evelyn tonight. And I’ll leave them alone for a while,” he added deceitfully.

  On Friday afternoon, the wine delivery was made again and the manager paid the men. As Maren, Dan, and Mary were checking the cases of wine before putting it in the cellar, one of the female dealers rushed into Lady Luck. “Evelyn Sims is dead!” she cried excitedly. “She fell and broke her neck last night.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was almost closing time when Jared returned from his successful raid on the British ship in Mobile Bay. The pirate captain of the Sea Serpent, René Blanc, had not sailed last week as planned. Instead the Water Snake had used his ship and crew to help Captain Hawk defeat their mutual foe. It was evident to Jared, from viewing confiscated official papers and using his intuition, that the British were plotting assaults on the Gulf states. Mobile and New Orleans were vital ports, and the British must be prevented from taking them so they could reach America’s vulnerable belly.

  It was common knowledge that Andrew Jackson had defeated the Creek Indians at Horseshoe Bend in March and that he was steadily making his way down the Tallapoosa and Alabama Rivers to head off a possible invasion at Mobile, which, according to American agents, was targeted for attack within the next few months. Jared could not allow the British and their sympathizers to stock up on supplies and become more prepared for battle than the Americans.

  As Jared was hurrying upstairs to see Maren, Dan called out to him and asked if he would wait until the employees were checked out so they could talk.

  Jared knew something was wrong. He’d noticed how alert the guards were. He headed into the kitchen, and asked Mary Malone what was going on, but she said Dan should explain the trouble to him.

  “Is Maren all right, Mary?” he asked worriedly, hardly able to keep himself from rushing upstairs.

  “She’s fine, Mister Jared. There was big trouble after you left Wednesday, but Dan wants to explain it to you.”

  Having finished his nightly task of collecting and counting the money, Dan joined Jared at the kitchen table. The manager carefully outlined the attack on Maren in the warehouse, and his rescue of her. Then he informed Jared of Evelyn Sims’s death. Finally he described the precautions he had taken during Jared’s absence. By that time both men were tired so they agreed to discuss the situation further over Sunday dinner on the following day.

  About ten minutes later Jared eased himself into the bed beside his wife. “Maren,” he murmured near her ear. “I�
�m home, love.”

  Aroused by his voice and touch, she happily entered his embrace. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

  “I’m safe, love,” he vowed and kissed her. “And Dan told me what happened on Wednesday. I’m sorry, love. You were lured into that trap because of me. From now on any message I send will be brought by Kip or Dan, no one else.”

  “I was so afraid you had been lured away, that someone was going to try to kill you. What happened? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, Mrs. Morgan. I’ve had my crew for years, and I trust every one of them. What’s more, my mission was successful.”

  She repeated what her captors had said, and surmised, “Maybe they were trying to mislead me about Eric, or someone may be betraying him. I doubt Howard Heath or Samuel Lewis would have the courage to do that. Marc isn’t smart enough to try, and Mr. Andrews is too smart to attempt it.”

  “Could be. We’ll know when your cousin returns. But if he doesn’t, we will expose his deceit, produce the real deeds, and clear up this trouble.”

  “Dan has had me guarded every minute, but he and I both think they’ll back off for a while. Why do you suppose Evelyn Sims was killed? Dan told you about her accidental fall, didn’t he?” Maren stressed the word accidental.

  “Yes, and I doubt it was an accident. Strange, it sounds almost like your accident on the stairs. Maybe she demanded more money for spying on us, or perhaps she knew too much and whoever she worked for thought we were on to her.”

  “I told you she acted funny the other day when we talked. Actually, she’s acted strange ever since I returned to New Orleans.” Maren described her conversations with the redheaded Evelyn. “I told Dan to watch her closely, but it’s too late to learn anything from her now. Mary remembered that Evelyn came to Lady Luck the day of my fall, while you and I were at Samuel Lewis’s office and Dan was out getting supplies. Mary didn’t think anything about it until Evelyn’s death.”

