Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

have only to say so."
    "It is yours to keep. I will not want it back."
    "Tell me who gave you the ring?" Liberty asked. The old woman had started to wash the dishes, so Liberty picked up a drying cloth and began to wipe them and stack them on the table. Zippora's eyes clouded over for a moment and then took on a soft glow, as if she were remembering something wonderful out of her past.
    "It was long ago. The young gentleman who gave me the ring was named Beau Antoine. I grew up as a slave on his family's plantation in Haiti. He was handsome and dashing, and I fell in love with him." Zippora's eyes closed for a moment, as if she were remembering a particular incident from long ago.
    "Did he love you also?" Liberty asked.
    "Oui. You see I was very beautiful. I had been trained as a lady's maid and could speak French very well. It was my job to teach' the niceties to Beau's two sisters."
    "What happened?"
    "Beau and I were so deeply in love that we became reckless. It wasn't long until his father found out about us and called me to him. He was a cold, hard man. I will not tell you what transpired that day, except to say I was beaten and sold to a slaver. My destination was not to be revealed lest Beau try to find me."
    Liberty wiped the tears from her eyes. "How very sad."
    The old woman's eyes clouded over once more. "Indeed it was sad. I could never cross into Beau's world, and he could never come into mine. Our love was doomed from the first. The black and white worlds can never merge. I found that out the hard way."
    "What happened?"
    "I was sent to New Orleans. To this day I can still feel the heartbreak of that time. I was so desperate for my love that I became ill. I wanted only to die."
    Liberty's eyes blurred with tears. "Did you ever see Beau again?"
    "Oui, but I wish I had not. For it cost him his life. Somehow my love found out where I had been sent, and he came to me. He bought my freedom and set me up in a house in New Orleans. Knowing that we could never find a priest to marry us, we entered a church late one night and exchanged our pledges to one another. I was as much Beau's wife as if we had been married by a holy man. But everyone thought I was his mistress, and this was acceptable to them. We were so happy when our daughter was born."
    "That would have been Reuben's mother."
    "Oui. Marie was our delight. She was light in color, like her father. Our little house was a sanctuary away from the world, and I was very happy. But I always feared Beau would one day be forced to leave me. I never dreamed it would be under such tragic circumstances."
    Liberty held her breath as she became caught up in Zippora's tragic tale. "How did he leave you?"
    Zippora leaned against the table and stared at the young girl as if not really seeing her. "Beau's father found us. He demanded that Beau return to Haiti at once, but Beau refused. It is my belief that his father hired a man to kill me, but the man misfired and shot Beau instead." The old woman's voice trembled. "As my love lay dying in a pool of blood, he made me promise that I would flee with our daughter. He knew his father was a vengeful man and would try to have us killed. I changed my name and hid out for many years. After the money Beau had given me was gone, I had a difficult time feeding my daughter."
    "How did you live?"
    "I made and sold baskets, as well as bottled herbs and spices and flowers on the streets of New Orleans. After a time I began to see that I could make money by reading palms. The wealthy white ladies paid much to have me look into the future for them. And they began to ask me for love potions and all kinds of charms. I was astounded at how fast my reputation grew. It was considered in vogue to have one's future told by Madame Zippora."
    Liberty didn't know at what moment her fear of the old woman had disappeared. She was so moved by the tragic story, that her heart went out to the young lovers. "When did you leave New Orleans to live in the swamps,