The Bride of the Delta Queen (The Americana Series Book 18) Read online

  The request caught Selena completely by surprise. "I—" She couldn't seem to get any answer out.

  "As crazy as it sounds, I've never traveled anywhere alone," Julia admitted with a self-deprecating laugh.

  "Never?" echoed Selena, although she didn't know why she was astounded. Julia had obviously led an unusually sheltered life.

  "Never. Sophie, my cousin, usually goes with me. She accompanied me on the cruise where I met Leslie."

  "Well then, maybe she—" Selena began.

  "Could come along this time?" Julia finished the phrase and laughed, a throaty, amused sound. "I think not. She despised Leslie. I think she was jealous. Sophie is a few years younger than I am and much more attractive, but Leslie didn't look at her once on the cruise."

  It was unnecessary for Julia to explain that her cousin would violently oppose the elopement.

  "I suppose it wouldn't be a good idea to have her go with you," Selena conceded.

  "But I would enjoy it very much if you could come along, Selena. And I know you'd enjoy the cruise. It's eleven days up the Mississippi River into the Ohio to Cincinnati. There's entertainment and dancing aboard as well as other activities. And the Delta Queen stops at various river ports along the way, interesting and historical cities that I know you would like to see."

  It did sound tempting, Selena admitted silently. She would certainly see more of the country than just New Orleans and more than the mile-high jet flight home would permit.

  "I'm sure it would be very interesting," she admitted as she tried to find a gentle way to refuse the request. "But—"

  "You did say you were on vacation," Julia reminded her, not appearing to understand Selena's hesitation.

  "I am."

  "How silly of me!" Julia exclaimed suddenly. "Of course, you're hesitant because of the cost. You mustn't worry about that, dear. I'll gladly pay your fare."

  "It isn't a question of money. I can pay my own way," Selena asserted quickly.

  "Gracious! Here I am making all these plans and I don't even know if there's a room available. Sometimes you have to make reservations for these cruises months in advance," Julia explained, as she walked toward the telephone in the small sitting room. "I'll call to see."

  "But it's Sunday," was the only protest Selena could offer in her astonishment. She felt as if she was caught in a whirlwind.

  Julia tossed her a twinkling glance that made her look very young. "This is one time when it's an advantage to have Barkley for a surname." And she picked up the telephone receiver.

  Later that afternoon in her hotel room, Selena wondered how in the world Julia had succeeded in persuading her to go on the cruise. Somehow she had been gently bulldozed into agreeing. Not that she minded, since the cruise on the old steamboat sounded as if it would be interesting and unusual.

  Selena had convinced Julia that she would pay her own way before she had left the apartment, assuring the older woman that she didn't require or expect financial assistance from her. Besides, the fare wasn't that much more than Selena had expected to pay for her hotel and meals during her stay in New Orleans.

  She was to meet Julia at four o'clock the next afternoon at the riverboat terminal on the wharf. Glancing at her luggage, Selena was glad she had unpacked less than half of her clothes. It wouldn't take her long to pack, which meant she would have time to see more of New Orleans before she left. Flexibility had always been one of her key traits, she reminded herself.

  However, there was one thing she had to take care of before she left. Opening her purse, she took out the folded bills and removed a hotel envelope from the drawer of the nightstand. The simplest and least risky way of returning the money to the man would be to slip it in an envelope under his door.

  Sealing the money in the envelope, she reached for the telephone and dialed his room number. When it rang the fourth time with no answer, Selena was convinced the coast was clear and started to hang up.

  The receiver was halfway to its cradle when an impatient male voice crackled into the room, "Yes?" Her hand froze guiltily. At her continued silence, the commanding male voice came over the phone again. "Who is this? What room were you calling?"

  There was no question in her mind that the voice belonged to the man whose money she held in her hand. Very quietly, she hung up the telephone. She would have to wait until later to return it to him when there wasn't a chance of her being caught slipping the envelope under his door.

