Lilac Temptress (43 page)

“
Perhaps so,
Rosaline, however
my
love life is not up for debate,” Drake interrupted with
conviction that allowed no room for further argument. Rosaline may
have known the truth behind his marriage to Isadora, but he would
not have her expose this to Charleston, who had the power in his
ink pen to make them all a laughing stock before Society. Drake
wondered how he would ever survive the day without a
fiasco.

“
I agree with you there,
Mr. McCalister. I understand your need for discretion,” Charleston
chuckled light-heartedly.

The stagecoach came to a
halt alongside the Mississippi River. Sierra took in the scene,
enraptured by the view. The romantic little
Darling Bell
riverboat sat against
the massive river filled with its beautiful sailboats and
paddleboats—people lined the levees and the riverbank to watch them
pass by.

Thomas helped Sierra out of the coach,
smiling briefly before his face became its usual stiffness when
taking the hand of Isadora.

Drake wondered how Sierra was able to
get Thomas to grin so easily at her, and he tried not to overthink
the special attention that Thomas had given her. But what was it
about her that made men weaken their fortitude? She was a beauty no
doubt, but she was also quite a difficult woman.

The Darling Belle rested on the
riverside, mostly white and raspberry red in color, proud in her
splendor. Sierra stared at the small two-deck paddle wheel driven
vessel. She observed the starboard smokestacks in awe and wondered
at the pilothouse on the top deck. She was more excited to board
the little boat than she had imagined she would be. She had never
been on a river cruise. This was going to be another adventure she
could add to her mental list.

“
Ah—and we have arrived,”
Charleston commented, smiling as he offered his hand to Sierra and
escorted her to toward the river. The others followed behind,
except Ben and Thomas, who would wait for their return.

* * *

The group boarded, and after climbing
the staircase to the second level deck, the paddleboat embarked at
the sounding of a tooting whistle. When offered by an attendant,
instead of sitting inside the cabin where a live band played, Drake
chose to sit at an empty outside table large enough to accommodate
them all. The sun shined brightly and Rosaline agreed that it was a
marvelous idea.

Sierra sat quietly,
admiring the elegance of the accommodations while a waiter passed
out menus. She lifted the menu in her hands. Her eyes staggered as
she glanced over the multiple dishes offered. Gulf crabs and
oysters were used in the French soup offered. Gumbo or Jambalaya
was served in a soup bowl with a teacup-molded mound of rice. Wild
beef, fowls, bass, salmon, catfish, carp, wild peas and beans were
also dishes listed.
Pommes
soufflées
, which were marvelously inflated
potatoes,
pompano en
papillote
, a sort of fish covered with a
sauce of shrimp and wine, and
sabotins
, a kind of eggplant, were
all on the menu. For the grand finale, there was a choice of pecan
pie, king cake, bananas foster, bread pudding or fruit.

“
Café Brûlot for the table
please,” Drake asked of the waiter.

“
The name sounds delicious.
I haven’t tasted it before.” Sierra wet her lips while looking at
Drake.

Whether or not the enticing
motion of her tongue across her lips had been intentional, Drake
was caught in Sierra’s movements and imagined his lips touching
hers. He smiled inwardly. It was one of those subtle things that
she did unbeknownst to her that could drive him wild with passion.
He glanced down at his menu before it became obvious to the others
how drawn he was to her.
I must quit
entertaining such wishful thinking.
“It’s a
sort of New Orleans coffee, dripped slowly and blended with chicory
and so thick that the spoon will stand up in it.” Drake chuckled
lightly, trying to rid his thoughts of kissing Sierra
senseless.

“
Or black as the devil and
hot as hell.” Charleston laughed with Drake.

“
Café brûlot is made from
very strong coffee added to a flaming mixture of brandy, sugar,
cinnamon, cloves and citrus peel,” Rosaline explained.

“
Mm—sounds like something I
will enjoy drinking.” Kyle beamed at Rosaline.

