"You did very well tonight, Cat 0" Conner. "

"I was so scared I could barely sing."

"Perhaps, but it fostered your innocent image. You make the men think of home, and their sadness translates to more visits to the bar andwith my girls. I think we'll play on this by presenting you as avirgin and allowing you to suggest a certain promise of naughtiness with your songs."

"Then I can stay?"

"Yes, though why you'd want to remains a mystery. Which brings me to

my question, why are you really here, Catherine?"

Because I'm waiting for Patrick.

"Cat," she corrected.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Not the man who was here with Lopaz?"

"No--someone else," she said, sensing that Isabella might not support

her efforts if she thought that the end result might cost her the Irish river pirate she claimed for her own.

"You are not betrothed to this Charles?"

"No," she answered firmly.

"I'm promised to someone else."

Mona slipped through the open window and came to stand beside Jillico, who was staring out into the blackness of the bayou.

"Why do you continue to follow the American? These are grave times for

our people."

Night birds called, and the swamp creatures made little whispered sounds as they slid through the water. Hordes of mosquitoes swarmed around the two people, but the the juice of a certain bog plant that they had applied to their skin kept the creatures from biting.

"He isn't an American," Jillico corrected, "he's from Ireland, acountry across the sea. And he cared for me when the foreigners beatand imprisoned me. He is my friend."

"The Natchez have no friends. We have learned to live among theintruders because we have to, but they are all our enemies. Yet youbring him into our midst and ask me to heal him."

Jillico let out a deep sigh.

"The Natchez are nearly extinct. I believe that we must forge adifferent place for ourselves in this new world.""No, you are wrong, Jillico. Our corn is ready for harvest and you are here, growing weeds that color the white man's clothes. What need have

you for their coins?"

"Not I--Stone. He must feed the growing numbers of those who escape from the men who wish to make them slaves."

The woman moved in front of Jillico and looked at him sadly.

"I have tried not to see what the visions foretell, but that cannot be.

What will come will come, and I cannot stop it. You have brought this

goldenhaired man here, and because of him, the vision is destined tocome true."

"What are you saying, Mona?"

"I came today because you sent for me to heal this man, but I warn youthat his indigo will never leave the river. Bad spirits come here, andto our people. We must make sacrifices to the Great Sun."

"Mona, why do you say such evil things? Stone saved my life."

"Yes, and for that, I thank him. But I give my help only because hebrings the White Woman back to us."

Jillico stiffened. Not since his father was a young man, when theFrench governor ordered the Natchez tribe to vacate their village sothat he could build a plantation, had the White Woman appeared. She'd led the Natchez to retaliate, but eventually the French armies hadovercome the tribe, capturing their ruler, the Sun King, and sendinghim, along with most of his young warriors, into slavery on theplantations of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean.

"Mona, the White Woman is only a legend handed down by the elders ofour tribe. Who knows the truth?"

"The truth is as it always was. Long ago the Great Sun was absoluteruler of our people. He was aided by the White Woman, and along withhis brothers and sisters, called Suns and Women Suns, they ruled ourtribe."

"Yes," Jillico agreed, mentally recounting the tale.

"I know. Even the great French king learned of the Sun King's powerand proclaimed himself Sun King of his people across the greatwater."

"And now the Sun King has come back to us. He waits only for thereturn of the White Woman and our people will rise up and take backwhat is ours."

"The Sun King has come back? From where? How?" Jillico was startled.

Since his escape from the Spanish prison, he'd left his people tobecome Stone's assistant, joining in the raids willingly, living on thepiece of land Stone had bought and named Rainbow's End.

"Why have I not learned what is taking place?"

"Because you have turned your back on your people. You wish no longerto belong to the Natchez nation. Only because the man you follow is infavor with the Sun King has he been allowed to live."

"Stone? How is this possible?"

"Because the Sun King was returned to us on the Irishman's ship when itcame from the island in the South, where the cane is grown."

Jillico wanted to protest. But he knew that most of the men brought infrom the islands on Stone's ship were slaves--forced to accompany their masters, either willingly or unwillingly. Was it possible? Could this slave revolt in the Caribbean have returned their leader?

Had the Sun King reappeared as he had long ago when his people were inchaos? No, the Sun King would be an old man now, too old to lead.

Still Mona knew many things. Her words were foreboding. Jillico felt a chill fall over him.

"How will he know the White Woman?"

"She comes in fire, as a cat, or perhaps she walks on cat feet. This image is less clear. All I know is that she will follow Stone."

"Cat?" Jillico didn't tell Mona of Stone's mutterings about someone hecalled Catherine. He thought her to be Stone's woman, and he didn'tlike the feelings he was picking up from Mona about this Cat.

"The White Woman is coming--soon. And I cannot stop her."

Jillico looked at Mona and frowned. She'd always seen what otherscould not, but he'd never taken her visions seriously. The Natchez had seen the French come, then the Spanish and now the Americans. His people were too few now. They'd lost their power and their will tofight.

"Why are you sad, Mona?"

