Pure Temptation

by Auria Jourdain

  “Bien sûr. Paris is no longer the grand city it used to be, and I have a taste for the finer things. Fortunately, my plantation has been a lucrative hobby. On the floor of the French Assembly, men bragged about the riches they’d made in the colonies.” He raised his glass to the Colonel. “In fact, DuPont awarded the land to me for my devoted service to their cause.”

  The Colonel stroked his lapels. “Indeed. We couldn’t have planned the rebellions without L’Archambeau’s guidance. After we return New Orleans to the French, my son will reap the benefits.” He gave Monique a smug smile. “Pierre will be a good husband to your daughter, Madame.”

  Monique cast a sharp look at DuPont. “Talia has better taste than that weasel of a young man.”

  Leaning forward on his cane, La Barre sighed. “Unfortunately, that plan is no longer feasible, Colonel. It seems Mademoiselle Montrose was wed yesterday—to Talon Barberry.” The man wrinkled his nose.

  A collection of gasps filled the room. As Monique clasped a hand to her mouth, Hélène’s heart soared. It was more than she could have asked for. “Oui. I knew he was the perfect man for Talia.”

  La Barre snorted. “I beg to differ, but it matters not. We will forge ahead.”

  Colonel DuPont burst to his feet. “This wasn’t what we discussed, Monsieur. General Bonaparte needs this planation if we’re going to take New Orleans.”

  LaBarre fanned himself with his hat, rolling his eyes. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I understand the risks and have adjusted our plan accordingly. But I will not have your rabble-rousers turn this into a circus like they did in Paris.” He raised his glass. “Besides, your services are no longer needed.”

  A ruddy flush covered DuPont’s face as he sputtered, “You used us?”

  Pushing his father aside, Pierre cocked his fists and stood toe to toe with LaBarre. “We trusted you! Our cause is righteous. We have a grand General behind us.”

  LaBarre glared at Pierre. “How you survived being thrown from Lafitte’s ship, I’ll never know.” Standing, LaBarre cleared his throat. “There’s a reason your efforts failed in Paris, gentlemen. Your cause is stupid. Neither Spain nor England will stand by and allow that little man to take over the world. Nobody wants freedom for these people, no matter what General Bonaparte thinks.”

  Hélène bustled her jade skirts in her hand with a huff. “None of you understand real patriotism. Edouard Blanchefort is the reason every one of you are standing here today, yet you dishonor his memory with greed and pride. It’s disgusting.”

  LaBarre towered over her with a menacing glare. “Were it not for Edouard’s overindulgence with his subjects—and his adopted brat—I would have taken control of Blanchefort lands ages ago. Unfortunately, I was forced to look elsewhere for my fortune, Mademoiselle. Temptation Hall is my future.”

  “What do you plan on doing with us?” Madame Montrose asked. “My husband will return in a few days. He hates the city.”

  Philippe LaBarre drained his brandy. “Not to worry, Madame. Upon Monsieur Montrose’s return, our mission will be complete.”

  “Sacre bleu, it’s barely sunup,” Rousseau groused. “You two are newlyweds. Don’t you have anything better to do?”

  Glancing to and fro, Talon held Talia’s hand as they met Rousseau on Rue Bourbon. They’d left the townhouse early, issuing hasty apologies to her father. Much as Talon wanted to spend the day with his new wife, they had to confront the man responsible for this mission.

  “We can’t let Aringosa get away with this. We have to talk with him as soon as possible.”

  Talia nodded. “Did you hear anything at Maudy’s?”

  Rousseau huffed. “For the love of God, will you let us take care of this? Lafitte has everything under control.”

  “Exactly my point,” Talon muttered.

  Talia swept a calming touch over Talon’s shoulder. “We’re concerned, Jean-Jacques. We haven’t seen Alex in days. He didn’t come to our nuptials.”

  “Did you expect him to? The lad is in love with you.” Rousseau stretched his hands over his head with a yawn. “Besides, Lafitte went undercover yesterday. Ricardo gave him surveillance work to find out about that meeting.”

  Talon clenched his jaw as Talia shook her head. “And that doesn’t worry you? Alex is either working for the other side, or he’s in trouble. We have to find him.”

  Rousseau stroked his beard. “I’ll talk to Maudy. In the meantime, enjoy your day.”

