by Phoebe Conn
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” she replied in a breathless rush.
“Oh but I do,” Raven argued. “You may find it difficult to believe, but I want our marriage to succeed. I know you don’t love me, but that hasn’t kept us from achieving a degree of closeness many couples never share. I know you’ll not forget Alex anytime soon, if ever, but if it would make being with me easier to bear, I won’t mind if you pretend that’s who I am. I’d be flattered actually.”
Eden studied his expression in the mirror, and was amazed to find he looked sincere. He appeared to be giving his full concentration to his task, but she knew that was merely what he wanted her to believe. He was awaiting her reply with an anxiety he hoped she would not notice, but she did.
“No, I won’t ever do that, Raven. If I were to pretend I was with Alex, it would cheat us both. We may have been drawn together by circumstance rather than love, but we ought to be honest with each other.”
“And if I am too honest?” Raven asked, certain he already had been.
Eden could think of no way to reply to that question without reopening the gaping wound of Alex’s death. She took a sip of her brandy to fill the awkward silence her failure to respond created but the deep purple liquid failed to ease her troubled mind, or her badly aching conscience.
Raven kept working until her hair shone with soft, golden highlights. It was torture to touch her, and to keep his emotions under control when he wanted so badly to glory in the feelings she aroused within him. He may have condemned her behavior in the past, but he wanted their future to be the best he could possibly make it. Finally he lay the brush on the dressing table, and bent down on one knee beside her so his eyes would be level with hers and she could no longer avoid looking directly at him.
“I know you must have beautiful memories of another wedding night, but this is the only one I’ll ever have. Please don’t ask me to sleep alone.”
His earnest gaze was somehow loving that night rather than intimidating, but again Eden found it difficult to reply. She did not feel like a bride, but like a very recent widow. In fact, she had felt like a spectator at their wedding. Their vows had had a hollow ring, as though strangers were speaking them. She knew Raven was now her husband, but she had never felt less like a wife. He was not demanding that she share his bed, as was his right, however. He was asking politely and that was more consideration than she had expected to receive from a man who was as hot-tempered as he.
She reached out to caress his cheek, and he drew her palm to his lips. That familiar gesture reminded her that they were already lovers. When she had shared the most intimate part of herself with him, how could she turn him away? “I did not think you would want me,” she whispered as she set her snifter aside to free both her hands.
Raven was unused to justifying either his actions or his emotions to others, and he could not begin now. “No matter how bitter our arguments become, I will always want you,” he responded instead.
“You deserve a wife who truly loves you, Raven. Someone like Stephanie who thinks you’re the most dashing man she’s ever met.”
Raven stood and took Eden’s hands to draw her to her feet. He toyed briefly with revealing she had been the only woman in London who had appealed to him, but quickly discarded the idea. He did not want to sound like some pathetic schoolboy suffering from unrequited love.
“You already know what I think of your insipid cousin, so don’t mention her name to me again. Surely you must know that the wealthier a couple is, the less likely they are to marry for love,” he commented as he skillfully edged her toward the bed. “That does not mean that we can’t be happy together.”
“Oh Raven, don’t you know anything about love?”
“Only what you have taught me,” he replied with rare candor. He did not give Eden time to respond, however, before he captured her mouth for a long, slow kiss that stilled all objection to their marriage. He would not leave her alone to brood over Alex’s death when he was alive and in such dire need of her affection. He scooped her up in his arms and began to turn in a slow circle as he deepened his kiss.
After a moment’s hesitation, Eden flung her arms wide, increasing the effect of his seductive spin. She had been so thoroughly depressed she did not think she would ever recover, but Raven had raised her spirits with his playful, and totally unexpected, antics. It was completely out of character for him and yet it was so spontaneously joyful that she did not question what had prompted him to behave in such a carefree fashion.
By the time Raven laid Eden across her bed, and collapsed beside her, they were both dizzy and convulsed with laughter. Breaking into a happy grin, he kissed both her cheeks then paused to judge her reaction before leading her any further.
“I’d never really seen you smile until a few days ago.” Eden was still amazed by how drastically his marvelous grin altered his appearance. “It makes you so much more handsome.”
Raven caressed her cheek with his fingertips, delighted her face was flushed with the warm glow of happiness. “Why Lady Clairbourne, are you saying that I’m dashing?”
“Oh yes, very dashing indeed,” Eden admitted without the slightest reluctance.
Raven knew how easily flattery poured from her lips, but he was in too good a mood to call her a liar. Instead, he kissed her soundly. They had each had the worst of days. Only that morning their emotions had been plunged to the depths of despair, but now their moods bordered on rapture. Raven wanted to take them higher still and began to make love to her with an adoring grace. His strength now tempered with a gentle restraint, he kissed and caressed her until she was so totally his they became truly one. He did not know or care if he had replaced Alex in her mind, but he knew no one would ever take her place in his heart.
Eden gloried in Raven’s affection. She drank in each of his brandy-flavored kisses and never once forgot who he was. He was not Alex, but his loving was so beautiful in itself that it no longer mattered. She could give herself to him with the hope that in time they would grow to love one another. She had not thought Raven capable of such tender emotions, but now that she had felt him express them, she had proof that indeed he could.
