Fire and Ice

by Hart, Catherine

  Reed cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled a warning. “Rosita!”

  The girl looked toward the shore and waved, still not aware of the approaching danger. Again Reed shouted. “Sharks! Swim for shore!”

  The frightened girl looked around her, trying to determine the direction from which they came. Because of the glare on the water, she saw nothing until two of them sliced the water’s surface to the north of her with their fins. Rosita’s heart froze in her chest, and she let out a blood-chilling scream. Vaguely she heard Reed calling to her.

  “Swim, Rosita! Hurry, chica! Don’t panic now!”

  By sheer will she managed to get hold of herself and start swimming desperately for shore. The sharks seemed to sense her urgency, and one by one they swam between her and the shore and silently started a circling pattern. As Rosita churned the water, the sharks circled her slowly, ever tightening their circle.

  “My God! She’ll never make it!” Reed exclaimed, pulling off his shirt. Before he could get his boots off, Kathleen had skinned out of her clothes, grabbed his shirt, and was running toward the sea. He ran after her. Catching her arm, he spun her around.

  “Kat! What do you think you are doing!”

  “I am about to save Rosita’s worthless skin!” she retorted.

  “No! I cannot let you! I will see what I can do.”

  “No, Reed,” she said firmly, shaking off his grip. Gazing deeply into his eyes, she said simply, “Trust me. I know what I am doing. You would not make it either. Those sharks would tear you apart, but they will not harm me. Believe what I tell you!”

  Reed felt mesmerized by the strangeness of her tumultuous emerald eyes, the soft assurance of her voice. Before he realized what had happened, she pushed him down on the shore, kicked sand into his eyes, and dashed headlong into the water. Partway out, she turned to look behind her. All their shouting at Rosita had brought the islanders rushing to the beach. She heard Reed bellowing at her and saw he was still struggling with the sand in his eyes. Dominique and Jean were standing at his side watching her.

  “Hold him, Dom!" she yelled back. “Don’t let him go!” Dominique waved to show he had heard her. Kathleen swam on toward Rosita.

  By this time the sharks had closed their circle considerably about the hysterical Rosita. Occasionally one of them would bump her with his snout or body, signaling the last stage before they would attack in earnest, tearing her body apart.

  With the aid of a wet handkerchief, Reed had now cleared his eyes of the sand and would have gone after Kathleen had it not been for Dominique, who held him firmly back. As he fought desperately to free himself, Jean grabbed him also, and together they held him in an iron grip, ignoring his pleas. All eyes were trained on the drama taking place before them.

  As Kathleen neared the circling sharks, she called to Rosita, “Rosita, are you harmed?” She got no answer. Again she cried, “Answer me! Can you swim?”

  “Díos! I am so scared! What can I do? I cannot swim if they circle and strike me!”

  “I am going to lure them away from you, and when I do you must swim for shore as fast as you can. Do you understand?”

  “Sí!”

  “You must keep swimming. Don’t stop! Your life depends on that! Are you ready?”

  “Sí!”

  Kathleen dived beneath the surface, and as she swam around the circle, each shark in turn broke off to follow her. She surfaced and started heading away from shore with strong, sure strokes, the sharks spread out behind her like an escort. Reed was frantic as he watched helplessly.

  As soon as Kathleen saw Rosita struggle up and collapse on the beach, she turned for shore once more. When she reached the spot where the sunken ship lay, she drew in a deep breath and dived deep. All four sharks followed her pattern.

  She stayed down a long time—an impossibly long while. On shore, Reed thrashed about furiously trying to throw off his captors. An anguished cry broke through his clenched teeth. “Kat! Oh, my God! I’ve lost her! My sweet love!” he cried hoarsely as he strained against the hands that bound him.

  Suddenly she sprang up in the water before them. The sharks were gone. She waded to shore. In each hand she held a large oilskin bag. She plunked them down on the sand as Reed swept her off her feet, kissing her madly. When finally he set her down, she asked calmly, “How is Rosita?”

