by Phoebe Conn
“Then it came again. Only this time we were all holding our breath waiting for it. The man closest to the chicken coop realized it was the rooster warming up to greet the dawn and made a dive for him.” Michael paused a few seconds as everyone began to chuckle. “Problem was, he’d yanked the head off the wrong bird before he’d realized it. The hens were all flapping about making a terrible racket and the rooster kept right on crowing.”
Nathan was too chagrined to listen to any more. “He finally killed the cock, we slipped into the river without getting caught, and we had chicken and dumplings for dinner, but I’ll not sail with a rooster on board ever again.”
Realizing a noisy rooster had seriously jeopardized the crew’s safety, Eden could easily understand why that wasn’t one of her father’s favorite stories despite the obvious humor of it. It was difficult to read Raven’s expression since he was seated at the opposite end of the long and crowded table, but she was pleased he appeared to be as amused as everyone else. In fact, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves that evening, even Julian Ryan, whom Eden had cleverly seated next to the ship’s surgeon, Clifton Endecott. Although several years younger, and a good deal better-looking, he seemed as serious a man as Julian. The two had become engrossed in a medical discussion from the moment they had been introduced.
Eden surveyed the table and found not only the men seated closest to Rebecca doing their best to charm her, but those seated across from her as well. They gave the shy young woman few opportunities to speak, but Eden could tell from her expression she was enjoying every word of their conversation. While Eden had feared the evening held all the elements of potential disaster, she was delighted to find things going so well.
The table was set with crisp white linens, the finest English bone china with a delicate floral pattern, gleaming crystal goblets, and ornate silver. Deep purple orchids were entwined around the bases of the four silver candelabras. Their brightly burning candles gave off a seductive spicy scent and filled the dining room with their tangy perfume. Yadira had merely nodded as Eden had described what she wanted, but obviously the housekeeper was as talented as Raven had promised.
Taking another bite of succulent pork baked in a flavorful orange sauce, Eden considered the cook’s work excellent as well. She had never tasted breadfruit, but was certain the large green fruit had been roasted to perfection. The dinner was truly superb, the wines Raven had selected from Alex’s cellar exquisite, and their guests all seemed to be enjoying themselves. That the first party she and Raven had hosted as Lord and Lady Clairbourne was an unqualified success kept Eden smiling all evening.
With only two ladies present, Raven insisted Eden and Rebecca remain with the men when they returned to the drawing room for brandy. The conversation grew more serious, but the Confederate cause was defended with such fervor he had to admire his guests’ conviction even though nothing he heard changed his opinion on the ultimate futility of the War.
Time and again he heard that shortages of essentials such as food and clothing plagued not only the Confederate troops, but the civilian population as well. The shortages Raven had considered readily predictable had combined with inflation to wreck the South’s economy. Yet the officers present clung to the belief that any hardship was worth enduring for the sake of preserving the South they loved.
The majority of soldiers in any conflict were always painfully young, but as Raven studied his guests’ earnest expressions, he did not understand how any commander could send such fine young men to their deaths over something so trivial as a political dispute. There had to have been a better way to bridge the chasm between the customs and needs of the North and South than civil war and he thought it a great tragedy neither side had had men with sufficient brilliance to find it.
Raven had said little that evening, but Nathan did not need more than one glance at the young man’s pensive frown to know they ought not to overstay their welcome in his home. He spread the word it was time to leave, then bid his daughter and her husband good night shortly before ten. “Your hospitality will not be forgotten, Lord Clairbourne.”
Rather than again ask to be addressed by his given name, Raven took note of Nathan’s grin and did not make an issue of it. The only evidence the Southerner wore of their fight was a gash in his chin, and Raven hoped they would not ever come to blows again. He was then ashamed to realize how quickly they had resorted to violence to settle a problem that really existed only in Nathan’s mind. It was no wonder countries could not live in peace when individual men could not, he thought sadly.
“I’m looking forward to entertaining you and your wife someday soon,” Raven assured him.