She ran her fingers through his thick curls to hold him close as the last shudders of ecstasy throbbed through his sleek body. She had asked him to take things slowly, to give her time, but he had responded by making her his wife with a speed she knew was even more shocking than her elopement had been.
When he wrapped her in his arms, and rolled over to bring her up on top of him, she was so completely relaxed she fell asleep with her head pillowed on his chest but no dream, no matter how blissful, could compare with the charming reality she had found in Raven’s arms.
Chapter Nine
August 1863
Eden’s mood was again a somber one the following morning, but Raven was so pleased with the way their wedding night had gone he attempted to lift her spirits.
“Do you like to ride?” he asked as she finished her last bite of breakfast.
“Yes, very much,” Eden responded softly. “Do you?”
“Not particularly, unless I’m out to race or hunt,” Raven admitted readily, for sedate rides through the countryside had never held enough excitement to keep him amused. “There are still a few more tenants I need to see before we sail for home. If you feel up to it, I’d like to have your company.”
Eden was tempted to offer an excuse, for indeed she had never felt less like riding, but Raven’s smile was so inviting, she feared she might insult him if she refused. Thinking that a poor way to begin their marriage, she agreed. “May I have a few minutes to change my clothes?”
“Take all the time you like. I need to speak with Elkins, the overseer. I’ll meet you at the stable.”
“I won’t keep you waiting,” Eden promised.
As they rode about the estate that morning, Eden kept Raven under close observation. Although she attempted to keep her frequent glances discreet, he captured f
ar more of her attention than the tenants. That he not only called the men by name, but also knew each wife and child, impressed her most favorably. She felt certain she had met all the tenants at one time or another since coming to Briarcliff, but she was embarrassed that she could not recall a single name. Fortunately, she had only to repeat Raven’s greetings and add a word or two of her own.
They had visited half a dozen of the farmers who rented land on Briarcliff before Raven drew his bay gelding to a halt. “Have you had enough?”
“Why no, I’d like to see everyone. I know they all came into Exeter for the funeral and I want them to know I appreciate their being there.”
“They know,” Raven assured her.
Outdoors, Eden did not feel nearly so apprehensive around Raven. The morning was warm, without a hint of the coming fall. The last time she had toured Briarcliff she had been with Alex, though, and the memory of that day flooded her eyes with a sudden rush of tears. Embarrassed, she quickly wiped them away. “We ought to go.”
“Just a minute.” Raven drew his mount alongside the small black mare he had chosen for her. “The next man, Paul Jessup, is a bit of a problem. Elkins told me that he drinks more than he should, and while his wife has never complained to him, he thinks Paul abuses her.”
“And Elkins lets him get away with it?” Eden asked, clearly upset. “I don’t believe Alex knew about it. Or if he did, he didn’t tell me.”
“No, Elkins didn’t want to bother Alex. That’s another problem. Elkins has been the overseer here for thirty years. His wife died several years ago, and Alex didn’t want to mention retirement to him for fear he’d just lie down and die as well.”
“Oh my goodness. It seems we have two problems rather than one, doesn’t it?”
Raven could not help but smile at the thought of the two of them attempting to set everything right at Briarcliff. “Let’s handle Jessup first. He gets in his crops and pays his rent on time. It can be argued that his personal life is his own business. He may be a mean bastard, but at least he provides a home for his wife and children.”
“That’s not enough, Raven.”
“Do you want to tell him to go?”
“No,” Eden admitted reluctantly. She wished she knew how Alex would have handled Jessup, but they had been so engrossed in each other they had not once discussed his tenants. “My mother had a maid whose husband beat her once. Maribelle came running to us for help and my father went over to her house and told her husband that if he even so much as raised his voice to Maribelle again, he’d” she paused then, unable to recall just what the threat had been.
“He’d what?”
“I don’t remember,” Eden admitted with a frown. “But it must have been something truly horrible because the man never gave Maribelle a reason to complain again. Surely Mr. Jessup must know that he can do better here than anywhere else so he’d not want to leave. Maybe all we’ll have to do is threaten to evict him.”
“No matter what we threaten, it will be Elkins who’ll have to carry it out,” Raven reminded her.
“Then tell him that his will be the first home we’ll visit when we return to Briarcliff next summer.” Then as a sudden afterthought she asked, “We will be coming back, won’t we?”
Raven broke into a wide grin. “If that’s your wish, Lady Clairbourne, then I’ll be happy to bring you back.”
Eden had never expected Raven to be such an agreeable husband. Finding it difficult to accept the fact that he was now her spouse, she looked away quickly. She could not actually recall agreeing to marry him. It had not been a conscious decision, at any rate, but now that she considered the question in retrospect, it seemed as though becoming Raven’s wife had been her only choice.
As he had been quick to point out, she had had nowhere else to go. To have remained with him as his mistress was unthinkable. That would have disgraced not only her, but her parents and Alex’s memory as well. Considering the scandalous way she and Raven had behaved since Alex’s death, marriage had been their only moral option.
