"We're rather alike, I've decided. You and I both have tended to rebel against any sort of constraint."
"Perhaps being alike helps us to understand one another." Adrienne paused, gathering courage. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you. The clothes I wore on board the Golden Eagle..."
"Yes?" Nathan couldn't resist.
"Did they belong to Eloise?"
Her small voice melted his heart. "Is that what you thought? My dear wife, Eloise never went to sea with me. I never made love to her; I held her above that. I won't say that I never had another woman in that cabin, but the truth is that I went to sea to escape romantic entanglements." He paused. "Those clothes belonged to my lovely sister Lindsay. She left them by mistake the last time I took her from England to Connecticut to visit our family."
Adrienne found this highly amusing. "Do you have any idea how much I tortured myself with jealousy?"
"I might." He joined in her laughter and then fell silent. The sight of Adrienne, standing in the moonlit ocean while clad in pearl-embroidered silk, was awe-inspiring. He wondered what she would look like wearing only the damask roses in her hair....
"I am ready to swim," he announced.
"I would love that. Are you certain we're alone?"
"Yes, but to set your mind at ease, I know a completely secluded cove on the other side of those trees. Come with me, my little sea nymph."
Her heart was pounding as they walked around a gentle point of land and found themselves in a cove thickly lined with slender palm trees. It appeared to be their own private beach.
Nathan stripped off his clothing while Adrienne gazed dreamily at the water. "The idea of actually swimming seems—" Her voice broke off when she looked back and saw that her husband was completely and splendidly naked. His body was more gorgeously lean-muscled than ever in this setting.
"You were saying?" His wicked grin flashed in the shadows.
"I—I've forgotten." Her face was very warm. "I think I was going to say that the notion of swimming seems so natural and wonderful, yet—well, naughty."
"That's perfectly fine. You're a married woman, in the company of your husband."
"What wonderful words. I think that marriage is much more romantic than I ever dreamed." Nathan had come around behind her to unfasten her gown, and the touch of his fingers on her back made her melt. "Wait! Hold up your shirt in front of me while I undress."
Remembering the wild tigress who had shared his bed this past week, Nathan decided that he would never completely understand Adrienne. Somehow, this added to her allure. Shaking his head, smiling, he walked naked through the sand to get his shirt, then stood before her, holding it open with both hands to shield her. When her silk gown, stockings, and undergarments had dropped at her feet, she peeked at him playfully over the top of the makeshift curtain.
"Close your eyes."
He heaved a long-suffering sigh but obeyed.
"You can open your eyes!" Her voice came to him from a distance, and Nathan looked to see that Adrienne was in the water, waving to him. The shirt fell from his hands, and he plunged into the sea.
Starlit, her face radiant and her skin wet and gleaming, she had never looked happier or more beautiful. When Nathan reached her side, she put her hands on his shoulders and murmured, "Oh, the water feels better than I ever imagined. It's warm!"
"I know. This is one of the reasons I love Barbados so much. It's as close to heaven as one gets on earth...." He paused and laid a hand on her cheek. "At least I thought so until our wedding night."
It was almost more pleasure than he could bear when Adrienne moved forward, into his waiting arms, and linked her arms around his neck. They bobbed gently in the calm sea, buoyed by the saltwater and caressed by the soft night air. He held her close, kissing her tangy lips. There was no need to hurry, or even to talk.
After a bit, Adrienne slipped away and swam in front of their cove. She unpinned her hair and dove down, then floated on her back and looked at the star-strewn summer sky while the roses from her hair drifted to and fro on the current. The sensation of the warm water moving over her bare flesh was deliciously liberating and erotic.
Nathan swam too, but his eyes never left his mermaid-wife. At last, when he saw her lying on her back, watching him, he glided over and slipped his arms around her from below. Bending near, he gently kissed her breast, and when he reached the nipple, it was puckered, tasting of salt. His hands slid around her narrow waist, caressing, then over her legs. Parting her thighs to his exploring fingers, she moaned at the first touch. Minutes passed as she lay under his skilled hands and lips, allowing herself the extreme pleasure of heightening desire.
