Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) (34 page)

Something in the way Henry said the words
irritated Louis. “Why does everyone think she’s not coming
back?”

Henry laughed nervously. “You. Closed doors
keep people out, but sometimes voices raised in anger can be heard
through doors.”

“Damn!” Louis said running his hand through
his hair. “So everyone knows how much of an idiot I am.”

Henry gazed at him, his expression no longer
friendly. “You said it, not me. Most of the men are pretty unhappy
that you would try to sell us all out without so much as a
word.”

“It wasn’t personal,” Louis said.

“Tell that to the man who comes to work here
every day to support his wife and kids,” Henry said. “It’s real
personal to him, Louis.”

Louis ran his hand through his hair. “I
didn’t think of the workers, Henry.”

“That’s obvious. Who were you thinking of
besides yourself?”

Louis sighed and hung his head. “I certainly
botched things badly. I love Marian and wanted to marry her, but
now I don’t think she’ll have anything to do with me. She wouldn’t
even listen to my explanations the other day.”

“You might try looking at it from her
perspective, Louis. First Jean betrays her by marrying two other
women and now you come along and lie to her about the business. I
feel sorry for the next man who comes into her life, because she’ll
be looking to castrate him.” He shrugged. “And I can’t say that I
blame her.”

“I know I did her wrong, but I was going to
try to fix everything. If only Mr. Hudson hadn’t come and told her
about the sale. I was going to back out, really.”

“You’re not getting the point, Louis. You
never should have done this to begin with. You were partners with
her and you’ve never acted like a partner in good faith. And I’m
ashamed to say I helped you. Makes us both out to be bastards of
the worst sort.”

Louis didn’t say anything. He just stood
there absorbing Henry’s words. Somehow he knew they were true and
they made him feel contrite.

“You’re right, Henry. I haven’t been a good
partner to Marian since the day Jean died. I’ve acted way out of
line.” He sighed. “I think it’s time I took a little time off to
reflect on what I’m going to do with the rest of my life and
discover just what kind of man I am.”

Henry raised his brows at him. “And just
where are you going to do this?”

“You’re in charge of the business until
Marian returns. I’m going home to Belle Fournet. I’m going home to
decide my future.”

***

Louis stood outside, leaning against an oak
tree older than the states. He had been home for nearly a week and
his father acted like he was home to stay. But Louis was still
undecided as to what he wanted to do.

And he missed Marian fiercely.

He’d thought about her every day, he’d
dreamed of her at night and through it all he had come face-to-
face with the fact that he had behaved in a despicable manner. No
wonder she hated him and probably never wanted to have anything to
do with him again. He wanted her back but didn’t feel like he could
even ask for her forgiveness. He wasn’t worthy of exoneration after
the way he’d lied to her.

The evening shadows waned, the sun casting
its last rays across the tall green stalks of cane. He liked coming
outside at this time of day and enjoying the sunset, and the cool
breezes off the river. He liked getting away from the family for
just a little while to let his mind wander in different directions,
seeking the solution that would be his future.

“Bet you don’t get sunsets like this in New
Orleans,” his father said coming up behind him.

Louis continued to lean against the oak tree,
refusing to give up the last rays of daylight.

“No, we don’t, Papa. That’s one thing the
city doesn’t offer.”

His father took a drag on his cigar and
exhaled into the fresh air. “Your mother won’t let me smoke these
things in the house, so I have to come outside if I want to enjoy
my cigar.”

“I think I can understand why,” Louis said,
thinking the odor was not particularly pleasant

“So what are you doing home?” his father
asked. “If you don’t want to be here, why are you?”

“Because I have no place else in the world to
be right now,” Louis said, his tone angry.

“Are you moving home to work on the
plantation?” his father asked.

Louis shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m here for
an undetermined time. Until I decide what I’m going to do with the
rest of my life.”

His father drew on the cigar and blew the
smoke out in the fresh air. “There’s an easy solution to that
question. Stay here and work at Belle Fournet We need you,” his
father said eagerly.

