Chapter 5
That first night, Kathleen was so upset and angry at Reed that she locked him out of their bedroom, the first time in three years that she had denied him his husbandly rights.
“Blast it, Kat! Open this door!” Reed’s fist connected with the solid door with a resounding thump.
Inside the bedroom, Kathleen sat cross-legged in the center of their huge bed. She glared at the door, clearly envisioning Reed on the other side. She’d put pillow and sheets on the settee in their private sitting room. As Reed was now standing less than three feet from the settee, she was positive he’d noticed. The locked door and the bedding spoke for themselves. Kathleen saw no need to respond to Reed’s rantings. Stubbornly mute, she cursed him silently, if thoroughly.
At length, Reed stopped beating on the door, though Kathleen could still hear him mumbling to himself in the next room. Finally all was silent, and Kathleen hoped Reed had given up and gone to sleep. In a way, she was surprised, for a locked door had never kept him at bay before. She could only assume that Reed had not wanted their argument heard throughout the house.
Kathleen deliberately waited until Reed had left the house before coming down to breakfast the next morning. When he failed to appear at luncheon, she knew he, too, was avoiding a confrontation. All day, Kathleen vacillated between wanting to make up and feeding her anger. She knew she was being irrational and taking her frustrations out on him, but she couldn’t help herself. Reed was not responsible for the war, nor could he change the fact that she was a woman and therefore relegated to the role of waiting at home for her husband’s return. Still, she balked at the injustice of it all. She was young and strong and willing to fight. No one was more competent with a rapier than she. Nobody could hold a candle to her at the helm of a ship, except Reed himself. If he needed to throw himself headlong into danger, she wanted to be there with him; side by side, hand in hand, not waiting at home for news of his death or worrying herself sick.
He, of all people, should know how she felt! It was she who had outsailed, outfought, and outmaneuvered him for the better part of their first year of marriage. And not only him, but many others, including the infamous Jean Lafitte. She keenly resented being unable to take part in this war against the British when she possessed the necessary skills. But society would not stand for it, and perhaps would never allow women the freedom they deserved. Meanwhile, Kathleen strained at the tethers that bound her to home and children.
Reed was not blind to Kathleen’s needs and feelings, but there was no way he would allow Kathleen to accompany him. If she should be wounded, even killed, he would never forgive himself for exposing her to such dangers. Then, too, if something should happen to him, the children would still have Kathleen to care for them. Reed would stand firm on this, and Kathleen would just have to come to her senses. He hoped that it would be soon, and that she could restrain her volatile temper and reason things out. Hating the idea of being separated from her, he did not want their parting marred by harsh words and anger.
Reed took matters into his own hands the next evening. Kathleen, intending to escape to the seclusion of her room, excused herself shortly after dinner. She discovered Reed’s sabotage as soon as she attempted to lock the bedroom door, only to find he had removed the locks from all the doors of their private suite.
Nearly speechless with anger, she nevertheless managed to sputter several choice epithets. In a royal rage, she stomped to her dresser, extracting the first nightgown her hands encountered. Still seething, she marched to the bed, tore the sheets off it, grabbed her pillow, and strode toward the door.
With the bedclothes piled high in her arms, and her mind in a fury, she failed to see Reed until she almost barreled into him. Pulled up short, her eyes shot emerald arrows through him as he stood smugly in the doorway, his arms crossed across his chest, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“And just where do you think you are going?” he taunted.
Gritting her teeth, she snarled, “I should think that would be obvious, even to someone as dense as you. I am going to find other quarters in which to sleep—alone. ” She attempted to shoulder her way past him, but he blocked her path.
One dark eyebrow raised mockingly as he slowly shook his head. “No, my lovely little spitfire. You are going to stay right here, and we are going to settle things once and for all.” The stem tone of his voice and the forbidding look in his ice-blue eyes negated the smile still curving his mobile mouth.
Anyone who knew Reed well would have been warned to caution by his attitude, but Kathleen was too angry to heed the signs. “Get out of my way, you big buffoon! I have nothing to say to you.” She pushed at the arm blocking her way.
