Diamonds and Dreams

by Rebecca Paisley

  “Raleigh Purvis and I are cousins. Did I forget to tell you that?” His hand began moving in small circles upon the mound of her womanhood, his palm pressing ever so insistently.

  Goldie closed her eyes, sweet, deep pleasure beginning to grow again.

  “Think of what’s happening to you, Goldie. Think of how good it’s going to feel. Think of those things, Goldie. And while you’re thinking about them, think of thipstrit too.”

  She began to laugh. She laughed so hard, tears streamed down her face, and her belly started to ache.

  Saber watched her in complete confusion. “Is thipstrit a funny word?”

  She couldn’t answer. Laughter continued to rumble through her. She shook her head instead.

  “Then what’s so blasted funny?”

  She struggled to breathe, but a long moment passed before her laughter subsided sufficiently. Drawing in a ragged gulp of air, she looked at Saber. “I could have died laughin’, and it would have been your fault.”

  “But what a pleasant way to go.”

  She arched her eyebrow at him. “Two can play at this game, y’know.” She laid her hand on top of the diamond birthmark on his left thigh, then walked her fingers higher, all the way up to the tip of his manhood. She lingered there for a moment, running her thumb in a circle around him, then walked her fingers back down again. “Feel good? Y’want me to keep on doin’ it?”

  He knew her strategy. If he said yes, she’d stop. “No, don’t keep doing it. I don’t like the way it feels. As a matter of fact, I hate it.”

  “Liar.” She took her hand away.

  Saber turned onto his stomach, laughing into his pillow.

  Goldie took full advantage of his enticing position, and laid on top of him, loving the way his firm bottom felt beneath her belly. Her desire grew to such heights, she felt she would burst if it was not soon satisfied. She began moving her hips, silently showing him what she wanted from him.

  Saber’s laughter ceased when he felt her moving. Insistently, she pressed her hips into the backs of his thighs, then lifted them, then pressed them to him again. The cadence of her movements was slow, and each time she broke contact with him, he found himself yearning for her sensual return.

  “Saber,” she whispered to him, her lips smoothing across his rigid back.

  “Yes,” he whispered in answer. Turning to his side, he held her in his arms. “Open for me, Goldie love. Put your legs around my waist.”

  His command sent her spinning. She obeyed.

  Pulling her closer to him, he eased into her.

  She clasped him tightly to her. “Don’t stop this time.”

  “No. Not this time.” He thrust deeper.

  She felt the pleasure start. “Promise.”

  “Promise.”

  He loved her with deep and steady strokes, her whimpers filling him with unmitigated joy. “Yes,” he whispered to her when he felt her release. “There, there, now once more.”

  “Yes, again. With you.” She met each of his thrusts, urging him into the deepest part of her, and crying with pleasure each time he found it. She felt him grow harder within her, and knew profound happiness that she could give him the same ecstasy he gave her. The thought increased her own bliss, and she called out his name over and over again when he finally spilled himself inside her.

  “Oh, Saber.”

  He looked into her eyes. Moonlight and joy shone within those golden orbs he so loved. Her face was flushed with the warm afterglow of lovemaking, and he decided he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. “I have a confession to make,” he told her quietly, running his finger along her delicate collarbone. “If you hadn’t come to my room tonight, I’d planned on coming to yours.”

  “But what about Margaret? She growls and barks even when Miss Lucy and Miss Clara come near my door.”

  He smiled, pointing to his beside table.

  Goldie looked at it and saw a bone, chunks of meat still clinging to it. She grinned. “It never would have worked, Saber. You only have one bone. Itchie Bon would have wanted it too, and they’d have fought over it. There’s nothin’ like a dogfight to bring people runnin’.”

  “So I’d have broken it in half.”

  Goldie glanced at the bone again. It was at least three inches thick. “Saber, you couldn’t have broken that bone.”

  He pretended to look insulted. Lifting his arm, he flexed his muscles for her.

  She pressed her finger into the rock-hard bulges, wrinkling her nose. “They’re not all that big,” she teased.

  He flexed them harder. So hard a vein popped out on them. “What do you think now?” he grunted, his face tight with exertion.

