Wild Lord Taggart

by Tammy Jo Burns

  “We’ve wanted to be married so long,” O’Connor said, his voice husky. “We felt like we were in the eyes of the Lord, but have not gone through an official ceremony.”

  “I promise you, we will figure out a way.”

  “Even for considering this possibility, you have our loyalty, Mr. Taggart. We will help you any way we can,” O’Connor promised.

  “Good. Suppose you take me on a tour of the land, and then we can tour the house. We will then need to sit and discuss recruiting people to work here.”

  “We’re going to be busy,” O’Connor said.

  “Good. It’ll keep my mind off Circe,” Reese muttered under his breath.

  “What was that, sir?”

  “Call me Reese or Taggart, and it was nothing. Let’s get started, shall we?”

  * * *

  Over the next several hours Reese saw as much of Windcrest Plantation as he possibly could before darkness settled over the island. He followed O’Connor into the house and was welcomed by the aroma of something cooking that made his stomach rumble. It reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since leaving the ship late that morning. Had it really been just today when I parted ways with Circe and sought out my new home? he wondered in astonishment.

  “My Ruth is a wonderful cook,” O’Connor commented.

  “It smells like it. I can’t wait to eat. I’m starving.”

  “We can talk as we eat.”

  “Good.”

  They greeted Ruth and Tally, filled their plates with food, and took their seats at the table. Ruth joined them and sat next to Tally so she could help the little girl and keep her quiet. All through the meal, the men discussed what they had seen and what needed to be done.

  “I know I only saw a portion of everything there is to see here, but I think the first thing we need to do is get more hands here to help get things back to working order.”

  “I agree,” O’Connor said readily, nodding his head.

  “Me, too,” Tally said solemnly, mocking her father.

  “Tally,” Ruth scolded the little girl, “your father and Mr. Taggart are talking. Do not interrupt.”

  “I don’t mind,” Reese said.

  “I do, Mr. Taggart,” Ruth said. “My daughter will know her place.”

  “All right.” He took a few more bites and a drink of cool water before he spoke. “Mrs. O’Connor,” he addressed her, feeling uncomfortable using her christian name and not knowing what else to call her, “I’d like for you to oversee the inside help.”

  “What?” she asked, shocked.

  “You’ve run this house for so long, even if it was just for your family, you seem to be the natural choice.”

  “But I’ve never run a large household. I’ve only been a lower maid. I wouldn’t know what to do. Besides, I’ve only seen to the portions of the house that we use on a daily basis. It would have looked as if someone lived here otherwise,” she quickly explained.

  “I imagine you’ll learn quickly,” Reese said before tucking back into his meal. After clearing his plate twice, he pushed it away and stood up. “My head is pounding and I’d like to go to bed. Mrs. O’Connor, thank you so much for the delicious meal.”

  “I’ll bring you a tea for your head,” she said.

  He nodded as he moved down the hallway to the room Ruth had said looked to have been the master’s room on the tour of the house. He tried to ignore the flaking paint and the peeling wallpaper. The rooms the couple had used were the only ones that seemed to be in decent shape. There was so much to do and he didn’t know how he was going to get it all done. “How am I going to persuade people to work for me on faith alone?” he asked the empty room. How were they going to trust him when so many others had betrayed them? The weight on his shoulders grew and he felt like he would fall through the floor from it.

  Reese walked into his room, and crossed to the washstand with a cracked mirror attached to it. He braced his hands on either side of the washbasin and stared at himself. Dark circles had started to form under his eyes. How would he take care of all the people once they arrived at Windcrest Plantation? His pulse started to speed up and his breathing grew rapid. Get yourself together, man, he ordered himself.

  He took several deep breaths and let them out, slow and steady. He looked in the mirror again, studying his reflection. Once he had his pulse under control, he straightened.

