Dreaming in Color by Cameron Dane (mobi reader .TXT) 📗

“I already thought about that,” Colin said. A frown pulled at his mouth. “But they might stake a claim or want ownership of the stuff, and I don't want to give it up.” He clutched the book even tighter to his body.

Of course. “Then as the owner of this house, and thus I would think all of the contents within, I say go ahead and hang onto it and keep your mystery.”

“Thank you.” Colin smiled so big Marek would have thought he had just offered the man a million dollars. But Marek already knew, for Colin, these little treasures connected to this house were a thousand times more wanted and valued than money.

Shifting to a more comfortable position, Marek leaned in and pried the book away from Colin's chest. He opened it, but left it in Colin's capable hands. “Have you discovered anything interesting about our Beatrice and Stewart thus far?” he asked.

“Yes.” The man practically jumped to attention and saluted. “Okay, so this first journal starts with Beatrice's journey to Australia. She is the friend of a wealthy young woman, Minnie, and acts as a traveling companion for her during the month-long trip; Minnie's father is in Australia to learn about and possibly invest in a huge ranching operation. The girls are nineteen. Anyway, on the third night in Australia, they all attend this big fancy party. Stewart is there, and Beatrice finds him very attractive from the moment she sets eyes on him. She keeps searching for where he is the entire evening and eventually manages to get right beside where he is engaging in a conversation with some other people.”

“Enterprising young woman.” Marek grinned, responding to the little-kid joy in Colin's voice. “Good for her.”

“Right. Well, turns out everything is almost ruined before it can begin.”

“What happened?”

“Beatrice overhears Stewart talking with great confidence and authority about something to do with agriculture; I couldn't quite figure out what the talk was about exactly. Anyway, she knows what he's saying is wrong, and in her head, she's lecturing herself to keep her mouth shut, but that's not who she is, so she ends up butting into the conversation and correcting him. Very nicely and with respect, she insists.”

“Absolutely,” Marek agreed, his voice sage. “She had a crush on him already, after all.”

Colin crossed his arms and pulled a funny face. “And now you're humoring me.”

“No, I'm not. I swear. I really am interested.” Marek forced his face and voice to sober. “Go on.”

“Okay, so Stewart heartily disagrees with her, insisting he's right. Beatrice knows he isn't. She's quite certain. So much so that she knows Minnie's father can answer the question with authority and dares Stewart to go to the man and settle their disagreement once and for all. Stewart very confidently agrees, and the whole entourage that has gathered to hear this dispute follows along.” Colin stopped, and the soft light captured the twinkle in his green eyes. “Who do you think turned out to be right?”

“I'm going to guess since you're reading Beatrice's journal that she was the victor.”

Colin nodded. “Indeed she was. And with that win, and the raucous ribbing Stewart took from the other men at the party afterward, Beatrice figured a man put in place in public by a woman wasn't likely to ever seek out that woman for conversation again.”

“But he did.”

“The very next morning, in fact,” Colin shared. Such pride filled his voice Marek would have thought Colin a direct descendant of Stewart's, if he didn't know better. “Stewart was a big, brash man. He located the house the family was renting for the month and walked right up to the front door, knocked, and asked Beatrice to accompany him out for a meal.”

Marek scooted in closer and spread his legs on either side of Colin, seeking additional intimacy. His body rolled with tension, and he knew he was getting caught up in the story. “Would that have been proper back then?” he asked.

Colin shrugged. “I don't know, but Minnie's father wasn't home, and Minnie and a maid went with them, so I guess in that sense it wasn't too scandalous.” He put the journal down in his lap and laid his hands to rest on Marek's thighs, squeezing. “Turns out Stewart got a charge out of Beatrice challenging him, and he appreciated her balls.”

“Well…”

“You know what I mean.” Colin pushed at Marek and smacked his leg. “You see, at that point, Stewart only owned one sugarcane plantation and not a terribly large, profitable one at that. He had big plans, though, and he knew any woman he brought into his life would need to be strong and willing to suffer through some lean times before he would be able to put her in a grand house and give her the world. Stewart was a bit of a gambler, you see, and probably shouldn't even have been let into that fancy party. Turns out, he didn't have an invitation. When Minnie's father found out Beatrice had been stepping out with Stewart, he forbade her to see him again, calling him an upstart, coarse, and unworthy of Beatrice's time. By that point, Stewart had already charmed the knickers off Beatrice—not literally, but emotionally—and she was in love with him. In the middle of the night, Beatrice slipped out of the house and went to Stewart. When she told him what happened, Stewart told her to stay with him in Australia, and he married her shortly thereafter. She only saw Minnie one more time, when she went back to the house to get her clothes. She never went back to America.”

“Man, that's quite a story.” Marek whistled, and the sound echoed in the attic. “Beatrice made a bold, risky choice.”

“She trusted her gut. They did go through hard times and had very little in terms of money and lifestyle for a while, but then Stewart acquired a second sugarcane operation, this one in Fiji, as a win in an all-night card