Rouge (#1 in the Cheveux Roux series) Read online

  “Dad was gone, and Mr. Brouillette didn’t know anything. Or didn’t care to. When I started out, of course I came to New Orleans.”

  Then he looked up at me. “I could’ve had a chance with you.”

  He pulled me into his arms again, but it was too much. I shook my head to make him stop.

  “Neither of us knew, and besides, it doesn’t matter now.”

  With a finger, he lifted my chin. “Doesn’t it?”

  Our eyes locked and this time he easily parted my lips with a stronger kiss. My hands fumbled to his shoulders, as he grasped my waist and lifted me onto a nearby box. My eyes were closed as his mouth moved down my neck, teasing the collar of my dress. My heart beat painfully as his warm hands gathered my skirts. Bandaged palms scratched across the skin of my thighs, easing them apart and sliding our hips together. The heat of us touching dragged a little moan from my throat and his mouth covered mine again. I was going too far, and I didn’t care. I wanted to go further. But I had to get control, I had to fight him.

  “Stop,” I said, turning my head. “I can’t do this. I can’t feel like this for you.”

  I pushed my skirts quickly down and moved my body away, ignoring the heat surging through me. He stepped back, running his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

  “I know. You have a plan,” he said. “But… does it have to be carried out right away?”

  My forehead creased. “What do you mean?”

  “What if I asked you to wait? Not long. Just until I find work. Some way to take care of you. And Christina.”

  I shook my head as I slid down from the box. “I can’t do that.”

  It was only a matter of time before Gavin discovered the truth about Teeny, before he sent her to the back to earn her keep. And I was so close to a promise from Freddie. I couldn’t gamble our one chance at escape on someone who could leave as soon as he got what he wanted from me. People let you down. If I’d learned anything in this place, it was that lesson.

  “There’s only one way I can save us,” I said. “And that’s to marry Freddie.”

  Beau grimaced. “But there’s plenty of time. We’re so young.”

  “There isn’t time. And I can’t wait. I’m sorry.”

  “Why?” He caught my waist and pulled me back to him. The pain in my chest made it difficult to breathe.

  He leaned forward to kiss me again, but I turned my head, sending his face into the hair beside my ear. “When I saw you that first time,” he murmured, “I couldn’t believe we might be together.” His breath whispering across my neck sent tingles through me. “You were so beautiful. And now—”

  “Beau, stop,” I whispered. “It’ll only make things harder.”

  “Just kiss me again.”

  I turned my head back and our lips met. Mouths opened, tongues wove together. In that moment, all I cared about was the bliss of having him, holding him. Him holding me. His strong hands, the sweet taste of his mouth… Until a small voice cut through the empty house.

  “I knew it!” The sound echoed loudly off the back walls. I spun around, my back pressed against Beau’s chest, his hands still holding my waist.

  Teeny was standing in the pit with Roland, who looked equally annoyed. I took a hesitant step forward, away from the warmth of Beau, toward the two of them.

  “Hale, we need to talk,” Roland said. “Beau, you’d better say goodnight.”

  Beau stepped toward me, but I didn’t look at him again. “We can talk more later,” he said, touching my hand.

  I reached for Teeny to pull her back to our room, but she jerked away.

  “I don’t need your help,” she said. “Liar.”

  I didn’t respond. There was so much she didn’t understand. So much I’d kept her from understanding. If she acted this way, I was as much to blame.

  “Come on then,” I muttered. “That wasn’t… what you think.”

  She followed me back to the room, Roland behind her. “So you’re saying you weren’t just kissing Beau? Your body wasn’t completely entwined with his?”

  My cheeks burned and my lips still throbbed from Beau’s kisses. I could still feel his breath in my hair, and I shivered. “I didn’t think you cared about him anymore.”

  “And I thought you had to love Freddie.”

  “Let’s not talk about it.”

  We reached the room, and I went inside. Roland followed us in and closed the door.