Louis turned to face his father, the
frustration of his adult years spilling out “Why? Why can’t you
understand that I don’t want to work on the plantation?”

His father raised his voice to match his
son’s. “Because this is your home. This is your family and your
place is here. There’s plenty for everyone to keep busy.”

Louis didn’t know why he kept trying to make
his father understand. Grown men did not appreciate being treated
as if they knew nothing about what they were doing and were still
the little boy they ran out of the barns.

“Edmond was the one that you wanted to run
the business. He’s the oldest and I moved on to find my own place
in the world.”

“Then why aren’t you happy? You seem
miserable since you’ve been home this time. Your mother is worried
about you,” his father said quietly in the darkness.

Louis shrugged and watched a shooting star
fall from the sky. He remembered how when he was a boy he always
made a wish when he saw a star fall. Now he wondered if any of them
had ever come true. With a skeptic’s mind, he made a quick
wish.

“I’ve done something really foolish. The
reason I came home was to reacquaint myself with the man I used to
be,” Louis said, not looking at his father.

“Sometimes a man makes a mistake and has to
live with the consequences of his actions. Even when he doesn’t
like them,” his father said and drew on his cigar.

“I tried to sell Cuvier Shipping without
Marian’s knowledge,” he blurted out feeling like he was twelve
instead of over thirty. He paused to let his father absorb the
information. “I wanted so desperately to build a mill and work with
you and Edmond milling the sugar crops that I lied.”

His father didn’t say anything.

“I made decisions that were selfish and
didn’t concern myself with how they affected others. If I hadn’t
been so intent on owning my own mill business and more interested
in leading the company I co-own, then the woman I love would have
become my wife, instead of walking away from me and the business we
own,” he said staring off into the darkness at the red-glow from
the tip of his father’s cigar. “I can only blame myself and my
selfish need to be in control.”

A cricket sang his song of loneliness in the
night air, as Louis seemed to sag even further against the
tree.

His father looked at him and took a puff of
his cigar. “Are we ever really in control of our destiny? Even at
my age, I can plan for tomorrow, but I don’t know what’s going to
happen.” He paused. “The Mississippi may flood. Too much rain could
ruin the crops or the price of sugar could plummet tomorrow, but
your mother’s love and companionship is what keeps me steady on my
course. Pleasing her because of her steadfast love of me is what’s
built this plantation.”

His father dropped the stub of his cigar to
the ground and rubbed it out with the toe of his boot. “When I was
a young man, I gave up my dream of going West not long after we
met, because I couldn’t leave your mother. I haven’t regretted that
sacrifice for one moment. Together we can face whatever life offers
us and I dread the day that one of us leaves this world before the
other one.”

The sentimental words from his father shocked
Louis and made him see his father in a new light. The old man could
be gruff at times, but he loved his wife deeply and Louis felt a
new sense of respect.

His father spoke again in the darkness. “It’s
been my dream that both of my children find a love as strong as
ours. That your families be built on unbreakable bonds. That’s why
I continuously ask about the women you’re seeing. I keep hoping
you’ve found that special someone to grow old with.”

“You know Papa, for so many years now I’ve
dreamed of owning properties and businesses not understanding that
I hadn’t realized what really mattered in life. I’m ashamed of my
actions and I’m embarrassed at the man I’ve become.”

“You’re my son. I’ve always been proud of
you. I trust you’ll do better,” his father acknowledged. “So what
are you going to do?”

“I’m going to become the type of man that
deserves Marian. I’m going to put her needs before my own.” With
startling clarity Louis saw the pathway to his own future and he
knew what he had to do. Suddenly he understood what must be done
for Marian, for his own sense of pride. There was no guarantee she
would give him yet another chance, but for his own self worth he
had to show her he was sincere.

The two men stood there in the darkness,
Louis clapped his father on the back and hugged him. “Thanks, Papa,
you’ve given me something to think about.”

