Fortune's Flames

by Janelle Taylor

  “Then why the foolish question?”

  “I don’t want an answer,” he clarified. “I want an explanation.”

  “Do you really need one, Eric? Do you think I’m too stupid to comprehend what you’ve done, and were doing?”

  “No, but I was hoping you were loyal and smart.”

  “Loyal to the man who stole my inheritance? Surely you jest!”

  “I see you found your secret partner and located those deeds for me. Thanks, little cousin.” Seeing her shocked response, he chuckled and said, “Oh, did I forget to tell you? I kept the second key to the bank box.”

  “You took my papers?” Maren was frantic.

  “I took everything there, everything,” he declared pointedly.

  “How dare you trick me again!” she exclaimed, then artfully changed her tone to ask, “Why, Eric? We were so close. I can’t believe you would do such horrible things, especially to me.” When he approached her and stroked her flushed cheek, Maren did not flinch. She did not want to reveal her terror. If she was going to get out of this dilemma, she had to fool him.

  “Ben, take Willa for a long walk. I want to speak privately with Maren. There are a few things she needs to hear about me and Morgan.”

  After Horben Wolfe and Willa left the house, Eric coaxed, “Sit down, Maren, you’ve got a few shocks coming.”

  Maren knew she could not escape at that moment, so she did as Eric suggested. She sat on one end of the sofa and faced him. “Well?” she demanded. “Why did you betray me and try to destroy me?”

  “Where to begin…” he murmured, eying her intently.

  “What about with spying and treason; then the theft of my inheritance? How could you, Eric? I loved you and trusted you.”

  “Maren, my sweet, you’re so wrong about everything. When this messy war was over, I was going to share everything with you.”

  “You were?” she scoffed. “After you left New Or—”

  “Be quiet and listen to me. I really am working for the American government, but in a tricky way. I’m pretending to be a spy for the British, and I can prove it. As soon as it’s safe, I’ll take you to see the President, and he will convince you that I’m no traitor. Things aren’t as they seem, Maren; I swear it. That gold I got out of London was delivered to Jamaica to be picked up by another American agent. Since I’m supposed to be working for the other side, I couldn’t risk being caught passing it along. The same was true of that French shipment. You and Morgan have nearly destroyed my contacts. I’m not even sure I can carry out my missions anymore; everyone is suspicious of me now. Not that my life matters that much, but I hate to lose it without a good reason.”

  He moved a little closer to her. “I spoke with the President before coming here, and he’s going to order Captain Hawk to stop intruding on my missions. You two have really jeopardized my position, and I’m afraid I can’t allow any more interference. The war is at a critical stage, and your recklessness could lose it for us.”

  “Do you really expect me to believe this—”

  Eric interrupted curtly, “I’ve reached a point at which I don’t care what you think or feel! I’m hurt and disappointed, Maren. You’ve not only turned against me, you’ve been working against me and trying to get me killed. I took over James Shipping so I could use the ships to help our side. I couldn’t even tell your father what I was doing. I hurt him badly, Maren; he thought I was a real British spy, and I never got the chance to tell him the truth before he died. I don’t want your damned inheritance. Taking it over was only a ruse. You can have everything back the minute this war’s over. But I asked you to trust me and help me. Why didn’t you?”

  Eric was most persuasive, but Maren remembered everything she had heard and learned. Knowing she could not dupe him by making a sudden about-face, she argued boldly, “Because I know what you say is not true. There was a real American spy on your ship—Peter Thomas. He came to New Orleans and told Jared Morgan all about your plans. You used me, Eric. You’ve been working for all three sides, but only in your own favor. And if that isn’t bad enough, you’ve attempted to drive me out of Lady Luck and you’ve probably tried to have me… killed.”

  “You’re wrong, Maren. Dan Myers was the one after Lady Luck. Those fools that tried to harm you were employed by him. When Lewis told me about your so-called accidents, I was furious. If Myers hadn’t gotten rid of his hirelings before my arrival, I surely would have. I paid Myers to watch over you, but he got greedy and was afraid you and Morgan would get rid of him. He was a friend of your father’s so I thought he was trustworthy; he isn’t. As for Lewis, he was the only man who knew I was secretly working for the Americans. He forged papers to help me establish an identity the British would accept, but you scared the hell out of him when you wanted me investigated. That’s why he went along with Myers’s ruse to scare you out of Lady Luck; he thought that would keep you from exposing me. Unfortunately, that only made me look worse to you, and it made you susceptible to Morgan’s guile.”

