Mardi Gras Masquerade (14 page)

“Why would you do this for me, Steve?”

The man sent her an enigmatic look, and then said, “Drink your champagne before it loses its fizz.”

Maria wondered why he had avoided answering her question, and then decided it must be because he did not feel the need to mention the obvious fact that she was Tienne’s fiancée.
 
Naturally, he would do all he could to keep her happy until his brother returned to pay the bills.

She lifted the glass to her lips and drank the expensive wine.
 
Steve waited for her to do this, and then took a sip from his own glass.

“
Speakin
’ of dresses,” he said, “one will be
arrivin
’ for you tomorrow morning.”

“I didn’t really want you to buy me one,” Maria quickly assured him.

“You’re goin’ to need to wear this one.
 
It’s your
weddin
’ dress.
 
I spoke to the designer today, and she will bring it by to make any alterations that are necessary.
 
Time is
runnin
’ short, my girl.”

“My wedding dress,” Maria repeated, too taken back to say anything else.

“Yes.
 
Tienne looked at several styles before you arrived since you showed so little interest in the preparations yourself.
 
He was goin’ to take you to the boutique, but since the circumstances have changed, I saved you the trouble by
selectin
’ one of his choices for you.
 
I believe it will suit you admirably.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.
 
I had a
feelin
’ you would make an unnecessary fuss if I took you there, and we wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Steve’s words seemed to imply more than the obvious.
 
From the look on his face, Maria could see that he would not tolerate arguments from her about this.

“How will the designer know my size?” she asked.

“You’ve given me enough opportunities to figure that out.”

Maria felt the heat rise in her body as she thought about his meaning.
 
She had allowed him to hold her close to him, to feel the soft curves of her body beneath his hands, against his chest.

“Is it white?” she asked in a tremulous voice.
 
“I heard that it is the custom down here to wear red at weddings.”

“Only pure, virginal white for you, my dear.”

“You shouldn’t have done this, Steve,” Maria felt compelled to say.

“Are you
hintin
’ that you’re not a virgin?”

“How could you ask me that?” the girl asked in indignation.

“I just did it to see if I could get a rise out of you, and I wasn’t disappointed.
 
You would never disappoint me; would you, Maria?”

These last words seemed to hold a subtle menace.
 
Maria felt chilled inside.

“What would happen if I did?” she asked.

“I don’t think you would want to hear the answer to that.
 
Believe me when I say this; don’t try to run away.”

Maria’s hand was shaking slightly as she took another drink of champagne.
 
She could well imagine how brutal Steve DuPont might be if he was thwarted.
 
He was the kind of man who would move heaven and earth to get his own way.
 
She would have to think of a way to soften the blow that must inevitably fall.

On a thought, she said, “Has it ever occurred to you that I might not be in love with your brother?”

“After you accepted his proposal?
 
Never.”

“I might have thought I was in love then, but in the time that we were separated, I might have come to think differently.”

“I don’t want to hear any more of this foolishness.
 
My brother expects you to marry him, and I already warned you about what I would do if you hurt him.”

Carried away by emotion, Maria said, “But, what about you?”

“What about me?” the man coolly replied.

“I thought . . .” the woman began, and then paused.

“Enough of this.
 
You sealed your fate when you came here, and there’s no way you’re goin’ to change the plans that have been made.

Their conversation was brought to a halt when a servant appeared, carrying a large tray of covered dishes.
 
The meal was served in silence.
 
Maria found it difficult to swallow the delectable food.
 
She could not see how she was going to oppose the implacable force of Steve DuPont, but the time would come when he learned the whole truth.
 
Then, she trembled to think about what would happen.

After the servant had cleared the table and returned to the house, Maria asked, “Have you heard from your brother since he left?”

“No,” Steve replied, as he poured champagne into his glass.

He held the bottle toward Maria in a silent question, and she nodded, saying, “Just a little.”

As he took her glass, she added, “I expected him to call me.”

“When Tienne gets involved in business, he gives it his full attention.
 
He knows that I’m quite capable of takin’ care of things here.”

“When do you think he’ll be back?”

“You actually sound like you miss him.”

“Does that surprise you?”

