Captive Innocence (25 page)

“Royall, do you really think so? Do you really believe it?”

“You know I do! With my whole heart.”

Alicia's thoughts whirled, coming again and again to the Baron. How could she marry Carl and live in the same house as the Baron? Would Carl ever leave Reino Brazilia?

“I couldn't stay here, Royall. I want to leave Manaus ... and the memories. What . . . what if Carl doesn't want to come with me? What if he obeys his father and cuts me out of his life? How can I live without him? And those vicious rumors about me ... saying I'm a prostitute . . .” her words rambled.

“A prostitute!” Royall gasped. “Silly girl! Don't you think that Sebastian would be one of the first to hear any rumor like that? This man, whoever he was, lied to you. He tricked you so he could force you into doing as he wanted. You must believe in yourself, Alicia, before anyone else can believe in you. You must stand on your own two feet. And as for Carl, I've my own ideas about him. I've told you he never mentioned marriage to me, regardless of the pressure the Baron exerted. What does that tell you, Alicia? That his father hasn't won, that Carl is a man who is learning to stand up for himself and what he wants, regardless of the Baron. Otherwise, I'm certain he would have proposed long before this.”

Alicia's eyes were bright with tears, tears of realization and a growing hope. “Oh, Royall,” she hugged her, “how can I thank you. Dear Sebastian, for bringing you here to me. And to think how many hours I've spent hating you, jealously thinking Carl loved you. And now that I know you, I wonder that Carl didn't fall in love with you; how could he not?”

Royall smiled. “Because his heart belongs to you. He loves you.”

“Royall, are you certain I shouldn't tell Carl?”

“I'm certain. It would be cruel, to both of you. Women are strong. You, Alicia, are strong!”

“How will I ever be able to thank you, Royall? Sebastian was right, you've done me the world of good. Thank you. Perhaps some day I may be able to help you.”

“You may at that. I'm going to leave you now. You need more rest. Your eyes are heavy. I think you'll sleep a restful sleep now. We'll talk again when you're feeling better. And at that time,” she wagged a finger at Alicia, “I expect to see a bloom in your cheeks. I want your promise.”

“I promise,” Alicia said wanly.

“Alicia, is that your cape on the chaise?” At the girl's nod, Royall asked if she might borrow it.

“But of course. I'm afraid it's a bit wrinkled. I arrived here in a downpour.”

“It's of no matter. I can't go back in my dressing gown. Your cape will do nicely. I'll be sure it's pressed and returned to you.”

“Burn it, please. I want no further reminders of where the cape came from,” Alicia said harshly.

“Sleep now, Alicia. We'll talk again.”

Royall was almost at the top of the stairs when she heard her name being called. “Yes?” she questioned turning around. The child from the kitchen! Sebastian's paramour. What did she want!

“My name is Aloni.” Royall said nothing as she narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the stiffness of the tiny girl, nor did she like the dangerous look in her eyes. “Sebastian belongs to me.” Still Royall said nothing. The girl seemed confused by her lack of response. The musical voice rose an octave. “You will never take him from me, and if you try, I'll kill you.”

“What makes you think I want Sebastian? Don't ever make the mistake of threatening me again, for if you do, I may be forced to take you over my knee and paddle your backside till you can't sit down for a week. If you want to be treated like an adult, I suggest you start acting like one.” Good lord, where was she getting all of this advice she was ladling out in such large doses. “Step aside!”

Aloni's breath came out in a sharp hiss. “I saw you in the kitchen with Sebastian. I saw you both!”

Royall was stunned and momentarily taken off guard. She had seen . . . had heard . . . God in heaven! She had to get out of this house! Now! Damn you, Sebastian Rivera, she muttered under her breath.

“He could never love you,” the woman-child said hatefully. “We belong together. You will never take him from me.”

“I don't want him. You can have him! You can have all of him,” Royall shot back as she made a move to go around Aloni.

“He has tasted your passions now, and he will compare them with mine. Aloni does not like it when he will do that.”

The thought of this woman-child comparing passions amused Royall, and the cat in her emerged. “Be careful, Aloni. If a comparison is made, you would lose.”

“You lie! You white-skinned old woman!” Aloni spat, her fingers curling to claws.

Gone was the amusement and in its place rose anger, white hot and searing. It was the word “old” that Royall objected to. “You deserve one another, you and your master. You're both cut from the same bolt of cloth. Now, let me by, you whining infant!”