  Eric edged even closer to Maren. “I would never pay anyone to hurt you. To kill you? That’s absurd. Damn it, woman, I love you. I’ve always loved you and wanted you. I was hoping to take you with me to Jamaica after the war, to marry you. I’ve already bought us a home there.” His green eyes and his voice were filled with passion.

  Maren gaped at him. “Marry you? But we’re…” She halted, her thoughts a maelstrom. Was her cousin crazy? she wondered. If so, how could she deal with him? How could she escape?

  Eric jumped up and paced the room. “Maren, how do I tell you such humiliating news?” he asked, sounding as if he were frustrated and tormented, but totally honest.

  “Tell me what, Eric?” she inquired apprehensively.

  Eric turned and faced her as he admitted, “We’re not kin. I’m a bastard, Maren. My real father owned a tavern in Baltimore; my mother was in love with him for years. My parents never slept together after Murray was born, so there’s no doubt about my sorry lineage. My father knew all about her lengthy affair, but he kept her around for appearances. He couldn’t do or say much because he’d carried on with countless women. He and my mother hated each other, tried to hurt each other whenever they could. That’s why my father, or I should say John James, hated me and Marc; we weren’t his sons.” He rapidly fired the truth at her, then scoffed, “If John had lived, he would have exposed us one day. I’m glad he died in that fire. He was never a father to me. I’m not your cousin, Maren, no blood relation at all, and I’ve waited for the day when I could tell you the truth and marry you. I love you, and I would never harm you.”

  Maren used this stunning revelation to her advantage. She exclaimed, “Sweet heavens above! You’re telling me the truth, aren’t you?”

  In response, Eric asked painfully, “Why did you marry him and spoil everything? I was going to take you where nobody knew us and make you my wife. Didn’t you feel the attraction between us?”

  Maren knew she had to think fast and take desperate steps. “Yes, but I thought we were first cousins. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I was ashamed. I had to make certain you trusted me and loved me. Now it’s too late. You’re married to Jared Morgan.”

  Maren realized her life was in peril, as was Jared’s. She quelled her nausea and went to Eric. “He forced me to marry him. He was going to jail me for the money you stole from him. He threatened to take Lady Luck and leave me without a home or money. He told me terrible things about you. I was scared and confused. Then all those accidents kept happening to me. I was helpless. What else could I do?”

  Eric caught her face between his hands and stared into her misty eyes. “Do you love him, Maren?”

  “Love a man who enslaved me? How could I? I’ve never slept with him, Eric. It’s a marriage in name only. He entrapped me for some reason, but I don’t know why. He said it was because I was Cameron’s daughter and he wanted to protect me and help me, but I don’t believe those were his motives. He took me
to France so I wouldn’t be in New Orleans when you arrived. He probably knew you would explain everything to me and we would get matters straightened out between us. I didn’t give him the necklace, Eric; I didn’t even know the truth about it. Peter Thomas revealed its significance to Jared, and he took it.”

  As if Eric had heard little of what she had said, or as if his mind was only concerned with one matter, he inquired, “Would you leave him for me?”

  Maren forced herself to smile and go into his arms. Glad he could not see her face, she lied, “Yes, I would. Oh, Eric, I always thought it was so wicked of me to have these feelings for one of my kin, but we aren’t related. What are we going to do?”

  As Eric’s arms closed around her, he replied, “We’ll figure something out, after the war. I’ll send you to Jamaica so you can wait for me. Is that all right with you?”

  When she made the mistake of looking up at him and nodding, his mouth covered hers and she was compelled to return his kiss. Afterward, his lips trailed over her face and he whispered huskily, “I love you, Maren. We’ll be together soon.”

