Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (33 page)

Gustave had used his influence in trying to locate
Judah. He had engaged a man to go to Boston, but there
had been no word of Judah there either. In desperation,
Gabrielle had even put her pride aside and had written to
Judah's mistress, Adriane Pierce. The response from
Adriane had said only that she shared Gabrielle's concern
for Judah's disappearance.

Gabrielle glanced at her father and saw he was dozing.

She smiled, thinking how he had come to depend on her.
She had never understood him until now. It had come as
a shock to her when she had learned that her father had
always had a man in Boston looking after her and Judah.
It was her father who had arranged for the bank loan so
Judah would have the money to get the
Winged Victory
out of dry dock. Gustave had followed his grandson's life
and had been proud of the man Judah had become.

Sebastian was still a source of irritation for Gustave.
Both Gabrielle and her father realized the treachery that
had been practiced the night Judah had disappeared. It
was through Liberty that they had learned the whole story
about what had happened that night. Gustave lived for the day his grandson would return, and together they would clear his good name.

Gabrielle pricked her finger with the needle and dropped the tapestry in her lap. She glanced up at the mantel clock and watched the minutes tick away. This house, and everyone in it, was waiting for Judah to
return. She and her father never entertained or received
guests. The only person they ever saw was Liberty, and
she was always welcome, though she was not often able to
get away from the demands of Briar Oaks.

Gabrielle had just closed her eyes, thinking she should
summon Moses and have him take her father up to bed,
when she heard someone rapping at the front door. She
stirred, wondering who would be calling at this hour, and
knowing, whoever it was, the caller would be turned away
on her father's instructions. Again she closed her eyes and
tried not to think about how lonely she was. She almost
wished the caller would be allowed to come in and visit.

No sound alerted Gabrielle that someone was in the
room with them. A feeling did. She opened her eyes and
thought she must be hallucinating. "Dear God," she cried,
holding out her trembling hand. "Judah, is that you?"

He bent down and gathered his mother in his arms,
thanking God that she was alive. "Yes, Mother, it is very
definitely me."

"My son, my son,' she cried, burying her face against
his shoulder. "You are alive! You have come back to us."

"Huh . . . huh? What's going on, Gabrielle?" her
father questioned, trying to gather his thoughts. His eyes
focused on his grandson, and he reached forward, his eyes
sparkling with happiness. "The lord, be praised," he whispered. "Our boy has come home at last, Gabrielle."

Judah took his grandfather's hand in a strong grasp. "I
am even glad to see you, Grandfather. Having thought you dead, I am delighted to see you are still in command."

"I can hold my own with you, if that is what you are
worried about, you young pup," the old man said, a genuine smile smoothing the wrinkles about his mouth.

Judah laughed down at his mother. "I don't doubt it, sir. You could hold your own with the devil himself."
There was a new respect in Judah's tone as he spoke to his
grandfather.

The old man's eyes sparkled with new life and he called
out to Moses. "Bring the brandy so we can celebrate. The
prodigal son has returned, and I want to kill the fatted calf."

Liberty sat at her father's desk, trying to keep warm.
The room was so cold, she gathered up the ledgers and
moved to the big red leather chair in front of the fire
place. She could somehow feel her father's presence, and
she wished he was there to advise her.

I really have my life in an tangle, Papa, she thought, looking up at the portrait of him she had moved from the
library into the study. "I don't see how I can save Briar
Oaks, and there are so many people depending on me. Judah is home, and there will be trouble from that
direction. I don't know how this will all end with him and
Sebastian, Papa. And there is a war on our doorstep. Life is so uncertain. I do so wish you were here. You would
know what to do."

The door opened a crack, and Sebastian stuck his head
in. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Liberty?"

Liberty was still angry with Sebastian for taking the
only money they had and squandering it frivolously. She
drew in a breath and then spoke. "It is getting late, but I
have a few moments before I go upstairs."

He ambled in, his hands in his pockets, and stood next
to the fire. "I have been meaning to speak to you for some time on an important matter. I suppose now is as good a time as any."

As always, Sebastian was looking at her in a most
disturbing manner, his eyes often straying down her neck
to her breasts. She closed the ledger with a snap, and
motioned for him to sit across from her, because she
didn't like to have to look up at him. "As I said, I have a
few moments."

He cleared his throat, but remained standing. "I think you know by now that one puny little girl cannot save
Briar Oaks. You must have realized that it is just a matter
of months before it goes on the auction block."

Her ire was tapped. "I know no such thing, Sebastian.
If you are worried about losing a place to lay your head,
you needn't be concerned. I will keep this roof over you as long as I am able."

He smiled indulgently. "I have a proposal that I believe
will help us all. I know a gentleman who is willing to buy
Briar Oaks at a reasonable price. We could take the
money from the sale and live comfortably in New Orleans
for years to come."

