Evil's Niece (25 page)

‘I’ve got the city’s most influential citizens on my side,’ he railed, struggling against the eight hands that held him. ‘You wouldn’t dare —’

‘Oh, yes I would. Should’ve done it years ago.’

Dewel started towards the door, where a shuffling murmur came from a crowd trying to be quiet. He took off that wickedly thin mask to smile at me, his blue eyes signalling that he wasn’t nearly finished with his revelations.

‘Get your licks in, Miss Eve. Remind this woman of her
place
.’

I didn’t have to be told twice. With renewed enthusiasm, I smacked Chapin’s puckering butt and revelled in his whimpers. My four supporters kept him from writhing off my slippery, taffeta-clad lap, cheering me on.

‘When your hand gets sore, use your shoe,’ Cinderella suggested with a giggle. ‘The sole of a kid slipper makes the most glorious noise. And it leaves a sharper stripe than a hand.’

Since my palm was stinging and I wasn’t nearly finished, I reached down for a slipper. Why wasn’t I surprised to see my own shiny, transparent pumps on this princess’s feet?

‘This is absurd, Miss Eve,’ Chapin protested. ‘Surely after all these years we can come to an agreement! You can call off that dog at the door —’

‘After you set your dog of a valet on me? I think not!’

A couple of slaps with that slipper made his face contort, and I realised Chapin Proffit wasn’t nearly as handsome as most people considered him. In fact, he now seemed as ugly and repulsive on the inside as Judd Schuck looked on the outside, which made them a pretty good pair. He was so excited by this spanking, his warm, sticky juice was dribbling down my skirt.

What sort of a man
liked
such humiliation? Required it to become aroused?

Not the sort I wanted to be married to. Seven years of squinting in this golden boy’s glare had brought us to this…cozy moment, where four domestics held him so his wife could administer the discipline he craved. As Dewel threw open the door, acting surprised that so many eavesdroppers had gathered in the hallway, I delivered the last smacks in my brief career as a dominant.

‘
That
is for using me as your damn cover,’ I stated, smacking the fullness of his fiery cheeks with my slipper. ‘And
this
is for mistreating my friends — and for humping my leg like a crazed dog.’

Whack. Whack.

I caught my breath, feeling exhilarated yet ready to cry. ‘Let him go, ladies. I can’t stand the sight of him any more.’

Rising from the chair, I nearly dumped him before he scrambled off my lap. With all the dignity my unkempt hair and red hand allowed me, I looked at the crowd of costumed figures gawking at us from behind Dewel. I had no idea who wore those masks, nor did I really care: I had always felt excluded from their clubs and cliques, and this display of my exasperation had surely severed whatever surface friendship any of them felt for me.

I exited through the maids’ quarters, my steps quickening as I approached the back stairs. Judd Schuck was still in my room, so I couldn’t go there — and the house seemed to close in on me with all the heaviness of its Proffit family history, a yoke I’d never worn very well.

So I slipped out the back door into the dark garden, shucking the voluminous layers of taffeta, and those huge, puffy sleeves. I sat on the bench in the shadows of the boxwood hedge, clasping my crook. Drinking in the serene, steady patter of the fountain’s waters…feeling its spray on my face.

I wasn’t hiding, I told myself. I was seeking out the Eve who’d yearned for so long to breathe this freely.

‘Ooh-la-la, Auntie Eve! I’ve followed a trail of clothes, hoping I’d find you naked,
non
?’

My gaze remained on the dome-shaped streams of the fountain, which sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight as they whispered their gentle benediction. I felt enveloped by a new tranquility: for the first time, I’d stated my case. I’d taken Fate by the hand and run with it, into a future filled with my own choices. I’d made my bed and I’d lie in it — somewhere else.

‘The guests, they all left after you did. Chapin’s gone now too — with Schuck. Just the three sissy maids and Fanny in there, having a party with all the food that’s left.’ Monique squeezed my hand. ‘Come eat with us,
cherie
. You’re our hero now, and we love you.’

