Counterfeit Lady (James River Trilogy 1)

Gerard adjusted his cravat, then turned to Bianca. She was standing with her back to the tree, her eyes frightened. “What in the world is wrong with you?” he snapped.

“I’ve never seen you like that,” she whispered.

“What you mean is you’ve never seen a man protect the woman he loves.” He continued when he saw her frown. “I had to ensure that she wouldn’t tell what she’d heard.”

“She will. Of course she will.”

“No! Not after what I said. She’s insane, didn’t you know?”

“Who is she? She looks like Nicole.”

He hesitated. “Her mother.” He went on before she could ask more questions, “Meet me tomorrow at one o’clock where we had the picnic. We’ll make plans there.”

“You’ll bring lunch?” she asked eagerly.

“Of course. Now you must go before someone sees you. I don’t want us seen together…Yet,” he added. He took her hand and directed her to the wharf.

When Nicole returned from the mill, Janie greeted her at the door with a solemn face. “Your mother’s having a bad one. Nobody can calm her down.”

A horrible scream threatened to shake the roof from the little house, and Nicole ran up the stairs.

“Mother!” Nicole said, and tried to put her arms around her mother. Adele’s lovely face was distorted so badly it was almost unrecognizable.

“The babies!” Adele shrieked, flailing her arms about wildly. “The babies! Their heads! They’ll murder them, kill them. Blood everywhere!”

“Mother, please. You are safe!” Nicole was speaking in French, as was Adele.

Janie stood at the head of the stairs. “She seemed to be upset about the twins. Is that what she’s saying?”

Nicole struggled with her mother’s arms. “I think so. She’s talking about the babies. Maybe she means one of my cousins.”

“I don’t think so. She came tearing into the house a few minutes ago and tried to hide the twins in the little closet under the stairs.”

“I hope the children aren’t upset.”

Janie shrugged. “They’re used to her. They crouched in the closet, then got out when I got her upstairs.”

“He’ll kill them!” Adele screamed. “I didn’t know him. I never knew him. The fat lady will kill them, too.”

“What’s she saying now?” Janie asked.

“Just nonsense. Could you get some laudanum? I think the only way she’ll calm down is if she sleeps.”

When Janie was gone, Nicole continued to try to soothe her mother, but Adele was wild, frantic. She kept talking of murder and the guillotine and a fat woman. When Adele mentioned Clayton, she gained Nicole’s full attention.

“What about Clay?” Nicole asked.

Adele’s eyes were wild, her hair flying. “Clay! They will kill him, too. And my babies, all my babies. Everyone’s babies. They killed the queen. They’ll kill Clay.”

“Who will kill Clay?”

“Them. The baby-killers!”

Janie stood at Nicole’s shoulder. “She looks like she’s trying to tell you something. It almost sounded as if she said Clay’s name.”

Nicole took the cup of tea from Janie. “Drink this, Mother. It will make you feel much better.”

It didn’t take long for the laudanum to take effect. Downstairs, Gerard was just entering the house.