Adam tried to find something in her that would remind him of Honor, but saw nothing. She was beautiful, but she was somewhat on the heavy side, and her features, while beautiful, were not delicate like Honor's. The bold look in her blue eyes could not match the lovely sparkle in Honor's green eyes. It flashed through his mind that comparing her to Honor was like comparing a plow horse to a thoroughbred mare.
Meagan was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his searching gaze. It was as if she were being assessed and found wanting.
"If you will excuse me, major, I am anxious to see my sister and aunt."
"You will not find them here, Mrs. Elderman."
"What do you mean they are not here?"
"I believe you will find your sister living at Green Rivers."
"That does not make sense, major. How is it that you know about my family?"
Adam ignored her question. "Is there a Mr. Elderman?"
Meagan smiled, thinking the handsome Yankee was interested in her. "No, I am a widow now, and have been this last year," she told him, looking at the way his blue uniform seemed to enhance the color of his blue eyes. She smiled intimately. "My husband, Horace, succumbed to a malady while we were traveling in Europe. I have no one now."
"So you have been abroad, and now you have come home."
There seemed to be an accusation in his words, but Meagan thought she must be mistaken.
"That is correct, major, and I am most anxious to see my sister." She walked down the steps, and stood beside the buggy. Adam offered her his arm and helped her into the buggy. Looking at him through half-closed eyelashes, Meagan nodded. "Shall I see you again, major?" Somehow the question had the sound of an invitation.
"Perhaps, one can never tell, Mrs. Elderman."
"I will not be Mrs. Elderman for long, major. Very soon I will be mistress of Green Rivers."
The buggy moved forward, and Adam stepped back a pace, with a frown on his handsome face. He pondered Meagan's last words, and cursed under his breath. This woman was cold and calculating. She could destroy Honor if she had a mind to. Again Adam wondered about the man, Jordan Daniels. He was a fool. Between the two of them, they would hurt Honor more than they already had, and all he could do, he thought, was to be there to pick up the pieces.
Perhaps he was not giving Honor enough credit. She might look fragile and vulnerable, but underneath she was steadfast as well as strong when the need arose.
Adam mounted his horse and rode for Charlottesville, and from there he would ride for Portsmouth to take a ship to Boston.
* * *
The money Honor had received from the sale of Landau Plantation was being put to good use. The barn and fences at Green Rivers had been repaired, and the house had received a new coat of paint. Honor had hired workers to till the soil, and a seamstress had been summoned to Green Rivers to make Maggie a new wardrobe. She could ill afford the money for finery, but Maggie had gone into a decline since the death of her husband, and Honor hoped that a few new dresses would cheer her up.
All the slaves had deserted Green Rivers with the exception of the cook, Delia, and Chauncey and three field hands. Darcy had assumed the same duties she had performed at Landau. Honor did not know what she would have done without her, for she depended on Darcy to keep things in the house running smoothly while she was in the fields. Honor had decided she would save money by not hiring an overseer to replace Clyde. She herself would see to the running of the plantation.
Hearing a carriage pull up to the front of the house, she walked over to the window and drew the drapery aside. Her heart plummeted when she recognized Meagan being helped from the carriage by Chauncey.
She watched with a feeling of dread as Meagan made her way up the steps. There was no joy in Honor's heart at seeing her sister.
Honor reached the entryway just as Meagan entered the front door. Both sisters looked at each other for a long moment, then Meagan removed her gloves and handed them to Chauncey, who stood just behind her
"So the caterpillar has turned into a butterfly. I always knew you would."
"Where is your husband, Meagan?" Honor asked quietly.
"Horace is dead. Have you no greeting for your sister, Honor?"
Honor walked slowly toward her. "I am glad you are well, Meagan."
Meagan held out her arms, and Honor allowed her sister to hug her. Meagan smelled of expensive perfume, and Honor drew back, feeling repelled by her.
"Are you not going to give me your condolences for the death of my husband, Honor?"
