by Phoebe Conn
“Daddy, please! After Raven was kind enough to invite you here where you can make your repairs without fear of attack it would be most ungrateful of you to insult him. Don’t forget the arms either I know you need them too badly to refuse them out of pride just because you suspect Raven’s motives.”
He was thoroughly disgusted, but Nathan had to admit she was right and nodded. His scowl didn’t lessen, however. “All right, I’ll hold my tongue for the time being, but the minute the War’s over—”
Eden interrupted her father’s threat with a hasty kiss. “Thank you. There’s so much about Raven that you don’t know, but please believe me, his character truly is an admirable one.” She caught sight of her husband out of the corner of her eye then, and hoped her father would act like a gentleman as he had promised.
Raven was not surprised to find Eden with her father and, after greeting him briefly, introduced the young black man at his side. “This is Azariah Dunn, my overseer. If you’ll give him a list of what you need, he’ll see you receive it promptly.”
“Thank you, I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”
Raven glanced over at the blond officer who was watching them with more curiosity than he considered polite. Making a determined effort to ignore him, he simply turned his back on him. “The slaves were freed here nearly thirty years ago. As you might expect, the sight of a Confederate ship at our docks makes those who can remember slavery more than a little nervous. I know there’s nothing you can do about your gray uniforms, but will you at least strike your colors?”
Eden saw the fire fill her father’s eyes and used her elbow to provide a sharp jab to his ribs to remind him of his promise. He looked down at her with a warning glance, then surprised her by agreeing to Raven’s request to lower their flag without argument. “Of course, I consider it only prudent to do so when it’s highly probable not all your neighbors are so willing to disregard Britain’s neutrality as you are, my lord.”
Raven was certain he had asked his father-in-law to call him by his name, and did so again. Nathan smiled as he said that he would, then motioned for the young officer who was obviously eager to join them to come forward.
“Lord Clairbourne, this is Michael Devane, my first officer. He’ll be the one supervising the repairs.”
“Raven Blade,” Raven repeated as he extended his hand. “I would prefer that you called me by my name, Lieutenant Devane.” He had taken an instant dislike to Michael when Nathan had first told Eden the young man was on board the Southern Knight. He saw no reason to change that view now. Michael had struck him at first glance as an arrogant dandy and he knew they would never become friends. He again introduced his overseer, and explained one of his many talents.
“Azariah is a master carpenter, so if you need help with your repairs, just ask him to assist you.”
Michael Devane dismissed the handsome Negro with no more than a disdainful glance. “I’m sure we’ll not require his help. We do need fresh water, though.”
“Help yourself to the river, Lieutenant.” Azariah inclined his head in a mock bow, turned away, and walked over to the men who had begun unloading the arms that were to be transferred to the Confederate ship.
“You ought not to allow such insolence from your servants,” Michael pointed out sharply.
Amused by his overseer’s obvious contempt for the arrogant lieutenant, Raven broke into a wide grin. “He’s an employee, not a servant, and I don’t consider him insolent at all.”
Raven was a couple of inches taller than Michael, and a good deal more muscular. While Nathan would have liked nothing better than to see a fight break out between
the two young men, he saw no point in encouraging such a contest when Michael could not possibly win. “Will you excuse us?” he asked his daughter instead. “I imagine you’re anxious to see your new home, and we’ve more than enough to do ourselves.”
“You’ll come for dinner tonight, won’t you?” Eden asked.
“We’ll have to make that tomorrow night, Captain,” Raven corrected. “We’ll be unable to entertain tonight.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Eden was badly embarrassed she had not considered that the household staff had just learned of Alex’s death and should not be asked to entertain. “Is everyone upset?”
“Devastated is a better word.” Raven found it difficult to believe Eden would have expected Alex’s servants to feel otherwise.
“We’ll have to let you know about tomorrow night then.” Eden reached up to kiss her father goodbye, but offered Michael no more than a smile.
When Raven took her arm, she apologized again as they started up the road toward the house. “I don’t know how I could have been so thoughtless. It’s just that we speak of Alex so often, it doesn’t seem as though he’s really gone.”
“I understand.”
Eden studied Raven’s pensive frown and doubted that he did. “Should we have some sort of memorial service here for him? He must have had many friends who’d like to attend.”
“Let’s discuss it after your father leaves.”
“Was he right about your neighbors? Will people be upset that we have a Confederate ship here?”
Raven shrugged. “It’s possible, but they’ll surely understand my reasons for wanting to aid my wife’s countrymen.”
“I certainly hope so.” Eden clung to her husband’s arm more tightly, but thought it prudent to change the subject.
“Tell me about Yadira. Is she all right?”
Raven came to a halt in midstride. “How did you hear about her?”
Eden explained her conversation with Randy. “She’s very pretty for a housekeeper. Is she efficient as well?”
“Yes. She runs the house as though it were her own.”
“That’s good.”
