Alex was amazed that this boy could keep these characters straight and keep this information to himself. “All right, she shall see the Raider tonight. I want you to go home and see Eleanor, she’s worried about you. Tell her I’ve gone looking for Jessica.”
The boy nodded solemnly.
“And, Nate, don’t mention to Eleanor about Ghost Island.”
“Of course not,” he said with dignity. “If too many people know, you could be captured and killed.”
Alex found the idea of his life being in a nine-year-old’s hands a sobering thought. But Nate had only broken the trust for his beloved sister. “Go on, go home,” he said gently. “And, Nate, tell Eleanor to give you a piece of apple pie.” Alex smiled. “And a flagon of ale. If any man deserves a drink, you do.”
Nate grinned fit to crack his face in two. “Aye, aye, sir,” he said and went out into the rain.
* * *
“Jessie,” she heard him call. “Jessie.”
Jessica brushed her tears away and then began running, blindly, knowing only that she was running toward him. Her foot caught in a broken branch. She tugged at it frantically.
“No, Jessie, be careful,” she heard him say and then she was in his arms. He was kissing her hungrily, his lips all over her face and neck, while she just clutched at him, holding him to her, afraid to let him go. Her fingers dug into the flesh over his ribs.
“Jessie,” he said, his voice full of wonder and laughter. “Did you miss me?”
She was too glad to see him to mind his laughing at her. “I didn’t mean it. You are a successful Raider. You were magnificent when you delivered the handbills. You gave the people hope. You—”
He kissed her to silence, and when she was breathless, he knelt and unfastened her ankle, then lifted and carried her to the shack that sheltered his horse.
“Promise me you’ll not come here again.”
“How did you know I was here? Did Nate tell you?”
He put his fingertips to her lips. “Don’t you know that I watch you, that I see you wherever you go?”
“Then you’ve seen all the men? You know about the marriage? You must—”
He kissed her again as he began untying the laces of her dress. His long, lean fingers slipped under the edges of her scarf and slowly pulled it away. “Such beauty so lightly covered,” he murmured as he put his face against her breasts.
Jessica leaned back against the pile of hay, feeling his hands and lips on her flesh. He quickly unfastened the front of her dress, exposing her breasts to his touch, his hot hands running over her cool skin.
He lifted her in his arms to kiss her while he slid the dress off her shoulders, then removed her underwear until she was bare to the waist, exposed to his sight and touch.
Only this man did she trust, no one else in the world. Only here in this man’s arms did she feel safe, as if she could give control to someone else.
Her hands began touching his body, pulling at the silk shirt until she could feel his skin. He shed the piece of cloth easily, as if his natural state were one without clothing.
He laid her down on the hay and easily slipped the skirt over her smooth, round hips, his lips moving downward, following his hands, pausing to nip lightly at the soft curve of her buttocks. He kissed her knees, her calves, then the arch of her foot and when he returned to her lips, he wore no clothing except the black mask.
Jessica gasped at the feel of his skin against hers, his long legs rubbing against hers.
There was no pain when he entered her, only joyous passion. She was eager for him and she was willing to show it.
He laughed with pleasure at her exuberance and rolled with her until she was on top, smiling as he watched the pleasure and surprise on her face. He guided her for a few moments, then rolled again until she was underneath, but this time he lifted her legs about his waist, holding her bottom up as he plunged deeper and deeper.
He forgot about watching her but thought only of his own pleasure. He pushed down and she clung to him, arching to meet his final, frantic thrusts.
She gave a quick, short, sharp scream at the end but then buried her open mouth in the smooth, hot skin of his shoulder.
“Jessie, my love,” he whispered, his sweaty body holding hers very tightly.
It was a long time before Jessica felt the cramping in her legs and moved to ease her body. But the Raider held her close.
“Cold, my love?” he whispered.
“No,” she said, smiling, kissing his arm thrown across her, almost as if he thought she might try to leave him. “I thought I wasn’t going to find you,” she murmured, relaxed and drowsy. “I didn’t think it was going to happen. Alexander will be hurt, but I’ll soothe him.”
He didn’t say anything as he nuzzled his face against her hair. “Alexander?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling in the dim light. “I’ll have to tell Alex that I can’t marry him.”
“Marry?” the Raider said, sounding rather stupid.
“I thought you said you watched me. Surely you know about the admiral’s decree. I’m to marry someone tomorrow. I waited for you as long as I could, but then Alex offered and for a while I thought I was going to have to marry him. You are willing to take the children, aren’t you?”
The Raider didn’t loosen the hold he had on her. “Jessie, I can’t marry you.”
“Well, of course I know you can’t very well stand before the congregation wearing a mask. I’ll tell people I met you while I was fishing and you’ve been away at sea. That way no one will suspect that you’re—”
“Jessie, I can’t marry you.”
“Because of Alex? He knows about you. Alex is very understanding. I’ll explain—”
“Jessie, please don’t make this worse. I cannot marry you.”
