Lunar Gaze

Chapter 19

Marie looked into the small mirror of her living room. She carefully put ruby earrings in her ear. Then she turned around and walked toward Perode, who sat in a chair. In his hand was a glass of wine, and it surely was not his first.

"That's enough." Marie attempted removing the glass from his hand. "Perode, it's time to go the market."

Perode backed down the entire glass of wine and clinked it onto the coffee table before him. Then he stood up and belched in his throat. Marie neared him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her green eyes looked into his. "Perode, it's been a long while now that you've stayed in Westmoreland."

"Yes it has." Perode answered slowly.

"And I must say, it's been charming having you around." Marie went on. Perode didn't say a word, so she continued on speaking "I must admit, I have begun to fall for you."

"For me?" Perode questioned. "Why would anyone fall for me."

"Because you are tall, dark, and handsome. Of Haitian blood, an abolitionist." She traced her finger along the pattern of his vest. "You're everything a contemporary woman could dream of."

"And yet I've lost all I dreamt of." Perode removed himself from Marie's embrace. He walked to the door, far ahead of Marie. Then turned around to face her. He awaited as her heels clicked quickly against the wooden floors, until finally opening the door for her. "After you."

"If I were to be mistaken, I'd believe you were leaving without me." Marie commented.

"Perhaps you are not mistaken." Perode mumbled. Together they walked the path that led to the market. It was a humid day, causing it to be especially uncomfortable in so many layers of clothing.

Marie couldn't help but think about Perode's behavior back at the house. And so she brought it to attention. "You still mope about. Mourning her. As though we haven't spent every waking day together. Leaning on each other. I thought I could help heal you of this pain."

"You thought your cunt could heal me of this pain." Perode answered. "Or should I say you needed healing with the use of your cunt, isn't that what you said? That men wouldn't 'touch' you?"

Marie pressed her lips together and fluttered her eyes as though she were trying to blink away the sunlight. "You are cruel when you drink."

"They say a man's drunken words are the words of his heart." Perode commented.

"Must you embarrass me like this?" Marie asked. "People are not too far and they may overhear."

"All knows that you behave like that of a slut." Perode went on. Marie stopped in her tracks, turned toward him, then laid a slap across his cheek.

"A slut is what you sought coming here and a slut is what you found." Marie told him. "Let's not act as though you hadn't been entertaining many women before Josephine's disappearance. Let's not lead ourselves to believe you've stopped your snooping around the entire Parish!" 

"Your conscience must be getting the best of you." Perode told Marie. "If you have one."

"You're ruined in this town. Do not believe once that you'll ever find a wife here. Practically the whole island now knows of what's happened, it's been published all across the newspapers." Marie went on. "You might as well take what you can get in a woman and be happy for it. Because no self respecting lady would be seen with you in public. And they surely would not marry you."

"Then why do you parade me as though I am your spouse?" Perode questioned.

"Do you not notice I have lost practically all status in this god forsaken place?" Marie asked. "You truly are all I have."

Their conversation was interrupted by the presence of the Scarlett household's servant, Rudy. After walking up to them, she bowed to both. "Miss Marie, Mr. Baptiste."

"Rudy." Marie spoke. "What brings you out here today?"

"Restocking for the Scarlett family." Rudy told her. "Or at least what is left of it."

"Whatever do you mean?" Marie asked. Rudy felt as though she already said to much, and was reluctant to share more. But Marie pressured her. "You will answer me when spoken to."

"It's just that Mr. Scarlett has been away for a long while. And since he's now heard of Miss Josephine's disappearance, he now searches other islands for her. And Elisabeth has lost her high spirits since Miss Josephine left, now she reckons she join a convent." Rudy said as she looked toward the ground.

"A convent? Elisabeth, a nun?" Marie soaked up the gossip.

Rudy looked up to continue speaking, but immediately froze. She stared at Marie hard, and she felt her entire body go cold.

"What bothers you?" Marie asked in a harsh tone.

Rudy quickly looked away. "I apologize, Miss Marie. It's just that Josephine had earrings just like yours. It only brought me sadness to see something that resembles what belonged to her."

Marie cleared her throat. "Oh, these? Yes, I've had these."

Perode looked to the earrings and studied them. However, he couldn't exactly make out whether or not he'd ever seen Josephine wear such earrings. Still, he wondered.

"What a coincidence." Perode commented.

"I guess we should get going." Marie ended the conversation.

"I'm going that way as well, maybe I can walk with you." Rudy suggested.

"No, it's not fitting for a servant to walk with us. Maybe walk with those slaves over there." Marie said as she began quickly walking forward. Perode followed closely behind.

He kept taking glances at Marie's earrings, to the point where it upset her. "What is it that you keep staring at?"

"It is nothing." Perode said. "Truly, there is nothing about you that catches my interest."

"You are cruel and miserable." Marie told him.

"And you, my dear, are a wench." He went on. "But all we have are each other, so I suppose this cruel and miserable man and this wench will have to do."