A Taste of Paradise

by Connie Mason

  “We didn’t find your horse. We wouldn’t have found you if one of our men hadn’t been late seeking shelter in the cave and stumbled upon you.”

  “I’m sure my husband will reward you,” Sophia said sleepily. Her eyes fluttered shut. “I don’t know why I feel so tired.”

  “You are still healing, lady. Sleep. We will send word to your husband.”

  Disheveled, dirty, tired and disheartened, Chris was finally ready to accept that Sophia was dead. What he hadn’t expected to deal with was Viscount Caldwell waiting for him upon his return from his fourth day of searching for Sophia.

  “Speak your piece, Caldwell, and make it quick,” Chris growled.

  “My sister is dead, and I hold you responsible,” Caldwell blustered.

  “We don’t know she’s dead,” Chris said, unwilling to admit what he had finally come to believe.

  “How long has it been? Four days? That’s a long time for a defenseless woman to be missing. For all we know, she’s being held prisoner by escaped slaves, and Lord knows what they’ve done to her.”

  “We have no reason to believe that,” Chris argued. “What is it you want from me, Caldwell?”

  “Compensation for my sister’s life,” Caldwell ventured. “You owe me for failing to protect her.”

  Chris sighed, too bone weary for patience. “Are you saying you would have done a better job? You sold her to repay a debt, even though you knew Rigby intended to use and discard her. You’re a mercenary bastard, Caldwell. Now get out of here, you’re not getting one farthing from me.”

  He turned and strode off, ignoring Caldwell’s vile curses. He had enough to worry about without Caldwell’s interference. Losing Sophia had devastated him. He was too heartsick to deal with the damage done to his plantation or worry about the Intrepid being in the path of the storm.

  Chris walked to the house, a defeated man with little hope left. Sophia was gone. Though his mind knew it, his heart refused to accept it. She was so young, so vital, so wonderfully alive. She had said she loved him. Why hadn’t he been able to return the sentiment? His guilt, already ponderous, was now suffocating.

  Kateena met him at the door. “No luck, Captain?”

  Chris shook his head. “I fear—”

  “No, don’t say it!” Kateena cried. “My mistress isn’t dead.”

  “I don’t want to believe it, Kateena, but I don’t have much hope left. I’m going to bathe, have something to eat and rest an hour or two before continuing the search. Wake me if I’m needed.”

  “Mundo and the workers are taking care of the repairs,” Kateena said. “Don’t you worry about the plantation, Captain, you’ve got enough on your mind.”

  Chris bathed, ate and sought his bed. Sleep came instantly. He was sleeping so soundly, he failed to hear Chuba pounding on the door.

  “Captain, Captain, wake up!”

  Chris shook himself awake, fear racing through him. “Come in, Chuba. What is it? Has Sophia’s body been found?”

  Grinning from ear to ear, Chuba shook his head. “No, Captain, just the opposite. The mistress is alive and well and being cared for by the Maroons. One of their people arrived with the news moments ago. He’s waiting for you in the foyer.”

  Wide awake now, Chris scrambled into his clothing and flew out the door and down the stairs. “You have news of my wife?” he asked the man standing in the foyer.

  “ ‘Daddy’ Sam sent me. I am Santo. Your lady rests comfortably in my hut, being looked after by my wife.”

  “Why didn’t you contact me before now?” Chris asked, holding his anger in check. “It’s been four days, for God’s sake!”

  “We didn’t know the lady or where she belonged,” Santo explained. “One of our people found her lying unconscious in the jungle near our campsite and brought her to our shelter during the height of the storm. She’d suffered a head injury and regained consciousness just today. She told us her name and asked us to let you know where she is.”

  Chris sagged in relief. “She’s with the Maroons? Is she all right?”

  Santo inclined his head. “We would not harm the woman of the man who freed his slaves. We feared for her life when she failed to awaken, but she is strong and refused to die.”

  “Take me to her.”

  Chris followed Santo out the door. Noting that the man had arrived on foot, Chris took him to the stable and waited for the carriage to be made ready. He feared Sophia would be unable to ride.