  Determined to carry off her desperate pretense, she cupped his face between her hands and looked into his smoldering eyes. “I love you, Eric, and I want to marry you. I’m so glad I can finally say that aloud. For years I’ve been tormented by my feelings for you. That’s why I agreed to marry Daniel Redford, to put distance between us. I was so afraid someone would guess my secret and think me evil.”

  Believing another victory was within his grasp, Eric smiled. “I’ll complete my mission as soon as possible and join you in Jamaica. We’ll have your marriage to Jared Morgan dissolved; then we’ll be married. I can’t wait until we spend our first night together.”

  Maren hugged him and replied, “A dream come true, Eric.”

  “You’ll have to sail at dawn. Can you be ready?”

  “I’ll be ready as soon as I’m packed. When can you join me?”

  He cuffed her chin playfully. “Within a month, my eager vixen.”

  “What about Willa? Can you trust her?”

  “The only two people I trust fully are you and Ben.”

  “How do you want me to behave when she returns, as your fiancée or as your captive? What do you want her to think and to tell Jared Morgan? If he finds us, there’s no telling what he’ll do to me for deserting him. Until I’m free of him, Eric, you must protect me and our secret.” Maren really wanted to protect Jared from Eric, and from his evil cohorts, until she could escape this agonizing trap, but she was not sure which ruse would work best for her and Jared.

  “You’re right, Maren,” Eric replied. “You are legally married to him, so he could give us trouble. And from what I hear, Morgan isn’t one to challenge without the advantage. He would be angrier if he knows you’ve turned to me than he would if he thinks you were kidnapped by me. We’ll let Willa believe I’m taking you to my home in Baltimore. Act as if I’ve ensnared you and you’re frightened of me; that way, if Morgan catches up with you before I can handle him, he won’t punish you for siding with me.”

  “We’ll have to confront him eventually, but your suggestions sound wise. Is there anything between you and Willa that should concern me?” she asked, trying to appear jealous while masking a reaction to his mention of Baltimore. She knew what he had done to his brother there, and Jared would suspect that Willa was misleading him.

  Eric chuckled. “Nothing, my naughty vixen. I love only you. I once told you I was waiting for the perfect woman, but I was actually waiting until I could lay claim to her. You, Maren, are perfect for me.”

  “Maybe we’ve known this all our lives, Eric. Maybe that’s why we’ve always been so close. But will you change your name? What will people who know us think?” she asked, continuing her desperate deceit. Having recalled Murray’s fate, she knew he was deadly.

  “We’ll have plenty of time to work out the details later. Right now, you must get packed. I’ll take you aboard my ship after dark. Ben will go along to protect you.”

  Maren concealed her shock and dismay by asking, “But who will protect you if Ben’s with me? Jared will come after us the minute he learns about this. Since you’re heading him toward Baltimore, you won’t go near there, will you? Does Murray know about what you’re doing?”

  “Don’t fret, little woman. Murray doesn’t know anything. I’ll go to New Orleans to settle our affairs there. Now, get packed so our new life can get underway.”

  Maren smiled at him and turned to leave the room, but Eric gently caught her arm and pulled her into his embrace. As he kissed her hungrily, she suffered through tormenting moments, and she was relieved that he was in such a hurry because she would never allow him to make love to her. When he released her, she immediately left the room.

  As Maren packed her trunks, she prayed that Jim Lawton would return to save her. Then she prayed he would not arrive because she feared that Eric and Ben might slay the overseer. Horben Wolfe… she hated to leave with that intimidating man. Either Eric did not fully trust her or he actually wanted to protect her. She could not attempt to escape for doing so would expose her real feelings. She must wait until she had only one man to battle, and she hoped it wasn’t going to be Horben Wolfe.

  Maren wondered if any of the house servants could read. If so, she would leave Jared a note beneath the sheets so that a servant would find it while changing them. Since she had not been at Shady Rest long enough to know, she dared not take such a risk. She wondered where Willa had sent the household help and whether they would return in time to witness anything; she doubted it.

  Just as she finished her task, Eric came to her room and told her all was set for her departure. “I’m ready,” she declared, then smiled.