"I will not be a hypocrite and tell you that I will grieve for Mr. Elderman, but I am sorry for you, if you loved him."
Meagan shook her head. This was not her little sister who had cried and begged her not to leave her. Honor was beautiful — and cold. Honor stood a good four inches taller than herself, and her silver hair hung down below her waist. Even in her faded gray gown, she was beautiful.
"Where is Aunt Amanda?"
Honor saw that Chauncey was still standing in the entryway, taking in every word that was spoken.
"Come into the sitting room where we can talk," Honor said, leading the way.
Meagan followed her and sat down on the edge of the blue silk sofa.
"Has Jordan returned yet?"
"No, not yet. Meagan, Aunt Amanda died about six months after you left with Mr. Elderman," Honor said dully. She watched as tears came to Meagan's eyes.
"I did not know. I suppose I thought Aunt Amanda would live forever. Did she suffer?"
"No, not overmuch. It was the fever; her heart just gave out."
Meagan cried into her lace handkerchief. "Everyone is dead or gone. Nothing will ever be the same. On the trip out from town I saw the devastation. The Morris plantation was deserted and overgrown with weeds. What has happened while I have been away?"
"There was a war, Meagan. I can see how it would be a shock to you since you were not here to witness it as it happened."
"Yes, I will always be grateful that Horace took me away and I did not have to witness Virginia's demise." Meagan thought Honor was acting strangely withdrawn. "You may find this hard to believe, Honor, but Horace was very good to me, and in my own way I came to care a great deal for him, and he has left me a very wealthy widow."
"Well, money always did mean a great deal to you, Meagan. I hope it can buy you happiness."
"When will Jordan be home? Have you heard from him? Now that I am home, I intend to win him back. I know that it was a mistake for me to marry Horace. I found out too late that I truly loved Jordan. With my money we should be able to turn Green Rivers into a showplace."
Honor stood up abruptly as the door opened and Aaron came into the room. He stood beside Honor and looked at the stranger with wide eyes. "Mommy, who is that woman?" he asked.
Honor pulled Aaron to her side. "Aaron, this is my sister and your Aunt Meagan."
Meagan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You are married, Honor?" Meagan held out her arms to the boy. "Come to your Aunt Meagan," she said.
Aaron walked over to her, smiling brightly. "I never had an aunt before. You are pretty, but not as pretty as my mommy," he said loyally.
Meagan took his small hand and planted a kiss on his cheek. "It is only right you should think your mother is beautiful, Aaron. Maybe it is lucky for me that your mother is married. One does not need a beautiful younger sister running around loose." Meagan looked at Honor. "Who is your husband?"
Honor hesitated for a moment. "It is Jordan, Meagan."
Meagan pushed Aaron away from her and stood up. Her face was white and her fists were clenched. "When did this occur? How old is Aaron?"
"I married Jordan the day after Aunt Amanda was buried. Aaron is three," Honor said, without emotion.
"Jordan did not waste much time before turning to my sister, did he?" Meagan said angrily.
"Aaron, run along to the kitchen and tell Delia that I said you could have a sweet cake," Honor said as she gently pushed him toward the do
or.
"He cannot love you, Honor," Meagan stormed.
Honor held up her hand to silence her sister until her son left the room. Then she turned to Meagan.
"Did you expect Jordan to wait forever, Meagan?"
"He could have waited longer than he did to replace me with my sister." Meagan started pacing the floor, then she stopped in front of Honor. "He could not love you, he loves me."
Honor's face froze. "He married me, Meagan."
Meagan's eyes narrowed. "He married you because he could not have me. He did this just to punish me."
Honor knew that was exactly what had occurred, but did not wish to confirm it to her sister. "Where are you staying, Meagan?"
Meagan looked as if she had not heard her. Then she shook her head. "I will stay at Landau, I suppose."
"You cannot. Landau has been sold."
"By whose authority?"
"Mine. Aunt Amanda left Landau to me."
