Mardi Gras Masquerade (29 page)

Looking at the floor, she whispered, “I’ll do it myself.”

“Don’t try to run away again because I’ve informed the staff that you are not to leave the house without me under any circumstances.
 
They’ll be
watchin
’!”

He dropped his hands from her shoulders to walk to the door.
 
Maria could not bring herself to look up at him.
 

Steve stopped in the doorway to say, “I’ll be back in an hour.
 
Be ready!”

Then, he was gone.
 
Maria could see no reason to stop him since he refused to believe her.
 
She sat limply on the side of the bed and stared off into space.

This whole thing had gone on far longer than she should have allowed it, but how could she have guessed that she would not get a chance to see Tienne DuPont before the wedding?
 
Now, she would have to settle this at the church in front of his family and friends.
 
Steve would see his brother publicly humiliated.
 
He would never forgive her for that.
 
Her own sense of mortification would be beyond anything she could ever have imagined.

She realized how ridiculous she would look when she walked up the aisle of the church in a wedding gown to be confronted by a stranger.
 
Tienne He would be outraged, probably thinking she actually intended to marry him as an imposter.
 
The DuPont family would have the worst possible impression of her.
 
Even if Steve could forgive her, how could he even consider having a relationship with her when his brother would always despise her? It was hopeless.

Maria’s horrors grew as she considered she might be thrown out on the street with no means of getting home.
 
Worse yet, Steve might report her to the police or even physically harm her.
 
Her dream had become a nightmare.

There was a light knock at the door.
 
Mrs. Grey peeked in to ask Maria if she wanted her help in getting into the gown.
 
There was no alternative but to say yes.
 
There were a number of small, pearls buttons on the back of the dress that she would be unable to fasten herself.

The housekeeper tried to encourage Maria to eat some of the breakfast that Steve had brought to her.
 
She was too nervous to do anything but pick at the food.
 
If Mrs. Grey had not looked at her with such concern, she would not have touched anything on the tray.

It had been so thoughtful of Steve to have carried up her breakfast.
 
When Maria had awakened, she had not guessed that that would be the last time she would share with him under such amiable conditions.
 
It was a shame she had to spoil those final moments, but it had to be done.
 
She had tried her best to save them both from imminent shame, but it was too little, too late.

There was no joy in Maria’s heart as she dressed.
 
Mrs. Grey complimented her on her appearance in kindly tones as she helped her to style her hair.
 
The woman’s benevolence only served to make Maria feel worse.

She sat there and imagined what Steve would be doing at that moment.
 
After greeting his parents after their long absence, he would probably congratulate his brother and assure him that all would be in readiness for his arrival at the church.
 
Perhaps the whole family would make an early toast to the happiness of the bride and groom.
 
These thoughts only depressed Maria further.
 
They would all be so happy, and in a short time, all of their expectations would be reduced to dust.

Mrs. Grey was very insistent that Maria should wear the diamond necklace that Steve had given her the night before.
 
It was a family tradition.
 
She had fastened it for Steve’s mother before her wedding.
 
There was no way to refuse.

After Maria had put on the long, white gloves, the housekeeper helped her to slip the sapphire engagement ring on her finger.
 
It was all such a farce that Maria nearly cried.

She sat down at her vanity table and looked at herself in the mirror.
 
The face of the frightened girl who looked back filled her with self-pity at first.
 
Then, she realized that she was not even entitled to that.

No.
 
She was a fraud and she had brought this all on herself.
 
There was no sense in crying now.
 
That would be a luxury she would have to reserve until later.

Finally, Maria made a resolution.
 
She would face whatever turmoil she had to endure with composure.
 
That might be the only virtue she had left.
 
She would do what she had to do with dignity, and then walk quietly out of Steve’s life.
 
For whatever he had felt about her, she would not give him the final proof of her weakness by letting him see her cry.

There was a knock at the door, and Steve entered the room.
 
He looked more formidable than ever . . . and more handsome, in Maria’s eyes.
 
She loved him so much, but she would not allow him to see her pain.

“Are you ready?” the man asked with no expression to indicate what he was feeling.

Maria arose and replied, “Yes.”

The bridal veil had been draped behind her for her convenience until she got to the church.
 
Steve stared at her with undeniable admiration.
 
He might have been annoyed with her earlier, yet it was clear that he was willing to push their differences aside for now . . . as long as Maria did not arouse his temper.

Mrs. Grey followed them down the staircase and up to the front door, where she wished the bride-to-be happiness.
 
Maria accepted this graciously, and then stepped out the door with Steve.

There was a whirlwind of activity in front of the house.
 