He moved, not to let her pass, but to clamp an iron hand about her wrist. Effortlessly, he tossed her back into the room, to tumble awkwardly onto the bed. Linens flew everywhere. Before Kathleen could untangle herself from their hindering folds, Reed was towering over her.
“If you do not wish to speak, so much the better. You may sit quietly and listen to what I have to say for a change,” he instructed firmly, yet quietly.
Kathleen opened her mouth, a quick retort on her tongue, but the dark look on his face made her think better of it. Her jaws clamped shut with a snap.
Reed gave a short, humorless laugh. “That’s wise of you, Kathleen.” The use of her full name was an indication of just how angry he was. His eyes dared her to budge from the bed.
When he spoke, his words were clipped and precise. “In the last couple of days, you have worked yourself into a lather over a situation which neither you nor I can change. The facts are these. I am leaving in two days’ time aboard the Kat-Ann to do my level best to help defeat the British naval forces in this war. You, my shrewish wife, are staying here to fulfill your duties toward me, our children, and Chimera. There will be no further discussion of this agreement!”
Kathleen glared up at him, silently fuming, as he continued. “In the interim, you will resign yourself to the situation and resume your usual activities as mistress of my home. You will carry out your wifely duties with a cheerful, obedient attitude, or I will be quite within my rights in beating you black and blue.”
At this, Kathleen sprang from the bed, only to be shoved back down again. “You wouldn’t dare!” she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.
“Try me.” Reed was implacable, his blue eyes as hard and brilliant as diamonds.
Kathleen’s chin rose at least three notches as she matched him glare for glare. Crouched on the bed, her red-gold hair in a tumble about her shoulders, her tip-tilted emerald eyes shooting daggers at him, she resembled a spitting orange cat. Unconsciously, her fingers curled into claws, digging viciously into the sheets in her anger.
Reed stepped back from the bed long enough to close the bedroom door. He threw her a calculating look as he started to remove his shirt. “Make up the bed, and get yourself undressed,” he ordered.
Leaping from the bed as if it were on fire, Kathleen railed at him, “Your barbarous demeanor doesn’t impress me, Reed! I’ll not be bedded if I have no wish to be.”
“We covered this same ground years ago, Kathleen,” Reed pointed out tersely. “I don’t recall that you ever won a battle in our bed.” His smile mocked her. “All I have to do is touch you, and you melt like butter. Your own sensual nature defeats you long before I do.”
His remark, correct as it was, struck a nerve. A flicker of hurt flashed unbidden across her face, quickly hidden as Kathleen thrust out her lower lip mutinously. In that moment, she wondered exactly how far she could push him; how angry he really was. Suddenly unsure of herself, she wished she could erase the last two days and go back to the easy, loving relationship she and Reed usually shared.
Finished undressing, Reed closed the distance between them. Knowing her as he did, he’d seen the hurt in her eyes, and silently chastised himself for causing it. By sheer will, he hardened his heart toward her. “Don’t fret, Kat,” he laughed, his l
ips curving into a devilish smile. “I intend to see that you thoroughly enjoy every moment. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if, in the end, you are begging me to satisfy your aching body with mine.” He reached out a hand to cup her breast.
Kathleen slapped his hand away. “Your ego is monumental!” she retorted hotly. Not for the world would she admit that he was probably right. Long ago she had admitted to herself that Reed had a devastating effect on her.
His fingers found the row of buttons on her bodice, deftly loosening the first three before Kathleen could react. She jerked away from him, the fabric ripping in the process. “Drat it, Reed! Will you stop this? I don’t want it to be like this between us.” Her voice cracked, and her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.
“How do you want it to be, Kat?” he asked bluntly. “Last night, you locked me out of our bedroom. For two days you’ve locked me out of your life, your thoughts, showing me nothing but anger. How did you expect me to react?”
She gazed up at him in despair. Wetting her lips, she mustered her courage and whispered, “I love you, Reed. I want to be with you. I want to know that you are safe.”
