For some time he watched her, fiercely quelling his urgent desire to take her in his arms. At length he turned out the lamp and lay down beside her, fighting temptation by lying firmly with his back towards her. Many hours later he eventually fell into a restless sleep, and it was daylight before he awoke.
Cautiously he raised himself on an elbow and looked down at the girl still sleeping beside him. The covers had slipped from her, exposing one breast tantalisingly half hidden by her shift. The swelling beauty of it made his already fast beating heart pound urgently in his chest. Slowly he stretched out a hand to cover her again, and as he did so she sighed and moved slightly so that her nipple brushed against his hand, sending shock waves through him.
Bella was still fast asleep and did not stir when he took her hand in his and slowly, lingeringly, kissed the rosy tip of each slender finger, and then the inside of the wrist. Leaning cautiously over her, he slowly bent so that his lips touched hers. She breathed deeply and rolled over towards him, again uncovering the pearly soft orb of her breast, pink-tipped and unbearably enticing.
Adam feasted his gaze on her beauty, the smooth curves of her face, her long thick lashes spread in two half circles on her delicately coloured cheeks. Her lips were curved in a smile, slightly parted to reveal small, even teeth. Her skin was soft and smooth, unblemished, and one brown curl, escaping from the riotous mass spread on the pillow, rested on her neck and nestled between her breasts.
Gently Adam slipped one arm beneath Bella's shoulders, and with his other hand traced the curve of her cheek and jaw. For a brief second her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at him and smiled, then sighed in contentment as her eyes closed again and his lips descended on hers.
*
Bella, confused and still drowsy, shivered in delight as he kissed her lips, and his arm about her tightened, drawing her close to him. Still only partly awake she did not resist as his lips became more demanding, kindling a new, exquisite sensation in her whole body.
Skilfully, with smooth, sensitive fingertips, Adam began to caress her face and throat and shoulders, sending shivers of delight down her spine. He was murmuring words of love in between his kisses and Bella, responding sleepily, slid her arms about his neck and lifted up her face towards his, mutely asking for his kisses.
Tenderly, gently, Adam's fingers grew more daring as he traced the curve of the exposed breast, feeling her nipple harden in instinctive response. She whispered his name, still in that uncertain state between dreams and wakefulness. He stroked her breast, cupping it in his hand and then, finding her shift obstructing his efforts to reach the other breast, began to ease it off.
He slipped it over her head and lay leaning on one elbow, gazing at her body. As she opened her eyes, finally forced awake by the cool air on her skin, he bent tenderly over her again.
'My love, my beautiful Bella,' he whispered softly, and kissed her urgently, pulling her to him.
Bella gasped and shivered, attempting to turn away her head. Adam resumed his caresses and Bella, her thoughts and emotions a jumbled turmoil, relaxed gradually under his practised skill. His touch on her lips and breasts aroused quivering sensations that gradually drove logical thoughts out of her mind, and caused her to sink into a strange sea of delight where her entire body ached for his touch, poised for she knew not what.
Adam gradually slid his hand across her belly, and she trembled violently as, with his other arm about her, he pulled her close, whispering tender words into her ear. Then, as his searching hand forced its way between her thighs, she cried out in alarm, remembering the terror and pain with Edward, and struggled to free herself from his grasp.
Startled, he released her and she rolled away from him.
'Bella, my love, there's no need to fear me,' he tried to reassure her. 'I'll not force you.'
With a tremendous effort Bella controlled the tears that threatened to overcome her.
'Not force me? Then how did I come to be here, naked, in bed with you?' she demanded.
'You drank wine with me, and fell asleep last night,' he said brusquely. 'You were exhausted.'
'And so you took advantage of me! I was a fool to trust you again.'
She had been looking about her for her shift, and took it from Adam as he silently handed it to her. He reached for a robe to wear himself, while Bella pulled on her shift and then her gown, which Adam had placed over a chair.
'You and Edward are both the same,' she declared as, ignoring the unfastened buttons, she pulled her cloak about her and thrust her feet into her slippers. 'I detest all men!'
'Do you? I would not have thought so from your response!' he returned angrily.
Bella, about to open the door, looked at him. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears of humiliation. She attempted to speak, but found that she could not. Then she laughed, a high short laugh that was the beginnings of hysteria. He should not see her inner desolation. She would walk out with her head high, though her pride had been brought so low. Squaring her shoulders as if to ease some invisible burden she turned the handle of the cabin door and slipped out.
Adam Tarrant's eyes had been narrowed with disgust and anger as he watched her.
But something about that last sad gesture made his heart go out to her.
Chapter 4
Holding her cloak firmly about her dishevelled hair, Bella retreated to the deck until she regained her composure. How could she have been so abandoned, she wondered in horror, blushing as she recalled the feel of Adam's hands on her body. I was tired, asleep, I did not know what was happening, she protested to herself, trying to bury her awareness that for a short while at least she had been awake and willingly submitting to caresses she had never before known.
