Wild Lord Taggart

by Tammy Jo Burns

  “I will.”

  There was a silent, pregnant pause where all Circe heard was the crashing of the waves.

  “Oh, and Circe?”

  “Yes?”

  “I hope you reach your goal. Goodbye, Miss Hayhurst.”

  Circe watched as he turned to leave the beach and her behind. His words sounded so final as if they were never going to see each other again. He had not demanded she leave, but rather left her alone with her thoughts. He had yet to lie to her. Perhaps he was telling the truth. Besides, Dorothea had lied about being involved with Samson. Perhaps she had lied about the encounter between her and Reese as well. But you saw them kissing! she argued with herself.

  “Stop,” Circe said just barely loud enough to be heard over the crashing waves.

  “Pardon?”

  “You may stay.”

  “Thank you, your majesty,” he said in a teasing manner. “May I ask what brings you to my beach?”

  “I needed some peace and quiet.”

  “Tired of all the balls and parties?”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “Have you come any closer to finding a husband?”

  “You have been to the parties. You have seen how it is. Lord Beaumont will not allow any other man around me at the parties. He monopolizes my time.”

  “You do not care for Beaumont?” he tried to sound casual as he asked the question.

  “Let us just say that he is not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “He is a bit pretentious,” Reese said as he sat down in the sand.

  “A bit?”

  “Did you just snort?”

  “No.”

  “I think you did,” he said, laughing.

  “I did not,” she argued and pushed his shoulder, but to her horror she went flying through the air. She twisted and landed on her side, then with a grunt rolled onto her back.

  “Are you all right?”

  Circe looked up at the concerned eyes boring into hers. “I cannot believe you just did that.”

  He looked sheepish but held out a hand to her to help her sit up. “What are you going to do?”

  “Revenge is best served cold, and in no way would I tell you what I am going to do.”

  “Not me, Circe, about Beaumont.”

  “Oh. I suppose I will allow him to keep monopolizing my time. He does not seem to mind my background and is looking for a wife. Besides, he keeps all the ones like that nasty Lord Erickson at bay. I never did thank you for hitting him in the jaw. It was well deserved.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” he said. “You did fairly well yourself, if I remember correctly.”

  “How is Ruth?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

  “You mean you don’t know? I thought you had been to see her and the new babe nearly every day this week.”

  “So I have been found out.”

  “Yes, you have. Ruth and O’Connor can’t keep anything from one another. I thought I had escaped that when I left England, but it seems I haven’t.”

  “They are in love.”

  “So they say.”

  “I suppose you are going to tell me it is not wise to make friends with her.”

  “It’s none of my business what you do.”

  She looked at him curiously then looked out to sea once more. “How is the work going on the plantation?”

  “Slow.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “I doubt it.”

  She tugged off her gloves and held her hands out for him to see the still healing spots from when she had helped on her uncle’s plantation.

  “What’s this?”

  “Battle scars, I suppose you could say.”

  “From?”

  “I helped bring in the sugarcane on Uncle Robert’s plantation one morning. They looked much worse than this.”

  He held out his own hands for her to see the raw spots and said, “I imagine they did. Why would you ever do that?”

  “Why do you do it?”

  “That’s different. I have a stake in my land.”

  “As long as I am staying with Uncle Robert, I have a stake in his.”

  “I think you’re curious.”

  She wrapped her arms around her raised legs and rested her chin on her knees. “It is beautiful here. This has become my favorite place. Thank you for allowing me to visit it.”

  “You’re welcome, and it is gorgeous,” he agreed. “Do you ever miss England?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you thought what will happen if you find someone to marry that lives here?”

  “You mean when I find someone,” she emphasized the word.

  “I stand corrected. When you find someone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, do you mean to stay here for the rest of your life? What about your parents?”

  “It has always been my plan to return to England.”

  “What do you think your future husband will say about that? Especially if he owns a plantation here. What do you think Beaumont thinks about it?”

  “I honestly have not thought about it, nor have I asked him.”

  “Perhaps you should.”

  Twilight started falling around them.

  “Did you kiss her? I mean I saw the two of you kissing, but I suppose there is a difference between being kissed and being the one instigating it. Forget that I—”

  “Circe, I did not instigate that kiss, nor did I do anything to entice her to continue. I am doing my best to leave that part of my life behind.”

  Circe looked at him and saw his eyes boring into hers. They were still gray, but with more blues pulled in. He looked sincere. Circe got to her feet and walked to her stockings and shoes. She sat on a boulder and quickly tugged them on.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” she asked.

  “Do you believe me?”

  “Let me just say that if I were at the races and you were a horse, I would bet on you…for now.”

  “Are you saying I’m a horse?”

  “You can be a horse’s arse,” she parried.

  “Why Miss Hayhurst, dare you speak in such a manner?”

  “I can be forthright when I wish to be.”

  “So it seems. Are you leaving me?”

  “Yes. I should return home before they worry about me. I have caused enough discourse, I would not want to be blamed for anything else.”