Meagan whirled away from her. "It is no more than I expected. You seem to have everything at the moment, Honor, but do not be surprised if you come up with nothing in the end."
"Welcome home, Meagan," Honor said dryly.
Meagan was at a loss for words. Anger burned deep inside her. Honor did have everything at the moment. Looking into her sister's face, Meagan felt real panic. Honor was lovely, maybe even more so than herself, but she knew ways to attract a man that Honor could not possibly know. She frowned. There was Jordan's son. She did not know how she would get around that, but she would plan and when Jordan came home, she would be ready to take him back.
"You are welcome to stay at Green Rivers until you can find other accommodations," Honor said.
At that moment Darcy came bursting into the room, her black face livid. "Master Aaron told me you was here, but I had to see with my own eyes."
"Hello, Darcy," Meagan smiled.
Darcy placed her hands on her hips. She could smell trouble coming. "How long you staying?"
"Lord," Meagan said, "is no one glad to see me?"
Darcy gave Honor a guarded glance and swept from the room, mumbling about a spider coming home to the web.
Meagan was given one of the upstairs bedrooms, and the house at Green Rivers settled into an uneasy peace as everyone waited for the master to return.
11
The running of the plantation consumed much of Honor's time. She was up before daylight each morning, going out into the fields where she would supervise the planting and the weeding. At night she would be in the study going over the books long after everyone else was in bed.
Each day she waited for some word of Jordan. She feared when he returned that he would turn to Meagan. She felt her days at Green Rivers were numbered, and she was not sure how she felt about Jordan anymore. Aaron was his son, and she did not intend for Meagan to push him out of Jordan's life, no matter what happened.
Maggie seemed to improve somewhat, but still kept mostly to her room. She and Meagan did not get along well together, and Honor felt they were all living in a void, waiting for Jordan.
Honor often thought of Adam. She felt she would never see him again, and that left her with a deep hurt. Life was strange. The only thing she was sure of was that one did not always have the last word in how one's life would turn out.
Green Rivers seemed to be thriving, while many of their neighbors had fallen on hard times. Honor knew they would be suffering from the same fate if Landau had not been sacrificed to save them.
Since the argument the first day Meagan had arrived, the two sisters seemed to have reached a truce, although Honor's patience was often pushed to the limit. Meagan seemed to feel she was queen of the manor, and expected to be treated as such. This only served to antagonize Maggie. Meagan made no attempt to find a place to live, but seemed content to remain at Green Rivers for the time being.
Honor was still stinging from her last encounter with Meagan. She had asked Meagan to help her with the running of the house since she had to spend so much time in the fields. Maggie no longer took an interest in her home, and Honor was too exhausted from trying to handle both the house and the fields.
Meagan had laughed at her. "I am not a servant. Look at you, little sister. You work in the fields like a common field hand while I take care of myself. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You skin is positively brown. Jordan always did like my white skin," Meagan had taunted.
Honor knew her sister was right. Her complexion was dark, but there was no help for it. She had a job to do and there was no one to help her.
* * *
Maggie was the first one to see Jordan when he came home. She was sitting on the balcony of her upstairs bedroom, which viewed the front of the house, when she saw him walking slowly up the driveway. His tattered gray uniform was soiled and dirty, and he needed a shave, but she had no trouble recognizing her own son. Clutching her heart, she rushed downstairs and out the front door into her son's open arms.
"My son, my son, you have come home," she cried against his shoulder.
"Mother, I have missed you," he told her with tears shining in his gray eyes. Then he held her at arms' length and studied her face. "Have you been ill, Mother?"
"Oh, Jordan, I am loathe to tell you that your father is dead." Maggie's grief had found an outlet at last as she and her son cried together for the man they had both loved. They stood on the veranda locked in each other's arms, and after a while they walked into the house together.
"Where is Honor, Mother?" Jordan asked. He had hoped she would be on hand to greet him when he arrived home.
"She is not at home at the moment, son. I think you will be surprised when you see her," Maggie said, thinking how pleased Jordan would be when he found out he had a son.
