'It is dangerous, but wild and free. A place where a man, if he is lucky, can build an empire for himself.'
'How long have you been there?' Bella asked, curious.
'Some six years.'
'You do not seem the usual sort of planter.'
Adam chuckled. 'What do you know of them?'
'Very little, apart from the people I have met on this ship. Why should a gentleman want to go into danger, and leave his comforts behind?'
Adam was silent for a moment and then calmly picked up Bella's hand, examining it carefully.
'You are a gentlewoman,' he said softly. 'Why do you go?'
Bella quivered at his touch, and tried to draw her hand away, but he held it just firmly enough to prevent her doing so without a struggle, so, embarrassed, she ceased the attempt.
'I may have been brought up in luxury, but I am poor now,' she replied slowly. 'I married a planter.'
Adam considered her, noting that she apparently did not consider her husband a gentleman. He began to speak slowly, his fingers caressing hers absently as he did so, and sending shivers of a tingling awareness along Bella's nerves.
'There were too many gentlemen when the first colonists went to Jamestown in 1607, fourteen years ago. Too many who thought their mere presence would ensure them a fortune, and too few prepared to work hard enough for it.'
'Most of them died, I think?' Bella said, trying to still her response to his touch.
'Nearly a hundred and fifty started, only a hundred arrived, and by the following year two thirds of them had died. The London Company has granted land to those who pay their passage, and send out poor artisans who will work for the Company for seven years, then be free to make their own way.'
'Fifty acres for each passenger,' Bella said, recalling what Henry had said. 'Edward will get two hundred acres, then, with the three of us. Is that large?'
'Not really. Some men have taken several servants, and have much bigger plantations. My own is larger.'
'Have you many servants, then?' Bella asked, trying to ignore the touch of his fingers, now encircling her wrist.
'Not house servants. I knew something of what to expect, and took several men with me who would be useful on a farm. I have a carpenter and a blacksmith, a mason and a thatcher, as well as labourers. They do work for others who would otherwise find it difficult to manage.'
The sun had finally disappeared over the water horizon as they had been talking, and as the light dimmed Adam drew closer to Bella.
'Did you hope to make a fortune?' she asked, trying to edge away, but unable to because he still held her hand firmly in his.
'No, that was not my reason for going,' Adam replied. 'I was tactless enough to disparage young George Villiers soon after he had caught the eye of King James. I was threatened with the Tower, and I preferred the open spaces of Virginia!'
'So you had no choice either?' Bella exclaimed.
Adam's arm slid round her shoulders. 'Either?' he queried softly, his face close to hers.
'Well, I am married,' Bella said breathlessly. 'I had to go with Edward.'
'Why did you not travel with him? If I had been your husband I could not have borne a lengthy parting. Is he blind?'
Bella tried again to draw away, but without appearing to resist her Adam's arm remained firmly about her and she could not move.
'I must go back to Alice and Toby,' she said hastily.
'Surely not yet? Is the child better?'
'Yes, I thank you. But it grows late.'
'Are you cold? You are shivering.'
*
Afterwards Bella could not recall how it came about that Adam's arm, which had been about her shoulder, had slipped beneath her cloak and round her waist, and drawn her closer to him.
'You are so slim,' he whispered in her ear. 'Far too slender and far too young to have a baby.'
'Toby is my brother!' Bella exclaimed. 'Did you think he was mine?' She blushed in the darkness, and bowed her head.
'So that explains it,' Adam said, gently turning her head upwards by a firm hand cupping her chin.
'Yes, and I must go back to them.'
'They will not come to any harm. The cabin is warm and comfortable, and Daniel, my man, is next door. He will hear if they need aught.'
'Did you set him to watch? Did you follow me?' Bella demanded, suddenly suspicious.
'Do you object?' Adam queried, and bent to kiss her lips.
Bella instinctively tried to avoid him by twisting away her head, but Adam's fingers were still beneath her chin, and he held her firmly for a few seconds, the firm warmth of his lips sending fire through her veins. Then, as he relaxed his grip she pulled away, and stood breathing deeply, her thoughts chaotic.
