PHANTOM IN TIME (18 page)

Bella
sensed he was wooing her with song, and she was far from immune. When he closed
his eyes while intoning a thrilling high note, tears welled in her eyes. Last
night she had found Jacques's charm devastating; now she lacked words to
express her response to his incredible singing.

How
she wished Gran could be present to hear him. How she wished she could
transcend her fear and sing with him, sing for Gran. Again she felt intensely
torn between past and present, between her desire to help Jacques and her need
to go back and care for Gran, to sing for her . . .

Later,
Bella found her feelings of jealousy returning when Jacques and Maria Fortune
were called onstage to rehearse a duet together. As Maria laughed and hung on
Jacques's arm, Etienne instructed the couple on their vignette, in which
Jacques was to present Maria with a beautiful new hat, then serenade her with
“With All Her Faults I Love Her Still.”

Moments
later, as Maria affected a haughty pose at center stage, Jacques walked on,
grinning, carrying an elegant Victorian hatbox. Elegantly he bowed before her.
But as he opened the box, instead of the expected hat, three doves flew out. In
a loud flapping of wings, the birds fluttered and dived about, causing Maria
and Jacques to duck to avoid flapping wings and sharp beaks. The hysterical
fowl then flew up high into the rafters.

Within
seconds, most everyone, including Maria and Jacques, fell into gales of
laughter. Even Bella found herself chuckling. But Etienne was clearly not
amused as he charged up the stairs and entered the stage.

“Toby
Strauss! Front and center, this very moment!”

A
moment later, the shamefaced boy raced onstage and skidded to a halt before
Etienne. Dressed in his typical shirt, suspenders, and short pants, he stood
there with his lower lip trembling. “Yes, sir?”

“Toby,
are you responsible for this catastrophe?” Etienne demanded.

The
lad stared at the floor. “Yes, sir.”

“You
are discharged!”

As a
stunned gasp rippled over the auditorium, Jacques stepped forward. “Etienne,
no!” he beseeched. “It was just a boyish prank.”

“Yes,
Etienne, we were all amused,” added Maria, smiling at Toby.

Etienne
harrumphed. “The lad is an infernal nuisance. During
Carmen,
he hid
scenery and glued several yellow ostrich plumes to the tails of Andre's
military jacket. During the death scene, he released a couple of field mice
onstage, and the resulting stampede by the ladies was not a pretty sight.”

Fighting
laughter, Jacques argued, “Still, no real harm was done.”

“And
when the lad's pranks become
not
so harmless?” countered Etienne with a
murderous scowl.

Jacques
regarded the boy sternly. “Toby, would you ever hurt anyone in this
production?”

“Never,
sir,” declared Toby vehemently.

Lucy
and Alfred Strauss rushed onto the stage, Lucy wringing her hands and Alfred
appearing dismayed.

“Etienne,
please, we'll talk to him,” pleaded Alfred.

“There's
really nowhere else for Toby to go while we're rehearsing,” Lucy implored. “At
least not until school starts in the fall.”

Etienne
waved his arms. “Very well, talk to the little scamp. But if this ever happens again
. . .”

“It
won't,” Alfred assured him.

Bella's
heart went out to the lad as his parents tugged him off the stage, all the
while scolding him. A few minutes later, she sought Toby out in the wings and
found him sitting on a large wooden block, his expression forlorn, his chin
cupped in his hands.

Bella
plopped herself down beside him and smiled. “Hi, Toby.”

He
glanced up at her, his large brown eyes filled with uncertainty. “Hi.”

Bella
extended her hand. “I don't think we've formally met.
I'm Bella
De La Rosa.”

Shaking
her hand, the boy brightened a bit. “You're the lady I brought the rose to—the
new chorus girl, right?”

“That's
right.”

His
expression turned morose. “Well, at least I did that okay, huh?”

“You
did it just fine,” Bella assured him.

The
boy sighed. “Jeepers, I really made a mess of things today. Mama and Papa will
make me spend my whole evening in my room, with no dinner.”

Bella
struggled to maintain a sober expression. “The birds in the hatbox were funny,
but Etienne was right that they were disruptive. Why do you think you did
that?”