My heart gave a little kick, and I shut my eyes. ‘Is that why you left me without so much as a backward glance?’ I whispered bitterly. ‘You — you sent me on that goose chase in my lace, probably knowing Chapin wasn’t at the club! Knowing Dewel would — and that I’d probably get caught when — just like every other time —’

Her finger pressed into my lips, forcing me to look into her huge chocolate eyes. ‘I had to put on a convincing show for Chapin,
ma tante
. If he thought I’d sneak back, you would’ve been in worse trouble,
non
? And if you thought I’d rescue you every little time, you’d never be free! You’d keep finding weak reasons to stay with him — to not believe in your own strength.’

Awareness shot through my body. When Monique’s round, cowlike eyes pleaded with mine, I couldn’t stay angry with her. ‘I surprised myself,’ I admitted.

‘You surprised
everyone
with that spanking,
oui
? Especially Chapin!’ she crowed, her laughter ricocheting around the boxwood hedges. Then she held my hand tighter, dropping her Cajun sing-song. ‘And I never left you
alone
, Auntie. From the start, after you showed them such kindness, the three maids swore to me they’d look after you. And when I sent Tommy Jon into town to expose Honor Delacroix, Rémy remained close by, in case things got nasty.’

I blinked, trying to absorb this startling information. ‘You were
all
in on it? You were —’

‘When your husband hired Schuck, Dewel thought he might be catching on to our plan. And once we met that asshole of a valet,
nobody
wanted him reporting our every move — or sniffing after you,’ she said with a scowl. ‘You were evil only in name, Auntie. No match for Stud Fuck.’

Then, in her inimitable way, Monique sparkled again — kissed my cheek like a playful child. ‘And now we want to thank you, for setting us
all
free. Even before Schuck showed up, Fanny thought Himself was becoming a pompous little prick, you know?’

I giggled — but what would happen to me now? Himself would return sooner or later, and I couldn’t stay here. ‘Did Fanny know he was Honore Delacroix?’

Monique shook her head. Then she fished a cheroot from her skirt pocket and lit it. ‘She had suspicions about him wearing dresses — used to find Virgilia’s underthings hidden in his closet, when he was little. But she didn’t know how much a woman he was until she overheard the maids talking, right before the party tonight.’

I considered this, taking comfort from her quiet conversation and the nearness of her body. She looked breathtakingly beautiful in Maria’s clothing — which drove home another point I had to settle for myself. ‘And those three didn’t recognise Chapin as a male? Even after living with him since they were so young?’

She shook her head again, cigar smoke coiling about her head like an airy snake. ‘Honore drilled her femininity into their heads, even as she drilled them that other way,
oui
? And they never knew she lived another life, as a man. Figured any time she was away from the School, she was in her apartment in the Vieux Carré, or seeing to business.’

‘The…apartment overlooking that courtyard where he —’

‘
Oui
, with the niece, and with T-Jon. It was Robert Proffit’s place in town, away from his wife’s clinging bitchiness.’

I thought about these things with a sigh, and came to a momentous conclusion. ‘You know, I have no room to point a finger at Chapin’s preferences, because — well, here
you
are. The woman who taught me about such things.’

‘You are ready for your next lesson then? Right here?’ she teased, running a fingertip up my thigh.

I slapped at it playfully. ‘I’m saying that had I found out in a different way about his — his taste for young men — maybe I could have —’

‘
Non
, Auntie Eve!’ she insisted in a whisper. ‘No woman wants to measure herself against such competition as Honore Delacroix, and —’

‘Come up short.’ I sighed again, realising she was right. ‘But what will I do? I have no place to stay, no money to —’

‘You’ll come inside, to eat and drink with us,’ she said, standing me up as she rose from the stone bench. ‘We girls stick together,
oui
? When a woman has good friends and good shoes, there’s no stopping her!’

How could I argue with that? My Cajun maid was leading me by the hand, insisting I partake of life’s banquet rather than snivelling on the sidelines, hungry and alone. And when we stepped inside, where Fanny and the three maids sat at a table loaded with leftover shrimp, and pâtés, and bowls of brandied fruit, they stood up and applauded — as though I were some celebrity, despite my rumpled muslin shift and hair that hung in clumps.

