by Linda Ladd
Her limbs still trembled with anger, and she turned her direction toward the seawall that led from the rear of the formal gardens to the rock promontory that overlooked the bay. It had always been a favorite retreat for her, and she hurried there, under the watchful eyes of one of Trey's guards. She ignored him, glancing back toward the house to see if Trey were coming after her, but she could not see him. She paused beneath the arbor that stood near the path to the beach. Fragrant flowering vines entwined upon it, and she inhaled the fragrance as the wind whipped her hair from the pins that Pearl had so lovingly secured. On impulse, Caitlin pulled out the narrow ribbons and combs as well, only satisfied when the thick tresses swung freely down her back. She took a deep breath, calmer now as she followed the sandy path along the low wall that her father had had built along the cliffs so long ago.
She looked out to the Glory as she walked, hoping to see Christian, but without her spyglass she could not tell if he were on deck. She had seen him daily from the upper gallery of the house since Richard had delivered his letter to her. If only she could talk to him! She missed him so desperately!
The walk gradually ascended to where the huge banyan tree rose on the highest point of the plantation. Several tall palm trees surrounded it, making the promontory a cool and shady haven. Caitlin sat down on the exposed roots of the banyan, remembering the happy hours she had spent there with Christian. She looked up the trunk of the immense tree where the natural footholds that they had discovered as children were covered with vines. They had often climbed into the great boughs to watch for the return of their father's ship. She smiled at the happy memories.
"I did not think to find you with a smile on your face," a familiar and unwelcome voice said from a few yards away, and Caitlin turned abruptly to him, her smile fading.
"I was certainly not thinking of you or that pile of blubber, that is for sure," she snapped, anger bubbling alive again. "And I am not sorry about what I did," she added, tossing fiery curls. "He is little more than a whale, and I would throw myself from this summit before I would marry the likes of him."
"I hardly think that will be necessary," Trey replied quietly. "Since I do not consider him to be suitable for your hand."
"Then why did you choose him?" Caitlin demanded angrily.
"I did not pick him or any of the others. Sir Henry chose them according to their rank and wealth. But, nevertheless, your actions were inexcusable. No matter what she thought of the man, a lady never would have done what you did."
Caitlin lifted one shoulder carelessly, and Trey frowned at her lack of remorse. Watching the wind play with her soft ringlets, he found himself wanting to reach out and touch them, but he resisted the impulse, looking out to sea in the moment of silence that followed.
"Why were you smiling when I came up a moment ago?" he asked, causing Caitlin to look at him in surprise.
"I was remembering how Christian and I played here when we were children. We used to watch for our father's return when he was on a voyage he thought too dangerous for us. We pretended we were in the lookout of the Anna."
Trey looked up into the limbs spreading out high above them. "Wasn't that a little dangerous for young children?"
To his surprise, Caitlin presented him with a lovely open smile that heightened her beauty to sheer perfection. Trey dared at her in fascination as she answered.
"Of course not. We would sit there where the biggest limbs meet. I was never afraid, not even the first time."
Somehow that didn't come as a surprise to Trey, since she didn't appear to be afraid of anything. He had grown to admire the beautiful girl beside him, despite her hatred and constant defiance. She did not deserve the likes of Wilton Longworth.
"I am sorry that you had to deal with Longworth," he said, his words surprising himself almost as much as they did Caitlin.
"Will I be forced to meet the others?" she asked, daring to hope that the incident might have changed his mind, but her heart fell as he nodded.
"Aye, Sir Colin Hartley will visit here next week, but from what I have heard, he is a gentleman of the highest regard. Though I have not met him, I know him to be a good friend of the governor, and I feel sure he will be much more presentable than Lord Longworth."
Caitlin looked away from him. Well, I am not so sure about that, she thought, and if Sir Colin Hartley bore even a remote resemblance to her first suitor, she would be long gone before he caught even a glimpse of her.
Chapter Eight
Caitlin clutched her spyglass tightly in her hand as she hurried toward the seawall, keeping in the shadow of the garden wall out of sight of the guards. From the cliffwalk, she would be able to view the terrace where Sir Colin Hartley would be taken. This time she would find out what kind of man he was before going through the degradation of meeting him, and Trey Cameron be damned.
When she reached the seawall, she climbed atop it, eagerly focusing her glass on the object of her interest.
"Damn," she muttered, grimacing at the sight of an elderly man slowly making his way to where Trey stood to receive him on the garden gallery. He must be a hundred years old, she thought, watching how he stooped over his cane. Her teeth clenched at this second insult. Well, she was not about to meet Sir Ancient Hartley, and it was a good thing she had had the foresight to be so far away from the house where her dear guardian could not easily detain her. She gasped as she saw Trey speak to Pearl, then head with long angry strides straight for her position on the cliffwalk.
She jumped from the wall, sliding the glass together and looking around desperately, realizing his path through the gardens would effectively cut off her escape route. There was nowhere to go but the promontory point, and she hurried along the path as it gradually rose to meet the banyan tree. A sheer cliff dropped into the sea, and she looked down to where the surf pounded below in boiling, churning fury. Any kind of descent was impossible. But then a different idea struck her.
