Lunar Gaze

Chapter 7

"Lady Marie!" Called Perode as he stepped away from the Scarlett household. He walked up to Marie who was leisurely approaching the house. "Have you seen Josephine? I haven't seen her since last night."

"Neither have I." Answered Marie as she looked up at Perode from under her umbrella. "What are you still doing in Jamaica? I was told you wished to leave for Haiti."

"That was my intention, but after things ended badly between Josephine and I last night I decided to extend my stay to explain myself." Perode told Josephine.

"Extend your stay? For Josephine?" Marie asked. "Surprising. I would figure a wealthy man like you would be itching to return home. Handle the business."

"I've got workers for that." Perode told Marie, who laughed a little too giddily at his comment.

"Why, Perode not only are you handsome but you hold so much power too. I find that ravishing in a man." Marie grinned up at him.

"Is that so?" Perode turned his body toward her, but then shook his head. "I must find Josephine."

"I'll call her. I imagine she just spent the night crying herself to sleep." Marie walked up the Scarlett resident's steps.

"It wasn't I who caused that pain, was it?" Asked Perode.

"I mean, catching you with Quincy surely didn't help lift her mood. And you not proposing to her especially didn't help either." Marie said as she tried to take a peek inside the house through the shutters of the door.

"Propose?" Perode asked. "How does everyone know I intended to propose?"

Marie turned to him. "You actually were to propose? I thought Josephine was delusion."

"I was... I am. I just had far too much to drink last night." Perode admitted. "And I need to speak to Josephine to apologize for my foolish actions."

"Josephine Baptiste." Marie whispered under her breath, then shrugged. She walked down the porch steps and out into the yard a bit. Then she looked up at her balcony and called out. "Josephine!"

"Maybe I'll come back later. It's possible her family knows of my doing and wishes not to see me." Perode looked around.

"Well her father is away on a business trip. Only person who could be in there is her sister." Marie told Perode.

"And where is her mother?" Perode asked. Marie pointed over in the distance at a tomb stone. Perode bowed his head.

"I see." He observed.

"Josephine!" Marie shouted out. Coming out of the woods was Rudy, the Scarlett house maid, and Elisabeth, Josephine's kid sister. Marie walked over to them. Both seemed scared.

"We've been looking all over for you." Said Elisabeth. "We haven't any idea where Josephine is!"

"Neither do we." Marie said and she looked back at Perode.

"No, I mean she's gone. As in missing!" Elisabeth cried out. "She didn't return last night."

"She didn't return?" Perode quickly walked over. He realized he interrupted the conversation, so he bowed his head to the ladies. Then he allowed himself to speak freely. "Marie, didn't you drop her home last night?"

"I thought she'd go home with you." Marie answered, then her voice became low and weak. "And when you didn't propose she hadn't a ride. So I suggested she walked with the group. And that's what she did."

"She walked? Alone? At night?" Perode asked. "Why didn't you allow her to ride with you?"

"We hadn't the space!" Marie shouted. "Mary just got a new hoop skirt and it takes up to spots all by itself."