  “What did Mary say Evelyn wanted?”

  “Evelyn told her she’d left her purse under the bar. Mary was hanging out wash at the time, so she didn’t see what Evelyn did inside.”

  “She probably loosened that step to set up your fall.”

  “That’s what Dan thinks. He tried to hire men to follow Heath and Lewis, but both men have left town for a while. I wonder why.”

  “To elude my wrath and my questions,” Jared replied. “Knowing that Evelyn was here on that day doesn’t prove she was responsible for your fall or that she was working for Eric, or Heath. We need evidence the law will accept. Somebody is usually here day and night. Who else would have access besides me, you, Mary, and Dan?”

  “As far as I know, we are the only people who have keys, but Eric gave me a set. He could have had another, or perhaps someone simply got in without a key. You are able to do that.”

  “Yes, but I don’t do it here. Your father was a smart man; Lady Luck has locks that are hard to pick. Still, I think I’ll have a locksmith come over Monday and change all of them. That way we’ll know only four people have keys.”

  “That’s a marvelous idea, Jared. I feel relieved. Now, tell me about your mission.”

  He smiled. “It was successful, but I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Mary is preparing dinner for us and Dan is coming at four so we can discuss our situation at length. Right now,” he murmured, getting out of bed, “I want to see for myself you’re not injured.” He lit the two lamps that stood on night tables on either side of the bed, and rejoined her.

  “Jared, I’m fine. Dan rescued me before they… harmed me.”

  “I should have been here to protect you. I wish I had slain those bastards. They don’t know how lucky they are that Dan killed them. I would have put them through hell first.”

  Jared’s tawny eyes roamed her face, then traveled downward. His rage built when he noticed the scratches and bruises on her satiny skin. Dan had told him the condition he had found Maren in when he’d reached the warehouse, and Jared hated to think that any man would touch her intimately, cruelly, vulgarly. He wanted to beat the two men, to cut off the hands and lips that had touched his wife. Only Dan Myers’s wit and courage had prevented Maren from being badly injured or slain. Jared decided he could not expose her to more perils. He would take her to Savannah and she could stay at Shady Rest Plantation with Willa Barns Morgan and the two children. Willa wouldn’t like that situation, but that was too bad. Right now, Maren’s safety came first. When Jared recalled Willa’s hands and lips on him, he realized how Maren must have felt when those two men had touched her. He decided that very soon he would tell Maren about Willa, Catharine, and Steven Morgan.

  Noticing his serious expression, Maren gently teased him. “As you can see, Mr. Morgan, I was hoping you would return tonight.” Upon retiring she had not donned a nightgown.

  “You knew I would be starving for the sight of my beautiful wife,” Jared responded.

  He then kissed each scratch and bruise on her body before his soothing lips comforted her sore breasts. His caresses were gentle, for he was grateful that she was alive and uninjured, almost uninjured. He gazed at the darkened spots on her flesh, wanting to make them vanish beneath his adoring lips. Then his lips traveled over her flat stomach and kissed the discolored areas on her shapely thighs, bruised by cruel hands. As he realized how forcefully she had tried to defend herself, he ached at knowing he had not been there to help her. His mouth kept brushing against the bluish spots and his tongue kept passing over them as if he could wash away the evidence of his lack of protection.

  Maren sighed and squirmed as his lips tantalized her. She had not known her inner thighs could be so sensitive, so thrilled by attention; her body was tingling and glowing. Then, suddenly, she inhaled and stiffened as she felt his hot breath teasing her cottony-soft maidenhair, and her entire body came alive with wanting. When his tongue parted her furry lower lips and made contact with her straining peak, she moaned aloud and her body writhed with delight. The longer he caressed her there, the more rapture she knew, despite the tension building within her.

  Jared feasted on her, his lips creating sheer bliss, his hands stimulating her further; then his lips, hands, and manhood gave her the greatest pleasure of all….