  Chris couldn’t begin to imagine how Sophia had wandered so far off the main road, but he supposed it was easy to get lost during a storm of such magnitude. She shouldn’t have been out in the first place. He should have protected her better. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself had he been responsible for Sophia’s death.

  When Sophia awoke, Udamma offered her food and drink. She sipped broth and ate sparingly of fruit and small pieces of pork. But she felt better for it and was able to sit up without difficulty.

  “My man went to Sunset Hill to notify your husband,” Udamma said. “The captain should arrive soon.”

  “Thank you,” Sophia replied. “If I can ever do anything for you, you have but to ask.”

  “You can convince the other planters to free their slaves,” Udamma said. “If they do not, there will be dire consequences. Rest now, lady; the journey to your plantation won’t be an easy one. The men are preparing a litter for you.”

  “There is no need. I can walk.”

  “You can try but you won’t succeed. You are very weak. You’ve had little to eat or drink in four days. Are you still in pain?”

  “A bit, but it’s not as bad as it was. And I’m feeling stronger.”

  “I will give you a powder to mix with water. Drinking it will ease the pain. It’s a remedy made of ground roots of a plant that is well known to our people.”

  Sophia sent Udamma a wobbly smile and lay back down on the pallet. She closed her eyes, letting her mind drift. Would Chris be pleased to find her safe? Had he been searching for her? Would he be angry at her for venturing out in the storm?

  Sophia knew she had been foolish to disregard the warnings about the approaching hurricane. But she had been bored and disgruntled at being ignored by Chris.

  Before her mind closed down and sleep claimed her, she prayed that Kateena and her family had survived the hurricane. If anything had happened to Kateena, she’d never forgive herself.

  Halfway between Kingston and Sunset Hill, Santo pointed to a barely discernible path through the jungle and told Chris to stop. Chris left the carriage on the road and followed Santo through the dense thicket on foot.

  The path led to the foothills of the Blue Mountains. They trudged through thick underbrush for some distance until they reached a cluster of ramshackle huts nestled in the shadow of a mountain. Chris realized he was approaching the Maroon camp.

  Santo led Chris directly to his hut and stood aside so Chris could enter. “Your lady is inside. Since she is still too weak to trudge through the forest, our men have constructed a litter and will help carry her to your carriage.”

  “I am most grateful,” Chris replied.

  Santo nodded and strode off. Chris stepped into the hut and paused, letting his eyes adjust to the meager light as his gaze searched for his wife. He saw her lying on a pallet beneath the single window. She appeared to be sleeping.

  A woman emerged from the shadows. “I am Udamma, Santo’s woman. Your lady sleeps, Captain.”

  Chris’s gaze fixed on the woman. “Have you been taking care of my wife?”

  Udamma inclined her head. “It was my pleasure. She awakened from her stupor just today. She had suffered an injury to her head.” She directed her gaze at the sleeping Sophia. “She will be fine, Captain. She just wishes to go home.”

  “Is it all right to awaken her?”

  “Yes. I will wait outside and notify you when the men arrive with the litter.” She slipped out the door.

  Chris approached the pallet and d
ropped to his knees. Reaching out, he brushed a strand of hair from Sophia’s forehead, his eyes widening when he saw the purple and yellow bruise there. She looked so pale, so defenseless. How could he have let something like this happen to her? He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers. She stirred and sighed.

  “Sophia. Wake up. I’ve come to take you home.”

  Sophia’s lashes fluttered. “Chris, you came. I want to go home.”

  “I know, love. That’s why I’m here. Though everyone had given up on you, I continued to search. I refused to believe you were dead.”

  Sophia started to rise.

  “No, don’t get up. Wait until the men arrive with the litter.”

  “I can walk.”

  “Nevertheless, you’ll be carried to the carriage in a litter. Dear God, Sophia, I’ve been worried sick, terrified that I’d stumble upon your body.”

