by Bobbi Smith
"I'm sorry." Slater could almost feel his friend's frustration and pain. "I thought..."
Before he could say any more, Charles danced Jordan over to join them.
"I'm afraid that's all the dancing I can handle for tonight," he told them, breathing a little heavily. "Jordan, my dear, I thank you for the delightful turn around the floor. Nick, I leave your lovely wife in your safekeeping."
Nick saw the true happiness in his father's face and knew that no matter how it would hurt him when he finally had to give Jordan up, it would have been worth it. "Good, I missed her," he replied.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a quiet place to rest for a while." Charles pressed a quick kiss on Jordan's cheek and then left.
Nick started to draw Jordan to his side again when Slater effectively cut in between them.
"Wait just a minute. I think the rest of this dance is mine," Slater announced. "We'll see you later, Nick..."
Jordan could do little more than wave to Nick as Slater whisked her off. Nick watched them blend in with the crowd of dancers, and he felt a pang of loss. It was almost as if he were anticipating the time when he really would have to say good-bye to her. It hurt Nick to think that that moment would come, but he knew there was no question about it. Jordan was in love with Philip Montgomery. Though the man was dirt-poor and had nothing to offer her, he was the man she wanted. Loving Jordan as he did, Nick knew he could do no less than let her go.
Had he been alone, Nick would have thrown his champagne glass against the wall and watched with perverse satisfaction as it shattered. Trapped as he was in the crowded room, he merely turned and set the empty glass on the table nearby. The need for something stronger to drink was powerful within him, and he strode from the room to get himself a tumbler full of bourbon in the study.
Philip was restless. He had finished his work and returned to his quarters, miserably aware that the wedding was over and the reception in full swing. Though he knew he had no business going, he couldn't resist the temptation to try to catch a glimpse of his sister. He doubted he would get the opportunity to speak to her, but right now seeing her would be enough.
It was a night of celebrating all over the plantation, and so Philip passed unnoticed on his way up to the big house. He cut through the garden and tried to stay out of sight. Circling the house, he waited just off the gallery outside the ballroom in hopes of seeing her.
Peri had had quite a few glasses of champagne as the evening progressed, and she was feeling decidedly giddy as she wandered out on the veranda to cool off.
She had not lacked for male attention that night, but none of the men there had excited her. In a businesslike manner, she analyzed all the men who had danced and flirted with her. Rod had been nice, but not her type. Michael had been sweet, but far too easy to control. Stephen had been masculine and domineering, but much too obnoxious. And Warren had been only interested in her inheritance. Oh, she'd had her fair share of suitors, all right, and not a one of them could hold a candle to Philip.
Peri gave a hopeless shake of her head as she sipped from the glass of the bubbly. Lightheaded, she pondered her alternatives where Philip was concerned. She could play coy and hope against hope he would notice her. Or she could continue to make herself available as she had lately during her morning horseback rides and continue to suffer his lack of interest with good spirits and high hopes. Or she could chase him down, declare her love for him, and demand that he return her affections. That possibility brought a half-stifled giggle from her as she imagined throwing herself at him bodily in her quest to win his devotion.
Peri took another sip of wine as she moved to the railing to stare out into the darkness of the Louisiana night. There was a moon tonight, but it was only a narrow silver wedge in the black velvet sky. The sounds of the orchestra added a romantic touch, but alone as she was, she wasn't feeling very romantic.
Peri didn't know what it was that caused her to look up at that particular moment, but when she did, she saw him. Philip was standing just beyond the line of light that shone from the ballroom's French doors watching the festivities. Had she. been sober, she would have had second thoughts about being so blithely bra zen, but tipsy as she was, she only knew she wanted to talk to him.
"Philip!" she called his name in an urgent whisper. She took a quick look behind her to make sure no one was around, then hurried down the steps to go to him.
The sight of Peri standing all alone on the gallery mesmerized Philip. He'd come to the main house looking for his sister. He'd ended up finding the one woman he'd been secretly longing to see but knew he had to avoid.
"Hello, Peri," Philip began lamely, unable to stop staring at her. He thought she was the prettiest girl in the world, and he remembered in detail everything about the kiss they'd shared in the garden.
"Why are you here?" Peri asked, hoping in her innocence that he'd come to find her.
His first reaction was to take her question as an insult. He knew his position, and he knew he wasn't supposed to be there. He answered, defensively, "I went for a walk, that's all. When I heard the music, I thought I'd come by and see how the reception was going."
Her disappointment was real, but she refused to let him know it. "It's going marvelously. Everyone's having a wonderful time. Nick and Jordan make the perfect couple, and she looks so beautiful tonight..."
"I'm sure she does. She's a very lovely woman. He's lucky to have her."
"And she's lucky to have him. I know Nick thought long and hard before he finally settled on Jordan as his choice for his bride."
"I'm sure he did," Philip replied.
Peri was oblivious to the double meaning of his words. Her liquor-induced bravery urged her to ask, "Have you ever thought about getting married, Philip?"
"No, not seriously." He kept his answer terse to discourage her questions.
