Behind Your Eyes

by Susannah Woods

  The staircase was wide with wrought-iron rails intricately decorated. Anne climbed the ten stairs and finally ended up on the wide porch. Looking to her right, she saw the porch continue to the right side of the house and requested a peek at the back. Alex obliged, proudly showing off his favorite hiding place-the hammock. It was simple; just a hammock fastened between two posts. Alex jumped into it like a child when he has been away from his favorite toy. Looking about, Anne could see why Alex enjoyed this space so much-it had a spectacular view of the sea.

  “It is best on hot days. On those days, we still get a little breeze running through here. So, if I'm feeling particularly lazy, I will spend an afternoon napping here.”

  Alex grinned and playfully and she couldn't help grinning back at him. It was a side to him she had never seen and found, to her chagrin, she liked it.

  Jackson interrupted the moment, albeit unintentionally.

  “Shall we show her the rest of the house, Alex?”

  “Of course,” Alex jumped up but his mood was still light. Anne could tell he was happy to be back home. She sensed he belonged here. He had spoken so fondly of his island and Anne could finally understand his passion for his home.

  The trio proceeded into the house and were greeted by a narrow entry. Anne spotted the open back doors and saw the view from the back of the house was just as breathtaking as the front.

  Stairs to her left led to the bedchambers, Alex explained. Off of the breezeway, to the left, was a small library on the main floor that also served as an office. A parlor for social gatherings sat opposite to the right. Connected to that was the dining room. The kitchen was housed separately; a small brick structure forty feet from the dinning room.

  Alex fairly bounded up the stairs to show Anne the bedchambers. First he showed off his master suite. It was extremely large, with a huge four-poster bed in the middle of it. He had a seating area, closet, and privy. It was, by far, the largest room she had ever seen. Except, she quickly amended, a ballroom. But this could rival some of those ballrooms!

  Jackson's bedchamber was originally intended as a guest bedchamber, but Jack had taken it over in the past months. This room was smaller, but still spacious. He, too, had his own privy and closet (albeit smaller) but he had a desk where Alex's seating area would have been.

  Everything seemed very neat and orderly in Jackson's bedchamber. It seemed strange to Anne to actually see the bedchambers of two gentlemen, but she supposed they were no longer in London and some of the rules just did not apply.

  One more guest chamber greeted her, much like Jack's but with a smaller seating area instead of a desk.

  Her bedchamber was more than adequate. Private privy with a bathtub! It, too, had a four-poster bed, only smaller. It was also connected to Alex's chamber. For the mistress of the house? It seemed Alex had intended to marry at some point.

  “By your expression, I see you are happy with your accommodations?” Alex ventured.

  “Very happy, thank you. It is a lovely house, my lord.”

  “Thank you. Jackson and I designed and built this house. We are both proud of it,” he beamed.

  The tour was a whirlwind and Anne soon found herself back on the main floor, standing in front of the servants.

  “Miss Stafford, might I present the housekeeper, Mrs. Bainbridge? Mrs. Bainbridge, this is Miss Anne Stafford, my fiance,” Alex introduced the two women.

  Mrs. Bainbridge curtsied politely but Anne insisted that was not necessary. Instead, she took Mrs. Bainbridge's hand warmly and greeted her as friendly as possible. She hoped that the two could maintain friendly terms now that she was to be mistress of this house. After all, she was in Alex's den now. She had no allies here. She would have to make her own or she would be more isolated than she already felt.

  Alex turned to a petite young lady standing to the left of Mrs. Bainbridge. She could not have been more than sixteen, but she was already a beauty, with waist-length raven hair, olive skin, and almond-shaped eyes.

  “And this is Chloe, Mrs. Bainbridge's daughter. She will be acting as your lady's maid. Mrs. Bainbridge trained Chloe very well. She should be able to accommodate all of your needs. All you need do is ask,” Alex supplied.

