Bewitching My Love

by Diane Story

  Jonathan sat back from the table after finishing off his breakfast of corn porridge. Sarah made it from their yearly corn crop. With a few slices of apple and a little honey drizzled over the top, it wasn’t bad. “Good day wife, I’m off to check on my prisoners.”

  “More likely to check on your whore.” Sarah glared back at him; she was in a foul mood this morning. The babe had kicked her all night, keeping her awake for most of it.

  Jonathan ignored her and left without so much as a glance, grabbing his Brandenburg coat on the way out. The least amount of time spent with Sarah right now, the better. He was just turning toward the village when a woman stepped in front of him, almost knocking him down. “Pardon me madam.” He stepped back to allow her some room to pass and froze to his spot. “Mary? How did ye escape? Judge Hauthorn will have ye hung today if he discovers you gone.”

  Fern stared into his eyes; she had pulled the Vizard from her face just before running into him. The look on his face when he saw her was perfect. Backing away, she pulled the cloth back up to cover her face. Whispering under her breath, she spoke to him. “Follow me, Jonathan.” Then to ensure he would, she added, “I need you.” Turning away, she didn’t run but instead walked slowly. A few times she looked around to make sure he was following. Which he was, all the way to the cave just as planned, and even when she ducked under the opening, he followed.

  “Mary my darling, tell me how ye escaped. Please, if I am to protect ye I must know.”

  Fern let the Vizard fall from her face and then pulled the cape from her shoulders before answering. She was beginning to wonder what was taking Rowen so long when he finally made his appearance. “Jonathan, let me introduce you to Rowen Nichols. You two have much to discuss, so I’ll leave you to it.” Lightly she touched his shoulder before leaving. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy, for either of them.

  Jonathan turned to face Rowen then quickly sized him up. “Who are ye, sir? How did ye free Mary without my knowledge? I demand an explanation.”

  Rowen suddenly wasn’t sure what to say or how to act, here he was standing face to face with his ancestor and he was at a loss for words. “Let’s sit down, Jonathan, I have difficult information to share with you.”

  “Ye aren’t from here and I don’t recognize your language. You say your name is Nichols? I don’t have any relatives in our village. How is it ye share my name?”

  Rowen was beginning to understand how difficult this really was going to be. He turned to Fern just as she ducked under the opening. “I hope this won’t take long, Fern, thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome, Rowen, I’ll just be out here if you need me.” She watched as confusion ran over Jonathan’s face and smiled. “Listen to Rowen, Jonathan, he has much to tell you. All of which you will find hard to believe, but all is true.”

  Jonathan sat down, wondering why he didn’t arrest the man right then. “Why do ye call my Mary, Fern? Tis not her name, ye will address her by her proper name in my presence, sir.”

  Rowen wanted this to go well, he didn’t want a fight. “Jonathan, this woman is not Mary, her name is Fern. She is Mary’s ancestor. What I am about to tell you will be difficult for you to understand, so I’ll take it slow. First I’ll let you know who I am.” With hand extended, he waited.

  Their hands clasped together in equal strength, and their eyes locked. Rowen watched as Jonathan’s jaw clenched, his task would be a difficult one. “Fern and I have traveled back through time, seventeen generations to be exact.” He watched the smirk appear on Jonathan’s face, and continued on without allowing him to respond. Rowen told him everything, including the part about Fern dying in the place of Mary to stop the curse. The only part he did leave out was about Rose. He also told him that Fern was not aware of her part in their continued existence.

  “How am I to believe such stories? Mayhap ye are here from Satan, to do his bidding. This girl Fern, she does look like Mary, but that does not mean she comes from her blood. You have put me under a witch spell. I shall arrest ye and have you hung for blasphemy.”

  Rowen sat watching him as he stood. Jonathan thought he was nuts, he couldn’t blame him. “I am not a witch, neither is Fern. And to confirm what you already know, neither is Mary. Elizabeth is the witch, and she is the one that will be our doom. If you need proof, then go to her house. Hidden next to her chair by the fire you’ll find her books of spells.” He stood then and reached out, placing his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “Mary will die, in seven days, she will most certainly if nothing is done to stop Elizabeth from brining this curse. The circle must be broken, Jonathan, or time will continue to bring us back here. I don’t know if I can stop Fern from killing you every time. One day I will fail.”