Eventually she felt calm enough to face Alice, and went down to their cabin. As she had not thought of any convincing excuse for being away all night, it was perhaps fortunate that Alice was fast asleep with the child cradled in her arms. Hastily Bella changed her gown for a clean one of a soft pale blue wool and brushed out her tangled hair. When Alice awoke she was tidied and composed, and since the maid said nothing to show she had been missed, guiltily remained silent.
During the next few days Bella kept to the cabin as much as possible. Toby was recovering slightly, but was very demanding, yet Bella could not always ignore Alice's injunctions about taking the air on deck. Alice herself, less plump than before, recovered from her own ills and soon struck up a friendship with one of the other women. Joan Bidwell's husband was an ironworker from Gloucestershire, indentured to the London Company for seven years in return for his passage, and Joan herself was expecting their first child in a few weeks. Alice, ever maternal, made it her duty to cosset Joan and gossip with her about other passengers.
Inevitably in a small ship it was impossible to avoid Adam, but Bella, prepared to be haughty when they did meet, was secretly chagrined to have Adam give her a mere polite inclination of his head and pass her by. What did she expect, she angrily asked herself afterwards. He was unlikely to apologize, even had she wished him to. She preferred to forget the whole distasteful incident, for to listen to apologies would be worse than having the man make another attempt to seduce her!
'Did you know that that nice Mr Tarrant is younger brother to Baron Cawston?' Alice remarked one evening when they were sitting together in the cabin.
'Oh?' Bella replied, and feigned a yawn. 'I'm so weary! I think I will prepare for bed.'
'He's such a pleasant man,' Alice continued wistfully. 'You'd not think he's from one of the most important families in the west country. He talks to everyone just the same, even passes the time of day with me and Joan. I must say I'm sorry to see that Bolton woman getting her claws in him though!'
Bella tried not to look interested.
'You're an incorrigible gossip, Alice,' she said lightly.
'Why not? It does no harm. This Bolton creature would, though, if she had half a chance. After him as plain as anything, even though her husband is right
beside her!'
'I expect half the silly females aboard are!' Bella snapped. 'All they seem to think of is a handsome face and fine figure!'
'Aye, he's handsome right enough,' Alice agreed, casting a quick glance at Bella's averted head.
Bella tried to forget Alice's words, but could not ignore the sight of Adam, the next day, walking along the deck beside a small, dark, pretty woman wearing a striking overgown of bright red, and a gold-embroidered petticoat. The square neck, edged with fine lace, revealed far too much of the lady's charms, Bella thought waspishly, but the men seemed to appreciate the new fashions. The woman, whom Bella knew was Mary Bolton, cast roguish looks up at Adam as she chattered and laughed. He appeared to be amused by her, Bella saw, and she went quickly in the opposite direction to lean over the rail and try to find some other topic to occupy her thoughts.
*
Mary, although she did not falter in her talk, was conscious of her companion's switch of attention when he saw Bella. Eyeing him covertly she noticed a slight tightening of the lips and narrowing of the eyes. He did not appear to be looking in Bella's direction, but he seemed to avoid approaching that part of the deck.
Her feminine instinct warned her of some mystery, and she determined to solve it. For the next few weeks, as the ship ploughed across the vast ocean, she watched the couple avidly but saw nothing apart from the occasional cool greeting such as was unavoidable amongst fellow travellers. She had discovered that the cabin Bella occupied had originally been paid for by Adam, and she knew that Daniel, his servant, regularly supplied Alice with delicacies from his master's table. But between Adam and Bella she could detect nothing other than a taut, cold awareness when they were together. Nonetheless Adam, infuriatingly, maintained an aloofness towards herself that none of her wiles could break down.
Adam, fully conscious that the presence of Mary's husband would prove no obstacle to a closer relationship with her, was astounded to find himself with no appetite for what he was openly offered. On several occasions he had taken her into his arms and kissed her, but before their lips met Bella's face would come between them, and all desire for Mary ebbed away. Mary herself, puzzled and frustrated, exerted all her charms to no avail, for whenever she imagined that Adam was succumbing to her at last he would suddenly break off his attentions and either begin to talk of Virginia or retreat into an abstracted silence.
Bella spent as little time as possible on deck however. Toby's health was giving her cause for great concern. The child was so weakened after his fever that she sometimes felt he might never recover. He was pale and listless, ate little, and had none of the lively energy he had possessed before the voyage began. If it were not for the fruit and wine which Adam had purchased when the ship put in to port to take on water and supplies at the Canary Islands, Bella thought Toby would have died. She herself had not possessed the means to make such purchases, Henry having left her on board with a very limited amount of money, and also forced her to leave her jewels behind. She could not but be grateful for Adam's thoughtfulness.
Besides these new stores Adam had brought chickens and goats with him, and the eggs and milk thus provided strengthened Toby as nothing else could have done. Occasionally Daniel slaughtered a hen and this provided the only fresh meat they had, alleviating the monotonous diet of tough, dried meat, meal and biscuits, which would otherwise have been unbearable.
