Free Mardi Gras Masquerade by L A Morgan Page A

not hear of her impersonation until after she had gone.   It would be best that way . . . no unpleasant scenes, no goodbyes.   Only regrets; and Maria knew that she could not escape from those.
    After breakfast, she wandered about the house, supposedly admiring its large and handsome rooms, but in reality searching for a telephone.   She looked around to see if anyone was watching when she spotted one in the study.   When she was certain that the         coast was clear, she went in and closed the door behind her.   With trembling fingers, she dialed the number of her apartment.   The phone rang and rang, but there was no one there to answer her call.   It surprised her that Marla had not left her a message on the answering machine as was her custom, but Maria remained hopeful.
    She quickly dialed the number of the modeling agency for whom her roommate worked.   The girl was dumbfounded when the receptionist told her that Maria Fontaine had gone away on vacation for an unspecified period of time.
    This left Maria in a fit of nervous agitation until she thought of a possible rationalization for this behavior.   The model probably did not want to be available if Tienne DuPont called to confront her with his anger after he learned that their engagement was over.   That would be just like Marla.   If something in life would not make her happy, she did not want to know about it.
    Maria hung up the phone, filled with the determination to reach her friend later.   She would try to call the apartment again before Steve got home from work.   All day, she waited for one of the maids to tell her that there was a call for her, but none came.
    Just before
five o’clock
, she stealthily made her way back to the study.   As she looked carefully from side-to-side, she stepped into the doorway, but her ingress was stopped by the imposing form of Steve DuPont.
    “ Lookin ’ for me, butterfly?” he asked.
    Maria’s face displayed all of the surprise and frustration that she felt.
    She attempted to cover this up by saying, “Who else would I be looking for?”
    “No one, of course.   It’s obvious that your happiness hinges on my presence.”
    Maria smirked and replied, “Aren’t you home early?”
    “It could never be soon enough to see your welcomin ’ grimace.”
    The woman attempted to turn the frown into a scowl, but the disbelieving look on Steve’s face made her feel the absurdity of the artifice, and she ended up suppressing a smile.
    The man eyed her curiously, and then said, “You’d be amazin ’ on the stage.     Such theatrical talent is a rare commodity.   Broadway calls to you, darlin’.”
    “As long as you play the villain, I have no objection,” Maria teasingly returned.
    “Oh, so you’d like to play with me.”
    “What?” the woman exclaimed.   “I never said . . . I never meant . . .”
    “Why don’t you just say never mind and get this over with,” Steve replied with finality.   “I’ve arranged a special treat for you this evenin ’.”
    Maria frowned and fearfully blurted out, “Has your brother come home?”
    “ No, my dear, he hasn’t.   I hope, when he does, you have a warmer welcome planned for him than that execution order tone in your voice.”
    Recalling herself, Maria replied, “As you put it once before, that will be between your brother and me.”
    “I’ve noticed that you rarely refer to him by his first name.   One might almost think that you hardly know the man you’re going to marry.”
    “Well, we haven’t really known each other that long.”
    “Long enough to get engaged.”
    “It was one of those spur-of-the-moment things.   You know what I mean.”
    “Actually, I don’t.   Tell me about how Tienne proposed to you.”
    “Didn’t he mention it?” Maria asked cautiously.
    “Men don’t usually discuss those things.   You tell me.”
    Maria cleared her throat to give herself a moment to think and finally, said, “We were having