Peri missed his innuendo completely. She was too busy remembering how it had felt to be held in his embrace and how exciting his kiss had been. "Why not? You're handsome and intelligent. Surely, there must have been any number of women in England who would have loved to marry you."
"Actually, I was so busy with my studies that I didn't have much time for courtship or affairs of the heart."
The news thrilled Peri. There was no one in his past, no one to reappear and stake a claim on his heart. All she had to do was win him.
Champagne-inspired bravado gave her the boldness to ask, "What about now?" She looked up at him questioningly in the semidarkness.
Philip stared down at her and saw the deep longing in the depths of her gaze. It frightened him to find that she was feeling the same thing he was. "Now?" he repeated in a husky tone.
"Yes, now...Do you have time for an affair of the heart now?" Peri knew she was behaving outrageously, saying things to him a lady should never say, but she didn't care. She figured the worst thing that could happen would be she would find out he really wasn't interested. Peri was convinced that knowing the truth, no matter how painful, would be far superior to be left hanging in limbo as she had been for the past weeks.
The sound of the music drifted from the ballroom and, carried on the night wind, caressed them with its sweet melody. In their diamondlike brilliance, the myriad stars overhead twinkled in seductive splendor. A single shooting star marked a shining path across the heavens, and Peri saw it, exclaiming at its beauty.
"Philip... look!" She had rarely seen such a heavenly display.
"I am looking," he replied. It wasn't the meteor that held him fascinated, however. It was Peri. She was unlike any woman he'd ever known. She was guileless and completely honest. She always said what she thought. Yet, at the same time she was smart enough to listen to others when the occasion called for it. She was a total optimist in her thinking, always expecting the best of people and situations and never giving in to the blackness of despair.
God khows, Philip wanted her. He longed to be a part of her unwavering happiness, to cling to her gentle spi
rit and live as she lived, but his life was in ruins. He was a bond slave, not a hired accountant, and his sister was on the run for murder. How could he even hope to have any kind of relationship with some like Peri under these circumstances? At that moment, though, when she turned back to him, he cast all reasons not to love her aside forever.
"You're so special, Peri...I've never known another woman like you," he murmured, and without another word he reached for her.
Peri needed no encouragement. She made a throaty sound of surrender as she went to him, her champagne glass dropping unheeded from her fingers to lie in the grass. Her arms looped around his neck, and she kissed him with the flaming passion of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted.
Her excitement fueled Philip's, and he crushed her to him, his mouth demanding upon hers. He parted her lips, tasting of her, loving her. She was beauty and innocence and all the things he wanted and needed in his life. He never wanted to let her go.
The sounds of guests making their way out onto the gallery intruded on their bliss, and Philip broke off the kiss. When she started to protest, gazing up at him in puzzlement, he lifted a finger to his lips to hush her. He then took her hand and led her into the privacy of the darkness among the trees. Once he was sure they were out of sight, he pulled her back to him and kissed her again, this time holding nothing back.
"Oh, Philip..." Peri whispered when his lips left hers to press hot kisses to her throat. She shivered at the power of the emotions surging through her, and she held him close. "I was so afraid you didn't want me..."
"Want you? I can't get you out of my mind," he growled, his desire for her at a fever pitch. "You haunt me day and night. You're like a fire in my blood."
His mouth took hers again and she melted against the broad width of his chest. His hand sought the fullness of her breast, and she gave a low moan of ecstasy at his touch. This was love, it had to be. Nothing else had ever felt this perfect...
"Love me, Philip... please."
There was nothing Philip wanted more than to take her to his bed and make love to her, and he knew there was nothing more forbidden to him than her love. Desire her as he did. .want her as he did... love her as he did, he knew if he took her he would ruin her. She was too wonderful, too precious to him. To make sure she was safe, he had to protect her most of all from himself.
"Peri... no..." He took her gently by the shoulders and held her slightly away from him.
She blinked up at him, trying to understand why he was stopping, when she knew instinctively that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. "No?"
"This won't work, love," he tried to explain.
"I love you, Philip. Of course, it will work," she stated, confident that everything would work out fine.
"You don't understand. It's impossible. You're Peri Kane Davidson. Your parents are rich. Just look at what your uncle owns..."
"So?"
"So, I'm just plain Philip Montgomery. I work for my living. I have nothing to give you... nothing."
"I only want your love, Philip. I never asked for anything else."
"I'm a man, Peri. If I love a woman, I have to be able to provide for her."
"But money doesn't matter to me. It's not important. I have money, more than enough for both of us. All I want is you," she insisted.
"It's no good, Peri." He released her and stepped away. Her bewildered expression was like a knife in his heart, but he knew he had to stop this madness now. Even when the time came and he was freed from his indenture, there was still Jordan and her danger. "Go on back to your party. Find yourself a rich man who can give you all the things you should have. Forget about me."
"But Philip, I love you."
"I'm sorry."
Before she could say another word, he turned and vanished into the concealing darkness. Peri stood fro zen where he'd left her, staring off after him, her cheeks wet with tears of frustration and regret. It was a long time before she felt composed enough to return to the reception. When she did, she sought out another glass of champagne. An hour later, she was already beginning to plot.
