King of the South

by Calia Read

  “Once again, I’d like to thank every bachelor for coming here today,” Serene starts off. “But as we know, we had to shorten the list of men because I think group dates might be frowned upon and perhaps a wee bit awkward.”

  Nervous laughter rises up throughout the room.

  “If I call your number, you may leave.” Serene’s eyes begin to bounce back and forth between the clipboard and the bachelors. “Bachelor number twenty-four.” She hooks her thumb over shoulder in the direction of the doors. Very rapidly, she begins to call out numbers, and the men begin to file out of the room slowly. Some are speechless, and others talk amongst themselves about what they believed went wrong.

  As the crowd of men thins out, I watch with rapt attention. Now this? This I can get used to. Étienne was right. Serene is positively ruthless and doesn’t stop to glimpse at the men. I don’t suppress the grin I’m wearing as the bachelors slink away with their tail tucked between their legs. “Bachelor number two. It’s been fun. It’s been real. It’s been real fun, but you’re out of here.”

  The bachelor looked around him as though Serene said the wrong number before he reluctantly walks away. He moves past me and shoots me an irritated glance, as though I’m the one who delivered the terrible news. At the start of this, he was in good spirits. Not so much now.

  My le savauge didn’t choose you.

  Of course, I feel a sense of victory because I knew none of these men would be good enough.

  Once Serene’s finished calling out numbers, she lifts her head and smiles. “I believe that’s all for today. For the bachelors standing before me, my husband and I will be in contact to set up social engagements so Rainey can better get to know you all.”

  “Oh, you’ll be in contact with them,” I say with enthusiasm to my brother.

  Shaking his head, he rubs his temples. “My God no.”

  The men break apart, seemingly relieved they’re potential bachelors and not on the chopping block … for now.

  “Beaumont Legare?” Serene calls.

  Raising his hand, Beau steps forward, his face is beet red. “I-i-it’s Beau.”

  Serene arches a brow while Rainey looks him up and down with interest. With wide eyes, he stares back.

  “What do ladies possibly see in this fellow?” I mutter to Étienne.

  My brother shrugs his shoulders. “What do ladies see in you?” he whispers. “Impossible to know.”

  “I have personality.”

  “Well, it appears Beau has enough personality to hold a conversation with Rainey.”

  I have eyes. He doesn’t need to tell me. Rainey is staring at Beau as though she’s never seen the male specimen before. I’ve never seen that expression on her face before. Repeatedly, I clench and unclench my hands to release my pent-up frustration that’s been building all day.

  They would be a horrific match. Rainey wouldn’t just have Beau wrapped around her finger; she would crush him beneath the weight of her confidence. Rainey needs a man willing to rise to her words and every challenge she gives. She needs a man who realizes she dresses herself with poise and courage.

  The fools standing before her minutes ago are captivated by her smile, but none can handle her.

  I shake my head; this won’t do, and I seem to be the only person in the room to realize the truth.

  Étienne and I walk toward Serene, and in the process, we hear the last part of Beau and Rainey’s conversation. They’re discussing their favorite hobbies.

  “I m-must confess I-I s-spend far to-oo muc-hh time readin’, a-and not n-near enough t-time outside,” Beau sheepishly confesses.

  “Neither do I,” Rainey agrees.

  I stop the snort that slips from my mouth. Utterly ridiculous! She lived outside as a child and still does.

  Rainey whips her head in my direction and narrows her eyes. Beau looks over his shoulder at the rest of us and instantly turns red. It’s as though he forgot we were there.

  He looks back at Rainey. “I-I s-sh-hould go.”

  Rainey gives him a brilliant smile. “It was lovely to meet you.”

  “Y-you as well,” Beau says before he leaves.

  Rainey watches him go with the same daft expression on her face. I could repeatedly snap my fingers in front of her, and she wouldn’t notice. What has gotten into her?

  Once the door closes behind him, the spell has broken. She blinks at us, brows puckering slightly. She looks at me for only a moment, and when she does, her gaze hardens. Rainey knows what I’m going to say before I say it, and she doesn’t want to hear it.