  “So this is how Duncan must feel, making certain all of the people of our dukedom are cared for, acting as judge, jury, and provider for them. Duncan was trained for the position from the time of his birth. Am I up to it?” For the first time in years he prayed, “Lord, give me the strength and wisdom to do right by all these people coming under my protection.”

  Chapter 8

  Reese groaned and shifted on the hard floor that had doubled as his bed last night. Every part of his body ached and his mind was fuzzy with exhaustion. The tea Ruth had brought him had relaxed him, but his impromptu bed had had the opposite effect. His left arm was numb from laying on it. Reese managed to roll over onto his stomach and flexed his hand, bringing his arm back to painful life. He took a deep breath, but quickly started coughing when he inhaled a large quantity of dust. A rooster could be heard crowing in the distance and he sincerely wished someone would ring its bloody neck.

  When he had crawled onto the bed last night and collapsed from mental exhaustion it only took a few minutes for him to feel the mattress shift beneath his weight. He scrambled to his feet and upon further inspection found a family of mice inhabiting it, a very large extended family. They seemed to oppose his presence as much as he did theirs. Reese had given the mice back their home, albeit temporarily, and scratched his head as he looked around the room wondering where else he could sleep. He finally made a pallet on the floor, and in his exhausted state, had quickly fallen asleep.

  “Oh,” he moaned as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. Slowly he climbed to his feet. He tugged on his shirt and his boots having slept in his breeches after his run in with the mice. Once he was dressed he walked over to the window covered by a shutter hanging askew. He raised the sash and pushed the shutter open. It creaked on its one intact hinge before halfway to the outer wall, it came loose and fell with a crash into the shrubbery below. He breathed out a sigh of disappointment as he looked over the neglected landscape.

  “Everything all right in here?” Sean O’Connor asked at the open door.

  “Just realizing it wasn’t a nightmare after all,” Reese muttered. “Everything’s fine. I’ll be out in a bit.”

  “Ruth is cooking a simple fare to break your fast.”

  “She needn’t do that.”

  “She was cooking for us as well,” O’Connor said by way of an answer.

  Reese heard the door shut and stared out at the jungle-like scene. “What in bloody hell have I gotten myself into?” He turned and crossed the room to leave when a mouse perched on its hind legs on the mattress, twitching its nose at him. “You,” he growled, pointing at the rodent, “had better enjoy what little time you have left in that mattress, because last night was your last night there.”

  He left the room and stomped through the house toward the smell that was making his stomach growl. He finally entered the kitchen to find O’Connor and Ruth quietly talking while little Tally happily ate with her fingers. They looked up and O’Connor gave him an odd look.

  “Master Taggart, good morning,” Ruth said. She struggled to get to her feet when Reese approached her and laid a gentle, but firm hand, on her shoulder pushing her back down onto the bench.

  “My name is Reese. I am master of nothing and no one, do we understand?”

  “Yes,” Ruth agreed.

  “Good. How are you this morning, sweet Tally?”

  “Eat,” she said holding out a piece of her breakfast to him.

  Not wanting to offend the child, he took it from her and popped it into his mouth. “Hmm, good,” he said and was surprised to find he wasn’t lying. It was a s
weet fruit of some type. He reached out and grabbed another piece and popped it into his mouth making the little girl giggle.

  “How did you sleep?” Ruth asked.

  “Don’t ask. I am purchasing a new mattress for the bedroom I am using. I refuse to have mice for bedmates.”

  “At least it was mice and not rats,” O’Connor muttered before taking a long drink of his hot coffee.

  “Rats?”

  “Aye. They love living among the sugar cane. I’ve seen some as long as my forearm, and that’s just the body.”

  “Lord help me. What is that you’re drinking?” Reese asked, wrinkling his nose.

  “Coffee. Would you like some? It’s stronger than your English tea.”

  “I think I can handle it.”

  “We’ll see,” O’Connor chuckled as Ruth poured a cup for Reese.

