Ecstasy's Promise (Historical Romance)

by Constance O'Banyon

  "Thank you," she said, trying not to show how pleased she was with his compliment.

  "I remember a time when you would not accept a compliment from me, Victoria."

  She smiled. "You are the right person, and I believe you are sincere."

  "Oh, yes, darling, I am very sincere." He took her hand. "Come. As badly as I hate to, I must share you for the moment. Are you hungry?"

  "Yes, I am starved."

  "So am I," he said under his breath.

  As they came down the stairs and into the dining room, it seemed every eye turned in admiration of the striking couple. Victoria was aware of the sensation they were causing, and felt proud of her tall, handsome husband. The waiter flashed them a smile and led them to the best table.

  Victoria did not taste the food she ate; she was too conscious of Edward's eyes watching her.

  "I am pleased you are wearing one of the gowns I gave you."

  Victoria smiled. "It was remiss of me not to thank you; it is just that I wish you would not feel you had to buy me so many expensive things."

  "Would you deny me the pleasure of seeing you as you are now? Look about you, Victoria. There is not a man in this room who would not like to change places with me."

  She blushed and dropped her head. "Please, you are embarrassing me."

  Neither of them noticed the woman who had come up to their table.

  "Edward, darling, you are a naughty boy. Why didn't you let me know you were in town?"

  Victoria looked up and saw Monica Webber. She wore a yellow satin dress. Her red hair hung down her shoulders, and her blue eyes smiled at Edward.

  "Monica," he said, rising to his feet.

  She slipped her arm about his waist. "It is perfect running into you. Cissy Norris is having a party. I know she would love to see you. Please say you will come." She was looking at Edward seductively. "We have a lot to catch up on."

  "Monica, I—"

  She leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

  "Monica," Edward said, feeling uncomfortable. "You remember Victoria. She and I are married."

  Victoria watched as Monica's face turned pale. She turned to Victoria. Her arm fell away from Edward's waist. "Victoria, I thought you were engaged to Mr. O'Brian. I do not understand any of this."

  Edward's eyes pleaded with Victoria for understanding.

  The beautiful redhead tried to smile. "I had not heard of your marriage." She turned to Edward. "I hope you will be very happy." Then Monica turned to Victoria. "You are very lucky." There were tears in her blue eyes. Victoria felt pity for the red-headed woman, and knew what she was feeling. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must rush. As I told you, I am attending a party this evening."

  Victoria watched as Monica made her way out of the hotel dining room. She had seen heartbreak in the woman's eyes. She could very easily have been in the other woman's position, she thought.

  Edward snapped his fingers, summoned the waiter, and asked for the check. Later, back in their room, Edward excused himself, and went into his bedroom. He cursed the bad luck that had caused them to run into Monica. He could tell Victoria had been upset over the encounter. She had said nothing to him, however, which showed her good breeding.

  Edward stood at the window and looked down on the street below. Before Monica had come, he had felt Victoria was beginning to trust him, and lose much of her hostility toward him. Lord, when was it all going to end? How could he go on day after day being close to her, yet unable to touch her? If he did not feel the need to get her safely out of the country, he would return to Rio del Lobo. He wondered why he did not take her in his arms and make her want him as much as he wanted her.

  Victoria sat on the sofa, her eyes looking off into space. She wished she could wipe out the image of Monica from her mind. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the arm of the sofa. Oh, Edward, Edward, why is life so unfair? she wondered.

  Victoria had just decided to go to her bedroom when there was a knock on the door. She waited for Edward to answer it. The knock came again. She walked over to the door and opened it. Maj. Ray Courtney stood in the hallway. He stared in amazement at the beautiful woman in blue velvet.

  "Charley?"

  "Major Courtney, why have you come?" Victoria asked in panic. She backed away from the door, fighting the urge to run. She heard Edward come from his bedroom. She ran to him and grabbed his hand, her eyes pleading with him. He put his arm about her.

  "Edward," Ray said, apologizing, "I did not mean to upset your wife. I only wanted to pay my respects."

