Sitting just across the United States border, the Plaza de Toros bullfighting arena in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico was groomed for a spectacle. The people in the arena were prepared to witness two of the largest mammals on earth face off in a steel cage match. An American grizzly and an African lion would fight to the death. Bookmakers abounded. Red, white, and green Mexican flags hung throughout the arena, as did the smell of sweat and manure. It was sizzling, and those unable to afford a seat in the shade suffered in the desert sun.

L. J. (Lula Jean) Starr, infamous Madam of The White Dove brothel in New Orleans, Louisiana, sat with her benefactor, Tomas La'Rouge, in what was considered the best seats in the bullring. Her long time friends, Big Bob Dias, and his wife, Malanie, and their two grown twins, Athalie, and Henri, completed the reunion.

American businessmen, Mexican elites, local officials, soldiers, vaqueros, and vendors

selling cold drinks filed into the Plaza. Among them was Louisiana's ill-famed gambler, Samuel Parton, L. J.'s former suitor, who deflowered and unwittingly impregnated her. Traveling with him was his wife, Anna-belle Jackson Parton, L. J.'s traitorous childhood friend, who helped sell L. J. to a brothel when L. J. was eighteen.

Athalie sneered. "The die is cast, Ma Mere. Is blood thicker than water? That question is like asking, is an American grizzly bear more powerful than an African lion?"

Henri glanced at his image mirrored on the features of his sister. He peered across the arena at the man, who was his father. Was that same image stamped on his countenance? Were they alike at all? Henri thought not. That question was like asking which is morally justified, black or white? Whichever, fortunes were about to be reversed.

L. T. turned to acknowledge her daughter, Athalie, and son, Henri, baggage from an assault on her eighteen-year-old self. And, a blessing bestowed on her good friends Big Bob and Malanie, who had raised them well. Then, she, too, stared across the arena at a debt that she had been a long time collecting, Bright Starr, her rightful heritage.

At eighteen years of age, Lula Starr, a quarteron, was the most beautiful young lady in the Baton Rogue, Louisiana area. Eligible suitors from miles around lined up to offer their hand in marriage to the daughter of Jacob Starr.

Jacob, a widower, loved his daughter almost as much as his family plantation, Bright Starr. After his wife died, Jacob contented himself with the company of his mulatto housemaid. She died in childbirth with Lula, leaving the baby to be raised by Jacob and a series of housemaids, who groomed her to be the mistress of Bright Starr.

After a winter of bad health, Jacob learned that he had tuberculosis. He went to Saratoga Springs for a cure at the mineral springs. He died there, and his body was returned home to be buried in the family Cemetery at Bright Starr.

Believing he would live to a ripe old age, and assuming his daughter would marry and be taken care of in the style in which she was accustomed, Jacob failed to make out a will.

A ruthless land baron near Baton Rouge, Earl Parton, whose plantation bordered the Bright Starr plantation urged his son, Samuel, to hasten his courtship of Lula. Their marriage would acquire the Starr land as the two families were joined.

Samuel's reputation as womanizer and gambler, led him to believe if he deflowered Miss Lula she would be obligated to accept his offer of marriage to save her reputation.

Jacob Starr's long time friend and confidant, William Jackson, was also the Starr family lawyer and executor of his estate. Knowing the circumstances of Lula's birth and that Jacob's untimely death had prevented him from preparing the papers which would assure Lula the title of Bright Starr, William hastened to offer his hand in marriage also.

William also established his sister, Anna-belle, who was considered an old maid at the ripe old age of twenty-two, in residence at Bright Starr, to be a companion to Lula.

Anna-belle was jealous of Lula's beauty and suitors. She especially hated Lula for the attention Samuel Parton showered on her.

Samuel was Anna-belle's childhood friend. The families had hoped for marriage in their future until Samuel became smitten with Lula.

When Earl championed the union between Lula and Samuel, Anna-belle believed her chances with Samuel were over.

Lula, an independent young woman who had been afforded the best of education and cultural niceties, assumed she would go abroad to study as she'd planned. She looked forward to escaping the dull, confining, lifestyle of a southern plantation lady of the Manor.