Nick thought the celebration was passing far too quickly. It was nearing midnight, and the time was coming when it would be expected that he and Jordan would retire for the night. If they stayed longer to avoid the trip upstairs, questions would be asked. There was no way out of it. They had to give the appearance that they were going up to bed to share their first night of connubial bliss.
Nick downed his bourbon as he listened with little interest to the conversations going on around him. Aaron had claimed Jordan for a dance about half an hour before, and she'd been gone from him ever since as man after man followed his suit and sought her out for a dance. He realized Slater had been right in his assessment. Every man in four parishes was wanting her, and it looked like they were all standing in line waiting their turn to get their hands on her.
Nick watched Jordan dance by now, doing a schottische with a young bachelor from a neighboring plantation, and he acknowledged the truth of his jealousy for the first time. If he felt this way over just a few harmless dances with friends, he wondered how he was going to feel when the time came for him to let her go to Montgomery. He stared down at his glass and was amazed to find it empty. He contemplated getting a refill, but decided against it. Tonight of all nights he needed a clear head. He needed to keep his wits about him. It was not going to be easy to share a bedroom with Jordan and not touch her. It would take all his considerable self-restraint to follow through with the bargain, but he had given his word.
"Here she is, Nick," Ralph Murphy said as he returned Jordan to her waiting husband. "She's as graceful a dancer as she is beautiful."
"Why, thank you, Ralph," Jordan was pleased by his comment.
"You're one lucky man."
"I know," Nick answered without hesitation. When the other man had gone, he turned to Jordan and asked, "Would you like to dance again?"
"Actually, I was hoping to find a quiet place to rest," she told him honestly.
"Do you want to go upstairs now? It's nearly midnight."
"I hadn't realized it was that late..." Jordan was surprised and a little nervous. "I guess maybe we'd better. We don't want to raise any suspicions."
"Why don't you go on up, and I'll meet you there shortly."
"All right." A shiver of anticipation shot through her. This was her wedding night. She wasn't quite sure what to say, so she said nothing. Instead, she raised up on tiptoes to give Nick a soft, unexpected kiss on the lips, then hurried from the room.
Slater appeared magically at his side. "Are you sure about this bargain of yours?"
"I'm sure." Nick sounded bitter. He knew her seemingly impulsive kiss had been for show, but it had unnerved him.
"Jordan's turned out to be one hell of a better actress than I gave her credit for, then," he commented. "Want to join me in the study for one last drink?"
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea." Common sense warned Nick that he shouldn't do it, but he rationalized the warning away, telling himself that the drink would help fortify Urn for the hours to come.
Rose Brandford and Liz McKelvey were sitting at the side of the ballroom, watching the newlyweds. Rose elbowed her companion in the ribs as discreetly as she could when Jordan left the ballroom and headed upstairs.
"I told you they wouldn't be able to wait past midnight. Heaven knows, if that had been me, I would have dragged the boy upstairs hours ago."
"Rosie!" Liz scolded in a shocked whisper, giving her a scandalized look.
"Oh, Liz, don't you remember what your wedding night was like? I know I certainly do," she confided with a sly grin. "Why, my Everett was one fantastic lover, and I can just imagine how the Kane boy..."
"Rosie!" Her friend began to blush as she opened her fan and began to fan herself nervously. "You mustn't say such things out loud!"
"Why not? I'll bet you there isn't a woman in this room who isn't thinking about it."
"I mo
st certainly am not thinking about `it,'
"Well, you should be, especially since your Darrell is still alive," Rosie chided.
"You have a dirty mind."
Incensed, she puffed up in her indignity. "I do not!" she snapped, then added calmly, "I'm a romantic. I'm wishing the same love for Jordan and Nick that I had with Everett."
"He did make the perfect choice, didn't he? She's so pretty-and such a lady."
"Indeed, he did choose well. I know Andrea would be proud of him tonight. You can certainly see how happy Charles is."
"He's pleased as punch. You should have heard him bragging about Jordan. You'd have thought he handpicked her." The two women exchanged contented smiles, but then Liz's expression grew serious. "But, Rosie, did you notice that he's not looking particularly well?"
"I did notice that he looked tired. You don't suppose he's ill, do you?"
Jordan had no idea she'd won the seal of approval of every matron in attendance, she was just glad to be able to escape the revelry. She needed time to think before Nick came up to the room. To be honest with herself, she wasn't quite sure what to do.
Jordan knew that though she loved Nick with all her heart, he did not love her. He had no intention of making this a lasting marriage. He'd made it clear from the start that he wanted out as soon as it could be arranged, and she had to live with that knowledge. The only thing that made the whole thing bearable was that he seemed to be coming to like her. Certainly all of his attentiveness couldn't have been merely for show. And then there were his kisses...
A heady determination filled her. This was her wedding night. She would forget about tomorrow and grasp her happiness now, while she could. A small smile curved her lips as she entered the bedroom they would share that night. When Nick came up to join her, he wasn't going to find a bought-andpaid-for servant, he was going to find a loving, devoted bride.
"Good evening, ma'am. What can I do for you?" Claire, the maid, asked as Jordan came in the room.