When Strangers Marry (19 page)

Following his brother to the entrance hall, Max stopped at the doorway, still holding his drink. At first he did not see Lysette, who was standing beyond Irénée and Noeline, but then the pair moved to the mirror to inspect a coil of Irénée’s hair. He stared at his wife with open pride. Lysette was striking in an exquisitely simple amber gown, the warm color flattering her skin and vibrant hair. The low scooped bodice and high waist displayed her slender body beautifully.

Lysette possessed an astonishing composure for a girl her age, seeming calm and relaxed, her blue eyes bright with the intelligence that attracted him so strongly. Max was not ordinarily a humble man, but as he watched her come down the stairs to him, he was aware of a deep gratitude and sense of wonder. Fate had so often been unkind, but having Lysette for his wife made up for everything.

Her gaze traveled over his ruffled white shirt and starched cravat. “How handsome you are.” she
said, picking a thread from the lapel of his black coat.

Max’s dark head bent, and he kissed the side of her neck. “You’ll have no equal tonight, Madame Vallerand. I’ve never seen you look so beautiful. Here, I want to give you something.” She went with him willingly as he drew her to the parlor, away from the others’ view.

He withdrew a black velvet pouch from his pocket and gave it to her. “In honor of your first ball.”

Lysette flashed him a smile. “I wasn’t expecting a gift, Max.” Unlacing the pouch, she tilted the contents into her hand. It was a set of earrings and a matching bracelet, made of diamonds set in a flower pattern. The centers of the ten blossoms were set with rose-cut diamonds, each two carats in size.

Lysette shook her head, apparently at a loss for words.

“Do you like them?” he asked.

“Oh, Max, you’re too generous. How utterly magnificent!” She slipped the glittering bracelet on her gloved wrist, and held still as Max fastened the earrings to her ears. The rich gleam of the jewels paled in comparison to her smile. She shook her head to set the dangling earrings swinging. “How can I thank you for such a beautiful gift,
mon mari
?”

“A kiss, to start with.” He smiled as Lysette twined her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his ardently. “Later,” he murmured, “I’ll tell you what you can do to earn the matching necklace.”

She blushed and laughed, and walked back with him to the entrance hall.

“Ah, let me see!” Irénée exclaimed, immediately catching sight of the finery. She took Lysette’s wrist and turned it from one side to the other, appraising the bracelet with the analytical expertise of a jeweler. “Quite exquisite,
mon fils
,” she said to Max. “The stones are of excellent quality.”

Alex cleared his throat noisily, alerting them to the fact that it was time to leave. “We don’t wish to be late, do we?”

Lysette took Max’s arm and murmured sotto voce, “Isn’t Bernard coming?”

Max shook his head, suddenly grim. “Bernard doesn’t usually care for these events. And he wants to avoid me this evening, as we had an argument earlier.”

“About what?”

“I’ll explain later.”

The ball was being hosted at Seraphiné, one of the plantations lining the river road. Lysette thought the main house was magnificent, with wide galleries and rows of dormer windows built out from the sloping green tile roof. The inside of the house was just as impressive, furnished with venetian chandeliers, richly colored rugs, and massive portraits of prominent Seraphiné ancestors.

Along the sides of the great dance hall, ladies fatigued by the dancing rested their feet, and the chaperones of eligible Creole girls sat to monitor their charges. Groups of young men positioned themselves nearby, most of them wearing
colchemardes
,
small but deadly sword-canes. Hot-tempered youths were wont to quarrel at such affairs, and duels were the natural result of even insignificant disputes.

Alexandre amused Lysette by relating an account of the last ball he had attended, at which a duel had exploded in the middle of the room, instead of being conducted outside. Men had chosen sides, benches and chairs had been thrown, women had fainted, and the military guard had been forced to storm inside to quell the riot.

“What caused the duel?” Lysette asked.

Alexandre grinned. “One of the young men happened to tread on another’s toes. It was taken to be a deliberate insult,
et ainsi de suite
…a duel.”

“Creole men are dreadful,” Lysette said with a laugh, placing her hand on her husband’s arm. “Why do you not wear a
colchemarde
, Max? Don’t you intend to defend your toes if the need arises?”