Eden could justify their hasty wedding in her mind, but her heart still ached with the fear she had done something dreadfully wrong. Her only comfort was the hope for their happiness that Alex had expressed in his letter. Alex had been so loving and kind, she knew he would not disapprove of what they had done, even if the rest of the world did.
Raven watched Eden’s expression grow increasingly forlorn, and tapped his mount’s flanks lightly with his heels. “Come on, Lady Clairbourne. We need to deal with Jessup’s problems rather than dwelling on our own.”
Shocked to think the handsome young man could read her mind so easily, Eden sat up proudly and forced herself to smile as they continued on down the tree-lined lane. The tenant farmers had yet to learn of their marriage, and she hoped it would not become common knowledge until they had sailed halfway to Jamaica.
As they approached the Jessups’ cottage, Raven decided to seize the opportunity to deal with Paul in a manner that would favorably impress Eden. Clearly her sympathies lay with Mrs. Jessup, and he did not think it would be too difficult to convince Paul that he ought to treat his wife more kindly than he had in the past.
Raven dismounted in the yard, and went to the door while Eden remained by the gate. At his knock, a little girl in a tattered dress opened the door only far enough to peek out, then called for her mother. Isobel Jessup did not appear for a long moment, but when she did, the ugly purple bruise on her right cheek was confirmation enough in Raven’s mind that the rumors her husband mistreated her were true.
Isobel’s pale blue eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Raven. She knew who he was, but she had never spoken with him. She could not imagine why the new lord of the manor would call at her home, and frightened he had come to tell them to leave, she grabbed for her daughter’s hand and pulled her close.
At the other tenants’ homes he and Eden had been welcomed so graciously, Raven had not expected to encounter the stark terror that filled Isobel’s eyes. “Mrs. Jessup,” he began with the most charming smile he could display. “Lady Clairbourne and I will soon be leaving Briarcliff, and, we wanted to speak with all our tenants before we leave. Is your husband working nearby?”
“Yes, that is, I think so,” Isobel replied in a hoarse whisper. She then bent down to speak to her child, “Mary, go find your father.”
As the little girl darted out the doorway, Raven turned to Eden, hoping she would realize he was not to blame for the woman’s obvious fright. When Eden gestured for him to come to her, he went back to help her dismount.
“I think things may be even worse here than Elkins imagined,” he confided softly.
Eden nodded, then lifted the skirt of her dark green riding habit and started toward the cottage. “Mrs. Jessup,” she called out with a friendly smile.
“Lady Clairbourne,” Isobel managed to mumble. She sent an apprehensive glance over her shoulder, certain her home was not nearly fine enough to invite a countess to come inside.
As well as obviously battered, Isobel was painfully thin, but Eden continued to smile as though nothing were amiss. “The morning is so lovely, we’re hoping to be able to see everyone on our ride. We can stay only a few minutes so please don’t think you must invite us to remain for tea.” She bent down to enjoy the fragrance of the single bloom on the withered rose bush that grew beside the door. “I love roses, they remind me of home.”
Isobel stared at Eden, her confidence rising when she realized the lovely young woman’s smile was genuine. “Roses need more care than I can give them,” she apologized, surprised the old bush had again produced a few buds.
“Yes, they are as demanding as children,” Eden agreed.
Raven had had frequent opportunities to observe how effectively Eden had charmed Alex. That she could also put a frightened housewife at ease did not surprise him, but it did serve to remind him that he ought to remain on his guard where she was concerned. He listened attentively as, with Eden’s e
ncouragement, Isobel shyly described her family as consisting of Mary and four sons who were old enough to help their father in the fields. He thought Isobel might have been a pretty woman once, but the years, as well as Paul Jessup, had not treated her kindly.
Paul soon arrived home accompanied by four scrawny boys in worn and patched clothing. Unlike the rest of his family, who were all quite thin, the man had a brawny build, but was of only average height. Certain he could beat him handily if their conversation came to blows, Raven greeted him as warmly as he had the other tenants and then took him aside so his remarks would not be overheard. Cleverly, he positioned himself so that his back was toward Isobel, Eden, and the children.
“I have no intention of raising the rents Alex set,” Raven began, and certain he had Paul’s full attention, he lowered his voice as his tone took on a decidedly threatening edge. “But there are, conditions you must meet if you wish to continue living here.”
“What sort of conditions?” Paul asked with a surly frown.
“I know that you earn a good living, and in the future I’ll expect you to spend your money far more wisely. You’re the only one here who doesn’t look half-starved so it’s time you started putting more food on the table. Your wife and children ought not to be clothed like beggars either. Once you put your mind to it, I’m certain you can find a great many things your family needs more than you need to drink yourself into a stupor every night.”
Insulted, Paul took a step backward, “The way I spend my money is my own business.”
“Not if you want to stay here it isn’t,” Raven assured him. “There’s nothing lower than a man who’ll strike a woman and I’ll not rent land to you unless you mend your ways. Out of consideration for your wife and family, I’ll allow you to remain here, but only on my terms. Make your choice now, because if you’re going to leave, it has to be by noon tomorrow.”