  "Victoria, you have nothing to fear from Ray," Edward told her soothingly "In fact, he has been most helpful in your behalf."

  Edward led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. Her eyes were wide and frightened.

  "Mrs. Hanover," Ray said, "I would never have come if I had known it would frighten you."

  "Please," Victoria said, trying to regain her composure, and remembering her manners, "won't you be seated, Major?"

  He sat down in a chair and smiled at her. "I hardly recognize the boy, Charley. I remember I once told you I would like to see you in a dress," he teased.

  "If you were a gentleman, Major, you would not remind me of the incident in your camp."

  "Forgive me, Charley, I was merely trying to put you at ease and show you that there is no need to fear me. You certainly had no fear of me that day in Georgia."

  Edward watched the exchange. He felt a twinge of jealousy and tried to put it aside. He could see Victoria relax a little as Ray teased her lightly.

  "Tell me, Major, how was it you knew I was a woman, when I managed to fool your men?"

  Ray smiled and exchanged glances with Edward. The warning he saw in the dark eyes told Kay he must tread carefully. He turned to Victoria.

  "It was my duty to know what went on around me," he said lightly. He was having trouble concentrating. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Ray knew now why Edward had chosen her for his bride.

  He rose to his feet. "I must be going. I only 4 wanted to wish you both a bon voyage. Good night, Charley."

  "Good night, Major," Victoria told him.

  Edward walked Ray to the door. They shook hands.

  "You always did have all the luck," Ray told him; "and to think that I saw her first."

  Edward smiled. "Good night, Ray."

  After Ray left, Victoria excused herself and went to her room. Edward stared after her; then he also went to his room.

  That night Victoria dreamed of the two Yankees who had come to Farraday Plantation. She cried out in her sleep when she relived shooting the man Stouffer. She saw his face and the blood that had pumped from his heart. She dreamed she was running, only to be overtaken by Private Mace.

  She awoke, trying to pull herself out of her nightmare. Edward was sitting beside her, resting her head on his shoulder.

  "You were having a nightmare, Victoria. I heard you cry out, and came to investigate."

  She was crying; sobs were racking her body. Edward brushed her hair back from her face. "Hush, darling, you are safe. It was only a dream."

  She threw her arms about his neck. "It was awful, Edward. It seemed so real. It was as though I had to relive that whole terrible day."

  "It is over now," he soothed. He kissed her gently. "You are safe with me. I would not let anything harm you."

  Victoria relaxed in his arms. "Edward, have you ever killed a man?"

  He rested his face next to hers. "Yes, I have,, Victoria. It is never a pretty sight to watch a man die, knowing you are responsible, but you had provocation. Believe me, darling, you did the right thing. I suspect seeing Ray this evening caused you to relive your nightmare. Put it out of your mind. It is over and done with. Look at it this way: by shooting Stouffer, you probably saved some other woman from being attacked by him."

  "I never thought of it that way, Edward." She bit her lower lip to stop its trembling. When she spoke, Edward could tell she was on the verge of
tears.

  "Edward, something has been bothering me for some time now. I have been trying to put it out of my mind, but I have been unable to do so."

  He looked down at her with a slight frown on his face. "Ask what you will, Victoria."

  She was quiet for a moment, avoiding his eyes. "Were you at . . . were you in Virginia during the war?”

  "Yes, I was, Victoria." His voice was cold. She looked into his eyes.

  "Were you at Harpers Ferry, Edward?" She waited, needing to know the answer, yet afraid to hear it.

  Edward looked deeply into her eyes. "Was that where your father was killed, Victoria?"

  She nodded.

  "I was not at Harpers Ferry, Victoria; therefore, I could not have been the one who killed your father." He felt her relax in his arms once more. Her body trembled as she released all her pent-up emotions. The fear that Edward had been at Harpers Ferry had plagued her ever since she had learned he had fought with the Union. She felt relief wash over her body. She suddenly felt very tired. -

  "Close your eyes, Victoria. I will hold you until you fall asleep." She felt so protected. Edward's presence held her doubts and fears at bay. When Edward looked down, he noticed she was asleep. He laid her down gently, pulled the covers about her, and quietly left her room. He would sleep on the couch tonight in case she needed him again.

