Rue Toulouse (10 page)

The ticking of the parlor mantel clock was the only sound in the suddenly silent room. Caterine held her breath, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

“Mother, you can’t be serious,” Markus said, breaking the silence.

Regally seated in her brocaded chair, Miss Dauphine looked prepared for battle and intent on victory.

“I can assure you, Markus, I am very serious. The papers were signed this morning.”

Markus, clearly agitated, rose and headed toward the drinks cabinet. “Can I fix one for anyone else?”

Randal stared at Caterine, scowled and shook his head. “I’ll join you, Uncle Markus. The occasion certainly calls for one.”

Caterine’s eyes went from Randal to Markus and noticed her uncle’s hands weren’t steady as he poured the drinks.

“Mother, shouldn’t you have discussed your decision with us first?” Jules asked.

“No, Jules, why should I have? Ma Chérie is mine to do with as I choose. And I choose to give it to Caterine.”

Caterine braced herself as all eyes turned toward her. Her breath caught at the variety of emotions in their faces: confusion, disbelief, envy, distaste, and hatred, all focused on her. She lifted her chin high and stared defiantly back.

Silence again filled the room until Frances, barely able to control her rage, met Caterine’s eyes. Emphasizing each word as she spoke, she said, “Well, I hope you’re happy. You’ve just cheated your cousin out of her inheritance.”

Caterine opened her mouth to reply when her uncle Jules came to her defense. “Now, Frances, Caterine had nothing to do with this.”

“Don’t
now, Frances
me, Jules. She’s been manipulating your mother since she was a child, and now she’s managed to convince her to disinherit your daughter.”

Miss Dauphine’s eyes flashed with anger. “Frances, I have never been manipulated by anyone, nor do I ever intend to be. As Jules said, Caterine had nothing to do with this. She did not know my intentions until yesterday.”

“Mother, do you realize that by doing this you’re disregarding your grandmother’s wishes?” Markus asked.

Before Miss Dauphine could reply, Frances interrupted. “That’s right, Raymond. You’re an attorney. Is what she’s done legal?”

Caterine and her cousin Raymond’s eyes met. To her astonishment, he winked.

As twins, Raymond and Randal had the handsome dark looks of the Doucettes, but that’s where similarity ended. Their personalities were as different as salt and pepper. Caterine definitely preferred Raymond.

“Mother, I’m sure Clayton Butler knows what he’s doing. He’s been taking care of Grandmère’s affairs for years.”

Miss Dauphine nodded. “Thank you, Raymond. That’s correct. And to answer your question, Frances, I’ve done nothing illegal.”

“It’s not only Charlotte that’s being disinherited. What about my Paulette?” Hyacinth said, glowering at Caterine.

Through narrowed eyes, Paulette looked from Caterine to Miss Dauphine and back to her mother and simpered, “Mother, I don’t understand. Why does Grandmère dislike me so?”

Caterine waited for her grandmother’s response. Her expression of exasperation warned that they were about to push her beyond the limits of her patience.

“Paulette, my decision has nothing to do with whether I love you or not. I feel Caterine is the right one to take over ownership of Ma Chérie. This is strictly business.”

Charlotte jumped to her feet and began to pace. “That’s all well and good, Grandmère, but what I want to know is where exactly does this decision of yours leave Paulette and me? Are we SOL or what?”

“Really, Charlotte.” Frances gave her a disapproving scowl.

“What, Mother? Don’t you think we have a right to know who would inherit Ma Chérie if something were to happen to Caterine?” Charlotte stiffened. “Why are you all staring at me? Anything could happen to her. Why, her own mother was already dead at the age Caterine is now.”

A deafening silence filled the room. A chill went up Caterine’s spine as she gazed into each face.

Two spots of color stained Miss Dauphine’s cheeks as she slowly rose. In a voice taut with anger, she spoke. “Your despicable behavior here tonight has proven to me once and for all that my decision to place the welfare of Ma Chérie in Caterine’s hands was exactly what I needed to do. So there’s no confusion, Charlotte, if Caterine were to precede me in death, the business would revert back to me. Currently her will states that after my death Charlotte would be next in line to inherit, but as sole owner Caterine has the authority to leave Ma Chérie to whomever she wishes.

“Now, neither Caterine nor I plan on leaving this world soon, so hear me and hear me well. If any of you try and interfere with my decision, or with Caterine and the running of Ma Chérie . . .” Here she paused. “Trust me, you will live to regret it.” Her head held high, Miss Dauphine swept from the room.

With her family’s eyes boring into her, Caterine felt like a trapped mouse surrounded by hungry cats. She knew tonight’s events had shaken her grandmother more than she let show. She decided to leave her family to stew in their anger and go check on her. She took a deep breath, stood, and confronted the group.

“As Grandmère said, I knew nothing about this until yesterday. I don’t really care if you believe me, but believe this—Grandmère has entrusted me with Ma Chérie, and I intend on living up to that trust. As long as I’m alive, Ma Chérie will be run according to Grandmère’s wishes.”

Caterine hadn’t taken but a few steps out into the hall when Frances’ voice stopped her. Unable to help herself, she crept silently back and listened outside the door.

“Jules, your mother is eighty-two and becoming senile,” Frances was saying. “This situation is outrageous. I want to know what you intend to do about it.”

“The papers have been signed. There’s nothing I can do.”