  She turns to Serene and smiles. “I need to use the powder room.”

  “Please do. We’ll be right here,” Serene replies.

  The doors to the ballroom have opened and shut so many times today I’m surprised they haven’t fallen off the hinges.

  With just the three of us, Serene heavily leans against Étienne, still clutching her clipboard. I’m not a violent person, but I want to snatch that infuriating object from her hands and break it over my leg.

  “I think this could be a love connection,” Serene confesses excitedly to Étienne.

  Leaning forward, I stare at my sister-in-law. “Have you gone mad? They would be terrible together.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “They are the complete opposite of one another,” I reply.

  “Opposites can attract, Livingston.”

  “They can,” I concede. “But in this situation, the results would be disastrous.”

  “They’ve only been speaking for a few minutes!”

  “I know Rainey.”

  Serene stands up tall and lifts her brows. “If you know Rainey, then why don’t you marry her?”

  Her question dangles between the three of us. As they stare at me expectantly, silence fills the room.

  “Because I know her,” I reply.

  “I do have one thought,” Étienne says thoughtfully.

  “If it’s about my tag system, I stand by it,” Serene replies heatedly. “Did you hear how fast I was calling out their numbers toward the end?”

  “It’s not about the tag system. It’s about this bachelor idea as a whole.”

  Is it happening? Is my brother truly realizing the errors of this entire concept and attempting to reason with his wife?

  It won’t be easy, though. Serene’s shoulders are already tense. “Yes?”

  “These men have pride. How are you not certain they won’t grow tired of bein’ paraded around like cattle and then discarded when you and Rainey decide you have no need for them?”

  Serene thinks over the question for several seconds before she answers. There’s a spark in her eye that puts me on edge. “Because men love a good chase. They want what they can’t have. Case in point, I had thirty men in this ballroom vying for Rainey’s attention today. Why?”

  “Because they were probably coerced here by you,” I cut in.

  Serene continues without batting an eye. “Because all around them were men who were vying for the same woman, and they all want to say they were chosen. They want to be the one to win it all.” A wicked grin spreads across her lips. “That’s why this will work and not a single bachelor will back out.”

  “My theory on why this won’t work is Rainey may start out sweet and demure with the bachelors, but that veneer will fade and they’ll see how opinionated and self-assured she is and immediately forget about this game you’ve created.”

  Both Étienne and Serene watch me with wide eyes. With every word I spoke, my voice rose until it echoed across the ballroom, but I wanted to get my point across. Serene clears her throat and speaks. “Cool it, buddy boy. Strong words attract a strong mind and offend a weak one. Whoever stands by Rainey is the right man.”

  It was of no use. No one was going to listen to me. Frustrated, I turn and walk toward the door just as Rainey walks back in. I don’t say a word to her, causing her eyes to widen ever so slightly.

  Behind me, Serene rushes toward
Rainey. “And then there were fifteen. Dun, dun, dun,” Serene says ominously before she begins recommending that Rainey meet with Beau first. Nat spoke so highly of him. He was so handsome, and shy, and bright … and so on and so forth.

  While my sister-in-law mentally picks out the perfect gown for Rainey to wear down the aisle, I storm out of the ballroom. I need some air. Everyone in my family has gone utterly mad. Serene’s plan was drawn from boredom, and it’s not reliable. Something is bound to go wrong. That’s why my heart is pounding so rapidly, and fury courses through my blood.

  Perhaps I should look into getting Nat on the first train to Charleston. With my sister home, maybe Serene can go back to being the levelheaded sister-in-law I’ve known her to be.

  That is, if Nat agrees. As much as I blamed Oliver for limiting how often my brother and I were able to see our sister, there was no disputing the fact that he was decidedly different after he came back from the war. Everyone was, but the last time he visited, I saw the bleakness in his eyes. I couldn’t fault him for that.

  “There you are!”

