Chapter Twenty-Three

"I t's so wonderful to see you again, Bradley." Belinda pressed herself against him. "I've missed you so much."

Brad eased her away from him. Trying to keep her at society's idea of what was proper for dancing was like trying to wrestle a pig wallowing in mud. Impossible. "I'm not sure why you've missed me. We haven't spent any time together." She tapped him on the nose. ON THE NOSE! What was she thinking? By acting coy, he'd succumb to her pretending to act like an innocent? Ridiculous.

"Silly boy. It's why I've been trying to find a way to see you." She nodded in the direction of Libby and Taylor. "It's all because of your house guest . I'm not sure why you're still letting her stay with you. Why, the way people are talking about you and her. Don't you care about your reputation?"

"My reputation isn't anyone's problem but mine. Nothing I can say or do will change those narrow-minded, gossipmongers' minds. I could say there is nothing between us until I'm blue in the face and no one would believe me. So, why bother?"

Belinda ran a finger down his lapel. "But what about the woman who'll be your next wife? Aren't you concerned about what she might think? I mean. I..."

He removed her hand from his chest. If there were anyone who should be worried about her reputation, it would be Belinda. People were staring at them. Was Libby? What was she thinking of Belinda's blatant attempt at public seduction? "Since I haven't met my future wife yet," Libby's face came immediately to mind, "she doesn't have anything to worry about."

Belinda bit her bottom lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You haven't met your future wife? Why, I thought..."

It was extremely rude to leave a dance partner on the dance floor, but the temptation to do so was so strong, he had to grit his teeth to keep from walking away. "What did you think, Belinda?"

"Well, we've known each other almost all our lives. I was crushed when you married Lucinda. I know our parents were hoping for a match between us."

And there it was. Finally, out in the open. "Belinda, my parents never mentioned any hope of a relationship between us." In all truth, his father had warned him against scheming women like Belinda, and his mother had agreed.

"They didn't?"

Was that a tear? He nearly laughed. How hard did she have to work to squeeze out the one little tear rolling down her cheek? As an only child, her parents had doted on her. All she had to do was pout or force a tear or two and she got what she wanted. But it wasn't going to work on him.

"No, they didn't. Let me put it this way. I don't plan on ever remarrying." How easy it was to lie to Belinda. Now if she would only believe him. "Lucinda was my one and only true love. When she died along with our child, I was devastated and vowed to never marry again."

"Why, that's simply crazy. You're a young man. A young man with needs."

"And what do you know about a man's needs?" He had a good idea she was free with her favors. Another reason to stay away from the conniving witch." He stifled a groan. When would this song be over? He swore the musicians were playing the same song over and over. Wait. Had Belinda told them to do so?

"Well, I, uh. I've heard stories."

It was probably she who told stories. "What about Taylor?"

"Taylor? What about him?"

He swung Belinda toward the quartet. Could he give them some type of signal to make them quit playing? "How do you know him? Is he a friend or something more?" He was pretty sure Belinda's wide eyes and huffed breath were an act.

"Why, I only met the man a few months ago at a ball in Charleston." She tipped her head to the side and batted her eyes up at him. "We're...we're simply friends."

Another blatant lie. Should he call her on it? Probably not. She'd clam up. He needed to see how much information he could get out of her. "What does he do for a living?"

"I'm not really sure. Something about finance."

Bradley glanced over his shoulder at Libby, who was sitting along the wall carrying on a conversation with Mrs. Winthrop, an elderly woman who made it her business to know everyone else's business. What was she asking Libby? And why wasn't the woman doing her duty and making sure couples weren't dancing too close or for too many dances. Since Libby was safe, he returned his attention to Belinda. "Are you interested in him?"

Belinda tapped his chest and pouted. "Why, of course not, you silly man. If I were, would you be jealous?"

How should he answer? If he said yes, she'd probably consider it a sign she should up her game to get her clutches in him. If he said no, would she throw a fit? "I suppose I could be jealous, but if you care for Taylor, you should pursue him." Now if Taylor were to show an interest in Libby, he'd be livid. Stark-raving mad, ready to fight.