My heart swelled. The evening — my years here in New Orleans — were not a total loss, after all. Cinderella and Cleopatra rushed over to hug me, and even Fanny Frike slung a motherly arm about my shoulders. The housekeeper took a mischievous swig from her wine bottle.

‘Couldn’t have spanked him better myself, Miss Eve,’ she insisted. ‘And don’t be worrying over me, if Chapin sends me packing. I’ve squirrelled away enough to go live with my sister in Baton Rouge, like she’s been asking me to for years.’

‘And we plan to start our own domestic placement service,’ Cleopatra chimed in, patting the princess affectionately on her powder-blue bottom. ‘Dewel’s going to help us get started —’

‘So we can give Miss Delacroix a run for her money,’ Cinderella finished with a grin. ‘By tomorrow, everyone in town will know who she — he — really is. We can capitalise on her notoriety, and on the excellent training she gave us.’

Wasn’t it striking, how quickly these women had made other plans? How adaptable they were, even after their lives had been as thoroughly up-ended as mine. Antoinette sauntered over then, looking…less queenly in her velvet gown.

‘Had you fooled for a while, didn’t I?’ she asked. But it was in a lower, mellower voice than I was accustomed to hearing from that bow-shaped mouth. ‘You realise, of course, that Chapin had to believe I would stick by Miss Delacroix, once he knew I’d discovered his double life. But now that I’ve played my starring role, impersonating you, Miss Eve, I’m out of these theatrics for good.’

Cinderella’s head swivelled as though she’d been slapped. ‘What do you mean, Toinette? You know how lucrative our service will —’

‘I mean, I’m done with these damn dresses!’ In very short order, he ripped off the gorgeous costume, down to those white panties, and then unpinned his auburn hair. ‘It was never the same for me. A necessity at first, when I was hiding from the police and Honore took me in, but no more! My name’s Russell, and I’m a man living in a man’s world.’

The redhead turned to me then, capturing me with a kiss that went on and on and left my head spinning! Without the padding at his breasts, he had a firm, muscled chest which funnelled down to a flat abdomen, where a long, thick erection rubbed blatantly against my stomach.

‘By the way,’ he whispered, ‘I did
not
set the tenement fire that killed my family. Best I knew from the neighbours’ gossip, my mother got soused and kicked over the lamp.’

I drew a shaky breath, stunned by the intensity of the green eyes gazing into mine; a face that was already taking on male contours and a chest that felt broader than I recalled. ‘No doubt in my mind you’ll set a few other things afire, though,’ I said with a shaky laugh.

‘It never goes out. Always a slow burn, just waiting to flare.’ Russell winked, grinning. ‘That other Mr Proffit may have a little competition, once I’ve got my life in order and my pants in place. Before we leave tonight, I’d really appreciate it if one of you ladies would cut my hair.’

A moment’s silence filled the kitchen, while the others looked to me for
my
plans. Rather than disappoint them — for I still felt like a magnolia blossom at the mercy of the next high wind — I found a bottle of wine and raised it in salute.

‘To friends, and the future,’ I proposed with more certainty than I felt.

‘To Miss Eve, who gave us one!’ came Cleopatra’s response.

Was it my imagination, or were she and Cinderella more openly affectionate now that they no longer lived under Miss Delacroix’s thumb? They looked supremely happy, feeding each other chunks of Fanny’s finest cocoa cake — so involved in smearing the rich, brown frosting on each other’s lips and then kissing it off, I had to look away.

Monique snickered, taking the scissors Fanny brought her. ‘You’re wanting some of that,
oui
, Auntie Eve? Just can’t wait for Mr Dewel to come back,
non
?’

‘Who says he is?’ I draped a towel around Russell’s bare shoulders as he sat in a chair for his haircut. ‘I’m betting the party chairmen press him to run for mayor, now that they’ve caught Chapin with his pants down. Dewel’s been involved in their platform planning, and has contributed a great amount to the campaign fund.’