He was the same as Edward, she was thinking confusedly. He also wanted to use her for his own gratification. She had loathed Edward's touch, but with this man she had almost lost her senses, swept away on some sensuous tide which had almost destroyed rational thought.
Uncertain whether her resistance was due to the memory of her husband, fear of him, or a genuine worry about the child, Adam held her gently within the circle of his arms.
'Do you wish to go back to the cabin?' he asked.
The cabin! She should have known, Bella chastised herself. No man offered favours without demanding payment. The other passengers who had assumed she had become this man's mistress had been right. Then she shivered, wondering whether he would turn them out, back into the wretched hold, if she refused him. She dared not risk that for Toby's sake. Besides, she told herself firmly, it could not be worse than the degradation she had suffered, and the pain she had undergone, on her wedding night.
She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.
'Your cabin?' she asked, with a great effort to speak calmly and not permit her voice to tremble. 'I am ready to discharge my obligation to you!'
For a second Adam's grip hardened. Then he said coolly, 'There is no haste,' and pulled her back against him.
Bella stood rigidly, willing herself not to struggle as he bent again to kiss her. His lips, however, were firm and yet soft, forcing her own into a softness and warmth she would have withheld from him if she could. He held her close to him, his hands gentle yet firm against her back and shoulders. When she was gasping for air he lifted his face for a moment, then, as she gulped in a mouthful of air his lips again descended on hers, and the tip of his tongue traced the outline of her own lips before he forced it between her teeth, tantalizing her to respond.
One hand was stroking the back of her neck, sending shivers down her back, while the other pressed her hard against him. Without that firm hold Bella was certain she would have fallen, so weak did her legs seem. What was happening to her? she wondered, frantic with the effort of remaining passive. With Edward she had been both furious and afraid, there was none of the mind-deadening languor which was encompassing her now.
Just as she thought she would swoon, Adam's tongue hardened, exploring and searching her mouth demandingly. At the same time she felt his thumb, agonizingly slowly, trace the edge of her ribs, from her back and round her side, gradually rising towards her breast as his hand, burningly hot through the thin silk of her gown, spread out over her taut, flat stomach.
She pressed against him, moaning involuntarily, then raised her hands to caress his chest, before recovering her senses and making a feeble attempt to push Adam away from her, but the effect he was having on her made her too weak for it to be other than a token resistance, easily overcome as the arm behind her back tightened.
Now he was murmuring soft words, indistinguishable words, into her ear. She tried to twist away from him, but it was to no avail. The tiny part of her mind that still functioned was aghast at her instinctive desire to accept, to respond to his caresses, and she was astonished to realize she wanted yet more. Trembling, unable to resist, she clung to him, and her hands slid up and round his neck.
He kissed her long and hard, forcing her
head back, and turning so that she was pinioned between his body and the ship's rail. His mouth travelled down to her neck, where a pulse fluttered as he buried his face in her windblown curls, and she whimpered as his hands slowly, tantalisingly, outlined the curves of her hips, travelled upwards past her waist, and coming to rest, as Bella shuddered in total subjection, on her breasts.
She gave another trembling gasp as he raised his head, and her lips sought his, her hands entwined in his hair as she pulled his head down towards her and strained towards him.
*
For a moment Adam responded, and then he stepped back, firmly disentangling her arms from around his neck.
'You can consider your obligation discharged,' he said quietly. 'Now return to your cabin, and don't try to thank me for it again!'
And abruptly he turned and walked away.
Shattered both by the strength of her own desires, so unexpectedly aroused, and his abrupt departure, Bella sank against the deck, racked with hard dry sobs. How could she have behaved in so abandoned a fashion, she wondered as her senses slowly returned. Why, when she had loathed the very touch of Edward's hand on hers, had she craved the much more intimate embraces of a man who was a virtual stranger to her?
Eventually the cold brought Bella back to a sense of her other needs, and she crept back into the cabin, thankful to find that both Alice and Toby were fast asleep, and she could avoid questions on her long absence.