  22

  Victoria stood on the deck of the Blue Dolphin and watched as the shoreline of Texas grew smaller in the distance. It was barely visible through the thick fog. She held her cloak tightly while the wind whipped about her, stinging her face with its icy fingers. The gloomy weather held; the overcast sky promised rain before the morning was over.

  Edward stood beside her. Neither of them spoke as they watched the coastline disappear completely.

  "What are you thinking?" Edward asked, turning to her.

  "I was remembering the time I stood on the deck of a ship and watched as Savannah disappeared."

  "That would be when your father took you to England?"

  She nodded. "You would have liked my father, Edward. He was charming, intelligent, and easy to talk to."

  "Why did he not remarry after your mother died? He was still a young man, was he not?"

  Victoria frowned, her eyes staring into the fog. "I asked my father that very question once. I had come into his study and found him standing looking up at my mother's portrait as he did so often. I can see him as though it happened yesterday. He smiled at me. 'Honey,' he said, 'the Farradays only love once in their lifetime, as you will learn when you are older. If you are as lucky as I am, and find the perfect love, you will know, as I do, that there will never be room for another in your life.'"

  Edward's hands tightened on the rail. "Shall we go below, Victoria?" he said angrily. "It is getting very cold."

  Victoria frowned, wondering why Edward seemed suddenly angry. He gripped her arm and propelled her across the deck, and down the narrow passageway to her cabin. She stood looking about the tiny cabin. It had a single bed, a crude dressing table with a small mirror hanging on the wall, a wooden chair, and a stand with a pitcher of water on it. Dim light filtered into the room through a small porthole. The room was crowded because of the two huge trunks that sat on the floor.

  "Not exactly my idea of luxury," Edward told Victoria, looking about the cabin with a frown of distaste.

  "I have stayed in far worse, I can assure you," Victoria answered, making her voice sound normal.

  "Nonetheless, Victoria, I apologize. It was the only available ship going to Jamaica at this time, and I felt the need for haste."

  "Why, Edward?"

  He avoided her eyes. "What man would not be anxious to start his honeymoon?"

  Victoria clenched her hands nervously. "Someone has made a mistake, Edward, and put your trunk in my cabin."

  Edward smiled to himself. An idea was forming in his mind. "So they have, Victoria. I will go above and talk to the captain. I am sure it was an oversight on someone's part. I will only be a moment."

  Edward found the captain on deck. The captain smiled as he recognized Edward. "Mr. Hanover, it is a pleasure to have you and your wife sail with us. I have heard much about you and am glad to meet you in the flesh."

  "I hope you do not believe all you have been told," Edward said, smiling.

  The captain laughed, shaking his gray head. "It was nothing bad, Mr. Hanover. Your name is well-known in Texas." Then, frowning, the captain asked: "Are your cabins suitable?"

  "That is why I want to talk to you, Captain. Have you any empty cabins?"

  The captain scratched his head. "Well, there are two empty, but they are not as nice as the two you occupy now."

  Edward pulled a roll of bills from his pocket. "I want to book them, just the same."

  The captain looked at him, puzzled. "Well, I guess you know what you are doing, Mr. Hanover."

  "Captain, let us keep this little transaction between ourselves. If anyone should ask you, including my wife, just say ail the available space has been taken. Do I make myself clear?"

  The captain looked amazed. "If that's the way you want it, Mr. Hanover, though I do not see—"

  "Thank you, Captain; you have been most helpful," Edward said, cutting him off abruptly.

  The captain shook his head. He had always found people with money a bit eccentric. Well, he thought, it was none of his affair.

  Edward returned to the cabin, feeling very pleased with himself. He found Victoria trying to move the heavy trunks from the middle of the floor to the foot of the bed.

  "You are not to strain yourself," he scolded her, moving the trunks up against the cabin wall with ease.

