“I would have heard,” James countered.
“Not necessarily.”
“Why is that?”
“Women don’t always talk about such things.”
James was beginning to tire of the chase. “Amanda, if Henry has done something to a woman of this town, I must know about it. I can’t go accusing him of...”
“He promised to take a woman to a ball and instead took her to Port Cocodrie in the middle of the night in the hope of bribing her father into marrying her.”
The words had emerged without Amanda thinking of the consequences. She had promised herself she would give her father enough reasons to fire Henry without having to use herself as an example. But he kept prying, insisting on knowing more. Now she feared she had said too much. Her father stood behind her, silent, as if absorbing the meaning of her words. Amanda prayed he would not inquire more.
“If he did this, as you say he did, then he would be married now,” James said slowly. “I am not aware of Henry marrying anyone.”
“It’s true, Father. But Henry didn’t marry her.”
“And why is that?”
Amanda paused to catch her breath. “While he was off in search of her father, she met a friend and he brought her back to town.” That should suffice, Amanda thought. The young lady in question could have snuck back into town, no one the wiser.
“She never would have made it back into town before daybreak,” James argued.
Amanda closed her eyes tightly. She was digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole, and she saw no relief. Why couldn’t he just take her word? “Please, Father,” she whispered in a pleading voice. “Fire Henry.”
Amanda turned to look at her father and found his gaze more crushing than all of Tanner’s actions. Where she thought to find anger and blame, she found a man consumed by guilt, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He appeared anxious to say something, but his emotions kept the words from emerging. Amanda never felt so ashamed of anything in her life. She wanted to beg his forgiveness, to admit everything, but words would not come. Instead, father and daughter stood staring silently at one another while the parlor clock announced the passing moments.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the front door.
“Oh my God,” Amanda said. “It’s René.”
Staring at the front door of the Richardson household for the third time that week, René adjusted his cravat and waistcoat. He felt like Joshua approaching the walls of Gerico. Sooner or later he would make enough noise and the walls between their nationalities would come tumbling down.
He should be feeling apprehensive, he thought with a smile. But after the kisses his wife delivered last night, René could think of nothing else. If she cared for him, her father was easily a surmountable obstacle.
When the door opened, a pair of deep aquamarine eyes met his. After a quick glance at the street behind him and the hallway ahead, René snaked an arm about Amanda’s waist and planted a loving kiss upon her lips. She didn’t resist, but she didn’t return the kiss either. René looked down and found his wife’s face grave.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I can handle your father.”
Amanda said nothing but walked René to her father’s office at the back of the house. René knew the home well. The first time he took notice of every room, examining every painting, knickknack and servant. He wanted to familiarize himself with all the details of Amanda’s life so that when they courted he would have points of reference. The second time, when he had come only to impart news of their elopement, nothing had registered.
On this occasion, René wanted to reassure. Her father needed to know, even if René had told him twice before, that his daughter was in the best of hands, that René would face a dozen August hurricanes before letting anyone or anything hurt his beloved petite chou. The Judge had to understand that René was perfectly capable of providing a proper home for his daughter.
Amanda hesitated at the office threshold. René knew she was still skeptical about the meeting — even if he felt that her father was relenting — but her solemn demeanor made him wonder if something else had transpired that morning. When he looked over at the Judge and noticed his stern countenance as well, René began to worry.
“Has something happened?”
René’s words made the Judge come to life. “Come in, my boy,” he said, motioning for René to take a chair.
If the solemn mood didn’t convince René that something was amiss, the Judge’s familiarity sure did. He glanced back at Amanda hoping she would speak, but she had moved to the back window, staring vacantly out at the back garden. Amazingly, the Judge ignored her.
“My cook is visiting family and my housekeeper has gone for coffee,” James said. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”
René was prepared for many things, but politeness was not one of them. What on earth could have happened, he wondered?
“You must come over for dinner,” René offered. “My cousin Colette is a wonderful cook and she’s used to feeding an army. You’d be more than welcome at our table.”
René wanted to appear hospitable, but his offer sounded hollow. He again looked at Amanda for support, but her mind was elsewhere.
“Thank you, but Virginia has made do,” James replied.
“Perhaps another time, then.”
“Yes, another time.”
Amanda seemed to finally acknowledge what was being said and turned to join the conversation. “You and Gin must come out at the house one Sunday,” she said softly.
The Judge glimpsed at his daughter with what looked like pity. The change in the man was startlingly. “That would be nice,” James said.
The housekeeper René had seen on occasion burst through the back door, announcing to all that she had returned. Both the intrusion and the informal nature of the woman made René’s heart feel lighter. Even James and Amanda seemed to brighten at her arrival.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said entering the room. “Everyone seems to be at the market today.”
René and James both rose. “Virginia,” James said. “I’d like you to meet René Comeaux. Monsieur Comeaux, this is Virginia O’Neil, Amanda’s former nanny and the head of my household.”
