Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (17 page)

His deep voice made Bandera tremble with excitement.
As he brushed his lips across her fingers, she felt her legs
go limp. Never, had she desired a man as much as she desired Judah Slaughter.

"Are you sure that you will never change your mind and decide to marry my sister?"

"Yes, I am sure. Liberty is young and vulnerable —too
young to be a player in my grandfather's game. I would
never drag her into this conflict."

"Yet you would drag me in," Bandera said with feeling.
"Is she so much better than I?"

Judah watched Bandera's lips part, and he had to control the urge to take her in his arms and crush her
mouth with a burning kiss. "Will you marry my cousin?"

"I —We have planned to marry one day."

Judah smiled as he released her hand. "I will not take
Sebastian's inheritance, but I had better leave before I take his woman."

She threw herself into his arms. "I do not want you to
go away. Promise you will not leave until we have talked
again."

"I will not leave until we have come to some kind of
understanding," he promised.

She brushed her lips against his cheek and turned to
walk away. Judah watched her until she disappeared into
the pine woods. He wondered what kind of people was he
dealing with here? His grandfather was a man who would
do anything to get his way. Sebastian he did not trust at
all, and beautiful Bandera was the most baffling of them
all. Judah thought of little Liberty and smiled. She was
like a breath of fresh air. He wondered what she would
think if she knew his grandfather had offered her to him
in sacrificial matrimony. He could almost envision the
humor that would gleam in her eyes if she were to learn
about the plans that had been made for her future.

His life was becoming a tangle. He had come here for
his mother's sake, never dreaming that he would become
involved in a love triangle. If he wanted Bandera, why
didn't he just take her, and say to hell with Sebastian! He
was caught in a crosscurrent and would be pulled under if
he did not watch his step.

8

The scents of wisteria, jasmine, and magnolia blended
to enrich the evening breeze and welcome the guests to Bend of the River Plantation. The sound of music and
laughter filled the air, and the brightly lit chandeliers displayed hundreds of candles.

From miles around, the
haut monde
came in response
to the coveted invitation issued by Gustave Montesquieu.
Inside the mansion, ladies in brightly colored silk skirts
swished across the polished floor of the
grand salon,
while gentlemen in pantaloons and elaborate neckpieces bowed gracefully to some passing beauty. The delicious
aroma of food gave promise of a feast later in the evening; the gala would last into the night, and in the morning, breakfast would be served. The doors were thrown wide, as the stiff-backed butler, Noal, admitted
only those who handed him the coveted gilt-edged invita
tion.

Judah had adhered to his mother's wishes, so he reluc
tantly stood in the receiving line with the rest of the
family. His grandfather seemed to have made a miracu
lous recovery, and was jovially greeting the guests. Rigidly
Judah waited beside him, trying to hide his boredom. To Judah's right was his mother, looking lovely in a green
silk gown. Beside Gabrielle, with a dour face and her lips
compressed, stood Alicia. Her eyes were red rimmed, and
she had almost shredded the white lace handkerchief she clasped tightly in her hands. Sebastian stood at the end of
the line, polite as always, his eyes watchful and cunning.

When there was a lull in the steady stream of new
comers, Gustave, leaning heavily on his gold-tipped cane, eyed Judah. "I was proud to present you as my grandson,
Judah. What do you think of my friends and neighbors? Do you think you would like living around them?"

Judah's eyes narrowed in on the old man's face, and he
answered without hesitation, "For the most part, I find them snobbish and haughty, as well as careless in their need to find pleasure. No, I would not like to live within a hundred miles of any of your friends."

Gustave chuckled. "When your Americans first came to
this land, we found them intolerant and provincial. They
did not seem to know how to have fun. It is easy to see
why the two do not mix. I fear we have come together for
mutual benefit and a mutual desire to make money. Your
Americans are shrewder than we are when it comes to money matters. Many of my friends cannot match wits
with them. I see my friends becoming poorer, while the Americans become wealthy. I fear they will win in the end
and destroy our way of life forever."

