Lily (Song of the River) (23 page)

A sound turned Blake’s attention to the wharf. The repair crew. He wondered how much they had heard of the argument. At least no one was running away. “I’ll be right with you.” He turned back to the captain. “You have five minutes to gather your gear and get off this boat.”

“You’ll be sorry.” Steenberg’s bravado faded as he hissed the threat. “Everyone’s going to hear about the way you’ve treated me. I’ll make sure you and all those Anderson girls pay for this.”

Blake shouldn’t have been surprised at the threat. They were the weapons of a coward. “That’s enough.” He advanced two steps and pointed a finger of warning at the man. “Believe me, if anything
ever
happens to this ship or to any of the Andersons, I will find you, and you’ll wish you’d never been born.”

The captain backed away, stumbled over the bottom step, and then practically ran to his quarters.

Blake hoped he’d convinced the troublemaker to leave them alone. He turned back to the repair crew. “I’m glad to see you.”

The burly man who boarded first nodded. “We’ll just take a look at your paddle wheel and let you know how long it’ll be.”

The minutes dragged by, and Blake paced the deck, torn between his desire to oversee the repair crew and his need to make sure Steenberg wasn’t packing any more than he’d brought. Loud footsteps took the decision out of his hands. The irate captain reappeared, a black leather bag slung over his back. Shouldering his way past Blake, the man stepped onto the wharf. “You’ll be sorry for this.”

“Are you threatening me?” Blake clenched his fists.

Captain Lars held his gaze then looked down. “No. I’m just saying captains aren’t standing on every corner, waiting to find a boat.”

“That’s my problem, not yours.” Blake strode to the rear of the boat to check with the workers.

He found the burly foreman taking measurements and recording them in a small book. “It’s going to take at least two weeks to get your boat ready.”

Blake took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

A nod answered his question. “You’re lucky to have made it to New Orleans. I’m not sure how you did without breaking up. You must have had an angel riding with you.”

His lips turned up in a grin. He wouldn’t exactly describe her as an angel. Lily was a little too forceful to spend her time strumming a harp. He dreaded telling her how bad the damage was. She was probably planning to get back on the river this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest. If she did have a halo hidden away somewhere, it was going to get a little bent.

Blake gave the order to proceed and left to check with Mr. Thornton on available captains. At least he had plenty of time to conduct interviews and find a suitable candidate. That should please Lily if nothing else did.

L
ily left Tamar helping her sisters get dressed and hurried downstairs, wondering how long it would take her to get back to the boat. She exited their bedroom on the third floor, surprised to realize she was eye level with a beautiful crystal chandelier that held dozens of candles. She reached out one hand for the wooden railing as she began descending the U-shaped stairwell.

Last night she had not noticed the intricate woodwork on the posts or the number of doorways in the Thorntons’ town house. The craftsmanship signaled the luxury in which their new acquaintances resided.

Reaching the end of the stairs, she had a choice of direction. The door through which they had entered the home stood in front of her. She remembered the parlor was to her left, so perhaps she would find the dining room to her right.

Lily bypassed the first door since it was closed. She doubted their hosts would close the entryway into their dining room. Light spilled from the second doorway, and when she reached it, she found a spacious room with a large table at its center. The dining room.

Lily entered, surprised to find the only other occupant was Mrs. Thornton. “What a beautiful home you and Mr. Thornton have.”

“Thank you, dear. I am glad to see you are looking less bedraggled this morning.” She smiled. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lily slid into the seat her hostess indicated.

Mrs. Thornton rang a bell. “Someone will be here with your food in a moment. We normally eat croissants with marmalade or fresh fruit for breakfast, but I can instruct our cook to fix something else if you prefer.”

Lily picked up a snowy-white napkin and placed it on her lap. “Oh no, thank you. Your breakfast sounds wonderful.”

A round-faced girl in a plain dress appeared and served Lily a plate with two rolls that had been twisted in a spiral and bent into a half-moon shape.

Lily thanked her and picked one up, breaking it open to see steam rising from the flaky interior. She placed a dab of butter on her croissant and bit into it, her eyes closing as the bread melted in her mouth.

Mrs. Thornton smiled. “Our cook is an artist with food.”

Lily nodded. “I’m rather surprised Blake and your husband are not here. Have they already left for the office? I was hoping to talk to Blake before they departed.”

“I’m sorry, dear.” Mrs. Thornton picked up her fork and speared a fresh strawberry. “Mr. Matthews must have decided to stay on the boat last night. He never made it to the town house. But don’t worry. I’m sure he simply decided to guard your cargo since it could not be unloaded last night. Lloyd was going to check on him this morning, make certain he has all the help he needs to get your riverboat repaired.”

“I see.” Lily’s appetite fled. While she had been sleeping in luxury, Blake had been guarding the boat. They had worked hard to get the boat free from the sandbar yesterday. They all deserved to sleep well.

“If you’re worried about Mr. Matthews, I can send one of the servants to check on him.”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I’m sure he’s fine.” Lily pinched the end of one of her croissants. She still wasn’t hungry, but her hands needed something to do. Besides, she did not want to offend her hostess by not eating the sumptuous meal.