  Reese reached for it, inhaled the scent first, then took a gulp. It tasted what he imagined tar tasted like, but he would be damned if he let this Irishman witness his distaste towards the drink. He tilted the cup back and finished off the hot, black liquid then placed the empty cup on the table. “I’ve had worse.”

  O’Connor laughed. “You Englishmen would walk through Hell barefoot if an Irishman told you that you couldn’t.”

  Reese smirked at him and said, “Perhaps we can see if that’s true another day. Right now, we have other things to accomplish. First things first, we gather all the mattresses and start a burn pile. Any piece of furniture that is harboring any rodents of any kind gets thrown out.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The men left Ruth and Tally behind while they methodically went through the house and tossed mattresses, furniture, and draperies out of the windows into a large pile on the drive. They met at the pile and Reese carried a taper with a flame dancing on the end. He moved to ignite the pile when O’Connor stopped him.

  “I think we should rethink burning this here, so close to the house and plants.”

  Reese stopped and looked around. Even though the pile had been placed squarely on the drive, greenery hung near the pile. “What do you suggest?”

  “Do you have money?”

  “Some.”

  “We go into Oistins, and see if we can purchase a wagon and a couple of horses. We are going to have a lot of clearing to do, and it will be nice to have them on more than just this occasion. You can also put out word that you are seeking help.”

  “All right.” Reese waited outside for O’Connor while he went inside and told Ruth where they would be. Soon the man was striding towards Reese again, his hand outstretched.

  “Ruth is sending food to hold us over until we return.”

  “You have a good woman there, O’Connor.”

  “Aye, I do. And ye best keep yer rovin’ eye off her.”

  “I have enough to deal with rather than starting an affair with a married woman, or any woman for that matter.” Reese paused, taken aback at his own words. He had never been too preoccupied to stay away from a woman. A beautiful, curvy blonde that wanted nothing to do with him, came to mind. His body immediately came to life as he remembered holding her in his arms and sharing kisses with her and nothing more. Never before had he been so affected by so little.

  “Taggart!” O’Connor practically shouted at him.

  “What?”

  “Who were you thinkin’ ‘bout?” the other man asked suspiciously.

  “Not Ruth.”

  “You sayin’ she’s not good enough for ye?”

  “Oh, bloody hell, let’s go find a wagon and some horses so we can get all this stuff loaded up and carted away from here.” They were both on the rented horse and riding down the drive when Reese said, “I’m also buying a two extra horses. I’m not one to share a mount.”

  “Ye won’t get a complaint out of me,” O’Connor quickly agreed.

  * * *

  Circe slowly awoke the next day to the realization that the sun shone brightly through the slats of the shutters covering the windows. She stretched her arms above her head and pointed her toes towards the footboard before her eyes flew open and darted around the room. An extremely fine net hung around the bed from the ceiling, separating her from the rest of the room.

  Where am I? she wondered worriedly. Think, Circe told herself. It looked like the bedroom she had been given at Uncle Robert’s minus all the clothing strewn about. The last thing she remembered was sitting in Uncle Robert’s room visiting with him and Dorothea. She had leaned back, closed her eyes, and… Nothing.

  A tap sounded at the door and she jerked the bedsheets up to her chin.

  “Who is it?”

  “Dorothea.”

  “Come in,” she exhaled her held breath.

  Dorothea entered the room alone and laughed softly when she saw Circe’s startled expression.

  “No need to look as if I’m going to attack you, silly,” Dorothea said, the words accompanied by a tinkling laugh.

  “What time is it?”

  “Three in the afternoon,” Dorothea replied as she flitted about the room.

  Circe watched her draw back the net, draping part of it behind the headboard and the other half behind the footboard. After that Dorothea moved on to lift the window sashes and open the shutters letting light pour into the room. A slight breeze blew inside bringing with it the tropical smells that had greeted Circe yesterday. Dorothea’s words penetrated Circe’s mind. “What? No, it cannot be. I have never slept that late in my life.”

  “Now you have. So tell me, are you feeling more rested?”

