“You needn’t concern yourself about me. I’m fine with you accepting money from Mrs. Hennigan.”
“I have another surprise.” He stepped closer to her. “I’ve planned a honeymoon for us. I want to take you to the Cliff House.”
“That sounds marvelous. I didn’t know you could be so romantic.”
“It’s just for one day,” he said in an obvious attempt to downplay his gift. “I wish it could be for longer.”
“It’s still thoughtful.” Her happiness turned to concern. “When are you planning this trip? I’ll need something more than this if we’re going away.”
“I thought Sunday would be good. You should have your other clothes by then. I sent a telegram to Gerald and Olivia and asked them to send your trunk on the next steamer. It should arrive tomorrow evening.”
“I’m glad I asked Elsie to deliver the remainder of my belongings to the Baxters before I left Sacramento. After I heard Mrs. Collins talk with the coachman about killing you, I knew I’d never return to that house.”
“I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but at least she can’t hurt anyone now.”
Julia nodded in agreement. “What about her son? Did you manage to find where Dunbar went?”
“No, but the authorities are on the lookout for him. I went with a couple of lawmen to the Crystal Palace. They already knew about Betsy’s murder. We searched the place, but Dunbar wasn’t there.”
“It would probably be the last place he’d hide,” she speculated, “since it would be the first place anyone would look.”
“We went to the lodging house next. The old woman at the front desk said she remembered a man with a limp. He gave her a couple of coins to tell him which room Ritter had. She also remembered a young lady paying her for the same information. She saw Dunbar leave right after I came in.”
The serious expression on his face deepened. “You know you just missed being right in the middle of all that. If you’d come to the door a minute earlier, you’d have been a witness to the murder. You could’ve been Dunbar’s next victim.”
Her body shuddered at the realization of how close she’d come to having her own throat cut. She tried to focus on the other events. “I vaguely remember passing a man in the hallway just before I got to the room. He walked slowly, but I don’t recall if he had a limp.”
“Whatever possessed you to go into his room?”
Her eyebrows furrowed as she thought about the details. “I knocked at the door. There was a noise. It sounded like he told me to come. At first I didn’t see anyone, but then I saw him on the floor. I looked at his face. His eyes were—”
“It’s all right.” He put his arms around her and rubbed his hands over her back. “It might be best not to talk about it.”
Silently, she agreed. She forced away the thoughts from last night and concentrated on the present. “Let me put on these clothes and see how they fit.”
His trousers fit her so loosely that she slid them down her hips without bothering to unbutton them. She pushed the tails of the white shirt down to her knees to cover the lower half of her body until she slipped on the new pantalets.
“These fit me fine.” She turned her back to Payton when she removed the shirt.
“Why do you do that when you dress?” He turned her around so he could see her breasts. “I see you naked every time we make love.”
“Stop that.” Hastily, she pulled the chemise over her head and down the front of her body. “We’re not making love now.”
“That could change real quick.”
He tried to slip his hand beneath the edge of the material, but she held her arms tightly across her breast.
“I thought you were hungry,” she managed to say despite her laughter.
“I am,” he said in a throaty whisper.
“So am I. I haven’t had anything since lunch. And I need nourishment so I’ll have enough strength for later.”
“Later?” he murmured next to her ear. “Is that a promise?”
“What do you think?” She kissed him quickly before stepping out of his arms. She walked to the other side of the bed to finish dressing.
“I saw a place not too far from here that’s for rent.” He paced beside the bed. “It wouldn’t cost much, but you’d be alone while I’m here at work. I know you don’t want to be stuck in this room all day, but until Dunbar is captured, I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”
“I understand. You’ve got enough to worry about without worrying about me, also.” She glanced around the room. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I had something to do during the day. Perhaps read or sew. I could even knit a shawl if I had some yarn.”
“I’ll see what I can find to occupy your time.” He pulled at the handcuffs chained to the headboard. “I could get rid of some of this stuff so it doesn’t look like a dungeon.”
She walked around the bed and looked over his shoulder at the cuffs. “Do you think he brought many unsuspecting women here and chained them up?”
He laughed slightly. “I doubt the women he brought here were unsuspecting. From what Nicholas said, the women were paid well for their services.”
“Then why did he chain them up?”
“Who knows? Maybe it made him feel powerful to have a woman bound. Or maybe the cuffs were for him. Perhaps he liked being chained by women so they could abuse him.” He slipped his arm around her waist and held her tightly. His other hand grabbed the cuff. “Or just maybe they were used on a bashful young bride who tried to hide her body from her husband with her hands.”
“You’re not putting those things on me.” She giggled while trying to squirm free of his embrace.
“No?” One dark eyebrow rose. “Perhaps I’ll wait until you fall asleep tonight. Then I’ll slip the cuffs around your wrists and have my way with you.”
“You don’t need to chain me up to do that,” she said, her laughter bubbling up.
He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and nibbled at her sensitive skin. “Then you’ll let me strip away all your clothes and kiss every inch of your body.”