"Because, unless I can stop her, she will take what should be mine."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Jillico. I only know that I cannot become the SunKing's mate while the White Woman lives."

Inside the crude hut, Patrick listened intently. He didn't understand all the mumbo jumbo about the White Woman coming on cat's feet.

Mona's healing power was apparently only a part of her powers as amedicine woman.

Patrick knew the Indians believed in visions and dreams, but the returnof the Sun King seemed more than just a vision.

He'd heard the rumors about a man who roamed the city streets by nightand lived in the swamps by day, a man hiding from both the Spanish andthe Americans, and he'd been puzzled by the strange stories. Now he was beginning to understand the large numbers of slaves fleeingupriver. Slaves from the Caribbean islands. Slaves who spoke alanguage that even the Spanish didn't understand.

Could there be a connection between the man in the bayous, the Indiansand the slaves? So far the mysterious man had remained unidentified.

And he'd remained hidden. Obviously he wasn't a planter or he'd havemade his intentions known.

Patrick tried to recall the men who'd boarded and taken possession ofhis ship. But when he'd resisted having his goods replaced with thoseof the fleeing plantation owners, he'd quickly been imprisoned below deck, so that he knew little of what happened until they'd reached theport at the base of the river. He'd been turned over to the Spanishauthority who'd charged him with murdering one of the more outspokenplanters and released him to Captain Lopaz to be killed.

At the time Patrick had thought it odd how little concern the otherplanters exhibited. They'd said practically nothing, almost as if theywere afraid.

Patrick moved and winced. The pain in his head was easing, though thepowerful dream he'd had remained. Another dream about Catherine. But Catherine couldn't have been there, in Isabella's bed. Catherine couldn't be in Heaven. Still his body responded to the thought withsuch need that he forced himself to stop and consider other things. Nowhe had Lopaz to deal with.

He was bothered by Mona's prediction that his indigo would never leavethe river. Sale of the anticipated crop would cover the next paymenton the land. He had counted on that when he agreed to the exitingplanter's terms. Disaster would be imminent if the leaves didn't make it to market.

For now he'd force himself to go slowly, to force Lopaz to admit thetruth and clear his name. He'd have to proceed carefully in order notto find himself back in jail. Besides, he wanted Lopaz to sufferfirst, really suffer. Until his crop was in he'd avoid the river andthe lure of robbing the Spanish. Until the indigo was harvested he'dwait, and plan.

Two weeks later the caterpillars invaded Patrick's indigo fields,systematically devouring every plant in their path. While Patrick made plans to burn his affected fields in an effort to stamp out theinvasion of insects. Captain Lopaz was deciding to claim the nowfamous Cat O'Conner for his bed.

Sadly, Catherine was learning that being headstrong and opinionatedcounted for little when she didn't have the Caden name and authority toback her up. Every question she asked about Stone was met with blankstares. And he hadn't returned.

Every night for two weeks Captain Lopaz had come to hear Cat O'Connersing. Every night he'd invited her to supper and every night she'ddeclined.

"I absolutely refuse to have anything to do with that horrible man,"Cat said firmly.

"I am an entertainer, not here for--for a man's pleasure."

"Cat, you don't understand," Sally said fearfully.

"He can close Isabella's business. He can arrest her and send all of us packing."

"He's just a man. We have Pharaoh to protect us."

"Yes, and Lopaz has the entire Spanish army at his disposal. He may beout of favor with the governor, but he is still an officer and there'slittle love lost between the citizens and the outcasts who live in Natchezunderthe-Hill."

"You don't understand. Sally. I don't--I wouldn't know how to" --"You don't have to bed him. At least not yet. He only wants you tohave supper with him."

"Just supper, nothing more?"

"That's what Isabella insisted on and he assured her that he'd respectyour innocence."

"But what if he finds out that I'm not a virgin?"

"How can he?"

Catherine couldn't answer that question. Her mother would have said that there would be some mark on her forehead that proclaimed hershame. Except it hadn't felt like shame. And all she could see when she looked in the mirror was the woman Sally had created, a woman whopresented herself on stage as a creature made of saucy sunshine, allthe while suggesting naughty night dreams.

Catherine studied the men in the audience each night, hoping beyondhope that one of them would be Patrick. But he was never there, atleast not yet. And if she didn't have a meal with this odious man,Heaven might be closed. Her mother had always warned her that if shedidn't mend her outspokenness she'd lose her place in heaven, but she'dnever taken the threat seriously.

Until now. But if Heaven was closed, she might not be there whenPatrick returned. And he would come. In her secret heart, Catherineknew that they'd be together again.

They had to be.

"All right, I'll do it."

Singing to Isabella's clients was one thing; it was impersonal andCatherine could allow her mind to pretend whatever she liked. But being shown to a seat directly across the table from the dark-skinnedSpaniard was a different matter.

She'd thought of him as a loud bully. But in fact there were those who considered him to be quite handsome, in a cruel, cold way. She suspected that many of the women who went to his bed went willingly,the first time. But, according to Sally, if they had a choice, therewas no second time.

"Good evening, senorita. Please sit down."