  “She is fine. Shaking with fright, but otherwise unharmed,” Jean told her.

  Kathleen looked around her. Everyone was staring at her in mute amazement, Reed included. Only Jean seemed unconcerned, as if for her he considered it all quite natural.

  Having recovered from his fright, Reed stormed at her. “That was a fool thing to do! You could have been killed, and there for a while, we all thought you had been!” Glancing at the bags at her feet, he eyed her suspiciously. “Is that what I think it is?” he demanded.

  Kathleen gulped and nodded. “I’m sorry, Reed. The temptation was so strong and I just couldn’t resist it.”

  Kneeling, he untied the drawstrings on the bags. One was filled with gold, the other glittered with jewels of every description. “So!” Reed exploded. “While we were all holding our breaths in suspense, you are on a blamed treasure hunt! I ought to wring your stupid neck!”

  Glaring back at him, her eyes brighter than the jewels, she snorted, “After saving Rosita’s life and risking my own, I guess I’m due any reward I choose, Reed Taylor! Especially since these bags would have rested on the ocean floor forever and done no one any good if I had not recovered them!” Almost at once she softened. “I’m sorry I caused you alarm, and I’m sorry about kicking sand in your face. I’ll put these things back if you like,” she teased blithely as she bent to pick up the bags.

  Abruptly he pulled her to him, holding her tightly, showering her face with kisses. “You little minx! One thing is for certain. You are one of a kind. The world could stand no more than that!” Standing away from her, he realized for the first time that she wore only his black shirt. It clung to her like a second skin, hanging just halfway to her knees, giving everyone a spectacular view of her long limbs.

  “Good grief, Kat! The entire island is agape and it’s little wonder! Look at you!” At her surprised look, he added glibly, “I do wish you would quit borrowing my shirts, my dear, before my closet is completely spent.” He bent, placed the oilskin bags in her hands, and lifting her into his strong arms, carried her home.

  If loving could be called wild and worshipful all at once, that is how Kathleen would have described what occurred after they arrived home. Reed acted as though he expected her to disappear before his very eyes at any moment. When Jean stopped by just before lunch, he and Reed closeted themselves in the study for a private conference, and when Jean left without his customary farewell, Kathleen got her first indication that all was not as it should be. She was not in suspense long, however, for Reed called her into the room almost at once.

  When she had seated herself, he turned from the window and stared at her gravely with the look of someone who is about to impart bad news. Finally he sighed and sat across from her. “There is no easy way to say this, Kat, so I’ll just come right out with it. I have instructed Lally to begin packing your things. We are sailing on the evening tide. I am taking you to Savannah.”

  Cold fingers of dread iced their way up her spine. She tried to keep her voice even. “To visit?” she asked falteringly.

  “Not to visit. I am taking you to live with my mother and sister at Chimera.”

  She could not meet his eyes, fearing what she would read in them. “And you? Will you be staying there, too?” She could not keep the trembling from her voice.

  “No. I must return in time for the auction.”

  “Then why take me all the way now? Why not wait until after the auction?”

  “Because I intend to go back out to sea. I am outfitting the Kat-Ann as a privateer, and I will be operating with Grande Terre as my base.”

  “Then take me to Savannah for
a visit. I want to meet your mother and sister and my aunt and her family. But I want to stay here if this is where you will be returning. I would never try to tear you away from your life at sea, Reed. I know how closely it can hold you. Let me stay here,” she pleaded prettily. “I am comfortable with the people here. Jean, Eleanore, Charles, and Dominique are all my friends.”

  “And Pierre is your enemy,” Reed stressed, his voice starting to rise. “I want you in Savannah, safely away from him. Surely you can see that after what happened last night.”

  “Jean and Dominique will protect me while you are gone,” she argued.

  “Jean has an island to run and his business in New Orleans. He will be much too busy to babysit my wife. Dominique is another matter altogether. He will also be sailing often, and when he is not, I am not sure I want him around you that much. While I am here he behaves the gentleman, but left alone who knows what might happen between the two of you. You were awfully chummy the night of the fiesta,” Reed said sarcastically, raising a black eyebrow at her.

