Tides of Passion

by Sara Orwig

  “How’s he doing?” a man’s voice asked.

  “He’s burning up with fever.”

  “They really messed up his face.”

  “He’s a handsome one, all right.”

  “With a cut from hair to jaw?”

  “He’ll heal.”

  “Mandy, come here and quit fussing over the stranger.”

  She giggled and the sound made Josh stir. He groaned and fought to get up, but his body wouldn’t obey. He had to get home to Lianna, but he couldn’t move his legs.

  Days and nights blurred, and Josh had no idea of time when he was conscious. Then one night he opened his eyes and his head seemed clear. He remembered what had happened to him.

  He had to get home. He struggled to sit up, and looked around a small house. Across the room from him was an iron bed with rumpled covers hiding someone from view. A snore came from the bed.

  Josh threw back the covers and searched for clothing. A man’s breeches lay over a chair. He stepped into them, finding them too large in the middle, too short in the leg, but he fastened them on.

  When his head swam, he sat down. He hurt all over and had to fight a wave of nausea, but, grimly determined, he dressed in the ill-fitting clothing, then tiptoed out of the house, trying to get his bearings in the strange place.

  The street revolved slowly, and he reached out to cling to a wall until he righted. Where the hell was he? He staggered down a lane, hiding in dark shadows when he heard people approach.

  He would be at the mercy of footpads, since he had no more strength than a bowl of Yorkshire pudding. The air was tainted with the odor of fish and stagnant water. He wandered toward the smell and finally spotted masts above the rooftops, outlined darkly against a gray night sky. The river! He had his bearings, and turned another corner.

  It seemed to take hours and hours. He passed out once, then came to, lying on his face in the street. As he neared his house, he prayed Fletcher would be home. He saw his house and lurched toward the door.

  A man moved out of the shadows toward him.

  “Fletcher! Thank goodness…” He peered closer. “You’re not Fletcher—”

  Hands reached out to grasp him roughly.

  Josh summoned all the strength he had to resist. He jerked away and shoved the man.

  “Come on, mate. You can’t fight me. This time we finish the job. This time we get your ears so we can claim the money.”

  Josh backed away as another man stepped out of the shadows. He felt like crying out in frustration and helplessness. He had struggled all night to get home, survived the beating they had given him, only to have them overpower him on his own doorstep.

  He backed up until he reached the wall, and watched helplessly as they began to close in like wolves. Moonlight glinted on the silver blade of a dagger.

  “I told you we’d get him if we watched his house! I knew he wasn’t dead.”

  Josh shifted, his foot kicked a stone. He swooped down to pick it up, and as they lunged, he threw it through his own window.

  He fought like a wild man, but he was too weak to hold them off. He sank to his knees.

  “Hold him down!”

  Suddenly there were shouts, then the hands dropped him and he sprawled on the cobbles.

  “Get him inside, quickly.”

  “Fletcher…” He lost consciousness, drifting into a blessed oblivion.

  Edwin held the husky baby in the air, the sleeves to his champagne-colored broadcloth coat pulling tautly. Frilly white lace cuffs fell back over his sleeves as he said, “Little Phillip is in good form tonight.”

  “Up rather late, I’d say,” Lianna said while she beamed with love. She smoothed the blue silk skirt across her narrow waist, thankful her figure had returned to almost the same proportions as before Phillip’s birth. She said, “Betsy, he’s yours.”

  “You’ll be spoiling him right well, Captain Stafford,” the stout nurse said, sounding as pleased as Lianna.

  “Absolutely rotten!” Edwin said sternly, and Lianna had to bite back a smile. He handed over the baby and turned to drop a blue velvet cape across Lianna’s shoulders. “To the ball, m’dear.”

  “’Night, Betsy,” Lianna said, and took Edwin’s arm as they emerged into the upstairs hallway with its gleaming oak floors. As they started down the broad stairway, Lianna said, “Edwin, this is a costume ball—it’s hardly fair to go as Lord Nelson and dress so handsomely.”

  “I have a mask and this is quite fair. And look at you—Marie Antoinette, your dark hair hidden with powder. It will make me sneeze.”

