I step through the doorway and see the figure he cuts in his suit. I can’t fight the smile that pulls at the corner of my mouth.
“Hello. This is certainly a surprise,” I say.
Livingston turns. “We need to talk.”
There are certain expressions one makes that will stop you dead in your tracks. The somber look in Livingston’s eyes and the strain around his lips cause me to do just that.
“What is the matter? Who’s hurt?” I rush forward until the tips of my shoes brush against Livingston’s. “Is it Serene? I know she just had baby Julian, but has somethin’—”
“No, no,” Livingston cuts in. “I just left Belgrave. Serene and the baby are fine.”
I sigh with relief and then immediately become suspicious about what caused that look on his face. “Then what?”
Perhaps it was me. Maybe he’s here to show regret over what we did. Please don’t let that be true.
“As I was on my way out, Étienne received a telegram.” Livingston pauses. “Oliver passed away last night.”
I rear back, not because I’m shocked or devastated, but because for the small moment, as I process the news, I’m relieved it isn’t Nat. That makes me a terrible human being. My closest friend just lost her husband.
“My word,” I whisper.
Livingston nods. “I wanted to inform you before the news spreads through Charleston.”
I shake my head and stare down at the floor.
Livingston hesitates over his next words. “Nat said she attempted to call you, but she was unsuccessful.”
I would love to say Momma was opposed to modern advances, but given the fact Livingston had undoubtedly passed the rotary phone in the hall numerous times, there was no way I could say that. We had to curtail our spending as best as possible, and since it was clear Momma wasn’t willing to reduce her time spent at the shops, I took matters into my own hands. I never thought the subject would come up.
“Hmm … I don’t know why I didn’t receive her call.” I furrow my brows and feign confusion. “I just made a call yesterday.”
Livingston slowly nods, appearing unconvinced. “It’s fine. She was unable to speak with Étienne and sent him a telegram.”
I begin to fuss with the collar of my shirt. I want to speak with Nat right this second, see her. Let her know that everything is all right. “When is the funeral?”
“I’m uncertain. All I know is Oliver is dead, and I need to get to my sister.”
Rapidly, I nod. “When are you leavin’?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I’m goin’ with you.”
At that, Livingston lifts a brow. “And leave all your bachelors behind?”
I thought we could have a moment without the bachelors being mentioned. Apparently, I was wrong. Impatiently, I fling a hand in the air, ready to change the subject. “They aren’t important right now. I’ll go with you.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Livingston looks at me. “It’s August 23rd. There’s only a week and a half left to spend time with your remainin’ bachelors.”
“I understand there’s a time constraint to find a husband, but I want to go with you. I need to be with you and Nat.”
Livingston remains quiet. Giving the open doorway a quick look, I step forward and slide my arms around his narrow waist. I lay my cheek against his chest and inhale the clean scent of him. At once, my restlessness dissolves in his arms. Slowly, Livingston’s arms band around me. I feel his chin rest against the crown of my head.
We stand like that for several seconds, simply embracing one another.
“All right,” he finally says, his voice gruff. “We’ll go together.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Livingston
Almost immediately, plans were set in motion.
Bags were packed. Calls and telegrams were sent. Train tickets to Savannah, Georgia, were purchased. The adrenaline I feel the night before we leave is akin to what I felt while I was in France.
Because Serene had just delivered Julian, she and Étienne were staying in Charleston with their children. I overheard Serene telling Étienne to go, but he said he couldn’t leave her and the kids.
Instead, I would be traveling with the most unlikely of companions.
At seven in the morning, I used the brass knocker and waited for someone to answer. A servant answers, steps aside, and immediately dips their head as though they’ve been expecting me. “Good mornin’, Mr. Lacroix.”
“I’m here for Mrs. Pleasonton and Miss Rainey.”
“Of course,” their butler, Stanley, says. “Please come in.”
I know the Pleasonton house as though it’s my own home. I’ve hidden in the cupboards, ran through the narrow halls, slid down the banister, and received a tongue-lashing of the century from Mrs. Pleasonton. And most recently, I climbed the tree outside Rainey’s room to see if our carnal kisses were all in my imagination. It turns out, they weren’t. For whatever reason, there was a spark between Rainey and me that neither one of us anticipated. Perhaps, when you dislike someone long enough, the animosity can burn bright enough to start a fire. That’s what I’ve been telling myself, and what I will continue to tell myself for this entire trip. Otherwise, the small morsel of sanity I have left will kick in and tell me how foolish it is to travel with someone I desire so much.
At that moment, I hear Rainey and Leonore talking upstairs. They round the corner and begin to walk down the stairs. Whatever they’re discussing must be consuming because neither one notices me standing beside the front door. When they reach the first floor, Rainey sighs and sets her valise on the floor.
Leonore takes the opportunity to give her a good look. “Raina, did you dress in the dark?”
Rainey looks down and smooths a hand across her navy blue blouse. “There is nothin’ wrong with my attire.”
“If you wear the skirt one more day, the material is gonna tear.”
I think she looks exquisite. I didn’t come to her last night. I thought it’d be best if I let her rest before the journey, but I missed her. God did I ever.
She will choose a bachelor soon! You can’t keep her forever.
But could I? Not for the first time have I thought of what it would be like if she was mine. Rainey would never settle as a mistress. I would find another arrow being directed at me if I made the proposition. And this time, she wouldn’t miss her mark.
All the same, the bachelor debacle has shown one thing—Rainey truly desires a family. A life of her own. She deserves that, and I don’t know if I could give her that. But the thought of her laying with another man … it sends me into a tailspin. My calm demeanor disappears altogether and I feel as if I might rip every bachelor limb from limb.
“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Rainey murmurs beneath her breath, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Leonore opens her mouth, but immediately stops when she sees me standing in the foyer, and her demeanor promptly brightens. “Livingston.”
I smile at her and step forward. “Mrs. Pleasonton, it’s a pleasure to see you.”
“Please forgive us for carryin’ on. I wasn’t made aware you were here.”