  “It is not that way between Dom and I, Reed, and you know it!” she retorted hotly.

  “Isn’t it? You sew his shirts. He brings you gifts. I can see how convenient it would be for the two of you if I were out of the way,” he said churlishly.

  “Blast you, Reed!” Kathleen shouted. “Blast you to hell!” She leaped from her chair. “I will not stay here and listen to this idiocy one minute longer!” She stormed toward the door.

  “As long as you are leaving, you may as well begin your packing.”

  “No! I am staying, Reed.”

  He, too, jumped from his chair, reaching her in two long strides. “You will sail tonight, Kat, if I have to truss you up like a Christmas turkey to accomplish it,” he assured her in a low growl.

  She tried a different tack. “Then take me to New Orleans. I will stay with Eleanore and Charles.”

  “And what good would that do with Pierre in the city so often? He does visit his wife and children and look after his interests there at intervals. It would be child’s play for him to arrange some accident without ever implicating himself. In fact, it would be easier there than here. No, Kat. Savannah it will be.”

  “Why can’t I sail with you? I don’t get seasick and I do love the sea, you know. I promise I would keep to the cabin and quarterdeck and not be a nuisance.”

  “That would be the day!” he snarled. “Besides, men do not like sailing with women on board. Many feel it is bad luck. Above all else, this is not a pleasure cruise, madam. We will often be fighting for our lives, and you would be in the way and a constant worry to me.” Reed’s voice softened as he continued, “Kat, I do not mean to hurt you, but you must go. You cannot sail with me or go to New Orleans, and you cannot stay here for several reasons. First there is the danger from Pierre. And, again, I do not relish the idea of you and Dominique together while I am gone.” His voice hardened again and his eyes became as piercing as arrows. “Savannah!” he announced with finality.

  “If I go to Savannah, I will be dumped off like so much discarded baggage. I refuse to be shut away on some plantation with your mother and sister. If you expect me to sit patiently by like some well-trained dog and wait for your occasional appearances and a brief pat on the behind, you are sadly mistaken, sir!” she declared vehemently, eyes glittering like bits of green glass. “And furthermore, unless you want all of Savannah to know of your unsavory conduct and the fact that you are in league with pirates, in reality a pirate yourself, you will escort me to my aunt’s and say nothing of our marriage!” She glared at him defiantly as she flung down her challenge.

  “And what do you suppose will become of your precious reputation then, my dear,” he sneered, glaring back at her.

  “You are so adept at lies that sound convincing, I’m positive you can assure them all that I came through the voyage unscatched—quite virginal in fact!” she goaded him. “If I am to be discarded in Savannah, then make it a permanent condition, Reed. Let us make a clean break of it and forget we’ve ever laid eyes on one another. It is better we stop the pretense now and let this farce of a marriage die a quick death.”

  “I’ll not give you a divorce, Kat. Never! You will die a lonely old woman before I release you to marry someone else,” he ground out between clenched teeth. “You are mine for as long as I wish it!”

  “I do not recall asking you for a divorce, Reed. Just let me live my life and you live yours, preferably as far away from me as you can manage it! In the bargain, you still have the Kat-Ann, which was your objective in the first place.”

  “And I suppose you intend to pass yourself off as a delightful little ingenue fresh off the ship from Ireland, pure and untouched?”

  “I intend, husband of mine, to enjoy myself to the fullest. I shall go to balls and barbecues and parties. I will be sought after and squired about and courted to my heart’s content by decent, upstanding gentlemen.”

  “To no end, Kat. You will either ruin your good name or force me to kill some unsuspecting fellow if you carry through this charade. I’ll not be cuckolded, wench!” he bellowed.

  “I will be careful of my reputation, to be sure, Reed. At least for a while. Someday, when I tire of the game, perhaps I will meet someone who will not care if I am married or not. Then I might become his mistress and escape your clutches under his protection,” she goaded further.

  “Over my dead body, you green-eyed witch!” he roared.