Sierra stared at the menu in
consternation. How much did she and Kyle owe Drake already? There
was no way they could afford this meal, and Drake’s hospitality was
far too accommodating. She would order the least expensive thing on
the menu, and only hoped that Kyle would follow suit.

Drake read the alarm in Sierra’s face.
She had far too much pride. He wanted to tell her not to worry
about the cost of the meal—she was his guest, but didn’t dare voice
it directly to her aloud. “Drink up, eat up and enjoy, have
anything you like, I am treating everyone.”

* * *

Sierra noticed that everyone else
including Kyle, had been quite liberal in their meal choices,
however, not having much appetite in the presence of Isadora, she
ate a light seafood salad, and sat quietly sipping her wine while
the others continued to dine. She thought it might be nice to take
a tour. Almost anything was better than sitting in the presence of
Drake and Isadora together. “I would like to visit the saloons and
lounges, perhaps even meet the Captain, if at all possible,” Sierra
suggested after the others had completed their meals.

“
I think that is a splendid
idea. Why don’t we go together?” Rosaline replied with a cheerful
disposition.

“
Nonsense, the
Captain will make his rounds, and all we must do is wait patiently,
enjoying the beautiful vista until he arrives,” Isadora said as
kindly as possible, cloaking her frustration with a forced smile.
Running around like an unruly brood on a small riverboat was not
appealing, and Sierra was a thorn in her side that needed
plucking.
Sierra is
dim-witted
, she angrily
thought.

Isadora focused on the river view. If
she were not so caught up in her wedding plans, she might be able
to come up with a way to rid herself of Sierra without losing Drake
in the process. And from what she could discern of Sierra’s
behavior on the way to the Darling Belle, it became apparent that
Sierra wanted Drake for herself.

“
Suit yourself, Isadora.
Excuse me,” Sierra remarked, standing promptly. She would not allow
Isadora to rule her day. She wanted to enjoy what little pleasure
she could take while she could take it because she didn’t know what
tomorrow might bring. Rosaline and Kyle stood to their feet next to
her.

“
Isadora, it won’t be so
bad. Come with us,” Drake implored. He did not want to be left
alone with Isadora and Charleston, to become victim to incessant
questioning once again. He stood and reached for Isadora’s hand
while she reluctantly rose to her feet, frowning at him. Charleston
rose from his seat as well.

* * *

Everything was new to Sierra, Drake
noticed, and she was everywhere—going in and out of lounges,
twirling briefly with Rosaline on the dance floor to the music the
band played, visiting the lower deck, running up and down the
staircase in search of the Captain. It was difficult for anyone to
keep up with her. Charleston seemed very much entertained by her
energy and laughed with her, apparently enjoying the outing just as
much as she was. By choice Drake had decided to lag behind with
Isadora who did not manage well enough to conceal her annoyance
with the whole ordeal, however Drake was happy for Charleston’s
distraction with Sierra.

Sierra’s childlike awe simply amazed
Drake. He watched her overflowing with life. Her free spirit made
him wish he were a boy again, and he realized that for far too long
he had taken life too seriously, deciding at a young age to set
childish things aside. He suddenly knew, as if struck by
lightening, that he lacked the spontaneous nature, and balance,
that he needed to partake in all the simplicities that life had to
offer. His heart became heavy as he glanced sideways at Isadora,
hoping for just one minute that she would relax a little and be
freer like Sierra to enjoy herself in the moment. But he knew that
Isadora found it all beneath her. He cursed himself over what his
life might soon become—colorless once again.

Eventually everyone succumbed to their
fatigue and made their way to the rails of the first level deck to
overlook the river. The boat had slowed almost to a still, to allow
passengers more time to take in the lovely scenery. Sierra found a
spot in the crowd and leaned against the side railing to gaze out
over the Mississippi River.

Kyle and Rosaline stood as closely to
the railing as possible to get a view.