  Anne greeted Chloe as warmly as she had greeted her mother. It was odd, they did not look much alike. Anne supposed Chloe favored her father. Chloe was quiet but kind, as her mother was, and Anne could not help wondering how Mrs. Bainbridge came to be here.

  She did not have to wait long to find out, as she and Alex strolled about the grounds, Anne ventured into impolite conversation simply by asking him.

  “She was a housekeeper in England. Trained maids for years. Ran a household better than most anyone.” He paused, enjoying the view, soaking it in and filling his soul with the sights and smells of home. They had come to the beach and Alex bent to pick up a shell. He played with it as he continued the story.

  “Mrs. Bainbridge was married to the stable master on the estate. Everything was fine until the master died without an heir. The estate fell into the hands of a greedy relative who disliked the staff. He treated them all badly. Mr. Bainbridge was much older then his wife. Fifteen years, I believe,” Alex reflected on that and decided that was correct.

  “Well, one day he had a heart seizure and died. Suddenly, the new master was intent on having Mrs. Bainbridge warm his bed.” Suddenly he paused, blushed and stammered.

  “My apologies, Anne. I tend to forget myself here.”

  “No offense,” she assured him, “please, continue the story.”

  He shrugged, “Mrs. Bainbridge was not about to become his mistress. Before he could do her any harm she left his house, bound for London. She had no idea where she would go or what she would do. She signed up for indentured servitude and headed to the colonies. I met up with her in Carolina; she was working for a friend of mine. I learned of her skills as a housekeeper. So, I bought her from my friend. I told her she no longer would be indentured and I would pay her to run my household. That was five years ago now. Chloe was barely out of the schoolroom.”

  “And Chloe came from?” Anne prompted and then put her hand to her mouth in horror. It seemed that this place had a relaxing affect on her too. No lady should ever ask such a question. Alex laughed at her faux pas.

  “Mrs. Bainbridge had an Indian friend in Carolina. He works here too. Though they are not officially married, they have been together for many years. I do not make it a point to pry into the private lives of my staff unless I feel that a life might be threatened. I assure you, you are quite safe on my island,” Alex reminded her. And she believed him. He was so confident here, so easy-mannered. She was wary of this change in him.

  Eventually, they came upon a small clearing not far (but not too close) to the house. Anne could swear she heard running water. Behind some boulders Anne found the best-kept secret on the property. A waterfall spilled into a pool of the clearest water she had ever seen.

  “It is another of my private havens,” Alex informed her. She could see why. It was paradise.

  The stream of water tumbled down the rocks to the pool. A piece of the rock jutted forward to act as a large seat. She could see the bottom was sandy.

  “This waterfall is mostly natural,” he explained, “The bottom was covered with many jagged rocks so we put sand over them to cushion the feet.”

  Anne had been to Bath when she was little. There she had learned to swim. She never saw anything like this. It was all she could do not to jump in. She had no bathing attire, but that did not seem to stop her. She wanted to get in. Good sense stopped her.

  “I usually bathe here. Naked,” he added.

  Anne could not tell if he was joking until she looked and saw the playfulness in his eyes. He was teasing her. She blushed anyway and asked to see the rest of the grounds. By this time, the sun was getting low in the horizon and they needed to rest before dinner. But Alex promised a full tour on the morrow.

  *******

  Dinner was
delicious. Chicken prepared in a batter and boiled in animal fat, oysters, ham, beans, and lemon custard for dessert. Jackson explained that this method of cooking chicken or “frying” was popular in the southern colonies of America, among the slave population. It was the best thing she had ever tasted. Different from the London fare she was used to. Alex was charming at dinner and paid Anne a great deal of attention and complemented her at every turn. Jackson seemed pleased at the exchange between the two and the trio had a marvelous time telling stories. They laughed until their sides hurt then they retired to the adjoining salon where they enjoyed cards and more stories. Around one in the morning, Jackson excused himself and left Anne and Alex to continue the revelry. The two continued to get along so well that Alex had hopes that Anne might come around. Maybe he could actually court her out here in paradise. It would be an unconventional courtship, but then, maybe that was how it was supposed to happen for them.

