by Phoebe Conn
Eden took one look at the rigid set of Raven’s shoulders and backed away. She had thought he wanted to make love, but that icy rebuff chilled her ardor more thoroughly than the cool temperature of the cabin. Her feelings hurt again, she turned away and got into the bunk as she had been told. She pulled the covers up to her chin and hoped she would be sound asleep before Raven came to bed.
Raven hung his coat over the back of his chair, yanked his shirt off over his head, then sat down to pull off his boots and socks. His pants soon joined the heap of discarded clothes, and in less than a minute he was seated in the tub. He washed his hair, scrubbed himself clean, and was out of the water and dry in less time than it took Eden to make herself comfortable. He then joined her in the narrow bunk, swept her curls aside, and began to playfully nuzzle her nape with a flurry of eager kisses.
Eden had expected to be ignored, not ravished, and completely confused, she sat up abruptly. Raven had left the lamp burning low, and she could see his smile plainly, but was determined for once not to be influenced by it. “I’m trying my best to understand you so we can live in something approaching harmony, but when you shove me aside one minute then grab me the next, I don’t know what to make of you.”
While Raven had to agree his actions did seem contradictory, he knew in truth they were not. Rather than protest her accusation, he reached for her wrist, and with a gentle tug pulled her back down into his arms. There was no way he would admit his need for her was becoming an obsession he could neither explain nor control.
“I want you,” he whispered against her mouth, which was set in a fetching pout. His lips brushed hers lightly as he shifted his position to trap her beneath him where she could not escape him again.
Making a list was going to prove pointless, Eden decided. It would be of no use to keep track of Raven’s good deeds when his erratic behavior would erase them faster than she could write. She had promised herself to never again allow thoughts of Alex to fill her mind when she lay in Raven’s arms, but she had never missed the dear man more.
Raven propped himself up on his elbows so he could study Eden’s expression since she was not usually so quiet. Her golden eyes appeared a soft brown in the dim light. She was looking directly up at him, but he doubted she saw him when her gaze seemed focused many miles away. Unable to hide his disappointment, he reminded her harshly, “You promised me a reward.”
His deep voice jarred Eden from her reverie, but she was only dimly aware of his words. “You must want me all the time, Raven, not merely when the whim strikes you,” she complained wistfully.
Raven groaned in despair “There’s not a second of the day that I don’t want you,” he admitted before he could stifle the impulse. “But I had to risk getting us all killed to win your promise you’d want me.”
That was the first time Raven had even hinted that he cared for her. Responding with the unabashed delight that had made her the belle of Richmond, Eden could not resist teasing him. “And what about the nights?” she asked in a seductive purr.
A bright sparkle now lit her eyes with a mischievous gleam, and that she so clearly wanted him too kept Raven from feeling she was making fun of him. No other woman had ever dared tease him, and he was amazed to find that he liked it coming from Eden. “The nights,” he confided in a husky whisper that was flavored with his own sense of humor, “would be worse torture than the torments of hell without you.”
Eden favored him with a bewitching smile before she laced her fingers in his damp curls to draw his mouth to hers. Her tongue swept his mouth slowly, and this time when he groaned softly, she knew it was not prompted by frustration but by desire. She pulled him closer still, anxious to savor more of his delicious taste and slow, sweet affection.
The amorous couple kissed until they were both so breathless they had to stop for a moment. “My gown,” Eden murmured softly, and Raven, no longer fearing she might elude him, moved aside momentarily to help her discard it. She then returned to his arms before he could reach for her. She had forgotten their bargain. She wanted him for the pleasure they had always shared, not because of a promise she had been forced to give.
The cabin was too cool, and the bunk far too narrow, for the way Raven truly wished to make love, but he knew those constraints would no longer hinder him once they reached Jamaica. They would again have wide, comfortable beds, and the gloriously warm nights that would allow them to give their passions free rein. With the exotic memories of his island home in mind, he made love to Eden with a newfound tenderness that thrilled her as deeply as it did him.
Her touch was even more tantalizing than the first time he had felt her caress. Her kiss was far more flavorful than his favorite brandy, and the warmth of her inner heat as he brought their bodies together radiated clear through him. He could not even imagine another man ever finding the blissful happiness his reluctant bride provided in such abundance, and he was overjoyed that she had given him her word never to leave him. Basking in the afterglow of her loving, he knew whatever risks he had to take to keep her would be well worth it.
They had gone to bed earlier than was their usual custom, and when Eden realized Raven had not fallen asleep in her arms, she seized the opportunity to make the closeness they shared last far longer than it ever had. She slid her fingers through the crisp curls that covered his chest, and snuggled against him.
“Talk to me, Raven. I know so little about you. Won’t you please tell me something about yourself?”
Raven drew in a deep breath rather than react angrily to that request but he didn’t want to talk. All he wanted to do was hold her and pretend that she loved him. “Is that what Alex did? Did he keep you constantly entertained with amusing stories?”
That was exactly what Alex had done, but Eden did not want to compare the two men in her life. “I want to talk about you, not Alex. You’re my husband, but I don’t know you well. Can’t you think of something to tell me?”
