Promise Me Forever

by Janelle Taylor

  “We have harmed no one in your country, Raquel.”

  “Good, because I couldn’t let you get away with murdering those men.”

  “You accept my word?” Carlos asked, looking surprised.

  “Yes. I don’t like your intimidating behavior, but I believe you.”

  “It takes a smart and brave woman to challenge her enemies.”

  “First, she has to unmask them. I’ll do that when I return home. I’ll see you Thursday at dawn. I’m staying at the hotel until sailing time. Don’t forget, be at the Merry Wind gangplank at five tomorrow. And, Carlos…?”

  He grinned when she also used his first name. “Sí, Raquel?”

  “Don’t let anything happen to you and your sullen amigo. I don’t know the rendezvous place or your lider’s name. After all I’ve been through, I wouldn’t want to be blamed and killed for your losses and a late shipment.”

  “We will be most alert and careful until mañana. Adiόs, Raquel.”

  “Adiόs, amigo Carlos,” she replied, having decided to try to make friends with him before she faced his leader with the shortage. Knowing all she had done to save this deal, maybe he would speak in her favor.

  Wednesday afternoon, Burke Wells dropped Rachel off at the hotel, then delivered her baggage to the clipper. Two seamen stored it in their captain’s quarters, as he wasn’t there to tell them what else to do with it.

  Rachel had written out messages for Milton Baldwin and the police, explaining she was away on vital business and would contact them as soon as she returned in two weeks. She had made out a telegram for Harry, telling him the same, but adding a request to stay ready to fill the rest of the order. She had given them to Burke to deliver and send tomorrow after she sailed.

  Luke Conner came by to relate there had been no problem with customs when they inspected and cleared the cargo.

  “That’s a relief,” Rachel said, “because I’m not convinced that permission paper is real. No matter; we used it in good faith and they accepted it.”

  “Dan will come by for supper and a chat later. The crew is gathered, supplies are laid in, cargo’s stowed, and she’s ready to sail with the morning tide. I’m going to miss… Savannah. I’ve enjoyed my visit. It’s been quite interesting getting to know you and investigate you,” he jested, having covered his near slip about Dan’s intention to leave her behind in safety.

  “We’ll have plenty of time on the ship for more talks and chess games. I’m looking forward to tasting Dan’s lifestyle and meeting his friends.”

  “Have no fear; you’ll fit in perfectly and easily.”

  “Thank you, Luke; I needed to hear that.”

  Rachel answered the knock at her door, eager to see her love, who was early. She gaped at her stepfather and wondered how he knew where to find her. “What do you want, Earl?” she asked, trying to sound polite.

  He came inside and she watched him as he fingercombed his wiry hair. “I saw you check in, but I was too busy to speak. Why are you staying here? Is there more trouble at home?”

  “I’m only here overnight,” Rachel said in annoyance. “This isn’t a convenient time to chat; I’m expecting a guest for dinner.”

  “Captain Daniel Slade?” He scowled when her expression said he was right. “How do I know?” he asked for her. “The gossip is already making its ugly rounds, Rachel. How can you do something so foolish? It’s too soon for you to be courted again. Don’t you care about another scandal? My Lord, girl, you’re still under suspicion for killing Phillip and George Leathers! Don’t you realize how this quick romance will look to the police?”

  Rachel closed the door to prevent them from being overheard by a guest. “What’s wrong with having a male friend?”

  “Friend? That isn’t what he is, and nobody is fooled, girl.”

  “It’s really none of your or their business. Please leave.”

  Earl was leaning against the door. He put his hands behind his back and locked it. “We aren’t finished yet.”

  Rachel heard the click and glared at him. “Don’t start this again,” she warned in a frigid tone. “Get out or I’ll scream.”

  Earl grinned and challenged, “Create more gossip and scandal? Your devoted and worried stepfather comes to offer his protection, comfort, and aid, but you attack him? Who would believe you?”

  “Come near me and I’ll kill you; or Dan will. He’ll be here soon.”

  “I think not. He’s already sailed with the evening tide.”

  “He’s gone?” she murmured, then recalled Luke’s near slip.