Aloni raised her hand and pushed Royall back against the wall. Royall's eyes widened at the strength behind the slender arm. Her eyes narrowed. If Aloni wanted a battle, she would give her one. Royall brought up her hand and slapped Aloni square across the side of the face. Aloni retaliated by grasping Royall's long blond hair and yanking till tears came to her eyes. She tugged and pulled with vicious pleasure. “You damn little bitch, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!”

A second later Royall had her hair free and had knocked Aloni to the floor. The woman-child shrieked and screamed for help from Sebastian. “If you don't shut that petulant mouth of yours, your teeth will be rattling around,” Royall gasped as she straddled the tiny form on the floor. Both of Aloni's hands were held at the wrist with Royall bending over, her face inches from Aloni's terrified face. “Call me old now. Let me hear you say it again. Say it!” Royall shouted angrily.

“Say what?” Sebastian's voice thundered. “What the hell is going on here? Christ, don't you women ever shut up? I'm going back to the plantation for peace and quiet. One of you better tell me within thirty seconds just what the hell this is all about, or I'll take both of you over my knee. Speak!” he roared.

Royall struggled to her feet. With a flourish she whipped the lemon-colored cape about her, all the while staring disdainfully at Sebastian. “The infant on the floor needs a wet nurse and a sugar tit.” This she said with her mouth pursed as though she were sucking on a sour lime. “Don't even try to explain, for I have no desire to hear any explanation. This is the last insult I will suffer at your hands, Sebastian Rivera. Now, get the hell out of my way before I knock you down those steps and then walk over you. Now!”

Royall gathered the shreds of dignity around her and left, feeling both pairs of eyes piercing her back—one pair hate-filled and the other confused.

The Quince townhouse was ablaze with lights shimmering through the long French glass windows and laying golden pools on the cobbled street outside. People were arriving for the party given by the Quinces in honor of their guest, Royall Banner. Jewels glittered, taffeta gowns rustled, men were attired in their most dashing best. Carriages were tended by the footmen, and music, full and glorious, filled the night, sweeping over the slate rooftops from Rosalie's back garden, where the party was already in progress.

Royall stood to Mrs. Quince's right on the receiving line, patiently allowing herself to be formally introduced to people she had met a hundred times over during the past ten days since the opening of the opera. The party itself was an informal buffet. Long tables, covered with snowy white cloths, were tended by servants and laden with foods of every description. The hour was late by most standards, nearly eleven o'clock, near the witching hour, because everyone had attended the performance of Verdi's
Rigoletto
before coming to the Quince residence.

Royall shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Damn if her feet didn't hurt. She wanted nothing more than to just creep up to her room and pull off her clothes and sleep. But Rosalie had gone to considerable trouble to make things as nice as possible for her young guest.

In spite of herself, Royall found she continually watched the entrance to the lantern-lit garden, watching for Sebastian. She had seen him earlier from the Quince box at the opera. He had brought Alicia with him, and the girl had looked lovely in a pink gown striped with silver. Royall had once or twice glanced their way. Alicia had caught her eye and waved a greeting. Sebastian had not turned his head, not even to offer a smile to Rosalie.

Royall hadn't seen him since the day he'd practically kidnapped her to bring her to Alicia, and she admitted to herself that her eyes were hungry for the sight of him.

“Royall, darling, how nice to see you again,” a masculine voice greeted her. Turning, she saw the Baron standing there, his gray eyes smiling into hers, something behind the smile making her blood run cold.

“Baron,” she murmured, feeling very ill at ease with him since he had danced with her at the masquerade ball. The man had become too familiar and that, combined with what Mr. Morrison had told her, was enough to make her flesh crawl.

“The festivities are almost over,” he told her, smoothing his iron gray hair over his temples. “It will be nice to have your company again at Reino Brazilia. It's very lonely at my townhouse,” he went on. “Carl is in Belém, and Jamie has insisted on staying in the apartment behind my offices near the wharf. I'm quite alone,” he told her meaningfully. “Why don't you come and stay with me for the remainder of our time here in Manaus?”

A shudder captured Royall. He had mentioned the very thing she'd been dreading. Somehow she managed a smile, adroitly swinging her eyes to the woman behind the Baron, offering a greeting, dismissing him completely. But the man stood his ground and refused to move on to Alonzo Quince, who stood beside her in the receiving line.

“Aquamarine does wonderful things for your hair, Royall,” he told her, his eyes moving over her familiarly. “You're more stunning than ever this evening.”

“Thank you, you're very kind.” Her voice was flat; she felt herself shrinking inside. She didn't want his attentions or his flattery, she just wanted him to move on, to go away. Lord in heaven, how was she going to tolerate this man once they were all together again on the Reino?

