What was going on among those three people? What had gone on between them at some other time? Why had Jeffery pretended to like and to respect Paul? Why had he encouraged Mary to go after him? Had Jeffery lied to her, or had he simply denied her his private feelings? Why would Paul accept Jeffery’s generosity if he despised him so much? So many questions without answers…
Chapter Thirteen
For Mary, this entire morning had been strange and bewitching. After she had given Alisha the shawl, she had gone to Paul’s room to watch him sleep. He was such a magnetic, fascinating man. He was dark, compelling, and mysterious. He had an air of excitement and danger; he exuded courage and strength. To Mary, he was everything a man should be.
Although Jeffery was many of those same things, she had never been drawn to him in either a romantic or sexual manner. He was her hidden friend, her solace. He was fun; he was bright and charming. Yet, he had never captivated her. Paul was entirely different. Ever since his arrival, she could hardly think of anything but him.
Last night she had brought him the hot toddy laced with a sleeping potion, just as Jeffery had ordered. The lieutenant had wanted to be assured of his privacy with Alisha; he had not wanted Paul to change his mind about attending the service with her. Paul had sipped the drink while she was pretending to bank his fire for the night. He had fallen to its potency before she could leave his room. She had lovingly tucked him into bed, then blown out his lantern. On an impulse, she had taken his room key.
This morning, she had stealthily returned to his room after Alisha’s departure, knowing he would still be asleep. She had stirred up the smoldering coals in the fire until it had come aglow with soft, warm light. She had walked over to his bed and gazed down at him. Irresistibly she had stretched out her hand and tenderly caressed his cheek, then traced the angle of his proud jawline. As her finger moved across his sensual lips, he had slightly roused.
His heavy eyes opened lazily and gazed up at her. His hand came up and buried itself within the fullness of her free-flowing auburn hair. She watched him attempt to clear his vision and groggy head. Unable to do so, he gradually pulled her head down to his. His mouth covered hers in a kiss which sent her senses reeling and her young heart leaping. As she hungrily responded to his ardent kiss, he pulled her willing body into his strong embrace.
In his continued dreamy state, Paul lifted the covers and pulled Mary into the warm circle of his arms. Almost instinctively, he slowly undressed her with little difficulty and without any resistance from her. He pressed his naked frame next to her slim one. She trembled with a strange, growing need and mysterious excitement. His skilled hands began to wander over her supple and eager body, bringing intoxicating pleasure to her. Soon, his hardened manhood filled her womanly recess.
Her heart cried out with great delight and increased hunger. He began to move within her responsive body. Never had it been this way for her. Those few times when she had been taken against her will, it had been painful and ugly. But with Paul, it was beautiful and passionate. Her small hands caressed his hard, smooth chest and muscled back. Her mouth refused to leave his. She moved beneath him, urging him on and on.
There was never a moment when she had wanted to stop or to turn back. Never had she felt such blissful and inviting sensations. Never had she felt so wanted or so special. Never had she been this happy or complete. Never had she experienced the giving and taking with a man. The truth was that she loved him; she wanted him without any reservations. He was her dream-come-true.
When the final moment of culmination came for both of them, she was briefly stunned as he softly whispered his sister’s name! Her surprise only lasted an instant, for he skillfully claimed her full attention. However, that mystery would later return to torment her. Caught up in the blazing climax of released passion, he filled both her body and her thoughts. Afterwards, she lay within the confines of his possessive embrace.
About twenty minutes later, he began to stir and to sigh in contentment. With an entrancing smile upon his lips, he looked down at the girl whose head rested upon his powerful shoulder. His stygian eyes widened in dismay as they beheld Mary O’Hara smiling timidly at him, lights of love and satisfaction glowing in her brown eyes. He inhaled sharply at the implication of her nude body pressed against his. For in truth, he had been making love to Alisha.
“What the…” he began, then halted before completing his curse. “What are you doing in my bed, Mary? How’d you get in here? Your uncle will flay both of us,” he declared tensely.