She walked to the tall banyan tree and looked up at the limbs above her. She and Christian had climbed it many times when they were children. There was no reason why she couldn't do it again. She frowned down at her voluminous red silk skirt, knowing she had very little time before Trey reached the summit. Without hesitation, she pulled her dagger from its scabbard and with a few quick swipes, effectively shortened her dress to just above her knees. While her petticoats suffered a similar severance, Caitlin kept her eyes on the bend in the cliffwalk where Trey would undoubtedly appear at any moment. The deed done, she gathered the pieces of red dress and undergarments and flung them over the wall.
More comfortable now than she'd been in many days, she only took the time to stuff the spyglass in the laces of her stomacher before placing her toes in the first foothold. Within seconds, she was sitting high above the ground, smiling smugly as Trey rounded the walk and headed up toward her. She gave a low chuckle of self-satisfaction as he stopped just below her and looked around, his hands planted on his lean hips.
Trey was furious. Caitlin would try a saint, he fumed, looking around impatiently. Sir Colin had already arrived, looking so feeble that Trey had been surprised he had survived the coach ride from Bridgetown. Now Caitlin added the insult of refusing to be on hand to meet him. It was a good thing Pearl had seen her on the cliffwalk or he would have had no idea where to find her. But now she was nowhere to be seen. He muttered a low oath, damning the laxity of the guards, his eyes narrowing as he spied her red parasol lying on the white stone wall. He picked it up, remembering her threat to throw herself over the cliff, and he leaned on the wall and looked down. His breath caught as he saw the bright red against the rocks below, and a great fear rolled over his heart until he recognized he was only looking at rags. He frowned deeply and looked around before he suddenly realized where Caitlin was. He raised wary eyes, alarmed when he saw her precarious perch high above his head. Shapely bare legs dangled impudently, and he stiffened as her arrogant laugh floated down to him, a current of pure rage boiling alive inside him
.
"Caitlin, come down here at once."
A mocking laugh met his deadly order.
"Come up and get me," she said with a challenging grin.
Trey's blood pressure rose drastically at her blatant defiance. "Dammit, Caitlin, our guest is here, and he's come a long way to meet you."
Caitlin gave a derisive snort. "I have seen him, and he is as old as Methuselah. He will not meet me unless he wishes to shimmy up the tree trunk and pay me court."
Trey's face went white, and his fingers flexed with his desire to climb the bloody tree and strangle the girl with his bare hands. There was no doubt he could get to her easily enough, but getting her down safely against her will was another matter. He could not risk making her fall, and one wrong move on her part now could easily send her tumbling to her death. He took a deep breath, trying to get a hold on his simmering temper.
"For the last time, Caitlin, get down from there. You are acting like a child."
"I will come down when Sir Hartley has left Windsway and not before" was Caitlin's stubborn reply, and Trey's square jaw went rigid.
He was totally powerless to force her down now, but when she did come down, by God, she would learn a lesson she would never forget. His patience with her was at an end.
Trey turned on his heel without another word, trying to come up with a reason for Caitlin's absence that would not insult the poor old man. Caitlin watched him move away with immense infuriated strides, most pleased at her victory in evading this latest unsuitable suitor. She leaned back against the limb, her eyes on the sea where the turquoise waters met billowing white clouds in the brilliant blue of the sky. It was almost like working high in the riggings of a ship. How she wished she were on the Anna! Her gaze went to the Glory, and she pulled the spyglass free and trained it on the decks. Christian was nowhere in sight. Then she turned, swinging one leg over the limb until she straddled the branch. From her new position, she could see the house, and her eyes sharpened at the sight of Trey's tall figure just reaching Sir Colin Hartley. She laughed softly to herself as the old man shook his cane angrily at Trey.
"Two down and two to go," she muttered in satisfaction, keeping Trey in her sights as he solicitously helped Sir Colin toward his waiting carriage.
She had no doubt that Trey would punish her this time, as he was quite obviously furious with her. But she didn't really care, she thought with a shrug; it had been worth it. There was no way now that Sir Colin would wish to wed her, and that was all that mattered.
However, the memory of the ice blue anger in Trey's eyes made Caitlin anxious to find a secure hiding place until his temper subsided somewhat. She closed the spyglass, replacing it carefully before hastily returning to the ground. She took time to pick up her parasol, then hurried down the path, cutting through the gardens to the sandy path that led to the beach.
The trail meandered down the cliffside, and Caitlin hurried along it, thinking Trey would not think to look for her on the beach. The sand felt good to her bare feet, and she walked to the water's edge, breathing deeply as the wind whipped her hair around.
She glanced up to the top of the cliff, but saw no one; nevertheless, she started down the beach to where huge black rocks dotted the white sand. He would not be able to see her there, and there she would stay for a long while. She had just passed the first boulder when she heard a shout from behind it, and she peeked around the edge, surprised to see Pearl's young grandson there, swinging a makeshift wooden sword in the air.
"Samuel? What are you doing?"
Samuel turned at once, dropping his sword arm sheepishly. Caitlin watched his eyes grow wide as he noticed the ragged state of her dress.