When he bent his head again, lower, and touched his tongue to her wet, delicate curls and then to her swollen womanhood, Adrienne cried out, pushed abruptly over the precipice. Every nerve in her body seemed to be between her legs, contracting and releasing in intense waves of pleasure.
At last she could bear no more. Adrienne turned and came into her husband's powerful embrace, and they kissed with new abandon.
"I want you," Nathan breathed, uncertain if he'd even spoken aloud. Adrienne's hands were roving over his chest, and he realized that he'd been aroused a very long time, perhaps even before they'd reached the cove.
"Oh, Nathan, I want you too." She swallowed tears, still afraid to let him see how desperately she cared. Every time they came together, Adrienne tried to memorize the savage beauty of his face, yet the next time he was always more breathtaking. Now, as the midnight-blue water glimmered around them, she wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed and touched for long minutes, as if starved for the taste of one another, and she let herself brush against his pulsing member. Nathan held her hips and, panting, they pushed until their bodies were united.
Adrienne sank her fingers into his wet hair. It seemed that he was touching her very heart. "Nathan!"
Their eyes met, souls bared, and there were no words. The fire they created together was greater than anything either of them was capable of alone, and it burned brighter and brighter as she met his thrusts, her head thrown back so that her streaming hair poured over the water.
When at last Nathan found his own scalding release, he heard himself saying, "I love you."
Her breasts pressed to his chest and her cheek against his temple, Adrienne began to cry. "You'll never give me a finer gift than that. Oh, Nathan, I love you too."
Chapter 23
Golden light poured through the jalousie shutters and across the mahogany four-poster bed. Nathan Raveneau lay amid rumpled sheets, watching his wife sleep, while a pair of Barbary doves cooed from the sandbox tree behind the house.
"The rain must have stopped for your birthday," he whispered when he saw her eyelids flutter.
"Mmm. I rather like the rainy season. You are in the house more." Sensing that he was about to get out of bed, Adrienne quickly snuggled back against him, fitting her bottom to his hips and caressing his sun-darkened arm when he embraced her. "Don't get up yet."
"I'm already late, love. I only stayed this long because I wanted to kiss you and tell you how glad I am that you are twenty-one at last. I don't have to worry that your father will change his mind." The heat was building in his groin, and he tried to will his body to behave. By the smile on Adrienne's face, he knew that she could feel the first stirrings against her backside. "Have you forgotten that we have a visitor coming for luncheon today?"
"Oh, yes—Andre!" Her eyes lit up. "It will be wonderful to see him. Darling, did I tell you that Orchid is making callaloo? I love it, and we're going to serve it to your father for lunch. Orchid says that it's one of the dishes her people brought from Africa."
He kissed her glossy hair. "You seem to be quite at home."
"I am." Her smile widened. "Every morning, when I awaken, I feel happier. I look at the yellow walls in this room and they are my world. Even the rain is fresh and cheerful to me. I smell the air and listen to the guinea fowl in the
garden and it's as if I have always lived in this house." Turning in his arms, she burrowed into Nathan's wide, wonderful chest. "And when I find you in my bed, it's as if we have always been married."
"Excuse me, but you are in my bed!"
"A slip of the tongue. I meant to say our bed."
"Naughty chit, I must leave you. There are arrangements to make for your birthday—"
"Wait—I've been meaning to tell you that I already know what I want. I want you to help me rescue Lady Thomasina from Crowe's Nest, and perhaps Eloise as well!"
* * *
Andre Raveneau gazed around Tempest Hall's interior and smiled. At last, his son's house was a home. Orchid may have done her best to take care of him in the past, but only a wife could fill a room with so much spirited charm.
Everywhere he looked there were bright exotic flowers, in Chinese vases and glass flasks and crystal bowls of all sizes, and their soft fragrances filled the air. The walls had fresh paint, the furniture had been polished, and the wood floors wore a burnished glow. Every bit of silver and brass had been cleaned, and even the windows had been washed.
