Betrayed, page 5
part #2 of The Cuvier Widows Series
Suspicion shone from her gaze and he swallowed nervously. More lies. How long could he possibly keep the information from her when he hated not being truthful?
“I don't know. Maybe someday the baby would want to know what the man who gave him his name looked like,” Max said, thinking quickly on his feet.
He'd wanted the picture because he knew this marriage would last until death did them part. Though doubtful their marriage would ever be a love match, he hoped they could live together in a somewhat happy union. And if they ever had children, he would like them to know how Nicole and he had looked on the day they wed.
He only hoped he hadn't just made the biggest mistake of his life.
She nodded and seemed to relax. “Thank you. You're right. I hadn't even thought of that. He probably will be curious about what you look like.”
Max smiled at her, relieved she'd believed him. Until she knew the truth, he would need to be more cautious. “Come, Mrs. Viel, let's get you home before the heat becomes unbearable.”
***
Nicole stood in the window of her bedroom and gazed out the window at the stars that filled the midnight sky. Dear God, what had she done? She'd married a complete stranger today, just to give her baby a name. A common drifter with sparkling, kind emerald eyes and hair as dark as midnight slept just a few doors away, and now she carried his last name.
A knock sounded on her door. “Who is it?”
“It's Consuelo. I saw your light on and wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Come in,” Nicole said.
The door opened and Consuelo walked in. “Are you feeling all right?” she asked, concern causing her forehead to furrow in a frown.
“I'm fine. I just can't sleep,” Nicole said, gazing out the window, pulling her wrapper around the small bulge in her abdomen protectively. This baby meant so much to her.
“You need your rest,” the woman said, her voice filled with concern. “Would you like me to fix you a glass of warm milk?”
Nicole shook her head. “No.” She gazed at the woman. “Thank you for the lovely supper, Consuelo. It was very nice.”
The woman shrugged. “It's the least the servants could do to celebrate your marriage. Mr. Viel seems nice, not at all what I expected.”
Nicole nodded. “Yes, he is, though I hardly know him.”
“There's speculation among the servants about why you would marry so soon after Mr. Cuvier's death, but I didn't say anything about the babe. They'll find out soon enough.”
“Thank you, Consuelo. I want my son or daughter to have a chance to grow up without some horrible stigma being attached to them.”
“I understand about negative names being attached to you.” She straightened the bedding and pulled back the sheets. “I must say I was prepared to dislike your new husband, but he seems very polite. Makes you wonder why a man like that hasn't settled down.”
“Yes, it does,” Nicole said, frowning as she looked out at the darkened sky, listening to her friend saying the words she feared out loud. Could Max be a criminal or a man on the run from the law? Just what did she know about him?
“What's wrong? You seem worried,” her friend said. “Are you already regretting this hasty marriage?”
“I'm frightened, Consuelo.” Nicole gave an awkward laugh. “How can I trust my judgment where men are concerned? As I lay down to sleep tonight, I suddenly realized what I've done. I married a man I know very little about, just to give my child a name. What if he's married to someone else?”
The servant shook her head. “No one could have such terrible luck as to marry a man who is already married a second time. Not even your luck is that bad.”
“Then tell me, why did he agree to this marriage?” She sighed. “Maybe I'm just overreacting. The day has been fraught with tension. As I stood beside Max saying I do, I couldn't help but feel strange. I was pledging forever to a man who will only be here through the end of the year. Yet somehow when he looks at me, he calms me. With just a glance I feel that everything is going to be all right.”
Consuelo shrugged. “You married him for your baby's sake. He married you for a chance to have a clean bed at night and home-cooked meals. Some men, it doesn't take much to satisfy them. Not to mention the money from the cane crop.”
Nicole shook her head. “Maybe, but suddenly I felt like a fool as I realized I know nothing about a man who is now my husband. Who is sleeping under my roof and has access to my bed, to everything I own. Was I foolish to try to protect my unborn child?”
The servant pulled the gauzy curtains closed and let the night breeze stir the material that draped the windows. She shook her head. “It's an honorable sacrifice. Your child will not suffer the same fate as you. He will be accepted by the other children and not whispered about.”
“But why would a man like Max marry a woman like me, unless he thinks that I have money.” She laughed, the sound chilling in the semi-dark room. “If that's what he thinks, he's in for quite a shock.”
Consuelo frowned, her brows drawing together as she considered Nicole's words. “While you rested this afternoon, he walked out to the barns and was seen inspecting the sugarcane fields.”
Nicole pulled the curtains open enough to see the stars in the sky. So Max had visited the fields this afternoon. “Well, maybe the crop is the reason he married me.”
For a moment there was silence as Nicole felt somehow saddened at the thought Max had married her just for the crop. She gave herself a mental shake at the absurdness of her thinking. Of course he'd married her only for the money he would gain from the sale of her sugarcane.
Consuelo cleared her throat. “Have you thought about what you're going to do once the baby is born? I mean, will you stay here?”