  Eric and Ben loaded the carriage, and no servant was in sight. Maren was positive Willa had seen to it that they would not be observed. The servants were doubtlessly in their own cabins, dismissed for the night so this plot could be carried off without witnesses. Since it was dark and the cluster of neat cabins was a good distance from the big house, no one would be summoned to help her. If she ran off, she would only expose herself for she would be overtaken, and she did not want to endanger Jared’s unarmed slaves.

  Be patient and alert, Maren, she warned herself.

  As Willa walked beside her to the carriage, she said, “I’m delighted Eric’s taking you away, Maren; you wouldn’t have liked it here. Jared would have tired of you and he would have returned to me. We share a very special bond. In fact, I only married his father to be near him. You could never satisfy him as I do.”

  Maren glanced at the arrogant blonde and smiled skeptically, but she thought it unwise to argue the woman’s claim. Instead, she remarked sarcastically, “I’m sure you believe the same is true of Eric.”

  “Actually, Eric James is a better lover than Jared Morgan, but he isn’t as rich and powerful.”

  “And, a woman like you goes after the best.”

  “Of course,” Willa concurred after a throaty laugh.

  “I suppose you’ll also claim that Steven is Jared’s son,” Maren hinted.

  A look of surprise crossed Willa’s lovely face. “He told you?”

  “No, I overheard you two on the porch and I figured it out.”

  “I wouldn’t tell anyone if I were you. Jared doesn’t want our son to be viewed as a bastard. Steven is to live and die as Benjamin’s child.”

  “How considerate of you both,” Maren replied.

  When they reached the two men, Eric asked what they had been discussing. Willa did not reply, but Maren cleverly related their remarks. Although Willa glared at her, she smiled sweetly.

  Thinking perhaps he could use this information against Jared, Eric grinned. “Maybe that’s good news. It could provide me with a nice little weapon.”

  “I thought so,” Maren agreed, though she believed that Jeremy was Steven’s father. She had recalled that Jeremy had been home the year before his death, but Jared had been out West for yea
rs. It was understandable to her that her husband loved the boy and wanted to protect him from scandal. And as the only son of Benjamin’s deceased heir, Steven was entitled to a part of the Morgan inheritance. No wonder Jared despised this woman and wanted her out of their lives! Their lives…What would happen to them now?

  Eric helped Maren into the carriage, and Ben drove it away. She looked around as they journeyed down the road, able to make out a few sights in the light of a three-quarter moon. “It is a beautiful place, isn’t it?” she said genially to disarm the man.

  Ben smiled and agreed. “I’m real glad you’re siding with us, Maren. Eric isn’t a man to cross, and you’ll make him a good wife.”

  Maren thanked him and then pretended to settle down and enjoy the ride. She was not bound, but she realized Horben was very alert. She could see that from his tight grip on the reins, the way he sat, and his expression. She also knew he had placed a gun on the seat, on the side away from her.

  Ben was tense and wary, but for reasons Maren did not know. While she had been packing, he had spoken with Eric, who planned to enjoy Willa for a few days before sailing for New Orleans. Eric had reiterated his promise to allow Ben to have Maren in Jamaica, once a week while she was under the influence of drugs he’d brought from the Orient, but Ben did not trust Maren. He intended to make certain she did not elude him. He had fantasized about his imminent nights with her, until his aching body had ordered him to halt that torment. He had to be careful how he treated her and looked at her or she might realize her plight. Once Eric had gotten to Jamaica, the fun would begin, and even if she continued her ruse, it would be enjoyable.

  Maren was relieved that Ben allowed her to lock the cabin door, although she knew how easily it could be broken down if she refused to open it. She only dozed on that long night, fully clothed, and was very aware of the ship’s movement as wind and tide carried her away from Savannah to a tropical island. How to escape?…

  The early October days were still warm at sea, but the winds were brisker and the nights chillier. Naturally that would change as they sailed farther south. They had left port four days ago, on October first. Maren had remained in her cabin most of the time, and she had taken her meals only with Horben Wolfe. To pass the long hours and to ingratiate herself with her ghostly-eyed guard, she had asked him questions about himself, his family, and his travels with Eric; and Ben had cordially answered her, seemingly to enjoy himself.