Nathan seemed pleased by that invitation. “You’ll find Sarah is as charming as her daughter, and I know she’ll be eager to meet you.”
“Let’s hope that will be very soon.” Eden kissed her father good night, and remained by the door to say a final word to their other guests.
Michael Devane stepped out of the line and moved to the rear in hopes he would be able to have a few moments alone with Eden if he was the last to leave, but he was able to say no more than a brief thank you before Raven slapped him on the back and ushered him out the door. Disgusted, but not defeated, he hurried to catch up with the others, and promised himself he would not leave Jamaica without spending some time alone with the lovely blonde.
Julian and Rebecca had been invited to spend the night so they would not have to return home after dark. Eden hoped she might now be able to become better acquainted, but before she could encourage them to return to the drawing room, the doctor took his sister’s hand and started toward the stairs.
“It was a lovely party, but I’m afraid Rebecca has become overtired and I want her to go on up to bed.”
Rebecca’s cheeks were flushed, but Eden thought that was from excitement rather than fatigue. The young woman appeared reluctant to say good night but did so after a regretful sigh and, accompanied by her brother, retired for the night.
Eden took Raven’s hand and led him back into the drawing room. “Thank you for being such a marvelous host tonight. I know it must have been difficult for you to hold your tongue, but I’m so pleased that you were able to do it.”
“I can scarcely demand silence from you on certain matters, and not give the same in return,” Raven replied as he took a clean snifter from the tray and poured himself more brandy.
“Well, whatever your reasons, you were the soul of tact tonight and I appreciate it. Now tell me about Rebecca. Is Julian always so overprotective of her?”
“Yes. He’s quite a bit older than she is and after their parents’ deaths felt responsible for her. She was married several years ago, but only briefly. Her husband was an accountant from Kingston. He died of yellow fever, as I recall. Rebecca came back home to live with her brother and there’s nothing more to tell.”
“Is he the one who insists she wear black, or is that her choice?”
“I have no idea. Why don’t you ask her in the morning?”
“Really Raven, that’s not the type of question that can be asked in casual conversation.”
Raven observed Eden with an appreciative glance as she walked to the windows. Despite the warmth of the evening, she looked as pretty and fresh as when their guests had first arrived. The louvers were open and she raised her chin slightly to enjoy more of the fresh air they provided. “Be careful,” he cautioned. “The evening breeze comes off the land. It’s called the ‘Undertaker Wind,’ because it can cause quite a chill.”
“How gruesome,” Eden laughed as she turned back toward him. “There’s a breeze off the sea in the mornings. What’s it called?”
“It’s the ‘Doctor Wind,’ because it helps keep everyone cool while they work.”
“I’ll bet you know all kinds of stories about Jamaica, don’t you?”
“I grew up here,” Raven reminded her with a shrug. “Besides, it’s not all that large an island, so there isn’t a great deal to learn.”
Eden quickly covered her mouth to hide a yawn. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to tell me more another night.”
Raven set his snifter aside and came forward to meet her. “That’s fine with me. I had other plans for tonight anyway.”
Knowing by the devilish gleam in his eyes just exactly what those plans were, Eden lifted her arms to encircle his neck and eagerly returned his kiss. When at last she stepped back, Yadira was at the doorway. The woman came and went with the stealth of a ghost, but Eden was too pleased with the way the evening had gone to be annoyed with her.
“Everything was perfect, Yadira. Please tell everyone in the kitchen how delighted we were.”
“I will do that, my lady.” Without asking if she would be disturbing them, Yadira entered the drawing room and began gathering up the brandy snifters their guests had used.
“We were just leaving,” Raven announced as he took Eden’s hand, and he hurried her out of the room and up the stairs.
“In which rooms are Julian and Rebecca staying?” Eden whispered as they started down the hall.
“Those opposite Alex and Eleanora’s so you needn’t fear we’ll disturb them.”