Lula welcomed the company of Anna-belle. Being unaware of Anna-belle's feelings for Samuel, Lula confided in Anna-belle personal secrets of their courtship. Anna-belle passed Lula's secrets along in conversations with her brother, William, implying that Lula enjoyed the fawning attentions of her suitors and would welcome more personal attentions from William.

Anna-belle wormed her way into Lula's world so securely that Lula invited her along when she traveled abroad to study. However, she did not invite her along when she and Samuel took long walks in the evening down by the river where Jacob Starr had built a Spring house.

One summer evening Anna-belle sneaked behind them and spied through a window as Samuel, tired of being deprived of the final act in the courtship of Lula, lost control and ravaged Lula as she fought to save her honor.

Anna-belle, excited by the voyeur experience, but angry because Lula had been the recipient of Samuel's act, ran back to the house crying.

William, thinking he was losing both Lula and the plantation, decided that if he couldn't have Lula and Bright Starr, he'd make sure Samuel or any other suitor wouldn't either. He decided to approach Lula with the secret of her birth mother, which was a secret shared only by her father and himself, as their lawyer. If she didn't accept his proposal of marriage, he'd make sure the whole of Baton Rogue knew that she was a quarteron.

William arrived at Bright Starr and searched the quarters, in vain, trying to find his sister and Lula. Assuming they had gone for a walk down by the Spring house, he started down the path only to run into his sobbing sister. Trying to make sense of her story, William, at first thought Samuel had accosted Anna-belle. She sobbed out her hurt that Samuel spurned her love for Lula's attentions and they were making love in the Spring House,

William, angry that Lula and Samuel were together, blurted the true story of Lula's birth mother to assure his sister that once Samuel learned the true story he'd never stoop to marry a woman of her station. No man would want her! And saying it aloud, William realized he didn't want Lula either. With a few select words he could ruin the future of the most sought after young woman in the south.

But, what if Anna-belle's jealousy had caused her to misunderstand what she saw at the Spring House? William had revealed a secret he'd sworn to never tell in a moment of anger. It was too late to take it back but he tried desperately to explain to his sister that it was a confidence he'd shared with her that she'd have to never reveal.

Anna-belle promised but the gleam in her eye told William he'd pay for this promise dearly.

William and Anna-belle's conversation was interrupted by Lula making her way back to the house. Her tear-stained face and torn clothing were hard enough to explain but when Samuel came running into the clearing, clothes in disarray, and calling Lula's name, it was evident that Anna-belle's story was true.

Samuel desperately tried to recall the act he'd just committed by deflowering the Starr of the south. When Samuel reached out to Lula, she cowered against the protection of William.

Samuel vowed to make it up to Lula and once more offered his hand in marriage.

Lula moved closer to Willliam. Confident that he would protect her, she screamed at Samuel to get off her land. She vowed she'd never marry him if he was the last man on earth. She hated him and never wanted to see him again.

William, knowing the power of the Parton family, pretended he thought Samuel's lovemaking had got out of hand and frightened Lula. He chastised them both to stay away from each other in the future. He pulled Lula with him up the path toward her home leaving Anna-belle to console Samuel.

What Anna-belle and Samuel talked about on the way back to the house no one ever knew but the difference in Samuel's feelings for Lula was as evident as day and night, as black and white. Anna-belle had found her way into Samuel's life and she determined to stay there.

William listened to Lula when she pleaded with him to help her go abroad to study. He assured her he'd handle her future and arrange for her passport to travel abroad and study. He'd take care of her property until she returned but she would need to sign the papers to give him complete control of Bright Starr and all of her father's estate.

That was the way that William came to betray Lula Starr. The paperwork he'd drawn up for her to sign relinquishing her father's estate might never be needed when he revealed Lula's bloodline but William was a lawyer and lawyer's covered their tracks.

When William and Anna-belle traveled with Lula to New Orleans to board the ship which would take her abroad, he knew he'd probably never see the daughter of his best friend again. He'd assumed ownership of his friend's estate and signed over his daughter as a runaway slave. When William and Anna-belle waved goodbye to Lula at the dock and walked away, she had been apprehended by the slave auctioneer who'd bought her from William for a very decent price.

Lula screamed in vain for her friends as she was lead away from the dock. In minutes, her life changed from Starr of the South to the Top Starr on the auction block.