Liberty hadn't known it was possible to detest Sebas
tian more than she already did, but it was. "What do you
mean,
we,
Sebastian?"

"We are a family. Naturally, we will all want to stay
together."

Liberty stood up and clutched the ledger, trying to hold
on to her temper. "I do not consider you my family, Sebastian. I think of you and your mother as guests in
my home, and you have about overstayed your welcome."
Anger sparked in her eyes. "Let me say this so there will
be no mistake in the future: I will sell no part of Briar Oaks. If the plantation goes down, then I go down with
it. I am fighting in every way I know to keep from losing
this plantation. Don't ever ask me to sell it again."

Sebastian hardly heard the words Liberty was speaking.
He was mesmerized by the spark in her eyes and the rise
and fall of her breasts. For years he had wanted her, but
she was always cold and remote, like an ice princess. As
he watched the firelight play on her golden hair, his restraint broke, and he grabbed her to him.

Liberty was so startled that she dropped the ledger and
was frozen into immobility for a moment. "I want you,"
he said, trying to press her body against his, and running
his wet mouth across her face.

Liberty shuddered in disgust, then came to life with a vengeance. She pushed against him and pounded him on
his chest. When he laughed down at her, she twisted away and managed to get free. Reaching for the fireplace poker,
she held it out in front of her. "If you ever come near me again, I will kill you! I don't like you, Sebastian—I never
have. Mark my words, if you ever touch me again, I will
throw you out of my house."

His eyes narrowed. "What makes you think you are so
high and mighty? You dwell in your tower thinking you
are so much better than the rest of us."

"I'm better than you," she proclaimed, taking a step toward the door.

"I know who you want, Liberty, but you will never have
Judah Slaughter. He will never come back."

Liberty raised her head and smiled. "You take comfort
in that thought, Sebastian, and lull yourself into passive
ness. If I were you, I would look over my shoulder. He may be nearer than you think."

Sebastian moved closer and stared at her. "You are the
one who is woolgathering, Liberty. Judah is intelligent
enough to know he will be arrested the moment he comes
back here."

"What are the charges against Judah, Sebastian? Surely you don't think the charge that he was trying to press his
attentions on Bandera will stand up. You, and everyone
else, knows that no one has to press anything on my sister."

Sebastian took a step toward Liberty. "You bitch. You think yourself a saint, while the rest of us are just mud
beneath your feet." Several steps brought Sebastian even
with Liberty. "I will be glad to see you fall on your face."

Liberty saw something in Sebastian's eyes that she had
never seen before, and it frightened her. He was danger
ous and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
Relief washed over Liberty when the door opened and
Bandera entered.

"What's going on here?" A smile curled her lips. "A
midnight
tete a tete?"

Sebastian turned burning eyes on his wife. "For your
information, your sister just accused you of being a harlot."

Bandera smiled in amusement. "And you were going to defend my honor, Sebastian? How wonderfully gallant of
you." She looked at Liberty. "My sister always had an eye
for the truth, but then I have never tried to hide anything
from her or you, Sebastian. Do we understand one another?"

"I don't know what you mean," Sebastian said, turning
his anger on his wife.

"Don't you? I am aware that you covet my sister, but
you can never have her, and you can't stand that, can you,
Sebastian?"

"Go to hell, Bandera."

"I have been in hell since the day I married you. You
are nothing, Sebastian. You promised me the world, and
now you live off my sister's charity. I could have married
anyone I wanted —I must have been touched in the head
to have chosen you."

Silently Liberty slipped out of the room. Sebastian and
Bandera had forgotten about her, and she knew they
would rage at each other for hours. As she made her way
up the stairs, her footsteps lightened. She could imagine
the happiness Judah was feeling at being reunited with his
family. She also wondered what her sister and Sebastian
would do when Judah came to Briar Oaks the following
day.

15

The sun came up, spreading its light like a warm blanket over the valley. Liberty had been busy since sunup, supervising the storing of meat in the smoke
house. As the last of the ham hocks was hung from the
ceiling, she stepped outside and breathed in the crisp, clean air.

Automatically, she turned toward Bend of the River
Plantation. Judah had told her he would see her on this day and she knew he would come. What would he do
when he faced Sebastian? she wondered. Judah had every
right to demand satisfaction, yet his love for Bandera might keep him from harming Sebastian. Liberty had never been able to understand what a man like Judah could see in Bandera. Didn't he know that she would never care for anyone but herself?

Liberty's eyes moved toward the swamps, and she be
came aware of the ominous silence. Something strange was definitely in the air. There were rumors that the
British were moving ever closer. Soon they would all be
caught up in a war. She turned to Delton, the slave who had been her father's right hand, and on whom she had come to depend so heavily.