  Rage spilled over Talon like boiling water. “Didn’t you hear what I said? With Fernando Montrose here, Temptation Hall is unmanned and vulnerable. This issue is more serious than you make it out to be.”

  Tears wavered at Talia’s eyelashes. “Please, Jean-Jacques. It’s my home.”

  Pressing his lips together, Rousseau sighed. “Bon. I will make haste. Meet me at the Cabildo this afternoon, and we’ll confront Aringosa together.”

  Talon squeezed Talia’s hand and nodded. “That’s all we ask.”

  They spent the morning strolling the streets of New Orleans, finally settling at a small café. As the people bustled by, Talon watched them with rapt attention. “It’s easy to see how someone might hide in this city. You can be anything you want and not attract attention.” Popping a choux tartlet in his mouth, he licked the sugar from his fingers noisily.

  “Vraiment.” Sipping her coffee, Talia grinned. “Do you like the pastries, my love? The Creoles call them beignets.”

  He sighed. “Aye, I could eat them every day. And coffee here in the territories taste so much better than in Europe.”

  “It’s the chicory. It—” All of a sudden, Talia bolted out of her chair. “Carina!”

  Startled by his wife’s blood-curdling scream, Talon dropped his beignet on the street. “Dear God, woman.” As she darted across La Place d’Armes and embraced a plump woman standing near the cathedral, Talon quickly paid the waiter and joined his wife.

  “Carina, it’s so good to see you,” Talia gushed. “You look beautiful.”

  Gooseflesh tickled the back of Talon’s neck. Carina Aringosa. This was the woman he was supposed to kidnap.

  Clasping Talia’s hands, Carina pulled her toward her companion. “Gracias, amiga. This is my husband, Jonathan Paulet.”

  “A pleasure once again, Miss Montrose.” The Englishman pecked Talia’s hand in proper fashion.

  Clasping her around the waist, Talon cleared his throat. “Er, darling? Introduce us?”

  She leaned against him. “This is my husband, Talon Barberry. We just married... yesterday actually. We’ve had quite an adventure.” She gave him a beautiful smile.

  Holding Talia’s arms wide, Carina gaped at her expanding form. “Dios mio, are you—?”

  Talia laughed, patting her belly. “Oui. Talon and I fell in love, quite by accident, actually.”

  “Aye, it was fate. When I saw her on the docks at Lisbon, I knew she was the woman for me.”

  Carina’s eyes widened as she stared at Talon. She whispered, “Surely, this wasn’t the escort Papa found for you?”

  Scratching his chin, Talon frowned. Apparently, the girl was in the dark about the entire mission.

  Talia smoothed a hand over his arm. “C’est vrai, we met on the trip home, but it is a long story. Are you just returning from England?”

  “A sennight past,” Jonathan said. “We sail for Guadeloupe at the end of the week on holiday.” He kissed Carina’s hand.

  As Talia and Carina tittered with one another Talon glared at the fancy English bloke. Even though he seemed like a friendly fellow, the man set him on edge.

  And he knew Talia...

  Talon pulled on her hand. “It was nice to meet both of you. Talia, dear? Aren’t we late for an appointment?”

  Her eyes widened. “Oui. Carina, can we meet soon? I want to catch up.”

  “What about dinner tomorrow night at Francine’s?” Paulet inquired. “It’d be good to talk to a fellow countryman, Barberry.”

  Talon bristled.
He could smell the nobleman’s riches a mile away. Still, he’d mingled with Lord Taylor and survived. “What do you say, three o’clock?”

  “Smashing. We’ll meet you there.” He caressed Carina’s cheek. “Come, dear. Your father is waiting for us at his office.”

  Talia arched an eyebrow. “Ricardo is in town?”

  “Just for the day. He has a meeting tomorrow.” She gave her a sad smile. “You know Papa. He lives and breathes for New Orleans. Although, it’s time for him to rest. Personally, I think he hates the politics.”

  Talon stroked his chin. Interesting. The more he discovered about this Aringosa fellow, the more confused he was.

  Why would a man orchestrate such an elaborate scheme? It couldn’t be for political gain. Wasn’t he already the ruling hand? Could he sell the rights to the waterways like Talia thought? Or would the man go to such lengths to have Temptation Hall for himself?

  Talon squeezed Talia’s hand. Soon, they would have answers.