She lay tossing restlessly on her bunk, wondering how she could face that detestable man ever again. It would be worse, she suddenly thought, than facing Edward, for his violation of her had been against her wishes, and yet, if Adam had not rejected her when he had done, what would have happened? She had been powerless to offer any resistance, and had actually wanted him to hold her in his arms for ever.
Eventually she fell into an exhausted doze, to be awoken an hour later by Toby's miserable crying. He was feverish again, and Alice seemed to have caught a chill and was shivering convulsively. While insisting that Alice remained underneath the covers, Bella watched helplessly as Toby grew worse throughout the day, his fever mounting and his breathing becoming more shallow and obviously painful.
All night Bella watched over her brother, trying to keep his wasted little body cool and persuade him to sip a soothing tisane. Alice had fallen into a restless sleep, crying out several times in a manner that terrified Bella, but in the morning she was rational, though weak, and her shivering seemed to have passed.
For two more days Bella almost despaired of Toby's life. Alice, recovering somewhat, helped as much as she could, but she was still very weak herself and could do little more than sit beside Toby and bathe his hands and face, offering Bella comfort and advice. Bella dared not sleep except for a few minutes snatched while Alice was awake. She was afraid to stretch out on the bunk, although Alice urged her to, for fear that once comfortably asleep she would not hear Toby. If Alice also dozed the child, thrashing about feverishly, could come to harm. Alice was gradually recovering her own strength, but she was still too weak to manage the restless child, and inclined to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence.
They would have fared badly if it had not been for Adam Tarrant. He had sent Daniel with tempting morsels from his own table and Bella, not fully aware of where they came from, gratefully accepted the delicacies which tempted her own flagging appetite as well as those of Alice and the child.
As the third night approached Bella wondered desperately whether she could stay awake any longer. Twice she slept briefly, to awaken with a start, and the second time she realized Toby was quiet and still. In great fear she leant over him, and then let out her breath in a sigh of relief. He was sleeping peacefully, his arms once so chubby and now pitifully thin, thrown up above his head, and a faint smile on his face. Gently she covered him, tucking the covers more firmly about him, and watched him, her own eyelids drooping.
Alice, who had been sleeping for several hours, woke and stretched, and Bella whispered to her that Toby was better.
'The Lord be praised!' Alice exclaimed. 'And I'm feeling more like my own self for a good sleep. You can rest easy tonight, Miss Bella, and I'll watch over him. Here, lie down in this bunk and I'll move to sit on his.'
'I shall manage,' Bella said, but Alice, feeling restored to her own former energy, insisted.
'You're so tired you would not wake however loudly he screamed,' she chuckled. 'I'm rested, and even if I do fall asleep again I shall be beside him, and will rouse if he moves, so you're not to be concerned.'
'Very well,' Bella gave in, knowing she could not herself endure more wakefulness. 'But first I must have a breath of fresh air. I have not been out of here for days. I shall sleep better for it.'
Alice nodded and Bella took a cloak and wrapped it round herself, for the nights were chill, then slipped out of the cabin. Further along the deck two figures, close together, were silhouetted against the pale light thrown by one of the lanterns, but Bella ignored them and went quietly to lean against the rail of the ship some distance away.
One of the figures turned sharply and looked at her. It was Adam, and he moved away from his companion, no longer listening to her chatter. Seeking to distract himself from thoughts of Bella, of her fragrance, her beauty, and her response to him which gave promise of a passionate nature, he had sought forgetfulness in the company of another cabin passenger, a woman in her mid-twenties who had made no secret of her willingness to invite his attentions.
Now, tinglingly aware that Bella stood a few yards away from him, he exerted his considerable charm to dismiss his companion. Bella, heedless, was watching the waves as the moonlight glinted on them. A myriad stars lit the cloudless sky, and a faint breath of wind filled the sails which swung lazily far above her.
It was strangely peaceful. Even the inevitable noises of the ship, the creaking of the timbers and whispering of the ropes, were muted and soothing. Bella almost slept where she stood, and when a quiet voice spoke behind her she had to think for a moment before recalling where she was. Then she shrank away, holding out her hand to fend off Adam.