He
shrugged a slim shoulder and worried a cigarette butt with the tip of his shoe.
“I dunno. I just thought it might liven things up.”

“How
long have you lived in New Orleans, Toby?” Bella asked.

He
glanced away. “Since April. Before that, we spent a few months in Atlanta, then
Memphis, then here.”

“Aha,”
Bella murmured. “Guess your folks have to move around a lot to find work, huh?”

“Yeah,”
he replied moodily.

“Not
much time for you to make friends, either.”

“Nope.”

“You
know, Toby, I think you and I may have much in common,” she confided.

He
glanced at her, intrigued. “Really?”

“Well,
my parents were also members of the opera.”

“Were
they?” He sat up slightly.

“Yes.
I felt they never had time for me.”

Toby
was quiet, his expression wary.

“Once
in a while, I would misbehave just to get their attention.” She laughed. “I
remember one time when I didn't want them to go to the theater, I hid the pants
to my father's tuxedo.”

“Did
it work?” Toby asked.

Bella
laughed and shook her head. “No, but he stormed around, bellowing curses in
Italian, until I finally 'fessed up and showed him where I'd hidden his
trousers.”

“Where
was that?”

“In
the fireplace flue.”

Toby
chortled.

“Oh,
it was terrible. The trousers were ruined, and Papa had to borrow a pair of
pants from one of the violinists at the theater.”

A
broad grin brightened Toby's young face.

Bella
touched his hand. “My point is, my actions didn't gain the desired results. I
didn't get more of my parents' attentions. I only made them mad at me.”

Toby
was silent, his brow knitted.

Bella
squeezed his hand. “You know, Toby, if you ever want to talk, I'm here.”

“You
mean we can be friends?” he asked tentatively.

“But
of course we can.”

“Thanks,
miss. But you know, Mr. Ravel was wrong. I would never
really
hurt
anyone.”

She
nodded. “Oh, I believe you.”

“It's
just that sometimes I get so bored. Especially with school let out for the
summer.”

“Well,
if you're bored, come talk to me.”

“Sure!”
he said brightly.

The boy
was still grinning as Jacques walked by. He feigned a glower at Toby. “Now it
appears I have additional competition for darling Miss De La Rosa’s
attentions.”

“But
Bella and I are just friends,” Toby protested.

“I'm
happy to know that.” Jacques winked solemnly at Bella. “Nonetheless, I'm afraid
when Bella dresses up as a pretty little maid from school, she'll steal your
heart.”

“She
just might,” Toby agreed proudly.

“So
how are things going in the bonbon department, Don Juan?” Bella asked sweetly.

Jacques
chuckled. “Not well.” Leaning toward her with a devilish twinkle in his eyes,
he confided, “My supply is exhausted for now, and it’s your kiss that I really
wanted, ma belle.”

Although
his repartee was charming, Bella cast him a frosty glance. “Too bad. As far as
kisses go, Mr. LeFevre, it appears you've been amply compensated for today, and
since you're fresh out of bonbons . . .” She clutched Toby's hand and winked at
the child. “If you'll excuse me, I'm having a very important conversation with
my new friend.”

Jacques
shook his head, glancing askance at Toby. “Women, Toby. They'll be the death of
us all.”

Watching
him stride away, Bella felt a sudden, icy chill. Jacques couldn't possibly know
how true his words might be . . .

***

Heading
toward his dressing room, Jacques smiled pensively. He'd overheard part of
Bella's conversation with Toby, and felt more intrigued by her than ever. He
could see the sensitive, neglected child in Bella reaching out to the lonely
child in Toby. This endeared her to him.

And
made him feel like a shabby cad for playing such games to win her affections,
brazenly kissing other women in her presence. Obviously such tawdry ploys were
not the way to win a spirited and sensitive creature such as Bella. Perhaps, on
the contrary, he needed to convince her that she was the
only
one he
wanted, the center of his attentions . . .

Lost
in thought, he practically collided with Crystal, who touched his arm and eyed
him brazenly. “Come out with us tonight, Jacques? Cosette and I want to go gambling
down by the levee.”

Whereas
normally Jacques would have been interested, now he was merely annoyed. “I'm
sorry, but I have other plans,” he muttered.