  “Allow me to escort you. The drums have quieted down for the time being, but I would feel better if I accompanied you.”

  “You will get no argument from me.”

  “What?”

  “Shocked, are you?”

  “Yes, if you must know.”

  “Before I came to the beach I witnessed the most disturbing sight,” she said then recounted what she had seen.

  “Writhing on the ground, you say?”

  “Yes. It was almost as if they were possessed.”

  “Odd.”

  “And frightening.”

  “I would say so. Well, let’s get you home, shall we?”

  “Yes.”

  “Reese, have any of my uncle’s…workers come to work with you?”

  “Not that I am aware of. Why?”

  “A man named Samson has left my uncle’s employ. Dorothea is of the opinion their workers are defecting to Windcrest Plantation.”

  “She would be wrong,” he replied.

  “She wants you run off to England and your plantation confiscated.”

  “That bitch,” he muttered.

  “I agree. I wanted to warn you.”

  “Thank you.”

  As they strolled back to her Uncle Robert’s house, their conversation mostly centered around the plantations. Circe was curious by nature and not afraid to ask questions. Besides, she felt discussing his plantation was a safe enough topic. When she had asked every question she could think of for the time being, a comfortable silence fell between them. Circe’s right palm tin
gled with wanting to reach out and hold onto Reese’s left hand. Instead, she fisted her fingers then clasped her hands together behind her back. Finally the house came into view as they rounded the dogleg in the drive.

  “Will I see you at Lord and Lady Braxton’s ball tomorrow evening?” Circe asked. She prayed that she suppressed her hopefulness.

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “No?” she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  “I’m tired of being accosted by both the men and women at these functions.”

  “Oh?”

  “The women only want to use me as a distraction and the men are angry with me for my strange ideas about running a plantation. I’m tired of trying to fight off one spouse while I justify myself to another. I thought this island would be different, but it seems I was wrong.”

  “I think we both were.”

  “Will you be all right attending with only your aunt and uncle?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well…” he drawled the word out.

  “Do you mean you have been attending just to watch over me after what that pompous Lord Erickson did?”

  “You could say that.”

  “I do not need your protection, nor anyone else’s. I can protect myself and you would do well to remember it.”

  “Please accept my apologies. I will not doubt your abilities to protect yourself anymore.”

  “Thank you, Lord Taggart. Now, I should really be going in.”

  “Before you go.” He grabbed her arm, pulled her close, kissed her on the very corner of her mouth, then turned and walked back down the drive. He looked as if he were bouncing down it, much like an excited child.

  “What was that for?” she called after him before he was beyond view.

  “For betting on me,” he answered.

  Circe shook her head with a smile lighting her face and turned to walk the rest of the way. She entered the house and could immediately tell something was wrong. There were servants, mainly women, bustling up and down the stairs, while the butler, Elijah, stood like a sentry outside the study door.

  “Oh, miss, I’m so relieved ye’re home. Perhaps ye can get through t’ the master.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m afraid he might do something drastic.”

  “Where is he?”

  “In the study.”

  “And Dorothea?”

  “In her bedchamber.”

  “I’ll check on Uncle Robert.”

  “Thank ye, miss.”

  “Uncle Robert, may I come in?” she asked as she tapped on the door.

  “No.”

  “Well, that is just entirely too bad.” She walked into the study and was shocked to see a bottle of rum almost completely empty. Her uncle’s eyes were bloodshot and his hair was a mess. “What has happened to you?”

  “Dot. Oh, God, not again,” he cried as tears tracked down his face. He cradled his head in his hands, his elbows were braced on the top of the desk.

  She tried to tamp down her anger until she found out the entire story. Tried to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. “What about Dorothea, Uncle Robert?”

  “Baby’s gone. Again.”

  “What?” she asked trying to piece together his cryptic words.

  “Dot’s lost the babe.”

  “What? When?”

  “Right after you left. The pain came on her suddenly.”

  “I truly am sorry, Uncle Robert. There can be another babe.”

  He shook his head. “Four. No more. I can’t stand to see her disappointment and sadness. I can’t deal with seeing her physical pain or hearing her screams of pain.” He stood up and stepped around his desk. “I have to check on her. She was so upset from your argument earlier and then the pains came on her…” he drifted off as if he was muttering to himself, but Circe heard every word he said, especially about their argument.

  “Uncle Robert, I did not mean…” She stopped when she saw Uncle Robert take a faltering step. He clutched his upper left arm and made a horrible wheezing sound. “Uncle Robert?” she asked, rushing to his side just in time as he stumbled and fell to his knees. “Uncle Robert! Help! Someone help me! Please! It will be all right, Uncle Robert, everything will be all right,” she whispered as she eased him down the rest of the way to the floor. She prayed she was right.

  Chapter 18

  Circe paced up and down the hallway waiting to hear the physician’s opinion about her uncle. She nibbled worriedly on her thumbnail when he finally exited her uncle’s bedchamber.