  Lifting my gaze, I find none other than Conrad Duplass lingering in the foyer. Conrad and I go way back. He was the black sheep of his family, could drink until the sun came up, and never encountered a party he didn’t enjoy. I didn’t see him in the ballroom, but it makes me wonder how many men I could’ve possibly known upstairs. But I can’t very well ignore Conrad. He steps away from me. I suppress a groan and walk to him. No place is safe today. “Conrad, are you confused? Lacroix house is in Charleston,” I say with a smile.

  Throwing his head back, he laughs heartily. “I’m well aware of your address. I’m here for Miss Pleasonton. I’m one of the fifteen bachelors that made it through.”

  He says that with pride, as though he’s won a high achievement. What will it be like when it narrows down to ten and then five?

  That will never happen, remember? You will find a better solution for Rainey.

  “Are you still foxed from last night? There’s still time to change your mind.”

  Because I’m Livingston. Because I’m the Lacroix brother who everyone can depend on to deliver a laugh, Conrad does just that. “There’s no need for that. Étienne spoke to me two nights ago regardin’ Rainey’s search for a husband.”

  “You have seen her, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, I have. Have you?” he counters with a wink. I’ve shared many raucous quips with Conrad in the past. However, this time I do not laugh.

  “What can you tell me about Rainey?”

  My brows furrow. “Pardon?”

  “Rainey Pleasonton. I want to know everythin’ about her.” Conrad leans in and smiles. “Everythin’.”

  I can think of many things I’d rather do right now than be pulled into Serene’s little bachelor debacle.

  Such as learning embroidery. Maybe become locked in a sitting parlor with mommas anxious to marry their daughter’s off to the last Lacroix man. Perhaps drink paint.

  It sounds severe, but if I open my mouth once to help a bachelor, I am positive they’ll all come running. In the wrong hands, powerful information can be a dangerous thing. Besides, how can I describe a woman who has a face from heaven and a mouth from hell? That requires liquor, and a lot of it.

  “I don’t know if there’s enough time to define Rainey, my friend,” I say with a smile. There’d be no way to prepare any of the men. Rainey’s too skilled with an arrow and her words. She reads far too many books and will discuss every detail she finds fascinating, even if you do not. Her sense of humor is as wicked as the curse words that occasionally slip from her mouth. “I’m afraid to say she’s a wild animal that can’t be tamed.”

  “Don’t tell me you still harbor anger from when she shot you in the leg all those years ago? I recall hearin’ she used a gun?”

  “My God, no. It was a bow and arrow, and how many people know that?”

  “Everyone in Charleston, Lacroix. Now tell me everythin’ about Rainey.”

  “I know just as much as you. She’s still the same Rainey who chased after all of us when she wasn’t allowed to play with the boys.”

  “Oh, but that’s not true.” Conrad leans in and lowers his voice. “She doesn’t look the same, and this time, the boys want her to play.”

  As Conrad laughs at his own joke, my hands curl into tight fists. The smile on my face is strained, but it remains in place so Conrad is none the wiser.

  If I don’t find a new solution to Rainey’s dowry fiasco, then the next few weeks will truly be torture.

  God be with us all.

  Especially the men because if Rainey doesn’t shoot them with an arrow in a fit of anger, then I’m bound to kill at least one in a bout of rage.

  The question is, who? And how long will it take?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Rainey

  “I must say this is highly unorthodox.”

  “Momma, I’m aware of that.” You’ve only told me twelve thousand times. “But my hands are tied.”

  “And you’re certain Livingston approved of this?” This is Momma’s routine line of questioning ever since the bachelor game began.

  “Yes. He approves.”

  Momma’s lips purse into a tight line. She doesn’t approve, and honestly, I’m uncertain of where Livingston stands. It was days ago when the bachelors convened on Belgrave, and the number went from thirty to fifteen. Since then, Livingston’s been remarkably quiet, and I haven’t heard much from him, something I find oddly unsettling. Livingston is many things, but quiet he is not

  Truthfully, I’m unsure of where I stand. At the beginning, I resisted the very idea of finding a husband, but the men were not deplorable. Serene did a wonderful job of selecting each bachelor. And thus far, the experience has not been altogether unpleasant. As of now, I’ve had dinner with Philip or, as Serene called him, “bachelor number twelve.” Conversation was pleasant, but whenever a quip slipped from my mouth, Serene and Étienne would laugh, and he would stare at me with a blank face. My words were lost on him. That wasn’t a positive sign.