Eden knew he was teasing her this time, and returned his taunting grin with a smile. He went past his room to hers and, pulling her into his arms, waltzed her through the door. The lamp beside the bed was burning low, and the rose-colored room held a romantic glow.
“Raven,” Eden mused as he continued to dance her toward the bed. “Most husbands visit their wife’s bedroom, not the other way around. There was no reason for you to scold me for not being in your bed last night.”
Raven released her and stepped back to give a courtly bow. “You’re right, of course. It was only that finding you in my bed at Briarcliff set the pattern.”
Rather than again attempt to explain what she had been doing in Alex’s bed, Eden simply turned her back toward him and lifted her hair out of his way so he could undo the buttons that ran down the back of her gown. The touch of his fingertips against her bare skin made her shiver, but when she noticed the small lavender bottle sitting on the night stand, she felt the worst chill of her life.
The delicate bottle was shaped like a newly opened rose and its stopper was topped with a hummingbird. Even without opening it, Eden knew exactly what it contained. When Raven had said he had plans for that night, she had not dreamed he meant to use the oil she and Alex had shared. “How could you?” she gasped.
“How could I what?” Raven asked, having no idea what she meant.
Eden’s gaze remained fixed on the exquisitely handcrafted bottle, her memories of her wedding night as clear in her mind as those of the evening’s party. She could not only see Alex spread a drop of the fragrant oil on the tip of her breast, she could feel the warmth of his hand. Her breath caught in her throat, suffocating her in a stifling wave of panic.
“I didn’t kill him. I know that I didn’t. But you can’t make me use that with you.” Completely mystified, Raven looked up from the row of buttons to follow Eden’s glance. When he saw the bottle beside her bed, his reaction was as intensely negative as hers. “I didn’t bring that in here, and I’ll get rid of it right now.”
Raven strode across the room, and grabbed up the bottle. After opening the louvers at the window to their widest point, he tossed it outside, then turned back to face her. “Yadira brews that stuff. She undoubtedly just wanted to make you a present of it. There’s no way she could have known you wouldn’t want it.”
Yadira, the dark-eyed beauty who moved through the house with the grace of a spirit, made that intoxicating oil? That the woman who created the love potion would surely have been the one to teach Alex how to use it shattered all that was left of Eden’s hold on reality. With no more than a slight sway, she slid to the floor in a faint.
Chapter Nineteen
September 1863
A few whiffs from Julian’s vial of smelling salts revived Eden. She was lying on her bed with Raven standing on one side and the physician and Rebecca on the other. All wore anxious frowns and Eden could not immediately recall why she should be the object of their concern. Then the painful memories returned and her eyes again filled with tears.
Raven was overcome with guilt as Eden turned her anguished gaze toward him. She had asked to keep the small lavender bottle she had had at Briarcliff, undoubtedly as a souvenir of the beautiful love she and Alex had shared. Now the sight of a similar flagon was more than she could bear and he knew it was because his bitter accusations would echo in her memory for as long as she lived. The pain of his own folly cut him as cruelly as her tears and he sat down on the side of the bed and drew her into his arms.
“Thank you, but Eden will be fine in a minute or two,” Raven assured his companions. “You needn’t stay.”
Julian noted the tears pouring down Eden’s cheeks and shook his head.
“Your wife’s hysterical, and I’d like to know why.”
That was something Raven would not explain. “It’s really none of your concern.”
“Women do not faint for no reason, Raven. Clearly Eden’s suffered a dreadful shock and I’ll not leave her in such a sorry state.”
Raven hugged the distraught blonde all the more tightly. “You’re wrong. It’s just that she’s very sensitive and easily moved to tears.”
“Surely not like this.”
Raven would not admit that he had seen Eden sob so wretchedly on only one other occasion, and that it had been entirely his fault. “Perhaps not, but she’ll soon fall asleep and she’ll be fine in the morning. You needn’t worry about her.”
As concerned as her brother, Rebecca circled the bed and reached out to take Eden’s hand. “Do you want us to stay?” she asked.