  Sophia searched Chris’s face. He did indeed sound worried and appeared exhausted. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and his face was drawn. It looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.

  “How did the plantation fare during the storm?”

  “There was some damage, but nothing that can’t be repaired. We lost some cane and some dwellings, but it could have been worse.”

  “What about Kateena? I left her in Kingston. Did she get home safely?”

  “She’s fine, Sophia, don’t fret. Concentrate on your own recovery.”

  Santo arrived and told them that two men were waiting outside with a makeshift litter constructed of two sturdy bamboo poles with a blanket stretched between them. Sophia started to rise, but Chris effortlessly swept her up from the pallet into his arms. He carried her outside and placed her on the litter.

  “Thank you, Udamma,” Sophia said when the woman appeared in the doorway of the hut.

  Udamma nodded and smiled as the two litter bearers carried Sophia off down a slight incline and along a path through tall palms and tangled underbrush.

  One of the litter bearers stumbled, jarring Sophia. “Are you all right?” Chris asked when she winced and moaned.

  “I’m fine, Chris. The going is a little rough, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. How far are we from the road?”

  “We still have a ways to go. Maroon encampments are chosen for their isolation. Thank God you stumbled into one. How did you wander so far off the road?”

  “My horse became frightened and took off into the jungle.”

  “We found your horse but failed to find the campsite.”

  “No one knew who I was until I was able to tell Udamma my name. Apparently, you are well known to her and her people. She said if the other planters don’t free their slaves, there will be trouble.”

  “I know that, and I think the others do too, but they believe they can handle a slave uprising. Perhaps they can, but lives will be lost.”

  Sophia couldn’t bear the thought of anyone at Sunset Hill suffering. She fell silent, pondering the injustice of slavery and wondering where it would all end, and how many lives would be lost because of it. She must have dozed, for when she awakened, she was in Chris’s arms, being lifted into the carriage.

  “Did I sleep long?”

  “No, not long. Does sitting up hurt your head?”

  “Not enough to worry about. I’m growing stronger by the minute.”

  Chris spoke a moment with the litter bearers before climbing into the carriage and taking up the reins.

  “I left the carriage at the King’s Arms,” Sophia said.

  “Mundo brought it back to Sunset Hill after the road was cleared.”

  As the carriage clattered down the rutted road, Sophia was astounded by the number of trees felled by the hurricane. She’d never seen anything like it.

  “How did the other plantations fare?” Sophia asked. “Are the Chesters all right?”

  “They came though it fine; a little damage here and there. This wasn’t the first hurricane Jamaica has seen, and it’s likely not the last.”

  Chris turned the horse down the road that led to Sunset Hill. Sophia could see the house in the distance. As they got nearer, she saw that part of the veranda had been destroyed, and that trees lay at odd angles on the ground.

  “Oh, the veranda—”

  “—can be rebuilt.”

  “My recklessness has kept you from your duties here,” Sophia observed. “I’m sorry, Chris. I never meant . . .”

  Sophia’s sentence fell off when the front door opened and the household servants poured out to meet them. Chris drew rein at the front door; Kateena reached them first.

  “Mistress, thank God! Everyone but the captain feared you were dead. He refused to give up.”

  Chris stepped down, walked around to the passenger side and lifted Sophia into his arms. Chuba hurried to open the door as Casper jumped up and down with excitement. Chris entered and headed for the stairs. Kateena followed close behind.

  “Can I get you anything?” Kateena asked.

  “Fetch tea and something for Sophia to eat,” Chris requested. “I’d like a word with my wife in private, so take your time.”

  He carried Sophia into their bedroom, closed the door with his foot and placed her on the bed. Then he stood back and stared at her.

  “I know you’re angry, Chris.”

  “Anger is but one of the emotions I’m feeling,” Chris acknowledged, “but I don’t want to upset you with my emotions now. When you are rested, I want to know why you went to Kingston without telling me, and why you decided to return when the weather was so bad.”

