Mardi Gras Masquerade (11 page)

It was a sad trick of fate that he had turned out to be Tienne DuPont’s brother.
 
Just as she had started to like him, all of the amiability between them had been shattered.
 
And it was all needless, ridiculous really.
 
It was her own fault for pretending to be someone she was
not.

It was useless to think about things that could never be.
 
Maria focused again on the river.
 
A chill went down her spine when she saw a figure detach itself from the somber darkness of the willows.

Maria’s heart beat faster as she watched the featureless silhouette continue to move along the riverbank.
 
It was a man, and he hunched forward as he walked, as though he was deep in thought.

It was Steve.
 
There could be no mistaking his tall, broad frame and imposing build.
 
Unconsciously, Maria let his name slip softly off of her lips.
 
There was no danger of him hearing her; he was too far away.

She continued to watch him until he was lost from sight.
 
Maria shivered involuntarily, and then went back inside.
 
She would seek release from her troubles in slumber.

* * *
  
* * *
  
* * *

When Maria awakened the next morning, she was told at breakfast that Mr. DuPont had already left for work.
 
He would join her later in the day for dinner.
 
Maria felt that she could use this time to her advantage if either Tienne or Marla called.
 
Steve DuPont would not hear of her impersonation until after she had gone.
 
It would be best that way . . . no unpleasant scenes, no goodbyes.
 
Only regrets; and Maria knew that she could not escape from those.

After breakfast, she wandered about the house, supposedly admiring its large and handsome rooms, but in reality searching for a telephone.
 
She looked around to see if anyone was watching when she spotted one in the study.
 
When she was certain that the
       
coast was clear, she went in and closed the door behind her.
 
With trembling fingers, she dialed the number of her apartment.
 
The phone rang and rang, but there was no one there to answer her call.
 
It surprised her that Marla had not left her a message on the answering machine as was her custom, but Maria remained hopeful.

She quickly dialed the number of the modeling agency for whom her roommate worked.
 
The girl was dumbfounded when the receptionist told her that Maria Fontaine had gone away on vacation for an unspecified period of time.

This left Maria in a fit of nervous agitation until she thought of a possible rationalization for this behavior.
 
The model probably did not want to be available if Tienne DuPont called to confront her with his anger after he learned that their engagement was over.
 
That would be just like Marla.
 
If something in life would not make her happy, she did not want to know about it.

Maria hung up the phone, filled with the determination to reach her friend later.
 
She would try to call the apartment again before Steve got home from work.
 
All day, she waited for one of the maids to tell her that there was a call for her, but none came.

Just before
five o’clock
, she stealthily made her way back to the study.
 
As she looked carefully from side-to-side, she stepped into the doorway, but her ingress was stopped by the imposing form of Steve DuPont.

“
Lookin
’ for me, butterfly?” he asked.

Maria’s face displayed all of the surprise and frustration that she felt.

She attempted to cover this up by saying, “Who else would I be looking for?”

“No one, of course.
 
It’s obvious that your happiness hinges on my presence.”

Maria smirked and replied, “Aren’t you home early?”

“It could never be soon enough to see your
welcomin
’ grimace.”

The woman attempted to turn the frown into a scowl, but the disbelieving look on Steve’s face made her feel the absurdity of the artifice, and she ended up suppressing a smile.

The man eyed her curiously, and then said, “You’d be
amazin
’ on the stage.
 
 
Such theatrical talent is a rare commodity.
 
Broadway calls to you, darlin’.”

“As long as you play the villain, I have no objection,” Maria teasingly returned.

“Oh, so you’d like to play with me.”

“What?” the woman exclaimed.
 
“I never said . . . I never meant . . .”

“Why don’t you just say
never mind
and get this over with,” Steve replied with finality.
 
“I’ve arranged a special treat for you this
evenin
’.”

Maria frowned and fearfully blurted out, “Has your brother come home?”

“
No,
my dear, he hasn’t.
 
I hope, when he does, you have a warmer welcome planned for him than that execution order tone in your voice.”

Recalling herself, Maria replied, “As you put it once before, that will be between your brother and me.”

“I’ve noticed that you rarely refer to him by his first name.
 
One might almost think that you hardly know the man you’re going to marry.”

