“No, ye’re a guest.”
“I invited myself, now tell me what I can do to help you.” When Circe saw her hesitating she said, “I will not take no for an answer. Also, you should know that I cannot cook, but I am very good at following directions.”
“All right,” the other woman reluctantly agreed. “But ye aren’t goin’ t’ be helpin’ me in that. Take off that jacket and I’ll get ye somethin’ more practical to wear.”
Circe did so as the other woman was returning with what looked like a man’s shirt. “By the way, my name is Circe.”
“Ruth,” the woman replied. She thrust the garment into Circe’s hands, “Ye can wear this.”
Circe slipped on the shirt, buttoned it up, and rolled up the sleeves. Ruth gave Circe some directions and left her to get started on her part while she continued working on hers. The women fell into a comfortable silence.
* * *
After all the cooking and cleaning was finished, Circe insisted that Ruth sit and rest. When the other woman started to argue, Circe interrupted her.
“How often do have someone offer to watch the baby for you?”
“Well, now that you mention it…”
“It will not be very much longer before you have another little one to care for as well. This might be one of the last times you get to sit and just enjoy putting your feet up.”
“That does sound wonderful, and I am tired.”
“Go lay down. I promise I will take excellent care of Tally.”
“Are ye certain? It seems like I’m askin’ too much.”
“I am volunteering. Go.”
“Before I go, Mr. Taggart is a Lord, isn’t he?”
“You will have to ask him,” Circe replied then shooed her out of the room. The kitchen was clean, so she spent some time just playing with the little girl. When Tally grew bored, Circe took one of the meat pies she had helped make and coaxed Tally to eat one. The little girl ate half of one and then crawled up into Circe’s lap and wrapped her arms about her neck. Circe rocked back and forth where she sat even after she could tell the little girl had fallen asleep. This is what she wanted, but if she found a man here in Barbados, would she have this? What if she were to return to England? She would be expected to have a nanny and governess for her children. To be a parent that merely had the children to carry on the family name, not to be a part of their world.
“Ruth, something smells wonderful,” Reese said as he entered the kitchen.
“Thank you, but I am not Ruth.”
“Circe? What are you doing here?”
She turned to look at him and her breath caught in her throat. His hair was wet and his torso appeared to be as well, because his shirt clung to him in a fashion that took her breath away. Her eyes traveled back up and collided with his. Right now they were gray with flecks of blue sparkling in them. He ran his hand through his wet hair. “Um, I—”
“Where’s Ruth and who’re ye?”
“O’Connor, this is a friend of mine, Circe Hayhurst.”
“Where’s my wife?” O’Connor demanded, sounding agitated.
“I sent her to rest. We have been cooking and cleaning most of the afternoon and she was exhausted, even though she would not admit it. I fed Tally and then she promptly fell asleep.”
“Ah. I’m sorry for snappin’ at ye. I just… Did ye say Hayhurst?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take Tally and go check on Ruth.”
O’Connor walked over and took his sleeping daughter from Circe’s arms. They suddenly felt extremely empty and she wrapped them around herself. She stood, dropped her arms to her sides, and walked to a long counter. She grabbed a meat pie, carried it over to Reese, and offered it to him. He took a bite and smiled.
“Ruth’s a wonderful cook.”
“I will have you know I made those,” Circe said, hands on hips.
“You made these?”
“I did.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Why not?”
“Well, you’re a…”
“Go ahead, spit it out. I am an heiress and have not cooked anything in my life. Well, you would be correct, but it seems that I am fairly good at cooking, cleaning, feeding a child, and getting said child to sleep with minimal fuss.”
“What’s wrong, Circe?”
“Does anything have to be wrong for me to visit my neighbor?”
“How long have you been here?”
She shrugged and walked past him to the entrance he came through. “I hate to say this, Reese, but Windcrest needs a lot of work.”
“Yes, it does, but I find I’m looking forward to it. My partners showed up early this morning and started to work right away.”
“Partners?”
“Yes.” He quickly explained to her about advertising for free men to work and share in the profits of Windcrest Plantation.
“That is truly a brilliant move, Reese.”
“Thank you. Now, how about the truth? How long have you been here?”
“Hours.”
“How did you get here?”
“Midnight Star, one of my uncle’s horses. He is tied up out front. Do not worry, he has enough room to get to food and water.”
“I wouldn’t assume otherwise. What brought you here?” He watched as she continued to look out at the overgrown land. “Circe?”
“Dorothea is having an affair.”
“What? How do you know?”
“I saw her lover leaving her room.”
“How do you know they were…well…”
“I know what certain sounds mean when I hear them, Reese.”
“All right. So what happened?”
“When I saw him leaving the room, I hid. I started to confront her, but when I had the opportunity, I let it pass. I did not know what to do. Uncle Robert adores her. How could she do that to him?”
“Is she unhappy?”
