Behind Your Eyes

by Susannah Woods

  Rifling through the desk, she found a stack of parchment and a pen. She thought for a moment, then she began to write to her mother. In it, she told her mother that she had always endeavored to be a good daughter and that, even though Sophia had forced her marriage, Anne forgave her and told her she finally understood the motivations behind it. She prayed her mother would forgive her for running away and explained why she had done it and knew, deep in her heart, her mother would understand. She had seen her mother fight for her father's life. Sophia knew what love really meant.

  Next, she wrote to Alex. This one was just for her, she would never show it to him. Pouring her soul into her letter, she told him that she loved him and that she always would. She understood that part of love was letting him go and do the things he must, but another part of it was fighting together. Tears spilled onto the letter and she set the parchment aside to dry.

  Sometime later, she stood and collected her letters. As she did, another sheet fell to the ground.

  Charles-

  Tonight is the night. Be sure you are here at half ten.

  -A.M.

  What a cryptic note. A.M. must be Alex. What is going on tonight? It had to be something involving Barnsley. If so, she wanted to be there. If only to avenge the plantation workers' deaths. Maria came to mind again. Yes, yes she would be there.

  She would be there at ten.

  Rushing upstairs, she washed her face with cold water. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon but it would be hours before anyone was up and about. Lying back down, she closed her eyes and, mercifully, slept.

  ******

  Precisely at ten P.M., Alex was sitting coolly in a chair in a rented townhouse parlor. The servants had been given the night off with instructions to stay away until well after midnight. Charles and Jack were due in half and hour and he could handle Louisa until then.

  A light knock sounded at the door and he stood, not bothering to look at the clock. He knew it was ten and he knew who it was waiting on the other side of the door. Casually opening it, he saw a cloaked figure on the steps. He drew in a breath and feigned pleasure.

  “Ah, my darling, you have arrived at last.”

  The hood dropped, revealing his wife, his beloved Anne.

  His face was ashen in an instant.

  “What the hell are you doing here,” he demanded, pulling her inside.

  Muffling a cry of outrage, Anne pulled away from him and demanded an answer of her own.

  “Who exactly is 'your darling'? Let me guess, Louisa? Am I right?”

  She did not give him a chance to answer, just pushed on his chest and spat out, “you bastard!”

  When he still did not respond, she slapped him hard across the face. He let her, knowing he deserved it. The anger had flown from him the moment her palm connected with his cheek. He took another deep breath and tried again calmly.

  “Anne, what are you doing here?”

  “I saw your missive to Charles. I thought I would help.”

  “No. You cannot help with this. And how the bloody hell did you get to New Orleans?”

  “I came by boat and hackney, if you must know.”

  “All the way from our island? Traveling by yourself? Are you insane?”

  “Apparently,” she spat back.

  “Listen to me carefully. You cannot be here. Charles, Jack, and I have rented rooms in the Quarter. Go and stay there. You will be safe,” he instructed.

  “I have been there. I refuse to leave now.”

  “Anne, please be reasonable. I am your husband. I command you to leave at once.”

  “Command? Oh, that's grand. You just love to command me. Well, as your wife, I demand to stay.”

  Why did he bother? She was never going to listen to him.

  “Alex, I am not here as your lover, if that is what you think.”

  Her soft tone broke through his heart.

  “I did not presume you were.”

  “I am only here because of Maria and William and Stephen and all the other workers at your plantation. I was there, Alex. I saw what that monster did. I want to be here when you get her.”

  “Her? You mean the duchess?”

  “Yes, the duchess. She did it, Alex. I can't believe you didn't see that.”

  “You cannot be serious.” The look on her face told her she was.

  “How did you come by this information. Show me the proof.”

  “Are you defending her,” her eyes narrowed and he knew he was in serious trouble.

  “No, I am not. I just see reason. Louisa is coming to help me trap her husband,” he informed her.

  “Your whore is coming to assist you but your wife cannot.”

  Anger flared into his body again, causing his face to flame.