Nicole frowned and shook her head. “Everything is dependent upon the sugarcane crop. If I don't make enough for us to live on, then I don't know what's going to happen. All I can do is pray that the crop earns enough money to support us.”
The older woman started walking toward the door. “Try to get some sleep. You need to concentrate on the little nino. I'll spend some extra time in prayer tonight and pray to the Blessed Virgin Mother to help us.”
Nicole smiled sadly. “What would I do without you, Consuelo?”
***
Max woke the next morning, surprised at his surroundings. He glanced around the master's suite at Rosewood Plantation and gazed at the walls, thinking of his ancestors. His great-great-grandfather had built these walls and he couldn't help but feel in awe at what his family members had accomplished.
He rose from the bed and quickly dressed, knowing that he needed to get into town as early as possible.
Max stepped into the dining room centered in the large house.
“Where's Mrs. Viel?” he asked a servant hurrying out the door.
She stopped and gazed at him nervously. “Mrs. Cuv—Viel is taking her breakfast outside on the verandah.”
“Thank you,” he said, trying to make the older woman feel more at ease with him. “Could you please bring me a cup of coffee out to the verandah?”
“Yes, sir, and breakfast will be out shortly.”
“And what is your name?” he asked.
“Marie, sir.”
“Thank you, Marie,” he said, and walked back to his bedroom and then outside to the verandah.
Nicole sat sipping her coffee, watching a boat meander down the Mississippi River, the breeze softly blowing a curl that twirled about her face.
She turned and saw him walking toward her. “Good morning,” she called. “I trust you slept well.”
“Very well, thank you,” he replied, thinking that this radiant-looking creature was his wife and hoping that someday she would accept him as her husband. “How did you sleep?”
“I tossed and turned most of the night,” she said. “Won't you join me for breakfast? It should be out soon.”
“Yes, I just spoke with one of the servants and she said breakfast would be served shortly,” he said, pulling out a chair to join her at the table.
They sat across from one another, tension permeating the morning air. Sparrows called to one another in the trees, filling the silence.
“So, you're going into town today?” she asked.
“Yes, is there anything I can get you while I'm out?” She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“I thought I would get my things out of the hotel and pick up our wedding picture.”
“How is it you can afford a hotel?” she suddenly asked, looking at him in puzzlement Max paused for a moment. “I did some carpentry work for them and we managed to work out a deal for me to stay there.”
“You're definitely resourceful,” she said.
He smiled, but didn't respond, thinking once again he'd almost given away his secret.
She frowned and lifted her coffee cup. “There is something I need to discuss with you.”
“What?”
“It's about marriage. I just want to make sure that you agree and understand you're free to leave anytime after the baby is born, or you can leave now, but return when my time gets closer. I just want you here when the baby is born so there will be fewer questions about the father.”
He shrugged and lied to her. “Of course, I understand. Our marriage is in name only for the sake of the baby.” He watched as Nicole visibly relaxed. “Why this question now?”
“I couldn't sleep last night and suddenly I realized that you never really explained why you agreed to marry me,” she said.
“Simple,” he said, needing time to figure out a reason for his consenting to the marriage. After all, he couldn't be honest and tell her it was for the plantation, could he?
“Why, then?” she said, looking at him with a questioning expression. “What are you getting out of giving my baby your name?”
He frowned, not liking the turn of this conversation. “Well, I'm getting to spend at least five months at a working plantation, and while I'm here, I hope to learn as much as possible about raising a sugarcane crop. I'll get three meals a day, a nice roof over my head, and—not to mention—the money you're paying me.”
She frowned at him as though she was puzzled at his response.
“Did I say the wrong thing?” he asked.
“No. It seems natural the way you said it, but as I lay in bed thinking about this last night, I couldn't seem to find a single reason that didn't seem self-seeking and I wondered what you would tell me when I asked. Everything happened so fast. I asked, you accepted, and a week after we met, we married.”
“Your reaction is reasonable considering what you've gone through with Jean's death,” he assured her.
“Maybe. But I suddenly realized I know nothing about you, and last night I began to question why you agreed to marry me,” she said, a quizzical expression on her face.
He shrugged. “There were a lot of reasons why. As for knowing me, ask your questions and I'll answer.” She frowned. “Where were you born?”
“I don't really know,” he lied, knowing his birth occurred in her very bedroom. “My parents never told me.”
“Where does your family live now?” she asked. “They live in New Orleans. My mother's name is Audra and my father is Charles. What else would you like to know?”
Nicole looked puzzled as she sat there staring at him. “I don't know. You've given me the basic information about yourself, yet I don't feel like I know you. I guess I want to know more about you than your name.”
He nodded his head, wishing somehow to end this conversation quickly or at least change the topic. “You're not going to know me overnight, Nicole. It's going to take time for both of us. In the meantime, I'm going to make sure that our sugarcane crop is doing well and see what I can do around the plantation to help you out while we await the arrival of your baby. After I go to town.”
She smiled. “You're right. I just had a bad case of nerves last night I've been betrayed once, and I don't want to get hurt again.”