“I agree with Frances. Miss Dauphine has lost her mind,” Hyacinth said. “There has to be some way to stop this.”

“Hey, don’t y’all look at me,” Raymond replied. “I’m a corporate attorney. I told you, Clayton Butler knows what he’s doing.”

“What about assigning someone to have power of attorney over her affairs?” Frances asked.

“Good luck,” Raymond said. “You’d have to get her assent, or prove that she’s incompetent to handle her own affairs.”

“There’s not a damn thing wrong with Mother’s competency,” Markus said. “She knows exactly what she’s doing.”

“Mama, I still don’t understand why Grandmère gave Ma Chérie to Caterine,” Paulette said. “Why does she always get everything she wants?”

“Because she’s been pampered and spoiled and raised to believe she’s special and better than the rest of you,” Hyacinth snapped. “But she’s about to learn differently. There are others in this family who have just as many rights.”

“I, for one, am sick and tired of the little goody-two-shoes preying on Grandmère’s sympathy,” Charlotte said.

Her anger rising, Caterine was about to reenter the room when Uncle Jules spoke.

“That’s enough. Caterine was devastated when her parents were killed. Who wouldn’t have pitied that child? I don’t blame Mother and Daddy in the least for sheltering and surrounding her with love and affection. Now, if Mother has decided to give Ma Chérie to Caterine, so be it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Frances said. “I’m not going to sit by and let Caterine walk away with Ma Chérie.”

“That’s right,” Hyacinth added. “Something must be done.”

“Y’all can sit here bitching and moaning about the injustice of it all, but you’re wasting your time,” Randal said. “Caterine has loved Ma Chérie since she was a little girl.” He laughed. “So it seems to me the only way to get control of Ma Chérie would be if Grandmère and Caterine were both dead.”

Chapter Ten

Caterine stood frozen in disbelief outside the parlor door. After Randal’s chilling remark, the room had gone quiet.

Until her uncle Jules broke the silence. “As Randal said, sitting here going on and on about this is pointless. Mother has made a decision. Caterine now owns Ma Chérie. And glowering at me, Frances, isn’t going to change that. Like it or not, we have to accept this and go on.”

At sounds of her family stirring, Caterine ran into the darkened dining room. She peered through a crack in the door, watching as her uncles and Raymond went into the library, Randal and Charlotte left through the front door, and her aunts and Paulette headed upstairs.

Caterine made sure the entry hall was empty, then hurried into the parlor to retrieve her purse.

“Well, little cousin, you’ve created quite a family uproar.”

Startled, Caterine turned to see Raymond leaning against the parlor doorway.

“For heaven’s sake, Ray, you about gave me a heart attack.”

He smiled. “Sorry, I was coming out of the library and saw your mad dash from the dining room. So how much did you overhear?”

Caterine shrugged. “Not much.” Even though she liked Ray, she wasn’t about to let him know she’d heard it all.

“You’ve managed to really piss off the family this time.”

Caterine snorted. “No kidding. It would have been pretty hard to miss that.”

“Keep your powder dry, little cousin.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means watch your back.”

Caterine’s mouth had suddenly gone dry. “Ray, you’re scaring me.”

“Good.” Without another word, he turned and went out the front door.

As she had many times before, Caterine felt alone, an outcast in her own family. She grabbed her purse and, with tears streaming down her cheeks, ran to the solace of her carriage house.

In a bedroom upstairs, Paulette lay propped up against a mound of lace-edged pillows. At the foot of the bed, Hyacinth paced.

“I will not see all my dreams destroyed by that batty old lady nor her brat of a granddaughter.”

Paulette scowled. “Yes, well, what can we do about it?” She chose another chocolate from the box by her side. “Once again Caterine has gotten her way. It’s really too bad she didn’t die with her parents.”

Hyacinth snorted. “That certainly would have made things a lot simpler. After the accident, Caterine should have been sent to live with her mother’s people in Virginia, but, of course, Miss Dauphine wouldn’t allow that. No, she had to stay right here where she could be coddled and pampered. It was enough to make me sick.”

“Remember how Charlotte and I used to torment Caterine?” Paulette said with a satisfied smirk. “Like the time I tore the head off her favorite doll and threw it in the pond?” She smiled. “She cried for weeks. And the time Charlotte locked her in the closet and she peed her pants? Grandmère was furious.” Anger replaced her humor. “Bobby told Grandmère I was the one who did it. I don’t care if he is my brother, I hate him about as much as I do Caterine.”

Hyacinth’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Bobby is as much mine as you are. I will not have you bad-mouthing him. Caterine has always been a conniving little brat who played on Bobby’s sympathetic nature.”

“Mother, you always take his side. What about me?”

Hyacinth threw up her hands in exasperation. “Oh, for God’s sake, Paulette, why do you think I want you to learn how to run Ma Chérie? Since the day I entered this house, Miss Dauphine has treated me as if I wasn’t good enough for her precious son. Well, I’ll show her. When you’re in charge, they’ll all have to respect us. And if she thinks she’s outwitted me, she’s mistaken.”

Paulette frowned. “But what about Charlotte? I can’t have Ma Chérie as long as she’s around.”

Hyacinth gave a dismissive wave. “Charlotte can be easily dealt with. It’s Miss Dauphine and Caterine that’s our problem.”