Bart – What Next?

I'm happy to report that the French Can-Can loses none of its appeal with repetition. We clapped, whistled, yelled, stomped and made as much noise as we were capable of during the show, and ended up with Danielle and Collette in our laps at the end. This time the girls walked back to their dressing rooms without us, but with a promise that we would be there by the end of the second show.

The Brothers Maverick then headed for the gaming room, and I was tempted to try my hand at faro. It's not my favorite pastime but I play it fairly well, and it moves so fast that it keeps your mind from wandering off. I made my decision when the only poker table available was for seven card stud, and that is definitely not something I enjoy doing a lot of.

An hour into the faro game I was up over a thousand dollars, but I was bored and cashed out. I passed by the roulette wheels and decided that was tempting fate too much, and quickly found myself at a blackjack table. I would have passed it by, but one of the players at the table was . . . Martin Langley. And he wasn't alone. Blackjack is one of the few games that women are allowed to participate in, and the blackjack tables are usually near the back entrance to the saloon or casino so that 'Madame' might slip in and out of the gaming room discreetly.

At the table nearest this particular back door (not the one that Pappy forced Elwood Singer out of) stood Martin Langley with a lady – another fine, young southern lady. As a matter of fact, she reminded me a lot of Olivia Ames. There was something vaguely familiar about her; as if I'd seen her somewhere before. She looked mildly amused, but her companion was anything but. Martin looked . . . Irritated. Angry. Frustrated. And unhappy.

I stopped at the table and made a small wager. I beat the house, Martin didn't. He looked less and less like a man that was having a good time. That's when the girl leaned over and whispered something in his ear, which was followed by a kiss on the cheek. Finally she got him to smile and place another bet, this time he won and I lost. He picked up his money and they walked away, and I watched them head for the door. The girl said something about 'starved' and I assumed them going to the dining salon. That was all I could get from their conversation, and I didn't have time to follow them; I had to meet Bret and the girls.

I got back to the can-can show just in time to see the finish. Bret had a seat at one of the tables but there were no empty chairs, so I waited until the girls had retreated to their dressing rooms and followed him backstage. As soon as Danielle and Collette were changed we whisked them off to a champagne and steak dinner, then brandy to finish off the meal. The four of us returned to our stateroom just as Pappy was coming in for the night. I needed five minutes with Pappy and Bret, and the ladies were content to wait in the sitting room for us. I ushered the three of us into Pappy's bedroom and told them what I had seen at the blackjack table.

"You sure it was Martin?" Bret asked.

"Positive."

"And you have no idea who the girl was with him at blackjack?"

"None at all."

"What did she look like?" Pappy asked finally speaking up. He'd been quiet up until now, but it was obvious he was thinking hard about what I'd just told him.

"A slightly different version of Olivia," I explained. "Young, petite, blonde hair, draped all over Martin."

"What are you gonna do, Pappy?" was the next question out of Bret's mouth. He sounded . . . wary.

"I . . . don't know, Bret. I need time to think about this. Bartley . . . "

"She could have been anyone, Pa."

"Did she kiss him?"

"Just on the cheek."

Pappy grunted in reply.

Bret headed for the door; I had a feeling he was trying to make a quick getaway before he got pulled into something. "This ain't gettin' us nowhere. We gotta go, Pappy; the ladies . . . "

Pappy waved him off. "I know all about the ladies, Bret. Go take care of 'em. I ain't gonna do nothin' tonight, anyway."

"Goodnight, Pappy."

"Night, Pappy."

I followed Bret back out into the sitting room and collected Danielle. "Everything is alright, oui?" she asked.

It wasn't, but there was nothing I could do about it tonight. "Oui," I replied. I closed my bedroom door behind us.