Behind the Mask
Page 25
“Not for gold nor silver nor useless notes of one sort or another.”
“I have no money,” she said softly.
She expected him to slam the door in her face, but instead the seaman crossed his arms across his chest and leaned insolently against the doorjamb. “Do I look like a bloody saint? A Christmas angel? A knight who rescues damsels in distress for sport?”
Medora lifted her eyes to his, stared defiantly into the cold blue depths. What on earth had she been thinking? This had been a foolish impulse. He would not assist her. No one would. She was alone. Completely, entirely alone.
“No,” she finally whispered, “you do not.”
She turned away from the captain. What now? Could she find another family in Port Freedom to take her in until she could earn her passage to Savannah? She could clean, care for children... A quick hand caught her arm, and she was spun around to face the captain.
His face had softened, but not much. “You’re in a bit of trouble, eh?”
Medora nodded, unable to speak for the knot in her throat.
“No money at all?”
When she shook her head, the captain crooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face to study it closely. “You’re a comely lass,” he conceded with a half smile. “Would you consent to share my cabin for the duration of the voyage?”
“I have to get away from here. Today. This morning.” Now. Before she had to face any member of the Stark family.
“Would you consent?” he asked again.
Medora took a deep breath, fighting her revulsion. She loved Alex, she didn’t want to touch any other man, didn’t want any other man to touch her. But her desperation very quickly won out over her disgust. “Anything. It doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” the captain said, offering his hand. “Captain Nathan Morse.”
“Medora—” She stopped abruptly, hesitated a few seconds. Her family called her Medora. The Starks. Alex. To the rest of the world she was someone else. “Meghan Campbell.” She ignored the offered hand.
Captain Morse reached down and took her hand anyway, in a move gentler than she would have expected from him. “Whatever foolish man has broken your heart, Miss Campbell, I’ll make you forget him. For a few, gloriously happy days at least.”
Instinctively, Medora shook her head slightly. She would never forget. Painful as it was, she didn’t want to forget.
“I’ll dress you in silk,” he promised. “Red and sapphire blue and shining gold. I’ll wrap diamonds and emeralds and pearls around your pretty neck. I like pretty things around me.” The captain, who resembled a pirate of old, lowered his voice. “And if you are as delectable as you look, we’ll go to Savannah by way of Liverpool.”
Alex waited until he had gathered his senses before leaving his ground floor room. He’d shaved and bathed and changed into a fresh linen shirt and dark knee breeches. Even though inside he felt as if he was spinning apart, his outward demeanor was under control. He didn’t want to go storming into the kitchen while he still felt as if he were falling apart. It had taken him longer than he’d expected to get past the blinding anger, the feeling of betrayal, of loss.
His mother was bustling about in the kitchen, attending the brick stove and the pots that swung above the fire or rested on a grate close to the flames. The room was warm, fragrant, full of laughter and bright voices. None of that changed when he stepped into the room, as he felt it should have. He was cold deep inside, and while he felt more in control than he had when he’d seen Meghan’s face, he was still full of rage. They had all lied to him.
“Merry Christmas, Alexander.” His mother gave him a quick and hearty hug, which he could not return. She was too busy to notice his restraint. “It’s about time you showed yourself, sleepyhead. That leaves only Medora. She should have joined us by now. Goodness, she never sleeps this late. Caroline, go give a soft knock—”
“Leave Meghan alone,” Alex said in a low voice that silenced the room. There was no sound but the sizzle of a portion of their Christmas feast on the fire.
His mother faced him and lifted her chin defiantly. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry. We thought it was for the best, Alexander—”
“You thought it was best to lie to me when I was blind and could not see Meghan’s face. To carry on an elaborate charade I had no way of seeing through. It was a cruel trick.”
“It was no trick,” Sarah insisted.
“What do you call it?” he asked, the anger he was trying to control rising to the surface.
They had no answer for that. Caroline hung her head, and Elias did much the same, giving his attention to a tin cup of coffee steaming in his hands. Sarah and Josh at least had the nerve to face him, to look him square in the face.
“And you, Josh,” Alex said accusingly. He felt his brother’s betrayal most of all. After all they had been through... His brother’s face swam momentarily, a haze flitting across Alex’s vision and blurring everything again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
There were no answers from the silent conspirators who surrounded him. They were his family, and yet at the moment he felt they were his enemies. They had lied, and they had taken Medora’s side in a gentle battle he had no chance of winning.
“Tell him about the stairs,” Josh said, speaking to Sarah, but keeping his eyes on Alex. “Tell him about the bruises.”
“I gave my solemn oath to Medora—”
“Meghan!” Alex shouted. Medora didn’t exist.
“Tell him!” Josh shouted just as loudly, stepping forward. “Or I will!”