Raven was relieved Eden had been curious only about Yadira’s housekeeping skills. He had had too much on his mind on the voyage home to worry about Yadira, but now that they had arrived, he hoped the hot-tempered woman would not prove troublesome for Eden. Hoping to avoid any such conflict, he vowed to tell Yadira to keep her memories of Alex to herself. He patted Eden’s hand lightly, and continued to escort her on up the wide road.
“A violent storm did cut through here a couple of weeks ago,” he told her as they walked around a heap of wilted palm fronds. “But fortunately they caught only the edge of it here, just as we did. Other than some damage to the foliage, which they’ve nearly cleared away, there was no serious harm done.”
They rounded a slight bend then and Eden got her first glimpse of the house Alex had regarded as home. It was an imposing structure with the ground floor built of stone and the upper story of shingled wood. It had multiple roofs, and was surrounded by a shady veranda overgrown with native orchids and brightly blooming hibiscus. The windows were covered with louvers, which assured privacy at the same time as they allowed the breeze easy access to the large home.
The well-designed house was every bit as beautiful as the rest of the island, and suddenly Eden was overcome with longing for the man who had described it with such pride and had wanted to bring her there to live. Raven was standing quietly by her side, but she could not bear to look up at him her heart was so full of love for Alex. He had insisted she was as lovely as the orchids that grew in such abundance on the plantation and she knew she would never be able to look at the exquisite flower without remembering his whispered words of praise as they had made love.
Raven felt Eden hesitate, and when he looked down and saw her golden eyes filling with tears, he knew without asking where her thoughts had strayed. He had already carried Yadira over the threshold that day, but he scooped up his tearful bride and carried her into the house as though they were like any other happy couple who were beginning their marriage in a new home. That neither of them could manage a smile did not faze him.
Chapter Seventeen
September 1863
The portraits of Alex and Eleanora were on display in the drawing room.
Eden immediately agreed with Raven’s opinion that this painting of her late husband was superior to the one at Briarcliff. Completed in the last year of his first marriage, Alex’s hair shone with the silver light Eden had thought a wonderfully attractive complement to his deeply tanned skin. The blue of his eyes held precisely the right amount of sparkle to reveal his lively wit, and his slight smile, while suitably serious for a formal portrait, readily conveyed his engaging personality. Had she never met the charming man, she would have fallen in love with him with a single glance of the remarkably flattering portrait.
Grateful she would be able to appreciate it daily, Eden turned to study the one of Eleanora and found Alex’s first wife had been a brunette, with large hazel eyes. She appeared to have been petite, for her features were delicate and the hands which lay folded in her lap were as small as a child’s. Her expression was one of such innocent sweetness, it was easy to believe Raven’s comment that she had never raised her voice to anyone.
Raven had not stopped to contemplate Eleanora’s portrait since the day it had been hung. Now he wondered what Alex had seen in the shy young woman. She had been undeniably pretty, but completely devoid of either the keen intellect or passionate temperament that made Eden such a fascinating woman.
“We’ll have to have our portraits painted next summer when we visit Briarcliff,” he mused aloud. “England has several excellent artists who can make us look as attractive as we truly are.”
“Why Raven, I’ve never heard you say anything in the least bit conceited before today.”
“I’ve no need to be conceited,” the dark-eyed young man responded confidently. “Besides, you must know you’re a beauty without having to hear it from every man you meet.”
Eden regarded Raven with a skeptical glance, certain he was teasing her for a purpose and unwilling to walk into some clever verbal trap. She looked up at Eleanora’s portrait rather than respond. “Was she truly as childlike as she seems?”
“Even more so, but Alex was happy with her, although I doubt he knew what happiness was before he met you.”
“Are you trying to make me as conceited as you?”
Raven knew from her smile that his comment had pleased her too much to argue the point. He took her hand to draw her away. “Come on, there’s lots more to see. This house isn’t a quarter of the size of Briarcliff, but it’s always been my favorite of the two.”
“I think it will soon become my favorite too.” Eden was uncertain if Raven’s teasing had been a deliberate attempt to raise her spirits, but regardless of his intent, it had had that effect. “I’d like to see the whole plantation tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t you rather spend the day with your father?”
“Yes, but I doubt he’ll have much time to devote to me. He may have put Michael in charge of the repairs, but I know he’ll want to oversee the work himself. He’s as particular about the running of his ship as you are.”
Pleased that she thought he and her father shared such an important attribute, Raven was happy to grant her request. “We’ll ask him first then, and if he’ll be occupied all day, I’ll be happy to take you on a tour.”
“Thank you.” They had reached the stairs without seeing any of the servants, and Eden wondered aloud where they were.
“I sent them all home for the remainder of the day. Yadira is the only one who lives in the house. Her room is on the ground floor, next to the back stairs. She’s very high-strung.” Raven found it difficult to return Eden’s inquisitive gaze when he had no intention of revealing more than a small portion of the truth about the attractive housekeeper. “She’s been here for nearly a decade, and takes a great deal of pride in maintaining our home well. Because the house has been without a mistress for so long, she may be reluctant to take orders from you at first. I’ll speak to her about that tomorrow. After learning of Alex’s death, she was in no condition to discuss anything.”