"Why, Bradley, how sweet of you, but it's only you I want. And as soon as you send your guest back to her home, we can be together. Of course, we'd have to be discreet."

Ah, hell. He moved Belinda to arm's length. Lucky he had long arms. "I'm not sure when she can go home. With it being winter and all, it would be dangerous for her to travel with two small children, one barely nine months old."

Belinda huffed a breath. "She seems sturdy enough, and children are adaptable. She could probably travel clear across the country to California with her children and never have a problem."

And more than likely hope they would all have died along the way. "Well, I wouldn't feel comfortable having her leave when it's so cold. It's only a few months until things warm up. I can't kick her out during winter."

"You must watch yourself, Bradley Kemble. Women like her know how to get their clutches into a man. I'm sure it's how she got her husband. She certainly isn't pretty enough to attract a man. Her husband must have been desperate to marry her."

Brad choked back a laugh. No, Libby wasn't pretty, she was beautiful. And, unlike Belinda, she was beautiful inside and out. "I'll be careful."

"You'd better. Who's to say she didn't do away with her husband so she could be with you."

Anger made his head spin. Kill her husband? "I'd be careful who you say something like that to. It would be rather hard for a woman close to delivering her child to tip over a horse and buggy on top of someone. Plus, she'd never seen me before then."

"Oh, Bradley. Don't be so na?ve. Women will do anything to get the man they want."

Which would be the pot calling the kettle black. There would be no sense in convincing Belinda how wrong she was. Oh, not about a woman doing anything to get a man. Look at her. Making up lies about a woman she's never met until tonight and trying desperately to get her claws into him.

"Excuse me, Brad." Caleb tapped him on the shoulder.

" Excuse me , Caleb Kemble . You can't cut in. My dance with Bradley is not over."

"If you think I want to dance with you, you're crazy."

Brad held back a chuckle. His brother and Belinda had never gotten along. From the day their families had met each other, their mutual hatred was palpable.

"And I'd never dance with you. So, go away and leave us alone. Bradley and I have a lot to talk about."

Caleb ignored Belinda. "We have to leave. Colleen is not feeling well."

"Is she...?"

"Good heavens, I hope not."

"Another baby?" Belinda shuddered. "That's absolutely disgusting. Don't you have four already? No wonder your wife is getting plump."

Bradley held Caleb back. "You can't hit a woman."

"Watch me."

She glared at Caleb. "You wouldn't dare. And I would advise you to leave your poor wife alone."

"I never said she was with child. I only said she didn't feel well." Caleb smirked back at her. "Probably from something she ate or drank here."

"Ridiculous! I don't see anyone else getting sick."

"At the moment, I'm feeling a bit queasy myself." Caleb took Brad's arm. "C'mon. I want to get Colleen home before she eats any more tainted food."

"Bradley, you can't leave. We have so much more to discuss."

"I can't stay. Libby rode with us and it's only proper I see her home."

"Oh, for goodness' sake. Caleb can take her home. Can't you Caleb?"

"No, he can't." Brad peeled her fingers from his forearm. She was holding on so tight, even though his layers of clothes, he'd more than likely have scratches in the morning. "We took my buggy and picked up Caleb and Colleen on the way here. If I were to stay here, Libby would have to drive the buggy home by herself." He wasn't about to tell her Cora's husband, Joshua, had driven them.

"So, where is the problem?"

"I said no. It's dark and she wouldn't be able to find her way home. She's never been here before."

Belinda folded her arms over her chest, pouted, and stomped her foot. "Then you must come back after you drop them off. I need you so, Bradley."

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Brad shook his head. "I will not be coming back. Tonight, or any other time. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to get Colleen home." He bowed. "Thank you for the dance and a lovely evening." As if the hounds of hell were behind him, he walked to Colleen and Libby. "Thank you for rescuing me, Caleb."

"I have to say I never thought the music would stop. They kept playing the same song over and over again."