  Circe took inventory of her person. Did she? She had thought she was rested before, but evidently that was not true. Her thinking was clearer than it had been last night. She did not feel as if she were going to cry at the drop of a hat. Her body no longer ached. The real test would be what happened when she stood up. She threw back the covers and noticed she was still in her dress from yesterday. The only article of clothing that had been removed were her shoes. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She carefully stood up, arms spread wide for balance, but with great relief her legs seemed to have lost their wobbliness.

  “Well?”

  “It seems all I needed was a good night’s rest.”

  “And most of the day,” Dorothea said as an aside.

  “So it would seem. What is that net attached to the ceiling?”

  “We have horrible little flying insects. They’re a bit like the legend of the vampire, they come out mostly at night and prey on the blood of animals and humans. The net will protect you from getting bit. Of course those aren’t the only pests the net can protect you from.”

  “Oh.” She let that information sink in a moment before continuing, “I suppose I missed our shopping trip.” Circe walked across the room to look out one of the windows. She held up her hand, winced, and blinked several times at the brightness that greeted her.

  “No. It’s just been postponed a day or two. After Robert carried you to your bed last night—”

  “Oh, no, please tell me he did no such thing!” Circe exclaimed, mortified at the thought. She buried her flushed face in her cupped hands.

  “Of course, he did. Don’t think anything of it. You were so exhausted you fell asleep sitting up. We tried to rouse you, but couldn’t, and we couldn’t leave you there all night. Once we got you to bed, Robert and I talked and decided not to push you. Your journey has evidently been hard on you, and you need some time to recover. Lay about. Read. Take naps. Go for a stroll if you wish. Just do not do anything too strenuous.”

  “All right. Dorothea,” she said, stopping the other woman as she turned to leave the room.

  “Yes?”

  “You seem years beyond your age. Why?”

  “One day I’ll tell you about my background and you’ll understand.”

  “All right.”

  “Oh, and Circe, don’t go for a walk without me.”

  “All right,” Circe agreed hesitantly. “Is there something I should be wa
ry of?”

  “No, I just have a feeling that you might need protection from something or someone,” Dorothea answered cryptically.

  “I do not understand.” Circe cocked her head to the side and looked at her aunt, a confused expression on her face.

  “Someday you will, just not today. I’ll have a meal sent up for you. Would you enjoy a bath, as well?”

  “Oh, that would be heavenly. I cannot remember the last time I had a legitimate bath. It was England, most definitely. Almost two months of just being able to dip a cloth in a limited water supply and sponging yourself as clean as possible.”

  “I shudder to even imagine.”

  “It was, most assuredly, an adventure.”

  “I’ll send some special oils to you that will make you feel just the thing. Enjoy your afternoon.”

  “I will. Thank you, Dorothea.”

  “Please, call me Dot. Dorothea sounds so old,” she said and shuddered.

  “Thank you, Dot.”

  “I do hope we become great friends.” She had a little bounce to her step and practically radiating enthusiasm.

  “I am certain we will.” When Dot left the room and shut the door, Circe padded across the room in her stockinged feet, pulled open the drapes, and opened the French doors to her balcony. Just as she was about to step outside, she was halted by a knock. “Come in,” Circe called.

  “Pardon us, Miss Hayhurst, but we’ve come to set up the bathing tub.

  “Do whatever you need to. I’ll be out here.”

  “Yes, Miss Hayhurst.”

  The two men carrying in the bathtub were as dark-skinned as Elijah. She ached to ask them if they were slaves or free men, but feared the answer, so she remained silent. Her parents were very adamant in their beliefs of not owning another person and had instilled that belief in their daughter, but she knew Barbados was a world away from England and the life Uncle Robert had once known. Pushing her curiosity to the back of her mind, she turned and fully stood on the balcony. She braced the palms of her hands on the stone railing and took a deep breath of the warm, tropical, sea air and slowly exhaled it. Whatever tension had been in her since waking quickly escaped.