He was beside himself with remorse and disbelief. “I thought you…” He stopped his traitorous tongue. He could not say he thought she was Alisha, his supposed sister. “I thought I was only dreaming. I had no idea I was… I mean that we were…” he stammered, at a complete loss as to understand or to explain this baffling situation.
Mary just kept smiling at him, as if he could say or do no wrong. It was quickly clear to him she was not unhappy or angry with what had obviously just taken place between them. The odor of lovemaking still clung to the sheets and floated in the warm air. He glanced down at her clothes upon the floor, noting their rumpled and untorn state. He sighed in great relief.
He muttered absently, “At least I didn’t rape you!” Realizing the mute girl couldn’t have called out for help or her small frame couldn’t have offered a powerful man like him very much resistance, “Did I?” he suddenly inquired, a look of dread upon his attractive features.
She quickly shook her head that he had not ravished her. “That’s a relief! But what happened? How did we get into bed together?” he curiously quizzed the smiling girl.
Unable to gaze into his entrancing eyes and to lie to him, she mimicked her story of how she had been banking his fire the night before, of how he had fallen asleep, of how she had taken his key in order to return this morning to fix his fire, of how he had reached out to her during his sleepy state, and of how she had willingly responded to him.
“I swear I didn’t mean to take advantage of you. Why didn’t you wake me up, Mary? We shouldn’t have made love. You’re just a child! How could you allow me to do this to you? I’m terribly sorry and ashamed. What more can I say?” he exclaimed ruefully.
Mary’s crestfallen expression worried him. Her troubled gaze showed her desperation to speak, knowing she could not. Tears of frustration and anguish filled her eyes. She promptly pulled away from him. Unmindful of her naked state, she threw back the covers and left his warm bed and cold heart. She hurriedly pulled on her clothes and began to run her trembling fingers through her mussed hair.
Her rush to get out of his room was obvious. She looked embarrassed, hurt, and guilty. He softly called out, “Don’t go yet, Mary. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Of course you’re not a child; you’re a lovely, young woman. But what would your uncle and my sister say if they found out about this… morning? Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” he gently inquired, concerned by her unexpected reaction to his previous words, as if he were her lover who was cruelly abandoning her.
She glanced over at him. Her eyes roamed his bare chest and massive shoulders. Seeing the open desire and renewed passion in her warm gaze, he felt ill at ease. He defensively pulled the sheet up to his neck, like a modest virgin on her wedding night! He was stupefied by the intense emotions which he was reading in her face. He did not know how to deal with this kind of situation! If she so wished, she could claim rape or seduction. Just as serious, she could insinuate a love affair and perhaps force him to marry her.
Such thoughts alarmed him. Alisha, his precious Alisha… what would she think about a man who seduced a seventeen-year-old girl who was infatuated with him? What would it matter that he had no intention of doing so? He was guilty; that was all that counted. Besides, how could he deal with this strange girl who was pleased with his seduction, who clearly wanted him again this very minute? He felt trapped, a feeling that enraged him.
Noting Paul’s apprehension concerning his vulnera
ble position and her welfare, Mary flashed him a serene smile. She slowly came over to sit upon the bed. She tenderly smoothed away the taut lines between his brows. She leaned forward and placed a kiss upon his full lips. Her forefinger drew circles in the air, indicating them and this situation, then it touched her lips to reveal her intent of secrecy.
“You won’t tell anyone about this?” he asked to make sure he was comprehending her meaning correctly. She nodded no. “I didn’t hurt you?” he asked once more. She nodded no. The look in her eyes told him more than that. “This is the first time you’ve… made love to a man?”
She flushed and lowered her head in shame and sadness. “The first time it was willingly done?” he inquired perceptively.
Startled eyes met his softened black ones. She nodded yes, tears glimmering brightly in her large sad eyes. Without thinking of how it would appear to her, he whispered, “I’m truly sorry, Mary. No man should ever take a woman by force. As long as I am here, no one will ever harm you again,” he gallantly vowed.
