Authors: Julie Ortolon
Oh,
mon cher
,
I was so wrong. Love is always worth fighting for. I should have let Jacque fight with me, rather than trying to keep him safe. I should have followed my heart, wherever it took me, no matter the cost. If I had, we would not have been apart so long.
And they had been apart a long time, Chloe realized. For a hundred and fifty years, Marguerite had been tied to the house with Jack trapped on his ship. The punishment seemed far too harsh for Marguerite’s well-intentioned sacrifice.
In the reflection, Marguerite glanced over her shoulder. When she looked back, a smile softened her face.
Find your courage to fight for love,
mon cher
, to follow your heart. Wherever love leads you is the place where you belong.
Marguerite turned and started walking down the beach. Chloe struggled to keep the mirror turned so she could watch her. The further Marguerite moved away, the more Chloe could see of her full body. She wore a beautiful, full-skirted, lavender dress with lace trim. Then Chloe saw another figure in the mirror.
“Captain Jack,” she breathed. He looked every bit as dashing as she’d always imagined, wearing a full-sleeved white shirt, skin-tight black breeches, and thigh-high jackboots. He held his hand out to Marguerite. She took it, tilting her face to him. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss to her mouth. When he lifted his head, he looked at Chloe and smiled before he led Marguerite farther down the beach.
They faded away until the mirror reflected only waves lapping at the sand.
“Whoa.” Chloe lowered the mirror. Had that really just happened?
As her shock faded, Marguerite’s words sank in. Marguerite wished she’d let Jack fight with her. Hadn’t Luc said the same when they’d played Vortal as allies? That she needed to trust him more?
Could they both be right? John was formidable, but Luc was smart and determined when going after what he wanted. His cunning combined with her experience with John’s tactics could form a mighty force if they stood united. She’d been tempered by years of enduring her family’s fire. She’d learned to stand on her own and brave any pain, but maybe the time had come for her to stop standing alone.
Fear fluttered through her at the possible consequences. So many people could get hurt if she followed her heart.
Struggling with what to do, she glanced up the beach in the direction of the inn. Her breath caught at the sight of Luc walking toward her. She rose in a rush, then stood frozen in place. Her heart raced at the thought that he’d come for her.
~ ~ ~
Luc watched surprise wash over Chloe’s face as he drew closer. Then his gaze dropped to her hands and he saw what she held. The necklace. Too many emotions hit him at once for him to sort through them.
“Luc,” she said breathlessly when he reached her. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to settle something with you,” he told her, anxiety forming a band around his chest.
“Yes?” She looked so wary, yet so beautiful with the wind lifting her hair, he wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her. He couldn’t do that, though, until she decided to trust him enough to fight for what they had, and to let him fight by her side.
“I know I said to give John the necklace, but I’ve changed my mind.” He looked down at the piece, longing to touch it but resisting that need. “If you do that, he wins. I can’t let that happen. Not because I care about the necklace, but because I care about
you
. I’d rather see you throw the necklace in the cove than have you give in to John’s threats.”
“You can’t mean that.” Her eyes widened.
“I do,” he insisted. “Let him take away your trust fund. Let him threaten to cut you off from your family. Once Diane marries Harold, John’s threats will be meaningless. You’ll have Harold Bradford as a stepfather, and he’s not the kind of man who will let a bully like John LeRoche use wealth to control the people he loves.”
Chloe’s eyebrows went up. “You’ve been thinking about this quite a bit.”
“It’s a long drive from New Orleans.”
“You drove?” She looked at the sky, confirming the sun hadn’t climbed any higher than mid-morning.
“All night,” he told her, thinking of the miserable hours he’d spent with his emotions in knots. “I had a lot of time to think, and I spent most of it thinking about you.” Giving into need, he cupped her face in one hand. “You’re stronger than this, Chloe. You’re brave enough to stand up to a tyrant like John LeRoche.”
“I can stand anything,” she told him, her eyes watering. “Except the thought of him hurting you.”
“I’d like to see him try.” He dropped his hand as fury at John filled him. “Or do you think I lack the nerve to fight back?”
“No.” Wonder filled her face as she grabbed his hand. “I don’t think you lack anything.”
“Then don’t stand in front of me trying to shield me when you could stand beside me.”
“I’m sorry.” She blinked rapidly.
The sight of her tears slammed the brakes on his rant. He was angry for her, not at her. Didn’t she know that?
“It’s okay.” Stepping closer, he cupped her face again. His voice gentled but lost none of his conviction. “It’s time to fight back. But let me fight with you. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but whatever he throws at us, we stand together. All right?”
She looked up at him a long time before she swallowed. “All right.”
“Seriously?” He blinked.
“Because you’re right. What we have is worth fighting for. Whatever happens, I want to be with you.” Joy and conviction blossomed over her face. “But I’m not throwing the necklace into the cove. I’ll give it to your grandmother, and then move in with you.”
“Oh, thank God!” He scooped her into his arms. “I knew you had a warrior in you. Which is why I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Her arms tightened about his neck.
“As for giving the necklace to my grandmother,” he said, setting her back on her feet, “you don’t need to do that. I only care about you
not
giving it to John.”
“I don’t understand.” A frown dimpled her brow. “Of course I’m going to give it to Adelaide.”
“She won’t accept it.”
“Why not?”
He exhaled a breath, wondering where to begin. “I went to see Mémère before I came here. That’s when she told me the truth. Turns out, she never wanted the necklace back.”
“What?” Chloe pulled back, startled.