With a perverse sense of pleasure, Raven rose up slightly and propped his head on his hand, but he kept Eden pulled close to his side. “All right, I’ll tell you a story if you insist I must.”
“Thank you.” Eden reached up to kiss him, for truly she was thrilled that he had agreed to confide in her.
“I told you I outgrew Alex’s clothes in my teens. I must have been six feet tall by the time I was thirteen. There are a great many advantages to having a man’s height at an early age, and I used them all.”
“To do what?” He’d made her too curious to keep still.
“Just hush and listen. When I was almost sixteen, Alex decided I ought to know about women so he took me to the most expensive brothel in Kingston.”
Now Eden was really intrigued. “That was when he was married to Eleanora, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but he didn’t intend to avail himself of the services, he was just taking me there. Now are you going to be still and let me finish or not?”
“Yes, m’lord,” Eden replied through a burst of giggles.
Raven began to laugh too then. “The whole point of the story was, that when Alex took me to the brothel to introduce me to the pleasures of the flesh, every last woman in the place already knew me.”
Eden knew that was surely the most shockingly inappropriate story any man could ever tell his wife, but she was so amused by it she laughed right along with him. She was certain he had told her far more than he had intended to, for now she knew exactly what type of women the few he had admitted to knowing truly were.
“If you were that good a customer, you obviously resembled a grown man in more than height,” she remarked with her usual ready wit.
“I’ll not deny it,” Raven admitted through another burst of deep chuckles.
They had never shared such a relaxed mood, and Eden pressed for every advantage. “You promised to be faithful to me. I know the women in Kingston are going to miss you terribly. Will you miss them?”
Eager to make love to her again, Raven moved over her. “Tha
t’s entirely up to you,” he replied with a wide grin but his real answer flavored his kiss with a devotion Eden could never mistake. No other woman would ever take her place in either his bed or his heart, but he could not bring himself to put that promise into words until he was confident his love was returned in full measure.
While Nathan Sinclair did not board Raven’s ship again, the sight of the Southern Knight off the stern kept Eden’s spirits so high the remainder of the voyage passed swiftly for her. The crew, while still somewhat shy around her, had become friendly. She found it difficult to believe the kindness she had shown John Rawlings had changed their manner toward her so drastically, but she accepted their pleasant smiles without questioning what had prompted them.
The weather continued to be mild and the winds brisk, allowing them to make up the time they had lost during the storm. Unlike the gray-green Atlantic Ocean, the waters of the Caribbean were a dazzling sapphire blue that promised with every sparkling drop that Jamaica would indeed prove to be the paradise Alex had described.
That Eden had not once complained of their bargain left Raven slightly perplexed, but he enjoyed her ample affection too greatly to bring up the topic himself just to test her resolve. Once he had discovered how much he liked making her laugh, he had continued to tell her stories he had once thought unfit for her ears. After making love, she would lie in his arms listening to his hushed confessions until they had each laughed so hard tears came to their eyes. They would make love again, and when Raven fell asleep, he always knew Eden’s dreams would be as sweet as his own.
Alex had had a gift for telling the most trivial incident in an enormously entertaining fashion. Raven made no attempt to duplicate his late uncle’s style. Instead, he would merely relate one of the many ridiculous and sometimes dangerous incidents he had managed to survive unscathed. He had never regarded his life as being particularly amusing until Eden had asked to hear about it and then had reacted in such an appreciative fashion. That he could entertain her so easily continually amazed him, but best of all, he found the laughter they shared late at night brought a closeness that lasted all the following day.
That he would surely run out of stories eventually worried him, but he hoped by the time that happened they would be home and have enough to talk about without him having to describe his past. He was careful never to mention the days before he had come to live with Alex, for the stories he could tell about his childhood were all tragic rather than amusing ones.
“The entrance to the Rio Bueno is just ahead.” Raven handed Eden the spyglass so she could see it. “Kingston is on the opposite side of the island, but apparently the first Earl of Clairbourne to come here valued privacy more highly than companionship and chose the site of his plantation accordingly.”
Eden scanned the palm tree-lined coast for the mouth of the river. The beach was littered with palm fronds but the contrast of the rich green of the foliage, the sparkling white of the sand, and the startling blue of the sea was magnificent still.
“From the looks of the beach, they have had stormy weather here too.”
Raven took the spyglass when she offered it, then had to agree her observations were correct. “I’ve not seen a gale severe enough to uproot the palms, but you’re right about the amount of debris lying about.”
Raven was obviously concerned, and Eden stepped close and took his arm. “A few palm fronds doesn’t mean your home was damaged.”
“Let’s hope not.” He had frequently gone over how he would tell Alex’s staff and friends about his passing, but the possibility that the storm that had driven them off course might have struck the northern coast of Jamaica had not occurred to him. He had been looking forward to coming home with a nearly painful anticipation, and he did not want to find the plantation any less perfect than when he and Alex had left it, for Eden’s sake as well as his own.
