Kitty: Bride of Hawaii (American Mail-Order Bride 50) (10 page)

“
A
nd you’re
sure you want to go?” Warren asked skeptically as they rolled away from Castle House. “You do know what to expect, don’t you?”

Kitty laughed. She might not have been able to flaunt all convention and wear a holoku, but Kalea had informed her of the basics. “Warren, it’s a luau. Kalea said they serve food and play music. I can’t imagine there’s much of a difference from other parties we’ve attended since we announced our engagement.”

A slow smile spread on Warren’s face. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

Kitty humored him with a smile. The royal family was hosting the luau, and Kitty had prepared for all the pomp the occasion would require.

Warren informed her some luaus took place on the opposite end of the island, so Kitty was grateful the event was only a thirty-minute ride.

As Kitty descended the carriage steps, her hand warmly cradled in Warren’s firm grasp, her mouth fell open. Colorful fabrics wove in and out of crowds as ladies laughed, carefree and spirited in the warm night.

Bonfires roared around the oversize field, lighting up the festivities, while dozens of pigs roasted on spits on the far edge of the gathering.

There was dancing all right, but like nothing she’d ever seen before.

“Is it what you expected?” Warren teased, whispering softly in her ear.

She narrowed her eyes at him before laughing. “You knew I was completely unprepared, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” He grinned and offered her his arm. “How could you be?”

With her arm in his, they maneuvered through the crowd, stopping occasionally to speak with an acquaintance or two. Since their engagement, she’d become highly sought after at these events as society ladies wanted to hear all the latest trends in the East. No doubt she’d be bombarded with more questions soon.

Warren led her to the edge of a clearing where couples swayed to music. “What type of dance is that?”

“Hula. There are many different variations, some for couples and some for individuals. This obviously is a dance for couples.”

She studied the dance. A story seemed to unfold with their gestures, but she couldn’t discern exactly what. The majority of steps consisted of lavish hip and arm movements that made her cheeks burn just thinking of attempting them. Never would such a thing be acceptable back East. But as she looked around, no one seemed scandalized by such a display.

“Shall we dance?”

Her gaze shot to his, taking in the laughter in his eyes. Oh, he knew what she was thinking. She’d been so shocked by the dance she hadn’t been able to conceal it. “I don’t know how,” she said lamely.

“It’s easy.” He unhooked her arm from his and took her hand. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

She spluttered as he pulled her on the floor.

“Just try to follow along, mimic what you see the other women doing. Sway your hips, nice and slow while you take very small steps.”

She blushed again. Was she really going to do this? She looked around again, and no one paid her an ounce of attention.

Why shouldn’t she try it? This was her home now, and luaus were a large part of the culture. She’d be attending more of these events in the future, and she might as well adjust to what was proper now. She wasn’t in the East anymore.

She stepped lightly, rolling her hips awkwardly with the movement.

“Good,” Warren praised. “Go a little softer. Make your hips move naturally with your step.”

When she tried again, shifting her body, accommodating for the tight corset, Warren’s eyes heated.

Encouraged, she continued to move, trying out arm movements as the song continued, adding layers of steps as she went.

Their bodies moved closer and then apart as they silently told a story of lost love.

She lost track of what she was doing, moving organically from the feelings Warren evoked. She’d come to Hawaii to marry a stranger, but now, she was engaged to a man who made her heart race, a man who understood her, valued her.

Why had she fought her attraction, only accepting him once in danger again? It was foolish. He was what she wanted.

As if sensing her thoughts, he pulled her into his arms, holding her as couples swayed around them. He held her close, moving their bodies together with the music, her head resting on his chest. The intimacy of the moment overwhelmed her.

He brushed a kiss against her hair and whispered, “I don’t think I can dance with you much longer.”

She pulled away slowly. “Was I that bad?” She chewed on her lip as she waited for his answer.

He took her hand again, shaking his head. “You were too good,” he said meaningfully.

She blushed.

“Let’s eat something.”

“All right.”

He pulled her through the crowd, and she was grateful for the boisterous laughter surrounding them. It helped ease the intensity of her emotions. Would the depth of her desire for him ever fade? It had to, didn’t it?

“I see a place we can sit.”

Kitty couldn’t see anything over the crowd they were lost in, but she took his word for it because he was taller.

The group of people thinned out as they got closer to the spits, and she was astonished yet again by what she saw.