"Delton, put a padlock on the smokehouse and have the stock driven into the pens. Should the enemy come, we don't want to feed them."

"I have already had the cattle and horses brought in,
Mam'zelle.
HI have someone put a lock on the smokehouse at once."

Liberty pulled her shawl about her, and smiled. "I don't
know what I would do without you, Delton. Thank you for all your help."

The black man grinned at her praise. "I will always
serve Briar Oaks,
Mam'zelle.
This was my father's home,
as it is mine and my sons."

"I know that, Delton, and I have been meaning to speak to you about something. I don't have to tell you that we have fallen on hard times. I just want you to
know, that no matter how difficult times become, you will
never be sold to anyone else. You are a part of this land. Should I be forced to sell, I will give you and your family
your freedom."

Delton's dark eyes misted, and it took him a moment to
reply.
"Mam'zelle,
we are all going to work hard so we can keep our home."

Liberty turned away, reluctant to tell Delton that there
was no hope of saving Briar Oaks since Sebastian had
squandered the money she had been saving for seeds.
Liberty had considered asking Monsieur Montesquieu for
a loan, but her pride wouldn't let her. No, her father
would not approve of her taking advantage of friends and
neighbors. In her estimation, she might be able to keep Briar Oaks for four or five more months, a year at the most.

Nightfall found Liberty and Bandera alone in the sit
ting room. Sebastian had announced at noon that he was going into New Orleans, and Alicia had taken to her bed
with one of her headaches.

Liberty was going over and over the ledger, hoping she
had made a mistake in the addition, while Bandera moved
restlessly around the room, examining every detail, as if
seeing it for the first time. At last Bandera seated herself
on the sofa and leaned her head back.

"I could die of boredom. Men are the fortunate ones.
Look at Sebastian, he just takes off any time he wants to,
and no one ever faults him for it. If I were to do the same, people would say terrible things about me."

Liberty put her bookwork aside. "I have never known
you to care overmuch what people said about you, with the exception of never wanting to be accused of being poor."

"That's right. If you are wealthy, people will forgive you anything. I don't really care all that much about
respect—I just want people to envy what I have. Unlike
me, Sebastian seems to want respect, too."

"I would respect your husband more if he were to do an
honest day's work, or at least join the men who are trying
to defend our country."

"My, my, you have become quite a little American since
you met Judah Slaughter, haven't you, Liberty?"

"I am an American because Papa convinced me that
eventual statehood would be in our best interest. Surely
Sebastian can see this. He must want to defend his homeland against the British."

"Ha, not Sebastian. He doesn't believe in the war, and to put it simply, he is a pleasure seeker. I am bored to
tears with him. I cannot stand for him even to touch me."

Liberty watched her sister pop a chocolate in her mouth, a habit she had picked up from Alicia. She noticed for the first time that her sister was becoming
plump. "You married Sebastian; you should have known
what he was like."

"Oui,
we all make mistakes. Sebastian was my biggest
mistake."

Liberty glanced at the wall clock. It was late and Judah
still hadn't yet come. Perhaps he won't come tonight, she
told herself, almost with relief. Liberty had not looked
forward to the prospect of watching Judah and Bandera
together.

As Liberty rose to her feet, thinking she would go to
bed and hopefully lose herself in sleep, she heard a horse
whinny at the front of the house. Her heart skipped a beat when a loud rap came at the front door and she heard Judah speak to Oralee.

"I wonder who could be calling so late?" Bandera said, smoothing her hair and pinching her cheeks to give them
color.

Liberty stood as though turned to stone when Oralee
showed Judah into the room, but she was aware of her
sister's gasp of fear. Bandera jumped to her feet, as her
face whitened. For a long moment Judah stared at Ban
dera, not once taking his eyes off her.

Even from across the room, his turquoise eyes glittered.
The force of him, the power and the strength, were almost overwhelming. Liberty noticed how his green jacket was stretched tightly across his broad shoulders. His buff-colored riding trousers smoothly fit his long,
lean legs, and his black boots held a lightly glossed shine.

Liberty felt shaken, knowing that in the next few moments her deceit might well be exposed, but Judah
leaned casually against the door and smiled at Bandera—
a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Good evening, ladies. I trust you are both in good health?"

"I ... we ... Sebastian isn't at home," Bandera blurted out, moving closer to her sister.

"I know," Judah answered, staring at the woman whom he had worshiped for so long. Bandera was still beautiful,
but not as beautiful as he'd remembered. The pink gown
she wore was too young for her, and it fit too snugly across her breasts. Her eyes, though frightened at the
moment, were lusterless. She smiled at him coquettishly,
knowing such behavior had once attracted him.

Now his eyes were cold. "I know your husband is in New Orleans, Bandera. Oralee told me."