Enchanted by Jamaica’s verdant natural beauty, Eden remained by Raven’s side as the ship entered the Rio Bueno. The river bottom had been dredged in the early years of sugar production, and frequently since, to allow ships to be loaded at the plantation docks which stood approximately one hundred yards upriver. As the wooden structures came into view, Eden turned back to watch for the Southern Knight, which had been closing the distance between them rapidly, while Raven was interested only in assessing possible damage from the storm.
As soon as the gangplank was lowered, Raven excused himself. “I want to go up to the house first and tell everyone about Alex. I don’t want them all weeping and wailing when they should be at their best to welcome you. I hope you won’t mind staying on board for a while.”
Eden considered it very thoughtful of him to ask. “Of course not. I’ll wait here for you.”
Raven kissed her cheek lightly, then hurried away. Remaining at the rail, Eden watched him start up the dirt road toward the plantation that still lay out of sight. Apparently the staff had sighted the masts above the tree tops, however, for half a dozen women were already running toward the river. Raven waited where he stood, then held out his arms to keep the enthusiastic group from going past him.Jamaican Wind’s
Eden had expected him to have Negro servants, and was surprised when one appeared to be a most attractive Spanish woman. She was tall and slender, with ebony hair worn in a chignon. Unlike the others, she was not wearing an apron, although she was dressed in a simple gray gown that a servant might wear.
While Eden could not overhear Raven’s words, she saw the shock and grief register in the women’s faces and knew they had loved Alex too. Only the Spanish beauty appeared unmoved, but in the next instant she swayed slightly, and had Raven not caught her when she fainted, she would have fallen in the dirt of the road. Thinking her husband would surely need her now, Eden started toward the gangplank, but Randy MacDermott swiftly blocked her way.
“Yadira Morales is the dramatic sort. You needn’t concern yourself about her. She’ll have recovered by the time she reaches the house.”
Eden sighed impatiently, then decided to accept Randy’s word rather than argue since Raven had asked her to remain on the ship for a while. “She’s very attractive. Is she one of the maids?”
Randy shook his head. “She’s the housekeeper, came here right after Eleanora died.”
That neither Alex nor Raven had ever mentioned they employed such a lovely housekeeper puzzled Eden for a moment, until she realized each had described only the beauty of the island, and never the residents. Actually, she was pleased to find the housekeeper was a young woman and hoped they would get along well and become good friends.
“Here’s your father’s ship now,” Randy pointed out. “I’ll bet he’s anxious to see you again.”
“Oh yes, I’m certain he is and I can’t wait to see him either.” Eden did not think she would upset Raven if she remained at the docks, and with Randy by her side, she left the Jamaican Wind as soon as the Southern Knight had tied up at the dock behind them. She returned her father’s wave, and nearly danced with excitement as she waited for him to reach her. When she saw Michael Devane following him, she hurriedly glanced over her shoulder to look for Raven and was relieved to see he had not yet returned.
Nathan again wrapped Eden in a boisterous hug, but he had encouraged Michael’s interest in her, despite the fact she was now a countess, and he swiftly stepped aside to allow the young man to speak with her. Not about to waste an opportunity to kiss the pretty blonde, Michael did just that.
Startled by what she considered an overly affectionate greeting, Eden took her father’s arm. “Will you please excuse us for a moment, Michael? I need to speak with my father.”
While he was disappointed Eden did not seem particularly happy to see him, Michael responded with another broad smile. Blond and blue-eyed, he knew he was handsome and was confident that she had always liked him since all the other girls in Richmond most certainly had. “Of course, talk as long as you please. We’ll be here for a week at least and there will be plenty of time for th
e two of us to talk.”
Although she was uncertain just what she and the overly attentive officer had to discuss, Eden replied that she would look forward to it. Once she had drawn her father aside, she forgot Michael completely. “Have you told everyone that I was widowed before I married Raven?” she asked in a breathless rush.
Because that was not the type of news he wished to circulate, Nathan glanced toward the heavens in a silent plea for the strength to handle the tangle his lively daughter had made of her life.
“No, I said only that you’d wed the Earl of Clairbourne. I didn’t reveal how many times you’d done it.”
“Good. Raven wishes to keep the fact I was married to Alex a secret until after the baby comes.”
“Good Lord, Eden. Whose baby are you having?”
Eden had forgotten her father didn’t know she was pregnant, and he wore too horrified an expression for her to think he was pleased about it. “I’m sorry. I should have told you when last I saw you. Please forgive me for not doing so.”
Nathan dismissed that request with an impatient wave. “Whose child is it?” he asked again in a hoarse whisper that readily conveyed his annoyance.
“The babe is Alex’s, but I didn’t realize there would be a child when I married Raven.”
“Well of course not, he didn’t give you time to consider anything at all!”
“Daddy, please don’t be angry with Raven. We did the only thing we could under the circumstances.”
Nathan turned away to shield her from the string of oaths he could not suppress, but when he faced her again, his expression was no less dark. “The man is up to no good, sweetheart. I can’t believe that you don’t see that. He rushed you into marriage, and now he expects you to keep your marriage to Alex a secret so no one will know what a scoundrel he is. I don’t like the sound of any of this and I’ll tell him so, too!”