“Well, we haven’t really known each other that long.”

“Long enough to get engaged.”

“It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things.
 
You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t.
 
Tell me about how Tienne proposed to you.”

“Didn’t he mention it?” Maria asked cautiously.

“Men don’t usually discuss those things.
 
You tell me.”

Maria cleared her throat to give herself a moment to think and finally, said, “We were having cocktails on the top of the
Eiffel
Tower
.”

“The
Eiffel
Tower
, you say.
 
It must have been very romantic.”

“It was.”

“What did you have to drink that evening?”

“Uh
 
. . . I don’t quite recall.”

“What?
 
Do you expect me to believe you don’t remember every detail of such an important occasion in your life?”

“It was champagne,” Maria quickly improvised.

“Go on.”

“Let’s see.
 
We made a toast . . .”

“To what?”

“To
Paris
.
 
All right?”

“I have no problem with that.
 
You were
sayin
’ . . . ?”

“And then, your . . . I mean, Tienne, asked me to marry him.”

“What were his exact words?”

“Really, Steve.
 
Some things are too personal to discuss.
 
What was that special treat you mentioned?”

“At this point, I hesitate to tell you.
 
Not with cocktails on top of the
Eiffel
Tower
as my competition.”

Maria crossed her arms and tapped her foot in annoyance.

Steve gave her one of his winning smiles and said, “How does a dinner cruise on a paddleboat strike you?”

“It couldn’t compare with
Paris
, of course, but it might be nice.”

Steve could not fail to note the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.

She said, “When do we leave?”

“As soon as you put on that lovely red dress you were
wearin
’ when I met you.”

“I’ll be right back,” Maria lightly replied as she veritably skipped back to her room.

“I’ll be waitin’,” the man called after her.

All thoughts about making that phone call to her friend were gone as Maria hastily dressed.
 
This was an event she had been waiting for.
 
After applying some lipstick, she ran downstairs to join Steve in the front hall.
 
He had changed into a black tuxedo.

“You
are
fast,” he commented.

“I didn’t have much to do to get ready.”

“I thought you models always wore a lot of cosmetics.”

“Let’s just get going,” Maria replied as she walked toward the door.

“With that radiant face, you don’t need any makeup anyway,” Steve commented as he followed her.

Maria sent him a smirk as they passed through the doorway.
 
The white limousine was waiting for them by the front door.
 
This time, Maria felt entirely different as she rode in it.
 
It was impossible for her to hide her enthusiasm as she chatted on with Steve during their ride into the city.

They had to walk a short distance to get to the boat.
 
Just as she spotted it, its steam-powered horn gave out a long blast that sent thrills throughout her body.
 
Sensing her excitement, Steve patted the delicate hand he had drawn through the crook of his arm.

The streetlights reflected on the water as they boarded the paddleboat.
 
A throng of happy party-goers joined them at the railing to wave to the crowds on the levee.
 
Maria felt completely exhilarated.

With a final blast of its horn, the giant wheel on the back of the boat began to turn forward, throwing up a spray of water in its wake.
 
Very slowly, it started to move away from the dock and up the
Mississippi River
.

Maria could not absorb enough of the experience.
 
The sights, the scents, the sounds, all filled her with a sense of elation she wanted to carry with her forever.
 
All of her troubles fell away from her.

“Are you happy?” Steve asked unnecessarily.

Maria did not even hear him say this.
 
Her mind was too absorbed in making a lasting memory of the moment.
 
The man observed her for a while, and then looked out over the water.

By the time the paddleboat had established its running speed and course on the river, dinner was served.
 
The couple sat at a window table in the dining area.
 
Since Maria’s attention focused more on the outside views than the food, their conversation was limited.
 
Steve gave up trying to ask her questions, and a look of curiosity settled on his face.

As soon as they were done eating, Maria wanted to walk out on the deck.
 
The sky was filled with stars as a Dixieland jazz band began to play some old, familiar tunes.

Holding Steve’s hand, Maria swiftly led him to the back of the boat.
 
From there, she watched the giant paddlewheel turn, illuminated by the ship’s lights.
 
The sound of the band, the wheel’s splashing, and the throb of the engine provided a harmonious background for the setting, as they both gazed at the receding lights of
New Orleans
.