Bandera clutched Liberty's hand, and found it to be ice cold. "I . . . why have you come, Judah?" she asked in a
shaky voice.

"Do not distress yourself,
Madame.
I want nothing
more than to talk to you and your sister." At last his eyes moved to Liberty, who had not yet spoken. "I do have a
purpose in mind which I would like to discuss with you."

For some reason Judah had been almost afraid to look at Liberty. A simple gown of slate blue outlined her
slender form, and glorious golden hair formed a wreath
around her lovely face and fell down her shoulders to her
waist. Gone were the braids and the freckles. Gone was the uncertainty in her wonderful eyes. There was no
evidence of the young girl she had been. He now saw only
the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. No
woman had a right to be so perfect. Her skin was creamy
in the candlelight, and Liberty stood inches above her sister, her height giving her an aura of unconscious elegance.

A tide of feelings rushed through Judah like a raging
flood. In the moment that their eyes locked, he knew
without a doubt that Liberty was his love. He prayed that
hers had been the hand that had soothed him when he
had been wounded. It had to have been her body that had
taken him to the heights of paradise. It must have been
her, and not Bandera, whom he had taken to his room at
the inn on Saturday night.

Judah stared at Liberty so long and hard that she began to squirm beneath his close scrutiny. "Hello, Ju
dah," she said to break the tension. "Won't you please be
seated? Would you like a cup of tea, or perhaps something stronger?"

"Not at the moment. Could we talk?"

"Of course," Liberty replied, motioning him toward a
chair. He moved across the room with animal-like grace,
while Bandera watched him with frightened eyes. When
Liberty sat down, Bandera moved as close to her as she
could without sitting in her lap.

"I am glad you have returned, Judah. I trust you found
your mother and grandfather in good health?" Liberty felt a chill around her heart. She wondered if Judah wished she would leave the room so he could be alone with Bandera.

He smiled slightly. "I found them well and they praised
you highly, Liberty. It seems you have looked in on them
and have taken care of them while I have been away. My
mother has taken you to her heart."

"Your mother is most gracious, Judah."

Who is this woman who is so cold and distant? Judah
wondered in desperation. Now and then he caught a glimpse of his little one—a certain gesture, a look that would come in her eyes, or the proud tilt of her chin.
Judah was feeling so much raw emotion that his hands
trembled, and he crammed them into his pockets so Liberty wouldn't notice.

Bandera began to relax when she noticed that Judah
directed no malice in her direction. Actually he hardly
noticed her. In vexation, she asked the question that was
uppermost on her mind. "Should you not have a. care for
your safety, Judah?"

He swung his gaze to Bandera. "Did your sister not tell
you that I am no longer wanted by the authorities?"

"No." Bandera gave Liberty a hard glance. "She didn't.
But that is not surprising. Liberty has always been closed-
mouthed about everything." There was accusation in Ban
dera's biting tone.

"For several reasons I came here tonight," Judah said,
glancing from one sister to the other. He hoped his suspicions were correct and it had been Liberty in Zip
pora's cabin. He would soon know which sister had been with him Saturday night. He hardly breathed as his eyes
locked with Bandera's. "I have come for my cloak," he said softly.

Bandera looked bemused for a moment. "Can you be
talking to me?"

"Yes, if you are the one who has my cloak."

Liberty wanted to bolt into the night, to flee anywhere
to escape what was coming. Soon Judah would know that
it was she and not Bandera who had given him her body.
She couldn't bear the thought of his looking at her with
loathing.

Bandera shook her head. "I don't know what you're asking me. Did you leave a cloak with me before you
went away? No, you didn't —I would have remembered
that."

Judah felt the flood pumping through his body. So far
so good, he thought. "It is a black velvet cape, Bandera. I
wore it to the masquerade ball Saturday."

"I did not go to the masquerade ball. You have mis
taken me for someone else. What would I want with your
cape?" Bandera looked at him questioningly.

Judah felt his heart lighten. He dared not look at
Liberty, not until he asked a few more questions which
Bandera seemed unwittingly able to answer. "Have you
been to Zippora's cabin lately, Bandera?" He tried to act
casual, though he felt anything but.

"Are you mad,
Monsieur?"
Bandera was beginning to
wonder if Judah had lost his mind. "I have never been to
Zippora's cabin. That old woman hates me, and I am terrified of her. She dotes on my sister, however."

Judah remembered Zippora telling him that she disliked
Bandera but would do anything for Liberty. Why had he
never considered Zippora's meaning before? Judah's eyes
moved to Liberty, and he saw a tear roll down her cheek.
He wanted to take her in his arms and assure her that everything was going to be all right. His heart was
overflowing with tender feelings, his lips ached to confess
his love. He took a deep breath and stood up. "Liberty, is
there any hope that you might have my cloak?"