The Black Swan

by Day Taylor

  "Dulcie!" Enid's whisper was shocked. "The boys are only havin' fun!"

  Dulcie watched with apparent interest as rider after rider passed under the high-hanging gander. Andrew Whit-aker got his hand severely bitten as the gander struck a lucky blow. But the gander was doomed. His strikes became fewer as he tired. Then suddenly it was over. Leroy Biggs let out an ear-splitting yell as the gander's head came off in his hand.

  Dulcie's heart was hardly in the presentation of the engraved silver loving cup, though she was glad that Leroy, with his outrageously suggestive eyes, had won.

  "Miss Dulcie, as champion, I'm claimin' you now for all the reels."

  She gave him her sweetest smile. Leroy excelled at any-thmg physical, including dancing. "Of course, Leroy. I can hardly wait."

  "And will you sit by me at dinner?'*

  Dulcie put her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Fve promised Glenn."

  "Now that's a shame, Miss Dulcie, a real shame." His gaze slid to Enid.

  Glenn appeared quietly beside Dulcie, looking downcast, as she had expected.

  "Glenn, I loved your ridin' today!" she gushed. "You went through those arches like a thunderbolt, your lance shinin' like a knight of old! I was so proud of you when you just snatched that ring!"

  Glenn attempted to look humble. "It was just luck. I'm not really good at things, Dulcie."

  "Not good! How can you say such a silly thing! Here you are, part of the Queen's Court! You don't see everybody up here, do you?"

  "Well . . ."

  "Hasn't all that glorious exercise whetted your appetite? Now you just come along with me, an' I'll see that Violet heaps your plate with the best of everythin'!" Dulcie's voice soothed and encouraged and led. // is all wrong, she thought. Here I am comforting Glenn, and he's supposed to be the strong one. If I marry someone like him, it will always be like this: I'll have to tell him he's wonderful; it will be my duty. No one would ever have to tell that stranger he was wonderful.

  Lowell Hume, seated on Dulcie's left, leaned over boldly and kissed her on the neck. Dulcie squealed girlishly. Glenn got up from his seat, scowling fiercely at the intruder. "Suh, I must ask you to remove yourself to another chair. You are annoyin' Miss Dulcie."

  "My apologies, suh," Lowell answered. "I'd-a never suspected Miss Dulcie was promised to you." Still, he made no move to rise.

  Glenn was left standing there speechless. He tried once more. "As a gentleman, you must be familiar with the code of duelin'? You have offended me, and I wish to call you out, suh."

  It had gone too far. Dulcie stood up, her plate slithering across the grass. "Glenn! Lowell! I beg you to recollect this is my birthday party! I'm askin' you, as gentlemen, not to spoil it. Glenn, do I have your word?" She riveted him with her amber eyes, and his hot gaze fell.

  He mumbled, "I only thought to defend your honor."

  "Miss Dulcie, I'm not lackin* in personal courage, but I see no purpose to be served by woundin' or—" Lowell added with evident relish—"killing a human bein' of such negligible value as Mr. Saunders."

  Glenn would have sprung on him, but Dulcie put her arm between them. "Glenn, you gave your word. LoweU?'*

  "Miss Dulcie, it's my pleasure to promise anythin' you might ask." He bowed low, flicked a crumb from his handsome waistcoat, and sauntered off toward Camille Whitaker. Glenn glared after him.

  Everyone was watching. Dulcie, smiling flirtatiously, tucked her hand under Glenn's arm. "I think a short walk would do us both good."

  Once they had strolled out of sight and hearing of the others, she turned on him. "I hope you're satisfied, Glenn Saunders! All by yourself, you've ruined my birthday party for me!"

  "But Dulcie, I"—^he stopped, his mouth still working.

  "You may call me Miss Dulcie! You've forgotten I'm not yet promised to any man! Your possessiveness has become extremely tedious. If I want to talk, dance, or walk in the moonlight with other men, I will!"

  He nodded miserably. "I'm sorry. I only—^"

  Her mood changed, lightninglike. "I believe I would like a little more of that punch, wouldn't you, Glenn?"

  He looked at her, bewildered. "Well, ah, I guess I— "

  "We'd better go back to the party."

  "You're not angry with me anymore?"

  "Oh! You are a fool! Yes, I'm angry! But I have guests, and I want them to have a good time even if I don't!'*

  "Dulcie—^Miss Dulcie—^I only did it because I lo-lo—^" he seemed on the verge of expiring, then gulped and said, "love you."

