didn't protest. He didn't expect me to.
I baked the cake for Theophile Roche that evening. I made my favorite, pound cake with vanilla icing.
Louis came into the kitchen.
"Your elderly lady is Mrs. Stapleton. She lives across town. Tomorrow is Saturday, but your assignment doesn't start until next week. So we'll take the cake to Mr. Roche tomorrow morning. Be ready."
"I can ride my horse to Mrs. Stapleton's," I said.
"No. Teddy and I don't want you coming home in near dark. It's winter, remember. Jon will take and fetch you."
I made a face. "Does it have to be Jon?"
He eyed me wisely. "Teddy says you don't like him. Is there a reason?"
I couldn't lie to Louis. With his Indian powers he saw through lies.
"He touched me."
"Where?"
I blushed. "On my bottom."
Louis's eyes got red flames in them that I'd never seen before. "I'll give him a sound beating."
"No, no. It's why I never told Teddy. Please, Louis, if you love me, please listen before you beat him."
"What is there to listen to?" But he listened.
"I know Teddy would duel him. But in Florida, where Jon comes from, he's the best duelist there is."
"How do you know?"
"He told me andâ"
"He
told
you?"
"Yes. He said he dueled and killed three people there. And that's how he got his bad arm. And that's why I wouldn't tell Teddy about it, because I knew Teddy would duel him and he'd kill Teddy. So I told him if he touched me again I'd get a bad root from Cannice and poison his food. And I will if I have to."
"He's lying. He isn't a gentleman. Only gentlemen of honor duel. And Teddy wouldn't stoop to duel him. And neither will I. But to protect your honor I must give him a sound whipping."
"Oh, Louis!"
He swore. My brother took the Lord's name in vain. Twice. He said, "I'm sorry, little sister mine, that you have to put up with all this. He'll never touch you again when I get through with him."
He held me to him. He kissed the top of my head and prayed right there in the kitchen that God would wash him thoroughly from his wickedness and cleanse him from his sins. He acknowledged that his sins were forever before him.
What sins does he have?
He was the most sinless person I knew.
I had never seen or heard Louis pray before. He never spoke about God. I was so touched by his reverence and humility that I was afraid to interrupt him. When he finished I looked up at him. "Those are the words Mother made me memorize when she kidnapped me."
He tweaked my nose. He kissed me. "Check the cake. It must be done. Then go to bed. I have an affair of honor to attend to."
After I iced the cake I went to bed, but before that, I peeked out the upstairs hall window in back of the house just in time to see Louis attending to his affair of honor.
He was dragging Jon by one arm out to the barn. Primus had the other arm.
Of course,
I thought. Louis could not do this without help. He walked without crutches now, but he still limped, and in a fracas he would lose his balance. I watched as they brought a struggling Jon into the barn. Then I went to bed.
Jon was not at the breakfast table serving Pa the next morning. Teddy did not ask why. Viola did.
"He's got the measles," Teddy told her. "He's recuperating in the groom's room in the barn. Stay away from him. Primus's wife, Eulah, is caring for him."
We took the cake to Mr. Roche's.
In the carriage, which was driven by Primus, Louis said that he had something to tell me.
"The truth of the matter is that Teddy has been wanting to invite Theophile Roche to dinner," he said, "but he has not found the man approachable."
"Why does he want to invite him to dinner?"
It was then that Louis told me, swearing me to secrecy. "Teddy 'imported' Theophile Roche for a special reason. Not to be a weaver at the mill. But to help out if and when the Yankees come, because Roche is a French national. Teddy has plans for him. That's all you need to know now. But what you and your friends did has made Roche less approachable. This morning
I baked the cake for Theophile Roche that evening. I made my favorite, pound cake with vanilla icing.
Louis came into the kitchen.
"Your elderly lady is Mrs. Stapleton. She lives across town. Tomorrow is Saturday, but your assignment doesn't start until next week. So we'll take the cake to Mr. Roche tomorrow morning. Be ready."
"I can ride my horse to Mrs. Stapleton's," I said.
"No. Teddy and I don't want you coming home in near dark. It's winter, remember. Jon will take and fetch you."
I made a face. "Does it have to be Jon?"
He eyed me wisely. "Teddy says you don't like him. Is there a reason?"
I couldn't lie to Louis. With his Indian powers he saw through lies.
"He touched me."
"Where?"
I blushed. "On my bottom."
Louis's eyes got red flames in them that I'd never seen before. "I'll give him a sound beating."
"No, no. It's why I never told Teddy. Please, Louis, if you love me, please listen before you beat him."
"What is there to listen to?" But he listened.
"I know Teddy would duel him. But in Florida, where Jon comes from, he's the best duelist there is."
"How do you know?"
"He told me andâ"
"He
told
you?"
"Yes. He said he dueled and killed three people there. And that's how he got his bad arm. And that's why I wouldn't tell Teddy about it, because I knew Teddy would duel him and he'd kill Teddy. So I told him if he touched me again I'd get a bad root from Cannice and poison his food. And I will if I have to."
"He's lying. He isn't a gentleman. Only gentlemen of honor duel. And Teddy wouldn't stoop to duel him. And neither will I. But to protect your honor I must give him a sound whipping."
"Oh, Louis!"
He swore. My brother took the Lord's name in vain. Twice. He said, "I'm sorry, little sister mine, that you have to put up with all this. He'll never touch you again when I get through with him."
He held me to him. He kissed the top of my head and prayed right there in the kitchen that God would wash him thoroughly from his wickedness and cleanse him from his sins. He acknowledged that his sins were forever before him.
What sins does he have?
He was the most sinless person I knew.
I had never seen or heard Louis pray before. He never spoke about God. I was so touched by his reverence and humility that I was afraid to interrupt him. When he finished I looked up at him. "Those are the words Mother made me memorize when she kidnapped me."
He tweaked my nose. He kissed me. "Check the cake. It must be done. Then go to bed. I have an affair of honor to attend to."
After I iced the cake I went to bed, but before that, I peeked out the upstairs hall window in back of the house just in time to see Louis attending to his affair of honor.
He was dragging Jon by one arm out to the barn. Primus had the other arm.
Of course,
I thought. Louis could not do this without help. He walked without crutches now, but he still limped, and in a fracas he would lose his balance. I watched as they brought a struggling Jon into the barn. Then I went to bed.
Jon was not at the breakfast table serving Pa the next morning. Teddy did not ask why. Viola did.
"He's got the measles," Teddy told her. "He's recuperating in the groom's room in the barn. Stay away from him. Primus's wife, Eulah, is caring for him."
We took the cake to Mr. Roche's.
In the carriage, which was driven by Primus, Louis said that he had something to tell me.
"The truth of the matter is that Teddy has been wanting to invite Theophile Roche to dinner," he said, "but he has not found the man approachable."
"Why does he want to invite him to dinner?"
It was then that Louis told me, swearing me to secrecy. "Teddy 'imported' Theophile Roche for a special reason. Not to be a weaver at the mill. But to help out if and when the Yankees come, because Roche is a French national. Teddy has plans for him. That's all you need to know now. But what you and your friends did has made Roche less approachable. This morning
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