“You defend them for me,” he replied, his gaze warm.

There was a ripple of murmurs and speculation as the Vallerands ventured farther into the ballroom.

Reminding herself that she had nothing to be afraid of, Lysette forced a smile to her lips. Suddenly a pair of intense, jet-black eyes stared into hers. They belonged to a small, delicate-featured man standing across the room, surrounded by a large entourage. He continued to stare at her steadily, causing a light blush to steal over her face.

“It appears,” she heard Max mutter, “that you’ve attracted Colonel Burr’s notice.”

“
That
is him?” Lysette exclaimed in a whisper. “But it can’t be. I expected him to be…”

“What?” Max asked, now sounding amused.

“Taller,” she blurted out, and he laughed quietly.

In the distance, Burr murmured to one of his companions. “And now,” Max said under his breath, “he is asking who you are. And if he pays too much attention to you, he’s going to have a duel on his hands. Let us hope one of his aides warns him that I’m a much better marksman than Alexander Hamilton.”

Lysette blanched, recalling that Colonel Burr had reportedly forced Hamilton, a patriot who had helped write the new constitution, into a duel that Burr had been certain to win. Many had called it cold-blooded murder, for it had been known by all that Burr’s dueling skills were far superior to Hamilton’s. It was rumored that Burr had shown not one sign of compassion or regret for Hamilton’s death.

“Let’s have no more talk of duels,” she said hastily.

Before Max could reply, the mayor of New Orleans, Mr. John Watkins, appeared at his elbow. After greeting them effusively, the mayor informed them that Colonel Burr desired to make their acquaintance.

“We are honored,” Max said perfunctorily, following the mayor with Lysette on his arm.

Colonel Burr was dressed with the exquisite care of a dandy. Lysette liked the fact that although he had lost much of his hair at the front and crown, he
did not wear a wig. Max had told her that Burr was at least forty-eight, but the colonel appeared much younger. His face was deeply tanned, and his smile was quick and self-assured. And those jet-black eyes were even more remarkable up close, filled with snapping energy and vitality.

Although a man of Burr’s size was physically dwarfed by Max’s superior height, the former vice president had a magnetic presence that held its own. He made a great show of kissing Irénée’s and Lysette’s hands, then looked up at Max.

“Monsieur Vallerand,” Burr said in English, “at last we meet.” He regarded Lysette with twinkling eyes as he continued. “My congratulations on your marriage, sir. Now, having seen your lovely bride, I consider you the most fortunate of men.”

Before Max could reply, Lysette answered Burr in his own language. “Your facility with words, monsieur, is quite impressive. But of course that is no surprise.”

Burr looked at Lysette with warming interest. As most Creole women spoke nothing but French, he had not expected her to understand what he had said. “May I offer my compliments on your English, madame? You speak it quite well.”

Lysette gave him a nod of thanks. “That is my good fortune, Colonel, as I was able to listen to your speech at the Place D’Armes last week without requiring translation.”

“Did you enjoy it, madame?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied without hesitation. “You are a gifted speaker, and the speech was quite rousing.
I was even tempted to clap at the parts that I didn’t agree with.”

Burr laughed so heartily that half the room strained to pay keen attention to them. “I must know, madame, what parts you did not agree with.”

Lysette responded with a provocative smile. “My opinions are insignificant, Colonel Burr. My husband’s views are the ones you should take note of.”

“And so I shall,” Burr said with a chuckle. His gaze focused on Max’s expressionless face. “Your wife is not only lovely and accomplished, but also clever. You are a fortunate man, Monsieur Vallerand.”

Although Max did not respond to the comment, Lysette sensed his jealous bristling. He changed the subject abruptly. “How do you find the climate in New Orleans, Colonel?”

The question caused Burr to smile. “I believe you are referring to the political climate, are you not? I find it very pleasant, Monsieur Vallerand. We had quite an agreeable journey down here, as we encountered many unexpected friends.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Is it true that you own a shipping business, monsieur? That is rare for a man of your background, I believe. Don’t Creoles as a rule consider anything mercantile to be beneath them?”

“As a rule, yes. But I seldom follow the rules.”

