Emerald Ecstasy (35 page)

“I suggest you take special care. I am the daughter of Raoul de Lovis!” she cried.

He climbed onto his perch and grabbed the reins in his hands. “If only I could forget that,” he mumbled.

Much to Raoul's relief, Diego reported that Lianne hadn't visited Daniel. Each time she left the house, Diego followed her at a respectful distance, but discovered she accompanied Carmen to the dressmaker's one day and to the outdoor stalls in the plaza the next. This information pleased Raoul so much that he anticipated his wedding day with much eagerness.

However, Lianne had different feelings about her wedding. She didn't wish to marry Raoul, but she felt no other path was open to her. She carried his child and no matter what Daniel promised about loving the baby as his own if she returned to Green Meadows, she didn't believe him. The memory of Raoul would be too strong each time he looked at the child. She also didn't doubt that Raoul would fight for his offspring and might even make good his threat and inform the authorities that she was the one who killed Philippe.

The morning of her wedding dawned brightly. Outside she heard the chirping of birds and golden sunshine filled her bedroom. She wondered why the day should be so beautiful when clearly she was miserable in spirit and not feeling at all well. She felt a cramping sensation in her abdomen but tried to dismiss it. With each of her two pregnancies as she advanced in size, she had felt the same sensations. However, she wasn't far along, and wondered if she should postpone the wedding but thought better of it. Raoul might think she was trying to trick him.

Josephine bustled into the room and pulled the wedding dress from the wardrobe. The gown was a beautiful pale pink silk with a high ribboned waist. Small eyelet lace graced the front of the square cut bodice and the long, sheer sleeves had lace cuffs. Lianne had chosen tiny pink roses and baby's breath to be attached to each side of the white mantilla at her temples.

“Don Raoul has already dressed, and Carmen is ready, too. Poor girl. She looks so sad all of the time,” Josephine commented and pulled Lianne's chemise over her head.

“She looks sad because she is,” Lianne said and barely squeezed into the garment. She wondered if she was farther along in her pregnancy than she thought. The slight bulge of her abdomen was noticeable beneath the thin material. At least Raoul was making an honest woman of her before everyone could see she was pregnant. She nearly laughed. No one would wish to see “La Flamenca” perform in this condition, and she was glad she had stopped performing at the opera. This pregnancy seemed to tax her, to sap her energy.

“The girl is hard to reach and even harder to like,” Josephine said.

Lianne came to Carmen's rescue. “Please remember that she has recently lost her mother and now lives with a father who is barely civil to her and her father's mistress, whom she detests. Now she must soon marry a man she doesn't like, let alone love. I pity Carmen and understand what it's like to live in a luxurious prison.”

Josephine gasped. “You can't mean that! Don Raoul has given you everything a woman could want. I admit he didn't care very much for his late wife and you'd have thought he was burying a stray dog the way he acted when she died, but he loves you, Lianne. He loves your child.”

Lianne shivered in the warm morning air. Ever since Elena's death, she had wondered how Raoul could be so calm, so unconcerned. Sometimes she thought he had expected such a tragedy but had quickly put the thought from her mind. There was no evidence to think such a thing. But his words when Daniel broke the news haunted her. “I never wanted her to suffer.”

A cramp jabbed at her and she caught her breath, all sinister thoughts fleeing. Josephine noticed her sudden pallor.

“You must rest. I'll send for Don Raoul.”

Lianne halted her with a hand on her wrist. “No, it will pass. Don't alarm him.”

Within seconds she felt better though a slight ache persisted. She managed a smile. “See. Now help button my gown.”

The drive to the cathedral was silent. Carmen barely glanced at her father or Lianne, and Lianne felt rather weak. Diego had joined them shortly before their departure and he now sat alongside Carmen who huddled near the coach door. Raoul was the only one who seemed in good spirits, while Diego glowered when he realized that Carmen regarded him with insolent eyes. When Felix stopped the carriage in front of the cathedral and opened the door for them, Lianne didn't miss the probing look he threw at Diego or the sneer which twisted his mouth.

Into the church Raoul led her where after this day she truly would belong to him. Raoul took her elbow and walked her down the aisle to where the priest waited to marry them. Since the ceremony was informal, other people knelt and prayed. Lianne wished they weren't so conspicuous and hoped that no one would be interested in a simple marriage ceremony.

She glanced quickly around the church and stopped dead in her tracks. One of the people in a pew at the opposite end of the church was Daniel! She knew it was him by the broadness of his back, the familiar way his hair curled at the nape of his neck. What was he doing here?

“
Querida
?” Raoul asked, concern on his face. “What is the trouble?”

“Nothing. I'm fine.” The thought flickered through her mind that Daniel was there to disrupt the ceremony. He mustn't do that! She had to marry Raoul. If what she had begun to suspect about Elena was true, then Daniel could very well be Raoul's next victim. More than once Raoul had hinted that he'd like to see Daniel dead. She made a silent, hasty prayer to heaven that Daniel not interfere.

As if in a nightmare she finally reached the altar and recognized the priest as Elena's confessor. He didn't appear very pleased over this marriage because his face had a stony appearance, a look of contempt in his eyes.

So far Raoul hadn't spotted Daniel. Out of the corners of her eyes, she watched him, watched in dread as the priest began the short ceremony to unite her to Raoul. She wasn't aware of Carmen or Diego who stood nearby as witnesses. All she could see was the image of Daniel in her mind, praying he wouldn't do anything.

She felt ill, unbearably sick when it was her turn to recite the vows. She clutched at the small bouquet of roses in her hands as the ache in her abdomen grew into a sharp point of fire. The world grew dark, and she barely summoned the energy to say the words which finally united her to Raoul. She felt his eyes upon her, but knew her prayers hadn't been answered when she heard the creaking of a bench behind her. Daniel was getting up! She knew it, could see him advancing toward the altar with a look of utter fury on his face. How was she to stop him? How?