Adam wondered ruefully at his own concern for a sickly child who meant nothing to him. Although he rarely saw Toby apart from when Alice sat on deck with him, Daniel gave him regular accounts of the child's health, and he wondered whether all their efforts were merely to prolong Toby's life for a few short weeks. So many had died in the early disastrous years of the colony, and even in the previous two years, when the number of immigrants had been higher than ever before, a majority of them had died of starvation or disease on the voyage or soon afterwards. Toby had only a small chance of survival even if he lived until the end of the voyage.
'Another two died last night,' Alice reported gloomily when they had been more than ten weeks on the ship. 'That makes twenty, which I'm told is a small number compared with some voyages!'
Bella shivered and looked anxiously at her young brother.
'Is he better, do you think, Alice?' she pleaded.
'To be sure, Miss Bella. He ate the whole egg this morning, and is beginning to talk, and he enjoys watching the sailors. He'll manage, never fear,' Alice replied stoutly.
'He would not have lived so long without Mr Tarrant,' Bella said in a low voice.
'We owe him everything!' Alice declared, looking hopefully at her mistress, but Bella appeared to be more concerned with castigating Henry for forcing her onto the ship than thanking Adam for his help.
*
Conscious of her debt, but unwilling to discuss it with Alice, Bella soon made an excuse to go on deck. It was blowing up for a storm after a long period of calm, and soon the rain began. Most of the other passengers scurried to shelter but Bella, her mood in tune with the elements, found a more secure place amongst some crates and sat with her back against one of them. She lifted her face up to the rain, relishing the cold stinging droplets that the wind blew onto her cheeks, and the wildness of her hair streaming behind her, falling out of the caul that held it neatly coiled in her neck.
'You like storms?' a voice above Bella asked, and she looked up to find one of the sailors, a coil of rope in his hands, standing beside her.
'Not when they are too wild, as when we started,' she answered, laughing. 'Is this one going to be severe?'
'No, I don't think so, for we're not in the hurricane area yet. Then it can be much worse than it was in the Channel!'
Bella shuddered. 'I hope we do not meet any hurricanes then! How much longer will it be before we reach land?'
'Virginia? A se'ennight or more, and we might touch the Bermudas, depending on the weather, then a week more to the mainland.'
'You know Virginia? Have you been before?'
He nodded and sat down beside her. 'Several voyages in the last five years. There are many planters going there now.'
'What is it like?'
'The James River is long and deep, with sandy beaches and many creeks. There are vast forests, but I've never gone far into them. There are too many savages living wild, attacking the planters! It's been more peaceful of late, though, since the Indian Princess married one of the planters.'
'I remember when she came to London four years ago. Po – what was her name?'
'Pocohantas, they called her. Daughter of the Chief Powhatan, who died himself a year after she died.'
'That was sad. She was buried at Gravesend, near my home. Do the Indians often attack the planters?'
'Sometimes. But it's been more peaceful of late, I hear. The settlements stretch for miles along the river now.'
He talked on and Bella listened, fascinated. The sailor, who, along with most of the men aboard, had been aware of Bella from the first, tried to discover her situation, but when he began questioning her she answered shortly, replying that she was to join her husband.
'In Jamestown, or does he live in one of the other towns?'
'I'm not certain, he's only recently come out himself. I am getting wet now, I had better go in.'
She stood up and the sailor, lithe and strong, leapt to his feet and stood in front of her.
'Must you desert me?' he asked, and tried to seize her hand. 'There's a snug empty cabin I know if it's too wet out here.'
Bella stepped back angrily, but her way was blocked by crates.
'Pray let me pass!' she demanded, but instead the man came closer, forcing her back against the crates as she tried to evade him.
'Have pity on a poor sailor,' he said, this time succeeding in catching her hands and pulling her into his arms where she struggled to evade his clammy embrace.
She twisted her head from side to side to dodge his attempted kisses, trying to push him away from her. Then to her relief he relea
sed her and turned away, muttering something about only wishing to please her.
*
Biting back an angry retort Bella thankfully watched him depart then, realizing that something had disturbed him turned to see what it was. To her embarrassment Adam Tarrant, eyeing her sardonically, was standing a short distance away.
'You appear to relish stormy weather, Mistress Sutton,' he remarked, bowing slightly to her, and she flushed at his contemptuous tone.
'Good morning, Mr Tarrant,' she said coldly. 'I was just about to go back to my cabin.'
'Indeed?' he replied, a question in his voice.
Did he think she had deliberately encouraged the sailor, Bella asked herself indignantly. She tilted her chin defiantly and stepped forward, but was forced to stop when she realized he barred her way. Adam looked down at her consideringly and she fumed impotently.
'I wish to pass, Mr Tarrant, if you please!'
'I hope my presence did not discourage your friend,' he replied, not moving out of her way.
'Discourage? Friend? He was no friend! He is a vile creature, thinking he is at liberty to attack any defenceless female!' Bella said furiously.
Adam suddenly chuckled. She looked magnificent when she was angry, with her eyes flashing and her colour high.
'Mayhap his previous attempts have met with greater success?' he suggested softly. 'Or did not suffer interruptions!'
'Previous – ?' Bella stared at him, only slowly realizing his meaning. 'I have never spoken to him before!'
'You were making rapid progress then,' he retorted.
'It was no such thing! How can you imagine I wished for his vile attentions!'
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