Louis released his father and walked back to
his room. Night had fallen and in the inky blackness he could
barely discern the pathway, just like he could hardly see the road
his future lay on. But the insight he’d received while watching the
sunset was enough to give him a start. And while the moonlight
might not light his way, he knew that the dawn would bring a new
day and a new man. A man that would find his own way. A man
determined to give up his selfish ways and be the man Marian
deserved.

When he got back to his room, he sat down and
wrote a letter to Drew, his attorney, giving him the necessary
instructions. Then he wrote to Marian pouring out his heart and
soul, praying that his words would show her just how sorry he was
for his actions, knowing he had little chance of forgiveness.

***

Marian scurried around the room helping the
servants pack the children’s trunks when Edward came upstairs to
tell her she had a guest. It had been over a week since she’d
walked out of Cuvier Shipping needing to put some distance between
her and Louis. Since that time, Henry had come to visit and let her
know that Louis had also left town. He’d gone home to the
plantation, leaving Henry in charge of the shipping company.

Marian trusted the man and knew he would make
sure things were done right. In the meantime, she still intended to
go home to Virginia, to rest near the pine trees, be comforted by
her family, and let her spirit heal. “Who is the visitor,
Edward?”

“A Mr. Drew Soulier.”

What was her lawyer doing here?

Maybe it had something to do with the trial
or maybe something with the will. She hurried downstairs to meet
him.

“Hello, Drew,” she said coming into the
parlor where Edward had left the man. Tall and distinguished
looking, his dark hair matched the suit he wore, his green eyes
were ever observant.

He kissed her cheek. “How have you been?
You’re looking beautiful.”

“Thank you. I’m all right. I’m about to take
the children home to Virginia for a few weeks and then I’ll return
and decide what to do about Cuvier Shipping.” They sat down on the
settee in the parlor and he cleared his throat nervously, his brow
furrowed.

“Before you go rushing off, I have some
papers for you to look over.” He took a deep breath and gazed at
her steadily. “Has Louis been acting odd lately? Or has anything
happened between the two of you?”

Marian glanced away, her hands clenched
tightly in her lap. There was no reason for her to reveal
everything to Drew. “Our friendship has always been rocky and
lately it’s been more strained than usual.”

Drew frowned. “I must say his latest
instructions shocked me.” He shrugged, his large shoulders rising
beneath his black coat “He sent me a letter from Belle Fournet with
instructions for me to draw up the papers giving you his part of
Cuvier Shipping.”

Marian gasped, her gaze locked on Drew. Had
she heard him correctly? “He’s giving me his share of the business?
Did he say why?”

“No, but he did enclose a letter to you,” he
said pausing as he gazed at her speculatively. “My instructions
were to make sure that you knew it was a gift and that there would
be no money exchanged. He said that Cuvier Shipping should belong
to you.”

“I don’t understand.” Marian massaged her
forehead with her fingertips, trying to ease the ache that suddenly
appeared. Why would he just
give
her the business? “Why is
he doing this?”

Drew shook his head. “I don’t know, he didn’t
explain his actions to me. Why don’t you read his letter and see if
there is anything there that tells you?”

He handed the envelope to Marian and she
stared at it, afraid to open the missive from the man she still
loved desperately. His handwriting scrawled across the front and
she resisted the urge to hold the paper close to her heart. No
matter what he’d done, her heart ached at the thought of him, and
she missed him more than she thought possible.

She broke the seal and slowly pulled out the
letter, the crisp white paper crinkling in her hand, the noise
seeming loud in the silence. Unfolding it slowly, she began to
read.

Dearest Marian,

What can I say that will make you ever truly
believe anything I say ever again ? I am not worthy of your love
and forgiveness, and I realize the extent of the hurt and pain my
actions have caused you. I would tell you I’m sorry, but I don’t
know if you would believe me. I would beg for your forgiveness, but
I don’t know if that’s possible.