"If your friends have your attitude, you will probably
never acquire statehood."

The old man smiled indulgently at his grandson. "You
will pardon me if I do not look forward to that prospect
with great enthusiasm. We were governing ourselves long
before you were acquiring your independence."

Judah drew in a deep breath. "That is the attitude I was
talking about."

Gustave smiled and clapped his grandson on the back.
"Perhaps you will be the one to change things for the
better. Take what I offer you, and you can Americanize
Bend of the River until your heart is content."

At that moment, Judah caught Sebastian's eye and saw
the hatred burning there. Looking into his grandfather's
eyes, he spoke so everyone in the receiving line could hear.
"Bend of the River be damned. I would sooner see it put
to the torch than accept any part of it." He was tired of playing games and wanted everyone to know what his
feelings were concerning his grandfather's plantation.

Gustave laughed heartily, while turning to the next guest, which happened to be Liberty Boudreaux. "Did
you hear how the young pup just insulted his frail old
grandfather?" His eyes were dancing merrily as they met
the young girl's.

"I have every confidence that you bring most of the insults upon yourself," Liberty observed laughingly.

Gustave lifted Liberty's hand to his lips. "Well said.
Most probably you are right. I am finding that you young
people have very little respect for the older generation."

Again Liberty laughed. "I have every respect for you,
Monsieur."

Liberty stepped forward as Judah bowed to her. Her
serious little face was drawn up in a frown; her lovely eyes
searched his face to see if he was glad to see her.

"Hello, little friend," Judah said, forgetting to be for
mal. "I have not seen you these two weeks past. Have you
gone fishing lately?"

"No, I no longer fish. I am growing up."

His laughter was warm. "I hope you do not grow up too quickly. I like you just the way you are."

"Do you really?" she asked breathlessly.

He glanced at the green gown that somehow did not look right on her. It did not take a man who was well
versed on ladies fashions to guess it had been Bandera's
and had been altered to fit Liberty. She looked like an
adorable child who was trying on her mother's gown, one
that was too sophisticated for her.

"Indeed, I speak the truth. I like your impertinence, I
admire your honesty, and most of all, I adore your pert
little nose." Judah glanced up at that moment and caught
his grandfather's satisfied smile and his blood flamed
with rage. He knew his grandfather was reminding him of
their bargain concerning Liberty. Judah bit back the angry remark that begged to be spoken.

"I was so pleased when your mother invited me,"
Liberty said innocently, unaware that she was a source of
contention between grandfather and grandson.

"You have always been welcome in this house
ma chere,"
Gustave declared. "If I were a younger man, I
would seek you as my bride. It takes a stupid man not to
see your qualities." He was looking at Liberty, but his words were for Judah.

Liberty felt light-hearted and happy. She was attending
her first ball, and Judah was glad to see her. She moved on down the line and was greeted warmly by Gabrielle.

Judah might have voiced his anger to his grandfather had his eyes not fallen on the vision of loveliness that came through the door. He had not seen Bandera since their encounter on the hill, but she had never been far
from his thoughts. She seemed to shimmer in a lovely
cream-colored gown embroidered with golden threads.
When she approached and pressed her hand into Judah's,
he realized she had placed a note in his palm, and he quickly pushed it into his pocket, to read later.

"Good evening, Monsieur Slaughter. One hopes you are
enjoying our nice spring weather." Her voice was polite
and stiff, but he did not miss the warm glow in her eyes.
His grandfather and Sebastian did not miss the melting
glance either.

"Spring comes earlier here than it does in Boston,
Mademoiselle Boudreaux." Judah's voice was equally
stiff, but Bandera shivered with delight as his eyes rested
on her lips. Seeing Sebastian at the end of the line, she
smiled prettily and moved away, trailing a tantalizing scent of wild honeysuckle.

Judah was watching Bandera, so he noticed the strange
look that passed between her and Sebastian, but he had
no time to speculate on it, as another guest claimed his
attention. He could hardly wait to be alone so he could read Bandera's note. He wondered what she would have to say that she could not tell him in person. As Judah
watched Bandera walk away on Sebastian's arm, he be
came more certain he would soon have Bandera for his very own. It never occurred to him that there was a woman he could not have just for the taking.