  “You never want to talk about it,” Teeny continued. “Except to lie about it.”

  “Teeny, hush,” Roland ordered in a low voice. Then he turned his glare on me. “I found her with Guy. After I told you to keep her away from him.”

  I frowned. “You found her? I don’t—”

  “It was a simple request,” he interrupted, and I could hear the angry edge in his voice. “And you knew I meant it.”

  I looked over at Teeny sitting on the bed with her arms crossed, pouting. “What happened?”

  He pressed his lips together before answering. “Nothing. And too much.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that if something more comes of this…” I saw his hand clench into a fist, but he quickly released it and turned to the door. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t.”

  “I don’t understand—” I said, but he was out the door again, striding down the dark passage.

  I stood there for a moment, stunned. Then I turned back to Teeny, who took one look at me and jerked away, facing the back wall. I went to my dressing table and collapsed, fighting tears. All my thoughts were on how unfair it all was. How I desperately wanted to be back with Beau, in his arms, doing anything we wanted. He wanted to be with me, to take care of me. And Teeny. At least that’s what he said, and I wanted to believe him.

  I inhaled a jerky breath, trying to calm the pain beating in my chest. It wasn’t fair. I was tired of being responsible for another person all the time, and how could Roland judge me for something he wouldn’t even bother to explain?

  I pressed my head into my arm until I saw white sparks behind my eyelids. Then I took a deep breath and sat up straight, looking at Teeny in the glass. She was still straining as hard as she could to position her entire body away from me, so I stood and went to the bed, taking her hands.

  “Don’t,” she said trying to pull them away, but I held them tightly in mine.

  “I’m sorry about what you saw. Me and Beau.”

  She tried to pull her hands away again, but I held her.

  “I told you I didn’t have feelings for him. And I do.” I looked down and released her as the tears threatened in my eyes again.

  “I knew it.” She said through clenched teeth.

  I returned to my dressing table. Standing beside it, I ran a finger down the outline of one of my brushes. How I wanted to be back with Beau. Instead I inhaled a deep breath and let it out.

  “Roland says you’ve got to stay away from Guy.”

  “I might as well be living in a convent.” She kicked a pillow off the bed and lay down hard on her side. I frowned and walked back to her.

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “No,” she mumbled. “He didn’t do anything but take a lock of my hair.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Why did he do that?”

  “He said he missed me the last time he was gone. That he loved the color of my hair, that it reminded him of someone. Then he asked if he could have a lock.”

  I bit my lip. “I don’t see the harm in that.”

  She jerked around to face me, eyes wide. “There wasn’t any harm. It was just a little snip. His ring is a locket, and he took a tiny piece to put in it. Because he likes the color so much.”

  I didn’t answer. Roland hadn’t given me any reason to forbid her to see Guy. What could I tell her?

  “Did he ask you to do anything else?”

  “No. One minute I was talking to him in the lobby, and the next Roland was jerking my arm out of socket and dragging me back here.”
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  She continued staring at me, waiting. I didn’t know what to say. I still hadn’t even seen the man. “How old is he? Really.”

  “I don’t know.” She lay down on her side again with her back to me.

  I sighed and stood up. “Well, I think we should trust Roland,” I said, although I wasn’t convinced I believed those words anymore.

  “He wouldn’t say something just to say it.”

  She didn’t answer, and I was too tired to fight anymore. I took her silence as agreement, and still standing by my dressing table, I noticed my sparkling comb, Freddie’s gift. I was just lifting it when a soft tapping at the door broke the quiet. For a moment my heart rose. I hoped it was Beau.

  It wasn’t.

  I opened the door to the glittering green eyes of what could’ve been Gavin’s twin brother in the passage. His evil twin brother. Before me stood a tall man with ruddy hair and broad shoulders. And a grin that made me shudder. I’d seen a cartoon drawing of a fox once wearing a top hat and tails—a very hungry fox, intent on satisfaction. This man reminded me of that, and I caught the door before it opened too wide.

