Lorenzo and the Turncoat Read Free

allez-vous aujourd’hui?
”
    They giggled and curtseyed. In unison, they said, “
Bien
, monsieur.”
    â€œAre you new to our city?” the taller girl asked.
    â€œI have only just arrived.”
    â€œDo you have friends and family in New Orleans?”
    â€œNo, I am completely alone.”
    â€œTruly?” She trilled her Rs in a most delightful way instead of swallowing them in the French fashion.
    Hawthorne assumed she was the daughter of one of the Spanish dons in charge of New Orleans.
    This place had promise. What a shame he wasn’t going to be in New Orleans long.
    An old woman buying fruit from a nearby peddler snapped out something in Spanish.
    The girls gave Hawthorne apologetic looks and hurried over to her. No doubt she would scold them for speaking to strange men in the street. He had heard that these people were overly protective of their daughters and would call you out for a duel before you could say Jack Robinson.
    The girls and the old woman walked off. The tall girl glanced over her shoulder and winked.
    He winked back and remembered what sailors on the warship had told him: For smuggling, go to Manchac. For fun, New Orleans.

Chapter Three
    Lorenzo sprang up from his chair at the colonel’s approach. The habit of standing for a superior officer kicked in even though he was no longer in the military.
    â€œ
Señorita
,” the colonel said, sweeping his hat off his head and bowing low to Eugenie. “Your escort has arrived.”
    â€œI have to fetch a few things.” She stood and headed inside.
    Lorenzo pulled out a chair. “You might as well make yourself comfortable, sir. Eugenie has no concept of time.”
    The colonel gave him a wry smile as he eased into a seat. “Ladies keep us waiting so we will remember how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. If we expect the pleasure of their company, we must be prepared to wait for them.” He reached into the bread basket for a roll. “Have you thought about the matter we discussed earlier?”
    â€œYes, sir, and the answer is still no.”
    â€œWhat would it take to convince you?”
    â€œNothing short of an act of God.” Lorenzo folded his arms across his chest. “I like my life the way it is and see no reason to change it.”
    The colonel nibbled on the roll. “Not so long ago, you relished fighting the British.”
    â€œMy priorities have changed. If the British were to attack New Orleans, I’d be among the first to defend it, but I see no need to join the Spanish army.”
    â€œI know it looks like the city is secure, but I don’t have enough men to fight off an attack.”
    â€œYou have five hundred regulars.”
    â€œAnd three hundred of them are raw recruits who have never been trained or tested.”
    â€œWhat about the militia? You have over a thousand of them.”
    The colonel snorted. “Yes, but they are scattered all over Louisiana. If the British decided to attack, they would overrun us before I could get word to the militia.”
    â€œDo you think that will happen?”
    Gálvez looked grim. “It’s only a matter of time. They can attack from all directions. From Mobile to the east. Baton Rouge to the west. From the north by crossing Lake Pontchartrain. From the south by sailing up the Mississippi.” The colonel leaned forward. “That’s why I intend to attack them before they attack us.”
    Stunned, Lorenzo could only stare at him. “Colonel, the king will have your head on a platter if you start a war.”
    The colonel smiled knowingly. “The king declared war on Great Britain on June 21. I received advance warning from my uncle, but the British in Baton Rouge haven’t heard the news yet. It is to our advantage to keep them in the dark for a little while longer.”
    Sudden realization dawned on Lorenzo. “Those ships in the harbor aren’t there to defend