“Frankly, it does.
 
You haven’t seemed too concerned about his absence so far.”

“I can understand that a man has to take care of his business.”

“How reasonable of you.
 
You don’t have to worry about Tienne, Maria.
 
He’ll be back in time for the
weddin
’.”

“I hope he hasn’t planned anything elaborate.”

“Why not?
 
As a model, I thought you would delight in the fanfare.”

“Not really.
 
A small, intimate wedding would suit me just fine.”

“Well, it’s too late to change the plans now.
 
The invitations have been sent out.
 
The caterer and entertainment have been hired.
 
By the way, we’re
havin
’ the reception here.
 
I hope you don’t mind.”

“No,” Maria felt hesitant to reply.
 
“That will be fine.”

“Now you’re
gettin
’ into the spirit of things!” Steve replied with a facetious lilt in his voice.

“Will the wedding be held in a church?”

“Naturally.
 
It will take place in a lovely, old cathedral that my family has attended for worship for generations.
 
Would you like to see it before your
weddin
’ day, or do you think that would take some of the spontaneity out of the occasion?”

“I’ll wait.”

It disturbed Maria to hear how much had been done on her roommate’s behalf.
 
She dreaded to think of all the expense and embarrassment Marla’s caprice would cause.
 
All of these details weighed heavily on her.
 
She felt as though she was the culprit.

“Look.”’ said Steve, pointing to the steamboat on the river. ”

Maria looked up to see one of those large, classically constructed paddleboats that gave the
Mississippi River
much of its fame in the nineteenth century.
 
It was a full-sized version of the boat she and Steve had been on last night.
 
Even though the sun was still a few degrees above the horizon, the craft was lit up in all of its grandeur as it pushed onward toward
New Orleans
.

“That’s the Delta Queen,” Steve informed her.
 
“That and her sister ship, the Mississippi Queen, make regular runs up down the river.”

“It makes me think of riverboat gamblers and people all decked out in beautiful, formal clothing,” Maria commented.

“They go all out for authenticity on the Delta Queen.
 
In its day, it was the grandest boat on the river.
 
In a short while, the passengers will step out of the nineteenth century into the madness of present-day Mardi
Gras
.
 
That should be a bit of culture shock, but I suppose that’s exactly what they want.”

“Will the boat stay in
New Orleans
long?”

“Overnight.
 
It has a schedule to keep.
 
I’ll have to take you on it sometime, when we’re more at leisure.”

“I’d like that,” Maria replied, even though she knew that happy event would never take place.

“Have you thought about where you’d like to go for your honeymoon?”

Referencing that question to her own personal taste, Maria said, “As a matter of fact, I always dreamed about taking a trip on a riverboat.
 
Has your brother planned anything?”

“He didn’t say.
 
Would you be disappointed if he wanted to take you to
Europe
or the Orient?”

“I hope he didn’t make any reservations yet.”

“You’re really set on that riverboat cruise; aren’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter to me, Steve.”

“What happened to all of that enthusiasm you were
beginnin
’ to feel?”

“Not to be trite or anything, but I guess it’s gone with the wind.”

“An interesting literary reference, but it’s not applicable in your case.
 
Your love story isn’t going to have a sad
endin
’, Maria.”

“How could you know that?”

“I know many things.
 
When you get to know me better, I may surprise you.”

“I’ll bet you’re full of surprises.”

Steve chuckled and took a sip of champagne.
 
The sun set, and like the evening before, the sky was filled with fiery color.
 
As if on cue, the night birds started to sing.
 
The man leaned forward to light the candles on the table.

“Are you chilly?” he asked.

“A little.”

He stood up and walked to one of the gazebo’s columns.
 
Cleverly camouflaged there was an intercom that was connected to the main house.
 
With a few brief words, he instructed a maid to bring out a jacket for Maria.
 
He was still clad in a business suit, and apparently, unaffected by the chill of evening.

“How convenient for you,” Maria commented as he returned to his seat.

“One of the benefits of
bein
’ wealthy.
 
I suppose that appeals to you.”

“Luxury is nice, but I don’t need it.”

“That’s funny.
 
I thought that was part of Tienne’s appeal.”