Fortune's Flames (23 page)

Maren’s head ached, but it was clearing. “Where
was everyone? Did anyone see me fall?”

“I’m afraid not. The guards were out front and everyone else was busy. We heard you scream and fall, but when we reached you, you were out cold. Dan’s having the step repaired right now. You’ll have to be more careful, woman; that accident could have killed you.”

Accident?
The word echoed in Maren’s mind. It hadn’t been an accident. The step hadn’t been loose. She had felt a hand seize her ankle….

After the doctor checked Maren over and assured Jared and Mary that she was fine, the housekeeper returned to her tasks to allow Jared to talk privately with Maren. Maren wanted to get up, but the doctor had advised her to remain abed until morning and Jared had insisted she obey him.

She was quiet for a long time, too quiet. Jared was worried. “Are you sure you’re all right, Maren?”

She met his concerned gaze and smiled. She loved him and trusted him. “It wasn’t an accident, Jared.”

Sitting beside her, he stroked her head and teased, “Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re clumsy. Just be more careful in the future.”

“That isn’t what I meant. Someone was standing under the stairs. Whoever it was tripped me. I felt a hand on my ankle. Obviously the board was loosened to make it appear an accident Who was around when I fell?”

Jared realized she was serious. “It happened so quickly, Maren, that I doubt anyone saw anything suspicious. We were all busy and the hall was empty when you came down. After we heard your scream and a thud, you were surrounded by people. If anyone was under the steps, he melted into the crowd.”

“Not
if,
Jared,” she corrected him, alarmed by this attempt on her life.

“Relax, love, don’t jump on an innocently spoken word,” he softly scolded. “I believe you. Whoever did it is smart; it was timed to occur when no one was around. I don’t recall seeing that gambler who’s been giving us trouble, but I’ll ask the others about him. And I’ll go check under the steps right now.”

“Jared, there’s something I forgot to tell you,” she began, then revealed her confrontation with Howard Heath during his absence.

“Damn it, Maren!” he declared angrily. “That man is dangerous, maybe crazy. How could you let something like this slip your mind?”

Maren caught his hand and kissed it. “We’ve been kind of busy since your return, Mr. Morgan. My mind was somewhere else.”

“When we talked about Eric this afternoon, you should have recalled that incident. Please don’t keep on protecting him,” he urged.

“I’m not protecting him or defending him, Jared. Honestly, it slipped my mind until now. Besides, he had said he was seeing his boss that night, and Eric is far away.”

“His boss must be working for Eric. Blast it, woman, you heard the slip he made. How much evidence do you need against Eric?”

“What if the threat doesn’t come from Eric? What if someone wants to trick us into thinking he’s to blame?”

“Maren, Maren,” he chided, “you know that isn’t true.”

Unshed tears glistened in her eyes as she admitted, “I know, Jared, but it’s hard to believe him so wicked. I’ve been close to him for years. I can’t believe he would harm me, or have me harmed.”

“After you told that troublemaker we were on to him and he reported it to Eric’s cohort, their plans may have been changed. We’ve already added that sneaky lawyer to the list of men working for your cousin. They both know we’re suspicious of Eric and plan to work against him. They probably think Eric will go along with any actions they’re taking.”

“I know what you say is true, but someone else could want Lady Luck. The place is valuable, and will be worth even more after the war.”

“You aren’t referring to me, are you?”

She nipped his hand before saying, “Don’t be ridiculous. If I didn’t trust you, would I be telling you all of this?”

“Then prove it,” he challenged, his gaze imprisoning hers.

“How so?”

“Marry me tomorrow, but in secret.”

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. “Marry
you? Secretly?”

“We both know what we want, Maren, each other. So there’s no reason to wait for months to marry.” He stroked her hair as he explained, “But we’ll have to do it secretly to protect you from our enemies. If Eric learns he can’t get Lady Luck by scaring you out, he might have no use for you. It’s my guess he brought you home so he could take it from you.” Jared came to some other grim conclusions. “And don’t forget, I’m a threat to many men, traitors and spies who wouldn’t hesitate to use my wife to get at me. Until all of this is worked out, no one can be told, Maren, not even Beth. You know her tongue moves faster than her wits when she’s excited.”

“Who would perform a secret ceremony?”

“I know the perfect man. He’s right outside of town. Are you willing?”

“If you’re serious, the answer is yes.”