'You!' she exclaimed, and he winced at the apprehension in her voice.
'I wanted to ask how you are faring,' he said quietly. 'Is the baby better?'
Bella tried to clear her tired brain and think clearly. She had imagined that he despised her. What did he now want? She was afraid to offend him, dreading the effect on Toby if they were again consigned to the hold, but dimly the notion came to her that, if she could retain his friendship and her own self-respect, it would be to her advantage.
'Yes, much better, I thank you. He was so very ill, but now the fever has broken. Alice is watching him while I take some air.' She shivered. 'But it is colder than I thought.'
'Have you eaten today?' he asked abruptly.
She wrinkled up her brow, trying to remember, and then nodded.
'Of course – you sent us a roasted capon. How did you contrive it?'
'Daniel has all manner of tricks.'
'And other things. My wits are wandering. I am sorry, I should have thanked you immediately. You have been kind.'
'You could do with some wine to warm you,' he said. 'Will you consent to take a glass with me. Oh, I promise not to molest you,' he added drily, as she hesitated.
After a long cool look, Bella nodded, and as if to show that she was unafraid, laid her fingers on his arm. To her fury the same searing sensations she had previously experienced when he had touched her coursed through her blood. It was too late to turn back, however, and she did not have the energy to do other than follow him.
*
His cabin was softly illuminated by a lamp, turned low. On a small table there was a bottle, already half empty, and some goblets. There was but one bunk, a wide one, she noticed, and the cabin was much larger than her own. There were two chairs beside the table. She sank into one of them and took the wine Adam poured for her.
'Thank you,' she murmured, lifting the goblet and
sipping the wine.
'This wine comes from Burgundy,' he said slowly. 'We are taking wines and vintners from France with us on this ship and I plan to start a vineyard myself on my own land. Whether we will produce wines of this quality, though, is doubtful. We might in time when the planters have gained more experience.'
'I've never had wine like this,' Bella managed to say, and drank again.
He talked knowledgeably about the various crops they had already succeeded in establishing in the colony, and Bella sipped politely at the wine, with a hazy idea that it might help her to stay awake. She had almost emptied the goblet when her arm, too heavy to hold up, fell back onto the arm of the chair.
'Mistress Sutton,' Adam began, and then exclaimed in annoyance, 'I cannot think of you as that, but I have not heard your given name. What is it?'
'Bella,' she answered quietly.
'Bella, the beautiful. A most fitting name.'
Bella murmured something too low for him to catch, and he bent forward to listen to her. A faint blush was visible on her cheeks, and she seemed to smile at him invitingly.
He slid his arm about her shoulders, and her head, which had been bent forwards, fell towards him. It was only then that he realized that she had fallen asleep in the chair. The goblet, almost empty, was still clasped loosely in her hand. He rose and gently removed it, then stood looking down at her, a rueful, tender smile on his lips. No other woman had ever fallen asleep when he had been talking with her. He had not previously understood how exhausted she was, but now he could see the dark shadows under her eyes.
He wondered whether to wake her or carry her back to her own cabin while she slept. Tentatively he picked up her hand, but she did not move. When he slid his arms about her to lift her, she lay limply against his chest, her curls hanging down over his arm. Suddenly he made up his mind. The cold night air would probably revive her, and if she returned to her own cabin she would be concerned about the child. She needed to sleep, and had said Alice was caring for the baby.
Gently he carried her to the bunk and laid her there. She had let her cloak fall off when she had sat down, and was wearing a loose, simple gown. As he took off her shoes she sighed but did not wake, and he swiftly unbuttoned her gown and eased it from her. She wore no stays, and her thin shift revealed a slender though shapely figure. Her breasts were high and firm, and her waist long and narrow. Rounded thighs and long slender legs made him suddenly furiously angry that this loveliness belonged to another man. Hastily he pulled the covers over her, and she sighed in her sleep and smiled.
Virginian Lover Page 4