Deceive Not My Heart (50 page)

Once again, Morgan's hand covered hers in a reassuring touch and he murmured, "Chin up, sweetheart. He's only a man."

Leonie shot him an indignant look, "I am not nervous!" she hissed under her breath. "I'm excited!"

At the moment, there were only two small groups near Burr. The group that interested Morgan consisted of Noelle, Matthew, and Robert, as well as their host, Stephen Minor, and Colonel Osmun. Morgan was well acquainted with Stephen Minor—Matthew and Stephen were old friends and Morgan's friend Philip Nolan had been Stephen's brother-in-law. Osmun he knew only slightly, but the man's firm handshake and bluff, hearty personality were hard to resist.

"Pleasure to meet you again, Slade," Osmun replied pleasantly to Matthew's introduction. And turning to Leonie, he said gallantly, "So this is the beautiful sister-in-law I have heard Robert singing the praises of all evening. My dear, I am enchanted." Throwing Morgan a teasing look, he added, "If I were you, sir, and I had a brother like Robert, I'm afraid I'd be a mite jealous."

Morgan laughed just as Burr, who had been talking with several gentlemen to their right, entered the conversation. Swinging around to face Morgan and the others, he smiled and murmured, "And if I were married to someone as lovely as young Mrs. Slade, I
know
I would be jealous!"

Burr's unusual eyes seemed to caress Leonie's sweet features and to Morgan's amusement she blushed. But as Burr's reputation for being a devil with the ladies had preceded him, Morgan sent him a level glance and said, "But, gentlemen, let me assure you, I
am
jealous! And as capable as the next man of defending my honor." Putting a possessive arm around Leonie's slender waist, he finished blandly. "Fortunately, my wife is the epitome of virtue and I am content to know that she would never give me reason to doubt her."

That Burr received Morgan's message was clear from the elegant shrug of his narrow shoulders and the mournful glance he sent Leonie. "Ah, madame, I fear your husband is a jealous brute! It is apparent that he will tolerate not even the mildest dalliance."

Unused to this sort of sophisticated banter and shocked at Burr's open admiration of her, she blurted out, "Oh, but, Monsieur Burr, I would never be unfaithful to my husband!"

There was a burst of delighted laughter, and Leonie flushed, but Morgan bent down and touched his lips lightly to her temple. "Well done, my dear. Well done!"

As the laughter died down, the introductions were finished and for a few minutes there was a spate of polite conversation before Morgan was able to escape, leaving Leonie under his mother's protective eye.

Needing a respite from the heat and press of the crowd, Morgan strolled outside to the veranda to enjoy a cigar and get a breath of fresh air. He hadn't been there long when Stephen Minor joined him and for a few minutes they smoked in companionable silence, until Minor said, "And what do you think of little Burr?"

Morgan shrugged. "I don't think about him a great deal, but I confess I do wonder about what he is up to. Especially knowing that he just spent a few days with our good general at Fort Massac."

"Ah, yes, our dear friend, General Wilkinson," Stephen said, throwing Morgan a teasing look.

Morgan grinned back at him and murmured, "Is there anybody you cannot charm?"

Stephen regarded the tip of his cigar and said thoughtfully, "I don't think so.... At least I haven't met anyone... yet."

It was no idle boast Minor made. He had come from Pennsylvania as a youth and had managed to carve out a powerful and respected niche for himself in Natchez. He had prospered under the Spanish rule and it was a mark of his adroitness that when Natchez passed into American hands, Stephen Minor had been its first American governor.

In his late forties, he was still a handsome man, although the thick dark hair had begun to recede near his temples. He was likely to laugh when others cursed and inclined to stay calm in the face of adversity that would make another blind with rage.

Morgan liked him; an easy relationship existed between them. They were not close friends, but each respected the other, and consequently, Morgan was not guarded in his conversation.

Jerking his head in the direction of the ballroom, Morgan asked, "Do you believe his tale of settling on those lands near the Washita River in the northern part of the Orleans Territory?"

"The de Bastrop tract?"

"I suppose that's the one, unless you know of another four hundred thousand acres he's laid claim to," Morgan returned dryly.

Stephen smiled faintly. "Point taken." The two men talked for some minutes about Burr, speculating about his trip, but soon the conversation turned to more personal matters as Stephen remarked, "I must congratulate you on your bride. She is delightful... not at all what I expected."

Morgan made a face. "Has there been a great deal of talk?"

"A great deal," Stephen agreed. "But I think after tonight, it will die down. Certainly your wife can be assured of the support of my wife and me. That alone should still the majority of the wagging tongues... even Melinda's."

Morgan looked surprised. "In view of what happened I would have thought that she would be the
last
one to talk about it! Unfortunately, it was, I'm certain, a humiliating experience for her and one she wouldn't particularly like bandied about."

"One never knows with the Melindas of the world. But I shouldn't worry—she already has her sights set on someone else."

"Anybody I know?"

Stephen's forehead creased into a slight frown. "I don't think you do know him." And looking intently through the open doors into the ballroom, he suddenly said, "That's the fellow—the tall young man in blue talking with your brother."

Morgan quickly found Dominic and with interest he noted the handsome dark-haired man about the same age at his side. "Who is he?"

"Adam St. Clair. He's English. Came here a few years ago. Has a very nice place on the bluff, Belle Vista, and owns quite a bit of acreage across the river. Nice boy. His sister lived with him for a while—but after her son was born, she left Belle Vista to join her husband. She left just last year, I believe." Struck by a thought, Stephen turned to look at Morgan. "By God, I just realized! Catherine, Adam's sister, is married to your friend, Jason!"

Morgan appeared thunderstruck. "Jason's married?" he finally got out. "And has a son?"