Leading her to an empty mat on the floor, Warren tugged her down with him.

“We’re sitting on the floor.” She laughed with delight as the other people around her nodded in greeting. “Is this normal?”

“Yes.” He grinned. “But you haven’t even experienced the best part yet.”

“And what is that?” she asked, charmed by the boyish glint in his eye.

“There are no utensils.”

“Pardon?”

He offered her a bowl. “Enjoy.” He laughed as she stared at the bowl dumbfounded. “Use your fingers,” he explained.

“What is it?” she asked, pretending to not be shocked by the lack of cutlery.

“Poi. A Hawaiian dish made from taro root. There’s also smoked fish, other meats, sweet potatoes, and such. And luau.”

“Luau? Aren’t we at the luau?”

He laughed, delighted, handing her a plate of another concoction. “This is luau. It’s where the name comes from. It’s taro leaves mixed with chicken and baked in coconut milk.”

The smells mingled in her nose, and she was surprised the unfamiliar ingredients appealed to her.

He bent one of his knees and reclined next to her. “Try it,” he encouraged.

She wanted to laugh. She couldn’t decide which of them was enjoying this more, but she had a feeling he was.

He seemed younger, more carefree. The change in him had started the moment she accepted his proposal, as if a weight had been lifted. The fact that she’d had a hand in that astonished her.

By accepting his proposal, she’d felt as if she were bringing him down, that she would become a liability to him. She’d felt beholden to him for sacrificing himself to protect her.

But now, she didn’t feel like dead weight. Warren needed someone in his life, someone to care for him. She hadn’t realized how much he needed that until recently.

He grinned encouragingly again, and she threw him an indulgent smile before dipping her fingers in the warm offering.

Exotic flavors exploded on her tongue, and her eyes widened at the tasty mixture.

“It’s good, huh?”

“Very good.”

“You didn’t think it would be?” he asked innocently, knowing it looked atrocious.

He laughed at her playful glare.

She huffed. “I think Kalea has some explaining to do.”

He laughed again, tracing a finger over the palm of her hand. The feeling made her shiver.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight.”

“Of course. I think you’re stuck taking me to a great many events in the future,” she teased.

He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing her fingers softly. “I wouldn’t want to go with anyone else.”

Familiar heat speared her.

The moment was interrupted as Christine Bishop rushed over. “Kitty, dear, I’m afraid I have some distressing news.”

Warren rose, pulling Kitty with him. “What is it?”

Sweat broke out on Kitty’s palms. There was a tremor in Christine’s voice Kitty recognized as panic. And while other ladies might overreact to certain news, Kitty had become familiar enough with Christine to know she didn’t ruffle easily.

“I just heard a rumor that’s swirling around. There’s talk about your past, my dear. That you’re illegitimate.”

Warren gripped Kitty to his side as blood drained from her face. “Who mentioned it?” he asked.

Christine held up her hands helplessly. “Frankly, everyone. Everyone is talking about it. I thought you should know.” She glanced worriedly at Warren.

He nodded hard. “Thank you for telling us.”

“I’m happy to cause a distraction if you’d like to make a hasty departure.”

Kitty nodded numbly. This is exactly what she’d feared would happen. Everyone who’d befriended her would no doubt want nothing to do with her now. “Oh, heavens.”

“Come on,” he whispered before escorting her away.

Although he had his arm around her, there was nothing he could do to fully shield her from the narrowed gazes and snide remarks.

“Ignore them,” he said gruffly.

But she couldn’t. She’d exposed him to a nasty fact of her life, and now that they were engaged, he was as affected by it as she.

Once they were loaded back in the carriage, her body wracked with shivers. “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I’m sorry.”

He immediately moved over to her bench, pulling her into his arms. “This is not a problem. Your past doesn’t matter.”

“It does!” She tried to jerk away but had little success. He held her too tightly.

“It doesn’t. It was bound to come out, and now it has. Right now it’s news, but tomorrow something else will happen, and no one will even care.”

She wanted to believe his words, but she’d lived with the stigma long enough to know that gossip never fully went away. “I wish that were true.”

“It is.” He notched her chin up so she was forced to look at him. “Believe me. I know what it must have been like for you back East. But it isn’t like that here. Circumstances of a person’s birth don’t rule their life here. There are too many illegitimate people for it to matter. The Hawaiian culture doesn’t look at fidelity and family the way westerners do. This won’t be a problem.”