She hugged him tightly, then began to spread kisses over his face. “Mary! Stop this!” he sternly commanded as soon as he realized how quickly her ardor was mounting. He had to forcefully remove her arms from around his neck. He held them imprisoned within his strong grasp as he tried to reason with the love-struck girl.
“We cannot do this again. Do you understand me? I cannot make love to you. It’s wrong to take advantage of someone who cares for you. It’s been so long since I’ve had a woman. Don’t tempt me to forget myself again. You’re a good girl, a kind and gentle one. But this isn’t right between us. I love someone else.”
His last words were like a brutal slap in Mary’s face. She paled, then jumped off his bed. Confused by his mistaken change of heart, she pulled the curtain aside to gaze out as she sought to clear her muddled thoughts. That was when she saw Alisha and Jeffery standing in the street below. Alisha’s back was to her, preventing any sight of her face. But from Jeffery’s expression and gentle touch, they seemed to be lovers whose eyes were only for each other.
Ecstatic that her friend Jeffery was making progress with his lady love, she grinned with happiness. Her own worries dimmed as she watched the way in which Jeffery was reaching out to Paul’s sister. She glanced over at the silent, moody Paul. She hoped the sight of a joyous, lovepossessed sister would soften his flinty heart and his cold resolve to prevent their newly discovered romance. She motioned for him to come to the window and to look out with her.
Hoping there was some action outside which might alter Mary’s line of thought, he left his bed and came over to the window, the bedsheet wrapped snugly around his lower body. He followed her line of direction: Alisha was at Jeffery’s mercy!
Rage filled his body. Murderous lights flickered in his eyes. He swore under his breath as he rapidly jerked on his clothes, suddenly thinking nothing about his nudity in Mary’s presence. He rushed to his door, flung it open, and ran out without even closing it.
Mary hurried to the door and closed it before anyone could detect her presence in Paul’s room. She could hear his boots making loud contact with only a few of the wooden stairs as he flew to his sister’s side. Mary returned to the window, distressed by Paul’s hasty departure and furious mood. She was confounded by his angered threat to kill Jeffery Gordon.
Powchutu raced outside just in time to see Jeffery’s hand on Alisha’s satiny cheek. His hatred and temper were boundless. He verbally attacked Jeffery, fully intending to beat him senseless. Alisha quickly intervened to prevent disaster.
Mary watched carefully as Alisha argued and reasoned with both men, finally appearing to plead with them to make peace. It did not require a smart person to realize those two men were bitter enemies. It pained her tender heart to learn that the only two people she loved could feel such strong hostility toward each other.
How could she side with either of them? How could she give up either of them? She fretted over the help which she had given to Jeffery. Paul was so protective and affectionate with Alisha. Mary feared Jeffery’s reaction to the news of her love for his sworn enemy. Yet, Jeffery had encouraged her to entrap Paul. Now, it was as if she was caught in a silent snare between them.
She witnessed the reluctance on both men’s parts to make a truce, but had finally done so at Alisha’s insistence. Mary decided that Alisha must have some sort of powerful control over both men, for they quickly consented to her wishes or to her demands. Jeffery had departed their company, leaving the two of them standing there talking. Soon, they turned and headed toward the hotel. From their expressions, all was at peace between them.
Mary abruptly leaned forward and keenly studied the look on her Paul’s face. Surely she was not reading it correctly! She watched the glow in his eyes when he looked at her; she observed the way he touched her and spoke with her. Her heart gradually sank; nausea clawed mercilessly at her stomach. Without a doubt, there was love and desire written upon his magnetic features and shining in his obsidian eyes! Not sibling love, she painfully concluded, but passionate love! The love of a man for a woman!
How? her ravaged heart cried out. How could a brother be in love with his own sister? He had mistaken her for Alisha this very morning. It had been Alisha’s name he had called out in the throes of unrestrained passion. He had wanted his sister, not her. But in a sexual way?