  Afterward as they lay in each other’s arms, she was filled with amazement as she reflected on the many ways to make love. She asked softly, “Is it also that wonderful when a woman pleasures a man?”

  “Yes, my love,” he murmured, kissing her shoulder and neck.

  “Teach me what to do,” she coaxed, wanting to share all with him.

  “On another night, my inquisitive wife. It’s nearly dawn.”

  That Sunday afternoon, Dan Myers arrived at three-thirty. While Mary and Maren completed the dinner and prepared the table, he and Jared sat in the front room and discussed the problems facing them.

  “The thing which worries me most, Jared,” Dan said, “is how they knew when to strike. How could they have found out you were leaving?”

  Jared glanced at the man who had managed Lady Luck for years. “Surely you don’t think I had anything to do with this peril?”

  “Certainly not, but someone timed Maren’s abduction to the minute. Who knew you would be called away Wednesday, and when it would happen?”

  “Only my most trusted friend and the man who sent the message to me. Even if they couldn’t be trusted, which is not the case, neither man had time to set up such a clever ruse. This was premeditated.”

  “I’ve been going over and over the plot in my head. What if the villain had two plans, one to lure you away and one to lure Maren away? When you suddenly left, he didn’t have to worry about getting you out of the house to get at her. Maybe we’re being watched, and maybe you eluded a second trap by leaving. You both might be in danger.”

  “I think you’re right, Dan. That sounds logical. How else could it have worked? Some bastard was awfully lucky Wednesday.”

  “I was hoping it was Howard Heath or Sam
uel Lewis so we could entrap them and end this madness, but they’re both out of town,” Myers responded.

  “I think I should take Maren with me when I leave,” Jared declared.

  But before he could say more, Dan argued, “That’s reckless, Jared. What if your ship’s sunk or captured? You don’t want Maren at the mercy of the British. She’ll be safer here with me and Ned and Harry. I won’t make any more mistakes. I’ve learned how cunning they are.”

  “Damn it, Dan, I just wish Eric James would return so I can take care of him. I don’t know how much longer I can stay around here. If Heath and Lewis were behind that attack, what’s to stop them from hiring more ruffians to harm Maren, or just to scare her?”

  “They know we’re on alert now and can’t be fooled again. With three of their men dead, they should back off for a while.” Dan added cautiously, “Maren and I have been giving this situation a lot of thought, Jared, and we don’t think Eric James would kill her. She’s like a sister to him. He might try to scare her or rough her up, but we doubt he would murder her. That means his men aren’t obeying his orders. If we scare them real good, they might retreat until he returns. Once he gets back, he’ll watch his moves for a while, and if this war ends soon, you’ll return before he gets the courage to go after her again. If not, I’ll see to her safety.”

  “We both know he stole her inheritance and hired these villains to torment her into selling out to him. Do you really think he wouldn’t kill her if she’s standing in his way? Maybe he’s crazy.”

  Dan shook his head, playing his cards artfully. “You’re letting your emotions cloud your thinking, Jared. I’ve been around Eric James for two years. He’s sly, he’s wicked, and he’s greedy; but I don’t think he’s crazy. James Shipping is mighty important to him. I think he’s decided to hold on to the firm even if he has to steal it from his cousin. But if he had wanted Lady Luck as badly, he would have found a way to take it before now; it’s been in his control for over a year. The more I think about it, the more I believe we’re looking in the wrong direction. I think his men are disobeying him, or somebody else wants Lady Luck, wants it badly enough to do anything to get it. Whoever that is could be taking advantage of Eric’s absence and your doubts. If we concentrate only on Eric James, the real villain might escape us.” Jared was intrigued. “Who, Dan? And why?” Dan Myers shrugged. He suddenly realized he had gotten too caught up in his story and had said some things that might draw Jared’s attention to him. “I’ll have to think about that some more. Lady Luck’s a beautiful and grand lady, and she’s worth a fortune. Lots of men have offered to buy her. But don’t worry about Maren if you have to leave. I’ll keep my eye on her.”