  “That’s right. It’s just you and me. No servants. No weapons. No refusal. I’m sure that lowly sailor has had you many times, so now it’s my turn. You owe me, girl. You teased and tempted me for years. Then you took off with that old man and humiliated me. Your mother doesn’t have your fire and spirit; she gave it all to you. Yield to me just this once, Rachel, and I’ll leave you alone forever. I’ll give you whatever money and help you need.”

  “You’re mad! I wouldn’t surrender to you if my life depended on it.”

  “It does. You’re penniless and no man will risk marrying you. All of your assets will be lost soon, then you’ll be thrown into the street. I’m not asking or demanding you become my mistress; I just want to bed you one time to see what magic you possess to drive men crazy enough to risk their lives marrying a Black Widow. You don’t even have to respond.”

  “My God, you are insane! Get out.”

  Earl pulled a jeweled knife from his pocket. “This little darling can mar your enchanting beauty, girl, or it can put a stop to your evil existence. If you die, no more victims will lose their lives.”

  Rachel panicked. “You can’t murder me and get away with it.”

  “This pretty baby is a woman’s weapon. Either you tried to stab me and fell on it, or you killed yourself in a moment of madness. Everybody knows you have to be either mad or evil to do what you did to innocent men. I would never risk my life marrying a bloodthirsty predator like you. Now, get your clothes off and get on that bed. I’m going to give you some fatherly love and discipline to correct your wicked ways. Do it, now!”

  “No. I didn’t kill any of them. I’m not insane. I won’t bed you.”

  “You have no choice. Scream, and this knife will end your sadistic criminal life. Whether you realize it or not, girl, you’re guilty. Why do you think your mother and I have been worried and afraid all these years? Why do you think she was scared to invite you back home? Because we’ve both witnessed your mad and dreamy behavior. Be glad we’ve never told the law about your lunacy. We thought it would stop when you met the right man and fell in love with him. But your hunger for money and your desire to give men pain won’t let you. Show gratitude to me for not seeing you hanged.”

  She was trapped. “You’re lying, you miserable and devious snake!”

  “Am I? Think back, Rachel. Recall the times you’ve found things done without remembering doing them. Were you ever awake or sensible when any of your husbands died? You’re sick in the head, but can’t face it or admit it. Just like you refuse to admit you teased and tormented and encouraged me to fondle you and bed you. As soon as things got hot between us, you’d come around, panic, and accuse me of trying to rape you. Don’t you see, girl? You couldn’t stand for me to take your father’s place so you tried to take me away from your mother. What little good you have inside always stopped you at the last minute. You blame men for the war that killed your father and brother and ruined your life, so you choose one to punish. Until you face the truth and get help, it won’t ever stop.”

  “If I’m so sick in the mind, why are you trying to ravish me?”

  “Because you owe me for all those years of painful games. After we finish here, I’ll take you back to White Cloud. As soon as I find the best doctor to cure you, I’ll send you to him and pay for everything. I won’t ever touch you again. You have my word of honor. If you don’t believe what I’m telling you, ask Catherine.
She knows you’re guilty. It’s eaten at her for years and finally made her ill. The only reason she’s getting better is because I’ve sworn to have you cured, with or without your consent. That’s why she left her sickbed to visit you, to see if you could be helped.”

  “Mama would never believe such absurd lies about me. If she knew what you were really trying to do to me, she would kill you herself.”

  “After I’m done, tell her. I don’t care; she won’t believe it, not from her mad and wicked daughter. Enough talk. Strip and lie down.”

  Rachel was staggered by Earl’s words and intention. She couldn’t scream for help; either he would kill or disfigure her, or would create an ugly scandal and trouble, preventing her departure… Was Dan gone? Why else would Earl be so confident about not being interrupted?

  “Get on with it, girl. This is ready for you,” he murmured as he rubbed the hard bulge in his pants. “It’s been ready for you for years.”

  “You wrote those notes to me, didn’t you? You followed me to Augusta and left them in my room, and in my house. You had someone forge my handwriting so I couldn’t show them to anybody. You put that poisonous spider in my basin and that vial of poison in my hotel room.”

