Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (25 page)

Bandera instinctively slapped at her sister, missing her
by inches when Liberty ducked out of the way.

"I wouldn't try that again, Bandera. I have no intention
of allowing you to push me around any longer."

Bandera grabbed her arm and shook her. "I would guard my tongue if I were you, Liberty. If you do not, you could find yourself in more trouble than you can handle."

Liberty wrenched her arm free. "I am no longer fright
ened of you, Bandera. I have learned how to fight for what I believe in—you have taught me that."

Bandera's eyes narrowed. Yes, she could see that a
change had come over Liberty. She couldn't put her finger
on what it was. Liberty was . . . pretty—no more than
that, she was almost beautiful. When had that happened?
Most certainly there was nothing of the untamed young girl about her now.

"How quaint. What will we have to talk about now that
you are all grown-up, little sister? How about old Zippora's love potions . . . huh? Did you convince that old
witch to give you an herb or a root that would make you
pretty?"

"No, Zippora does not offer me her cures and potions.
And as for what you and I can talk about, we could start
with truth. We both know that you lied about Judah. One
word from you, and the authorities would change their mind about his guilt."

"What makes you think I would lift a finger to help your Judah Slaughter."

"I can think of one very good reason, Bandera. Judah
loves you."

Bandera raised one shoulder in a shrug of indifference.
"Many men love me. They are of no concern to me, and
neither is Judah Slaughter."

"You are not seeing very clearly Bandera. If Judah's
grandfather is dead, who do you think will inherit Bend
of the River? Think
...
it may not be Sebastian. What if
Monsieur Montesquieu left everything to Judah?"

Bandera stared at her sister. "You know even if Judah
were to inherit I could never be the mistress of Bend of the River. His grandfather would have had that stipulation added to the will."

"What stipulation?"

Bandera watched Liberty's face carefully. Was it possible that Liberty did not know that Gustave Montesquieu
wanted her for Judah's wife? "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Never mind," Bandera said, thinking it was better not
to tell Liberty that Gustave had favored her as mistress of
Bend of the River.

"Perhaps Monsieur Montesquieu cut Sebastian out of his will," Liberty said, planting seeds of doubt in her sister's mind. She was finding out that Bandera was not very intelligent, and could be easily led by others.

Bandera was quiet for a moment while she digested all
that her sister had said. Then she spoke without thinking.
"Judah would never forgive me for what I did to him in the barn."

Liberty heard the confession, but she realized Bandera
didn't know what she had just said. "I believe Judah
would forgive you anything, Bandera. Just suppose, for a
moment, that Monsieur Montesquieu had left everything to Judah, would you not be casting your lot with the wrong man by joining forces with Sebastian?"

"I need time to think," Bandera said, rubbing her temples. "I am confused."

"Yes," Liberty said sarcastically. "You think, Bandera.
That is always what you do best." Liberty no longer felt like a little girl basking in the sunshine of her sister's
beauty. After what Bandera and Sebastian had done to
Judah, she felt only contempt for them both.

"Let me see if I have this right," Bandera said with a
soft laugh. "You have come to me offering the supreme
sacrifice. You love Judah, but you will give him to me ... I wonder why."

"It is very simple. He loves you, and he isn't mine to give."

"Love is an emotion I have no wish to feel.
Maman
says
money and power are the only lasting things. Desire is
often mistaken for love. I will admit that in the past I had
a strong desire to be with Judah. I am not ashamed to admit it. He is a most handsome man."

"Crudely put, Bandera," Liberty said, as her lips curled
with contempt. "I will make a deal with you. If you help
clear Judah's name, I will say nothing about the lies you and Sebastian have told about him. You can have Judah
and Bend of the River, and everyone but Sebastian will be happy. In my estimation, Sebastian does not deserve to be
happy."

Bandera's eyes sparkled with just a hint of admiration.
"I can see you have given this a great deal of thought,
Liberty."

Sebastian had come up behind them undetected. With a
slight smile on his face he spoke. "How bloodthirsty your little sister has become, Bandera. Would she throw me to
the wolves because my cousin sprinkles star dust in her
eyes?"

Bandera lowered her eyes, wondering how much of the
conversation Sebastian had overheard. She willingly al
lowed him to pull her to his side in a show of possessive
ness. "You never told me your sister could be so vicious."

Bandera slipped her arm through Sebastian's. "Did you
hear what she said?"

"Most of it, but I do not believe we have anything to fear. I came by to tell you that tomorrow we will be holding a memorial service for my uncle and Gabrielle."

Bandera shivered. "I suppose it is necessary."

"Yes, it is," Sebastian replied. He reached out to catch
Liberty's hand and pull her to him. His eyes roamed over her face, and he wondered why he had never noticed that her eyes were an exceptional color of blue. "You have
changed somehow. There is something new about you that I cannot define, Liberty."

"It is the disgust you see in my eyes," she spat out, pulling away from that odious man. "I am disgusted by you and my sister."

Sebastian laughed. "It would seem, my love, that your sister does not hold us in high esteem. Can it be that, in
defending my cousin, she has turned away from us?"