“She does not appear to be. She dotes on Uncle Robert as if he has given her the world as a gift.”
“Perhaps she just likes to…well…”
“Copulate?”
“Yes.”
“She is married, Reese. Pretends to be happily so.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, Circe, not really. Do you know how many people in London were happily married, but still had affairs?”
“Then why get married? Why put your spouse through that? Why make them think that they are all you think about when in truth you are whoring about?”
“Hey, hey, what is all this about, really?” He grabbed her upper arm and turned her chin towards him.
“It is about trust and fidelity. It is about love.”
“Circe, if you are determined to find love, you are going to spend the rest of your life being disappointed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Love is an illusion that only a few are lucky enough to experience. The majority of people marry for companionship or because the union is mutually beneficial.”
“That is quite an opinion you have, Lord Taggart.”
“It is the truth, Miss Hayhurst. Chances are your dear uncle is also enjoying his fair share of lovers. My suggestion to you is to stay out of it. Do what you came here to do. Find a man that will marry you and give you children despite your parent’s reputation, but don’t count on love or you will be sorely disappointed.”
“Well, I do appreciate the advice, Lord Taggart. Please give Ruth and Tally my love and I hope you choke on that meat pie.”
“That’s it, Miss Hayhurst. That’s the attitude that will win you a husband in no time at all.”
Circe spared him a withering look as she flounced through the house and out the front door. She untied Midnight Star, mounted him, and took off down the drive at a breakneck pace.
* * *
“Shouldn’t you go after her, Lord Taggart?” O’Connor asked at his shoulder.
Reese turned and gave the other man a look of shock.
&n
bsp; “Miss Hayhurst let it slip to Ruth.”
“I see.”
“You should go after her.”
“She managed to get here on her own, she can make it home on her own.”
“You should keep an eye on her just the same.”
“I’ve been told, on several occasions, that she can take care of herself, very well I might add.”
“I—”
“O’Connor, that’s enough. I’m not going to stand here and talk about her any longer when I could be sleeping on my new, fresh, rodent free mattress.”
“Yes, sir.”
Reese ignored the obstinance in O’Connor’s voice and walked through the house to his bedroom. Before he was able to shut the door, O’Connor was there, holding something out to him.
“What is that?”
“The woman left it behind.”
“I’ll take it.” He jerked the garment from O’Connor’s hand and slammed the door shut. He threw it across his bed and walked to the washstand.
He stripped off his clothes and ran the wet sponge over his aching body. It ached for two reasons—the hard work he had put in today was one, but the physical ache he felt when he thought of Circe was almost as debilitating. He walked to the bed, threw back the covers, and fell onto the clean mattress and bedsheets. He wiggled like an eager puppy, getting his spot just right, then he pulled the netting around the bed and the sheet up to his midsection. Lying there, he could not get the image of Circe’s sparkling blue eyes as she had argued with him out of his mind. He looked over and saw her garment mocking him. He grabbed a fistful of it, pulled it close and inhaled deeply of roses.
Had she made it home all right? What if something had happened to her? She could be lying on the side of the road, even now, broken from a fall and unable to seek help. Just as soon as the thoughts would leave his mind, them and more would fight their way back until all he was thinking of was Circe.
“Bloody hell,” he said as he sat up and cast off the covers. He pushed the net apart, dressed, grabbed her discarded garment, and then went to saddle a horse so that he could check on the headstrong woman.
Chapter 13
Circe would never be certain as to what spooked her horse. All she knew was that one minute she was flying like the wind on his back and the next she was pinwheeling through the air to the ground while he continued without her. She lay on her back staring at the twinkling stars in the fading light as she fought to get her breath under control. She was just about to sit up when she heard a horse approaching and then a figure was hunched over her, running hands along every part of her body.
“Are you all right? Can you speak to me? Can you tell me who you are? Where do you hurt? Bloody hell, Circe, talk to me!”
“If you would give me a moment, I would love to answer your questions,” she said, pushing him backwards and sitting up.
“Perhaps you should lie back down.”
“I am perfectly fine.” She tried to jerk free of his hold.
“Where’s the horse?”
“I am sure he his back home by now.”
“What happened?”
“I wanted to go one way and he had other ideas, so we had a parting of the ways.” She winced as she stood and rubbed her bottom.
“Are you certain you’re all right?”
“Yes.” Circe turned and started walking up the road.
“Where exactly did you want to go?”
“Pardon?”
“When you and the horse had a parting of the ways. Where was it you wanted to go?”
“Nowhere.”
“I don’t believe so,” he said as he joined her, his horse walking behind them. “I think you were going to enjoy my beach again.”
“What if I was?”
He remained silent as they continued to walk.
“I apologize. I do not mean to sound so hateful. It is just…Well, I am…”
“Upset?”
“And frustrated and angry and…”
“Did you really expect to come here and find things so very different from England?”