His words soothed a little of her panic, but she wasn’t fully convinced. Things couldn’t be
that
different.

But what could she do? Her only other option was to run again, effectively breaking off her engagement. And she couldn’t do that to him. Not over petty gossip.

“Trust me,” he whispered.

She closed her eyes and held on to him. She didn’t know what to believe, but she would put her faith in him. If he said it was going to be all right, she’d believe him.

There wasn’t much else she could do.

T
hings were
a bit rocky in the weeks following the luau, but Warren was pleased to see Kitty progressing with wedding arrangements.

There’d been a question of whether to marry quickly because of safety concerns, but with no evidence to suggest Frederick Craven knew of Kitty’s whereabouts, he felt confident that Kitty was safe from her brother without rushing the wedding.

And while he couldn’t wait to marry her, he wanted her to have a dream wedding without the lingering scandal of her birth tainting it. In the meantime, he had a lengthy list of things to finalize before their honeymoon.

The sugar refinery was exactly what Castle & Snow had searched for. Production had picked up, and they were in need of an additional refinery.

“When’s the wedding set for?” Charles Snow asked.

Warren glanced away from a piece of machinery, marking notes on a checklist given to him by the refinery’s supervisor. “Two months.”

Charles shuffled his feet. “And you’re sure this is what you want? We’ve already lost two customers because of your attachment to Miss Jones.”

Warren stopped his progress through the refinery. “What exactly are you implying?”

The tour of the building and its possible purchase by Castle & Snow had been on their list of things to do for some time, but with Warren’s engagement and Charles’s prolonged stay in San Francisco, it was the first time they’d been able to schedule something together.

“I’m not implying anything. Just checking to make sure Miss Jones is really what’s best for you. For Castle.”

Warren gritted his teeth, taking a moment to look over the checklist. He couldn’t fault Charles for his questions. They were the exact ones he’d ask if their positions were reversed. They may have lost a few contracts from his mother’s snobbish friends, but nothing that would set them back. Besides, none of it mattered. “And what do you think my answer is?”

The older man sighed. “That I should mind my own damn business.”

“Just so.”

“Let me be clear, I harbor no dislike for Miss Jones. She is a charming girl and would make most men a fine wife with the skills she possesses. I only mention the illegitimacy. Don’t you think—”

“No.” Warren slammed the checklist on a table next to him. A moment of silence echoed on the floor, the workers unable to turn way from a possible fight. “I don’t know how word got out about Kitty’s background, but I’ll be damned if I let others’ opinions about it influence my decisions. She isn’t responsible for her birth. Her parents are. It’s their own shame. Kitty is a wonderful person, and I’m proud to call her mine. I would’ve married her long before now if she would’ve agreed.”

Snow wisely remained silent.

“Castle & Snow will be fine. Her skills are an asset. Not a liability. Besides, people will soon forget about it and move on to other gossip. That’s how women work.”

Snow looked out at the work floor. “For both our sakes, I hope so.”

Warren counted on it. Gossip would subside, and business would run normally again.

They moved on to the next room, checking equipment, testing materials until they were satisfied with the refinery and covered with a thin sheen of dust and sweat. The plant would help offset the costs of production more than enough that losing a few clients wouldn’t matter.

They exited the building into moist Hawaiian air. “I’ll have the solicitors draw up a contract. We should possess it within a week or two if there aren’t objections.”

“The owner was pleased with the idea of selling it. I see no problems from his end,” Warren reassured his partner. At least that wouldn’t trouble them.

Snow tapped Warren’s arm, stopping him on the path to their carriages. “There was something else I wanted to ask.”

Warren’s lips firmed. “I don’t want to discuss my engagement further, Snow.”

“I understand that. I just wondered what happened to the chap asking after her?”

Warren shrugged. “Not sure. When I went to speak with him, he’d disappeared.”

“And that doesn’t worry you?”

“No. He hasn’t been back on the plantation since his first visit, and no one slipped him information from what I could tell. Everything points to his still being in the dark. I assume he got a false lead elsewhere and took off.” At least he hoped so.

Kitty in jeopardy wasn’t something he enjoyed. He wanted to believe the crisis had passed instead of worrying. But he wouldn’t be stupid either. “I sent out investigators of my own to track down her family and discreetly figure out why they are trying to kill her. There has to be a reason.”