  She laughed, relaxing as they entered Edwin’s coach. When they were seated, he said, “How good it is to see you smile.”

  “I’m looking forward to this, my first ball in so long.” For one fleeting second she had almost said “since the governor’s ball in Chile,” but she caught herself in time. She tried to keep all memories tucked away, securely under control, trying as time passed to forget everything.

  The horses trotted past St. Paul’s Cathedral and Lianna glanced at the dome; within minutes she looked out at the bastions of the Tower of London—familiar sights that should have made her feel at home, but didn’t. Only one person could make a place home to her.

  The hoofbeats of the horses on the cobblestones were loud in the early-spring air. When they halted at the Duke of Haydon’s house, it was ablaze with lights, music from violins carrying outside. Edwin handed their capes to a butler, and they were announced. They chatted with their host and hostess and various guests, eventually making their way to the ballroom, where Edwin turned to take her into his arms for a waltz.

  She let her mind go blank while she enjoyed the music and the dancing. They whirled in a circle and she missed a step. Across the room a man with burnished brown hair and broad shoulders, dressed as Henry VIII, stood with his back to her. She felt her heart thud against her ribs; then he turned and her breathing resumed. She looked up to find Edwin frowning at her.

  “Your new horses are beautiful,” she said. “I can’t wait to ride again.”

  He relaxed and smiled. “I shall buy you a grand horse. Remember how we used to race? And you would win.”

  She laughed. “I thought you always let me.”

  He smiled. “I did. Every time.”

  They turned and she watched a tall man in a wolf costume enter the ballroom. His long-legged stride was like Josh’s.

  “Dammit, Lianna, do you see him in every man in the room?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s the first time I’ve been out, Edwin.”

  She glanced at the man in the wolf costume again and he turned, revealing a wisp of blond hair at the back of his head. Edwin’s arm tightened, pulling her roughly to him. His voice was hoarse. “I’ll make you forget him.”

  “Edwin, don’t be angry. Please.”

  He smiled, but it was frosty, and Lianna was glad when the dance ended and Edwin became engaged in conversation with their host. He kept his arm lightly around her waist until the duke asked, “Mrs. Raven, would you mind if I steal Captain Stafford a few minutes? I have ship plans drawn up and I’ve heard the captain is quite knowledgeable about the type ship needed to haul rum and spices from the islands.”

  “Of course.” She walked away, fanning herself. With the hundreds of candles and the dancers, the room was warm. She strolled toward the open doors to the terrace. As she neared the doors, she stopped dead.

  Just outside, in the shadows on the terrace, sat a man watching her. One leg swung negligently, one hand was on his knee. He wore a devil’s mask that covered his features. Below the mask, he was dressed in a black coat, snowy white shirt with lace at the cuffs, and black trousers. She shook her head slightly. She did see Josh Raven in every tall dark-haired man! If he were here, he wouldn’t be sitting in the shadows on the terrace. He would be the center of attention among the dancers.

  She stepped outside, welcoming the cool, and was compelled to glance at the man. The devil mask was appropriate, she th
ought, because of the calculating way he openly watched her. His eyes were in shadow, but she knew he followed her path as she stepped outside. She had to pass him. Lifting her chin, she walked past, trying to ignore the tingling she felt from being watched.

  A hand reached out and closed around her wrist, and every nerve in Lianna sprang to life.

  “Lianna,” came a husky voice.

  34

  She turned, her breath halting, her pulse racing as she fought an insane urge to fling herself into his arms.

  “Josh!”

  He sat holding her wrist, waiting. Finally he said, “You’re going to marry Edwin.”

  “Yes.” She wanted to cry out that it was because he had rejected her, refused to see Phillip, and because he had turned his back on both of them.

  She narrowed her eyes and looked intently at him. It was impossible to see his eyes while he wore the damnable mask. Perhaps it was better that way. If she looked into his eyes, she might do something terribly foolish.

  “I thought you would be in there dancing,” she said, unaware of the words. She trembled as if chilled.