  Chris was torn between holding Sophia in his arms and giving her a good shaking for acting irresponsibly. He had come close to losing his mind these past few days. The stress of not knowing what had happened to Sophia had affected everyone at Sunset Hill. He hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours a night since she’d disappeared.

  He couldn’t talk to her now, he was too emotional. He turned away from her and walked to the window. “Is there anything you need?”

  “You should get some sleep. You look terrible.”

  He spun around, smiling for the first time since finding Sophia. “I could say the same for you. The swelling on your forehead looks painful. I’ll see if Chandra has something to bring it down. I’m sure your head must hurt.”

  “Udamma gave me a powder for the pain.” She dug into her pocket and retrieved a small packet. “Give this to Chandra to mix up for me.”

  Chris took the packet from Sophia. And then, because he needed to, because he couldn’t stop himself, he leaned over her, lowered his head and kissed her. He hadn’t meant it to be more than a gentle touching of lips, but his good intentions flew out the window when her lips clung sweetly to his.

  “God, Sophia,” he groaned, going in for another kiss. Though it still wasn’t the kind of kiss he wanted, craved, he satisfied his need by slipping his tongue inside her mouth for a quick taste of something he feared he had lost forever.

  Sophia’s arms slid around his neck, Chris’s arms tightened around her, and who knows what might have happened if Kateena hadn’t appeared with their refreshments. Chris bolted away from the bed.

  “Take care of your mistress, Kateena. I’m going to give the headache powder to Chandra to prepare for you, Sophia, and then sleep for a couple of hours. We’ll talk later. I’m mentally and emotionally exhausted right now.”

  “Now then, mistress, let’s get you out of that dress and into a nightgown,” Kateena said after Chris left. “Once you’ve eaten and rested, I’ll have a bath prepared and try to comb the tangles out of your hair.”

  “Kateena, we’ve known each other long enough for you to call me Sophia.”

  “I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “It’s right if I say it is. How about that tea? I haven’t had a decent cup in four days.”

  “Right away . . . Sophia.”

  Chris went directly to his study and poured himself a large tot of rum. He flung his head back and drained it in one gulp.
He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Sophia he was emotionally drained. He felt wrung out, depleted. Though he hadn’t wanted to admit it even to himself, he had begun to doubt he would find Sophia alive.

  He’d been so busy searching, he hadn’t had time to examine his emotions, to discover exactly how he felt about his wife. He had married Sophia because it had been expedient to do so. She was in trouble and needed rescuing. She was being threatened by both her stepbrother and Rigby, and if he hadn’t stepped in, Lord knows how or where she would have ended up. Rigby could have claimed her as his escaped slave, and no one would have questioned him.

  He poured another tot of rum and polished it off. Then he sank down in a comfortable chair and closed his eyes. What precisely did he feel for Sophia? He lusted for her, craved her kisses, her sweet body, but he knew there was more, that his feelings went deeper. But he wasn’t ready yet to explore the depth of his emotions. Was he capable of feeling love?

  He fell asleep before he arrived at an answer.

  Sophia was sitting up in bed when Chris visited her the following afternoon. “You’re looking better,” he said, studying her with an intensity that made her flush with pleasure.

  “You’re not. Didn’t you sleep last night?” Though he had bathed and shaved, he still looked exhausted.

  “I fell asleep in a chair in my study. I’m leaving the house as soon as we’ve had our little talk.”

  Sophia patted the bed. “Sit down, Chris.”

  Chris hesitated a moment before gingerly settling on the edge of the bed. He took her hand in his. “How do you feel?”

  “Not too bad, considering. The headache powder worked wonders. I hope to leave my bed and go downstairs later today. Perhaps we can have dinner together.”

  “Isn’t it too soon?”

  “I don’t like lying in bed.”

  “You almost died, Sophia.”

  “I might have died had the Maroons not found me.”

  “You were unconscious four days.”

  “Udamma said that was a healing time for me.”

  “Are you feeling well enough to talk?”

  She sighed. “I already said I was sorry. I know I acted rashly, and I promise to do nothing in the future to worry you.”