His hands gripped her shoulders as Reed looked down at her earnest face. “I love you, too, Kat,” he said gruffly, “and I, too, need to know that you are safe. That is why I will not permit you to risk your life in combat.”
Once more, Kathleen’s face became set in mutinous lines, and she shook off his hands. “Just what would you term my activities as Emerald, if not combat? A Sunday picnic? A civilized tea?” she shouted. “I’m not a hothouse flower, Reed! Time after time I faced you over crossed swords. What more must I do to prove that I can defend myself? You’ve seen me fight my foes and win. We’ve fought against one another and on the same side.”
“Yes,” he interrupted sharply, “but I’ve never seen your blood stain the deck, and I never want to. You can’t hold off a bullet or a cannon shot, Kat. I can not even promise you I'll come home whole, if at all, but I at least want to know that our children will have their mother to raise them if the worst should happen.”
A tense silence followed his words, as he awaited her reaction. Neither moved, and then suddenly she flung her arms about his neck, burying her face in the hollow of his throat. “I’m sorry. Oh, Reed, I’m so sorry!” she choked, her tears wetting his chest. “I just love you so much! I hate the thought of you leaving.”
His hands framed her face as he kissed the tears from her cheeks. “Send me off happy, kitten. Let me go with the memory of you in my arms. Let me remember the glorious look on your face when I’m loving you. Let your smile and the warmth of your love linger in my mind and beckon me home again.”
His tender words destroyed the last of her defenses. Her body melted into his, her soft feminine curves the perfect complement to his muscular contours. His lips claimed hers, molding them to his will, as his hands quickly divested her of her clothing. With her gown a silken puddle at her feet, her hair a fiery mantle falling in riotous waves across her shoulders, she stood within the circle of his warm embrace; proud, passionate, and his.
As she leaned into him, her breasts brushed lightly against the curly mat of dark fur on his chest, their rosy tips instantly roused to marble-hard attention. Like a contented cat, she rubbed her body provocatively against his; thigh to thigh, breast to chest, skin against skin. Wild and wanton, as only he and nature had taught her to be, she was his fallen angel; an exotic flower begging to be plucked.
With fluid motions, he picked her up and lay her atop the unmade bed. Neither noticed the tangled sheets as he lay down beside her, his leg thrown over hers as if to further reinforce his claim on her. The thick fans of her long lashes fluttered down to lie dark against her flushed cheeks as he bent to kiss her forehead, her temple. His warm lips feathered a path ever nearer her waiting mouth. As his lips lightly touched hers, their breath mingled. Her lips trembled invitingly beneath his, urging the full weight of his mouth on hers. Still he teased her, his tongue tracing and tickling the outline of her lips, his teeth nipping gently to part her lips and admit the hot probing of his tongue into the moist recesses of her mouth.
A satisfied sigh escaped her as Kathleen gave herself fully to the deepening kiss. Her fingers slid from his shoulders to delve into his thick dark hair, holding his mouth firmly to hers.
His hands were making a languorous journey over her skin, from shoulder to knee, lingering lovingly at the curve of her hip and the indentation of her waist. That such work-roughened hands could bring her such pleasure never failed to amaze her. His long, strong fingers sought and found all the most sensitive spots on her body, creating havoc with her nerves. The calloused palms alternately soothed and aroused her in the most sensual manner. Like a great artist, Reed’s hands painted her body with passion in a kaleidoscope of glorious colors and emotions.
With her head still spinning and her lips warm and swollen from his fervent kisses, Kathleen felt his mouth slip from hers to slide in a velvet caress along the curve of her jaw to the tender skin of her neck. His warm breath tickled her ear, making her shiver in delight. Slowly, as if to savor the taste of her flesh, he worked his way from neck to shoulder, and back to the pounding pulse at the base of her throat.
Caught up in the tingling enchantment of their lovemaking, Kathleen’s hands stroked his muscled shoulders, patterning sensuous circles with her long nails, urging his head downward toward her aching breasts.
As his warm, moist mouth closed over a pouting nipple, pleasure blazed through her like an exotic fire dance. His ebony hair created a startling contrast against her pale, blue-veined breasts as he suckled and nipped and teased at first one, then the other.