When what he was saying finally began to penetrate her brain, she tried to pull away from him but he held her fast. “Release me,” she said through her teeth.
“Jessie, you have to understand that there are reasons why I can’t marry you.”
“One,” she said, trying to get away from him. “All I need is one intelligent reason.”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
“Ha!” She pulled her head away enough to look at him. “Now I understand what I am to you. Are you married? Do you have children of your own? What do I know about you? How easy I must seem to you. Do you laugh about me with your friends? How many other women do you—”
He kissed her mouth and held the kiss until she stopped struggling. “Jessie, you have every right to your anger. I deserve everything you say. But please believe me that I love you and only you.”
“Then don’t let me marry someone else,” she whispered.
“Montgomery can’t make love to you.”
It took Jess a moment to understand what he was saying. “You bastard,” she said under her breath. “You’ll let me marry Alex because he can’t do the only thing you can do?”
“I couldn’t bear another man touching you. Jessie, I love you.”
She pushed hard at him, but he held her in the hay. She glared at him. “Alexander was right about you. He said you weren’t much of a Raider and, now, I don’t think you’re much of a man.”
“You didn’t doubt my manhood a moment ago,” he said indignantly. “Jessie, let’s not fight.” He began to kiss her neck.
“So,” she said quietly, “tomorrow you’ll let me marry another man.”
“I have no choice. Westmoreland made his ultimatum and I can’t marry you, so, if it must be someone, Montgomery is the best choice. At least he won’t be touching you.”
She relaxed her body, and when she felt his grip loosen, she rolled away from him. “And neither will you be touching me.”
“Jessie,” he said, reaching out his hands for her.
She grabbed her clothes and almost returned to him when she saw a shaft of moonlight touch his nude body, but she thought of what he’d said and her anger surged. She began pul
ling on her clothes.
“Did you think I was going to marry someone else and come sneaking away in the night to you?”
“Jessie, you don’t love Montgomery.”
“Maybe I don’t, but he’s been good to me in a way you with all your bravura will never understand.” She stood still in the moonlight in her underwear. “Let me make this clear to you: tonight is your one chance. One, no more. If I marry another man tomorrow, there’ll never again be any more of this.”
The Raider was on his feet in a moment, his nude body pressing against hers. “You to live like a nun? How will you feel a week from now when I slip into your bedroom?”
“Our bedroom. My husband’s and mine.”
He smiled at her. “Would you like to wager that Montgomery won’t sleep with you? You might roll on him and crush him.”
“Alexander is a good man and you leave his name out of this. Is that your final word? You won’t marry me?”
“I can’t. If there were any way I could, I would. Jessica, I’ll visit you. You can visit me here.”
She angrily pulled on her dress. “No, I take vows tomorrow and I plan to honor them.”
He smiled knowingly. “You’ll never be able to do it.”
“You have never met a Taggert before.”
Chapter Fifteen
HER wedding day was a rainy one, bleak and drizzling, the world looking as unhappy as Jessica felt. She kept her chin high and refused to think of the Raider’s words to her. But she wasn’t going to be some tragic heroine who loved one man while married to another. From this day forward, she was going to put the Raider out of her mind. Even as she thought this, part of her mind was laughing in disbelief.
Eleanor had helped her dress in a navy blue silk dress that had belonged to Alex’s mother and then commanded her to sit perfectly still while she saw to all the preparations for the wedding breakfast.
Eleanor didn’t try to talk to her sister about the forthcoming marriage and Jessica was sure she was too disgusted with her to speak.
But as Jess sat there, alone in Adam’s room, she became fidgety and thought she’d like to talk to Alex. She looked out the window, saw that no one was in sight, then made her way along the edge of the house, through the weeds, to Alex’s room. When she passed Sayer’s room, she glanced in to see Nate helping the old man get dressed. Nate started toward Jess, but Sayer caught her brother’s arm and nodded at her. She nodded back to him and continued on to Alex’s room.
As politely as circumstances allowed, Jess knocked on Alex’s window. When he didn’t answer, she climbed into the room. “Alex,” she called but heard no reply, so she sat down on a chair and waited. He entered through a door leading to another room. He wore a brilliant scarlet coat embroidered with darker red flowers and tendrils that put her plain dress to shame.
When he saw her, there was an immediate look of pleasure on his face but then it changed to one of annoyance. “You shouldn’t be here. Haven’t you heard that it’s bad luck to see each other before the wedding?”
“I wanted you to know that I saw the Raider last night.”
Alex was primping before a mirror. “I’m sure it was a strenuous meeting. I’m surprised you’re here today. Didn’t he sweep you away on his black horse? Carry you to his golden castle?”
“Alex, I came to talk to you, not to fight. I want to tell you that I’ll honor my vows to you. I won’t—” She had to swallow hard. “I won’t be seeing him again.”
Alex just stood there, staring at her for a moment, and she couldn’t read what he was thinking. “Come with me, Jess,” he said and led her through a door.
