Flora's Wish (48 page)

He caught a few words and watched as Flora spoke, but his attention remained on the parlor where he now stood. Lucas couldn't help but notice some baskets in the almost child-size room, filled almost to overflowing with what appeared to be letters and postcards.

“Did she have a good afternoon?”

“Yes, ma'am,” the maid said. “She's sleeping now, but I can wake her up.”

“No, don't do that. We can come back another time—”

“Flora, don't go,” came the soft voice of a woman in the other room. “Send Daisy in to help me, please.”

As the maid disappeared into the other room, Lucas glanced over to the open door and what was obviously a bedchamber beyond. The same pale white of the walls continued into that room. Over the fireplace he saw a painting of two laughing girls. A dark-haired girl of not more than seven or eight stood beneath the gnarled limbs of a giant magnolia tree. Nearby a slightly younger female child sliced through the air in a swing, leading with her bare feet and trailing with long locks of glorious red hair.

“The Brimm sisters,” Flora said as she came over to him. “Grandmama thought it scandalous that we were painted with bare feet, but Mama insisted.”

“And your mother won. She must have been a formidable woman.” Lucas knew from the dossier on the family that the late Mrs. Brimm had succumbed to yellow fever several years ago.

“Apparently it is a trait among Brimm women.”

“What happened?” he said softly. “And why is she out here?”

“She's here because it's where she's happiest.” Flora shrugged. “I know that sounds completely crazy, but she rests comfortably here.”

“It doesn't sound crazy at all.”

“Her nurse thinks it's the quiet and coziness of the little cottage.” Flora paused. “I think it may be because Grandmama built this for use as the family chapel before Father fitted it out for Violet and her nurse. In either case, the presence of the Lord seems quite real here, and I think Violet senses it. Unfortunately, it keeps her from rejoining the family up at the big house, something I feel is completely wrong.”

“I heard that.”

Lucas turned toward the voice and saw a beautiful woman staring openly at him. Though her eyes were a match for Flora's, her smile was purely her own. A blanket swaddled her, and her arms were thin, her fingers lying still in her lap as the maid pushed her chair into the parlor.

He greeted her with a smile of his own. “You must be Violet.”

She dipped her head. “Might you be Mr. Tucker or Mr. McMinn?”

“Lucas McMinn.”

“The Pinkerton.” She nodded toward Flora. “My sister speaks highly of you.”

“Does she?” He met Flora's gaze. “That is a surprise.”

Flora playfully nudged him before looking away.

He gestured to the baskets. “What's the story with the letters and postcards.”

Flora said softly, “Those are from me.”

“You?” He glanced around the room again. “All of them?”

“She writes every day when she's away,” Violet supplied. “It gives Daisy something to read other than the books I've heard far too many times.”

Flora worried her sleeve before lifting her gaze to meet Lucas's. “And it lets me feel as though I'm doing something to help pass the hours she spends here when I'm not at home.” She turned to face Violet. “For some reason, she refuses to move back into the house with us. Or rejoin the world. It's quite maddening.”

“I like it here.”

“I know you do,” Flora said gently as she moved to kneel beside her sister's chair. “But the truth is, I'm concerned.”

“I'm fine, Flora.”

“It's not you I'm concerned about. Grandmama isn't getting any younger, and Father's mostly away when she's here.” She paused to shake her head at her sister's attempt to speak. “Please just consider it. Grandmama needs you, Vi. More than you need your privacy. Contrary to what she believes, Millicent Brimm is not going to live forever. She wants you to take the waters with her.”

Violet seemed to consider the statement. “I don't know. There are so many—”

“People? Yes, there are. And some of them may see you in this chair.” Flora rose and crossed her arms. “So what? Then they will see how very brave you are.” She shook her head. “You saved my life. Do not let my stupid mistake take yours.”

Violet looked beyond Flora to meet Lucas's gaze. “Is she this bossy with you?”

“Regularly.”

“Then she must love you too.”

“Violet Brimm, that's enough out of you,” Flora said. “Just promise me you will consider what I've asked of you.”

“I promise to consider it.”

They made their exit a short while later and left Violet in the capable hands of the maid. Emotion gripped him, and Lucas had to swallow the lump in his throat as a thought occurred. “What will happen to her if your cousin inherits Brimmfield?”

She looked up sharply. “He won't,” she snapped before moderating her expression and her tone. “I will not allow it.”

“Because he will not permit Violet to stay at Brimmfield?”

“Because he will not permit either of us to stay. Once Grandmama is gone, Brimmfield will be put up for sale if Winny inherits it. He has already made it abundantly clear that he considers Natchez far inferior to New Orleans. Keeping a home here is not his intention.”

He let out a long breath as the spoiled and pampered princess changed before his eyes to become a caring sister willing to put the welfare of another ahead of any idea of her own happiness. He also thought of the debts Kyle had uncovered. Nothing other than ridding himself of Brimmfield would likely make sense to Winthrop Brimm.