  At any other time Dulcie would have answered in the accepted manner, never revealing her own feelings at all. Instead, irritated beyond measure, she said, "Well, that's your misfortune!" and kept on walking, with Glenn scurrying to keep pace with her.

  He evidently thrived on such treatment, for early that evening he was at her elbow, reminding her that he had the first waltz.*Dulcie looked up into his honest, loving, and hopelessly commonplace face. "I'm sorry I got so huffy this afternoon. I know you were only doin' what you thought was right. I was so rude to yoit! Can you forgive

  me, Glenn?" She drew out his name lingeringly, so that it was almost like a gentle touch of her hand. She knew he would think her words far more meaningful than a simple apology and that later she would once again have to extricate herself from what he read into them.

  She danced with him, smiling until her cheeks ached. Then she was whirled away by first one then another to whom she had promised dances. Leroy's turn came during the reels. He led her through them with such tireless vigor that even Dulcie was winded and, as she had feared, sweating.

  "It surely has been fun dancin* with you, Leroy," she said, still smiling. "You're very light on my feet."

  Leroy laughed and laughed. "Oh, that's funny. Miss Dulcie! Light on your feet!" He seemed to enjoy himself so much that Dulcie laughed too. Eventually Leroy got himself under control. "Care for some of your birthday potion? It's mighty agreeable and refreshin'. I'll get it for you."

  "Please. I'll just go sit on the veranda a moment."

  "I'll find you, don't you worry. You jes' get comfortable now, an' we can have a nice little chat.'*

  By the time he had made his painstaking way across the ballroom with two cups, Dulcie was surrounded by Todd and Roberta, Enid, Camille, and Lowell. To her relief Glenn was not in sight.

  Leroy jostled his way jovially through the laughing group. "Here y'are, Miss Dulcie! A cup o' cool punch, jes' the thing to quench your thirst after dancin' so light-footed—so light—now, what was it you said that made me have that fit?"

  "I—I forget," she said, not wishing to start him up again.

  "Miss Dulcie has a marvelous wit," Leroy explained to Todd. "After we (Janced the reels, she said to me, um, well, what she said was—'*

  Dulcie took pity on him and repeated the thin joke. Then the others laughed, as much at Leroy as at her remark. He might not know it or care, but Dulcie did. When the music began again, Lowell asked her to dance. *Thank you, Lowell, but I'm goin' to rest a little longer."

  "Yes, Miss Dulcie and I are goin' to have a quiet talk," said Leroy.

  Dulcie eyed him with some misgivings as the others left them alone.

  "Let's take a little stroll, shall we. Miss Dulcie? The breeze down by the folly is mighty pleasant."

  "Fine, Leroy. But we can't linger. I've promised the very next dance to Andrew Whitaker."

  Gallantly he held out his arm. They walked slowly over the grass, blue with moonlight. "Miss Dulcie, there's some-thin' I've been thinkin' on."

  She said nervously, "Leroy, do you know anythin' about stars? There's one big bright one peepin' over the top of the folly."

  "No, ma'am, I don't know very much about stars. But I been thinkin' about this for some long time now, an'—"

  "It's real bright, and almost red—'*

  "An* what I think is, it might be pretty nice."

  "Oh, look, the sky is just full of them!'*

  His voice was reproachful.
"Miss Dulcie honey, you aren't payin' no never mind to what I'm sayin*. I'm gonna have to remedy that.**

  Dulcie gulped, and grasped at one last straw. "I*m sorry, Leroy, it's just that the night is so beautiful— ^*

  "It*s like every other autumn night. If you want to talk about somethin' beautiful, we'll talk about you, Miss Dulcie. You're the most beautiful critter that ever walked the earth.**

  "Why, th-thank you.'*

  "I want you to consent to be my wife.*'

  Her careful training was doing her no good this evening. In fact, it had hardly done her any good all day long. She said breathlessly, "I didn't know you were interested in me!"

  "Yes, ma'am, I'm interested. Mighty interested. I like the way you talk an* laugh an' the way you move an' sit a horse an' dance. 'Specially the way you dance, an' fit so fine in my arms—sort of like this."

  His arms encircled her, his face came near, shadowed in the deep twilight of the folly. She smelled the spicy tang of his shaving lotion, felt the strength of his arms. She shivered with a sensation so alien, yet so familiar, she didn't dare think of the man who had first stirred it "Leroy, you're presumin'— *'

  "You've got fine spirit, admirable sphit I've been ad-

  mirin' since you were fourteen. I figger I'm jes' about what you need."

