Love Be Mine (The Louisiana Ladies Series, Book 3) (30 page)

"What will you do?" Etienne asked fearfully.

The young man deserved honesty. Bleakly Hugh admitted, "I do not know yet. But do not be alarmed. I will keep my word and keep you out of it as much as possible."

They said good night and parted. Hugh spent what remained of the night pacing the floor, considering all that he had learned. It wasn't, he thought grimly, a very great deal, and most of what Etienne had told him, he had already suspected. It was comforting to know that he had not been far off in the manner of the thefts, but it galled him that he had not learned more about the men involved. He grimaced. All he had learned tonight simply confirmed his suspicions.

Hugh had guessed that several men were involved—there had to be to move the goods. Gangs in New Orleans were common, and Hugh did not doubt that he was dealing with a well-organized, ruthless group of criminals. It was also clear from things Etienne had told him that the first thefts had not been as large or as frequent as the ones that had taken place in this past year or so. The thieves had been cautious at first, but as they had met with success after success and no hint of suspicion fell upon them, they had grown greedy. If they had continued to keep their plunder small, who knew when their tactics would have been discovered? Fluctuating profits were to be expected in his kind of business, and Hugh doubted that even he himself would have questioned a slight drop here and there.

But this last year they had grown very greedy indeed. Why? Simple greed? Or need? And what need? During his questioning Etienne had admitted that his payment for each theft had remained the same, no matter the size of the booty. More men to pay? Hugh did not think so. In fact, he did not believe that he was dealing with a large gang of thieves. It probably, excluding Etienne, consisted of no more than half a dozen carefully picked men. Eight maximum. And the leader.

So who was behind it? Hugh liked Alain Husson for the position, and it was not just his own prejudice against the man which led him in that direction. Alain's unsavory connections and his reputation for being ruthless in pursuit of money owed him were already known. A man who, if rumor was to be believed, hired scoundrels to terrorize and brutally attack his debtors would not hesitate to use such tactics in other matters. He was acquainted with the denizens of New Orleans' underbelly. But was it Alain?

And if the mastermind was not Husson, then who?

Jean? François? The notion that it could be one of his wife's relatives had not escaped him. Gloomily Hugh admitted that he had always believed that one of the reasons Micaela had trapped him into marriage was to protect her family.

But if it had been for her family's sake that Micaela had gone to such lengths to marry him, did she know something? Suspect something? Hugh's jaw clenched. The next time he was face-to-face with his charming wife, he was going to have a frank conversation with her.

Determined not to think of Micaela or her part in the difficulties at the family company, Hugh shut his mind to the tempting image which erupted in his brain—Micaela standing before him, her dark eyes soft and welcoming, her mouth warmly smiling... With a muttered curse, he damned himself for a fool. As for loving her—he did, he would not deny it, but he sure as hell was not happy about it.

Dawn was breaking when he decided to seek a few hours of sleep, and it was midmorning when he awoke. After a hasty bath, he dressed and hurried down the stairs. A brief word with Sampson elicited the information that John Lancaster was in the courtyard. Asking Sampson to bring food and coffee out there, Hugh walked out to the courtyard. After greeting his stepfather and apologizing for sleeping late, he took a seat at the iron table where John sat sipping a cup of coffee.

Conversation between the two men was inconsequential until after Sampson had appeared and served Hugh his breakfast: John had eaten earlier. Once Hugh's crawfish omelette, fresh strawberries, and
pain perdu
with cane syrup were served, and a piping-hot pot of coffee placed on the table, Sampson withdrew, and the two men were able to talk seriously:

Between mouthfuls of food, Hugh told John everything that he had learned from Etienne the previous night. It took a long time as he had to backtrack occasionally to explain a particular aspect or point. There was much discussion between the two men about the situation, even more speculation about who the mastermind behind the thefts could be, and several fruitless minutes were spent trying to devise a way to flush their quarry.

The day was increasingly humid and warm, the air still and heavy. Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Hugh raised his eyes and scanned the dirty-skirted clouds drifting across the blue sky. "It looks as if we may get a thunderstorm, shortly," he said. "Shall we go inside? It will be cooler in the house anyway."

Settled in Hugh's study, they continued to discuss their problems. John had wanted to know more about Alain Husson, and Hugh complied.

When Hugh was finished speaking, John leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. "I cannot," he began, "believe that both or even one of the Duprees is involved in this. Jean and I have had our disagreements in the past, but he is an honorable man." John grinned at Hugh. "Perhaps not as good a businessman as he would like to think, but an honest man. He is loyal to his family, mayhap too much, and I am convinced that he would do nothing to harm the company. As for young François..." John's face hardened. "I will tell you the truth—I did not like his father." He sent Hugh a glance from under his elegantly arched brows. "Did you ever meet Renault?"

Hugh nodded. "Once, on my first trip down to New Orleans—Jasper introduced us."

"Like him?"

Hugh smiled. "Not particularly. He was very haughty, very condescending. I thought him a cold, calculating bastard—not someone I would turn my back on for fear of finding a dagger plunged into it."

"That was Renault," John said grimly. "I only met the boy last night, and I see flashes of his father in him, but I also see a great deal of his mother in him. You know him better than I—is it likely that François could be behind our troubles?"

"I doubt it. And yet, I cannot entirely exonerate him. If Husson rubs shoulders with the criminal element in the city, François is the one most likely to be in financial difficulties. In much the same way that Etienne was drawn into their intrigue, I could see François being done the same way. It is common knowledge that he owes Husson a tidy sum of money, just as Etienne did. It is possible that François is an unwilling tool."

"Possible, but likely?"