  At midmorning on Monday, there was no answer when she dialed his room. With the envelope in hand, Selena left her room and started down the hallway to his. She nearly turned around and darted for the safety of her own room when she saw his door standing open. Then she heard the hum of a vacuum cleaner and walked closer. The maid was in the room cleaning.

  Sighing in exasperation, Selena decided there had to be another way of getting the envelope to him. That was when it dawned on her that she could leave it at the desk for him. Immediately she took the elevator to the lobby.

  "May I help you, miss?" One of the younger male clerks inquired when Selena approached the front desk. The sweeping look of admiration he gave her was thinly disguised behind a polite smile.

  "Would it be possible to leave a message for one of your other guests?" Selena fingered the envelope nervously.

  "Of course. What room number, please?" he requested with an intensely curious gleam in his eyes.

  Selena gave it to him. He frowned and glanced at his records. "I'm sorry, miss, but that room is vacant."

  "Vacant? But there was a gentleman—" she began.

  "He checked out this morning," the clerk explained.

  Selena nibbled at the inside of her lower lip for a thoughtful second, then asked, "Would you give me his name and address, please, so I could mail it to him?"

  "I'm sorry, miss," he said smiling apologetically, "but the hotel isn't permitted to give out that information."

  "I see," she murmured dejectedly, and managed a smile. "Thank you."

  As she walked slowly away from the desk, she wondered what she was going to do with the money. She couldn't keep it, that was certain. But now it was impossible to return it to him. That only left one choice—to give it away to a charitable institution where it would do some good.

  She walked to the nearest phone booth and copied the name and address of a local branch of a national organization onto the envelope. With a postage stamp from her purse, she stuck it in the corner and dropped the envelope in the hotel's mailbox.

  A wry smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. At least the incident had ended on a redeeming note, she thought.

  Chapter Three

  FOLLOWING JULIA BARKLEY over the gangplank onto the boat, Selena felt a rush of excitement and nostalgia fill her. If it wasn't for the orange Volkswagen with the black letters Steamer Delta Queen painted on its doors that was parked on the bow of the boat, she could have been stepping into another era.

  Polished wood gleamed darkly in the wide stairwell leading to the second deck of the boat where fellow passengers were milling around the large and gracious sitting room. Julia didn't pause to let Selena take in the furnishings but continued straight to the purser's office at the end of the room.

  A tall, uniformed man was talking to one of the porters, but when his ever-roving gaze touched on Julia Barkley, a smile wreathed his face. With a quick word to the white-coated porter, he stepped forward to meet her, extending his hand.

  "Miss Julia, it's good to have you aboard with us again," he declared with beaming sincerity. "I understand congratulations are in order," he winked, and squeezed Julia's hand.

  Selena smiled at the blush that colored the older woman's cheeks. It made her look very youthful and vulnerable and also very happy. "Yes, they are, Douglas. Thank you," Julia said. "And it's good to be aboard the Delta Queen again. How is your father?"

  "He's fine, Miss Julia, just fine." His blue eyes flicked their attention to Selena, then beyond her. "Where's your cousin, Miss Sophie? Isn
't she with you?"

  "No, not this time. She wasn't able to come. But Selena—Miss Merrick—is traveling with me." Julia turned to draw Selena forward. "Selena, this is the chief purser, Douglas Spender."

  "We're pleased to have you aboard with us, Miss Merrick," he said as he shook her hand.

  Selena had the distinct impression that he meant it and was not simply issuing polite words of welcome. Neither, on the other hand, was he making a pass. In his midforties, he was a tall and slender man with brown hair and blue eyes. There was a pleasant drawl to his voice and a decidedly charming way to his manner. Selena decided that she liked him.

  "I know I'm going to enjoy it." Her smile widened into dimples.

  "This is your first cruise?" he inquired.

  "Yes," Selena nodded.

  "Then I and my crew will do everything we can to insure that it will be enjoyable for you," he smiled. He clasped his hands in front of him in a gesture of decision. "I'm sure you'll want to see your cabins. Kevin—" he motioned to one of the porters, a young fair-haired man "—would you show Miss Julia and Miss Merrick to their cabins?"

