Only With Your Love (Vallerands #2)(36)

Southerners were puzzling, Creoles in particular. But Celia was bewildered most of all by the Vallerands. They were a large family with innumerable cousins, and their past was filled with scandals and dark secrets that were hinted at but never revealed. Celia wished she could tell Philippe that he had not prepared her for them at all!

It was impossible to avoid hearing the rumors that circulated about all of the Vallerands, even Lysette. During one afternoon of calls and refreshments, Lysette’s sister-in-law, Henriette, had sat next to Celia and told family secrets under her breath. An attractive woman with a fondness for gossip, Henriette was the wife of Maximilien’s younger brother Alexandre.

“Bien sûr, how Maximilien has changed since their marriage ten years ago,” Henriette whispered with relish. “Before then, he was the most cold-blooded, ruthless man alive. It was said that he did away with his first wife!”

“Pas vraiment,” Celia murmured skeptically. Maximilien was an intimidating man, but one had only to see his gentleness with Lysette and his children to know he was incapable of such an act.

“Oh, sans doute! Of course, later the suspicion was proved untrue. But in those days everyone believed the worst of him, and with good reason.”

“Why do you say that?” Celia asked.

“He was cruel to everyone. Even Lysette.”

Celia shook her head decisively. “Non, Henriette, nothing will make me believe that.”

“It’s true, all too true. Although he is devoted to Lysette now, the only reason he married her was because he ruined her.”

“Ruined?” Celia repeated, wondering if she had heard correctly.

“Oh, oui! Lysette was engaged to another man, but Maximilien seduced her and dueled with her fiancé. He was a heartless devil in those days. And his son turned out to be just like him—not your husband Philippe, of course, God rest his soul. I’m speaking of the other. The twin who ran off. Justin.” She leaned closer and murmured confidentially, “He became a pirate. My husband Alexandre told me so.”

“How disgraceful,” Celia murmured, feeling herself turn pale.

“Yes, isn’t it,” Henriette said, looking pleased. “Didn’t Philippe ever tell you? I’m not surprised—the Vallerands are all very strange about Justin. They never speak of him. I suppose they wish he’d never been born. His activities could cause terrible trouble for the family. Alexandre says Justin was always a rude, selfish boy.” She sighed sadly. “And Philippe was such an angel, so dear and kind to everyone. Oh, I am not causing you distress, am I?”

“Not at all,” Celia said calmly, while her insides jumped in agitation. No one but she, Maximilien, and Lysette knew the truth of how she had arrived in New Orleans. Maximilien had devised a story to explain her sudden appearance, claiming that a few intrepid sailors from the besieged merchant ship had survived the pirate attack and brought Celia back to safety.

“If Justin’s involvement were known,” Maximilien had said in private to Celia and Lysette, “it would be that much easier for the authorities to set a trap for him. Each time his name arises, there is a surfeit of interest in his whereabouts. The rise in pirate activity is bad for local businesses and certain political careers. I know of several highly placed men who would dearly love to make an example of Justin.”

“I wish they would make an example of Dominic Legare,” Celia said stiffly. “As you know, I have no liking for your son, Monsieur Vallerand. But he is not as cruel and evil as Legare.”

“Of course not,” Lysette interceded gently. “Deep inside there is goodness in Justin, or he would not have put himself in danger by bringing you here, n’est-ce pas?”

Celia was silent, her gaze falling to her lap. Lysette knew nothing of what had transpired between Celia and Justin, and Celia intended that she never find out. It was clear that Lysette wished to think well of her stepson, and furthermore, the Vallerands would probably be disgusted with Celia’s part in what had happened. Goodness, Celia thought contemptuously, was not one of Justin’s dominant qualities. Or hers either. She had not been able to tell the local priest of her horrendous sin during confession, and so she was in no way absolved of it. But how could she confess to another living being that she had slept with her dead husband’s brother—and worse, had found carnal pleasure in the act?

Had the industrious life she led at the Vallerand plantation not been so pleasant, Celia might have considered joining the nuns at the Ursuline Convent. The idea of peace and solitude was very appealing, and she did not intend to marry ever again. Philippe had been her first and only love, and she had no desire to accept a lesser substitute. The Vallerands, however, had given her the privacy the convent would have offered, without the restrictions. And there were Lysette’s red-haired children, Evelina, Angeline, and Rafe, to whom Celia was already becoming something of a tante. It was a Creole custom for widows and unmarried spinsters to serve as chaperones for their relatives’ children. The two girls, ages eight and six, often came to visit Celia in the garçonnière, a small but charming residence built close to the main house.

Usually the garçonnière would have been occupied by the male bachelors and teenage boys of the family, but Lysette and Maximilien’s son Rafael was only an infant, and there were no other Vallerand males living on the plantation. At Lysette’s urging, Celia had redecorated and furnished the dark, masculine garçonnière for her own use. Maximilien encouraged her to look through the furniture and artwork that had been stored away in the main house. “Take what you like,” he said. “Most of it hasn’t been touched in years.”