  “Perhaps that can be arranged, too. Or by some chance you may meet your demise on one of your daring pirate raids and solve all my problems!” she taunted. She walked toward the door. “I’ll pack now.”

  “And if I decide to ignore your insufferable demands and take you to Chimera after all?” he demanded.

  “Then I shall expose you for the pirate you are and watch you dangle from a gibbet with a noose about your neck,” she answered with a cold, wicked smile.

  Kathleen bid a tearful goodbye to Eleanore later that afternoon. “Please write to me, Eleanore. I’ll miss you dreadfully.”

  “As I will you, Kathleen,” Eleanore sniffled. “I promise to write.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your friendship these past weeks,” Kathleen added.

  “Perhaps we shall see one another again when you and Reed have straightened out this misunderstanding.”

  “No, Eleanore. It is much more than that. It is over. Reed wanted to deposit me at his plantation and leave me to pass my days as a docile, obedient wife awaiting her wayward husband’s return. He is not really even fond of me, but wishes to hide me away and forget me. All he was ever interested in was the Kat-Ann.”

  “Kathleen, I’ve seen you two together and although you have your fights, I’m sure he cares a great deal for you. Jean told me how distraught he was this morning when he thought he had lost you.”

  “I am his property, Eleanore. Nothing more. A convenient plaything whenever he chooses to take me off the shelf. Well, I am tired of his games and his deceit. I can stand no more. If nothing else, I’ll salvage my pride.”

  “Pride won’t keep you warm at night when your bed feels too large and lonely, my dear,” Eleanore counseled.

  “It will have to do, I’m afraid. I have made up my mind to stay at Aunt Barbara’s and try to forget this entire disastrous episode ever occurred. Most of all, I shall try to forget that lousy blackguard and our very regrettable marriage,” Kathleen declared.

  “And Reed agrees to this?” Eleanore queried. “That does not sound like him?”

  “He is not happy about his property defecting, especially since I plan to enjoy myself, but there is little he can do. I have convinced him he has no other choice.” Kathleen did not elaborate further.

  Saying goodbye to Dominique was harder still. This time Kathleen did not reveal her plans to be introduced to Savannah society as a single maiden. That would involve telling him of Reed’s original confiscation of the Kat-Ann and her own threats of blackmail. She sim
ply told him that Reed was taking her to her aunt’s in Savannah to insure her safety.

  “I hate to see you go, cherie,” he told her, his dark eyes full of sadness. “I have grown very fond of you. You have made this island sing the short time you have been here.”

  “I do not want to leave, Dominique. You are very dear to my heart and I shall miss you. If you are ever in Savannah, look me up.”

  This brought a grin to his face. “I am sure your aunt would love that idea, little one!” he laughed.

  “Then write to me, big brother. Let me know how things are going here.”

  “Reed will keep you informed. He will surely be in port there often if you are there.”

  Kathleen winced inwardly. She had not thought of this. Her only thoughts were of avoiding Reed entirely. “I would still adore hearing from you,” she said sincerely.

  Before they sailed, Rosita came by the house to see Kathleen. “I want to thank you for saving my life this morning,” she said humbly. “I regret the trouble I caused you.”

  “It is best forgotten, Rosita.”

  “Someday I will repay you for rescuing me. I am in your debt.”

  “If ever that time comes, Rosita, I will gladly accept your aid.” Going to one of the oilskin bags, Kathleen shook out a handful of jewels and gave them to the Latin girl. They lay sparkling in her open palm. “I want you to have these since you were risking your life for them earlier. In return I want only your word that you will never attempt anything that foolish again.”

  “That goes without saying,” Rosita replied breathlessly, her brown eyes dancing. “I also promise never to bother your husband again. He is yours.”

  “If only you knew!” Kathleen thought grimly to herself.

  Her last encounter before boarding the ship was with Jean. He took her face in both hands and gazed silently at her for a very long time, his eyes roving over her features as if to memorize them for all time. In his hazel eyes was all the love and all the questions he dared not voice aloud.