Free Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) by Sylvia McDaniel Page A

his
name on the prayer list at church.”
    Oh God, what kind of illness would she list
by his name? Eunuch?
    How could he get out of this mess? How could
he prove to Jane that he was a complete man? And did he want to go
to the trouble?
    “Should I tell him you came by, madame?”
Marian asked.
    Jane glanced around the office uneasily. She
wrinkled her forehead in a frown. “Maybe it would be better if he
didn’t know that I visited.”
    Marian nodded her head. “Good idea. It’s such
a shame.”
    “I’ll say. Thank you so much for telling
me.”
    “You’re welcome. Shall I walk you to the
door?”
    “Please.”
    The two women disappeared from sight and
Louis banged his head against the wall behind the door. He must not
underestimate this woman again. Marian didn’t get even, she got
ahead. And, worst of all, she’d done it at his expense.
    She returned a few moments later, a satisfied
smile on her face.
    “I did everything that you asked,” she said,
at his look of pure frustration.
    “Yes, I heard what you did,” he said. “I’m
certain that Jane won’t be returning to the office again.”
    Marian shrugged. “Pity, I rather enjoyed
talking to her.”
    “Maybe you can tell her when I’m healed,” he
said taking a deep breath to calm his annoyance.
    A blush spread across Marian’s face. “Oh, no
that’s a delicate subject that ladies don’t discuss.”
    “I can see that,” he said, his voice rising
until his head throbbed.
    “Any time you want to hide in my office, I’d
be happy to speak with your lady friends for you,” Marian said,
with a wicked smile.
    He gave her a look that would have halted a
sensible person, but not Marian.
    “Don’t worry, you won’t be here,” he said,
his voice low and irritated.
    She smiled. “We’ll see who lasts longer, Mr.
Fournet. It’s going to take more than a kiss to send me running out
the door.”
    “And more than rumors of an accident for me,”
he said, and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
    ***
    Several days later, Marian laid the morning
paper down on her desk and wanted to cry. Another sensational story
about Jean’s murder appeared on the front page of the newspaper.
Since his death, there were few days that went by that an article
did not appear regarding his murder or the other Cuvier Widows, as
they were called.
    Now the papers were saying that the arrest of
Layla was imminent and alleging she murdered Jean.
    The police claimed they had found a motive,
though Marian doubted the girl had had the courage to kill Jean.
She didn’t know who killed her husband but Marian felt relieved
Jean was gone.
    Jon rapped on her door. “Mrs. Cuvier?”
    Marian glanced up. “Yes?”
    “There’s a young boy here who says he’s your
son,” the man said. “He’s bleeding, Ma’am.”
    She jumped up out of her chair, pushed past
Jon and ran out of her office, down the hall. This week was
Philip’s first week back in school and when she’d sent him off, she
was afraid that newspapermen would hound him.
    She saw her son standing at the front door,
his head down, his knees skinned, and his left eye swollen. His
clothes were tom and dirty as if he’d been rolling in the dirt. Who had done this to him?
    “Philip,” she cried. “What happened? Are you
hurt?”
    She knelt down beside her son, her black
skirts billowing around her and the boy.
    Philip glanced at her, his face dirty and
tear-streaked.
    He blinked, trying to hold back the tears. “I
... I got in a fight at school. They sent me home.”
    “Oh son! Are you hurt?” she asked, as she
pushed the hair back away from his forehead to check the area where
he received the blow.
    “No,” he said dejectedly. “My eye aches, but
that’s all.”
    Noticing for the first time that everyone in
the office was watching them, she stood and took him by the arm.
Not releasing him, she proceeded to walk him back to her office.
Once there she sat him in a chair. She walked over to the bowl