  “I was led to believe this is Miss Christina’s room.” His voice was a smooth vibration and his eyes locked on mine.

  I flinched as he lifted his hand, but it passed my cheek and rested on the cravat at his neck. All my muscles were tense, ready to fight. The light from our lamp glinted off his large, gold pinky ring.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

  His eyes drifted down my body and then back to my eyes. “Perhaps not formally, Miss Hale. But I’ve been watching you for years. Your talent has grown as beautifully as you have.”

  I struggled to keep calm, to swallow the knot in my throat, and not to scream in terror. “Thank you, but it’s very late. And we’re just preparing for bed.”

  “So many single women living under one roof.” His eyes narrowed. “It would be a terrible thing if the authorities were to hear of this. They might think something illegal was going on.”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer. I didn’t believe Gavin’s own brother would turn him in, but I knew without a doubt the man standing before me was capable of anything. I knew Roland was right, whether he ever gave me specifics or not. We had to stay far away from this man.

  I tried to close the door, but he caught it and pushed it open, sending me staggering back. Teeny jumped up and hastily wiped her eyes and smoothed her hair.

  “Guy,” she said in a surprised voice.

  I reached for her, but Teeny pushed past me and ran over to take his arm. He smiled his evil fox-smile at her and lifted one of her curls in his hand.

  “Cheveux roux,” he murmured and lowered his hand to her shoulder, sliding it down her arm. Teeny giggled. I felt ill.

  “I was so embarrassed by the way Roland acted,” she said. “You’d think.”

  “Roland’s an arrogant little prig,” Guy replied, his eyes traveling over her hair, down her neck to her bodice.

  I reached forward and caught Teeny’s arm, pulling her back to me.

  “You have to leave now,” I said, hating the tremor in my voice. It emphasized my disadvantage.

  Guy stepped toward me and lifted a lock of my dark hair, sliding it back and forth between his fingers. The sensation gave me a chill.

  “Such beautiful young women.” I was certain I would scream then, but he stepped back to the door. “It’s late, I suppose. I wouldn’t want my little bird to get overly tired.”

  “I’m not tired at all,” Teeny said. But I held her fast, blocking her with my body.

  “Yes, it’s late,” I said in as firm a tone as I could manage.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you I’m headed back to Atlanta tonight,” he said to Teeny. “So this is au revoir.”

  “Au revoir,” she giggled.

  He smiled and with a slight bow, closed the door, leaving a scent of cloves in his wake. The smell made my throat close up, and I could still see the wicked gleam of his green eyes.

  I was too terrified to cry. Instead I envisioned myself taking Teeny and running as hard and as far away as we could go. There was nothing I could trade, nothing I could pawn to protect us from this. He’d be back, and I knew what he was coming for. But how far could we make it alone on the streets, me with only my voice and Teeny with less? That wasn’t a solution, but my mind was racing to find one. Fast.

  Chapter 8

  Roland was at the piano pounding out Frank and Carla’s dance number, a cigarette dangling from his lips, when I found him the next morning. The dancers were moving so quickly, I could barely track them with my weary eyes. I was exhausted from a night spent searching for an answer, a way out. The few times I did sleep, I was chased by green-eyed foxes through my nightmares.

  When Roland saw me, he frowned. “Did you go out last night?”

  “What?” The thought of going out, leaving Teeny alone and unguarded, was the farthest thing from my mind. “Why would I do that?”

  “You look like you haven’t slept,” he said, quickly removing the cigarette with his right hand while keeping the rhythm going with his left. “I thought maybe you were with Beau.”

  I shook my head and looked down. “I can’t think about him now. I have worse things to consider.”

  “Don’t tell me this is because of what I said.”

  “We had a visitor after you left. One I expect to be back.”

  Roland’s hands paused for a split second before he quickly picked up the beat again. “Guy?” He asked.