  “Ye say if Fern dies in Mary’s place, it will stop the curse. Why would Elizabeth allow Mary’s child to die?” God help him, but he was beginning to believe this crazy man.

  “Elizabeth doesn’t care what happens seventeen generations from now, she will be long gone. She has already attempted to stop us with her threats and spells, next time there is no telling what she’ll do.”

  Jonathan’s brow furrowed, then he rose; he knew he had him in a lie. “This Fern, she is Mary’s ascendant ye say. How is it that this is so? Mary has no children.”

  Rowen rubbed his hand over his face and turned away. “I didn’t want to share this with you, Jonathan, but I know now I have no choice. Mary does have a child, a little girl. She was born a few months back. Do you recall Mary going away for a while?”

  Eyes wide and clouded, Jonathan shook his head. He didn’t like where this was going. “Aye, I do, her mother said she went to Boston to visit family.”

  “She was sent away to have her baby, Jonathan. When the child was born Elizabeth told her she was dead and brought Mary home. But she wasn’t dead; the sisterhood of the witches was raising her. Now she has been taken to another place that I do not know for safe keeping until Mary’s sentence is carried out.”

  “Am I this child’s father?” Jonathan blinked, trying to come to terms with what he had just been told.

  “All of the records indicate you are. I have seen her, Jonathan she does resemble you. But I think it is for Mary to tell you the truth, not I.”

  “Aye, but Mary doesn’t want to see me again, she blames me. I told her I wouldn’t bother her again.”

  “Well, it is your decision, Jonathan. But we need to decide how to handle our problem.” The pain in Jonathan’s face was strong. He was in turmoil, but it was his own struggle. Rowen couldn’t help him with it.

  “I will speak with Mary about the child today, if she tells me the child is mine, I will protect her from death.” Jonathan looked back at Rowen across the dim cave. “If I am not the father, I do not know what I will do. In either case I must protect my wife and unborn child. I will be sending her away to her mother in Plymouth.”

  “I think that would be wise. Fern and I will be waiting to hear from you.” Rowen bent to follow him from the cave. It was a beautiful day, the birds were chirping and the wind blew softly. Fern was sitting on a boulder across from them, just out of hearing range. He smiled to let her know everything was all right. She smiled back and his chest tightened.

  “It is most certainly strange that she looks so much like Mary. Do ye love her?”

  Rowen turned his head sharply to look at Jonathan. “Excuse me?”

  “Do ye love her? It is a simple question.” Jonathan patted him on his back. His smile left quickly to be replaced by a frown. “Heed my warning, Rowen Nichols. If Mary cannot confirm what ye hath told me, or if I find this tale to be a lie, I will return to this place and arrest ye.” He let his gaze travel back to Fern. “And I will arrest your young maiden, no matter how much she looks like my Mary.”

  Rowen watched him leave, walking slowly back across the valley before turning back toward the village. Did he love her? Why would Jonathan ask such a thing? He was expected to watch her die, how could he love her if that were
the case? History wouldn’t be so cruel, would it?

  “Well, how did it go?”

  Rowen jumped, she was right behind him. She’d somehow managed to sneak up on him. “Considering the circumstances, good, I think.”

  “What’s the plan now?” She stood next to him, watching until Jonathan could no longer be seen.

  “He’ll be sending Sarah to her mother in Plymouth. Right now he’s on his way to speak to Mary, he wants to make sure he is Rose’s father. And to decide if he will be arresting us for lying to him.”

  “He questions that? I thought you said he was Rose’s father, Rowen.”

  He looked down at her where she stood by his side. “He is her father, Mary won’t deny him the knowledge of it.” The doubt in her eyes surprised him. “Surely she will tell him the truth. If she loves him as much as the records say, she will.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Rowen, I myself have never been in love so I can only hope it’s like the fairy tales say and she won’t be able to lie.” She searched his eyes and wondered if he’d ever been in love. No, he couldn’t afford to let some snit steal his heart.