When the last of the guests had arrived, Judah slipped into his grandfather's study and removed Bandera's note
from his pocket. By the dim candlelight he read:

It is most imperative that I see you.

Meet me in the barn at eleven.

Judah was puzzled as he crammed the note back into his pocket. Why would Bandera want to meet him in secret? Whatever the reason, he knew he would be there at the appointed time.

As the evening progressed, Liberty noticed that Ban
dera and Sebastian danced every dance together, and since
Judah's grandfather had shown his approval of his grand
son by placing him at his side in the receiving line, Judah
had become very popular with the young ladies. He was
surrounded by a number of them who were flirting
outrageously with him. Many saw him as the new heir to
the Montesquieu fortune. Judah was unimpressed with
his sudden popularity, however, and while he was polite,
he did not ask any of the ladies to dance with him. His
eyes seemed to be on Bandera as she danced around the
room with Sebastian.

Liberty spent most of the evening sitting beside Gabrielle Slaughter, watching happy couples dance by. As
she looked at all the lovely gowns the ladies were wearing,
it made her more aware of her own shabby appearance.
The happiness she had known earlier in the day disap
peared. Not one gentleman had thus far asked her to dance. She wished she had not attended the ball.

Gabrielle seemed to sense how the young girl felt, and
she patted Liberty's hand. "You have no notion how
lovely you look. Not even that gown can disguise the fact.
It is only respect for your young age that keeps the gentlemen from asking you to dance."

Liberty gave her a weak smile. "You are kind to say so,
Madame,
but I—" A shadow fell across Liberty's face.
Glancing up, she saw Judah holding his arm out to her.

"Would you honor me with this dance, Mademoiselle
Liberty?"

All eyes were suddenly trained on Liberty. She was now
the envy of every young lady who had coveted a dance
with the handsome Captain Slaughter. There was much
whispering behind fans, and wondering why the young girl had been singled out by Judah.

Liberty shook her head. "I do not think — "

"But I insist Liberty," Judah pressed. "I want to dance
with the loveliest young lady in the room."

Reluctantly Liberty gave him her hand. As he whirled
her onto the floor, she glanced up at him, and Judah was
surprised to see anger flashing in her eyes. A smile parted
his lips. "Am I in trouble?"

"I do not want a gentleman to tell me an untruth, Judah. I do not like false flattery. You know that."

"Are you referring to the fact that I said you were the
loveliest young lady here tonight?"

"Oui.
We both know you do not believe that."

His eyes brushed across her face. "Do I not? I wish you
could see yourself through my eyes, little Liberty. You are
the most charming, the most honest, the most — "

"If you say intelligent, I will scream. Please do not take
inventory of my good points." A smile touched her lips.
"That might take all night."

"You little devil," he said, swinging her wide. "You do
not know how tempted I am to take my grandfather's offer tonight."

They had to move apart. When they came back together, Liberty said, "I do not understand. What offer?"

"I pray God you do not ever find out," he murmured.

"It seems I am the envy of all the ladies and their ambitious mamas. You have become the rage."

His face was grim. "So it would seem. You and I know
how fickle fame can be. If they knew how I felt about my
grandfather's holding, they would turn a cold shoulder to
me."

Liberty giggled. "You underestimate your own charms,
Captain Slaughter." She batted her eyes and tapped him
with her fan, mimicking some of the flirtatious ladies.

Judah threw back his head and laughed. "You little
minx. You will always put me in my place, will you not?"

"Where is your place?"

His mouth eased into a lazy smile. "Right now . . . right here with you."

Suddenly Liberty became aware of the heat of his hand
through her white gloves. In a fluid motion he swung her
around, and her shoulder pressed against his chest. Liberty stumbled and was steadied by his hand at the small
of her back. The violins were playing as she looked into Judah's eyes, and she wanted to melt against him, to have
him hold her very, very close.