"I suspect that I look rather silly, don't I, Samuel," she said, laughing as she looked down at herself. "Are you practicing your swordplay?"
"Aye, mum, I intend to sail the seas someday like you and Captain Cameron. He has promised to take me aboard as his cabin boy when yonder ship returns to England."
"Blast the bloody captain! You shall join my brother and me aboard the Anna as I said before!"
Samuel's eyes brightened considerably. "Truly? To chase the Spaniards and steal their treasure?"
"Aye, and you would make a fine mate. I will teach you to use a sword myself. Just like my father taught me. Now show me what you have learned."
Samuel beamed with delight and immediately struck the fencing stance, cutting the air with swings of his wooden cutlass, and Caitlin nodded approvingly.
"Very good, but you must not move your arm that way. Here, I will show you."
She took her parasol, placing her hand lightly on her hip before she moved forward in several perfectly executed thrusts and parries. Samuel watched closely, then followed her example, carefully imitating her stance.
"That is much better, Samuel," Caitlin said, clapping him on the back. "I will make you into a pirate before you know it!"
Trey could see them from where he sat astride his white stallion at the seawall. He reined his horse toward the beach path, never having been quite so furious at anyone in his entire life. He wanted to throttle Caitlin, and his face blackened ominously as he slowly descended toward the beach. He set his horse at a gallop along the sand to where he had seen her fencing with young Samuel. He was almost upon them when Caitlin looked up and saw him. She began to run, and made it halfway into the water when his horse splashed into the surf after her.
Caitlin cried out as Trey leaned down and grasped her around the waist with one strong arm. She was pulled bodily up into the saddle in front of him, and her heart hammered in fear. She had always been uneasy around horses since one had thrown her when she was a child, and despite the firm grip with which Trey held her, she was petrified of the huge white beast.
Trey held her tightly before him, controlling the spirited stallion with one hand as he galloped back up the beach and guided his horse up the sandy path toward the house. Caitlin was wisely holding her tongue, and well she should if she knew what was good for her! Neither spoke as he drew up at the front gallery, sliding off, then pulling Caitlin down after him.
He started off at a fast clip, pulling Caitlin by the hand, and Caitlin had to run to keep up with his long strides. Pearl cried out in dismay as she caught sight of them in the upstairs sea gallery, her eyes dropping to Caitlin's bare legs in horror. Trey ignored her, thrusting Caitlin into her room and slamming the French doors behind them.
Caitlin leaned weakly against the bed as he paced to the center of the floor then turned on her.
"I have tried to be patient these past weeks." He ground out the words with much more calmness than he thought himself capable of. "But I am through with your childish behavior. From this moment on, you will do exactly what I tell you, and you will meet exactly whom I tell you."
Caitlin glared at him, her hands on her hips, trembling with rage at his orders. For the first time, Trey noticed her state of undress, her legs bare from the top of her slender brown thighs, and tinglings he did not want or need sprang to life in his loins, fueling his fury.
"No lady would prance around in such a state of undress as you seem to delight in doing," he said harshly.
"I am no lady, damn your eyes," Caitlin snapped. "And I never will be. When will you realize that? You waste your time and mine trying to make me into something I am not! Sail your ship back to England and leave me to my fate!"
"If this behavior continues," Trey warned through set teeth, keeping his eyes with dogged determination on her anger-flushed face instead of on her scantily clad limbs, "if you insult one more suitor or rip asunder one more gown, I will lock you in this room and choose the groom myself without your help. Do you understand me, Caitlin? And, furthermore, if your willfulness continues, you will remain here until the wedding day, when I will be rid of you and all the trouble you have caused since the first day that I heard of you!"
His threat gave Caitlin pause. She swallowed hard, knowing that she would surely die if she were confined to her ro
om. Without her freedom, there would be no hope of escape. It was time to change her tactics.
"Please, milord, do not lock me up," she begged softly, making her voice as humble as she knew how with very little practice, and Trey's blue eyes came warily to her face. She went on, huge golden eyes holding him against his will.
"I should not have hidden from Sir Colin. I will apologize to him if you wish."
Trey gave a sarcastic snort. "I daresay that poor feeble old man will never set foot on Windsway again. He came a long way only to be insulted by you. I fear you have lost his goodwill as thoroughly as you have Longworth's."
Caitlin was more than pleased to hear such news, although she bristled with resentment at his infuriating way of treating her like a child. She would have to meet the other two suitors, but there were more subtle ways to make them hate her.
"'Twas the fact that he was so old that upset me, Captain Cameron," she said, sighing in a truly pitiable manner. "He is surely old enough to be my grandfather. I cannot bear to think of taking such a man as my husband."
Trey's anger faded somewhat at the vulnerability in her words, and he was amazed at the tenderness for her that welled up inside him. Never had he met a woman who could so completely infuriate him in one moment, then tug at his heart the next. And, in truth, it was not hard for him to understand Caitlin's reluctance to accept Hartley as a husband. She was so very young after all, and although Hartley was a far sight better than Longworth, he was not the kind of husband Caitlin needed.