She hugged the cloak tightly, trying unsuccessfully to block the cold wind that whipped in from the sea. Captain Morse was making the last of his arrangements, rounding up his crew, paying his debts. Next, he would load the trunk at her feet onto his ship, placing it in his cabin, and she would be on her journey away from this place.
The cost would be high, she wasn’t sure she could go through with it, that she could keep her promise. But she couldn’t wait. Not another day, not another hour. She was so numb it didn’t matter to her. Not really. Nothing mattered.
“Medora?”
She turned toward the hesitant voice and faced Alex more bravely than she’d thought she could. He squinted against the harsh light and the cold wind, and a single strand of black hair that had come loose from his queue lashed across his face.
“I’ve made preparations to leave,” she assured him. “You needn’t worry.”
“Why?” he asked, stepping forward until he was within arm’s reach. “I don’t understand why you lied to me.”
He was no longer furious with her as he had been that morning, but the frustration was still there. It edged his voice, lined his face.
At last, it was time for the truth. She lifted her chin as bravely as she could and pushed back the tears that threatened. “When your letter arrived, I could think of only three paths. I could leave as you asked, I could stay and beg you to have me or I could lie. I lied to keep you, Alex, and it worked for a while.” She turned her back to him, unable to look at his face, into his accusing eyes. He was right, of course. She had deceived him, and love wasn’t enough to make him forget. At least she’d had him for a while. She’d loved him and he’d loved her. Nothing could take that away. “I’m not sorry,” she whispered.
He didn’t say anything for a while, but she knew he hadn’t moved from his spot near the flat rock.
“Josh told me about the blindfold,” he said, puzzlement in his voice. “And about your fall. Why?”
“It was all I could think of to help you, those days in the dark. I wanted to try to feel what you felt, to discover what you’d need in the days to come. I knew tears wouldn’t help, hiding wouldn’t help, leaving would have accomplished nothing.”
“You’re leaving now,” he said softly.
“You told me to.” Again. And this time she had no argument, no way to hide. “And besides, you don’t need me anymore. You’re going to be all ri
ght, Alex.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder and she felt the warmth of his touch even through her heavy cloak. “What about you? Will you be all right?”
“Yes.” The lie came easily enough.
Gently but insistently, Alex forced her to turn to face him. “I think you’re wrong,” he said as he reached down to touch her cheek as he had when he hadn’t been able to see her at all. “I think I do need you.”
She shook her head, but he stopped that motion with a steady hand on each side of her face.
“Tell me this,” he whispered. “If I had never recovered my sight, if I had never been able to see your face... would you have stayed with me?”
“Yes.”
“Would you ever have told me who you really were?”
“I don’t know.” The tears welled up in her eyes, and she hated her weakness, hated more for Alex to see it. “For the past few days I tried to think of a way, I tried to imagine a way I could tell you the truth without losing you. I’m sorry to say I might never have told you. Deep down, I’m a coward. Would I risk losing you? Risk seeing the hatred I saw in your eyes this morning? No. I don’t think so.”
“Why?” He rocked his thumb against the side of her face.
“Why? Why? There’s one answer to all your whys, Alex. I’ve always loved you. Don’t ask me why, because I can’t explain it. Love just is. It grew even when you rejected me, even when you hated me—”
“I never hated you,” he swore.
She wanted to believe that, but she couldn’t.
“I never hated you,” he said again. “I only wanted the freedom to choose for myself.”
“You have that now, don’t you?” she said, trying to turn away from Alex’s black stare, preferring the whip of cold wind against her face.
“I do,” he whispered, holding her tenderly in place.
“Let me go.” Her voice was too soft, lost in the howl of icy wind that surrounded them.
“Not yet.”
His hands warmed her face, large, tender hands she would dream about for the rest of her life.
“Meghan Medora Campbell.” Alex leaned forward, blocking the wind. “Will you marry me?”
For a moment, she thought the wind and Alex’s soft voice were playing a trick on her. But his smile convinced her. A warm, bright smile. The smile she had fallen in love with.
“You’re not going to say no, are you?” His smile faded.
“Are you certain? I did deceive you. I lied, and given the same circumstances I’d do the same again.”
His smile crept back.
Now it was her turn to ask for explanations. “Why?” she pressed. “Why do you want me as your wife?”
“There’s one answer to all your whys, Medora. I love you.”
She threw herself into Alex’s arms. This was all she’d ever wanted. Everything she’d ever dreamed of.
He held her for a long time, against the wind, against his angry words. Alex whispered into her ear, told her again and again that he was sorry he’d told her to leave, that he would never let her go.
She didn’t apologize for her lies, because she didn’t regret them. They had brought her to this moment.