"I do not know," Hugh said disgustedly. "François was not happy about my arrival or my marriage to his sister. Last night you saw him at his most charming, believe me."

They speculated on the problem for several moments longer, before John said, "Enough of this for now. Tell me more about your bride. When do we go to
Amour?"

Hugh hesitated. He had known this question was coming and he had not yet decided how he was going to handle it. Walking a narrow path between truth and mendacity, he said slowly, "Etienne admitted to me last night that upon orders, he had destroyed the message which had arrived several weeks ago alerting us to the possible arrival of
Le Lys Bleu
and her cargo. Apparently
Le Lys Bleu
herself also carried a message for us, which Etienne also destroyed, about another ship which would be sailing approximately six weeks behind her. Assuming she sailed as indicated she should be, barring pirates and storms, arriving around mid-July. Etienne said that
Le Coq
will be carrying another large consignment for us. I want to be here when she arrives."

"I understand, my boy, but there is nothing stopping us from leaving the city for a few days, is there? Perhaps even a week or more? Nothing is likely to happen until
Le Coq
arrives. And it
is
the fever season. Anyone with any sense has already left the city." He smiled. "I did not travel all this distance to die of fever in New Orleans, did I?"

"Of course not," Hugh said easily. "It is too late today to start for
Amour,
and after last night I am longing very much for a good night's sleep. I shall send a servant tomorrow to let Micaela know that we shall be arriving on Thursday. That will give me tomorrow in which to make certain that all is well at the office, and that Etienne is following my orders."

* * *

On Wednesday, as he had planned, Hugh went to the office. He finished up a few details and was pleased to see Etienne, looking a little haggard-eyed, busy at work. Except for a sudden paling when Hugh asked him to join him in his office, Etienne seemed as always.

Hugh did not keep him long. Only long enough to let him know that he would be leaving the city on Thursday and would not be back for a week, ten days.

"If you need me," Hugh said, "for...
anything
, send someone you can trust with a message.
Amour
is not above a hard three-hour ride from the city. I can be here the same day I receive any message from you."

Etienne nodded. He turned to go, but Hugh called him back.

"You have placed enormous trust in me," Hugh said quietly. "I shall not fail you. I do not believe that any harm should come to you and I would not willingly place you in any danger, nor ask you to risk your life." He hesitated before saying, " But if these men are as ruthless as you say, if something were to happen, I promise you that your mother and sisters will not suffer."

Etienne's eyes searched Hugh's. What he saw there must have reassured him, for he said huskily, "Thank you,
monsieur.
I have worried much over my decision to talk to you. You have relieved my mind."

A half hour later, having told
Monsieur
Brisson where to reach him and when he would be returning to the city, Hugh left the office. Upon his return home, he found that a message from Jean Dupree had arrived. Sipping a glass of port in a shady corner of the courtyard, Hugh read the message. He glanced across at his stepfather, who was sitting beside him.

"We shall have company at
Amour,"
Hugh said. "Jean writes that he and François will visit on Monday or Tuesday. They are going to Riverbend for a few days and then will come to
Amour.
They do not say for how long they intend to stay."

John laughed and shook a teasing finger at him. "Ah, my boy, that is what you get for marrying a Creole girl—have you not heard the saying that when you marry a Creole bride, you marry her
and
her five hundred relatives! Be happy that the Dupree family is small."

They spent a pleasant afternoon and evening and around eleven o'clock they had just decided to retire for the night, when Sampson knocked on the study door and entered with a note for Hugh. Puzzled, Hugh slit open the sealed missive and quickly read the contents. His face tightened.

Having dismissed Sampson, he said to John, "It is from Etienne. He writes that he has important news for me, news that will not keep, but that he is afraid to come to the house. I am to meet him at midnight at the company's warehouses."

"It could be a trap," John said, his eyes troubled.

"It no doubt
is
a trap," Hugh replied grimly, "but if this note is not from Etienne, it is the first time that I have had any direct message from the men who are stealing from us. If only Jasper had not left the city today. I will have to go. It may be the only way I can find out more about them."

"More than likely," John snapped, "you will find out how a broken head feels!"

"Perhaps. But I am not going in blind. I will be ready for treachery, and I will be armed."

"I am going with you. I may not be Jasper, and I may not be a young buck anymore," John muttered, "but I can still shoot and I am handy with my fives."

Hugh hesitated, but the stubborn expression on his stepfather's face stilled any remonstrations. "Very well," Hugh said with a grin. "I shall be happy to have your company."

There was no conversation between the two men as they left the house less than an hour later and made their way to the warehouses. Both were armed, Hugh comforted by the feel of the pair of pistols hidden on his person and the knowledge that John was similarly armed. The knives they both had concealed in their boots added to his sensation of being prepared for whatever might come from this nocturnal visit.

As they drew near their destination, the scent of the river came sharply to their nostrils, and the warehouses loomed up in black bulky shapes against the starlit sky. The flickering glare from the Carondelet lamps which hung from chains on the corner posts at each street intersection lent only fitful light, and As he had already experienced, Hugh was aware of how easily an ambush could be launched from any of the dark alleys.

Approaching the warehouse, Hugh was startled to see that one of the large doors was standing wide-open, clear yellow light spilling out into the darkness. He and John exchanged glances.

"It would seem," John whispered, "that whoever sent you the note is already inside."

"And not hiding that fact either," Hugh retorted.

Cautiously the two men entered the cavernous building. The light came from a lantern which had been left sitting on top of a large crate near the entrance of the warehouse. It was still and silent. Hugh took a dozen or more wary strides into the warehouse before he stopped so suddenly that John, following closely behind, barreled into him. Grimly the two men stared at the scene that lay before them.