  “No, Rachel. You must have done those things to convince yourself you’re innocent. Have the police or a private detective investigate me; that’s the only way you’ll ever learn I’m not to blame. By damn, I’ll even pay the cost to prove who’s at fault! I’m tired of you calling me vile names and accusing me of filthy overtures. I’m tired of you treating me like a disease or a fool. The only reason you haven’t told your mother about my so-called advances is because deep inside you know I’m not guilty and you’ll be exposed for the wicked-minded creature you are.”

  “You’ll never convince me I’m mad, so give it up.”

  “I don’t have to convince you, we both know you are.”

  “I didn’t shoot at myself, write those notes, or make those threats.”

  “If it wasn’t you, check out your seaman when he returns. It could be his method of getting into your bloomers. Come on, girl; you understand my meaning. Scare you into falling into his arms for protection, then he’s so overwhelmed by your beauty that he seduces you. And you’re so damn grateful that you let him do as he pleases with you.”

  “That’s a crude and spiteful lie, Earl Starger!”

  “Rachel, Rachel,” he chided. “How can you be so blind and rash?”

  “Get out.”

  “After I get what I came after, what I’ve looked forward to for years, what you’ve offered, girl. Then you’re going to a doctor up North for treatment. If I don’t have you cured, we’ll have to expose you to the police. We can’t let you murder another man. If we keep quiet, we’re as guilty as you are.”

  “How will it look for my father to sleep with me?” she scoffed.

  “I’m not your father, so it won’t be incest.”

  “It would be adultery; you’re married to my mother.”

  “You came after me, girl, not the other way around. Everybody knows you have witch’s powers. How can I be blamed for falling under your evil spell for one foolish moment?”

  “I am not evil, cursed, jinxed, or guilty. Somebody else killed them.”

  “Who, Rachel? Only the insidious witch who lives inside you.”

  “Stop it. I won’t listen to any more lies.”

  “Be thankful I’m saving Captain Slade from your lethal web. You like him, don’t you? Just as you liked William and Craig and Phillip. If you snare him, girl, he’s dead. Let him escape, and you get help.”

  “What about you, Earl? Why haven’t I murdered you? I despise you.”

  “Because the evil one inside you knows I know who and what she is. She knows I’ll expose her if she tries to murder me, too. She knows who started this game between us, and she wants me. Let her come out and take me. Go into your dreamy state so Rachel won’t remember what happens between us tonight. She’s the one telling you that you aren’t sick so you won’t allow a doctor to get rid of her.”

  Earl stepped closer and taunted her with the jewel-handled knife. Rachel backed away until she reached the wall. A table with a heavy vase was beside her. She waited until Earl stalked her and stood before her. As one of his hands covered her breast, she curled her fingers around the rim, lifted it, and struck him forcefully over the head.

  The vase broke, and Earl staggered backward. His hand grabbed his bleeding head. He shook it to clear his dazed condition. He glared at the wide-eyed Rachel and saw the hatred and defiance written on her face. “Damn you, you little witch; you’ll be sorry for that. I’ll tell all I know about you.”

  As he came at her again with a blood-glint in his hazel eyes, Rachel used her riding boot to land a near-crippling blow to his groin. Earl collapsed in agony to the floor. Rachel grabbed his feet and used all the strength she could summon to work him out her door. She rolled the disabled man into the hall, relieved no guests were milling about. She closed and locked the door, and leaned against it to recover her breath.

  Earl struggled to rise before someone came along and saw his injuries. He decided to slip into the closet across the hall until his strength returned. He was filled with hatred and a desire for revenge. His dark lust for Rachel changed into an evil hunger to see her crushed and punished for her deeds. He swore to himself she would never get away with what she had done.

  Rachel jumped and gasped as someone knocked at the door she had swayed against. She feared it was Earl trying to get inside again.

  “Rachel, are you there?”

  She unlocked the door, yanked a startled Dan inside, bolted the lock, and flung herself into his arms. She was breathing hard and her heart was pounding. She held on to him for comfort and strength.