A loud gasp caught in her throat at his remark, but she quickly burst into a fit of giggles.
“You think that’s funny?” His lips curved into a lopsided grin.
“No, but you gave me an idea about what to do if you’re the first to fall asleep.” Her hands skimmed down his body. “You’re the one who’s liable to wake up in cuffs.”
“Why would you want to chain me? I can’t make love to you if I can’t reach you.”
“No, but at least then I would be able to...” She bit on her lover lip to prevent the rest of the words from blurting out of her mouth.
“Tell me,” he urged. “What would you do?”
The sensual heat in his eyes seemed to penetrate into her soul. His intensity gave her the courage to continue. Her fingers brushed over the front of his trousers until she found his already hardened flesh. “You never let me touch you. If your wrists were chained, I could rub my hands all over your body, and you couldn’t stop me.”
He dropped the cuffs so he could use both hands to pull her to him, and he kissed her fully on her lips. When he pulled back, fire crackled in his blue eyes.
“The first thing we need to do is get something to eat.”
“Eat?” she repeated in bewilderment.
He nodded his head. “We’re going to need all our strength for later.”
Suspicious, she lifted one eyebrow. “And what’s the second thing we’re going to do?”
“We have to locate the key to those cuffs.”
Chapter Thirty-One
The ride to Point Lobos took less than an hour from the Double Eagle Shipping Company. When the driver stopped at the toll booth, Julia stood up in the back of the carriage for a better view of the building that stood a short distance up the road.
“It’s built right into the side of the cliff,” she said excitedly.
Payton enjoyed her enthusiasm, but he pulle
d her back into her seat so the driver could start up the hill. “I guess that’s why they call it the Cliff House.”
“From the front, the building looks to be a single story.” She leaned across Payton so she could see the back. “But the ocean side has three stories.”
The horses pulled the carriage farther up the dirt road that wound around the edge of the mountain side. The opposite side of the narrow road was almost a shear drop to the beach below.
“What a magnificent view.” She breathed out a long sigh. “The ocean goes on forever. And look at all the seals on the rocks.”
Behind the Cliff House, about a hundred yards from the beach, an outcropping of irregular rocks jutted out from the sea. There were only a few, and they didn’t stick out from the water very high, but they were covered with grey seals sunning themselves in the midmorning sun.
“I suppose that’s why they named it—”
“I know,” she managed to say between her laughter. “Seal Rock.”
After the driver stopped at the front entrance, Payton helped her down from the carriage.
“While our bags are taken up to our room,” she said, “let’s go down to the beach.”
“Don’t you want to eat first? It’s almost noontime.”
“Not yet. I don’t want to miss seeing the seals.”
“They’re not going anywhere. The driver said they stay on the rocks most of the day.” Disappoint shone on her face. He didn’t want anything to spoil her mood. “All right. This is your day. If you want to go down to the beach, then that’s where we’ll go.”
He grabbed her hand, fearing she would set out at a dead run. When they reached the bottom of the path that led to the beach, she released his hand.
She ran ahead of him to inspect the shoreline. Near the ocean’s edge were tiny treasures left behind from the outgoing tide.
“You’re going to get wet,” he said when she barely missed getting the hem of her orchid colored outfit drenched by a small wave. “Perhaps you should take off your shoes and stockings.”
“I already thought of that, but there are too many people around.”
She darted back and forth on the beach to avoid the incoming swells. Each time the water rolled out to sea, she chased after it to pick up anything left behind. When the waves rushed back to shore, she giggled and laughed as the seawater lapped at her heels.
“My pockets are already full,” he said when she handed him another shell. “Don’t you think you have enough souvenirs of the beach?”
“Probably so. Besides, I’m getting hungry. We’d better get some lunch before they start serving dinner.”
They walked up the beach to the hotel. When they reached their room, he stopped her from going inside. “Even though we’ve been married for a couple of weeks, this is still our honeymoon. There’s one tradition left to do.”
She gasped when he swept her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold. Her arms wrapped around his neck. “I never thought you could be so romantic.”
Using his foot, he kicked the door shut. He released her legs, but kept one arm around her waist. Her body slid down the length of him. His mouth closed over hers, and he nibbled at her lips.
His head lifted as he gazed into her incredibly colored eyes. “I have something for you.”
Her lips curved into a sensual smile. “I’m certain you do.”
“Give me your hand.”
Laughter bubbled from her lips. “I’m not falling for that again.”
“No, I really do have something for you.” He thrust his hand into his pocket. His other hand grasped her left hand. “I hope this fits. I measured your finger while you were asleep.”
When he opened his fist, her eyes opened wide. “A gold ring.”
“It’s a wedding band,” he corrected. “Since we’re husband and wife, I figured you’d want to wear a ring to prove it.”
She nibbled at her lower lip when he slipped it onto her finger. “We’re actually legally wed?”
“Of course.” His forehead wrinkled. “Did you think I’d lie about something as important as marrying you?”
“No.” she said defensively. “I just wasn’t certain how legal our marriage was.”