  “WHERE ARE THEY?”

  With her arms crossed, Talia paced the Aubbuson carpet in Ricardo Aringosa’s office as they waited for Captain Rousseau and Ricardo to arrive. Her nerves were on edge. Apparently, Maude had sent him a message to meet them at her suites. Talia couldn’t help but fear the worst. Her father wasn’t at Temptation Hall. What if Ricardo had already met with DuPont and the Frenchman?

  Maude patted her back. “Ma cherie, you are worried for nothing.”

  Anger pulsed through Talia as she gave her friend a hard look. “You don’t know him like I do, Maudy.”

  The woman jutted her chin out and sniffed. “I’d say I know him rather well.”

  Talon guided Talia to the settee. “Come now, ladies. Let’s hear the man’s side of it first. Talia, didn’t Aringosa protect his daughter and give his blessing for her to marry Paulet?”

  “Oui, but Ricardo always has a motive,” she ground out. “Besides, he sent me instead.”

  “You volunteered,” Talon said dryly.

  Talia gave Talon a wan smile and shrugged. “What girl doesn’t like a little adventure?”

  Captain Rousseau opened the door and walked in, followed by Ricardo. “You’re lucky we caught him, Barberry. He was just about to leave.”

  Bursting through the door, the Spaniard rushed toward Talia and embraced her. “Dios mio, I’m so glad you’re safe.” She pushed him away and glared at him haughtily. His shoulders slumped. “Please do not give me that look.”

  She crossed her arms. “You have no right to chastise me, Ricardo. Do you know what has happened to me the last four months? The man you put your faith in almost had me killed.”

  Aringosa fiddled with the cravat at his neck and sighed. “I had no idea that Vargas had made a deal with the devil, but I’ve heard the whole story.”

  Alex Lafitte sauntered through the door, removing his hat as he gave her a lopsided grin. “Bonjour, Monsieur and Madame Barberry.”

  Ricardo’s eyes went wide. “What is this? You’ve married?” He stared at Maude. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Wrapping an arm around Talia, Talon drew her closer. He clenched his jaw. “Lafitte. What hole did you crawl out from?”

  “Enough, Talon,” Rousseau barked. “He saw Talia home safely. At least thank the lad for that.”

  As Talon grumbled, Talia stroked his hand. He probably wouldn’t issue much more of an apology than that. “Alex, where have you been?”

  Pouring himself a drink, Alex gave her a sidelong glance. “Underground. You have no idea how deep this scheme goes, ma cherie.”

  “Listen, you upstart, that’s my wife.” Talon growled.

  Irritated with his jealousy, Talia huffed, “Leave him alone, Talon. We need this information. Alex, what did you find?”

  “I followed the man handing out the leaflets that Marcus had. I asked him for details. Apparently, they plan on holding a meeting on Friday at Temptation Hall. And it wasn’t an accident.” Alex darted a glance at Ricardo and the captain.

  The hair on the back of Talia’s neck bristled. “What is this?” Alex lowered his gaze, rubbing his temples as Ricardo shifted his weight from foot to foot. She stared at Rousseau. “Jean-Jacques?”

  With a heavy sigh, he guided her to the settee. “Talia, sit down. Ricardo needs to tell you something important.”

  TALON SNAKED A HAND over Talia’s waistline, placing a protective hand on his child. He was tired of the lies. He wanted to know what the hell was going on.

  His lips turned up in a sneer. “Out with it, sir. You’ve got us both rightly concerned.”

  Taking a deep breath, Ricardo stared at Talia. After a moment, he said, “I sent you on this mission because I was worried about you, not Carina. We’ve been planning for it for several months.”

  Talia’s eyes widened. “What? Who?”

  Ricardo sat on the chair next to her and sighed. “Your mother contacted me last winter after she had discovered a missive sent to Fernando. Apparently, he has been meeting with a Frenchman he met in Guadeloupe several years ago. This man wants land—specifically situated upon the Mississippi River.”

  Talia’s eyes narrowed. “He wants Temptation Hall.”

  Talon frowned. “Fernando Montrose is thinking of selling his plantation to the Frenchman? So what?”

  “Temptation Hall belongs to the Beaupraît family,” she answered stonily. “We were one of the first families to settle in the Louisiana Territories.”

