Love and Splendor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 5 (30 page)

Of course, the telegram would be delivered in the wee, wee hours of the early morning, after Dani would have left his apartment, and if Drakar tried to send a message to her informing her of his sudden call to Russia, Cyril would have a paid ally nearby and ready to sabotage that effort.

He whistled merrily as he made his way to the telegraph office, confident he had thought of everything.

Lily paced about restlessly in her room, chewing on her nails, then yanking them from her mouth angrily, only to repeat the nervous habit a few moments later. She was frightened that Colt was going to renege. Yesterday evening, after promising to go through with their marriage to preserve her honor, he’d resisted her attempts to get him into bed. She had petulantly told him she felt rejected, but he had irritably said that was just too bad…he wasn’t in the mood. She had left in a huff, but he had not hurried after her as she’d been sure he would. Dinnertime came and she was alone. The elder Coltranes, she was told, were in seclusion for the evening because
Monsieur
was not feeling well. Lily certainly knew the reason for that, had expected him to have a stroke when he found out his precious baby daughter had moved out of the house. But when she heard that Colt would not be joining her for dinner, she felt her own personal stroke coming on. She hurried up to his room, but he did not respond to her frenzied knocking, and after she lost patience and angrily shouted his name, Kitty had appeared to frostily tell her Colt had gone out for the evening and would she mind not making so much noise? Lily had bit her tongue to keep from sticking it out at the snobby matriarch, and rushed to her room to send for wine and proceeded to get drunk enough to quell the rising fury as she waited up for Colt. But she had fallen asleep, had not heard him come in, and first thing this morning, she had gone to his room only to be told by his maid that he’d already left for the day.

Lily picked up a vase, started to throw it, caught herself and set it back down. She had to get out of that room or she would go crazy. Dammit, what was Colt doing? Where was he spending his time? They needed to talk, to make plans. Most of all, she fumed as she made her way through the quiet house, she needed to get him to an altar before he changed his mind.

There was no one about. Stomach rumbling, she went into the kitchen where Bevette, the day cook, confided that
Monsieur
and
Madame
Coltrane had left unexpectedly for a holiday in Chantilly. They had not said when they would be back.

Bevette was happy to have someone to complain to. “No one tells me anything around here till I’ve already done a day’s work. I had lunch ready to go on the table when I found out you were the only one here.” She gestured to a sideboard where a cold salmon salad waited. “Do you want to be served in the dining room?” she asked, as though it would be a great imposition.

Lily wrinkled her nose. “I’m not hungry. But tell me, do you know where
Monsieur
Colt has gone?”

Bevette shook her head.

Lily cursed beneath her breath, started out of the room.

Bevette called out irritably to ask whether they’d be present for dinner. “Maybe I can do for the night chef what no one has had the courtesy to do for me—save him from a lot of unnecessary work if
Monsieur
Colt isn’t going to be here…and you aren’t going to be hungry,” she added testily. She’d never liked the haughty wench anyway.

Lily seized the opportunity to unleash some of her own frustrations. “Don’t bother me with your problems, goddammit!” she screamed. “I’m sure you’re getting paid for your trouble, you whining old crone.”

Bevette’s eyes widened, lips parted in hurt and surprise.
Monsieur
Colt, she thought for the hundredth time since the news had spread through the house, had to be insane to even think about marrying such a shrew.

Just then the back door opened, and Lurline walked in. Looking from one to the other, she hesitantly asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, you little twit,” Lily snapped, “except that I find myself all alone in this house, and such rudeness doesn’t need the added insult of having to listen to the servants griping.” With one final glare, she walked out, leaving them staring after her.

Lurline wanted to know what on Earth had happened, and Bevette shrugged, said she must be upset about hearing that the Coltranes had left on a holiday after
Monsieur
Colt had disappeared.

“He hasn’t disappeared,” Lurline said with a sneer. “He’s down at that little bistro on the Rue de Berri, drinking, no doubt, to forget his stupidity in getting mixed up with that little tart. As for the Coltranes leaving, the first I heard about that was when I came back from taking some things to
Mademoiselle
Dani, but I’m not surprised. I’m afraid
Monsieur
didn’t take
Mademoiselle
Dani’s moving out very well.”

Bevette sighed, said she wasn’t going to worry about any of it, and walked over to eat the salmon salad herself.

Lurline decided to help her.

Lily went into Travis’s study and helped herself to his liquor cabinet and a bottle of his best brandy, then went into Kitty’s elegantly furnished parlor. With a sweeping gaze of envy, she knew most of the opulent decor would be hers one day…if she became Mrs. John Travis Coltrane, she reminded herself. Oh, where was Colt? And why was he avoiding her? There could only be one reason, and she didn’t like thinking about that. A pity, she reflected, that she hadn’t made Drakar fall in love with her. He was at a good age to settle down to marriage and probably wouldn’t have needed much prodding. After all, she had heard some whispers of scandal about his family, how it was rumored he’d actually been banished from Russia by the Czar. Why, he’d probably be grateful to settle down and have a real home, and of course, Lily mused, none of those simpletons he’d been seeing, Dani included, could even come near her own beauty and social graces.

It was then, while she was lost in deep ruminations over Drakar, that the messenger came. Lily, hoping for word of Colt, went to the door herself, waving away the butler.

A skinny young man in a bright red suit and flat-top hat of black held out an envelope and brightly said, “
Mademoiselle
Daniella Coltrane.”

Lily snatched it from him.
“Merci.”

He continued to hold out his hand expectantly, palm up. The smile on his lips was frozen. “Is there anything else,
mademoiselle
?”

She closed the door in his face. Eagerly, she rushed into the parlor to rip open the envelope, knowing it had to be from Drakar.

It was.