  “She is NOT my whore. But, yes, she is due any moment. Which is why you have to leave.”

  “What do you call her then? Your mistress. Whatever name you put on it, she is what she is,” Anne finished in a blasé tone. She had a cold and sophisticated air about her tonight that Alex did not care for. Where was his Anne?

  Anne made to move past Alex towards the parlor, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

  “She is not my mistress, either. I am not so low as to cheat on my wife. It was all a ruse.”

  “Well, you certainly did a fine job of convincing all of Louisiana you and she are sleeping together. It was a fine performance. I am so happy I happened to be in attendance.”

  The pain she had inflicted to his face was nothing compared to his heart at the realization she had been at the Benoit's ball.

  Reaching out to hold her, to soothe her, she backed away from his touch. He deserved that too. At that precise moment, a knock sounded at the door.

  Whispering to her, he demanded she go upstairs to his chambers and he promised to explain everything later. Running up the stairs, she was careful not to trip. When she was out of sight, Alex schooled his features and opened the door.

  Louisa was already tipsy, he noted. She had not bothered to hide her head, as Anne had done. It seemed she preferred to dress scantily on this chilly night.

  “Ah, darling,” Louisa said, pushing past him to the entryway. She led the way into the parlor and, wasting no time, headed for the sherry.

  He chuckled at her enthusiasm for drink. “Have you been imbibing already, pet?”

  “Just a little celebratory drink or two before I came over.”

  “Then you won't mind if I join you,” he asked while sidling over to her.

  “Hardly,” she purred.

  Anne had not bothered to go to Alex's bedchamber. She had turned the corner then waited for the couple to disappear before she crept back downstairs. She surmised the best place to spy on them was on the stairs.

  As Anne watched in secrecy, Alex slid up to Louisa, poured himself a drink, and moved to close the door, thereby shutting out Anne's curiosity. She crept down the stairs slowly, careful not to make a sound. She was sure that Louisa was not drunk enough to ignore the squeaks and groans of the house.

  Meanwhile, Alex was trying to prevent Louisa from drinking too much. He had to get some information out of her first. The clock on the mantle struck half ten and Alex smiled, knowing Charles and Jack were sneaking into the back at this precise moment. He was also aware that Anne was in his bedchamber. The thought made him painfully aroused.

  Unfortunately, Louisa noticed. She smiled in her cat-like way.

  “I see you are more than ready for me,” she observed.

  Oh, damn.

  She tried to crudely fondle him and it was all he could do to keep the disgust off his face. He wondered how long he could keep this up. He needed to act fast. Looking around the room, he spotted the fire was dwindling in the grate.

  “Are you cold, my darling? I can throw a couple of logs on the fire, if you would like.”

  She smiled a bleary smile that he took as an affirmative answer. Extricating himself from her greedy hands, he quickly paced to the fireplace, k
nelt, and threw two logs in.

  After a little poking around, the fire was roaring once more. Now that was done, the interrogation could begin.

  Alex turned to her, still kneeling by the fire.

  “Tell me, darling, does your husband have a partner in his smuggling business?”

  Her face betrayed her emotions as she was taken aback by his question.

  “I have no idea. I didn't know he was in the smuggling business. Why do you care?”

  Alex shrugged as he stood from the fireplace, dusting his hands.

  “As you know, my business is doing well. We have had some setbacks, but nothing that we could not recover from. As I understand it, your husband is near penniless.”

  “Who told you that?” She asked with suspicion.

  “No one of consequence. Your husband is still a man of great influence in this world. I would like to propose a partnership.”

  “Partnership?” She was intrigued.

  “Yes. With my money and his influence, we could rule this world. With his backing, we could crush all the competition and be the only smugglers in all of Louisiana.”

  Louisa giggled. He could see she was very interested now. He kept going, trying to appeal to her avarice.

  “With this merger, you would be so powerful, the Regent himself would beg your affections. As my mistress, I would lavish expensive baubles on you. As the duchess, you would still enjoy the privileges of your title. We could travel to England and you could live there as long as you wanted.”