  “Well, it looks like we’re stuck until tomorrow. How would you like to go down to the ocean for the day? It’s only a mile or two, we could make it in no time.”

  “Sounds good to me, but are you sure we should leave? What if Jonathan comes back?”

  “He said he’d be back tomorrow to let us know his plans. It all depends on Mary and what she has to say.” He ducked under the cave opening and reappeared with one of their blankets.

  “Plan on getting a tan?” She laughed when she saw the blanket. The image of his bronze body spread out on the blanket, her blanket, made her blush.

  “No, but I thought we could use something to sit on. Maybe we could even find a place where we could swim. I love the feel of the ocean. It’ll be weird to see it without all the tourists, don’t you think?”

  “Weird? I guess you could call it that. I think it will be a nice change. I always hated fighting the crowds for a place to sunbathe. Come on, let’s go. I’m getting anxious just talking about it.” They talked as they walked, and Fern took her shoes off to feel the cool grass on her feet. The shoes Rowen had purchased for her were starting to cause blisters. She listened to the rumble of his deep voice and lost herself in it. When his long fingers entwined with hers, swinging their hands back and forth between them, she didn’t pull away.

  * * * *

  “Mary, tell me the truth! Is the child mine?”

  Mary stared back at Jonathan from where she sat on her makeshift bed in cold silence. She thought she’d made it clear she never wanted to see him again. In the two days since her arrest she hadn’t been allowed to bathe or change her dress, and she felt hideous. “Leave me be, Jonathan! I told ye I never wanted to see ye again.” She jumped when Jonathan slammed his fist against the bars of her cell.

  “Tis not an issue of you or I any longer, Mary. Is the child mine or not?” He was becoming more and more frustrated with her deliberately ignoring his question. But, he knew his Mary; at least enough to know what she was hiding from him. “Aye, tis true then. I am your child’s father. The pain in your eyes tells me the truth, Mary.” Sauntering over, he sat next to her on the cot. “Why Mary? Don’t ye think I should know that I am the father?” He wanted to take her in his arms and shake her for keeping such a secret from him.

  “My mother forced me to go away, Jonathan. She feared I would be executed for adultery. She told me the child had died, but I knew better. My heart told me different.” Searching his eyes, she saw his dilemma. “Ye cannot ever tell of it, Jonathan. Ye will die, Judge Hauthorn will see to it. Then Sarah will be left to take care of your child alone. Don’t be ignorant about this, Jonathan, think before ye decide.”

  With his head hung over the powerful muscles of his chest, Jonathan closed his eyes and spoke in a soft whisper. “I love thee, Mary, oh how I love thee. If I could take you from this place, I would. My life will be empty without ye in it.”

  After making sure they had no witnesses. Mary reached between them and cupped his chin in her hand. “Aye, and I love you. Go now, forget me and my child.” She read the hesitation in his face. “Go, I hear someone coming, go before all is lost.” With the tip of her thumb she caught one of his giant tears before it could become lost in the dimple of his chin. Then as he watched, she put her hand underneath the collar of her dress and rubbed the moistness across her heart. “Here is where ye shall always dwell, my love, now go, Jonathan, and promise me to never come back.” Standing, she walked to the window of her cell and stood looking out. With her back to Jonathan, she didn’t turn back until she knew he was gone.

  * * * *

  Fern giggled as her body bobbed up and down in the cool surf a few yards from where Rowen was lying on a rock. The sand of the beach was almost powder white, and the sun was so bright it made her feel like they had to be on another planet. Not another soul could be seen down the vast expanse of beach, they were completely alone. “Hey, you party pooper, come on and get in. The water is divine.”

  Rowen slowly opened his eyes and rolled his head toward her. “You know you don’t want me in there with you. I might have to dunk you, you wouldn’t want that, would you?” He’d been trying to avoid her. She had stripped down to just her bra and thong panties, right in front of his eyes without seeming to care what she was doing to him before jumping in. He wondered if she knew exactly how precarious her situation was, if he had his choice he would join her. Not to dunk her but to drag her back up to the blanket for a little afternoon delight. He was just going through the details of his imagination for what must have been the tenth time, when the cold water slammed against his bare chest. “That’s it love, you’re going to get it now.”