It was only when the sharp point of pain grew so intense and seemed to rip her apart that she screamed.

Through a haze of pain she heard Daniel's voice from the
sala
, but couldn't make out the angry words.

Lianne grasped Josephine's hand which stroked her hair from her forehead. “He shouldn't be here,” she gasped. “Raoul will kill him.”

“Sh. You must be quiet and rest. Soon the medicine Doctor Morales gave you shall work and you'll sleep. Pay no attention to anything else.”

Despite Josephine's calm manner, Lianne stubbornly refused to be still and tried to get up. “I must warn him. Daniel must leave or Raoul will harm him.”

“Lianne!” Josephine's voice grew harsh. “Don Raoul wouldn't hurt anyone. Where do you get such a strange idea? He is a kind and thoughtful man. He is now your husband.”

Lianne looked at Josephine through suddenly sleep-shrouded eyes. She lay back down and felt the cover being drawn over her, aware she had lost her child and should be saddened, but at the moment she worried more about Daniel in the
sala
. Then sleep overtook her.

In the
sala
Daniel stood with fists ready to pummel Raoul, to beat him senseless for the unnecessary pain he had caused Lianne. He hated the man with the glittering black eye and heartily wished to be the one responsible for causing permanent blindness to Raoul de Lovis.

But Raoul seemed not to care that Daniel didn't hide his hatred. Instead Raoul thought this was all a great game. Doctor Morales had informed him only minutes ago that Lianne had lost their child, and though this upset him, he refused to allow Flanders to know this. Or to think that he had lost Lianne when she miscarried the baby. He knew that Lianne wouldn't leave him as long as she was pregnant and the mother of his child, now he wasn't certain any longer. But this added twist of fate only made the game of winning her more interesting. Raoul loved a challenge, and especially goading Daniel.

He took a long puff of his cheroot, sitting while Daniel stood. The deep shadows of the late afternoon lengthened in the
sala
and a servant lit the candles. When she was gone, he spoke.

“As soon as Lianne recovers we shall make another child. She's a good breeder, is she not?”

Daniel clenched his fists with renewed vigor. He tensed and realized Raoul wished to anger him further. In fact he was surprised that Raoul hadn't ordered Diego Gonzalez, Raoul's lackey, to do the job, when he rushed to her side in the church and carried her to the coach. Raoul's anger had been evident by the dangerous gleam of the eye, the muscle which twitched in his cheek. But he hadn't stopped Daniel from spiriting her from the church or sitting beside her during the return trip home.

Now as he stood in Raoul's house, more than willing to take her away from the man, by force if necessary, he wondered why he suddenly seemed so amenable.

“Perhaps Lianne will refuse to conceive again,” Daniel said.

Raoul shrugged. “Then I'll have to make sure she does. I'm not averse to force.”

“Bastard!” Daniel rushed forward and hauled Raoul from the chair. He knew Raoul wished to provoke him, but the image of her as a permanent fixture in Raoul's bed undid him.

He shoved Raoul against the wall, knocking a painting from it which in turn fell onto a credenza filled with glass objects. They splintered into sparkling fragments. Daniel's face was even with Raoul's own. The tormented gray eyes warred with the angry black one.

“Believe me, if I find you've harmed her in any way once she's recovered, I'll kill you, de Lovis. With my bare hands. No matter what your brave words say, I know that inside that evil mind of yours, you know she hates you and loves me. When Lianne is better, I'm taking her away from you. You can't keep her a prisoner forever.”

Raoul managed a smirk he didn't feel. “Lianne is my wife. I let you accompany us home, so you'd see she is well treated. Now let me go or you'll rip the silk of my coat with your childish rowdiness. You Irishmen simply can't control your tempers.”

“You're just lucky I don't bash in your head.” Daniel released him and Raoul staggered a bit.

Josephine appeared with Diego at her side. “Lianne is asleep, Don Raoul.”

“Is she all right?” Daniel asked.

“Of course she is,” Josephine replied with a bit of frost in her voice. “She's the wife of Raoul de Lovis.”

“That's good reason to fear for her,” Daniel said. “I would like to see her.”

“I told you she's asleep, monsieur.”

“I have to know Lianne is all right. If I have to, I'll fight every one of you.”

Raoul sighed. “How tiresome you are, Daniel.” He nodded to Josephine. “Let him see her if he must.”

Before Josephine could get her bearings Daniel was out of the
sala
and down the hallway. “He's a problem, señor. Lianne was worried about him before she fell asleep.”

A vein throbbed in Raoul's temple and he couldn't help but notice the amused look on Diego's monkey-like face. “She didn't ask for me?”

Josephine shook her head sadly. “No, señor. She fancies herself in love with the Irishman.”

“Then we shall have to keep them apart.” He turned to Diego. “Go to Ricardo, the alchemist. Ask him for the powder in the yellow vial. Tell him it is for me. You should have no trouble, but you may have to pay double the price.”

“Raoul…” Diego began to protest the extra money.

“You wish to marry my wealthy daughter, do you not, Diego?”

“
Sí
, but…”

“Then go.” Raoul waved him away and Diego left.

Josephine snickered. “That one is tight with the pesos.”

“Not an unattractive quality to have, but I need you to help me with Lianne.”

“Anything, señor. You helped me when I came to Mexico City, offered me this job. I shall be forever in your debt.”

“Bueno
. Because if Lianne runs away with her ex-lover, you'll have no job. When Diego returns, take the vial from him. Keep it with you, but don't allow Lianne to see it. When she begins to recover, I suspect Flanders will show up again, or she'll try to find him. I want you to pour a pinch of the powder in her morning juice.”

“Every morning, señor?”