  "Did you speak with the captain, Edward?"

  "Yes, and I am afraid all the cabins have been booked."

  Edward watched as resignation registered on her face.

  "We cannot share this small space. Surely there is something?"

  "I am afraid not, Victoria, unless you want me to sleep on deck."

  She frowned. "Of course you cannot do that, I suppose. How will we manage, Edward? The bed is very small."

  "I think we can manage." He smiled down at her, not feeling the least bit guilty for his deception.

  She turned her back to him. "You will not... I mean, you would not—"

  He turned her around to face him. "You are wondering if I will make love to you, Victoria?" He grinned at her wickedly.

  She nodded, her eyes wide, her face creased in a worried frown.

  "I will not touch you unless you want me to, Victoria."

  "You promise?"

  "I give you my word, and whatever my faults are, I never break my word." He saw her relax a little and smiled to himself.

  "Since we have no choice but to share the same bed, I will take you at your word, Edward. How many days until we reach Jamaica?"

  "It depends on the wind," he told her, smiling.

  "I hope it is not too long," Victoria said hesitantly.

  He laughed. "It is a good thing I am not thin-skinned, I might think you do not welcome my company."

  "I will endure it until we reach port, Edward."

  "Victoria, are you always so blunt?"

  "I prefer to call it honesty. Bodine says I often speak without thinking. He says it is because I did not have the softening influence of my mother, and spent most of my time with him and my father."

  "That may explain some of it, but I think you would have been much the same whoever tended to your upbringing, Victoria."

  She smiled. "Perhaps you are right."

  "Suppose we have your Spanish lesson now. It is too cold on deck for a stroll, and lunch is not for another two hours."

  She sat on the bed and tucked her feet under her, looking very much like a little girl again.

  That night they dined at the captain's table. They came in late and most of the passengers were already seated. As they had in San Antonio, everyone stared in admiration at the latecomers.

  The capta
in rose to his feet as Edward introduced Victoria to him. "Mrs. Hanover, it is a pleasure ta meet you. I apologize for not welcoming you on board the Blue Dolphin personally."

  "Do not concern yourself, Captain. Your first mate was very gracious. He told us you had to remain at the helm because of the fog."

  The captain introduced the Hanovers to the other passengers at his table. There was a widow, Mrs. Seeger, traveling with her two daughters, Letty and Sue; a young married couple, Mark and Stacy Woodrow; and a planter from Jamaica, Stan Herman.

  The conversation was light and the food quite good, much to Victoria's surprise. She was seated on the captain's right and Edward, who was on the captain's left, watched as Victoria charmed the grizzly captain and Mr. Herman. The young planter seemed to hang on to Victoria's every word and became almost speechless when she tried to engage him in conversation.

  "Do I detect a Southern accent, Mrs. Hanover?" the captain asked.

  "Indeed you do, Captain. I am from Savannah."

  "I used to sail to Savannah before the war, but with the blockading of the ports, I sailed between England and France, trying to make up for lost revenue."

  "You did not try to become a blockade-runner, Captain?" Victoria asked.

  "No, too many of my friends who attempted it were either put in prison or blown out of the water."

  "Perhaps you were wise, but it would have been an adventure, do you not agree, Captain?" Her smile held a hint of mischief.

  "If I had only had you around to encourage me, Mrs. Hanover, I might very well have attempted it."

  Edward smiled. He felt such pride in Victoria. She was perfect. If the captain had no defenses against her charms, he himself was even more defenseless. He was anxious for the evening to be over so he could be alone with her.

  Edward stood on deck giving Victoria time to prepare for bed. The waves lapped at the side of the ship. The full moon seemed to turn the water to silver. His whole being was filled with anticipation.

  Victoria lay in bed, squeezing herself as close to the wall as she could manage. She tried to stop her heart from racing. She wanted more than anything for Edward to take her in his arms and hold her. She almost felt feverish, so strong was her need for him. What was this longing she felt for Edward? This hunger in her body that cried out to him?