René bowed politely, but not without first taking in her astonishingly brilliant auburn hair. Women with hair that color he nicknamed baieonne, referring to horses with chestnut manes. “It is a pleasure, Madame.”
Virginia placed her hands defiantly on her hips, but offered a cautious smile. “My pleasure, sir, would have been to know you before you became my charge’s husband.”
“It would have been my pleasure as well, madame,” René retorted, “particularly since I have heard nothing but wonderful reports about you. Unfortunately, destiny has proven otherwise.”
René shot James a sly glance, but James was not listening. This time, René was not alone in his concern.
“Has something happened?” Virginia asked.
“Why don’t you and Amanda get us some coffee,” James offered.
René couldn’t help but notice the chemistry between James and his employee. With one glance between them, whole conversations seemed to pass.
“Of course,” Virginia answered. Taking Amanda’s arm, she urged her from the room.
“But...I must..,” Amanda insisted, looking imploringly over at René.
“I’ll be fine,” he said with a grin.
As the door closed behind them and the Judge’s grave countenance remained unchanged, René began to doubt his words. James stood and walked toward the windows, staring out as his daughter had done. For the first time, René realized the room’s massive drapes were opened and sunlight filled the usually darkened room. Before René could digest the information, James hurdled a more impressive subject his way.
“What do you know about Henry Tanner?”
After years of dealing with vastly different kinds of people in his business, René learned one important lesson: When confronted w
ith a difficult situation, take your time and try to reason with the confronter.
“He’s your overseer, no?”
The grave appearance James exhibited earlier turned to his usual angry state. “Damn it, man. I know who Henry Tanner is. What I want to know is what has the man done to my daughter.”
René breathed deeply, searching his brain for a resolution. He promised Amanda her “mistake” with Tanner would be their secret. But, putting himself in the Judge’s shoes, René felt it was a father’s right to know. He couldn’t help admitting to himself as well that having someone else worried about Amanda’s welfare would be welcomed. If Tanner harbored ill feelings against René and Amanda, it would be to their advantage to have Judge Richardson on the lookout for trouble.
Still, he had promised Amanda. “Have you talked to your daughter about this?”
“Yes.”
“And what has she said?”
“That Henry took her to Port Cocodrie in the middle of the night in an attempt to bribe me into their marrying.”
Something in the way the Judge described the story made René doubt Amanda had bared her soul. He decided to proceed with caution. “She told you that?”
“Not in those words exactly.”
“In what words exactly?”
The Judge leaned toward René and glared at him. “You tell me.”
René could almost feel the pain and suffering the man felt over the loss of control of his precious daughter. It was bad enough she had eloped with René, but now the man sensed she had been abused in the night by a man he trusted, a man he chose to run his estate. René decided to follow his heart. “Henry Tanner took her to Port Cocodrie as you said.”
The look of pain in James’ eyes intensified. For the first time, René imagined himself a father loving someone as much as he did his wife. For the first time, he sympathized with the Judge.
“How?” James asked, dropping his shoulders from the weight of the news.
“I don’t know the details. Amanda never offered much. I do know that she was taken there against her will.”
James immediately stood and began to pace the room. “Of course she was.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply. It’s just that Amanda has always insisted the whole affair was her fault.”
James stopped pacing and stared at René. “Why on earth would she believe that? My daughter never would have done such a thing.”
René shook his head in agreement. He didn’t believe it either. “I don’t know.”
“And what was your role in all of this?”
“The father of the woman I adored refused me,” René said with a grim smile. “I went to Port Cocodrie to seek refuge in a bottle of rum.”
“Are you trying to tell me that it was a coincidence that you and Amanda found each other?” James half shouted.
“Yes sir, that’s exactly what happened.”
James stared intently at René as if reading his face for sincerity. “And?”
“And the rest is history.”
“You didn’t have to force her to marry you.”
Now, it was René’s turn to stand. “I didn’t force her to marry me,” he answered a bit too harshly. He had vowed to remain calm during the interrogation, but the Judge touched a nerve. “I wanted to bring her home, but if I would have arrived in broad daylight you would have had my head.”
Surprisingly, the Judge smirked. “You have a point.”
“I did what I thought was best,” René continued.
“And you got what you wanted — my daughter.”
“I won’t deny that marrying your daughter was one of the greatest pleasures of my life,” René explained, this time in a calmer tone. “But she is well provided for, well protected and seems to be very happy at my house. She will never want for anything as long as I draw breath.”
“But does she love you?”
The fire that raced through René’s veins was suddenly extinguished. “I don’t know,” he said softly, staring down at the hat held between his fingers.
“But you love her?” James asked in an equally quiet tone.
René looked up to meet James’ gaze. It was important the Judge knew that, more than anything else spoken today, René was sincere in his affections toward Amanda. “I love your daughter with all my heart and soul,” he said slowly and succinctly.