  "Yes, sir." He smiled at both of them, his gaze lingering a fraction of a second longer on Selena's youthful face. "This way, please, ladies." He led them through an opened door into the wide, interior passageway leading to cabins on the same deck. "You have your customary stateroom, Miss Julia," he said, pausing in front of a door numbered 109 to open it with a key before handing it to the older woman, "Your luggage is already inside. Is there anything else you'd like right now?"

  "No, I don't believe so, Kevin." Julia smiled and glanced at Selena. "I'll meet you in the forward cabin in about twenty minutes."

  "Fine," Selena agreed, then frowned in bewilderment after Julia had closed the door.

  "Are you wondering where the forward cabin is?" the porter asked grinning.

  "Yes," she laughed with a trace of self-consciousness.

  "You just left it," he explained. "It's the sitting room where you met Doug Spender, the chief purser."

  "Thank you." She glanced over her shoulder, hoping to keep her bearings.

  "Your cabin is 237, up on the texas deck, Miss Merrick. I'll take you there now." The porter reclaimed her attention.

  She followed him as he led her down the passageway, smiling to herself.

  "Where is the texas deck?" she asked.

  "One floor up."

  "I'm never going to get these terms straight," Selena demurred.

  "It's easy. You're on the cabin deck," he explained. "Front and back are forward and aft or bow and stern. After a few days on board, they'll come naturally to you."

  "I hope so," Selena murmured with a skeptical smile. He was dealing with a landlocked girl from Iowa!

  He turned right down the short hall toward an exit door leading to the outer passageway. There was also a door on the opposite side of the boat, Selena noticed.

  As he turned to make certain she was behind him, the porter saw her glance at the other door. "We'll use this one," he said, pushing the door open. "Watch your step." He indicated the raised threshold over which Selena carefully stepped. "The odd-numbered cabins are on the port side of the boat," he said, explaining his reason for using this exit.

  "Oh, dear!" Selena laughed softly.

  Walking only a half a step ahead of her, he turned his blond head to give her an understanding grin. "As you face the bow of the boat—the front—the port side is left and the starboard is right."

  "Of course," she nodded, but the sparkling gleam in her eyes said she would never remember and the porter laughed, his gaze openly admiring. As they ascended the covered stairwell to the next deck, Selena said, "I know I'm being foolish because I'll probably forget your answer, but why is it called the texas deck?"

  "It's texas deck with a small 't'. It's customary on a riverboat for the largest deck to be called the texas deck after the largest state, Texas. At least at the time of the riverboats, it was the largest state," he explained. "And staterooms derived their names from the fact that they were named after states—the Kentucky Room, the Vermont Room, and so on."

  "Fascinating," murmured Selena.

  At the top of the stairs he stopped, producing a key from his pocket. "Your room, Miss Merrick," he announced and opened the door.

  "Thank you." She nodded, and added with a smile, "And thank you for the lessons, too."

  "Definitely my pleasure," he declared, and handed her the key.

  With a bobbing nod to her, he turned to retrace his steps. Selena hesitated, then stepped over the raised threshold into her cabin.

  A single chest of drawers stood against the wall just inside the door. Two single berths flanked the room. Her luggage was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, her garment bag hanging on a clothes rod in the corner. A full-length mirror covered the door leading to the bathroom. The room was compact and efficient and very comfortably adequate.

  Unpacking only the clothes that had a tendency to wrinkle, Selena left the rest of it till later. She freshened her lipstick and ran a brush over her copper hair. Slipping her room key into her bag, she left the cabin a few minutes ahead of the agreed time to find her way to the forward cabin lounge. She retraced the exact route the porter had taken and met Julia just as she was stepping out of her stateroom.

  "Selena, come see what was waiting for me in my room," Julia exclaimed with delight.

  Following Julia into her cabin, Selena stopped just inside the room. A dozen long-stemmed roses glowed velvet red from their crystal vase atop the dresser.

  "They're beautiful, Julia," Selena smiled, knowing instinctively that the bouquet was what the older woman had wanted her to see.