  Louisa squealed with delight. Wrapping his arms around her, he continued the charade.

  “We could rule the world. If we merged our strengths, we could conquer so much more than just New Orleans. We could buy a tea plantation in China, a tobacco farm in Virginia. We could buy whatever you wanted. And no one would stop us.”

  “Except me,” an uninvited guest said from the doorway. Both Louisa and Alex swiveled towards the door as a large man stood in the doorway. Next to him there was a smaller, dark-haired boy. And in the boy's hand was a gun. And the gun was pressed to Anne's temple. Oh, dear God.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “I left Spain shortly after your mother's funeral. I didn't grieve long, for I had a job to do. I had to raise my sons.”

  Suddenly the whole thing became very clear to Alex. Keep calm, Alex thought. Don't betray Anne. Louisa had played him a fool, Anne was right! She had meant to seduce him to lead him off the trail. A trail that would have led him straight to her.

  “Geoffrey, what a pleasant surprise. The earl was just telling me how he would like to ally himself with my husband. Too bad my husband will be dead soon,” Louisa laughed ruthlessly; then, “Where did you find the chit?”

  “She was listening with her ear pressed to the door,” the large man finally chimed in.

  Alex was about to play a dangerous game and he prayed that Anne would play along.

  “How did you get in here,” he fumed at Anne, “who let you in?”

  Anne faltered for a heartbeat but, God Bless her, she played right into his hands.

  “No one,” she said proudly, her chin in the air, “I came in through the servant's entrance. It was unlocked.”

  “Well,” Alex countered, his eyes narrowed, “I shall have to dismiss someone come morning.”

  “Do not blame anyone, I had to see you. Please, come back to me,” Anne pleaded a little melodramatically, but no one caught on.

  Alex did not want to hurt Anne but he had to be harsh.

  “Come back to you? You may be my wife, but I find you boring.”

  “You said you loved me,” she nearly wailed.

  “Love? Did I tell you that? Really, I must stop telling these tarts that I love them. Gets quite messy sometimes,” he said to the room at large. “Listen, Anne, whatever I said when I bed you, I did not mean. Accept it.”

  The three other occupants in the room watched with curious interest at the exchange.

  Anne began to cry. What a little actress, Alex thought.

  “Alright, enough,” the man named Geoffrey roared, “I would just like to know what is going on with this little proposition you two seem to be indulging in.

  The large man gestured towards Alex and Louisa with a fat finger.

  “Not that it is any of your business, sir, but Louisa and I are speaking of her husband. And since he is to be dead soon, I would like to know how she proposes to continue with this alliance.”

  “Oh, but darling, it is Geoffrey's business,” Louisa finally cut in.

  “Well, then, why don't we send the girl out of here and talk some business,” Alex suggested.

  “I think I would like to keep the tart for later,” Geoffrey eyed her and ran a pudgy hand over her covered breast. Anne looked away in shame and contempt.

  Alex shrugged again, “Suit yourself. Your man can take her upstairs for now if you would like. Top of the stairs, to the right, fifth door on the left,” Alex directed the young assassin. Right to Charles and Jack.

  Geoffrey came further into the room and accepted the half-full brandy glass that Alex offered to him.

  “Now then, Geoffrey, is it? Since you seem to know more about this than I do, maybe you can explain what you are planing. Then I will fill you in on my business proposition.”

  As Alex was finishing re-filling his own brandy glass, he found himself staring down the muzzle of a pistol. What startled him most was that it was Louisa holding the weapon.

  “I think making millions is a great idea, Alex, I just think that Geoffrey and I could make it easier without you or Barnsley,” Louisa said, suddenly cold sober.

  Alex tried to pretend nonchalance. “You surprise me, darling. One moment you cannot wait tear my clothes off, the next you want to rip my heart out. Don't you love me anymore,” he teased.