The two men stared at each other for several moments until the Judge broke the silence. “Marriages have been made on less than regard for one another. I suppose my daughter is a lucky woman.”
René knew admitting error was difficult for a man like Judge Richardson. To relieve him of the embarrassment, René extended his hand. “Amanda is lucky indeed to have a father who cares as much as you do.”
“What father wouldn’t?” James asked proudly, but he accepted René’s hand and held it tight before adding, “If you hurt one hair on her head, I’ll have you hanged for sure.”
René grinned broadly. The walls had finally fallen. “Yes sir.”
Again, James motioned for them to sit down. “Now, how about some coffee? We have a lot to discuss.”
A Cajun Dream
Chapter Twelve
Finally, the truth was at hand. Virginia sensed it when she walked into the house. Now Amanda sat silently before her at the pantry table, more guilt-stricken than the first day she had lunched with her father after the elopement. Something happened, and Virginia was determined to get to the bottom of this insane affair.
As if reading her thoughts, Amanda spoke before the questions left Virginia’s lips. “I’ll explain everything,” she said solemnly.
Amanda never got a chance. Both women literally jumped when Sally Baldwin began pounding at the back door.
“What in the world...?” Virginia opened the door wide. Ignoring Virginia and rushing past, Sally headed straight for her best friend.
“Amanda, can you ever forgive me?” she said with tears fresh in her eyes. “Katherine told me what happened.”
Virginia stood watching the two friends huddle in conspiracy, enveloping and comforting each other over the sad, secretive event that no one understood but these two. Virginia had all the mystery she could stand for one week. She placed a loving yet firm grip on Sally’s shoulder and guided her toward an empty chair. When Virginia gave her a little push, Sally fell backwards into a seating position, while Virginia handed her a cup and saucer and moved the steaming pitcher of remaining coffee in her direction.
“There’s sugar and cream,” she said. “Help yourself, then wait your turn.”
Virginia joined the other women at the table, folded her hands tightly together in front of her and waited for Amanda to explain.
“Perhaps I should start at the beginning?” Amanda asked softly.
“Try the moment that Acadian left you at the gate,” Virginia answered.
Amanda sighed, glancing pleadingly in Sally’s direction who returned her gaze with guilt-stricken sympathy, then began her tale. “It all started with my birthday. I was afraid of becoming an old maid.”
“You must realize I don’t approve of gambling,” James said sternly, looking over at René. “No daughter of mine will be married to a gambler.”
“Your daughter is not married to a gambler, sir. She’s married to a horse track owner.”
“I suppose there’s a difference?” James smirked.
“Absolutely. I never gamble. I run a reputable track.”
“You encourage others to throw money away on a senseless sport instead of earning it the hard way by the sweat of one’s brow.”
René leaned forward in his chair, maintaining eye contact in a serious, yet friendly stare. “What others choose to do with their money is none of my concern. Foolish men who bet too frequently or cause disruption at my track are not allowed to return.”
James rested his elbows on the velvet arms of the Queen Anne chair, linking his fingers together as was his habit when reviewing arguments in court. His mind
digested the information cast his way, but it wasn’t at all what he expected. All morning he anticipated an argument with this upstart Cajun, possibly angry negotiations over the size of Amanda’s dowry. Instead, he found René amiably sparring with him, holding his ground with grace. No stranger to debates and the thrill of one-upmanship, James decided to push the case further. “Where are these men to go then, after being tainted with the allure of gambling?”
“I offer a sport, sir. I do not lure them with anything.”
“But to win? Surely, that is allurement indeed?”
“The odds of losing are always higher,” René countered.
“So, you say that if a man was to lose enough at your racetrack, then he would be cured of the gambling disease forever.”
René took a breath and briefly looked away. Like so many of the parish’s lawyers and the eager men naive enough to challenge the popular judge in elections, James knew he had René cornered and he delivered the final blow. “A man such as Henry Tanner?”
The muscles of René’s jawline tightened. “Henry Tanner has not been welcome at the track for quite some time.”
“Obviously it hasn’t deterred him from gambling.”
René picked up his hat from the table and began turning it around in his hand. “I hardly see how I am responsible for Henry Tanner’s abominable behavior. If my racetrack did not exist, Tanner would find another, of that I am sure.”
James leaned in toward René, this time thinking more as a father than a debater. “Son, Henry Tanner would be relieved of his problem if there were no gambling halls at all. You must realize, respectable though your track may be, that you are part of a very large problem in this state.”
When René did not answer, James pried further. “Is it a question of money?”
René stood up so fast he nearly disturbed the contents of the coffee tray sitting on the small table at his feet. “I stated my feelings clearly to you before, sir, the day you so rudely announced that your daughter would have nothing to do with me. I am fully capable of providing a home for Amanda.”
Hoping to return the conversation back to a calmer state, James rose and reached for René’s shoulder, but René moved quickly away. “I love your daughter, you must realize that by now.”
A Cajun Dream (The Cajun Series Book 5) Page 19