“But if you marry Tucker and produce a child, you will inherit Brimmfield and secure your sister's welfare.” Her refusal to meet his questioning look was all the answer he needed. “You can't do this, Flora. Surely the Lord has another way planned.”

“If He does, He is remaining awfully silent on the matter.”

They strolled the remainder of the distance back to the house in silence, the moonlight following them down the path and then up the front steps. A few stragglers remained in the ballroom, their merrymaking apparently no longer affected by the earlier excitement. As Lucas walked a step behind Flora up the stairs to part ways at the second floor landing, the orchestra played them to their rooms.

He paused at his door to glance down to the opposite end of the hall and caught her doing the same. Lucas quickly closed the distance between them.

“If Father were to catch you anywhere near my bedchamber door, he
would
take the pruning shears to you,” she said, though she made no move to escape his presence.

“I would expect nothing less.” He reached to touch a fiery curl and wrapped it around his finger. “However, I am willing to risk his wrath to thank you for introducing me to Violet.”

She remained silent, though her eyes never left his.

“I want you to know,” he said softly, “that while I do not believe you are going about this the right way, if Will Tucker somehow proves his innocence, I will wish the two of you the best.”

“Will you?” she said, her gaze sharp. “Or is that just what you had to say to make me feel better about marrying for something other than love?”

Lucas released her curl to touch her lips with his finger. Then he slowly removed his finger to press his lips gently against hers.

“Good night, Flora Brimm,” he whispered against her ear. “And the answer to both of those questions is yes.”

He walked down the long hall, feeling her watching him every step of the way. And long after he was lying down and trying to sleep, his eyes remained open and his thoughts remained centered on Flora. If he'd been this wrong about her and her motives, what else had he misjudged about her?

When he climbed into the carriage to find she'd beat him there the following afternoon, Lucas was still wondering about the beautiful Miss Brimm. As they left the gates of Brimmfield behind, Flora leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.

“Tired?” he asked.

“Yes,” was her soft response. “I didn't get much sleep.”

Tempted to concur, Lucas instead merely nodded. “Maybe you'll stay in your stateroom and rest.” He waited for her to open her eyes and look in his direction.

Then he winked.

“You are incorrigible.”

“No, Flora, I am practical.”

The corner of her lips turned up in the beginnings of a smile. “Remember, I've amended my ways.”

His snort of disbelief caused her maid to turn and peer back at them. “Is something wrong, Miss Brimm?” the elderly busybody asked.

Of course Flora's father would send his daughter with the one member of the household staff who appeared immune to Lucas's charms. It was exactly what he would do if he had a daughter.

Thank goodness he never planned to fall into that sort of trouble.

Once aboard the
Leviathan
, his prisoner and her guard in petticoats disappeared into Flora's stateroom. When the dinner hour arrived, Lucas stood in front of the door trying to decide whether to knock until Flora finally opened it.

“I grew tired of waiting,” she said as she swept past him dressed in a deep blue that matched the night sky, leaving Lucas to trail behind her.

Owing to the fact this steamboat was much smaller than the grand
Americus
, Lucas found himself alone with Flora at a table for two. He glanced around, half expecting to see her maid watching from behind a curtain or staring back from some dark corner.

“What are you looking for?” Flora demanded as she pushed around the same bite of food she had been toying with for the past five minutes.

Lucas nodded toward her almost-full plate. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Giving up any pretense of continuing with her dinner, Flora set the fork aside and sighed. “I discovered that my mother's favorite earrings are missing. I've looked for them everywhere, and they're gone.”

“I see,” he said as evenly as he could manage. “Any idea what happened to them?”

“Don't toy with me, Lucas.” She tossed her napkin on the table. “I don't want you to be right. I hope you know that.”

“If it's any consolation, I'm not taking any pleasure in this.”

“It is, I suppose. I just thought that maybe…” Another sigh. “Oh, I've been completely single minded and obtuse, haven't I?”

“Single minded and obtuse?” He suppressed a grin. “You're going to have to help me with that.”

“All I could see was how to best fix the problem of Grandfather Brimm's will. And because of that, I've been blind to anything else, including the possibility I might be wrong about Mr. Tucker.”

Well now. He bit back the
I told you so
he wanted to say. “I would have to agree,” was his response instead.

Their gazes met and Lucas felt the collision down to his toes.

“I want my mother's earrings back. If it means I must beg some sort of arrangement with Cousin Winny to keep Violet safe rather than marry Will Tucker, I don't care.”

The vehemence with which she spoke surprised him. The expression on her face gave him cause to worry.

“Flora, I understand, but you need to leave the detective work to me. Do
you
understand? I'll need a detailed description of them for my report.”

“Of course,” she said as she gave him her sweetest smile and rose. “If you'll excuse me, I think I'm ready to go back to my stateroom.”

Lucas followed suit, even though it meant leaving half a plate of delicious food on the table. He followed her bouncing curls until she wove her way out of the dining room. Then he caught up to fall in step beside her.

“You're not thinking of trying to get those earrings back on your own, are you?”