“My sentiments exactly!” he agreed. Stepping away, he paced in exasperation. “Oh, when she first realized it was gone, she genuinely mourned losing it. But it wasn’t the mirror she missed, it was that phase of her life. Even though the mirror in the pendant helped her natural talent as a fortuneteller, as far as she was concerned the most important thing about the necklace was that her husband gave it to her. Papa died a year before Katrina hit, and she wasn’t prepared to lose something so closely tied to the love of her life.”
“Then why doesn’t she want the necklace back?”
“That’s what I wondered.” He shook his head, feeling as stupefied as Chloe looked. “These last few years, whenever I’d ask her if she missed being a fortuneteller, and she said yes, I took it at face value. Especially since she broke down crying when I showed her the article about you finding the necklace. She begged me to go after it.”
He ran his hands through his hair, remembering how her reaction had torn him apart. He would have done anything in that moment to take her anguish away.
“Turns out I totally misunderstood,” he continued. “Actually, I think she wanted me to misunderstand, because she knew I wouldn’t come here if she had been completely straight with me.” He faced Chloe, still stunned over how his grandmother had manipulated him. “She didn’t want me to come here to get the necklace. She wanted me to come here to get you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Mémère always said our futures were entwined. She thinks the mirror knew I loved you, and that you were my destiny, so this is how it brought us together.”
“Why would she say that?” Chloe frowned. “Did she know you had a crush on me?”
“Of course she knew. When you have a fortuneteller for a grandmother, there’s no keeping secrets.” Seeing Chloe’s stunned expression, he took her hand in his. The necklace dangled by its chain, flashing in the sun between them. “The point is, she’s right. You’re my future, Chloe. I want to spend my life with you.”
“Oh God.” She looked ready to faint, so he tightened his hold on her hands.
“I know you worry that it won’t work out,” he said, searching her eyes. “But, every couple takes that chance. In my family, it usually pays off. Look at my parents. Or my grandparents. They had a long, good life together.”
“Because of the necklace,” she breathed in wonder. “You said its power is to strengthen love.”
“Or because they loved each other even without the necklace,” he countered. “Regardless, Mémère says the necklace belongs to you now.”
He watched Chloe stare at the necklace for a while, then lift her eyes to him.
“I want to give it to you,” she said in a rush.
“Why?” he asked, first in confusion and then in disappointment as the answer came to him. “To hedge your bet on things working out for us?”
“No.” She shook her head. Her tears returned, but she looked happy this time. “As a token of love. Because I really do love you.” She pressed the pendant into his hand. “You are my champion, and I want you to have it.”
He stared down as the magic of it warmed his palm, raced up his arm. It filled him with a sense of reassurance. A reassurance of love.
“All right.” Curling his fingers around the pendant, he looked at her. “I’ll accept it. On one condition.” He watched a frown tighten her brow and gathered his courage. Nerves had his heart climbing into his throat. “That you marry me.”
He caught her by the elbows when her knees buckled.
“It’s okay,” he said, suddenly panicked. “I know love scares you, and marriage probably terrifies you—”
“No,” she said, as tears tumbled from her eyes. “I’m not scared. I’m not!” She wrapped her arms about his neck. “I’m happy. For the first time in my life, I am absolutely happy.”
“Then you’ll say yes?” He held her for a second, absorbing her words. Then he pulled back to see her face. “Not because the necklace gives you courage, but because you love me and you believe what we have will last.”
“Yes,” she whispered, then took a breath to speak stronger. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Thank God.” He lifted her up into his arms and twirled her about. Her laughter wrapped about him, filling him with joy.
Lowering her to the ground, he gazed at her face in wonder. Beautiful, brave Chloe was going to marry him. He touched his lips to hers to seal their promise. She leaned into him, returning the kiss eagerly. As their mouths and bodies moved together, all the knots of anxiety released one at a time, allowing his muscles to tighten with something far more pleasant. Desire.
Just as heat started to build, a gust of wind swirled around them, reminding him where they were.
Ending the kiss reluctantly, he glanced up, expecting to see clouds gathering. The temperature had dropped, but the sky remained clear. Relieved they weren’t about to get doused, he looked back down into Chloe’s beautiful eyes.
“I love you,” he said, feeling his chest swell with emotion.
“I love you, too.” She smiled up at him, happy and trusting. Finally trusting. In life, in love, and in happiness. Another gust of wind swirled around them, making her shiver.
“How about we go inside?” he suggested. “It’s getting chilly out here.”
“You’re right, it is.” As if just noticing the shift in weather, she glanced about. “It’s a little late in the year for a cool front.”
“I can think of other reasons to go inside,” he said, keeping one arm around her.
“I can, too,” she laughed as they started toward the trail that led to her cottage. A wave raced up the beach, the frothy foam nearly reaching their feet. When it retreated, it left something behind.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” Luc scooped up the soggy item, then stared in shock. “My sketchpad! It’s intact. Wet, but look, the drawings are all fine.”
“It can be dried out,” Chloe told him. “When they excavated the
Freedom
, they found some old ledgers and manifests. The curators salvaged them.”
“I can’t believe it just washed up right in front of us.”
“Jack,” Chloe breathed, excitement lighting her eyes. “Jack returned it.”
Luc looked around, but saw nothing unusual. Just a long stretch of beautiful beach to either side of them with the gentle waves caressing the sand beneath a bright blue sky. The chill in the air had vanished, which made him shiver for an entirely different reason.
“Thank you,” he said in a slightly raised voice before looking back down in awe.
“I’m so glad you have it back,” Chloe said, marveling over its return.