  Alex finally bit Anne a “goodnight” and escorted her to her chamber. He kissed her hand and bowed very gentlemanly. Then he took his leave. When he finally fell into bed, all he could think of was her. Beautiful, wonderful, cheerful, Anne. He wanted her. He had wanted her for a long time but he didn't want to admit it. Ever since that kiss that punished him more than her, he had wanted her. Then she had grown cold and wouldn't speak to him. The ship had provided plenty of distractions but here, in his element, he could be honest. He continued to ponder this throughout the remainder of the night. Somehow, being home had made him forget who she was and what she was doing here. He enjoyed every moment they shared and he wondered how he could ever make her as happy. He had forgotten who he was, too. It had been so easy to forget. Forget there were more pressing issues at hand. Forget his brother was dead. Forget his best friend had been kidnapped.

  Alex rose at six, never having slept a wink. He told himself that his fun was over and now it was time to get to work. He had to solve a murder and get his friend home. Anne lingered in the back of his mind. Alex had to win her over. Fast.

  After all, in this paradise, it was too easy to pretend that nothing stood between them. And there was so much that did.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “I will always regret leaving her alone.”

  Alex left Anne a note the next morning explaining that he had business to attend to and he regretfully had to postpone their island tour. Anne was a little disappointed but shook off the emotion and determined to feel relieved. Left to her own devises, she kept busy and refused to examine any tenderness she had felt for him. This island was new to her and the discovery of every little thing excited her.

  Finally giving in to the gift, Anne had accepted the drawing materials. If anything, they kept her occupied and allowed her to explore new subjects. The exotic landscape provided excellent new material for her drawings. The magnificent wildlife, the brightly colored birds, the rolling hills, and the diverse colors of the blue sea excited her imagination in ways she never thought possible. She sat for hours upon hours translating what she saw to a perfect picture. The vivid imagery came to life through her pencils.

  She also had never tasted such wonderful meals in her life. Anne had never had so much fresh fruit before. She had always enjoyed the salted fish of home, never knowing how delightful every bite of the fresh Caribbean fish was. The swordfish, grouper, and the other succulent fish were new delights for her palate.

  Jackson joined her often, and they would talk of different trivialities. He was kind to her and asked her to call him 'Jack' right away. They fell into an immediate easy friendship. Jack was so fun to be around, so charming. She never felt self-conscious around him like she did with Alex. Jack was never moody around her; always cheerful and happy. There was no tension at all between the two. Anne wondered all the time why she couldn't have met someone like Jack years ago. She could have fallen in love and married him and been blissfully happy. And she wouldn't now be on a strange island far away from home.

  Although she liked Jack, she knew they would never fall in love. She just didn't feel that way about him. Jack was just the perfect antidote for loneliness. It was a good thing she never developed feelings for him, because, as she had to remind herself constantly, she was engaged!

  Her first morning on the island, Anne and Jack were just finishing breakfast on the back lawn, when a thought occurred to her. He was sipping his tea while she was nibbling on her toast. It seemed Jack had not been in England for some time, so naturally, Anne was curious as to why he had not gone home in a while.

  “Well,” Jack responded to her inquiry, “both of my parent's died a long time ago. I have only one brother, Chris. And he is out of the country quite a bit too. So, there is little point in returning to England.”

  “You should come back to London with us. When we go back, that is. I bet we could find a nice young lady for you to marry,” Anne teased.

  “No, thank you. London is not for me. I need to find a woman who has half a brain. And since I cannot have you, I think I shall confine myself to celibate bachelorhood,” he jested.

  “Well, I am not the only debutante with half a brain. Please, do come to London,” she pleaded.

  “I fear I cannot. I have important work here. And I have land in Virginia I must see to. In fact, I was thinking of giving up my share of the business and settling there. I would like to raise horses. Besides, there are young women in the Colonies, you know. Or maybe I'll marry a wild Indian maiden,” he teased.