"The house looks splendid," he said when his son came into the room.
"Oh—yes." Smiling, Nathan nodded. "That's Adrienne's doing, of course."
"So I surmised. And it goes beyond mere appearances; there is a different feeling in the air."
"Yes. I think it may be joy."
As Retta came in with two planter's punches on a tray, Andre sniffed the air appreciatively. "What is that delicious smell?"
"Callaloo, sir," she replied.
"What?"
"It's a kind of stew," Nathan explained. "I think it is made of okra, crab, coconut—"
"An' pork fat," Retta interjected.
"Adrienne loves it, and I think she's in there helping with the preparations now." Nathan led his father to the settee of Barbadian mahogany. "Before we eat, I would have a word with you in private."
"Without your wife?"
"For the moment. You see, Father, I would like you to change your plans about taking the Golden Eagle on a trading voyage. We may tell people that you have sailed for Europe, but I have something else in mind." He paused and they both drank from their glasses. "I believe I've thought of a way to catch Xavier Crowe in the act."
The white scar along Andre's jaw seemed to stand out for an instant. "You have captured my interest."
"In the past, he's known in advance when ships were approaching and he could lay his plans and make certain that he was visibly present elsewhere. That has always been the speech made by his defenders: 'Xavier Crowe was not even near the eastern side of the island when the ship in question was lost!' However, if we use the Golden Eagle as bait, and send word to Crowe's Nest very suddenly that a ship is approaching, he'll have to be involved."
"I think it's a brilliant plan." The elder Raveneau's eyes were agleam. "If we prepare the entire crew for the confrontation, he won't have a chance. His success is based on taking ships by surprise!"
"Of course, I'll have to come along—and Zach. You'll need as many men as possible, and it would kill me to miss it."
"I understand completely," his father replied, nodding.
Just then Adrienne came out of the dining room. "Well, I don't understand! Nathan, how can you conceive of such a dangerous plan when you have been married only a short time? I could be a widow while I'm still a bride!"
The two men exchanged glances. "Darling," Nathan said, going to her and clasping her hands, "nothing is going to happen to me. Just the opposite, I can assure you."
Adrienne could see the unswervable determination in his eyes and knew that all her arguments would be wasted. Sighing, she leaned into his chest, then took a different tack. "Well, if you are going to do something outrageous and dangerous, then you will have to let me rescue Lady Thomasina."
"What's this all about?" her father-in-law asked. His eyes swept appreciatively over her buttermilk-colored round gown and the wild orchids in her hair. "You look particularly fetching today, my dear. Can you tell me while we eat? I am ravenous."
Hortie appeared then to oversee the service of luncheon. After the trio had taken their seats in the dining room, Retta brought each of them a pineapple half along with a tray of freshly baked bread. There was jam made of native cherries, and sweet butter.
"Now then, lovely daughter," Andre said, "tell me what you're up to."
"I'm terribly worried about Lady Thomasina. Although she was always a bit eccentric—"
"She's barking mad!" Nathan put in. "You saw her, Father!"
Adrienne gave him a quelling stare. "As I was saying, her ladyship is odd, but at the Carringtons' ball I became concerned that she might be drugged. She didn't recognize me, and her eyes were so strange-looking! Furthermore, Huntsford behaved very badly when I mentioned his mother's health. Something in his manner gave me chills!"
"I hate to admit it, but you may have a point," her husband said. "I've feared from the moment I heard that she and Hunty had come to Barbados that Crowe might try to get at her money. It would be like him to bend Harms to his will and try to get rid of Lady Thomasina so that Hunty could inherit. Drugging her ladyship would be a logical first step." The callaloo was served then and Nathan inhaled its fragrance appreciatively. "Have I told you about Crowe's brother? He and his brother, Francis, jointly owned the land where Xavier's mansion now stands. Francis and his wife, Jane, drowned together while swimming off Cobbler's Reef. Xavier was left to raise their five-year-old son, Martin, who was Francis's sole heir."