Eden could readily understand how Yadira might regard her as an interloper. “No, please don’t talk to her about me. I didn’t expect to come here and immediately begin giving everyone orders. If Yadira has managed this long without a mistress to provide direction, she’ll undoubtedly regard any suggestions I make as interference. Please give her a chance to become comfortable around me. Then if there’s something I want done differently, she won’t feel insulted when I approach her about it.”
“You’re right, of course.”
“Alex’s death will make things difficult too. I want to be sensitive to whatever grief the servants here may feel but my father won’t be here but a few days, so I hope your staff will understand why I’m anxious to entertain him. I don’t want any of them as outraged as Stewart was, or to think we aren’t mourning Alex as respectfully as we should.”
It never failed to amaze Raven that Eden was not only beautiful, but practical as well. “That we’ve had longer to deal with his loss than everyone here has might make things difficult for us for a while, but we don’t have anyone here with such a strict sense of propriety as Stewart had.”
“Not even Yadira?”
“No, she keeps very much to herself so I don’t think she’ll be concerned about appearances if we invite your father and his officers to dine with us. I’ll tell her only that I want her to offer you every possible assistance. Do you want everyone to know about the baby yet?”
Eden frowned thoughtfully. “Are you going to say we were married in July rather than August?”
The timing of her child’s birth was not something Raven had considered. “Yes, we’ll have to, won’t we? I don’t want everyone counting on their fingers.”
“They’ll be doing it regardless of what we want, but I’d rather keep them from beginning that for as long as possible. Besides, I doubt the fact we’ll have a child next spring will be obvious until after the holidays. Let’s just keep it a secret for as long as we possibly can.”
Eden looked so distressed by their discussion, Raven reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know you think the ruse I’ve demanded you play is ill advised, but I want you to trust me to know what’s best for us.”
That Raven had asked for her cooperation now puzzled Eden. “I gave you my word. I’ll not go back on it. What about your crew? Did you tell them to keep my marriage to Alex a secret?”
“Yes, I most certainly did and they’ll do it too.” Raven raised his index finger to her lips. “Now hush. Alex always treated the staff here like family, and if one of them ever overhears such a tantalizing conversation as this, I can guarantee they’ll all be buzzing with curiosity within five minutes.”
Eden nodded. She did not share her father’s view that Raven was a scoundrel intent upon covering up his own foul deeds, but she would never agree that convenient lies were better than the truth, no matter how damning that truth might be. “You helped my father as you’d promised, and I’ll keep my part of the bargain. Now why don’t we go on upstairs and see the rest of the house?”
Raven knew she would keep her word, but the cynical light in her eyes didn’t please him. Clearly she was going to do as he had asked as a point of honor rather than because she believed he was right. He was equally certain he had chosen the proper course, however. Taking her hand, he started up the stairs. “I think I’ll remain in my own room for the time being. You may choose the bedroom on either side. The one on the north was Eleanora’s, the one on the south was used only by guests.”
As they reached the top of the stairs, Eden began to smile. “Don’t tell me, let me guess. Was Eleanora’s room decorated in shades of lavender?”
“How did you know?”
“I think the color would have suited her. I’d prefer the other room, please. Will someone bring my trunks from the ship?”
“Of course.” Raven hesitated at the first door to the left. “Do you want to see Alex’s room?”
Eden shrank back slightly. “No, I’d rather not. I suppose we’ll have to dispose of his things someday, but I’d rather not
begin today.”
Raven readily understood her reluctance to enter Alex’s room and continued on down the wide hall to the adjoining one. “This room was Eleanora’s.”
Eden took in the decor from the doorway. Not only was lavender the predominant color, but the furnishings were of such a delicate design the room could have belonged to a young girl, or an elderly woman, just as easily as to the mistress of the house. The louvers at the windows were open to admit the afternoon breeze and there was a graceful stem of green orchids in a bud vase on the dresser. As immaculately kept a house as Briarcliff, the room appeared to still be in use, rather than long vacant.
“Does Yadira place fresh flowers in all the rooms regardless of whether or not they’re occupied?”
“That’s scarcely wasteful, Eden. The plantation is overgrown with flowers and bringing a few into the house will never deplete the supply.”
Eden was surprised by the sharpness of his tone. “I wasn’t being critical,” she quickly denied. “All I meant was that it was a very gracious gesture for an empty room.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Again taking her hand, Raven opened his door as they walked by, but went on past it to the bedroom she had requested. He threw open the door, and stepped aside to allow her to enter first. “If the pink wallcovering and upholstery does not suit you, the room can be redecorated. We can shop for whatever you’d like when we go to Kingston next week.”
“This room isn’t really pink, Raven, it’s more of a dusty rose and I like it just the way it is.” Again the louvers were open, and a vase of orchids sat on the dresser. While the bedroom had mahogany wainscoting, as did all the other rooms she had seen, the pale rose of the walls above the dark paneling kept the room from being masculine in appearance. She walked over to the connecting door between their rooms and tried the knob.