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softly.
    â€œYou’re never going to lose me,” Gideon said assuredly. “We may be paranoid about Camille, but considering all we went through with Samantha, it’s understandable.”
    â€œMaybe,” Danny said pausing. “But all the same, I wish you would speak to Hattie first.”
    â€œHattie?” Gideon said. “Why Hattie?”
    â€œBecause if Camille Hardaway is up to something, Hattie will be the first to know about it,” Danny said firmly. “And if she’s as bad as Samantha, you’re going to need Hattie on your side.”
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    â€œI’m not going to run, and that is final!” Jean-Luc Fantoché shouted. “What concern is it of yours? I love you and provide for you. Nothing more should matter. The rest you need not trouble yourself with.”
    â€œIt does trouble me,” Juliette countered passionately.
    â€œI have bought your family’s freedom. Is that not enough to satisfy you?” he asked angrily.
    â€œNo, it is not enough,” she snapped. “Have you forgotten, many of my friends are still slaves? An entire race of humans are owned by other human beings in this country. Their lives are not their own. Does it not trouble you? Is your spirit not tormented in the knowledge that people are at this very moment laboring in fields of tobacco, cotton, and sugar under the cruel hand of an overseer?
    â€œYou understand the plight of the Negro,” she continued pleadingly. “You are a caring and kind man. As governor, you can help to put an end to the inhumanity that has plagued this state and this country for far too long. For those reasons alone, it does indeed concern me.”
    Fantoché stung from the impact of her words. “Yes, it does trouble me,” he said remorsefully. “But don’t you understand? I cannot win. Thaddeus Barrière has declared his candidacy. He is by far more qualified and better known throughout the state than I. Public humiliation would surely follow if I dared enter my name beside such a formidable opponent.”
    â€œThaddeus Barrière will not win,” Juliette said definitively.
    â€œThat is nonsense,” he replied dismissively. “You know not of what you speak, ma belle ange. He will be the next governor.”
    Juliette turned her back to Fantoché and walked to the fireplace with the single black candle at the center of the mantelpiece in her sights. “He will not win,” she repeated resolutely. “There are powerful forces in this country who will see him dead before allowing him to set one foot in the governor’s mansion.”
    â€œDead?” he scoffed. “Why? Who are these forces of whom you speak?”
    Juliette reached for a box of wooden matches resting on the hearth. “The forces I speak of prefer to remain in the shadows. But trust my words. They have decided Thaddeus Barrière will never be governor of Louisiana. He has made his position clear on the topic of slavery and stated he will never support the emancipation of slaves.”
    Fantoché studied her back intently. “These do not sound like the kind of men you should be consorting with,” he said with concern. “The world of politics is no place for a woman of your delicate beauty.”
    Juliette ignored his words and struck the match. The sulfurous flare enveloped her in a burst of light.
    â€œJuliette,” he continued, “I implore you to distance yourself from these men.”
    â€œI cannot do that,” she replied calmly. “Les roues ont été mis en mouvement. It is too late.”
    â€œToo late for what?” he asked anxiously.
    Juliette extended her arm and lit the black candle. The wick crackled briefly, then settled into a slow, lingering burn. When she turned to face him, the tension in her demeanor had vanished. She looked at him with adoring eyes and said, “Do you love me as deeply as you