As she continued to pick at her food, her mind was consumed with plans. She had thought they might have time to tour the fabled city of New Orleans, but that would have to wait for a future trip. As soon as her sisters ate breakfast, they would all have to go to the boat to help out with the repairs. Even if they couldn’t do the heavy work, they could at least prepare meals and keep the rest of the boat clean. Maybe they could make up nice flyers to advertise for passengers.

Camellia and Jasmine made an appearance then. Lily was thankful for their nonstop chatter as it allowed her to concentrate on the proper wording of the advertisements, as well as the apology she owed Blake.

When her sisters had finished breakfast, Lily rose from her place at the table and turned to tell Camellia and Jasmine to come upstairs with her. All of them needed to change into their working clothes. The outfits they were wearing were more suited to a day of sightseeing.

Before she could issue her instructions, however, a commotion in the foyer diverted her attention.

Mrs. Thornton checked the watch suspended on her fleur-de-lis chatelaine pin. “I cannot believe we have visitors this early.”

A familiar voice made Lily’s heart race. “I believe it may be my business partner. He’s probably come to tell me how much our repairs are going to cost and how long they will take.” She ignored the wide smile on Mrs. Thornton’s face and walked out into the hall.

Blake was striding toward the dining room but checked himself when she appeared.

Lily thought he looked a bit haggard and wondered if he’d spent the whole night standing watch at their boat. A wave of shame swamped her. She remembered how ugly she’d been to him right before the accident. Again. Was she turning into a shrew? Pushing the thought aside, she composed herself and produced a welcoming smile. “I’m so glad to see you. We have many things we need to discuss.”

No answering smile turned up the corners of his lips. “I suppose we can make use of the Thorntons’ parlor.”

Lily’s heart stuttered. Blake must have bad news. Her smile slipped away. What could be wrong now?

Blake followed Lily down a black-and-white-tiled hallway and entered a well-appointed parlor. She sat on the upholstered sofa and fluffed her black skirts around her, fussing with the material as though it was imperative to have it just right. “Mr. Matthews, this is difficult for me—”

Blake held up a hand to stop her. “I want to apologize, Lily. You were right. I should not have been playing cards. If I had been in the pilothouse, I could have stopped the captain from overimbibing.” He didn’t realize that he’d been staring at his feet as he delivered his apology until Lily’s skirts appeared before his gaze. He looked up, his gaze meeting her wide eyes, eyes that seemed filled with remorse. What was this?

“You’re not at fault as much as I am, Blake. I seem to remember your trying to warn me Steenberg might not be a good captain. Because I refused to listen to you, I share a large portion of the responsibility. Please forgive me for placing the blame on you yesterday.”

Surprise rippled through him. He who prided himself on being able to understand others was always caught off guard by Lily’s behavior. Where was the puritanical firebrand who had condemned him? “You had every right, Lily. But please believe me when I say I’ll make it up to you.”

“I know you will, Blake. I’ve learned that you’re a man I can depend on.”

Was she manipulating him? No. A glance in those deep brown eyes told him she was being honest. He wanted to enfold her in his arms, dance about the room. She had faith in him. In that moment he knew he would do whatever it took to get their boat running again. He would make sure her dreams came true, even if he had to swim the Mississippi from end to end to find cargo for the
Hattie Belle.

“How long will it take to complete the repairs?” Her question brought him back to reality.

Blake paced in front of the fireplace. He wished he could give her better news, but he couldn’t lie to her. “At least two weeks.”

“Two weeks!” She croaked out the words. “I thought you said it would be one week. We can’t afford to be off the river for two whole weeks.”

“Jensen and I will do what we can, but some of the supplies are in high demand because of a break in the levee system at the Bell plantation. The people on the other side of the levee are trying to shore things up, and they keep buying up everything available.” He paused before continuing. “Since there’s such high demand, the lumber is more expensive.”

“Isn’t there something my sisters and I can do to speed things up?”

“No. In fact, I don’t want any of you out there as long as the repairs are ongoing. It’s dangerous with all the strangers around, and there’s nothing for you to do until we’re ready to leave for Natchez.”

Blake was ready to comfort Lily when she broke down and began to cry. He hoped she had a handkerchief, because the one in his pocket was not as pristine as he might have liked. He lowered himself onto the sofa next to her and reached for one of her hands, pressing it between his palms and rubbing as he waited. “Everything is going to work out.”

No tears flowed. Instead she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Of course you realize the good Lord knew we’d be facing this problem. Since the day you and I were born, He knew we’d end up sitting on this very sofa in this town house discussing this problem.”

Not seeing why she wanted to bring God into the discussion, he waited.

Lily turned to him. “He already had things worked out, Blake. Don’t you see? He’ll help us through this trouble. I’m sure of it.”

“If you say so, Lily.” She might want to rely on God, but he was more a man of action than of prayer. That was why he’d considered their predicament from every angle. He had a solution, but would she accept it? Could she let go of her strict moral code long enough to allow him to put his plan into action? He doubted it but felt he needed to try anyway. “There’s another way around this.”

The look she gave him was full of hope. It brightened her eyes and her smile. “What is that?”

“I can host a quiet evening or two of cards on
Hattie Belle
during the evenings once the repairmen leave. It shouldn’t take me long to earn enough to pay for the repairs and whatever additional expenses we run up.”