  "You mustn't hold me so close—**

  "Sweetheart, you don't seem to be gettin' it through your lovely head that I'm declarin' my love for you and askin' you to be Mrs. Leroy Biggs."

  "Leroy . . . this is so—unexpected."

  He was holding her against him now, and somehow it wasn't totally unpleasant. "Don't you think that sounds fine? Dulcie Biggs?"

  Leroy lips were on hers in a kiss that was not suitable to give a lady, and his hard-muscled arms embraced her with an insistence completely incompatible with the South-em idea of feminine fragility. She tried to turn away, but his mouth stayed on hers until she realized she was kissing him back. Oh, it was thrilling to feel the hot chills in one's stomach and the shaking of the knees and the breathless-ness that went with the first real kiss!

  Leroy finally stopped kissing her, but he still held her, his face inches away from hers, his panted breath fanning her. "Miss Dulcie, dearest Dulcie, forgive me. But I love you so much . . . Dulcie!"

  Dulcie, dazed with some unmentionable desire, some hot longing so new to her that she didn't even know what she longed for, raised her mouth eagerly for him to kiss.

  They stood fused in the moonlight. The music had stopped. Light chatter and laughter floated toward the folly. She pulled away, coming groggily to her senses. "Leroy, I've got to go in! I told Andrew I'd— **

  Leroy chuckled. "That was three dances back! Forget about Andrew. You came out here to be with me. You will marry me?"

  "I ... I can't. I just—"

  "You jes' need time. I'll give you time, Dulcie. Ill give you a lot of things." Teasingly he pecked at her cheek. His eyes twinkled in the soft light "Do you like the way I kiss you?"

  Dulcie stood dumbstruck.

  Leroy grinned. "I got the idea you want me to kiss you some more."

  There was nothing Dulcie could say except, "Oh, Leroy!"

  "Guess we better do that again," he murmured. His hands slid gently up the sides of her waist under her breasts.

  "No! Please. I've absolutely got to go back into the house. Mama will be in a takin'! Could I give you your—" she gulped—"your answer later on? Next week maybe?"

  "I can wait. Long's it's not too long."

  Dulcie moved with unseemly haste. At the outside entrance to the servants' stairway she excused herself. "I'll just go fix my hair."

  "You look beautiful to me." Leroy moved toward her.

  Dulcie's teeth were chattering with nervousness. She escaped ignominiously and lifted her skirts to skim up the stairway to her room. "Claudine!" Where was she? She sat down and began gingerly to try to restore order to her hair. She banged the hairbrush down. "Claudine!"

  Claudine came out of her dressing room, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Miss Dulcie, Ah never heard you call. Why din't you call me?"

  "I did! Do something with my hair. Le—I've got it all tangled."

  "Mastah Glenn he'p you do this to yo' hair, Miss Dulcie?"

  "Glenn! I forgot about Glenn. Oh, Claudine, do hurry!"

  "Ah cain't hurry 'lessen you hoi' still. You ain't been messin' 'round with dat stranger agin, has you?"

  By the time Dulcie came downstairs, the music had begun again, and Glenn was standing alone, looking desolate. She went straight to him. Halfway across the room she saw Leroy, dancing with Roberta. His eye caught hers, holding it until Dulcie, blushing guiltily, was forced to look away.

  At the end of the minuet, Andrew and Lowell both came to claim their dances. Then Glenn was back. "Would you like to sit this one out with me?"

  Dulcie felt sorry for Glenn. He was fond of her and, given the slightest encouragement, would hang around her forever. But one proposal—so unexpected and still to be answered—was all she could cope with. "That's a very kind offer, but I promised Daddy this dance."

  "Dulcie, I want to talk with you!" he pleaded.

  Jem came up, beaming and smelling of liquor, and put his arm affectionately around his daughter. "Don't tell your mama I said so, but you're every bit as pretty as she is!" He winked. "Don't you think so?"

  Glenn said sadly, "With all due respect, prettier, Mr. Moran."

  Jem laughed. "For that, I'll give you my dance with her."

  "Daddy! You mean you'd dance with every woman in the county tonight and not even once with your own daughter?"

  Jem looked pleased. "Put that way, I've got no choice." He whirled off with Dulcie, his feet a little awkward from the punch bowl.