“Neither do I,” Burr said agreeably, and gave Max a speculative stare. “I have been meeting many gentlemen in the community, monsieur, most of
whom belong to the Mexican Association. Do you happen to subscribe to it?”

Lysette recalled what Max had told her of the Mexican Association, a group of prominent citizens who desired the liberation of Mexico, and all the attendant trade benefits it would give to the merchants of New Orleans. Anyone who belonged to the group was certain to sympathize with Burr’s cause.

“No, I do not,” Max replied. “I have found that belonging to organizations of any kind invariably results in unwanted obligations.”

“Interesting,” Burr commented, his eyes alight with the enjoyment of a challenge. “I would like to have an opportunity to try and persuade you otherwise, monsieur. Shall we talk at a later date?”

“That might be arranged.”

Soon Colonel Burr’s attention was claimed by others who wished to be introduced, and Max drew Lysette away.

“What is your impression of him?” he asked.

“Dangerous,” came Lysette’s blunt reply. “I don’t think Colonel Burr would be so confident if he didn’t have good reason. It is likely that he has persuaded many men to join his cause, Max.”

“I think so, too,” he said ruefully.

Alexandre approached them after having delivered Irénée to her friends, who were clustered at the side of the room gossiping. “My lovely sister-in-law,” he said to Lysette, “dance with me,
s’il vous plait
.”

Lysette took his arm. “Do you have any objections, Max?”

Her husband shook his head, but gave his younger brother an ominous frown. “Do
not
leave my wife unattended.”

“I hope that I have better manners than that,
monfrère
,”Alexandre said indignantly. He pulled Lysette along with him, and stopped at the edge of the crowd. “Do you see the girl in the green gown?” he asked her. “The one with the dark hair?”

“No, I do not see—”

“She is tall. There are yellow ribbons in her hair. The blond man dancing with her is her cousin. See her? That is Henriette Clement. I want to attract her attention. Make certain you look as if you are enjoying yourself. Laugh as if I am saying something witty.”

“I’ll do my best.” Lysette smiled and placed her hand in his. “Do you intend to court her, Alexandre?”

Alex looked over her shoulder and scowled. “I want to,” he admitted. “Very much. But her family doesn’t approve of me.”

“Does Mademoiselle Clement have an interest in you?”

“I’m not certain. If only I could spend some time with her…but every time I am within ten yards of Henriette, the entire Clement family descends on me like a pack of bloodhounds.”

“If you are to talk to Mademoiselle Clement, you will have to enlist the help of her
tante
.”

“Her
tante
is a dragon,” Alexandre said morosely.

“Well, you’ll have to put some work into charming her. If you make the
tante
like you and plead
your case well enough, she may be persuaded to help you meet with Mademoiselle Clement.
Alors
, go find the
tante
and be nice to her.”

“Now?” Alexandre asked blankly. “But you are not to be left alone. Max will turn me inside out if I don’t stay with you.”

“Irénée is right over there, not twenty feet away. I will go to her.”

“What about our dance?”

“We will dance later,” Lysette promised with a laugh. “At the moment, this is more important.”

“All right,” Alexandre muttered, squaring his shoulders. “I suppose I have nothing to lose,
n’est-cepas
?”

Smiling, Lysette headed toward Irénée and the gaggle of gray-haired women around her. She could not help but be aware of the indiscreet stares that followed her. One group of young bucks stopped their conversation altogether, watching her every move. Lysette became absurdly self-conscious, and by the time she reached her destination, she felt a blush climbing up her cheeks. Irénée welcomed her warmly.

“
Belle-mère
,” Lysette said, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Of course I am!” Irénée replied matter-of-factly. “And from all accounts, you are a great success, my dear. Why, Diron Clement, the old gentleman over there, was overheard to say that in his opinion you are a great beauty!”

Lysette laughed. “Someone should clean his spectacles.”

“He would not have said it if it were not true.” Irénée nudged a stout, flower-bedecked matron nearby. “Tell her it is so, Yvonne, tell her!”

Yvonne, an older cousin on Irénée’s side of the family, gave Lysette a plump-cheeked smile. “You are a very attractive girl, Lysette. I remember it was the same with your mother when she was young. How lovely and full of life she was, and how they all stared when she entered a room!”