Max's conscience twinged and he pushed the feeling of guilt away. He was doing her a favor by marrying her and giving her baby a name. He shouldn't feel remorse; they were helping each other out. He didn't want to hurt her, but he needed her property. Yet he also realized that if the truth were known, he wouldn't mind having her, too.
Max watched as one of the field hands climbed the stairs. “Excuse me, Mrs. Viel, but the field hands have been standing around with nothing to do, waiting for Mr. Frank to show up to work this morning.”
“Where is Frank?” she asked.
“I don't know, ma'am. He's not in his cabin or in the barn. I've looked everywhere and I can't find him.
I hate for these men to stand around doing nothing, so I thought I would come to you.”
Max watched this discussion with interest. How could the overseer just disappear and leave the men with nothing to do?
“Thank you, Noah. Would you please make sure that the cane is well watered and I'll speak with Mr. Frank as soon as I see him.”
“Yes, ma'am. We also should probably think about starting to fertilize the fields, ma'am,” he told her.
She smiled at him. “Would it be better to fertilize the fields when they're wet or when they're dry?”
“I was always taught to fertilize and then water the fields, ma'am,” he said, holding his hat nervously in his hand.
“Then that's what we'll do,” she said. “Fertilize the fields and then water them well.”
“Yes, ma'am. That will certainly keep the men busy.” He nodded his head and walked away.
Max couldn't help but think there were a lot of things he could start working on at Rosewood; while Nicole busied herself preparing for this baby, he would ingratiate himself into the running of the plantation. And the first thing he wanted to look into was her overseer. It appeared the man wasn't doing his job.
***
Max rode into town to the hotel where he'd been staying. He sat down at the desk in his small room and quickly penned a letter to his mother, telling her he'd acquired the property and a bride, but not to come just yet. He couldn't explain, but he didn't need his mother here telling Nicole the reason he'd married her. He needed some time to convince his new wife how he would be good for her permanently, and then his mother could come to Rosewood. But until then he advised her to stay away.
He asked his father to make sure his son was being cared for properly. At the age of twelve, Paul could almost raise himself, yet Max paid Desiree, the boy's mother, on a regular basis to feed and clothe the child. Though he didn't trust her to use that money on his son.
Max sealed the envelope and collected his belongings from the hotel room. He'd accomplished what he'd set out to achieve, only not in the manner he'd expected. But maybe marrying Nicole would be a positive experience. And maybe not....
Chapter Four
A week passed and Nicole sensed a change around the plantation. Though she'd spent the better part of the week resting and sitting on the verandah, more work seemed to be getting accomplished in the fields and even near the house since Max's arrival.
Several days after their wedding ceremony, she'd begun to spot again. When she'd gone to bed, Max had agreed to take over the running of the plantation while she rested, praying that she wouldn't lose the baby. After marrying this unknown man, she'd be so distraught if she lost this child she'd waited so long for.
Now as she sat on the verandah and watched Max work with the men in the field, there seemed to be more energy and vitality in the field hands. Max had put several men to cleaning the flower beds and grounds around the house, and another couple of the workers were busy fixing the back door that she had begged her overseer to repair months ago.
A new awareness of work and needed repairs around the plantation seemed contagious and somehow she felt almost jealous at what Max had achieved that she hadn't been able to accomplish.
Nicole watched Max as he strode about the plantation with a sense of purpose, his white shirt open to reveal dark chest hairs, brown pants clinging to his shapely legs. The climate seemed to fit him as he kept the men working day after day until dusk, repairing the fence, doing yard work, and preparing the equipment for the sugarcane harvest, which was still months away.
Though from all appearances Max seemed like the perfect companion, something about this man made her uneasy. In so many ways he seemed ideal except for the fact he lived the life of a transient. She wondered why he'd never settled down with his own land and built a business the way Jean had. Yet did she really want to compare him to Jean and find they were similar in any way? The thought of finding another man like Jean made her shudder.
She had loved Jean; his commanding personality and charm drew her more than any man she'd ever known. But she'd always recognized that a ruthless side to her husband existed, a side she had chosen to overlook. Somehow, Jean had identified exactly what she lacked in her life and he'd given her those material things, and now look where her blindness to his faults had led her. Her marriage had been considered illegal and her child would have been illegitimate— just as her own birth was—if not for Max.
She glanced out at the land that surrounded the Creole home Jean had bought her. He'd known she pined for a place on the river, a home to call her own, a place where she felt she belonged and could bring their children into this world and build the dynasty she'd always dreamed of. Now everything she wanted seemed to be slipping through her fingers except the child she'd longed for, who would depend on her to take care of him. For this reason she clung tighter to the land and the child that grew within her. She'd lost Jean, but she'd be damned if she would lose the land or her baby.
That's why she sat here in the shade of the house, trying to make it through a difficult pregnancy, willing to let Max run the plantation while she concentrated on her child.
Voices raised in anger came from the barns, drawing her attention to the sound. She stood and walked around the verandah until she could see who was shouting.
At the back of the house, near the barn, she saw Frank, her overseer, and Max in a heated debate.
_preview.jpg)