  Quoting him as he had done a few moments earlier she responded tartly with,

  “Whatever I said to get you into bed, I didn't mean. You were seduced. Accept it.”

  Alex had never wanted to hit a woman in his life until this moment.

  “Bravo, my dear. Your crocodile tears were most convincing. I never suspected you had a liaison of your own. Do you ignore your husband the way he ignores you? Do you flaunt your affaires in his face?”

  Louisa seemed to take no offense at his insult. Smirking, she turned her attention to her lover.

  “Pet, do see if you can tie him up. Maybe we can bring down the little wench to watch him die. It would be ever so entertaining.”

  Geoffrey did as she asked, tying Alex to the nearest chair. Then he left the room and headed up the stairs.

  “Tell me, Your Grace, whose idea was this?”

  “Mine, of course. That fool I married has no idea how to make money. So, I set up the little smuggling operation and convinced Geoffrey to lure my husband in. It worked so well, too.”

  “Why me? If you had what you needed, why me?”

  “You were always so trusting, so foolish. I always hated your success. As a matter of fact, this has little to do with sugar. I could care less about that little sugar plantation of Barnsley's. Or yours, for that matter. I simply wanted that stupid husband of mine out of the way. I learned of his near bankruptcy and I knew of your prosperity. I just set it up so that Barnsley would take the fall. I knew if you did not kill him, he would be sent to prison. By the time everyone realized what had happened, Geoffrey and I would be in France, or wherever.”

  “And my brother,” Alex asked quietly.

  “He started nosing around. Just like your friend Chris. Chris seduced my ladies' maid to find information on me. I thought I could get more information from him, so I decided to keep him alive. You do not know how close he was to death.”

  “And now you plan to kill me. Quite a trail of bodies you are leaving,” Alex admonished.

  The Duchess of Barnsley was so calm, so calculating. How foolish he had been! He had pitied her and played right into her hands. No matter, Charles and Jack were right upstair
s.

  Louisa paced to the fire, sipped her sherry, played with the gun a bit. He could tell she was a little impatient.

  “Where is that bloody man?” She murmured to herself.

  “You know, you are not fooling anyone. I can see how you feel about the little tart,” Louisa baited him.

  “What are you talking about,” Alex responded carefully.

  “That girl, you love her, don't you?”

  “No, as it happens, I do not,” he lied.

  Louisa laughed again, “Yes, you do. You cannot keep that disgusting look off of your face. It is plain in your eyes. You love her.”

  “I really don't know what you are talking about, Your Grace.” Alex was getting very angry, straining at the ropes.

  “No, matter,” Louisa shrugged, “you will be dead soon. Just like the others. Except for Chris. But no one can connect those crimes to me.”

  “Oh, Your Grace, there is where you are wrong. You see, I saw it happen. And I know who did it.”

  Both Louisa and Alex swiveled to the door once again, this time to see a confident Anne holding a cocked gun straight at Louisa.

  “Well, well,” Louisa sang, “The girl has come back. Carrying a gun, too. How heroic,” Louisa scoffed contemptuously.

  “Where is Geoffrey?” Louisa demanded, when Anne did not respond.

  “Sleeping. You see, my cousin Charles just happened to be upstairs when your hired thug came up. Geoffrey was no problem for the two of us. He has a huge bump on his head about the size of a pistol butt,” Anne smile triumphantly.

  “Where is your precious cousin, then? He saved you twice from harm, you might need him a third time,” Louisa sneered.

  “No,” Anne responded, “I needed help with those two, but you...well, you I can handle.”

  Anne was tired, frustrated, and worn down. She had all she could possibly take for two lifetimes. This woman had caused the man she loved so much heartbreak. This was the woman who made it impossible for Alex to trust her, to love her. This was the woman responsible for the deaths of so many people. Not just Phillip, but all of those on the plantation. All those poor men, women, and children. Anne could still see the burns, still see the people writhing in pain. And this was the woman who had caused the pain. The hate grew in her heart and if Louisa intended to stand in her way, she would suffer the same fate as the two men upstairs.