Chapter Seventeen
The very first thing Raven did once arriving home was to take a bath and wash her hair to rid herself of the prison grime and to soothe her soul. Many of the cousins were still on the road, but those in New Orleans like Renay, Lacie, and Emile came by to give her hugs. Brax vowed to never let Raven out of his sight again, and chomped at the bit to have some time alone with her, but due to the number of Moreau relatives he decided that might not happen until Christmas.
Julianna LeVeq-Vincent dropped by that evening and everyone trooped up to the library to hear what she had to say. “Wilma Gray, also known as Ruth Welch, is presently on a ship heading to a friend of the House of LeVeq living in Arabia. He’s a sultan. She will be owned by him as a servant until her death and never be able to leave the country to put another family at risk ever again. I want to thank you for helping me exact a revenge that has festered inside me for years. Raven. My son Archer has offered you the use of a suite at his hotel in the Quarter to recover from the jail as his thank you. It was his wife that the Pinkerton betrayed.”
Raven looked up at Brax seated on the arm of his chair, and he smiled. She replied to Julianna, “Please give your son my deepest thanks. I’ll be at his hotel as soon as we’re done here.”
Julianna thanked them again and departed.
Hazel spoke up next. “We also owe Tobias Kenny our thanks.”
Raven stiffened. “What on earth for?”
“He arranged for Welch to be handed over to Julianna.”
Raven was stunned.
Hazel explained, “Remember the day you came to the market and saw Welch there? And we wondered if she was there to meet someone?”
“Yes.”
“She was. He met her there a day later and I had Renay follow him home.”
Renay said, “So I did. He offered to play both sides of the coin for the family because he felt he owed us for what he did to you, Raven.”
Hazel said, “Julianna and I came up with a plan, and he executed it splendidly.”
Raven said, “I’m glad he helped and that he’s remorseful.”
But what she didn’t say was that despite his help, she still hoped to never see him again.
Later that night in the sumptuous suite at Archer LeVeq’s Hotel Christophe, the exhausted and sated Raven lay beside Brax in the bed.
“I know why you left me, Raven.”
She sat up, and the sheet slipped away to reveal her nudity. “You do?”
“Lottie told me. She’d stepped outside the ball that night to look for you, and heard every cruel word her mother said. And when I told her you’d left Boston, Lottie relayed what occurred.”
Raven still felt the sting of Pearl’s words.
He continued, “I understand that your love for me made you want to protect me, because that’s who you are Raven. And because of my love for you, I spoke with Pearl and put the fear of God in her. You see, I own the deed to her home. If she so much as looks at you sideways, she’ll be out on the street.”
“But what about Lottie; she lives in the house, too.”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. Pearl has a sister in Boston who adores Lottie, and Lottie adores her in return. Lottie’s now living with the aunt, and will do so until she finds a man who loves her as much as I love you. Her quote.”
“I guess I should ask you to marry me then?”
He smiled.
“Marry me, Braxton Steele. Give me yourname, your love and a passel of babies who’ll grow up to read and maybe one day also grow up to accidentally hear us making the bed creak through the walls.”
He laughed uproariously and pulled her naked body atop his own. The kiss they shared lasted almost a lifetime. “I will marry you.”
“Good. One last thing. I want Dorrie to live with us. Mama and your father are going to visit my uncle in Cuba for a while, so I told her I’d raise Dorrie while she’s gone.”
“Do you think Dorrie would let us raise her until she’s ready to attend a college?”