"She threatened to make trouble," Bandera warned.

Sebastian's eyes grew cold. "That would not be advisa
ble, and anyway, no one will believe her. I have spread the
word that your sister is—how can I put this delicately? —
enamored of Judah. Everyone feels sorry for her for
being taken in by such a monster." He shrugged, "You see
how it is, Liberty."

"I see what you want people to believe, Sebastian, and one day Judah will see you dead for this. I believe it was
you who set fire to the house at Bend of the River, the
fire that took the life of Judah's mother and grandfather."

Sebastian swaggered over to Liberty and stared down at
her, his upper lip curling. "I challenge you to prove it."

"Judah will prove it."

"I don't think so. Personally I have my doubts that he
is even alive. Knowing my cousin, I would expect him to
be making trouble if he were able."

Liberty was glaring at Sebastian, and for the first time, she noticed how strangely he was staring at her. His eyes
ran almost caressingly over her face. He was looking at
her the way he always looked at Bandera. Revulsion made
her step back. "Judah will come back, Sebastian, and when he does, you and Bandera will have to face his wrath."

Sebastian turned to Bandera. "Can it be that your sister has grown into a woman? Has it escaped your notice that
she defends my cousin very eloquently. It raises the
question in my mind of whether Judah has been taking
liberties with our little Liberty." His lurid laughter filled
the air, but there was no laughter in his eyes.

Liberty could no longer stand to be near her sister or
Sebastian. Turning quickly away, she rushed toward the
house. Did her guilt show in her face? she wondered. Could Sebastian tell Judah had made love to her?

Bandera pulled away from Sebastian, suddenly aware
that he was intrigued by her sister. "You show far too
much interest in Liberty, Sebastian. One would think you
were in love with her instead of me."

He swung around and smiled slightly. "There is some
thing new about Liberty, a promise of excitement in her
eyes. I believe she is beginning to grow up."

"She is just a child," Bandera snapped, her eyes nar
rowing as she glanced toward Liberty, who was disappear
ing around a hedge.

"Child or no, Bandera, I can tell you that if she talks she could make a lot of trouble for us."

Bandera's eyes gleamed. "You said no one would be
lieve her."

"When her father comes home, he may believe her, and
that could be a mistake, because Louis Boudreaux is greatly respected in these parts."

"Do you really believe Judah is dead?"

"Yes, I believe so. His boat was found drifting upside
down in one of the bayous."

Bandera shook her head regretfully. Judah Slaughter had been an unusual man. He had swept into her life like
a tidal wave, and she realized that she could easily have
fallen in love with him. "Sebastian, did you have anything
to do with the fife at Bend of the River?" she asked, putting Judah out of her mind.

He pulled her into his arms. "Of course not. Are you
beginning to believe your sister's wild ravings? Come with
me," he said, leading her to the far side of the garden out
of sight of the house. "I have need of you."

Judah slipped through the gate that was hanging on
rusted hinges. Driven by a need to see Bandera, he had
come, into her garden, hoping to find her alone. On
hearing voices, he had pulled back into the shadows.
Instinctive hatred burned within his heart when he heard
Sebastian's laughter.

"We have won, Bandera. There are no more obstacles in
our way. Bend of the River will soon be mine."

"I wish we did not have to observe a year of mourning
before we can be married, Sebastian. I want to be your wife as soon as possible."

Judah's eyes burned with disgust as he watched his
cousin run his hands familiarly over Bandera's breasts. "I
may devise a plan by which we can speed things up a bit, my love. Since it is believed you were attacked by Judah, my friends will think I am being magnanimous by marry
ing you to save you from possible disgrace."

There was a pout on Bandera's lips. "I do not like my friends believing I was almost violated. I wish there had
been another way to — "

Sebastian unfastened the top hook of her gown and
fumbled with one of her breasts. "What a little hypocrite
you are. You do not mind being a party to ruining a man's reputation, but you do not want the slightest
smudge on yours." Running his fingers across her nipples,
he stared into her face. "What would your friends think if
they knew I first took you when you were fifteen, h'm?"

Bandera laughed breathlessly, pretending to be moved
by his searching hands. "You were very persuasive that first time, Sebastian. You swept me off my feet."

Sebastian took her chin and forced her face up to his. "I have no illusions about you, Bandera. The first time you gave yourself to me, it was with the promise of a
diamond ring that had once belonged to my grandmother. Your price has gone up considerably. You now demand to
be mistress of Bend of the River."

Her laughter was warm as she pressed her body against
his. "Neither of us has any illusions about the other. We are not guided by love and devotion."

"No, my sweet. That is why we make such a good pair;
we are both guided by money and power."

Judah felt sick inside. The woman he had made love to
in Zippora's cabin had been pure and innocent, and
Bandera was not. Had he dreamed the whole incident? In
his fevered imagination had he dreamed he had made love
to someone unforgettably sweet? The woman he had
thought to be an angel had turned out to be a devil. If he
had anything to say about it, she would never be mistress
of Bend of the River! Stepping out of the shadows, Judah
spoke.

"What a pretty picture." Sarcasm laced his voice. "True
love shines through."