“Sometimes there isn’t.”

“There is in this case.” There had to be. Nothing else made sense. To leave her alone for years, to go from a tolerant, if not loving, brother to a man who wanted her dead. Oh no, something had definitely changed.

Until he found out what, or stopped her family from coming after her, he’d keep a vigilant eye.

Right now, there were other things to worry about. Local problems that had to be dealt with. She’d been accepted by nearly everyone in society regardless of her illegitimacy, but there was still a small portion giving them grief.

His mother’s friends.

She’d proclaimed her innocence about the sabotage the day of the picnic, and without proof, he couldn’t turn her out. But they both knew the truth of what she’d done that day.

His mother would never be done sabotaging Kitty. In fact, he was confident his mother had been the one to spread the truth about Kitty’s background, damaging her standing as well as his business contracts. Again, if only he had proof.

Until then, he’d have to keep a close eye on her.

He refused to let anything come between Kitty and himself.

F
rederick Craven was
a man born to be obeyed. He wielded that power in his own home, over his wife and young children, as well as the employees in his father’s business. Not that those idiots would ever see his brilliance.

They all thought his father the gifted one. Well, they didn’t know how wrong they were. His father might have helped shore up their family’s dwindling fortune, but it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

Frederick wouldn’t be satisfied with the funds left to him. He planned on inflating them, tossing him up even further in Knickerbocker society. Only then would he be satisfied. But first, he had to right a mistake his father had made.

Oh, the old man thought he’d made a loving choice in leaving a fortune to his bastard daughter. But what would she need five million dollars for?

The sum was a pittance to what Frederick inherited, but Kitty’s inheritance came without the debilitating caveat his did.

She got it in a lump sum to do with as she pleased.

Damn Father to hell. Why would he leave a fortune free and clear to Kitty and then tie his own son’s hands? As if he needed his father’s lawyers to tell him how much he could spend and what he could use the money for.
Ludicrous.

The solution was easy. Take the money left for Kitty. If something happened to her before the funds were claimed, they reverted to him.

Free and clear.

If only the little witch hadn’t run off, causing so much trouble and expense.

He glanced at a crunched piece of parchment in his hands before releasing it. He hadn’t realized he’d crushed the letter, but it didn’t matter. He’d write another.

A knock on the door sounded as he took out another piece of cream paper. “Come in.”

“Sir.” His butler bowed low before him. “This telegram arrived for you.”

Frederick’s eyes gleamed at the man’s subservient pose. He didn’t care about the respect the gesture conveyed. He cared about the power it gave him. As tempting as it was to force the servant to stand there, his eyes downcast toward the ground, Frederick wanted the telegram. “You may rise.”

The butler offered the folded note, and Frederick’s pulse jumped. Finally. News about Kitty’s whereabouts. It had to be. “Leave me.” He didn’t bother glancing at the servant again.

A feral smile crossed his lips as he read the missive.

Found in Hawaii. Castle Sugar Plantation. Engaged. With her new situation and added protection, assignment is too risky. Terminating employment, effective immediately.

His eyes narrowed over the last part. The man dared to back out of their agreement? Who cared if Kitty was no longer a friendless orphan? Dead was dead, no matter her connections. The man was a coward.

Frederick smoothed the paper as the urge to destroy it came over him. He was better off without that lazy leech of a detective. Frederick had given the man obscene amounts of money to track down his half-sister and dispose of her. Now he’d quit with the job half done because of the higher risk?

Disgust filled him. He couldn’t trust anyone to do anything right. He could only rely upon himself to see to his interests. Kitty needed to die. It was a simple fact. If Christopher Green refused to do it, Frederick would kill her himself.

He folded the telegram, taking care to keep the edges crisp.

So, his half-sister thought she could hide from him in Hawaii? She could travel across the world, and he’d track her down. He almost laughed. It was a stroke of luck her picture had been in the paper. That little factory fire in Lawrence was the break he’d waited for. Fortunately, his men had seen it and followed the lead. Else, it might’ve taken longer to find the girl.

He set the telegram aside as he stood from the desk.

No matter. He’d dispose of her himself. It might actually make it easier that way. He could come up with some excuse for her demise and have the proof he needed to collect her inheritance upon returning to New York.

He was in the right here. Everything would align so he’d have what he wanted. It was meant to be.

And it was easy.

Kitty just had to die.