  Anne laughed, “Oh, all right. I will not press. But you would like London. It is very exciting.”

  “I have been to London and I find it tedious,” Jack drawled.

  “It is not,” she threw a piece of toast at him. He ducked and laughed at her attempt to pelt him with bread.

  “The truth is, Anne, I have no wish to return to London because I am not welcome back in England. If I do go into England I shall be hanged,” he shrugged as if it was of no import to him.

  Anne's eyes widened and then she laughed, assuming he was jesting with her again.

  He nodded, “It is true. It happened a long time ago, but it still happened.”

  “What happened?”

  He told her why he could not go back to England. Anne's eyes became wider and wider as his tale unfolded.

  “Now, I beg you, please do not spread that tale. There were enough rumors when it happened. I was just a boy, I did not know what I was doing. But I have learned my lesson, Anne. I would never do that again, I assure you.”

  Anne nodded. She believed him. He did seem contrite but also nonchalant. He had accepted his past and had moved on. That was all there was to it.

  ********

  Back in London, Sophia was beyond frustrated. They were supposed to be on their way to the Caribbean by now, however, a series of unfortunate events had delayed their departure. First, a storm had hit the coast, preventing their sea travel. Then, Janey had taken ill with a stomach ailment. That was two weeks ago. Rations had yet to be delivered and their trip was postponed once again. A month had gone by and they were still sitting in London! Sophia sought out her youngest daughter. She found her in her room reading another Gothic novel.

  “Janey, have you seen Charles?”

  “He went into town this morning,” Janey replied, looking up from her book.

  “Why did he not tell me?”

  “He knows you are upset with him. He is avoiding you,” Janey said in a calm tone.

  “He is right. I am upset! Your sister is with that Bedlamite all by herself in a strange place! Far away from me and propriety! Lord only knows what those heathens do over there!”

  “Mother, I would not worry about Anne. She is very....levelheaded,” Jane decided.

  “That is not the point! It is improper. Completely out of bounds, indecent and unsuitable!”

  “Mother, they are engaged,” Janey rolled her eyes and returned to her book.

  Her mother, however, continued her tirade against Redbridge, Charles, and men in general; completely
ignoring the fact this was all her idea.

  Janey thought it was all-too romantic. She would love to be swept away by a handsome man. Anne had all the luck, Janey pouted. And Janey was sure Anne did not even appreciate her fortunate situation. After all, the man was rich, gorgeous, and charming. And Anne was so dull and serious. She would never even let him steal a kiss. Janey was sure nothing was going on at all. And her mother certainly needn't worry. Anne was very proper and sensible. She would never let Redbridge do anything unsuitable. What a waste! Janey was about to remind her mother of this when she realized that Sophia was still yelling about men. Janey knew so little about men. But she was eager to find out all about them. That is why she should be in the Caribbean and Anne should be here. Anne surely wasn't having a good time. At least, not the way Janey thought she should be. Anne must be behaving herself. Her sensible older sister would never stray out of the bounds of propriety. She would stay virginal until she was properly wed. No matter what her mother thought.

  *********

  Two weeks into Anne's visit to Colinas Verdes, Jack left for a short business trip to a neighboring island. He needed to solve some trading disputes. With his departure, Alex jumped in to play host.

  He had observed the two together for quite some time and was getting tired of his intended indifference to him. She rebuffed all his attempts at proper courtship. And he was getting damn tired of it.

  “Why do you avoid me?” Alex demanded Anne when he joined her in the dinning room for breakfast.

  Anne cleared his throat again and searched for some excuse in the wall behind him.

  “I, uh, I do not avoid you,” she denied, when she could think of no other reply.

  “You and Jack are always tied up together with something. Or you are off drawing somewhere and stay for hours. You never tell me where you are going, I have to find out from Chloe, Mrs. Bainbridge, or Jack.”