  “No. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to see you.” He turned her palm up and raised the mask a few inches. She knew he intended to kiss her hand, and she knew she should jerk free of his grasp, but she stood still and watched him. The moment his lips touched her palm, she closed her eyes and relished the warmth that spread through her. Not all of Edwin’s passionate kisses could do what one brush of Josh’s lips on her palm did.

  He raised his head. “Do you love Edwin?”

  She felt as if he had slapped her. He had cruelly refused to see her when Phillip was born, yet when her wedding to Edwin was announced, he showed up. Was he trying to prove he still held her heart, even though he didn’t really want her?

  “Answer me, Lianna. Do you truly love Edwin?”

  Her heart pounded wildly, and she fought emotions that warred within her. She wanted to grasp his hands and pour out her love for him, yet he didn’t want it. She hated him for wielding his power over her so arrogantly. In the dark, without looking into eyes that could probe to her soul, she could lie.

  “Yes.”

  “Look at me. And don’t lie to me,” he commanded.

  She wanted to protest, to say it wasn’t a lie. But she only raised her head as he shifted slightly. Light from the ballroom fell over the mask, over emerald eyes that continued to stare at her.

  “I want to hear you say it in truth.”

  She couldn’t. She couldn’t say anything. She ached to feel Josh’s arms around her. How she wanted him to hold her!

  “So you don’t love him!”

  “I’m going to wed him in three days.”

  “Why, when there’s no love?”

  “I recall being told marriage could be very good without love.”

  “Ah, you have developed claws, Lianna.”

  “Only to survive. I use your own words.”

  “I want to see you tomorrow.”

  “No! There was a time—but now I’m betrothed to a man who adores me.”

  “What time can I call?”

  “You can’t! Not now, when I’m to marry Edwin this Friday.”

  “You owe me that much.”

  “How can you say such a thing when you…?”

  “When I what?”

  “It’s of no importance now. I can’t—”

  “Oh, yes, you can. I’ll break down the damned door if you don’t agree to a time. And I don’t want Edwin present.”

  She felt giddy. There was a wild current coursing in her. And he was the dearest person on earth to her. “Oh, Josh, why didn’t you come!”

  “I’m here now, Lianna. Here to stay! Ten o’clock in the morning.”

  His hand brushed her throat like a stick of fire while his husky voice enveloped her in its warmth. “Ten o’clock tomorrow.”

  “Lianna!” Edwin called from the doorway.

  She rushed to him before he discovered Josh’s presence. Her shoulder blades burned and she fought the urge to turn around and glance back at Josh. When she stepped into the light, she could no longer resist looking around. The terrace was empty. Why hadn’t Josh joined the other guests? And why did he want to see her now, when it was so close to her wedding?

  “Who was the man you were talking to?”

  “One of the guests. He had on a mask.”

  “He didn’t tell you his name?”

  “No, Edwin, he didn’t.”

  “You tremble.”

  “It was cold on the terrace.”

  “A dance will banish your chill. Come, Lianna.” She stepped into his arms, and it took a great effort to follow Edwin’s conversation because she was thinking of another man and another place.

  Outside, Josh slumped in the carriage across from Fletcher, who signaled to the driver to start home.

  “I’ll see her at ten tomorrow.”

  “Here, take a drink of brandy. There’s blood on your coat.”

  “Damn. Shoulder hurts like hell.”

  “Take off your coat, let me look at that wound. You shouldn’t have stepped out of bed.”

  Josh tried to pull off his coat, but when he raised his arm, pain shot across his shoulders, and he swore. Fletcher scooted onto the seat beside him. “Here, I’ll do it.” He eased the coat down, swearing at the sight of a blood-drenched shirt. “I knew you should stay home!”

  “I had to go. There’s so little time left.”

  “Did you have a chance to tell her what that swine has done?”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t want to tell her?” Shock filled Fletcher’s voice.

  “Not yet.”

  “Why in blue hell not! You shouldn’t be out on the street. If they waylay our carriage, jump you anytime you’re out of the house, you won’t survive another beating. Right now you couldn’t defend yourself against a small lad.”