“As naïve as it sounds, I had sincerely hoped it would be different.”
“You left this behind,” Reese said, retrieving her garment from where it was draped across his saddle.
“Oh, thank you.” She took it and looked down, just realizing that she still wore a man’s shirt. She quickly slipped it over her head, handed it to Reese, and then pulled on the jacket and worked at the buttons.
They continued walking quietly for some time before Reese spoke. “What do you think it’ll be like when you attend a party?”
“I already have.”
“You have?”
“Last night. By noon I had received a stack of invitations to parties, picnics, and dances this tall.” She held her hands out in front of her with a space of about six inches between them.
“Impressive,” he said.
“I thought so. This one gentleman seemed to take a particular interest in me.”
“Just one?”
“There were several, but Lord Erickson ran the others off.”
“You like this Lord Erickson?”
“He is pleasant enough,” she said noncommittally. “I also made a friend. At least, I hope I made a friend. Her name is Victoria Todd.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Reese, you do not have to see me home. It is my own fault the horse threw me. I can manage to find my own way. You must be exhausted after working all day.”
“I am, but I will escort you home, nonetheless. My conscience would not allow me to do otherwise.”
“All right.”
“A stack that high, huh?”
“Did you doubt that people would want to befriend me?”
“No, of course not,” he blustered.
“You are not convinced, are you?”
He kept looking straight ahead.
“Do you believe I am merely a curiosity to them?” She halted in the middle of the road and propped her fists on her hips. “I should…should…”
“What, Circe?” Reese asked huskily.
“What if I am merely a curiosity to them?” she asked, giving voice to her fears.
“Give them something to talk about,” he suggested, hating how forlorn she looked.
Shadows were falling and suddenly it seemed extremely intimate to Circe. She looked up at Reese and felt her heart skip several beats causing her breath to quicken.
“Reese,” she sighed his name.
“Yes?”
She stepped towards him, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to his. Circe curled her arm around his neck as he deepened the kiss. She moaned in response, happy that he wanted this as much as she did. She felt one of his big hands move up between them and cup a breast through her riding habit. Circe leaned towards him, pushing herself more fully against his palm. She suddenly felt bereft as he pushed her back and took several steps backwards.
“Reese?” she asked, confused until the sound of horse’s hooves clip-clopping towards them garnered her complete attention.
“Circe!”
“Uncle Robert?”
“Circe! Where are you?”
“Here!” She stepped into the middle of the road and waved her arms in the air.
“Oh, my dear, we were so worried about you when the horse showed up at the stables without you,” he said as he dismounted and approached her. He tugged her into his arms and gave her a fierce hug that almost squeezed the breath out of her. “And who are you?”
“Please, Uncle Robert, be nice. This is Lord Reese Taggart. Reese, my uncle, Lord Robert Hayhurst.”
“I have heard only good things about you, sir.”
“Thank you, and thank you for acting as companion and protector to my niece on the voyage here.”
“It was my pleasure, sir. Now that she’s in good hands, I should return home. It’s been a long day. I find being a gentleman farmer is much harder work than I thought it’d be.”
>
“Indeed. If you should need to discuss any improvements or how to purchase servants, I would be more than happy to give you some advice.”
“Thank you, sir, I will keep that in mind, but for the time being we are going to make a go of running Windcrest with only free men.”
“What?” Robert asked, flabbergasted.
“Yes. I can’t abide owning another person.”
“It won’t make you popular among other plantation owners.”
“May I be frank with you, sir?”
“Yes.”
“I am sick unto death of being popular. I would much rather be thought of as a fair employer and a kind man.”
“Are you saying I’m not either one of those things?”
“No, sir, that is not at all what I said. I will bid you both good night. Dawn comes early.”
“Goodbye, Lord Taggart, and thank you.”
“You are most welcome, Miss Hayhurst. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Hayhurst.”
“You, as well, Lord Taggart.”
Circe watched Reese mount his horse, turn, and ride away.
“We should be returning home ourselves,” Robert said.
“Certainly.”
He mounted the horse then gave her a hand up in front of him.
“You really shouldn’t leave the house without a chaperone.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Circe, don’t be angry. I’m merely concerned about you and thinking of your safety.”
“I know.” She was quiet for a few minutes before she asked, “Uncle Robert, are you and Dorothea happy?”
“We couldn’t be happier. She is the love of my life and I hers. I now know why I came to Barbados. It was my destiny to meet her and fall in love. Why all this sudden questioning about Dot and I?”
“I suppose I am just jealous that you have found the love of your life.”
“Ah. Don’t worry, love, your day will come, and if what Dot told me about all the invitations you’ve received is true, it could be sooner rather than later.”
They spent the rest of the short journey home with only the clopping of the horse’s hooves breaking the silence.
* * *
“Robert, where did you find her?” Dorothea asked when Circe and her uncle entered the house.
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