"I believe Belinda told them to play forever so she could keep dancing. I've never seen a person so desperate." He stopped in front of the women. "How are you feeling, Colleen? Caleb says you're not feeling well."

Colleen waved her fan in front of her face. "I'm perfectly fine."

Brad raised eyebrow. "But..."

"We had to think of a way to get you away from Belinda." She yawned. "Besides, I am quite tired, aren't you, Libby?"

"Oh. Yes. Quite tired." She copied Colleen's yawn.

"All right, you two. Don't overdo it. Both those yawns looked quite contrived."

Libby rose. "Yes. Well. There are eyes watching us, so we'd better get going."

He didn't want to seem obvious and search for Belinda and Taylor, so he waited until Libby took his elbow and headed for the cloak room. Sure enough, with scowls on their faces, Belinda and Taylor followed their movements. Finally, Belinda stuck her nose in the air, snatched her skirts, and raced from the room, probably to shed more fake tears.

After the cigar and cigarette smoke, and over-perfumed bodies, the crisp outdoor air was refreshing. As one, they took deep breaths.

Libby held the sides of her cloak together. "I can't believe how stuffy it was in there. The cool air feels wonderful."

"Yes. It's why Caleb and I don't attend many balls, nor hold any in our home." Colleen took Caleb's hand as they waited for their buggy to arrive. "Can you imagine holding a ball with four children? Besides all the work, how would I ever be able to keep them in their rooms?"

Caleb chuckled. "I enjoy our peace and quiet too much to have a ball. People would come simply to see our home and what we have. And all the gossiping. No, Thank you."

"Plus, it would be an ideal time for Belinda to get into my house."

"You'd probably never be able to get her to leave." Colleen shook her head. "And she'd more than likely bring several trunks with her."

"I was happy to leave before midnight. I'm sure Belinda would have wanted me to give her a New Year's kiss." Brad shuddered. "Ugh."

Their carriage finally arrived, and after settling onto their seats and placing several heavy blankets over their laps, continued their conversation.

If only I could take Libby's hand like Caleb is holding Colleen's But he didn't have the right. She was wearing widow's weeds, for heaven's sake. At least for the ball she had. Only four more months and she could move on. But what if she disappeared before then? His heart was already engaged with her and her children. He couldn't survive losing them.

"Brad?" Someone kicked him in the shin. "Are you paying attention or are you too busy mooning?"

"I'm not mooning, just thinking about Belinda and Taylor." The carriage was small enough where each bump in the road made their knees come in contact with each other.

Caleb squinted his eyes at Brad. "It's exactly what we were talking about. If you were paying attention, you'd know that."

"Sorry. Please fill me in."

Caleb nodded at Libby. "Tell him your thoughts."

"I was thinking about the counterfeit notes and money you were talking about. Do you think Belinda mentioning plates means she and Taylor are the culprits?"

"Certainly sounds like it." Brad tucked the blankets under his legs. It was going to take a long time to warm up. When they get home, maybe he and Libby could spend some time in front of the fireplace in the parlor. Cora had probably made sure to keep the fire going while waiting for Joshua to come home. It was nice of her to volunteer to watch Libby's children, but he imagined Libby was anxious to get home to them.

"She has to be getting her money from somewhere." Caleb put his arm around Colleen's shoulders and pressed her to his side. "Maybe they'd been preparing to print it before she lost the farm."

Brad shrugged. "I'm not sure it makes sense. If they'd printed money then, she could have used it to pay off her debts."

"So, it means they must have more plates somewhere."

"I agree, Caleb. But why is she so determined to get the ones in the house? And how come I've never come across them before?"

This time Libby pulled the quilts tighter. "Probably because you weren't looking for them. We'll have to do a search in the next few days."

"My best bet would be in one of the secret rooms. Lucinda and I replaced all of the furniture with ours. Plus, Belinda took all of her families' belongings. If the plates were hidden in any of them, we wouldn't be worried about getting her hands on the plates."

Colleen clapped her hands. "Wait. What if the plates in their possession are small denominations? What if the ones she wants back are higher?"

Libby angled toward Brad. "She has a point. What bad bills are being used?"