He
started to brush past her, but she grabbed his sleeve and glowered at him. “Why
all of a sudden are you acting so standoffish? You weren't so stingy with your
kisses earlier.”

“Nor
were you,” he drawled.

“Oh!”
she cried, irate. “Well, it's not like you, our resident tomcat, to turn down
any
invitation.”

His
patience thinning, Jacques looked her over in deliberate insult. “I think I
just did.”

He
strode away, while she glared after him and tapped her foot.

Chapter Seventeen

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Soon
after Bella and Helene had arrived home, Jacques LeFevre appeared at the apartment
door unannounced, sporting a broad grin and a huge tin of bonbons.

Helene
was busy cooking supper, and Bella opened the door to view him standing there
wearing evening attire—an elegant black tailcoat, matching trousers, a white linen
shirt with a ruffled front, a black bow tie, and a silk top hat. As usual, his
dark eyes were fixed on her with amusement and admiration, and she felt stormed
by excitement . . . treacherous excitement.

Marshaling
her defenses, Bella stared at him in consternation. “Jacques, what are you
doing here?”

Charm
oozed off his silvery tongue. “Why, I've come to throw myself on your mercy,
ma
chère,
and to ask you to accompany me tonight on a dinner cruise aboard the
Bayou Belle.”

Bella
glowered at him. “Your gall knows no bounds, sir!”

He
only chuckled. “That's the reason I've brought you such a large tin of candy.
I've amends to make, no?” He pushed the box into her hands.

Staring
at the charming metal container decorated with Victorian cherubs and flowers, Bella
felt her face heating as she realized Jacques's implication—that he expected
her to favor him with a kiss for each bonbon.

As
if he sensed her weakness, he stepped closer, until she could smell his crisp
male scent and see the mischief dancing in his eyes. “Didn't you shoo me away
earlier because I'd run out of bonbons? Well, as you can see, I've now a
fresh—and ample—supply.”

Despite
the fact that her cheeks felt scalded, Bella managed to glower at him. Oh, he
was so arrogant—especially after kissing all those other women today! On the
other hand, her stomach curled in anticipation of his demanding so many illicit
kisses from her, and she knew she had best seize control or she'd disgrace
herself.

“Well,
I'm sorry, Mr. LeFevre,” she replied, shoving the tin back at him. “Despite
your boldness and sense of high drama, I have other plans for the evening.”

He
appeared stunned. “You can't mean that.”

His
cocky words sent fury spiking in Bella. “Oh, of all the gall! Why would you
assume I have no plans, that I'm just pining away like a tragic little
wallflower, hoping the dashing Jacques LeFevre will take pity on me and ask me
out?”

He
chuckled, his expression sheepish. “You're new in town, and besides, if any
other scoundrel tried to woo you, I'd call him out.”

“Ah,
so you believe I should see no other
scoundrel
besides yourself, eh,
sir? Or you'll subject me to more histrionics such as you indulged in with
Andre today—and possibly even duels?”

Totally
unrepentant, he winked at her. “That's precisely what I mean.”

“Well,
I think you're one nervy scamp to show up here after your lusty conduct at the
theater. And it'll be a cold day in hell before you can stake your claim on me
like I'm some piece of fresh meat just arrived at the market.”

Feigning
a tragic look, he whistled. “Such spite you fling at me, love. But what choice
did I have but to seek feminine solace today, since you broke my heart last
night?”

“
I
broke your heart?” she repeated, mystified. “I doubt you even have a heart, you
shameless womanizer. Furthermore, you are insufferable!”

“Bella?
What is going on here?” Helene called.

Both
turned to see Helene approach from the kitchen. Her face was glossy with sweat,
her nose smudged with flour, and she was wiping her hands on her apron.

“Helene!”
cried Jacques. “Please beseech this heartless creature to show me some mercy.”

Laughing,
Helene joined them at the portal. “Hi, Jacques.” She glanced at Bella
curiously. “Aren't you going to ask him in?”

“I
most assuredly am not.”

While
Helene appeared taken aback, Jacques implored the redhead with a woebegone
expression and a hand pressed to his heart. “Helene, my dear, please make Bella
go out with me for dinner on the river. I promise I'll entertain her royally.
And wouldn't you like some time alone with Tommy?”