"Do you mean that a little boy owns half of Crowe's Nest?" Andre asked in amazement.
"Yes. And many believe that if Eloise hadn't appeared on the scene to take Martin under her wing, he might be dead now as well!"
"That's ghastly!" Adrienne cried. "No child should be raised in such a home!"
"Well, you can't just burst in and start rescuing everyone, dear chit. For one thing, they may like their lives there. It's entirely possible that Lady Thomasina is just teetering a bit farther over the edge than she did before. She is incredibly old, after all."
Andre had finished his bowl of callaloo and Hortie signaled Retta to serve more. Adrienne, meanwhile, was not in a mood to be placated by her husband. "Why is it that your suspicions deserve to be acted upon but mine do not? Your plan is much more dangerous!"
"Let's discuss it later, shall we?"
"I shall follow through this week with my promise to invite Eloise Crowe to lunch. Perhaps I can learn more from her."
The elder Raveneau spoke then. "Adrienne, I have been wanting to ask you if Nathan told you how he got his name."
Remembering her duty to be a charming hostess, she smiled. "No. No, in fact, there are still a lot of stories I haven't heard. I begin to think I'll only hear them from his family." She leaned forward, dimples winking. "How did Nathan get his name?"
"Devon, my wife, was raised in New London, Connecticut. She went to the little village school, and a fellow named Nathan Hale was the schoolmaster." He held up his hand before she could speak. "Devon always loved books, and so she became very attached to Master Hale and was sad when he went off to fight in the War for Independence—"
"Where were you then, Andre? In France?"
"No, in New London, actually. I was the captain of a privateer, helping America, and I met Devon in 1775, when she was only thirteen—and I was rather older, and still very French." He laughed at the memory. "It wasn't until 1781, when the British attacked New London, that we were thrown together for good. In the meantime, Nathan Hale had been captured while spying on the enemy."
"He was hanged, wasn't he?" Adrienne said. "I may have been raised in France, but my parents were American, and I learned all the stories of the war." She turned to look at Nathan, awestruck. "You should have told me that you were named for Nathan Hale! It's terribly sad and romantic to think of him being your mother's schoolmaster."
"I didn't know I had to divulge every detail of
my life before your twenty-first birthday! I can assure you that there are still plenty of adventures left, and I'll relate them one at a time for the rest of our lives."
Over coconut pudding, they talked about the next crop of sugarcane. Nathan said that he and Zach had decided to wait before planting any more, to give the ground a rest. He added, "I can see now that Owen Horner's methods served only the present, not the future."
"And I don't doubt that the field slaves need a rest as well!" Adrienne straightened her shoulders. "It makes me ill to say that word—'slaves'—and realize that we believe we can own human beings!"
"Adrienne—"
"Don't furrow your brow at me! All right, I will give you credit for at least saying the right things at the ball...."
"I intend to follow my words with deeds, but there are plans that must be laid first."
Andre finished his drink and observed, "You two will never be bored! I don't understand where you get the energy, though. This island and the rum make me feel like lying back in a planter's chair and dozing all afternoon."
"You are welcome to borrow ours!" Adrienne said. "I hope our squabbling hasn't spoiled your afternoon. I know that I have a lot to learn about being a proper planter's wife... and I am not certain I'll ever master the role."
"Nonsense. You are utterly delightful just as you are," Andre replied.
"Quite true," Nathan agreed. "Barbados has long been in need of a hellion hostess."
They all began to laugh, then Andre took a velvet jewelry case from his coat pocket. "I happen to have a gift for my new daughter's birthday. It is also a wedding present."
"Where's my wedding present?" Nathan complained good-naturedly.
"Hush," Adrienne said, and accepted the box with a reverent expression. Slowly lifting the lid, she glimpsed a sparkling collarette of sapphires and tiny diamonds. Tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh, Andre, it is too beautiful! I—"
"I gave it to Devon before our wedding, and she has always wanted Nathan's bride to have it. When she knew that I was coming here, she packed it with my things—hoping against hope that you might have come into his life."
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