  She touched them again. “I’ve eaten oatmeal that was harder than that.”

  His arm plopped back to the bed. “I was wrong, I’m not Raleigh Purvis’ cousin. You are.”

  Goldie giggled, squirming closer to him. “I’m only teasin’, Saber. Why, if Hercules could see your muscles, he’d hang his head in embarrassment. And ole Samson? Well, it wouldn’t matter how long he grew his hair, he’d never—”

  Saber laughed loudly.

  “Shhh!” She clamped her hand over his mouth. “Great day Miss Agnes, Saber, y’want the aunties to come?”

  He removed her hand from his mouth, and took a long moment to kiss her inner wrist. “If they do, I’ll just tell them the truth. That you stole in here, tore off my clothes, and ravished me.”

  She sighed with pleasure when he began pushing his fingers through her hair. Snug and warm in the soothing shelter of his arms, she began thinking of how to tell him all the truths she’d discovered earlier.

  “Saber,” she began, pausing to pepper his chest with little kisses, “I—There’s somethin’ I have to tell you. Somethin’ real important.”

  “Is it the definition of thipstrit?” he asked excitedly.

  She smiled. “No, it’s even more important than that.”

  He heard something odd in her quiet voice. Something that made him think she was about to tell him a grand secret. Lifting her chin, he gazed deeply into her eyes, astonished by the luminous expression within them. “What is it, Goldie?” he asked tenderly. “Tell me, love.”

  The name he’d called her made her heart skip a beat. She prayed she’d hear him call her his love every day for the rest of their lives. “I—Saber, today while you were gone, I thought of somethin’. Lord only knows why it took me so long to realize it, but at least it didn’t take years before I did. That would have been just awful, don’t you think?”

  He took note of the way her voice had begun to tremble, and felt a true concern then. “Goldie, is something upsetting you? Has something bad happened that I should know about?”

  “Oh, no, Saber. It’s not bad. It’s wonderful.”

  “Then why are you keeping me in such suspense?”

  “Well, I’ve never told this to anyone before. Because it’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way, I want to do it right.”

  He began to feel impatient to hear the all-important secret. “Goldie, the right way is just to come out with it. What is it?” he asked anxiously.

  She reached up and folded her hand around his cheek. “You’ve been so nice to me, Saber. You’re different from any other man I’ve ever known. I—One time I told you how important honesty is to me. Saber, you’ve been so honest with me. You’ve never lied or tried to trick me into anything. I’ve known boys who did that, y’know. Ole Fred Wattle? Well, he made me believe he really liked me. When I found out it was all a game...it really hurt, Saber. And one time—One time when I was livin’ in Alabama, a boy named Gordie Floot asked me to a fish fry. I was so excited. I wasn’t in love with Gordie or anything, but it made me so happy that a boy had invited me somewhere. I raced home and spent near about three hours gettin’ ready. I waited and waited for Gordie to come get me.

  “He didn’t come,” she continued, her voice fading to a whisper. “I—I was sure somethin’ had happened to him. So I we
nt to the fish fry, lookin’ for someone who might have known where he was. Gordie was already there, Saber. He and his friends...they laughed at me when they saw me. It was all a trick, y’see. I was so glad when Uncle Asa got us kicked out of that town. I couldn’t stand seein’ Gordie and all his friends laughin’ at me all the time.

  “Gordie and Fred, they weren’t the only ones. I guess because I was so little, and I had strange eyes and wild hair—I was the perfect target for their cruel games. But you, Saber. You’ve never done anything mean to me. You’ve never misled or deceived me. You always tell the truth, and—Saber, I trust you. I trust you with all my heart.”

  Saber couldn’t respond. The words he’d waited so long to hear... She’d finally said them. And he had no right to hear them. Guilt tore through him, robbing his mind of every thought but the fact that he had, indeed, misled her. Dear God, he’d told her more lies than he could even count!

  “I believe you love me, Saber,” Goldie announced softly. “And...Saber, I love you, too.”

  He was stunned, unsure that he’d heard her correctly. “What?” he asked in total disbelief.