  Fern giggled like a high school freshman when Rowen jumped from his rock, landing next to her in his cannonball posture. He was a big man, full of muscle, and every one of them brought plenty enough waves to knock her from her feet. When she emerged from the water he was waiting with open arms, just as she’d hoped. “Not fair, Rowen, you know I can’t create those big waves like you can!”

  Reaching for her, Rowen picked her up high against his chest. “Sure you can, love, watch, I’ll show you how.”

  Fern squirmed, trying desperately to get free from his hold. But even with her body slick and wet, she was no match. “Come on, Rowen, let me down. Please! I promise to be nice. I won’t splash you again, really.”

  “No way, love, you’ve been asking for this ever since we got here.” He looked down to her laughing eyes, then beyond. Her breasts were squeezed together against his chest and even though they were encased in the silky material of her bra, he could still see every line and detail of what she had underneath. The pressure of her bare buttocks resting against his abdomen aroused him. He had to have more, to feel more and see more. Standing on top of his rock, he turned and held her out over the water. “The choice is yours, Fern, the water, or the blanket.”

  Fern stopped squirming when she caught the meaning behind his words. Relaxing against him, she searched his face for her answer. Oh, she wanted him, of that she had no doubt. With her fingertip she traced the line of his strong jaw. “Do I really have a choice? Or are you just testing me?”

  He smiled wickedly before lowering her to the blanket. “No, you don’t have a choice. But then, you didn’t want one, did you, Fern?” Her reddish golden hair was slicked back against her head, showing off the radiance of her face. Not waiting for an answer, he lowered his head to just inches above hers. The heat of her soft breath against his lips fueled him. As his blood pulsed wildly through his veins, he let their lips brush together as he spoke. “I don’t know if I can stop once we start, Fern. If you intend to make me suffer, do it now, or let me make love to you before I explode.”

  Arching her back until the tips of her breasts pressed hard against his chest, Fern forced the kiss. Rowen wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, pul
ling her up against him hard, until the heat of their bodies was more than she could bear. When his lips finally pulled away she let her head rest against his shoulder. In gasping breaths she gave him her answer. “It would be torture for me as well, Rowen. Is it wrong for me to admit that I want you?”

  Rowen tensed when her hand slid down to rest between his thighs. “If it is what we want, how can it be wrong, Fern?” Laying her back gently against the blanket, he savored his view. He’d been with many women, but none as sexy as Fern. He knew she’d never given herself to a man, God only knew why not. She certainly had more than her fair share of passion. But the thought of being the first somehow worried him, would he be able to match her expectations? Pushing doubt aside, he let passion guide him.

  Sliding the straps of her wet, silky bra down each arm, he bent forward to kiss each shoulder. The night they’d been under the spell and almost made love, he saw her, but not in this much light; her body was exquisite, all the way down to her little toes. Her thong rode high on each hip, dipping down to lie smooth against her flat stomach. With his fingers he picked up the delicate material, tickling her hipbones underneath.

  Fern closed her eyes against the bright sun, partly because it was bright and partly out of embarrassment. When the tiny feathery kisses started on the arch of her foot, she giggled. But when they ended on the tips of her breasts, she found herself shaking and aching for more. His teeth dug into the delicate flesh around the pink tips and she let a soft moan escape the pit of her throat, then she arched her back to let him know she was ready for more.

  Somehow in the middle of his caresses Rowen managed to maintain control. The coolness of the seawater had long ago left him to be replaced by the hot sweat he now felt rolling down his temples and his spine. “I must have you, you’re driving me to insanity, Fern.” Dipping his head down again he bit hard, then suckled the sweet tip of her breast when a small scream escaped her lips.

  Entwining her fingers into the long locks of his hair, Fern pulled his head back up to hers. Teasing the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip, she pulled her legs up until they rested on each side of his hips. “Show me what I’m supposed to do, Rowen.”