  I strolled down The Battery during a pleasant sunset with Franklin. Also known as “bachelor number three.” At least, the sunset appeared pleasant. I wouldn’t know. Franklin was personable, and his witticism had me laughing more than once, but Franklin liked to sing. A lot. High or low pitch, it made no difference to him. Singing was singing.

  I wasn’t creating my happily ever after, but I was open to the idea of discovering whether one of them would be a fitting husband. However, I drew a fine line at having no humor and constant singing at every turn.

  “Who shall be there with you?” Momma asks.

  My maid tugs on my hair as I sit in front of my vanity, causing me to wince. “Étienne and his wife.”

  Momma’s brows lift in an elegant arch. “Oh?”

  Only Leonore Pleasonton can place such heavy emphasis on the word, “Oh.”

  I look at Momma in the mirror. “Is that not satisfactory enough for you?”

  “Étienne is a very respectable gentleman,” Momma replies.

  “But not Serene?”

  Momma pauses before she says, “She’s quite … crass. And no one who’s so heavy with child should be in public.”

  I lift a shoulder. “Serene has been nothin’ but gracious to me and instrumental in findin’ such upstandin’ gentlemen. I think once you get to know her, you’d be pleasantly surprised.”

  Momma doesn’t reply as she watches my maid weave the headband through my chignon. “My Lord, Momma, it’s a miracle you’re not becomin’ seasick with all your pacin’.”

  I hiss in a sharp breath as my maid tugs on my hair once again and focus my attention on Momma’s reflection in the mirror. She waves a hand at me and makes another lap around my room. The last time I saw Momma walk this much was durin’ a sale at a local store.

  “You would understand my worries if you were in my situation. It’s only a matter of time before people about town began to
question why you’re suddenly hangin’ off every man’s arm from here to Georgia!”

  I bite down on my tongue to keep from saying that it’s certainly better than the alternative: losing everything we own. I give the maid a furtive glance and smile tightly at Momma. “Well, I guess if they say anything, you’ll just have to tell them I’m ready to find love after all this time.”

  Momma gives me a less than amused expression. The maid takes a step back while my scalp screams in protest. I stand and walk to my full-length mirror in the corner to inspect her handiwork.

  I’m willing to push the pain aside for a flattering hairstyle. Turning to the side, I give my royal blue dress a thorough inspection. The back dips lower than most of my evening dresses, but I happen to love the embroidery of this specific dress. The sash tied around my waist accentuates my curves, and the material swoops low, creating a train in the back. Momma loved it too when she went with me to get alterations. Now, she wears a leery expression as though this is my first season.

  I thank my maid for her help and turn to Momma. “Serene and Étienne should be here shortly with my date, Mr. Legare. He’s an upstandin’ gentleman. His brother is a colleague of Étienne’s. He comes from good stock.”

  The phrase “good stock” feels wrong coming from my lips, but I need to appease Momma and speak her language. Sure enough, her eyes widen, and I swear color comes back to her cheeks.

  “A colleague of Étienne’s?”

  I shake my head as I grab my wrap and clutch from my bed. “You seem to have had a remarkable change of heart.”

  “There’s nothin’ remarkable about it,” Momma says, trailing me as I walk out of my bedroom. “Your reputation, or what’s left of it, needs to remain intact.”

  “It will.”

  “And I worry because—”

  At the landing of the stairs, I turn and face Momma. “Don’t. Please. There’s already so much to worry about. Why fret over somethin’ that’s out of your control?”

  Momma straightens and juts her chin forward, almost as if she’s getting ready to give me a tongue-lashing. Instead, she whispers, “Because you’re all I have left.”