"Huh. You have a clever wife, Caleb."

"Of course I do. She married me, didn't she?"

"She must have been blind."

"Blinded by my handsome face and wonderful physique."

"All right, you two." Colleen patted her husband's knee. "Stop acting like a couple of children and tell us what denominations are being used?"

Caleb grinned. "All right, but I believe I won this round." At Colleen's glare, he finally answered. "Mostly ones, twos, and fives."

"They would have had to print a lot of those for her to buy her house. So, what if her plates in the house are twenties and fifties? Or maybe higher notes?"

"Good idea. Libby. Not only had he fallen in love with a beautiful woman, but a smart one, too. "It's possible they are running low on the small bills. Or maybe she's over-extended herself again and needs the plates to make larger bills to pay off her creditors."

Caleb tapped his bottom lip. "But, besides more than likely helping print counterfeit money, where else would Taylor fit in the scheme of things?"

"After hearing them kissing, I believe I have a guess." Colleen giggled. "And I don't mean they're friends."

"And she tried to tell me she was innocent. She must think I'm a moron."

"Or blind to her beauty." Caleb shook his head. "She's been getting her way for so long, she can't fathom someone not falling for her so-called charms."

Brad tipped his head back and swore. "I know where I've seen Taylor before, but he didn't go by that name. It was... "He closed his eyes. "Gunther..."

"You're right. Gunther..." Caleb snapped his fingers. "Gunther Schmidt. Wasn't he in charge of supplies for our regiment?"

Brad nearly jumped from his seat. "Yes! Of course. Wasn't he given a dishonorable discharge for selling supplies on the black market?"

"No wonder I had a bad feeling about him."

"We're here," Joshua called from his perch. The carriage dipped as he got down and opened the door. "Here, Miss Colleen. Take my hand."

Caleb followed his wife then poked his head back inside. "Let me know if you find anything. The sooner we do, the sooner we can put them behind bars." He tapped his top hat. "Good night."

As soon as Caleb slammed the door shut, Joshua got the horses moving.

"It won't take us long to get home. Would you care for a sherry and warming up by the parlor fire?"

"Normally, I would. But I wasn't lying back at Belinda's when I said I was tired."

He lifted an eyebrow at her. "Sure looked like a fake yawn to me."

"It was, but I'm truly exhausted. It's been a long day. I need to check on the children, too."

"As disappointed as I am, I understand. Dealing with Belinda can make anyone fatigued. After I send Cora home, I'll head to bed, too."

****

A s soon as they entered the house, Libby headed for the stairs.

"Wait a minute, Libby."

"What?" She really was tired, plus her ribs hurt from the corset and her feet were aching.

"May I please kiss you good night?"

With one foot on the bottom step, she paused. Why not? The whole having to wait a year was ridiculous. And, of course, it only applied to women. Men only had to wait six months. "I would like that."

As tall as he was, and even though she was tall, she stayed on the bottom step, making them eye to eye, mouth to mouth. He'd removed his gloves, so when he cupped her cheeks, her body zinged with the contact. And if her body zinged with the touch of his hands, his kiss electrified, banged on drums, played a trumpet solo, and awakened long denied parts of her body.

She moaned against his lips. He drew her closer to him, so her breasts were crushed against his chest. If she weren't wearing these cumbersome clothes, she'd jump into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist. Time stood still. Only their fast breathing filled the air.

"Now, that's what I like to see."

They broke apart, Libby nearly falling down the step.

"Cora. I didn't hear you come into the room."

"I heard the front door open and knew Joshua would be home." She tied a scarf around her head and buttoned up her coat. She smirked at them before going to the front door. "Good night, Mr. Brad, Miss Libby." Her wink probably meant she thought more would happen between them tonight. "Enjoy yourselves."

"How embarrassing." She picked up her skirts and raced up the stairs.

Halfway up, Brad called after her. "I don't regret it. Not one bit."

Libby paused and grinned down at him. "Me neither." She probably wouldn't sleep all night. It would take that long for her body to settle down.