  “What’s wrong, love?” he questioned in alarm. He tried to put distance between them to look at her, but she clung to him. Dan waited a minute for her to relax her grip, but she didn’t. “Rachel, what is it? What happened?” He saw the broken vase and grasped her distress.

  “Earl…” She finally managed to get out one word.

  “He’s been here?” She nodded, but didn’t look at him. “What did he do to you? If he harmed you, I’ll hunt down the bastard and kill him.”

  Rachel was terrified and confused. If there was only a grain of truth in what Earl had said, how could she tell Dan? How could she plant such seeds in his mind? She mustn’t, not until she returned to Savannah, went home, and questioned her mother. “We had a vicious quarrel. I don’t want to talk about it tonight. He scares me. I’ll be so glad to be away from here tomorrow. I’ll deal with him after my return, once and for all. I wish we were sailing tonight. I’m afraid he’ll come back. Can I stay on the ship with you tonight?”

  Luke had told him about the near-slip he had made earlier. Dan wondered if she had guessed he was planning to leave her behind and this was a ruse to prevent that action. He had been downstairs for a while, delayed by Camellia Jones, and he hadn’t seen her stepfather come or go. “That wouldn’t be wise, love; somebody might see you. We have to wait until the wee hours of the morning to sneak you aboard.”

  “Then stay with me here tonight. We’ll leave together when it’s safe.”

  “Are you sure you should take this trip? Those Cuban rebels are going to be riled and dangerous when we deliver those arms and ammunition and they realize we’ve shorted them by thousands. If my ship is stopped and searched, we could get into trouble for gun-running.”

  “I don’t care. I just want to be with you. I want to get away from here. I know the law will come after me about Phillip and George while you’re gone. I may be hanged or in prison when you return.”

  “They don’t have any evidence against you, love. Besides, they told you not to leave town until both investigations are over.”

  “They’ll invent some, or that culprit stalking me will.”

  “You’re only upset and not thinking clearly. When I return, you’ll marry m
e. In a few years, when I’m safe and alive, the gossip will cease.”

  “That isn’t funny.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be. It’s another proposal. If you don’t want to stay in Savannah, you can sail away with me after this problem is solved. I can promise you a life of real adventure.”

  “Why would you marry me? I said I’d be your mistress. I’ve been married three times, and all three men are dead under suspicious circumstances. Either I’m bad luck or I have a deadly enemy. I don’t want you killed.”

  “I’m willing to stake my life that you’re harmless, woman.”

  “If you love me and want me, take me with you tonight.”

  Earl listened to the revealing conversation and knew he had been given his tool to exact revenge. Everything was quiet now, so they must be kissing or heading for the bed. In a rage, he left to fetch the police.

  Luke saw the man eavesdrop, then leave hurriedly. He followed Earl Starger until he realized, after hearing him mumble about having the means to “get that evil bitch this time”, where the man was headed. Luke rushed back to the hotel and alerted Dan to impending trouble.

  “They’ll send men to guard the wharf to make certain we don’t escape while others come here to arrest us. Everything is ready to sail. Damn!”

  “Let Luke hurry to the ship and sail her to Ossabaw Island. You and I can go to Moss Haven, take a boat downriver, and meet him there. We’ll tell the desk clerk we’re going to dinner and that we’re expecting a message, to hold it until we return. That should stall and fool them. If they question anyone at the wharf, no one will have seen us board your ship.”

  “She’s right, Dan. We have to move and move fast. It’ll take them a while to hear Starger out, then gather enough men to come after you. Even if everything’s in order and legal, it’ll take time to sort out this mess. Don’t forget, we have two Cuban rebels and arms on board to be found.”

  Dan knew he couldn’t leave her behind in danger. “Let’s go.”

  Rachel and Dan paddled down the Ogeechee River beneath a waning full moon. For the majority of their journey, they moved swiftly on the brackish water. At most places, the black river was wide; at a few, it was narrow. Several times they had to slow their pace to duck their heads to avoid low branches or bowed trees. The twisting route was bounded by impenetrable woods and swamp. Moss-draped cypress and oaks hung over the banks, often with their gnarled roots exposed. Rachel didn’t want to think about the dangers that lurked in the water or on the shrouded banks.