“Do you think the magistrate will consent to marry us on Christmas Day?” Alex asked as he led her back to the tavern.
“Perhaps,” she said, leaning into his side. “If your mother promises to feed him I’m sure he will.”
They had just stepped into the tavern when Captain Morse handed a coin to Elias and turned to the door. “Are you ready, Miss Campbell?” he asked with a bright grin. “All’s arranged.” The captain’s bright smile faded as he observed Medora’s arm through Alex’s. “We’re not going anywhere, are we?”
She shook her head, and the captain turned back to Elias. “Can I reengage my room, by chance? Once I inform my crew that we’re not sailing after all, I want to sleep for a week. Undisturbed, if you please.”
Morse gazed at Medora, grumbled loudly, shook his head, and passed by her and Alex as they entered the dimly lit room and he left it.
“So, she’ll be staying?” Elias asked coolly.
“Yes,” Alex answered quickly.
“I’d best tell your mother so she’ll quit ranting,” he said, stoic as always.
Elias left them alone, and Medora turned her face to Alex’s. He blinked hard, then closed his eyes for a second.
“What is it?”
“My sight’s not completely restored. Sometimes it’s as if a cloud passes between my eyes and the world around me. It may never get any better. Are you sure—”
She silenced him with a finger over his lips. He took her hand and kissed it. “Of course I’m sure,” she answered. “Are you?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “As long as I have you beside me, my world will never be dark. You’re my light, Meghan Medora Campbell. My sunlight, my candle, my daybreak after a dark, cold night.”
Sarah came bursting from the kitchen, arms wide to embrace them both. Caroline and Josh were right behind her, and Elias followed quietly with a satisfied grin on his face.
Medora’s fears were gone. They had vanished with Alex’s words. She hadn’t had an opportunity to tell him that he was the light of her world, that she needed him to guide her as much as he’d ever needed her. There would be time for that confession. Later.
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The End
About the Author
Linda's first book, the historical romance Guardian Angel, was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight, writing as Linda Fallon) in the paranormal category. She’s a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than seventy books. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in a couple of joint projects with Linda Howard, and re-releasing some of her backlist in e-book format.
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Also by Linda Winstead Jones
Fairy Tale Romance
Let Me Come In
Someone’s Been Sleeping in My Bed
Big Bad Wolf
Cinderfella
Into the Woods
DeButy and the Beast
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Romantic Suspense
Bridger’s Last Stand
Clint’s Wild Ride
Running Scared
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Fantasy/Paranormal
The Sun Witch
The Moon Witch
The Star Witch
* * *
Western Historical Romance
Sullivan
Jed
Cash
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For more, visit Linda’s website!
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Also by Linda Winstead Jones
Children of the Sun
Prince of Magic
Prince of Fire
Prince of Swords
Columbyana finale
Bride by Midnight
Firebird
Dragonstone Dance
Fairy Tale Romance
Into the Woods
DeButy and the Beast
Someone's Been Sleeping in My Bed
Big Bad Wolf
Let Me Come In
Cinderfella
One Day, My Prince
Jackie and the Giant
Let Down Your Hair
The Empero
r's Brides
Untouchable
22 Nights
Bride by Command
The Fyne Witches
The Sun Witch
The Moon Witch
The Star Witch
The Rock Creek Six
Sullivan
Jed
Cash
The Shades Trilogy
Shades of Midnight
Shades of Winter
Shades of Scarlet
Standalone
The Rock Creek Six: The Complete Set
Bridger's Last Stand
Jingle Bell Rock
Moonlight Becomes You: A Short Story
Haunted Honeymoon
Children of the Sun
Midnight Moonlight: A Short Story
Warrior Rising
Behind the Mask
Clint's Wild Ride
Running Scared
Desperado's Gold
On a Wicked Wind
Calling After Midnight
Forever Mine
Resolution
Watch for more at Linda Winstead Jones’s site.
About the Author
After publishing more than seventy books, I’ve finally admitted to myself that I just can’t make up my mind about what, exactly, I want to write. Since 1994 I’ve written romance in several different sub-genres. Historical; fairy tale; romantic suspense; paranormal; fantasy; contemporary. As so many authors do, I write what speaks to me in that moment. Who knows what will come next? Whatever the genre, I believe the perfect romance should provide a tear and a couple of laughs, a chill or two, and by the time the story is over, the reader should be left with a smile and the feeling that all is right with the world in that moment. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story you just read. For more information please check out my website at www.lindawinsteadjones.com. You can sign up for my newsletter there, if you'd like. Free to drop me a note at lindawinsteadjonesauthor@gmail.com, or visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LindaWinsteadJones or www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones. I'm also on Twitter, @LWJbooks. Best Regards, Linda