"Run upstairs, Jordan. You could do with a bath, and shave that awful beard off," his mother said, feeling alive and happy for the first time in over a year.
After he had bathed and shaved Jordan rejoined his mother in the dining room. He ate the food that Darcy set before him with relish.
"You look so thin, Jordan. Why is it that you are so long getting home when most everyone else returned months ago? I began to fear you were not coming back."
He took his mother's hand in his. "I was a prisoner, Mother, and there was no way to let you know I was safe."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Jordan, how you must have suffered."
"Not as much as you might think, Mother. The food was not all that bad, and the conditions were most humane," he lied.
"I am glad you are back home with us, Jordan. I have been so worried about you."
He stood up and looked around the dining room. The chairs were newly upholstered, and there was the smell of fresh paint. He had noticed that everything seemed in good repair.
"How is it that Green Rivers seemed to escape the malady that has befallen its neighbors, Mother? After seeing the devastation on the way home, I feared what I would find when I arrived."
"Jordan, it is all because of Honor. She is working herself to death to keep this place going. She even sold Landau to have money to pay the taxes on Green Rivers and fix the place up and lay in crops. Poor little thing, she has labored until I thought she would drop, and I was no help to her. I am glad you will take the heavy burden from her tiny shoulders and give her a rest."
"When will she be home?"
"Who can say? It may be late. I believe she has gone over to the Robertsons'. Mamie just had a baby and Honor took her some of the baby . . . some things for the baby," Maggie corrected herself. She had almost spoken of Aaron, and Honor should be the one to tell Jordan about his son.
"Jordan, you are home. Chauncey told me, but I would not believe it until I saw it with my own eyes." Meagan raced across the room and threw herself into Jordan's arms with tears swimming in her eyes.
His arms went around her automatically as she raised her beautiful face to him.
"I have missed you, Jordan."
"Where is your husband, Meagan?" he ask
ed pointedly.
"Horace is dead, Jordan, and I am all alone," she told him, giving him her most helpless look.
He looked at her for a long moment. She was still as beautiful as ever, though she had put on some weight. Jordan wondered why he felt unmoved by her. He had not known how he would react when he saw her again. He was relieved to find she meant nothing to him.
"Are you glad to see me, Jordan?"
"Of course, Meagan, why should I not be?"
Maggie looked at Meagan in disgust, and turning on her heels, left the room. Honor would do well to send her sister packing, she thought.
"Why did you marry my sister, Jordan?" Meagan asked, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Why did you marry Horace Elderman, Meagan?"
"I knew it, I knew it. You did it to get back at me. You love me, Jordan." She locked her hands about his neck. "I know you still want me, Jordan. You cannot deny it."
Neither had heard the dining room door open, nor did they see Honor and Aaron until Honor spoke:
"Hello, Jordan," she said in a cool voice.
Both pairs of eyes turned to see Honor standing in the doorway with Aaron's hand clutched tightly in hers. Meagan did not release her hold on Jordan, and she gave Honor a malicious smile.
Jordan pried her hands from around his neck, and took a step toward Honor. My God, he thought as his eyes moved over Honor. This was not his little one with the sparkling green eyes and the freckles sprinkled over her nose. There had to be some mistake. This woman was not a child, and she was the loveliest woman he had ever seen. Her silver hair hung to her waist. Her body was slim and curved in all the right places. His eyes rested for a moment on her now fully developed breasts that were thrust forward against the gray cotton gown she wore. Her beautiful green eyes were cool as they looked at him. His eyes went to her finger, to note she did not wear his ring.
"Hello, Honor. It has been a long time." He cursed himself silently. That was not what he wanted to say to her. He wanted to hold her in his arms close to his heart and tell her how he had come to love her. He wanted to tell her how she had haunted him for so long now. If she had been as he remembered her, he might have done so, but she was changed, she had grown up, and in doing so had rendered him speechless.
Rebel Temptress (Historical Romance) Page 15