“I’ll make arrangements tomorrow, and we can have it done Sunday afternoon. I mean it, Maren, don’t reveal this to anyone. Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Get some rest now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“In the morning?” she repeated, frowning disappointedly.

He playfully tugged on a long curl. “You’ll have me all to yourself very soon, Miss James. Take it easy tonight. That’s a nasty bump on your head, and you’re supposed to remain quiet.”

“If you insist, Mr. Morgan. At least kiss me good night.”

Jared leaned forward, and as their lips met, Maren’s arms encircled his neck. They held each other tenderly, both of them trembling with desire.

As he spread kisses over her face, he murmured, “What am I going to do with you, woman? You steal my wits and self-control.”

Maren laughed happily. “Evidently not as much as you steal mine, my selfish pirate. You’re the one rejecting me tonight.”

“That isn’t fair,” he teased, kissing her again. He stood up and said, “That’s all for tonight, woman. When you’re my wife, I’ll give you more, lots more.”

Wife,
she mused. “Maren Morgan, it has a nice sound, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, my love, it does. Now get some sleep.”

Jared went downstairs and entered the curtainedoff area beneath the steps where supplies were kept. He found several extra chairs there. Standing on one would have enabled someone to reach the step on which Maren had tripped. The board had been repaired immediately so he could not examine how much space had been created by moving it, but surely it had been large enough for a hand to slide through to seize Maren’s foot. In the commotion after her fall, anyone hiding under the stairs could have slipped unnoticed into the crowd gathered around her. He decided to investigate this matter without alerting the guilty person to his suspicion.

“Looking for something, Jared?” Dan Myers asked.

“We have a problem, Dan,” Jared replied. “Maren’s fall wasn’t an accident. Someone hid under here and tripped her. Did you notice anyone acting strange?”

Dan looked surprised. “I’m afraid not. Who do you think was responsible?”

Jared shrugged. “I don’t know, but we’d better keep an eye on her. Don’t tell anyone about this until we know more.”

“I’ll watch over her when you’re not here,” the manager promised. He wondered what was going on.

“I’d appreciate that,” Jared said. Then he asked about the troublesome gambler, but Dan told him the man hadn’t returned since he’d been kicked out earlier in the week.
“I
think Eric James is behind this danger, but I don’t know who’s doing his dirty work for him. Keep an eye on his friends,” Jared told his manager.

“Does Miss Maren agree?” Dan asked.

“She’s beginning to accept the truth about her cousin, but it’s hard on her. We have to find a way to unmask Eric before I’m forced to leave.”

“When will that be?”

“I hope I can stay another couple of weeks. He should be back by then. I’m sure you realize he cheated Cameron’s daughter out of most of her inheritance, and now he wants Lady Luck. Once I obtain evidence against him, I’ll let the law handle
him, if I don’t kill him first. But I want to unmask his cohorts so they are no threat to Maren after I leave New Orleans.”

“Who could be working for a snake like Eric James? Setting up an accident like that…Maren could have been killed. He’s a smart one, Jared. Be careful.”

“I plan to be, Dan.”

“How will you get evidence against Eric and his hirelings? And how do you intend to stop him from taking over Lady Luck after you’re gone?”

“He can’t get it so long as I’m her partner.”

“I know that, but so will he when he returns,” Dan said pointedly. “He was real anxious to learn who her secret partner was. That could be why he brought her back, to unmask you.”

“But Maren had the accident,” Jared reasoned.

“Yes, but you also live upstairs. You could have tripped as easily as she did and broken your neck. Then Maren would be sole owner. Or Eric might want both of you out of the way. Who else stands to inherit Maren’s holdings but her nearest kin?”

“You have a point, Dan. With me dead, he wouldn’t have to worry about the no-sale stipulation.” According to the papers he and Maren had signed, their estates were interlocked. Yes, a smart lawyer could find a way for Eric to take over everything. Maybe the accident had been meant for him.

Jared started toward the door. “I think I’ll go nose around that lawyer’s house. And do you know where
that other bastard lives?”

“Next door to Lewis,” Dan replied, causing Jared’s brows to rise.

At Jared’s insistence, Maren remained inside the house on Saturday, and the doors were kept locked. As a further precaution, Jared had had the downstairs windows nailed shut at the bottom and opened at the top to allow air to flow through the rooms. Since the windows were tall and high off the ground it would be difficult for anyone to get inside, at least quietly. Jared left around noon to meet with Kerry Osgood and to make the arrangements for his marriage on the following day, July tenth.

