Page 39 of Earl of Excess
Bethany was worried.At first, she wondered if Matthew had gotten sick from the soup served last evening. It had been delicious from her perspective. Bad seafood could make you very sick. Yet, crabs never lasted long enough to go bad, and her grandmother always threw out shrimp if they were not eaten. Usually, they ate them fairly quickly. When he had not complained of queasiness, she decided it had not been the soup. Yet, he was pale again today. She monitored Matthew, almost willing him to feel better.
Bethany had hoped he would feel better because there was so much she hoped to tell him about—realizing he still could not see—in the area. She had not been here in some time and wanted to look in on Johnny, who lived with his family in a small cabin on the plantation next door. The family had an arrangement—food for a place to live. They provided fresh fish and vegetables for the family next door, and in exchange, they lived in a small cabin away from the main house for free.
Johnny was eight or nine years old. Often, he kept Aunt Theo busy, helping her around her house. The child always smiled. He never seemed to feel sorry for himself that he had no other companions around. It made him that much more magnetic. Dandie enjoyed playing with him. Hide and seek was his favorite game, and fishing was his favorite pastime. She hoped he could throw in a line with her and Matthew.
As they approached the steps, she felt Matthew’s hand clasp hers and squeeze it. They walked up the steps and she knocked on the door, then stepped back toward the edge of the porch, giving Mr. Duplantis room to step out without being close. Even though they had the scarves to protect them from the bad miasmas, they only made her think about the disease more.
Perhaps she should not have brought Matthew here. But if she had not, she would have risked being arrested and his being taken a prisoner. In his condition, she was not sure the outcome would have been good.
The door opened and Mr. Duplantis, a tall, greying man with his head and hands wrapped in cotton cloths, stepped out. Only his hair, eyes, and mouth were exposed. His clothes were loose-fitting cotton garments, and he wore sandals on his feet. While the clothing may have been comfortable, Bethany always thought the strips of cotton around his hands and face had to have been uncomfortable in the Louisiana heat. Mr. Duplantis’ blue eyes filled with mirth and, as always, the man had a pleasant word for everyone.
“Miss Bethany! It’s mighty good to see you.” He looked at Matthew. “And who is this young man?”
“Mr. Duplantis, this is my friend, Colonel Matthew Romney,” Bethany replied. “We arrived yesterday.” She held out the herbs. “I picked these herbs from the Villeré Plantation’s garden and thought you might enjoy them.”
“Goodness! A man from the other side. There has to be a good accounting with that, Miss Bethany,” he said lightly. “We could hear the fighting all the way here a few weeks back. With your Grandmère here, I worried for your safety,” Mr. Duplantis said.
Her neighbor was a man who never minced words. She chuckled. “Yes! I can honestly say that in retrospect, I should have worried more about my safety. It’s a long story, but all seems well, for now. Colonel Romney was most gravely injured and left for dead. Dandie found him and we helped him back to the house where he has mostly recovered,” she explained, knowing the man would be empathetic toward Matthew’s plight.
The older man gave a nod of his head. “So many good people on both sides of this nasty conflict. Makes me very thankful for our small spot on this planet and the goodness that surrounds us. Colonel Romney, it is good to meet you.”
Matthew gave a brief bow. “Thank you, sir. I realize that this may be awkward. But Miss Phillips has been most kind in her efforts to aid my plight. I would ask that you not share that I am with her, to minimize any retribution brought to her,” Matthew said.
“Certainly. I understand. There is much to recommend Miss Phillips’ generosity, and I would not wish her harm by anyone’s hand. Your secret is safe. I appreciate the trust that she and her family have in me and my family. We would never place them in any danger.”
He turned to Bethany. “Merci, Miss Bethany. Your generosity is always appreciated. Do not worry about your young man. With you and your Grandmère to help him, I expect he will make as full a recovery as anyone has a chance of making.”
“Thank you, Mr. Duplantis. Would you mind if we fish off the dock in front of your home? We thought it would be an excellent way to relax with the warmer weather we seem to have.”
“Certainly, you may. I would join you, but I am eager to finish drying these herbs. I am sure that my missus will want to use them in the kitchen with her soap-making.” He picked up the bag of herbs and started to leave, before turning back. “A man was hanging around here yesterday. Just over there,” he said, pointing to the overhanging cypress branches in a pirogue. “I noticed him around the mid-afternoon. Dark-headed man. He’s new around here.”
“Thank you for the warning. I do not know who he could be,” Bethany replied, feeling icy fear in the pit of her stomach.Did someone follow them here?She swallowed hard. “Have you seen little Johnny? We were hoping to fish today, and I wanted him to play with Dandie.”
“Ah, your cute little dog. He seems to enjoy the puppy. He is usually down here every day, but I did not see him yesterday. Perhaps, he will join you today.”
“Merci, Mr. Duplantis. Let us know if you require anything else, or if your wife needs more of the herbs. My grandmother may spare more,” she grinned.
She watched her aunt’s neighbor go back into this house, and she and Matthew walked back toward her aunt’s. “I wonder who he spoke of,” she murmured.
“I am not sure,” Matthew said, maneuvering his walking stick to his right hand and clasping Bethany’s right hand with his left. “I do not want anyone in trouble because of me.”
“No,” Bethany replied. “Of course, you do not. No one is going to get in trouble. We are safe, here.”
She realized they were alone, and in a place that could be private for a moment. They had walked back into her aunt’s yard but were still out of sight of the windows and behind the brick wall, near a cast iron garden bench. “What is it, Matthew? You seem anxious about something.”
“I am. I do not know what is happening with my sight, but it seems to improve, steadily, which makes me happy. Things are still very blurry, though. And I have missed holding and kissing you.” He set his cane against the bench and leaned down, tilting her head up and gently brushing her lips with his own. His kisses took on urgency as he pulled her closer, his tongue gently gaining entry into her mouth and swirling softly against the sides.
She wanted time to stand still—this time with her in his arms and his lips on hers. She could think of no more perfect moment. Needing to be closer still, her tongue met his and played artfully in his mouth, as he had shown her with his kisses. As she did, a feeling of alarm hit her. His mouth seemed much hotter than usual and his hands, still holding her face, were very warm. Despite a growing need to stay in this delicious moment, Bethany pulled back, panting. “Matthew, I do not want to stop kissing, but your skin... you are too warm.” She looked up at the sickly pallor of his face and grew more alarmed. “You are sick. I fear you have a fever.”
“I confess I do not feel well, of a sudden,” he said.
“Here, let’s sit on the bench and see if you feel better.” She backed him up slowly, and the two of them sat on the bench. She studied his face and noticed that his color was returning. “When you are feeling better, we should make it into the house.”
“I am not sure what is going on. I was feeling great until last evening. I feel better at this moment. Perhaps you are right. We should go into the house,” he agreed.
The two of them made their way onto the porch and then into the house. “Grandmère, please come quick. Matthew is not feeling well.”
Aunt Theo and Grandmère met them at the same time in the front room of the house. “I heard you come in and heard my name,” Grandmère said, wiping her hands on her apron. “I was just preparing to make soup with the wonderful herbs. I made some liquid soap to use for your shave,” she said, before noticing how pale the man in front of her had become.