Eden was horribly embarrassed that she could not control her tears, but when she tried to assure Rebecca that she would soon recover her composure, her words were no more than a string of unintelligible sobs.
Julian had carried his doctor’s bag into the room when Raven had summoned him. After replacing the smelling salts in the black leather satchel, he withdrew another bottle. “I’m going to give her some laudanum to help her sleep. Don’t argue with me about this, Raven, or I’ll send Rebecca to fetch Eden’s father.”
Nathan was the last person Raven wanted involved and he had no choice but to give in to Julian’s demand, but he tried to appear unconcerned. “Since I’ve no objection to your giving her laudanum, there’s no need to threaten to summon Nathan.”
“Good, I was hoping you’d see things my way.” Julian waited while Rebecca brought a glass from the washstand. He poured in several ounces of the alcohol-based opium solution, and then handed it to Raven. “Make her drink it all.”
Raven took the glass of brownish-red liquid and gently coaxed Eden into swallowing it. He set the empty glass aside, then looked up at Julian. “Thank you, but I can take care of my wife now.”
“Shall I summon one of the maids to help her get ready for bed?” Rebecca asked helpfully.
The innocence of that question brought a smile to Raven’s lips. “No, thank you, I want to help her myself.”
Julian hesitated for a moment, and then spoke his mind as he usually did. “As soon as she’s asleep, come down to the study. I want to talk to you.”
Eden had already grown calmer, and Raven thought she would be all right if he left her for a few minutes while she slept. “Fine, I’ve something to say to you too.” He did not move from his bride’s side until they were again alone in the room. Then he began to remove her satin gown with the same tenderness he showed when they made love.
“I don’t want to ever see you this sad again, Eden. Not ever. I think it’s more difficult for me than it is for you.”
The laudanum had made her too drowsy to respond, but Eden watched with a sleepy gaze as Raven peeled away her clothes. He returned her gown and starched slips to the wardrobe, then folded her stockings and lingerie and draped them over the arm of a ch
air to be laundered in the morning. He brought her a nightgown, slipped it over her head, and then took her hands to pull her arms through the sleeves the way he would dress a child. He removed the pins from her hair, ran his fingers through the glossy curls, then leaned down to kiss her lips lightly.
“This isn’t the way I wanted tonight to end,” he whispered as he tucked her in but her eyes were already closed in sleep. Pleased that her expression was a relaxed one, he gave her another kiss then eased the mosquito netting down around the bed. Determined to keep his conversation brief so he could return to his bride, he hurriedly left her room.
Julian was alone in the study, and he stopped pacing as Raven came through the door. “The whole point of your trip to England was to find a suitable English wife whose bloodlines would complement the Clairbournes’. That you’ve returned instead with not only a Southern belle, but an unstable one, is as tragic as Alex’s death. I’m certain he would never have risked making the trip had he known you’d disregard his wishes so completely.”
Raven eyed the older man coldly, and clasped his hands behind his back to force away the impulse to throttle him. “I’m going to give you the same warning I gave the last man who made the mistake of insulting my wife. If you ever do it again, I’ll call you out for it. Now I want your word before I continue that you’ll not breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you to anyone, not even Rebecca.”
Despite the fire in the young man’s eyes, Julian considered Raven’s threat of a duel absurd since he would never accept such a challenge, and simply ignored it. “Doctors are trained to be discreet, Raven.”
“I’m not asking for discretion, but complete and absolute silence.”
“If Eden is ill—”
“This has nothing to do with disease.”
“All right then, you have my word that I’ll keep your confidence,” the physician offered grudgingly.
“Thank you.” In no mood to sit down, Raven walked over to the fireplace, and leaned back against the mantel. In as terse a manner as possible, he explained that Eden was not only his wife, but Alex’s widow, and pregnant with Alex’s child. “Yadira put something in Eden’s room that reminded her of Alex. There’s no way she could have known Eden would be upset by it. It was purely unintentional. Eden’s not in the least bit unstable, but she loved Alex dearly and at times her grief overwhelms her.”