  Josh gasped with pain as Fletcher doubled up his coat and applied it to the wound to stanch the flow of blood.

  “You want her to wed him without knowing what he’s caused?” Fletcher persisted.

  “No! She’ll learn the truth soon enough,” Josh ground out through clenched teeth. “But I want her to stop the wedding to Stafford for one reason only—because she loves me.”

  “I can’t believe my ears! Josh Raven—smitten by love until his wits have fled.”

  “Dammit, Fletcher, I may not be sorry to see you go next week.”

  Fletcher laughed. “No, you won’t be, because I postponed the sailing. I told my men that we won’t sail for another week.”

  “You can’t stay because of me,” Josh said, clasping his hand on Fletcher’s shoulder. He felt a lump rise in his throat, that Fletcher would care enough to stay with him.

  “You’ve always claimed me as your brother—and that’s what a brother is for,” Fletcher answered in a husky voice. His tone returned to normal as he added, “Besides, I have to stay and see to it that you’re not sliced into shreds. And to refuse to tell Lianna the truth about Stafford—perhaps they clubbed your brains into pulp.”

  “Not quite,” Josh answered, laughing. “Ouch! It hurts to laugh, and my head swims.”

  “Raven, I hired four more men today to guard your house—and you.”

  Josh laughed, then bit it off as pain struck again. “I’ll have a king’s army traveling with me.”

  “If you don’t, you’ll not survive. I saw men lurking about the street today. Stafford is ruthless. And for Lord’s sake, tell Lianna so she knows what sort of man she’s dealing with.”

  “I want her to love me above and beyond all else, Fletcher. Something you will someday understand.”

  “When my brains have dried up! Zounds! How’ll you explain your face?”

  “Footpads jumped me.”

  “She didn’t see you tonight?”

  “No, because of the mask.”

  “It’ll be a sh
ock.”

  “I know,” Josh answered grimly.

  “And that won’t stand in the way of your lady’s love. There’s more to her than an empty-headed flower who wants only a handsome man.”

  Josh laughed. “I wasn’t handsome to start with. Now—”

  “Now you’re wounded. The cuts will heal and the scars may not be terrible. And she won’t be put off by the sight of you.”

  “’Pon my soul, Fletch, I do believe you heartily approve of my ex-wife!”

  “I do. I pray you win her back.”

  “Thanks. Thanks for everything, my brother. But now…I can’t stop my head from spinning, and the carriage grows unbearably…” His words faded as he slumped in the seat. He would have fallen had Fletcher not reached out to catch him.

  Deep into the night, while Josh slept fitfully, three people stood awake in the darkness gazing out their windows. Fletcher shifted the curtain slightly, his eyes narrowing as he watched a figure emerge from the shadows and move closer to the house. The man faded back into darkness, hiding in the black shadows of an oak. Fletcher’s fist clenched. Damn! Why hadn’t Raven told her about the danger, about Edwin’s treachery?

  At the same time, Edwin Stafford gazed out and punched the wall with his fist. Raven had more lives than a cat! He should be dead now. How had he slipped past the men and attended the ball? How had he been strong enough to go? Evidently Raven hadn’t guessed the reason for his injuries. Or if he knew, he hadn’t told Lianna. The fool wouldn’t get another chance. He wouldn’t see her again until after the wedding! Edwin hoped he had made that clear to the men watching both houses.

  In yet another darkened bedroom, Lianna gazed at the cloud-streaked sky, aware that Josh was somewhere in London. He would arrive at ten tomorrow morning. Excitement filled her, though she also felt guilty at her deception. She looked at the diamond that glittered on her finger, then opened her other hand to stare at the simple gold band Josh had placed on her finger in Spain. Closing her fist, she held it to her heart.

  The next morning Lianna changed dresses three times, finally deciding on a blue muslin with a high neck and long sleeves. Her hair was shining, fastened loosely at the back of her head, long tresses flowing down her back. Little Phillip had been fed and bathed, and she debated whether to take him downstairs with her or not. Should she ask Josh if he wanted to see his son? She handed the baby to Betsy. “I must go downstairs now.”