  “Dr. Chamberlain, what is it? Is he going to be all right?”

  “Calm down. I don’t need another patient on my hands.”

  “What’s wrong with him? Please, tell me.”

  “I will, but I want you to calm down. Now take some deep breaths for me. That’s a girl,” Dr. Chamberlain crooned.

  Circe took several deep breaths, letting each one out slowly. She had to admit that she did, indeed, feel better. “All right, doctor, I am ready to hear what you have to say.”

  “Your uncle has suffered an attack. I’m guessing it’s due to stress brought on by his wife’s condition. His heart is beating erratically. I’ve tried to get it under control, but he’s not responding to the medicine I have given him.”

  Circe leaned against the wall, feeling as if the weight of the world had fallen on her shoulders. Dorothea was ill and now Uncle Robert was as well. Who was going to run the plantation, make the decisions, and take care of the harvest? She did not know anything about running a plantation. Her breathing accelerated and she grew dizzy.

  “Deep breath. That’s it. In. Out. Good. Again. Good. Once more for good measure.”

  Circe did as he instructed and her head started to clear. Uncle Robert had a manager in place that would oversee all that needed to be taken care of outside of the house. The butler and housekeeper would oversee everything within the house. She would focus her attention on Uncle Robert and make certain he regained his health.

  “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Yes. Thank you for coming, Dr. Chamberlain. What should I do for Uncle Robert?” He left instructions for her and turned to walk down the hall.

  “I’ll return tomorrow to check on the patient.”

  “Thank you. Oh, doctor, what about Dorothea?”

  A strange look crossed Dr. Chamberlain’s face before he answered, “The mistress refused to admit me into her room.”

  “Odd.”

  “But not unheard of. Many women do not feel comfortable with a male physician and would much rather be cared for by a midwife.”

  “Yes, well, thank you for coming, doctor. Should anything change, I will send for you immediately.”

  He nodded his head and descended the stairs.

  Circe entered her uncle’s bedchamber and crossed to his bed. His skin looked pasty white in the soft glow of the oil lamps. Perspiration beaded up on his forehead and upper lip. He looked so weak and helpless lying there. “I am so sorry,” she whispered to him, feeling guilty. If she had not had words with Dorothea, then the woman would not have gotten upset and lost the babe, and uncle Robert would not have suffered this attack. “It is all my fault,” she muttered, “but I will find a way to make it up to them.”

  She eyed the connecting door, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Dorothea needed to be told about her husband’s condition. A wife, regardless of what she had just gone through, would want to know, would she not? Especially if she loved her husband as Dorothea professed to. Circe gathered her strength, crossed the room and tapped on the connecting door.

  “Come in, Robert, my love,” she heard the woman call weakly.

  Circe turned the knob, opened the door, and crossed the threshold. She was hit with an overwhelming and nauseating smell of blood.

  “Did that horrid Dr. Chamberlain go away? I can’t believe you sent for him,” Dorothea said.

  “Perhaps we should open t
he windows for just a bit,” Circe suggested.

  “What are you doing in here?” Dorothea asked, her eyes opening wide. “Where’s Robert?”

  Circe opened the windows and looked outside. She had a perfect view of where Reese had kissed her. How things had changed in such a short time. “Dorothea, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  “I can’t be bothered. Don’t you know what I have endured?”

  “Of course, I do, but I thought you…well, you see…it is…um…”

  “My word, if you must tell me, then get on with it and just say it. I need my rest.”

  “Uncle Robert has had some sort of attack.”

  “Is he dead?”

  “No! I mean, no. The physician has been here and he is hopeful. He believes it was the stress of your situation that brought it on. Not that it is your fault or—”

  “No, we know clearly at whose door to lay these events at, don’t we?”

  “I already feel guilty enough!”

  “As well you should. I lost my babe and have almost lost my husband in the same night. You’ve been nothing but a thorn in our sides since you arrived.”

  “I just wanted you to know about Uncle Robert. I will look after him through the night.”

  “You’ll do no such thing. I want you nowhere near him, do you understand?”

  “But he is my uncle!”

  “I couldn’t care less what he is to you. You are not to step foot in his room, or mine.”

  “All right.” Circe nodded and moved towards the door that would lead her to the hallway, not wanting to upset Dorothea anymore than she already had. Dorothea’s been through a lot this evening. She will allow you to see Uncle Robert once she has had the chance to calm down. Just do as she says for now, Circe told herself. “Rest well, Dorothea.”

  “Rest well?” the woman repeated and laughed hysterically.

  As Circe closed Dorothea’s door, the maniacal laughter followed her into the hallway. The servants that she passed gave her pitying looks before quickly turning away. She let herself into her room and threw the bolt on the door as sobs racked her body. Somehow she reached her bed and collapsed on it, letting the misery of the last few hours wash over her.

  * * *

  Reese entered his house to the smell of something wonderful. He walked into the kitchen and saw O’Connor and Ruth sitting together while O’Connor ate. They were talking quietly and Reese found himself feeling like an intruder.