Southern Beauty - By Julie Lucia Page 0,33
to find out what happen last night. I need to know if she is safe.”
# # #
“What is she doing here?” Clarice asked Rene. “Are we taken in strays now?”
“Miss Lee is here as my guest, and I advise you to keep your voice down, she should be coming in any time now.” Rene ignored his sister’s question.
“Please tell me you’re making jest. You aren’t seriously into her? You can do so much better, you have many times.” Clarice continued.
“Oh Clarice, don’t be vulgar,” Rene snapped.
“Do I have to remind you her parents fled to Paris in financial ruin and left her here alone, destitute,” Clarice recapped.
“All the more reason she needs friends,” Rene defended her.
“Friends, please Rene, you can’t be just friends with women. Especially that one! She is a Lee.”
“Her uncle is well respected, a West Point graduate,” explained Rene.
“And a Union one, she is a traitor! We have a traitor in our home,” announced Clarice. “I won’t have it. I want her out by morning.”
“We only left the union a week ago,” said Rene with one raised eyebrow at his sister’s ranting. “Clarice you are being emotional. What do you have against her?”
“What do I have against her you say? She ruined all my plans for engagement to the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes upon. He left my party looking for her.”
“Such nonsense from you, you couldn’t be engaged as much as I,” laughed Rene. “We are alike Clarice. There is no one that could entice us enough to only want one lover forever.”
“I thought maybe he could be,” she laughed, “well at least he could be fun for awhile.” They both smiled.
“Well, maybe that is how I feel about Johanna,” said Rene. “I am actually having fun trying to win her heart.”
“Why do you care to win her heart?” asked Clarice curious now.
“She is mesmerizing. I can’t seem to get her out of my mind,” confessed Rene.
“Rene, I am not wasting another minute talking about someone who won’t matter to you by tomorrow,” Clarice ignored his comment. “Listen, my soldier has sent me a telegram and is coming here today, I need her to be out of the house, and I don’t want her to distract him from me.”
“How could anyone be distracted with you in the room?” asked Rene.
“Well, I am sure she will find a way,” said Clarice pouting. “She is a devil that one. She just wants to hurt me.”
“She has too much class to worry about you. She is an angel,” Rene exclaimed sighing.
“Oh Rene, I hardly thinks so,” said Clarice surprised by her brother’s new infatuation. “You need to get her out of here. I don’t want her here, understood?”
“Okay, I will take her out for the day, but she is staying as my guest for as long as I want,” explained Rene.
“Fine, just don’t be here when he gets here,” said Clarice frowning as she thought about them together and left the room.
Johanna approached Rene missing Clarice all together.
“Good morning, I pray you slept well.” Rene said as he sat at the breakfast table holding a chair for Johanna.
“I did, thank you Mr. Beauregard,” she smiled.
“Oh, are we using formal names again? I thought we were friends,” Rene asked a bit disappointed.
“Do you have any idea how I can get in touch with my uncle?” she ignored his comments.
“Actually I sent a telegram this morning to my father letting him know that you were my guest and to contact Colonel Lee.,” replied Rene.
“Oh, thank you, Mr. Beauregard,” Johanna said relieved.
“It is my pleasure to serve you,” he smiled delighted he could make her happy. “What happened to Malcolm? I thought he was escorting you to Arlington?”
“He was, I was supposed to meet him at the hotel, he never showed up,” explained Johanna as she took a bite of her biscuit.
“Well that’s no way to treat a lady,” Rene said.
“No it’s not,” Johanna concurred.
“Why were you in the basement of the hotel anyway?” Rene asked.
“I thought Malcolm was down there,” said Johanna. “I was led by some woman dressed in a cloak.”
“You followed a woman in a cloak to the basement in a hotel?” Rene questioned Johanna’s sanity.
“I know. Not a very intelligent decision,” she slightly laughed. “I guess I just got caught up in all the cloak and dagger secrecy stuff. My uncle insisted I not trust anyone. I had to learn this lesson the hard way.”
“Well, you can trust me,” Rene smiled and Johanna returned the