Few knew her plight, but one finely dressed lady, Jade Deval, disembarking from a trip abroad and surrounded by a circle of attractive young women, watched the action with a practiced eye. She knew William Jackson from a political party she'd hosted at her local bordello. He was a friend of Earl Parton, who she'd vowed to destroy for reasons known only to him and her.

Seeing William with two young ladies at the Port of New Orleans, Jade assumed he was seeing them off on a trip. When he left one of the most beautiful young women she'd seen in a lifetime on the dock, walked away, and minutes later the poor thing was hauled away like chattel, Madam Jade knew there was more to the story than met the eye.

Jade send her girls on with Big Bob to Soiled Dove, the house of luxury she provided for them. Jugger, her main man, accompanied her as she followed up on what she suspected was going to be an auction she was sure to attend.

Jade bought the most luscious piece of flesh she'd ever bid on before it ever reached the New Orleans auction block. She paid plenty but she knew she'd more than regain her investment with interest when the New Orleans gentlemen and the gentlemen of the south got an eyeful of her new Starr. That, of course, was before her personal physician gave Lula a routine examination and found she was not only not a virgin, but she was with child.

L. J. shook off memories of the past and smiled at the fruit of its harvest, Athalie, and Henri.

They smiled and nodded.

L. J. handed a jewel encrusted bag, the only memento of her Lady of the Manor days, to Thomas La'Rouge. "If you're sure, destroy them!"

La'Rouge nodded. "As sure as Bright Starr Plantation is rightfully yours, Lula Starr."

L. J.'s party watched as La'Rouge circled the crowd and approached the tall lion tamer, Col Boone, who's despondent demeanor brightened as La'Rouge drew near.

La'Rouge held the jeweled purse casually in the nook of his arm belying the weight of it's contents. "Boone, Let's complete the deal. But, as God is my witness, if the grizzly bear, Romeo, does not fight till the death and destroy the lion, Parnell, you will never live to stage another match."

Col Boone leaned close, "Romeo broke out of his cage last night. He stopped a mile down the road and killed a cow. He left the cow's herder, screaming at the top of his lungs, in the top of a tree. He vomited the cow up before he was caged again. Romeo is starving mad now."

La'Rouge frowned. "I promised Romeo, the grizzly bear, will win and the Louisiana Gambler, Samuel Parton, will be destroyed with debt."

Boone chuckled. "The lion, Parnell, will fight to the death, his death. The food he ate will activate envenom as the fight requires more power. In the end, he will die." Boone's eye's narrowed as he looked across the arena to where the Louisiana Gambler Parton was making a wager with the Bookmaker. "La'Rouge, the fool, Parton, will lose his Plantation, Bright Starr. The Plantation will be returned to L. J. Starr, who will pay off my gambling debts in New Orleans. But the fool, Parton, will believe he's won when he gets the title to my worthless circus that's going broke. He'll soon realize he's lost the lion, Parnell, and can't afford the $5,000 to buy another one and the animals have to eat and food costs money. Without a plantation, he has no place to house the circus. And, trainers, ticket takers, and attendants also need pay. And, like me, Parton can rarely turn down a bet. Rest assured, La'Rouge, he'll be a broken man by Spring."

La'Rouge shook hands with Col Boone. "Put the wager in place."

He watched Col Boone casually approach Parton. At length, they shook hands.

La'Rouge rejoined L. J. and her party.

He nodded.

The 700-pound American grizzly sat in the center of the bullring, confined within a fifteen-foot high, thirty-foot wide steel cage draped in canvas. The bear's opponent, a 550-pound African lion was locked in a pen outside of the arena.

When the designated fight time arrived, the lion's owner used pokers to prod the lion out of his pen and into a portable cage, which he then wheeled into the bullfighting ring and placed flush against the entryway to the bear's cage.

The crowd gasped upon viewing the jungle cat for the first time, most having never seen such an animal before. The lion broke the silence with a loud roar, which the crowd met with cheering and hollering. When the canvas was removed from the fighting cage, revealing the lion's grizzly bear opponent, the spectators grew louder. The noise and the sight of the boisterous audience agitated and scared both caged beasts. They wanted to take out their anger and fear on anyone or anything that they could get their paws on.

At length, the lion, Parnell, lay dead. The grizzly, Romeo, was victorious as was Lula Starr.