“
Careful Sierra, the wind
has picked up a little,” Drake called out his warning, standing not
so far away from her.

Isadora’s angry eyes lingered on Drake
and his attentiveness toward Sierra. Just who did this wench think
she was? She had been the center of attention for the past hour,
running them all over the place like juveniles, and in doing so she
seemed to hold Drake’s attention. Isadora didn’t care that
Charleston was with them. Her uncontrollable resentment gave rise
to a devious plan. Using the riverboat’s rocking motion as a cover,
Isadora made her way toward Sierra. Close enough to reach out and
touch her rival, she feigned a misstep, lunging her body at
Sierra.

Sierra struggled to keep her balance,
her feet giving way to the impact of Isadora crashing into her.
Flying forward over the guardrail, Sierra instinctively used her
right hand to grab the railing as her left hand heavily clutched at
Isadora’s skirt, tugging vigorously, jolting Isadora
headlong—shrieking as she went overboard falling into the muddy
river.

Loud ringing bells and
hysterical shouting voices calling out
“Mademoiselle overboard!”
was all
that Sierra could hear while struggling to hold on with one hand.
Panic rapidly rose in her chest—her grip slipped.

In an instant Drake reached out for
Sierra to catch her from plunging into the river’s depths. Pulling
her back up to safety over the railing in one haul, he retrieved
her into his arms. Sierra, pressed tightly against him, briefly
relished the entirety of him before being quickly set
aside.

“
Are you alright?” Drake
asked taking her shoulders between his hands, looking her over for
any injuries she might have suffered.

“
I am fine,” Sierra
confirmed. Even in her upheaval and all the surrounding commotion,
Drake’s strong hands brought her comfort.

If Drake hadn’t known any better, he
would have guessed that Isadora purposely tried to cast Sierra
overboard, but he had no time to dwell on those thoughts now. Drake
nodded to Sierra, convinced of her wellness and then quickly headed
to the railing. He searched the river surface for Isadora. Already
two workmen had dived in after her and were hoisting her up onto
the deck.

Drake could hear Isadora swearing and
screaming at the men loudly in French. She cursed them, so
spiritedly that he knew she was not seriously injured. He made his
way to her through the onlookers. This was more excitement than he
had bargained for in a day.

Sierra, along with Charleston, Kyle,
and Rosaline, rushed behind Drake. When they reached him standing
before Isadora—she stood covered in seaweed, soaked through with
the filth of the river, groaning miserably. Small leafy twigs were
tangled in her ruined flat hair. Sludge had found its way into her
mouth and between her teeth blackening them. Isadora suddenly began
wiggling around violently as if she were doing a strange new dance
while they gaped at her with a mixture of fascination, shock, and
fright. Other onlookers gawked at her as well, unsure of what to
expect.

“
Well just don’t stand
there staring at me, Drake! There is something—” Isadora lost her
voice momentarily and wanted to scream.

“
What is it?” Drake
remained calm, quickly coming to her rescue. He began patting her
down until finally he pulled a minnow from behind her, caught
inside and beneath the strings of her dress. “See there, just a
fish.” He tossed it overboard and glimpsed back over his shoulder
at his sister who stood next to the others—his lips curling into a
slight grin.

“
You!” Isadora roared at
Sierra wanting to claw her apart. “Drake, keep her away from
me!”

“
Please calm down and try
not to overexcite yourself. It was an accident. It is over now, my
darling.” Drake hoped his gentle words would have a soothing effect
on her. Women like Isadora disliked being told to calm down,
finding it condescending.

Sierra screamed inside,
beside herself with frustration. It was the first time that she’d
ever heard Drake use any term of endearment toward Isadora, and she
boiled. Something wild twisted inside her dancing to her
outrage.
My darling!
she shouted in her mind. What was so darling about a woman who
had just tried to heave her overboard?
My
darling!
Drake had said it as if Isadora
belonged to him.