She heard him laugh, a wide grin splitting his face, showing his dazzling teeth. “Kind, Royall? No, I don't think so. At least I've never considered myself as such.”

He'd been drinking, and he frightened her. Some chord was struck, something was off center—in addition to being inebriated, he seemed half mad!

Alonzo Quince came to the rescue. “How do you do, Baron Newsome. It's been so long since I've actually had a moment with you,” Alonzo grasped the Baron by the arm and led him away. “Have you managed to ready the rubber shipment to the East? We've had some diff ...” As their voices faded, Royall felt herself relax. Was this how Alicia had felt when that nameless man had exercised his control over her? Suddenly, the night was too warm and she needed something to blot the sudden perspiration of her upper lip. She admitted that it wasn't the heat or the party; the Baron was the reason she had broken out into a cold sweat

Shortly afterwards, Sebastian arrived with Alicia. They spoke for a moment with Rosalie before moving on to Royall. Alicia's eyes were alive and dancing. For an instant she slid her tiny gloved hand into Royall's, and then, dropping all pretense, wrapped her arms around Royall's shoulders and hugged her. Sebastian watched the display of feminine affection and found himself smiling. He took the opportunity to look at Royall, finding her lovely in her watered silk aquamarine that heightened the gold of her hair and the honey amber of her skin. His hand itched to reach out and touch her, to hold her in his arms . . .

“Sebastian has been wonderful,” Alicia was telling Royall. “I'm going to stay in his townhouse even after he leaves for Regalo Verdad in a few days. He's so generous! When Carl comes back from Belém, Sebastian will tell him where to find me.”

“That's wonderful,” Royall murmured, truly happy for Alicia. She felt Sebastian standing there looking down at her, but she refused to lift her eyes to him. Their last meeting, which had ended in a hair-pulling match with his paramour, had been a final humiliation.

Rosalie Quince broke in. “Royall, most everyone is here now. Why don't you go and mingle with the guests? You must be as hungry as I am by this time. I've got my mouth watering for a thick slice of that lamb.”

“Then I'll come with you, Mrs. Quince,” Royall said hurriedly, hoping her relief wasn't too obvious to Alicia. She really liked the girl and didn't want to offend her, but Sebastian's nearness was making her claustrophobic.

Sometime later, Royall was sitting on one of the iron benches resting her feet and watching the party from a distance, when she caught sight of the Baron. He held a drink in his hand and was staring across the crowd, his stance one of frozen motion, his silver gray eyes spewing menace. Royall followed his gaze, stretching her neck to see the recipient of his stare, expecting it to be Sebastian. When the dancers changed positions, she had a better view and was shocked to see a slim, dark-haired girl in a pink-silver-striped gown locked in the terror of his gaze. Alicia!

Thought rioted and rambled through Royall's brain. Before she could formulate an opinion of what she'd witnessed, a cry went up among the crowd. Shrieks were coming from an open doorway leading to the garden. Royall looked to the source of the commotion and heard the words: “Yellow jack!” Instantly, a man she did not recognize was surrounded by every man at the party.

“It started on the Reino and is spreading to every other plantation! I saw it with my own eyes! They're falling down dead!”

“When did you see this?” The harsh cold demand was from Sebastian Rivera.

“Yesterday. You can be sure the situation has worsened by now.”

Royall suddenly found herself standing beside Rosalie Quince. “We'd best start at once for the plantation,” Rosalie called to her husband, Alonzo. The portly gentleman needed no prodding as he strode from the room. The other men followed suit. Not so Sebastian Rivera and the Baron.

“It's ridiculous!” the Baron shouted, his face mixed shades of crimson. “Who is this ridiculous person who dares to come here uninvited and start such a malicious rumor? I demand an explanation!” he said, grasping the man by the open collar of his shirt.

“This is my foreman, Jesus Alvarada,” Sebastian said coldly. “If he says there's yellow jack on the Reino, then it's true. He knows what the fever is. He lost a mother, father, and two children, not to mention a wife,” Sebastian said, his face a mask of fury. He looked to the foreman. “And ours? What of ours?”

“One child is poorly. I don't know at this time if it's the fever or not.”

“Has the child been isolated from the others?”

“I saw to it, sir. It was the first thing I did,” the foreman replied.

“Good. Come, Jesus, we have a long ride ahead of us. I remember only too well the last time the fever struck.”

Sebastian's tone was contemptuous when he turned and spoke to the Baron. “Is it your intention to stay in town while your plantation is wiped out? If so, be prepared for the other owners to take matters into their own hands. I warned you time and again. You ignored me as well as the others. Now you see the results of your ignorance,” he said ominously as he strode from the room.