Eagerly, she scanned the lines:
Regret everything. Let’s make amends. Please come for dinner around eight tonight. I care deeply.

Lily smiled, folded the paper, and tapped it thoughtfully against her chin. She had overheard someone remark at a tea that the rich Russian had his own apartment on the top floor of a hotel he owned. It would be easy to find out which one. This afternoon she was going to drop by, on the pretext of telling him she’d inadvertently received his message for Dani and, regretfully, did not know where she’d moved.

She was trembling with anticipated glee at the thought of how, after she charmed him thoroughly, he’d extend the invitation to her instead, and if things went according to plan—Colt and his family could go to hell!

Lily hurried upstairs to dress and prepare for what was surely to be the greatest performance of her life.

Chapter Twenty-Two

During the time Antone had worked as concierge at Le Palais, he had become accustomed to the comings and goings of
Monsieur
Drakar’s numerous lady friends. Each had been lovely in her own way but none quite so beautiful as his guest of the previous evening. Her hair had gleamed and glittered with the brilliance of roasting chestnuts, and never had he seen such striking eyes—kind and friendly and the color of honey. She was not only
Monsieur
’s loveliest choice thus far but also obviously one of the most refined.

So why, Antone wondered with a sigh of exasperation as he stared after the haughty young woman, did his master now relegate himself to such a churl? He allowed that she was somewhat pretty, but dear Lord, such a disposition. Why, in his fifteen years of service to the public, never had he seen such behavior. Such a tantrum she threw, all because he’d told her she could not go up to
Monsieur
’s apartment unless she were announced. No time for that, she’d screeched, she would announce herself. When he’d protested, she’d really begun to scream like a banshee. Passersby paused to stare. So he had let her go. If
Monsieur
scolded him, so be it. A small price to pay, he’d tell him, to end
Mademoiselle
’s shocking scene in front of the hotel.

The lift stopped in front of impressive brass doors. Lily hoped she didn’t look as nervous as she felt. Her future security could depend on what she was about to do. At least, she consoled her tremulously pounding heart, she was confident that she looked quite lovely in the yellow velvet dress and matching cape edged in ermine. She loved the way the hood framed her face, giving her an aura of innocence.

She raised the ornate knocker on the door, tapped lightly.

The door opened almost immediately, and Drake stared down at her. His surprised expression quickly changed to one of amusement. “Well,
Mademoiselle
Deauneve. To what do I owe such a pleasure?”

Lily flashed her most beguiling smile, floated by him as she chided, “You know you can call me Lily.” Immediately awed by the lovely decor, she almost forgot her little speech of explanation but quickly recovered to say, “I have something for you. This”—she held out the envelope—“and my apology.”

Not understanding, Drake looked at the envelope, then at her questioningly.

“I’m afraid I opened it by mistake. I was expecting a message myself. When I saw it was for Dani, I was quite embarrassed.”

Drake stiffened with instant annoyance. “Then why didn’t you go ahead and give it to her…along with your apology,” he said tartly.

“I didn’t know where to send it,” she said innocently. “She’s moved out of the house.”

He asked Lily to tell him everything she knew.

She shrugged, removed her cape and tossed it carelessly onto a chair. “I really don’t know very much. It’s been a nightmare around there the past two days. Everyone seems to have gone crazy. The Coltranes left unexpectedly to go on holiday somewhere, and Colt is never around. I think he’s avoiding me.”

She gave him a look of misery and softly accused, “I told you yesterday morning that things weren’t going well for me. You said you’d make time for me later.”

He crossed the room to stand beside her. “It seems I have time now, Lily, and hearing all this truly distresses me.”

She blinked back the practiced tears that always appeared on command. “It’s worse than you can imagine, Drakar. Colt is just treating me terribly, and he knows how dependent I am on him. I have no one else but him to lean on, and, oh, I know you don’t want to hear about my troubles…” She allowed her voice to trail off dramatically, a few tears to spill forth and trickle down her cheeks.

Drake knew what was expected of him. “Please go on, Lily. I’m your friend.”

She felt a happy rush within. Dabbing at her eyes with a hanky, she said, “I’m not sure you want to hear the whole story.”

“Of course I do.”

She then told him the entire fabricated story of how she happened to be in Paris in the first place and the subsequent loss of her purse containing all her money, then of Colt’s kind invitation to stay at his parents’ home, and, with a little self-conscious blush, how he’d finally proposed to her.

Suddenly, the demure sadness disappeared in a rush of anger as she exclaimed, “Now that snobby family of his is ruining everything. They think I’m not good enough for him, and he’s making a fool of me. Maybe”—her voice caught on an angry sob—“it’s all for the best. I’m through with Colt. I don’t want to marry a wishy-washy mamma’s baby, anyhow.”

Drake nodded with sympathetic understanding. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you, Lily, but I really appreciate your coming over to tell me about Dani,” he continued. “May I offer you a drink in gratitude for your inconvenience?”

“I’d love that, Drakar. Thank you.”

He led the way into his study, and she went on to confide, “You know, Dani is such a spoiled brat that I’m surprised you were able to abide her, but you probably never saw that side to her the way I did.”

Drake feigned concern. “Really? Is there something I should know?”

She pretended regret to have to be the one to tell him. “I’m afraid so. Dani is headstrong, selfish, doesn’t care who she hurts as long as she gets what she wants. Why, she and Colt had a terrible fight yesterday, and
Madame
Kitty had to break it up because Dani was about to attack him.”

Drake reacted with proper indignation. “You mean to say her temper is that bad? She’d attack someone physically?”

Lily sniffed with disdain. “She would…and has. She threw water in my face.”

“No!” Drake was having difficulty keeping a straight face.

Lily recited the same story she’d told Colt, finished with the observation, “She’s a hellion, Drake. You just don’t know her.”