A number of vehicles were tightly parked around the circular driveway.
 
If Maria had not been too depressed to look out from her balcony that morning, she would have seen that the lawn on that side of the house had been transformed into a wonderland of tents, flowered garlands, strings of lights, buffet tables, dining tables, and platforms for the orchestra and dancing.
 
A variety of hired personnel ran back and forth from their vehicles to the site of the reception.

Maria looked at them now in confusion.
 
It was so apparent to her that the wedding would never occur that she had forgotten about the party afterward.
 
The house was fairly insulated from outside noise, but she still might have heard all the clamor if she had not been so distracted.

As she stood on the front steps and stared, Steve pulled on her arm and said, “You’ll get to see it all better later.
 
We have to go.”

Maria let out a long breath and followed him to the limousine.
 
Steve helped to keep her gown from getting unnecessarily wrinkled as she got into the vehicle.
 
As they drove down the long drive that led up to the front gates, she could only think how cruel Fate had been, to send her off as a bride with the man she loved, a man who could never be her husband.

They paused at the end of the drive to allow the gates to open.
 
From her window, Maria noticed that a workman was doing something outside by one of the brick pillars that supported one side of the gates.
 
He appeared to be attaching something to the outer wall.

“Are you having balloons put out front?” she asked.

“Nothing so tacky,” Steve assured her.

Then, just as they passed through the gateway, he asked the driver to stop.
 
As he turned to see what the man was doing, Maria’s eyes automatically followed the direction of his gaze.

It was not balloons that the man was affixing to the brick gate, but a shining bronze plaque.
 
The letters stood out boldly to read,
Maria’s Dream
.

“What’s that?” she cried out with a look of incredulity.

“It’s about time someone gave the house a name,” he calmly replied, “and it’s so appropriate after all you’ve said.
 
Don’t you think so?”

Maria settled back in her seat without saying a word.
 
Just when she had thought it could not possibly get any worse, it had.

“Speechless?” Steve asked with an amused smile.
 
Maria could only nod.
 
The drive to the church seemed interminable with every second ticking away in her mind, bringing her closer and closer to catastrophe.
 
The drive to the church ended far too soon to suit her.
 
Nobody was lingering outside.
 
She supposed that all of the guests were waiting inside.

After mustering whatever remained of her poise, Maria stepped out of the limousine.
 
Steve escorted her up the cathedral steps, holding firmly onto her arm.

To the girl’s surprise, the large reception area in the back of the church was deserted.
 
There were no eager guests waiting to see her before she walked up the aisle.
 
Then again, she had no friends here.
 
Except for Steve, everyone would be a stranger.
 
The doors to the sanctuary were closed.

Maria held on tightly to Steve’s arm for support.
 
When they walked up to the door, she pulled him to a stop.
 
The man looked her questioningly.

Meeting his eyes, she took a deep breath and said, “In a minute, you’re going to hate me, Steve.
 
I’m going to go up there and do what you want me to do, but I want you to know that I love you.
 
Outside of my family, you’re the only man I’ve ever loved.
 
No matter what happens, I want you to believe that.”

Steve looked back at her and smiled.

“I’m glad to hear you say that, butterfly,” he replied, “because I love you, too.
 
The game is over, dearest Maria.
 
This is
your
weddin
’,
our
weddin
’.”

“
Wh
. . . what do you mean?” Maria stammered?

Steve continued to smile and said, “My, you’ve been a naughty girl,
puttin
’ it off for so long as you did, and I played along with you to see what would happen.
 
I knew you weren’t Maria Fontaine right from the start.”

Maria’s eyes opened wide as she choked out, “How?”

 
“When I called the hotel after you arrived, the manager told me that my guest was not the blonde lady whom I had described.
 
I allowed him to believe that you must have changed the color of your hair.”

Maria stared at him in disbelief as he continued, “I followed you from the hallway when you first left the suite.
 
I was curious about the auburn-haired girl who pretended to be the fiancée of Tienne DuPont.
 
When that man accosted you on the levee, it gave me the perfect opportunity to get to know you while I remained incognito.
 
If you hadn’t been so adorable, I would have ended the charade then and there, but I could see that you were sweet and innocent.”

“Have you told all of this to your brother?” Maria felt afraid to ask.

“I don’t have a brother,” Steve admitted with a shrug.

This made Maria’s mouth drop open.

“You see, when you began your little deception, I decided to play along with you.
 
I
am Tienne DuPont.
 
When I’m in
France
, I use the nickname Tienne, short for Etienne.
 
If you had taken French in school, you might have known that
Etienne
is how they say
Stephen
in
France
.
 
Hence,
Steve
.”