Her mind revolted from such thoughts. Surely there was some other explanation. They had separate rooms; she had observed them very closely. They had never been together long enough to… she could not even think such obscenities. Her mind promptly asked, why did Jeffery insist they have separate rooms? Why did he want them spied upon? Did he already know about their incestuous relationship? Was he trying to remove her from Paul’s control? Was Alisha afraid of Paul? Why did they appear so nice and normal?
Recalling Alisha’s panic and fear at Paul’s sudden arrival in the street below, suspicion danced wickedly in her distressed mind. Did Paul have some evil control over Alisha? Did he refuse to permit her to see other men? Jeffery? Was this the basis for the animosity and contempt between the two men?
Unreasonable anger and hostility filled Mary at such lewd ideas and tormenting emotions. She decided to solve this riddle herself. She would take care of Paul, and Jeffery could have that bewitching girl. That should make everybody happy. But first, she needed more facts about all three people…
She walked over to the door, cautiously listening for Paul’s return. She prayed he would not bring Alisha in here, then angrily changed her mind. Hearing Alisha’s imploring tone, she pressed her ear to the door in alert eagerness. Only once before had she known such overwhelming happiness as she was feeling at that precise moment; both times had taken place during this same morning and in this same room. Her heart sang as she eavesdropped on the private conversation between Paul and Alisha.
“Please, Paul, listen to me,” Alisha was entreating him. “I was only being cordial to Jeffery. We cannot allow anyone to learn we’re not truly related. They would not understand our close friendship and innocent love for each other. They would judge us wicked and sinful for travelling together. We cannot allow them to learn we are escaping from Indian slavery. They would despise us and shun us. We’re free now, Paul, free! When spring comes, we can return home. Until then, please don’t give our secrets away by fighting with Jeffery.”
Mary’s ears perked up at the mention of her friend’s name and at their connection with him. “Damnit, Alisha! How can I simply ignore the spiteful things he did to you back there? He has always hated me. He would stop at nothing to be rid of me for good. He wants you, and he knows I cannot permit his cruelty to start again here. He seeks revenge for your past rejection of him. He hates me because he thinks you chose me over him. Can’t he see you only refused his advances? Can’t he see you’re not in love with me?” he stated, hoping she would deny his words. Fortunately, she did not.
Mary strained to hear this confusing, horrifying tale. “He was tragi
cally mistaken, Alisha. He forced you to end your relationship with him. He shouldn’t have been so demanding and intimidating. He didn’t care about you; he only wanted you to be his mistress. He nearly raped you! If I hadn’t been there to help you, God only knows what else he would have done to you. He made his intentions pretty clear to both of us.” Mary winced at that disconcerting news.
Alisha’s soft voice said, “But that was so long ago, Paul. Maybe he’s changed. He did apologize for his meanness and demands. He offered us a truce. He says he won’t tell anyone who we are. He knows the truth can destroy us. I know he was a cruel and malicious man; yet, we have no choice but to trust him. Please don’t cause any more trouble. Spring will be here before we know it. We’ll be gone from this harsh land. Lay aside your quarrel with him for at least a while. I cannot endure another Fort Pierre. Please…” she beseeched him. Mary literally shuddered at the agony heard in Alisha’s tone of voice.
“He’s up to some trick, Alisha. Don’t trust him for an instant. It was his glory-seeking attack upon the Sioux camp which brought on that final massacre at Fort Pierre. How the hell he escaped it beats me! Don’t forget, he was one of the officers who sacrificed you to that red savage in order to save his own skin,” he sneered in contempt.
“What choice did they have, Paul? When he demanded I be bound and sent out to him, there was no way that defenseless fort could have kept me from him. Such a waste, they were all slain anyway.”
“Stop defending the cowardly bastards! You’re too kind-hearted and forgiving. They could have died with honor, courage, and some dignity! To send a helpless female back to the Indian enslavement she had just escaped is unforgivable. Who cares if he claimed he wanted to humiliate the white man by forcing them to give you back for more torture! His trick wouldn’t have worked if they had refused him. If Jeffery could get away with it, he would enslave you himself and kill me this very day! But he knows you would resist him to the death if he dared to do so.”
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