Her muscles tensed and then melted under his touch as his fingers found and fondled the nub of sensuality at the junction of her thighs. Liquid fire raced through her veins, and she curved her body into his in an unspoken plea for fulfillment. The bold proof of his virility lay hot and hard against her thigh.
His lips wandered to the quivering muscles of her stomach, and then, as if hungry for the taste of her, came back to claim her mouth. Unwilling to prolong the pleasurable agony any longer, Kathleen’s trembling hands found him and guided him to the molten cave that was the center of her yearning.
Her body welcomed his intrusion, clutching and clinging as their bodies merged in the ancient ritual of love. She gloried in his powerful thrust, rising to greet his penetration, feeling as if he were searing her very soul, marking her for life as his alone.
As their rhythm became more frantic, her nails scored his back and buttocks. Whispered words of love mingled with gasps of desire and moans of pleasure.
Then it was as if the earth had opened up beneath them, and they were hurled into the white-hot molten center of a volcano. Waves of heated rapture washed over them, surrounded them, caressed them. The receding aftershocks left them limp as melted candlewax, warm and content in each other’s arms.
“I don’t have the energy to move,” Reed groaned into her ear when he was able to speak.
Kathleen sighed. “Neither do I, but the bed isn’t made. The sheets are half on the floor.”
“We’ll fix them later,” he suggested lazily.
“Mmm-hmm,” she agreed, already more asleep than awake.
“I love you,” he murmured huskily, his head nestled comfortably on her breast.
A smile curved her love-swollen lips. “I love you, too.” Her arms cradled him close to her, as if loath to let him go, even in sleep.
Kathleen did not go into Savannah to see Reed off the day he left. Instead, she said her final goodbye to him in the privacy of their bedroom, where they made love one last time. His promise to be home soon echoed in her mind, and his farewell kiss lingered on her lips as she slowly climbed the stairs to the third floor, where she stood alone and strained to see the Kat-Ann as it sailed silently past Chimera on its way down the Savannah River to the ocean. As she watched the frigate slide out of sight around the bend, she
knew that solitude would become very familiar to her in the lonely months ahead.
Kathleen filled her days to the brim with constant activity, for only if she was dead-tired could she stave off the spectre of loneliness that invaded her bedchamber each night. Only if she could collapse on their huge bed and fall instantly into an exhausted sleep, could she keep the tears and yearning at bay. Even then, too often did she awaken in the still of the night, listening for the sound of his deep breathing, reaching for him with aching arms that remained empty.
Fall was a busy time at Chimera, with crops being harvested and the pantries filling with preserved vegetables and fruits from the gardens. The smokehouse was brimming with hams and chops, roasts and sides of beef, turkey and chickens being cured for winter. Fruits were drying on huge racks or stocked in the fruit cellar alongside plump potatoes and onions.
When she was not managing affairs at Chimera, Kathleen often went to Emerald Hill, where she continued to be tutored in the art of horse-breeding by Kate. Kathleen was an apt pupil, her natural love of horses making it a joy to learn from her grandmother. She also aided Kate in helping the newly arrived Irish immigrants accustom themselves to their surroundings and the workings of the plantation. It became a familiar sight to find Kathleen working side by side with them in the fields, her long legs more often than not encased in snug breeches, her copper hair tied securely at her nape or tucked up beneath a floppy straw hat. Never a stranger to hard work, Kathleen now drove herself relentlessly.
Many a late evening found her at Reed’s desk, diligently applying herself to the never-ending chore of keeping the plantation books. Often she was late for supper, once in a while missing it altogether, though she tried to dine often with Isabel and spend some time with Katlin and Alexandrea before bedtime, trying to make up for Reed’s absence. Often she would take them with her to Kate’s, or into Savannah to visit their cousin Teddy. They also found time for short jaunts into the woods to gather berries and to wander along the streams and fields of Chimera, and for trips to the barns and stables to visit the horses, pups, and kittens.
Ashes and Ecstasy Page 8