  “I love you. Saber, I love you so much, that just the thought of it makes me ache all over. But it’s not the hurtin’ kind of ache. It’s the kind that feels real good. The kind that sends tingles all over you. I love you, Saber. Daddy’s honor, I really love you.”

  Wave after wave of the purest happiness he’d ever known broke over him. Speechless, he hugged Goldie to him, burying his face in her mane of thick curls and knowing in his heart that this night would be branded on his soul forever.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to understand it all,” Goldie said, her words muffled in his chest. “But Saber, I was so afraid to trust. My dreams—Saber, they’ve never come true. They always disappear right when I think that maybe they’re really mine. I’m sorry. So sorry for takin’ so long to believe you love me and for understandin’ that I love you too.”

  Saber shuddered with anticipation. If only he had the ring right now! he fumed, wondering what her reaction would be when she saw the unique way he’d had the special diamonds set. God. She loved him! Tomorrow night, after she accepted his proposal, he’d explain his reasons for all the pretenses. He’d tell her about Hutchins, Doyle, and Dora Mashburn. About his fear for her safety. And he’d pour out everything concerning his overwhelming desire for her to love the common man, Saber Tremayne, and not the nobleman, the Duke of Ravenhurst. He’d make her understand every motive behind all the lies.

  And then he’d begin making her every dream come true. Whatever she desired, he’d give her. God, if she asked him for the entire land, he’d give her the universe and lay it at her feet.

  Tomorrow evening, he thought, impatience clawing at him. Tomorrow evening would mark the end of all the deceptions and the beginning of their life together.

  “Goldie, I—How can I tell you what this means to me?”

  “You don’t have to. I feel the same way. I—I never thought somethin’ this wonderful would ever happen to me, Saber. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever had in my whole life. My diamond dreams are almost all the way true.”

  “Almost?” he asked, curiosity rising. “What else—”

  “Well, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about,” she said shyly. “Saber, y’know you have to leave Hallensham after you play the duke.” She said no more, but waited to see what he would tell her.

  Saber pondered what she said, suddenly realizing what her worry was. Ah, but I won’t be leaving, poppet, he told her silently, struggling not to smile. And neither will you.

  Goldie thought his silence meant he didn’t understand the significance of what she’d told him. “I live in Hallensham, Saber,” she stressed. “In my Aunt Delia’s cottage.”

  But you will soon live in the Ravenhurst mansion.

  “Saber, can’t y’see what the problem is?” Goldie asked, totally confused by his silence. “What are we gonna do?”

  Get married, have a dozen children, and live happily ever after.

  “All right, Saber, you never struck me as dense, but I reckon you might be just a tad.” She disentangled herself from his arms, sitting up straight. “I know how you feel about Uncle Asa, but no matter what he’s done, I can’t forget what he did for me when my parents died. If not for him takin’ me, I’d have been stuck in some orphanage somewhere. He didn’t always do right, but Saber, I didn’t starve while I was with him. Somehow or another, he always managed to feed me. Sometimes he’d forget, but—Well, I can’t just leave him, Saber. And like I told you before, I know that deep down he loves me too. He’s family.”

  “The black sheep of it,” Saber muttered, still unable to forgive the man.

  “But he’s still my kin,” she responded, her voice quaking. “My flesh and blood, Saber.”

  “I know,” he said gently, pulling her back into his arms. “I know, Goldie.”

  At his continued hedging, she began to feel a shred of anxiety. “I—Saber, don’t you want to be with me?” she asked, her eyes stinging.

  “Oh, Goldie, yes. More than anything.”

  “But—Saber, I’ve tried to explain all the problems to you. It’s not that I expect you to help me with Uncle Asa—I—I could never ask that of you. I love you too much to do that to you. But I was hopin’...I thought if we talked about this together, we’d figure out a way to fix the problem.”

  Saber knew full well how he’d fix the problem. As soon as he returned to Ravenhurst, he’d handle Asa Mae himself. For Goldie’s sake, he’d go gently with the man, but Asa would change his ways. If it was the last thing Saber ever did, he’d turn Asa into a man Goldie would be proud to call her family.