  I nodded.

  “What did he want?”

  “To tell Teeny au revoir, he said. But I’m afraid he wanted more than that.” I lowered my voice and clutched Roland’s moving arm. “What do I do?”

  His lips pressed together, but he was silent. After five measures he said, “I’ll speak to Gavin. Try not to worry about it.”

  “Not worry about it?” My voice was a panicked whisper as my grip tightened. I was reaching my limit on fear. “I’ve seen that look before.”

  He hammered the final three chords and then dropped his hands to the bench, turning to me. “You were supposed to keep her away from him.”

  “You never told me why, and besides, Teeny’s active and curious. She needs reasons why, too.”

  “Then maybe it’s time for her to go.”

  Acid rose to my throat, and I clenched my fists. I’d never before wanted to hit Roland, but now I could see myself beating him with all my strength. His glanced at my face.

  “Calm down.” He reached for my hand, but I jerked my arm back and jumped up. He stood quickly with me. “I said calm down.”

  “You’ve got a lot of nerve,” I hissed through my teeth. “After what you did to Evie.”

  His eyebrows came together. “What I did to Evie?”

  “I know all about it.”

  “Sounds like you don’t know anything.” He sat down again, and I leaned toward him.

  “I know you arranged for her to see two men at once.”

  He didn’t even flinch. “Like I said. You don’t know anything. I said for you not to worry about it. I’ll handle this situation with Guy.”

  Then he began to play a song I’d never heard before. He continued playing and for a moment I stood there watching him, the old swagger back, stringing together notes into a flowing melody.

  “How do you like this?” he asked.

  “It sounds like breaking dishes,” I snapped, turning to leave.

  Roland’s hands stilled over the keys and he stood, catching my arm. He turned me back and caught my eyes. “Trust me.”

  “I can’t do that anymore.”

  * * *

  As inexplicably as he’d started, Gavin stopped coming to rehearsals, and the mood in the company relaxed. I still avoided Beau at every turn. I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted anymore. My plan had suddenly become urgent.

  But since our last encounter, he was more persistent. My heart wa
s thudding in my chest Thursday night as I went to the ladder for my finale climb. He was waiting at the top when I moved away from the steps in his direction, and I tried to calm my breathing before I had to sing.

  “Why have you been avoiding me?” he whispered. I walked to the bench without answering. “Hale?” he said. The pleading tone in his voice made me ache, but I wouldn’t look at him.

  He touched my arm before I took my seat. My back was to him, but I stopped moving. “I meant what I said to you,” he said softly.

  A hitch caught my breath as I faced him. My eyes were glistening with tears, but I fought to keep them back as I took in the shape of his mouth, his straight nose, his dark blue eyes. I shook my head and looked down again.

  “It’s too late,” I said. “I do have to stick to my plan, and it does have to be carried out now.”

  His hand found my chin and he lifted my face. Then he smiled and leaned forward, lightly kissing my lips. “Let’s talk some more first.”

  His touch sent a painful longing through me, but there was no time to argue—with him or myself. The music rose, and I quickly took my position before I swung out over the waiting spectators. I glanced back once to see him watching me, smiling.

  * * *

  Freddie almost beat me to my dressing room after the show. I was still in my peacock costume when I heard his familiar tapping at the door. Teeny was again absent, but knowing Guy was in Atlanta gave me slight relief. I quickly pulled on my dressing gown and stepped to the door. A giant bouquet of red roses met me before my devoted suitor.

  “You get better with every performance,” he said as I lifted the heavy roses from his arms. “And you sing with such emotion.”

  I turned back and stepped toward him, leaning against the doorjamb as he lifted my hand. “You’re too kind,” I said, trying not to think of the source of my emotion.

  Something was different about Freddie’s visit tonight. I could tell by the way he spoke and the serious look on his face. He removed his hat.

  “Darling,” he started. Then paused. “We’ve been seeing each other like this for several months.”