  Then came the last waltz before midnight supper, and Leroy to claim it. He held her lightly, correctly, never touching her body with his. Yet she was acutely aware of his muscular arms and the hard chest under his frock coat, and the warm glow that suffused his face and hers whenever their eyes met.

  At the end of the dance he bowed low, took her hand, and kissed it. "You won't forget my answer, Dulcie?"

  She smiled at him, reveling in his self-assured virility. "I'll remember."

  Hours later, lying in bed still awake and going over every minute of the day and evening, especially the evening, Dulcie felt herself go warm. The man in the loft didn't seem so terrible now. Suddenly she realized he had awakened her to something she really wanted.

  "I'm fallin' in love!" she whispered to the gray dawn. "In love with Leroy Biggs!"

  Chapter Three

  Dulcie slept past noon, woke full of vigor, and sprang out

  of bed. What she wanted most of all, after a warm bath

  and breakfast, was a long horseback ride.

  "Get out my riding habit, Claudine. I'll be going by

  myself," she added firmly, knowing fuU well Claudine's

  response.

  "No'm, you ain't. Last time Mastah Jem 'bout took a

  chunk o' mah hide."

  "Oh, he did not! He's never touched a servant in his

  life."

  "Ah knows dat, but he was thinkin' 'bout it.'*

  "Well, I need to be by myself this morning."

  "Miss Dulcie, Ah 'predates yo' needs, but mo* Ah 'pre-

  ciates Mastah Jem's head this mawnin'. He had hisseff a pow'ful good time yestiddy."

  "You'll have to keep your mouth shut, then."

  After a silence while she helped Dulcie into her riding breeches, Claudine asked, "Did Mastah Glenn p'pose to you?"

  Dulcie smiled. "No, he didn't."

  "He was jes' bustin' to ask you!" Dulcie continued to smile.

  "Somebody else proposed."

  "Mastah Todd? Mastah Cedric?"

  "Give up, Claudine. It was Leroy Biggs."

  "Mastah Leroy! Din't never think he gwine settle down to one woman. Bes' you watch yo'seff." She brushed Dulcie's hair with needless vigor.

  Dulci
e said dreamily. "He asked me beautifully. Very romantic, out in the moonlight by the folly."

  "Yes'm, that's where he'd want you to be,"

  "Everything was proper!"

  Claudine wasn't impressed. "You didn't lead him on none. Miss Dulcie?"

  "Lead him on? Claudine, I tried to lead him o§! But he had his mind make up,"

  "What you say to him?"

  "I told him I'd think about it. And that's why I want to ride alone."

  "Mastah Jem won't let you marry him, so's you doan have to think on it."

  "Why not?" Dulcie's eyes met Claudine's, startled. "Le-roy's a good person, kind, prosperous—^his daddy gave him a quarter of their plantation when he turned twenty-one, you remember."

  "Iffen Mastah Leroy had niggers choppin' cotton ovah de entire state of Jaw]ah, Mastah Jem still say no. He wants you to marry Mastah Glenn."

  "Oh, Glenn! Glenn is nothing but a big—^white-livered —poop!"

  "You din't say dat yestiddy, Miss Dulcie."

  "Oh, I know, but he makes me so angry. I wish he'd do—somthin'!"

  Claudine giggled. "Mastah Leroy musta done a fine job kissin' you. You sho' look like it when you come tearin' upstairs last evenin'."

  "Just fix my hair. I knew I didn't want to talk to you about it."

  Dulcie had already made up her mind she would take a long ride. She had to figure out a way of wording her reply to Leroy, something nearly as important as deciding what her decision would be. Claudine rode at her side. Not only did she respect Dulcie's need for privacy, but she was far more interested in one of the young men working in the field.

  "Miss Dulcie, you still wantin' to be alone?"

  "Since you've tagged along, that's hardly worth answering, is it?"

  "Could be it is. We's far 6nuf from de big house now, your daddy won't see. Could be Ah'll go visitin' some o* de fiel' ban's . . . iffen you wants to be alone," Claudine said sweetly.

  Dulcie's eyes twinkled. "My, but you're considerate of my wishes suddenly, Claudine. There must be a reason."

  "Nary a one," Claudine said sincerely.

  Dulcie giggled. "Do you mean there are two?"

  "Miss Dulcie! Mastah Jem doan 'low me to fool with no nigger bucks. He'd skin me an' use mah hide fo' a umbrella stand."