Around two o’clock, Marc James came to visit Maren. She was surprised to see her cousin, who claimed he had come to check on her after hearing about her recent fall.

“As you can see, Marc, I’m fine, just some bruises and a knot on my head. How did you hear about my accident?”

“Mr. Heath told me. I saw him at the dock this morning?”

Howard Heath, that obnoxious man…“How did he know about it?” she asked. “He isn’t allowed in here.”

“His friends told him. He doesn’t like you, Maren. He laughed about your fall, said it was too bad you didn’t break your… neck.”

When Marc hesitated and flushed, she knew the
revolting Heath had used more vulgar language. She casually related the trouble she had had with Howard Heath, just to see how Marc would react.

“That sorry no-good brute! Why didn’t you have someone beat him up for you, Maren? He can’t treat my cousin that way. I’ll tell Eric when he gets home. He’ll be fighting mad.”

“Don’t worry about me, Marc; Jared is taking care of Heath. How are things going at the office?”

“Mr. Andrews got two ships in and one out. Eric will be happy.” Marc grinned as if the credit for this success was his own.

Maren smiled. “I’m glad business is so good. Eric will be proud of you for taking such good care of things.”

“You think so?” he asked, eagerness shining in his green eyes.

Maren’s gaze swept over Marc’s dark blond hair and boyish features. In another year or two he would look even more like Eric. “I’m certain of it. Would you like some refreshments? It’s hot out today.”

“No, thanks. I have to get home. A cleaning woman comes on Saturday afternoons and Eric doesn’t like anyone in the house alone.”

“Why not?” she asked in a teasing tone.

“He’s afraid something might be stolen. And he gets real mad when anybody disturbs his stuff. I have to watch her the whole time. I’m not supposed to let anyone in while he’s away, but that don’t mean you.”

About an hour after Marc left, Evelyn Sims came to call, ostensibly to check on Maren’s injuries. Her
copper-colored hair shone as she fastened her blue eyes on her employer. “I was so worried about you, Miss Maren. Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Evelyn. I’m lucky that board wasn’t totally broken. I do hope someone didn’t loosen it on purpose. I know I can be a demanding boss at times and make people mad,” she jested slyly, hoping to evoke a reaction.

“Do you think someone made you fall?” the fairskinned woman asked, her eyes fixed on Maren’s face.

Maren replied calmly, “Why would anyone do that? I was teasing.”

“Everyone was worried about you. I couldn’t wait until tonight to make sure you weren’t hurt badly. You should be more careful.”

“I will. Did you happen to notice anyone hanging around last night?” As she asked this, Maren noticed that Evelyn Sims paled slightly and fidgeted.

“You mean someone pushed you down the stairs?” Evelyn asked, wishing she hadn’t allowed Howard to entice her to do such a crazy thing. But he had promised to marry her, if she did as he asked. Still, should Samuel Lewis learn it wasn’t an accident…

Maren realized Evelyn Sims was reacting oddly to her questions, so she changed her tack. “No. I’m just telling everyone to be alert for trouble. If strangers come around looking things over, I want to be told. We take in a lot of money, and I don’t want to risk a robbery. Nor do I want any more incidents like those Howard Heath caused. He’s a vicious man.”

* * *

At six, Ned Jones and Harry Peck, the two guards, arrived. As with Marc and Evelyn, Maren questioned them slyly, but learning nothing new, she returned to her room.

When Jared knocked at her door twenty minutes later, she let him in, hugged him, and spread kisses over his face. “I’m so glad you’re home. I’ve missed you terribly,” she declared.

Jared scooped her up into his arms and, walking to the sofa, sat down with her on his lap. He nuzzled her neck and caused her to giggle. Then his mouth sought hers and they kissed hungrily. When they broke apart, his head dropped against the sofa back and he inhaled deeply. “That’s what I call a proper greeting. How was your day?” he asked, his fingers pushing straying locks from her lovely face.

Maren excitedly related her news, telling him about her visitors. Atone point in her tale Jared’s jaw tensed and his brownish gold eyes narrowed. He grasped her forearms gently and stared into her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

He sighed annoyedly. “You’ve certainly had a busy day. I leave you home where I think you’re safe, yet you still manage to endanger yourself.”

“I didn’t reveal anything to them. I was careful. Besides, if any attacker knows I’m on to him, maybe he won’t try to harm me again.”