  Ricardo nodded. “Sí. And legally, it must stay in that family. If your mother lives, ownership lies with her. Only if she dies, and there is no living heir, will the plantation pass to Fernando.”

  “What about my aunt? She could inherit as well.”

  “We haven’t been able to reach her. From what her manservant says, she was accosted in Paris. However, Hélène Beaupraît has been the saving grace in this whole affair. She convinced me to set this mission into motion because their sources in Paris uncovered DuPont’s plot to harm you and your mother. She could stay safe in Rouen, but she worried about you. And she found you the perfect escort.” He pointed at Talon.

  “Why the ruse?” Talon asked. “Why not just tell Talia that I was sent to protect her?”

  Ricardo gazed at the ground sheepishly. “Because we needed to know what DuPont and this L’Archambeau were planning. We needed a motive... a reason for you to snoop around. Most importantly, we needed Talia away from Fernando. I talked him into allowing you to accompany us to Lisbon while we made plans for Carina’s wedding. Unfortunately, Fernando became suspicious and demanded that Talia return home. So, I made up the story about Carina being in danger. Hélène sent for Señor Barberry.” He looked at Talia. “I knew you’d never leave Carina’s side if I told you she was getting married.” Talia’s face went ashen as she stared at the man.

  Anger surged through Talon’s veins. Cursing under his breath, he stood. “This is ridiculous. You lied to my wife, and you used us as pawns?”

  Ricardo harrumphed. “I did what I had to, Señor. Temptation Hall is the oldest plantation in our city, not to mention Talia’s birthright. I couldn’t let Fernando Montrose get away with this.”

  Raking a hand through his hair, Talon sighed. That would explain Montrose’s strange behavior. “What a nightmare.”

  Ricardo turned to Talia. “I know you love your father very much, but you don’t know him. The real Fernando Montrose is a dangerous man.”

  Jumping up from the sofa, Talia shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “I can’t believe it. Why would Papa do this? He’s spent years perfecting the cane and building our plantation. He took me under his wing. He taught me everything.”

  “Sí, with your mama’s inheritance,” Aringosa retorted. “Fernando is in debt. He’s a desperate man. He owes certain people a lot of money.” He gave Alex a sidelong glance.

  Squinting, Talia stomped toward him. “Cursed Lafittes! My father is working with your cousins, isn’t he? You used me?”

  Alex shook h
is head vehemently. “Non. I refused to play Jean and Pierre’s games. I didn’t know Montrose made a deal with them, but as soon as I found out, I informed Ricardo.” Darting a glance at Talon, he took her hands. “Talia, I’ve loved you since I was a child. I would never intentionally hurt you.”

  Talia wrenched her hands from Alex’s grip. Glaring at the man, Talon sidestepped the settee and gathered her in his arms. His heart ached for her. In a matter of minutes, she’d had her world upended, and he couldn’t do anything to help.

  Burying her head in his neck, Talia sniffled. “I can’t believe Papa was willing to sacrifice Maman and me to settle his debts.” She wiped her eyes. “Ricardo, I’m sorry I blamed you. You let me believe it was you involved with the Frenchman, to protect me.”

  With a brutal shove, Rousseau pushed the Spaniard forward. “Tell her the rest.”

  Wringing his hands, Ricardo jostled from foot to foot. “Perhaps we should wait for her Mama.”

  “What is it, Aringosa?” Talon clenched his jaw. “You’ve given Talia enough grief today. Just get on with it.”

  “Ricardo, if you care anything about me, you’ll tell me everything. I’m tired of secrets,” she said.

  Nudging the Spaniard, Rousseau growled, “If you don’t tell her, I will.”

  Aringosa dropped his chin to his chest. Tears streamed from his bright green eyes as he whispered, “You are mi hija.”

  Talia’s face froze. “What?”

  Talon looked at Rousseau and frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Pressing her hands to her cheeks, she choked out, “I’m your daughter?”

  Aringosa nodded. “That’s why you have spent so much time with me and Carina over the years. I insisted on it.”

  “My father knew?” she spat.

  “Sí. He wed your mother knowing she was pregnant with my child. It was a marriage of convenience.” The man wept. “I was already married. My wife had no idea that Monique and I were lovers. Fernando offered to take care of her to save her reputation. I later discovered he wanted Temptation Hall.”