Free Diane T. Ashley by Jasmine

against him, he would allow God to fight his battles for him. This ensured ultimate victory.
    The sound of the dinner bell made his stomach rumble. David left his room and strode down the narrow passageway.
    Jensen’s scarred face was the first one he saw as he entered the dining room. “I wasn’t sure you would still be cooking for Lily and Blake.”
    “Look at you all gone and grown up.” The older man might give the appearance of a pirate to a stranger, but David knew his true nature. David held out his right hand, but Jensen ignored the gesture, pulling him into a bear hug instead. “Tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself.”
    Feeling like he’d not matured a day as he emerged from the older man’s grasp, David shrugged. The boat shifted under his feet, and he automatically adjusted his stance to compensate. “I’ve been up in Chicago.”
    Jensen’s bushy eyebrows lowered, emphasizing the scar over his left eye. In past years David would have been intimidated by the look indicating skepticism. “Come to the galley when you finish your dinner. I want to hear what’s been keeping you so far from the people who care about you.”
    Not sure if he would have time since he calculated that the
Water Lily
would reach port in a couple of hours, David replied, “I’ll do my best.” He took a seat at one of the tables as the other diners began to file in.
    A bald man with a wide mustache sat to his right, while a younger fellow dressed in the sober suit of a professional businessman sat on his left. The other two chairs at the table were taken by two redheaded females who appeared to be mother and daughter.
    The bald man nodded to them and introduced himself as Albert Culbertson. Weldon Brown was the name of the younger man. He also told them he was a photographer and offered his services to them at a reduced rate.
    The ladies were Mrs. Bertha Dickinson and her daughter, Adina. As he introduced himself, David noticed that Adina seemed quite taken by the dapper photographer. Her mother also noticed and immediately engaged Mr. Brown in a rigorous interrogation as to his pedigree and prospects.
    All conversations stopped when Jasmine and her family arrived. Blake welcomed the guests and asked everyone to bow their heads for the blessing.
    He had barely uttered, “Amen,” before Mr. Culbertson picked up his napkin and tucked it into his shirt collar. “I hope you ladies have a male relative meeting you at the docks.”
    Mrs. Dickinson shook her head. “My husband would have come with us, but an unexpected matter detained him. He’ll be joining us in a few days, however.”
    Mr. Culbertson looked grave at this news. “You know how dangerous it is to be unescorted, don’t you? Even before the war, women had to be suspicious of strangers, but now that we’ve been overrun by carpetbaggers and scalawags, it’s much worse.”
    Mr. Brown cleared his throat. “You shouldn’t frighten the ladies. I’m certain they’ll be safe enough in a New Orleans hotel.”
    “Which shows how little you know. I’ve been traveling these waters for years now, and I can tell you this part of the country is a nest for the worst thieves in the country.”
    Even though the older lady looked frightened, Adina seemed nothing more than curious. “What do you mean?” she asked.
    “A long curve just south of Natchez has long been known as Dead Man’s Curve because of all the unwary travelers whose bodies have been found there.” Enjoying the attention, Mr. Culbertson smoothed his mustache with two fingers. “The innkeepers at Natchez Under-the-Hill offer cheap rates and then murder their guests, tossing them into the river from trapdoors.”
    The daughter turned to her mother. “I told you we should have stayed at home until Papa could come. No amount of European imports are worth dying over.”
    “All of that is ancient history.” David would rather have kept silent, but he could not bear to see both females so concerned