“It’s legal enough to stand up in any court.”
“You don’t have to get angry. I was just asking.”
“I’m not angry.” His tone sounded sharp to his ears, so he gentled his voice. “If you prefer something a little more proper, we can get married in a church.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“There’s a mission a short distance from here. We can get married now if you want.”
“We had this same problem last time.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m not letting go of you just so you can go in search of a preacher.”
He pulled her to him. “Will tomorrow be soon enough?”
“Perfect. Now let’s eat.”
“First, we need to seal this bargain with a kiss.”
“Payton.” She giggled when he nuzzled his face into her neck. “I thought you were hungry.”
“I am—for you.” He lifted her in his arms and tossed her gently onto the middle of the bed.
Her hands pressed against his chest when he crawled over the top of her. “We’re getting sand all over the bed.”
“Good.” He kissed her cheek. “We can pretend we’re on the beach, there’s no one around us, and the waves are lapping at our naked bodies as we make love.”
She put her arms around him and pulled him to her. “You are so romantic.”
****
“Are you dressed?” Payton peeked his head through the doorway.
“You may come in.” Gathering up her long hair, she twisted the strands into a rope and pulled it over one shoulder. “I need you to fasten the back of my gown.”
“I don’t know why you’re so modest about dressing in front of me.” He nudged her around so he could see her back. His fingers tugged at the hooks. “I saw you completely naked just a short time ago.”
“Now that you’ve gotten what you want from me, you’re going to be grouchy?”
“You got plenty from me as I recall.” He turned her around when he finished with the fasteners. “You look marvelous.”
“I’m not so certain black is a good color on me.” Her hands skimmed over the bodice front. “This gown belonged to mother. I altered it to fit me, plus I made a few changes to make it look a little more in the current fashion.”
She fussed with her hair that still tumbled over one shoulder. Carved ivory combs secured it away from her face. “My mother’s hair was a lighter shade of blonde. She looked wonderful in black, but I’m afraid the color makes me appear a little pale.”
“Not at all. You’re stunning in this gown.” His fingertips skimmed across her throat. “All you need is a necklace to enhance your beauty. I wish I had something to give you.”
“I do have something. I’ve never worn it in public because I’m always afraid I’ll lose it, or that someone will steal it. But since you’re here to protect me...”
“With my life,” he swore.
She reached into a drawer and pulled out a small wooden box. When she set it on the dresser top, he took a step closer so he could see it better.
“Where did you get that jewelry box?” His fingers traced over the ornately carved top.
“My brother gave it to me. It’s made of teakwood.”
“It’s been a few years, but it looks almost exactly like the box I helped Eddy pick out for his little sister. I swear, that’s the same mermaid carved in the top.”
“You and your friend evidently had the same good taste my brother had.”
She opened the lid and took out a small cloth pouch, but she kept the contents hidden in her hand. She turned her back to him and held the ends of the silver chain behind her neck. “Would you fasten this?”
“What is it?” He leaned over her shoulder in an attempt to see the object dangling
from the chain.
“I don’t want you to see it until after I have it on. Then you can tell me what you think.” Her hand pressed against her chest to conceal the pendant from his view. “I sometimes wear it under my clothing. Reggie said the oil from my skin will give it a luster.”
“It must be a pearl.” His large fingers fumbled with the tiny clasp. “But no pearl could compare to your beauty.”
“You’re right about it being a pearl. But I doubt you’ve ever seen one like this. A friend of Reggie’s found it. His friend said he’d just get drunk and lose it in a card game, or end up giving it to some woman he barely knew, so he gave it to my brother to give to me.” She laughed slightly, as if embarrassed. “Reggie must have bored him silly with all his stories about me. His friend said that a jewel like this should belong to another jewel.”
“He thought you were a pearl?” Payton asked.
“No, a jewel.” She turned to face him, a smile on her lips. “That’s what Reggie used to call me. His precious little jewel. It was his nickname for me.”
Her hand moved to reveal the black pearl hanging from her neck. “What do you think?”
Payton squeezed his eyelids shut. What he saw had to be an illusion, but when he opened them, the black pearl still dangled around her neck.
The floor seemed to pitch, as if he stood on the deck of a ship in a stormy sea. He reached for the back of the chair to steady himself. His mind whirled. His breathing halted. His heart thumped.
“Is it too much?” she asked, a worried tone in her voice.
Her fingers flitted over the pearl resting below the hollow in her throat. The size looked about as big as a plump grape. A silver crown secured it to the chain around her neck.
He knew his mouth gaped open. He put his lips together and tried to swallow, but his throat had gone dry.
“Are you all right?”
He took a step back. His legs bumped against the bed. He sat down on the edge. His thoughts jumbled around in his mind as he tried to make sense of what he saw. He glanced at the carved teakwood jewelry box. His gaze darted to the black pearl hanging from her neck. He’d seen them both before. He shook his head as if he could deny the conclusion he drew. But he knew the truth, even though he didn’t know how it could be possible.
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