  "They're from Leslie, of course." There was extra warmth in her voice as she said his name. "Here's the card that came with them."

  She handed Selena a small envelope, opened to reveal the card inside. Selena read the personal message written on it somewhat self-consciously. The words were simple but eloquently touching. "I love you, Julia. May I always and forever be—your Leslie." Silently she handed it back to Julia. All the comments that came to her mind seemed inadequate and trite.

  Julia read it again before slipping it back in its envelope. "It's moments like this that make me wonder why I have any doubts," she sighed. Again Selena couldn't think of a suitable response and remained silent. As if pulling herself out of her reverie, Julia turned to Selena, fixing a bright smile on her face. "Have you done a bit of exploring yet?"

  "No, not yet," Selena admitted. "With all the coming and going of passengers and crew, it's a bit crowded and confusing."

  "That's true. And there'll be plenty of time for you to discover every nook and corner of the boat before the cruise is over," Julia stated with a knowing gleam in her brown eyes. "Since the weather is so nice, shall we go up to the texas lounge? Perhaps there'll be a table free. We can relax and have a glass of sherry."

  "Sounds fine," Selena agreed.

  In the interior passageway, Julia stopped to obtain their table assignment in the dining room from the head waiter before continuing, with Selena at her side, to the forward cabin lounge. Stopping abruptly just inside the lounge, Selena breathed in sharply at the sight of the grand staircase leading to the texas lounge.

  "It takes your breath away, doesn't it?" Julia commented.

  "Indeed it does," Selena declared, staring at the gleaming wood columns that stood regally at the fanning base of the stairs.

  Brass kickboards shimmered gold on the steps. The sweeping curve of the banister railings was inset with lacy scrolled wrought iron. An arched opening had been carved into the ceiling and a chandelier suspended in the aperture.

  "I expect to see Rhett Butler appear any minute and carry me up the stairs," Selena confided to Julia in a somewhat awestruck tone.

  "Yes, it does remind one of the 'grand old manor' and the days of gracious living," Julia agreed, moving forward to ascend the stairs. "In her day, the Delta Queen was the epit
ome of luxury living and modern conveniences. Her woodwork and paneling is all oak or mahogany. Of course, most of it's covered now with fire retardant paint—Coast Guard regulations."

  "It's a pity." Selena observed all the wood moldings and paneling that were painted a cream white.

  "It's a compromise with modern times and the need for passenger safety, but it doesn't diminish her charm."

  "It certainly doesn't." Selena could already feel the gentle atmosphere warmly enveloping her.

  The sensation was intensified as she reached the top of the grand staircase and entered the horseshoe-shaped texas lounge, windowed all around. The rich luster of the wood was free of paint, its casual elegance enhanced by the plaid carpet underfoot.

  Furnished with small square tables and captain's chairs, the room had a bar with tall stools in the center of its horseshoe. Double doors on either side of the room opened onto the outer deck where white wrought-iron tables and chairs were waiting.

  As Selena and Julia walked toward one set of double doors, a bartender leaned over the bar. "Hi, Miss Julie. I heard you were aboard."

  After an initial blank look, surprised recognition flashed across the woman's strong features. "Greg! I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you were quitting to go to college."

  "I was." He ducked under the narrow opening cut into the side of the bar and walked over to meet them. "But I decided it would be financially wiser to work through the summer and sign up for the fall term."

  "Be sure that you do," Julia insisted in a matronly tone. "You need to complete your education."

  Light brown eyes swung to Selena to regard her with studied intentness. Despite his full brown mustache, Selena decided he wasn't any older than she was, possibly a year or two younger. He was good-looking, and there was something in his expression that said he knew it. His charm was evident in his engaging smile and his slow, drawling way of talking.

  "Is this your niece, Miss Julie?" he asked, his gaze remaining fixed on Selena.

  "No, Miss Merrick is a friend. This is Greg Simpson, an incorrigible but likable young man," Julia introduced them. "And the only one who uses the diminutive of my name, irrespective of my wishes."