  When Saber still offered no ideas, Goldie’s apprehension increased. “I could do it all by myself,” she blurted uneasily. “Take care of him, that is. I’ve already been doin’ it for years. I know how. Saber, I was wonderin’—Well, maybe we should forget all about you bein’ Duke Marion.”

  “Forget it?”

  She nodded. “We—Uncle Asa, Big, and I would get tossed out of the village, but—Saber, at least you and I could be together. I wouldn’t care about how mad the villagers got as long as I knew I had you. And I could find a place for Uncle Asa. I know I could, Saber. Somewhere close by to where you and I live. Big won’t bother anybody, so we don’t have to fret over him at all. But Uncle Asa—I’ll do all the worryin’ over him, Saber. You wouldn’t have to do anything. I’ll even get a job and pay for all his expenses. And if he makes trouble, I promise to handle it. Daddy’s honor.”

  Her consideration for him wrapped around his very soul. God, she was so good, his poppet called Goldie. Always thinking of others. Always shouldering burdens for the sake of those she loved. He could barely wait to remove every burden she carried and erase every shred of worry that tainted her happiness.

  “Saber?”

  “I still think I should be the duke.” He pressed his mouth into her hair so she wouldn’t see his broad grin. “The villagers have been waiting for many weeks to see Lord Tremayne. It wouldn’t be very nice to disappoint them. And I’ve been practicing for so long, Goldie. I’d hate to think all those hours of duke lessons were wasted.”

  She pondered that, realizing he was right. Many of the villagers were mean, but perhaps some of the ones she hadn’t met yet were kindhearted. And there were lots of them who really and truly believed she would bring back the duke. As Dora had said, some had even begun planning a festival in honor of his return. The thought of letting them down made her feel guilty.

  “Goldie, after I’ve masqueraded as His Grace, we’ll think of something. I promise you, poppet, everything will be fine.”

  “But—”

  “You said you trusted me,” he reminded her. “Do you take that back?”

  “No,” she hurried to tell him. “I do trust you.”

  “In all things?”

  “Yes, but I—”

  “Then
trust me now. Trust me, Goldie.”

  The tenderness in his voice melted away every concern she had. She recalled how a large part of love was trust. And she and Saber loved each other. She knew then that they would, indeed, think of something. And once they had, they’d discuss it, just like her mother and father had always done. She lapsed into a contented silence, pondering all the wonderful things that were just beginning to happen in her life.

  Saber, too, was in deep concentration, imagining the day he would take her to Hallensham. She wouldn’t go back as Goldie Mae, the destitute and despised girl she was when she left. She’d return as Goldie Tremayne, the Duchess of Ravenhurst.

  He’d organize a procession, he decided, excitement fairly exploding inside him. After having sent word of his and his bride’s impending arrival, he’d have his assemblage of splendidly uniformed and mounted attendants, and his own elegant coach make a grand tour of the Tremayne lands. He would have his dark green pennants displayed, the Tremayne crest glittering in gold upon them. The people would pour out of their homes, lined up to wave and cheer as the parade passed.

  But the grand spectacle, the sheer pageantry would not be for him. It would be for Goldie. From now on every single thing he did would be for her.

  “I love you, poppet,” he whispered, his voice shaking with both excitement and the impassioned truth of his pledge to her.

  “And I love you.” She tousled his hair. “And wish I could stay the night with you, Saber. I can’t think of anything I want to do more, but—”

  “I know. The hens will find you in here.”

  “Hens?”

  “Never mind.” With a tremendous sigh, he rose and helped her out of bed. After finding her night rail on the floor, he put it on her, disappointed when her beautiful body was once again hidden from him.

  Goldie slipped her arms around his bare waist. “Soon,” she began timidly, “we won’t have to sneak around like this anymore. Isn’t that right, Saber?”

  He smiled. She certainly wasn’t very subtle with her hints about marriage. But he didn’t mind. He was just as anxious for the wedding as she was. And what a magnificent wedding it would be! The most sumptuous wedding London had ever witnessed. What a beautiful bride she would be! He heaved a deep sigh.