Stephen nodded. "Yes—and if you two were better correspondents you would have known about it! At any rate young Adam is Jason's brother-in-law, and I don't think your friend could have a nicer one."

Morgan nodded in the direction of Adam and Dominic. "And Dominic and Adam are friends?"

"Hmm, yes, quite good ones, as you'll soon discover for yourself, now that you have decided to rejoin polite society."

Morgan pulled a face. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, I certainly don't envy young St. Clair's position—not with Melinda in pursuit! Which was," Morgan added with a rueful smile,
"most
ungentlemanly of me to say."

Stephen laughed. "Very ungentlemanly... but perhaps appropriate under the circumstances."

The two men conversed for several more minutes and then finally Stephen said regretfully, "As I am the host of this affair, I suppose I should mingle with my guests. It has been a pleasure renewing our acquaintance, Morgan, and I look forward to seeing more of you now that you have decided to settle down."

Uneasily aware that his future might not be as secure and serene as envisioned by Minor, Morgan replied, "I wouldn't count too heavily on my apparent fondness for home and hearth, Stephen—I've been searching after adventure for so many years now, that I don't know if I could remain happy in one place for very long."

Stephen pursed his lips and shook his head. "Brett Dangermond said practically the same thing earlier this evening. You young bucks, are never satisfied. Always looking for excitement. I'll tell you what I told him: Remember Philip Nolan—
he
went searching for adventure once too often!"

His attention caught by the name of Dangermond, Morgan asked,"Brett? Brett Dangermond is here tonight?" And at Stephen's nod he said, "By God, I haven't seen him in years!"

Stephen laughed. "If the pair of you would remain in one place long enough, you might be able to spend time with each other. I don't know which of you is worse—both of you always harrying off after this or that!" Giving Morgan a stern look, he finished, "At least
you
have a wife now, which should slow you down a bit!"

Morgan only grinned and watched as Stephen walked into the ballroom to rejoin his guests. For a moment Morgan stood there considering entering the crush in search of his friend, Brett, but then dismissed it. If Brett was around they'd meet up sooner or later.

Having finished his cigar he reached inside his coat for another one, telling himself that just as soon as he smoked it, he would go inside in search of Leonie. Hopefully she would be ready to go home; he'd had enough of society for the night.

It didn't take him long to find her, and as the hour was approaching two o'clock in the morning and the many glasses of champagne she had been served had given her a headache, she was more than happy to leave. It had been an exciting evening for her, but at the moment all she longed for was her bed.

The ride back to Le Petit was accomplished in almost total silence; they had exchanged a few comments about the ball before sleep overpowered Leonie. Stifling a mighty yawn, she had curled up against the cushioned seat of the gig and before Morgan had driven a quarter of a mile, she was sound asleep.

Reaching Le Petit, Morgan drove directly to the stables, and after handing the reins to a drowsy Abraham, he plucked the sleeping Leonie from the gig. She fitted his arms nicely, he thought with a swift rush of tenderness as he carried her to the house. Her head was resting against his shoulder, her slim body curving gently next to his and he suddenly wished that she was always as sweetly yielding as she was at this moment.

Silently he entered the house and made his way to her rooms. Knowing she would probably object vehemently if he attempted to make love to her, and not wishing to disrupt the uneasy harmony between them, he laid her on her bed to await the ministrations of Mercy.

He found Litchfield waiting for him, and shrugging out of his black velvet jacket, he said with a yawn, "I really didn't expect you to still be up."

Litchfield sent him a look. "As if I would dare go to sleep before your return. Especially," he added, "when I know you would want to be informed immediately of the arrival of a letter from Jason Savage."

Sleep forgotten, Morgan spun around. "Well, for God's sake, where is it?"

Smiling loftily, Litchfield walked over to a nearby table and picking up a small silver tray, presented it to Morgan.

Morgan made a face at him and snatched up the letter.

The two men had not written to one another in some time, and so briefly, Jason brought Morgan up to date—most of what he wrote, Morgan had just learned. Jason touched lightly on his marriage to Catherine Tremayne, the fact that he was now the proud father of a son, Nicholas, and that he had made Terre du Coeur, one of the many properties owned by the family in the northern part of the Territory of Orleans, his home.

It
is
sheer
luck
, Jason wrote,
that
you
found
me
in
New
Orleans
.

My grandfather suffered a seizure some weeks ago and I have been staying here only because of that.

Catherine is expecting our second child at the end of August and I mean to leave here just as soon as possible. I was not present when Nicholas was born but I damn well intend to be there for the birth of my second child!

I have done as you asked and inquired after information concerning Leonie Saint-Andre.

Morgan, my friend, you are not going to like what I have discovered.

I don't know if your Leonie is the same one I have learned about, but they sound very much the same. For your information, such a young woman does exist; Claude Saint-Andre was her grandfather as she says, and he did die in the fall of 1799. She lived, also as she says, at the family plantation, Chateau Saint-Andre, some miles below New Orleans.

I have talked with the priest, Pere Antoine, who performed the ceremony of marriage, but he could throw little light on the subject. I looked over the records and saw the entry where one Morgan Slade, bachelor, from Natchez, Mississippi Territory, did indeed marry Leonie Saint-Andre in July of 1799.

Claude Saint-Andre was well thought of, if pitied at the end of his life. Apparently it was only after the death of his son some years ago that he began to waste what was a considerable fortune. Many people I spoke to expressed dismay at the state of finances that faced your Leonie when he died. Evidently, simply by pure guts and pluck she was able to keep the plantation going for several years, and it was only when old Etienne de la Fontaine died and his son Maurice took over that she was forced to leave.

I feel I should mention that there are those who imply that Maurice would have been quite happy to have simply ignored the debt, if Leonie had been more receptive to his person. And in view of her supposedly married state it is quite clear that his intentions were entirely dishonorable.