“Sebastian, wait,” Royall implored.

“For what? For more people to die needlessly? Use your wiles and charms on the Baron; it will do you more good. You're just as responsible as he is. Everyone has a day of reckoning, and this is yours, Senora Banner.”

Tears stung the amber eyes. Would he never believe her, trust her? Whatever the Baron did or didn't do, she knew her duty! Her gaze left Sebastian's retreating back to settle on the mask of rage the Baron was presenting to the room at large.

“How dare that bastard speak to me as if I were one of his common workers!”

Shock coursed through Royall. What had she expected? Everyone had tried to warn her, and while she had listened, she had done nothing. Sebastian was right; this was her day of reckoning. The Baron had no intention of returning to the plantation. From the expressions on the women's faces, they weren't surprised. After all, how many times must they have heard their husbands and sons talk about Reino Brazilia and the Baron?

“Do what you want, Carlyle, but I'm leaving for the Reino.” Her voice was cold and bitter. “Sebastian said I'm just as responsible as you, and while you don't take your responsibility seriously, I do. Now get out of my way, and don't try to stop me.”

“Bravo, child!” Mrs. Quince chortled. “If you need me, call upon me at any hour. You promise, Royall.”

Royall embraced the older woman before she fled the room in search of a carriage or buggy to take her back to the plantation.

Spying Jamie on the now deserted veranda, she grasped his arm. “Come with me, Jamie, we're going back to the plantation. You're big and strong, you can handle the carriage, can't you?” Not bothering to wait for a reply, she babbled on. “Your father is bent on stopping me, but I don't have the time now to play games with him. Jamie, I promise, if you go with me, I will play the spinet for you till you fall asleep. Every day,” she added at the young man's frightened look. “Every day, Jamie, I'll play whatever you want. Right now your father is angry but he'll get over it. See, all the others are going and he just wants to be stubborn. Every day, Jamie. You know how you love music.”

“Jamie, stop!” the Baron shouted.

“Damn you, Jamie, get in that carriage and whip those horses. Now!” Royall ordered.

Jamie grinned suddenly. Sebastian could whip the horses and make them gallop down the drive and everyone would cheer and clap. Now he could do the same. He laughed when he saw Royall push his father away, shouting angrily at him to leave her alone. She was right, father always got angry and then he would smile and pat him on the head and forgive him for his little defiances.

As the carriage sped along, Royall slid from one side of the leather seat to the other as she listened to Jamie laugh with glee. If she arrived at the Reino in one piece, she would be lucky. The only thing that saved her sanity was the fact that she knew Jamie would tire soon and start to whine and whimper at his disobedience to his father.

She was proved right a short while later. The carriage slowed and almost came to a halt, with Jamie wiping at his brow. “Tell me what you're going to play for me on the spinet, Royall.”

“Whatever you want, Jamie. You just tell me what you want to hear and I'll play it.”

“For as long as I want. That's what you said. You promised.”

“Yes, I did, and I'll keep my promise,” Royall replied wearily.

“Why are we going back to the plantation? Why didn't you want father to come in the carriage with us? He's very angry with both of us, I could tell.”

“It might interest you to know, Jamie, that I, too, am angry, and I'm angry with your father. Didn't you hear what went on back at the house? How can you just sit there and worry about your father's anger when people will die. Have died,” she corrected herself.

“Who dies, who is going to die?” Jamie asked petulantly.

“The people at the Reino. The Indians and the blacks. Don't you care? Aren't you the least bit concerned? Oh, Jamie, I didn't realize you were so much like your father. Good God, they're human beings! An epidemic could wipe out the plantation and spread to others.”

“Who cares?” He didn't like this conversation. Royall seemed to be angry with him. If she was angry she might act like his father—make promises and then break them. “We'll get more if they die.”

“Damn you, Jamie, stop talking like an idiot.” What was the use? He didn't or couldn't comprehend what she was telling him.

“Did I tell you that Father ordered two new soldiers for me? I can't wait for them to arrive. Everyone said how handsome I looked at the masquerade ball in my uniform. Father said I outshone Sebastian Rivera, and he was quite the most handsome man at the gathering this evening. What do you think, Royall?”

“Yes, you did look handsome. Jamie, do you like Sebastian?”

“Yes. He's not mean. He's ...” He sought for the proper word. “He's fair. Elena said he was fair.”

“Elena said that?” Royall questioned in surprise.

“Elena likes Sebastian. Everyone likes Sebastian but my father. Elena says he's jealous.”