‘An astute observation, sugah, but I turned them down. Declared myself completely out of politics.’

We turned to see the man in question leaning against the door jamb, watching us with effervescent blue eyes. He still wore the tight-fitting black pants and flowing shirt, open to reveal a vee of dark curls on his chest; still looked decidedly dangerous with that slash of fake moustache along his lush upper lip.

My throat grew tight. No man had the right to look so damned handsome just standing there, acting as though he had nothing on his mind. Well, maybe
one
thing — but as he let his eyes drift over my short, translucent shift he made no effort in my direction. In fact, he turned his attention to the redhead submitting to Monique’s scissors.

‘Well, I’ll be damned. That little Cajun make a man of you, did she?’

Russell closed his eyes with the first fatal snips, which sent all the hair below his ears slipping to the floor in a shimmering auburn heap. When he — and the rest of us — could breathe again, he grinned and extended his hand.

‘She and Miss Eve deserve that credit, yessir,’ he said when the Creole’s brown hand enveloped his. ‘Once they freed me from Honore’s clutches, I could reconsider my life outside a maid’s uniform. Russell Reed, Mr Proffit — and damn proud of it!’

Dewel nodded, assessing the young man who looked more strikingly male with each snip of Monique’s shears. ‘I’ll be needin’ a plantation manager, if you’re interested,’ he said in a thoughtful drawl. ‘Like I told those party bosses, I’ve got a crop to harvest and a woman to woo. Bet you can guess which one I
don’t
want your help with.’

Russell’s eyes widened. ‘If you’re sure I’m the sort of man —’

‘Once I know what I want, I go after it. Show up at Bayou Belle, and ask me for twice the money you think you’re worth — but give me a couple days to take care of that other thing.’ He winked at the younger fellow, tweaking the white ruffle at the top of his thigh. ‘After slavin’ for Miss Delacroix, I think you’ll enjoy our life on the bayou. Workin’ hard, but livin’ free.’

That slow, molasses drawl had mesmerised us all, until the two remaining maids applauded and proposed a toast to Russell’s new life. Mrs Frike was exclaiming over his new look, brushing the little hairs from his shoulders as Monique pronounced him heartbreakingly handsome. The kitchen came alive with their gaiety and the wine, but this revelry was lost on me as Dewel Proffit swallowed me whole with his next gaze.

I’ve got a crop to harvest and a woman to woo.

Once I know what I want, I go after it.

His words filled my mind, shutting out everything else, yet I wasn’t sure I believed them. Oh, Dewel had stated his intentions blatantly enough when we’d made love — and long before that. But things were different now. Before, when Chapin’s world was all I knew, I had carefully filtered such messages from this black sheep of the Proffit family: hadn’t I been told never to listen to him? Never to trust him?

Dewel’s smile sliced through my mental objections as he approached me. The singleness of purpose on his face made me swallow hard; made me hope I could behave as a mature, rational woman rather than laughing — or crying — like a witless little girl if he said he wanted me. Lord knows I needed a man to prove to me, on a daily basis, that Eve Proffit was a woman worthy of love and respect. I’d been living with Chapin for too many years to know anything about the true nature of marriage.

But maybe that’s not what he wanted! Maybe Dewel, born on the wrong side of the sheets, assumed lawful relationships were too confining — that they made people behave out of obligation, rather than desire or devotion.

His kiss wiped away all thought. I fell against him, spellbound by his rapacious mouth burning into mine, making silent promises to compensate for all I’d never tasted of love before. He held me captive yet set me free to feel the wondrous, fiery sensations his merest touch could ignite. Through the flimsy shift I felt his heat, his strength, his desire to love and be loved — and to prove it in every possible way, right then and there.

Only after the giggles around us got lewd did he bring the life-altering kiss to its finish. ‘You comin’ with me, Miss Eve? We’ve gotta talk.’

Monique let out an unladylike snort, shooing us towards the back door. ‘The day Mr Dewel
talks
to his woman will be the day I give up my leather boots.’