“My room was once the nursery, but one by one my older sister and brothers left and I stayed in it. My mother used this room for sleeping when one of us was ill. I’ve had it furnished for you. You have your own bedroom.”
Jessica looked at the little room, prettily done for her with a small bed, a wardrobe, a chest and a chair. It was the first time in her life that she was to have a space that was entirely hers alone.
“Alex, you’re very good to me. Better than I deserve. I swear that I’ll be a good wife to you.”
“Fresh fish every day?” he asked, his eyes laughing.
She smiled at him. “And a child in every room. Alex, could I try on that coat? I like red.”
He laughed then and removed his coat.
The coat was much too big for her, but the red brought out the lights in her hair and made her cheeks pinker. He stood behind her as she looked at herself in the mirror and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Jess,” he said softly, “I’m going to buy you a wardrobe fit for a princess.” He paused. “A wardrobe fit for my wife. I’ll be a good husband to you, the best that I know how to be.”
All Jess could see in the mirror was his face, a shadow darkening his wig and no shining coat to take away from the handsomeness of his face. Quite naturally, she turned toward him, and, just as naturally, his face lowered toward hers.
His lips were almost on hers when they were interrupted by Nicholas’s chuckle.
Alex pulled away from Jess as if she were poisonous. Nick was smiling patronizingly at her appearance in Alex’s scarlet coat.
“Your sister believes you’ve run away,” Nick said to Jess.
Jess removed Alex’s coat but Alex wouldn’t come close enough to her to take it, so she folded it carefully and put it on the bed. Of all things, she thought, she’d almost kissed Alexander Montgomery. The Raider had said she’d never be able to live like a nun. But Alexander? Smiling at the absurdity of her thoughts, she left the room.
Eleanor met her in the hall, her face white with anger. “I thought you’d decided not to go through with it.”
“Do I have a choice? You give me an alternative and I’ll take it.”
“Hmph!” Eleanor sniffed. “You have the best of the bargain. You’re just too stubborn to see it.”
“Maybe when Alex is sleeping I can try on all his coats.”
Eleanor grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her into the front parlor where the ceremony was to be held. The wedding ceremony began and was over quickly. Jess put her cheek up for Alex to kiss and thought he smelled like cinnamon. One of the children again, she thought.
In spite of the fact that the wedding had been forced by the hated Admiral Westmoreland, it was a Montgomery wedding and the food and drink were plentiful, so the guests enjoyed themselves. There were whispers about how awful it was that a beautiful young woman like Jessica was being sacrificed to a fat, effeminate, decrepit man like Alexander. The men murmured things about the power of Montgomery money, while the women said gold was a poor bed-mate.
A couple of men, trying to alleviate Jessica’s misery, whispered to her that they’d be happy to supply what she obviously wasn’t going to get from Alexander.
Admiral Westmoreland came by the house and congratulated the bride and groom, just as if he’d not been the one to cause this unwanted marriage. Jessica opened her mouth to say something, but Alex clamped his hand on her arm painfully and then thanked the admiral.
“Coward,” Jess hissed at Alex, then turned away and smiled at two good-looking young men.
“Jess…” Alex began, but she took the arms of the two men and left him alone.
When night came, Eleanor pulled Jessica out of an energetic reel with a handsome blond man and led her down the hall and toward Alex’s bedroom.
“I was having such a good time,” Jess protested.
“You can have a good time alone with your husband.”
“By counting the number of flowers on his new coat? Ouch, Eleanor, that hurt. Lately, your temper hasn’t been at all pleasant.”
Eleanor didn’t speak until they reached Alex’s room. “This is a gift from Marianna,” she said, holding up a white cotton nightgown edged with deep eyelet flounce.
“It’ll take more than that to get a rise out of Alexander,” Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
“Now, you stop
that!” Eleanor snapped. “There’s nothing wrong with Alexander. He might do a lot better if he got a little encouragement from you.”
“Encourage him to do what?” Jess asked, aghast. “Look, Alex and I have this worked out. We married each other for convenience. You heard him. He needs someone to put this house into order. Someone other than that big, snooping Russian of his—ouch! Eleanor, I want to take the corset off, not tighten the strings.”
“Jess, you’d help matters if you thought of Alexander as a man. He’s your husband now and you should treat him as such. Here, lift your arms and put this on. Now, get into bed and I’ll brush your hair.”
“Alex set up a bed for me in that room.”
“But not for tonight. Jessica, you listen to me. All Alex needs is a little encouragement. You have to use a few feminine arts on him.” She glared at her sister. “Don’t tell him he’s fat or that you can outsail him or that you hate his clothes. Be nice to him. He’s your husband now.”
Jessica was yawning. “All right, I’ll sleep here. I don’t like sleeping alone anyway.”
Eleanor kissed her sister’s cheek. “You won’t regret this,” she said and left the room.
Jess was asleep in moments but woke when Alex entered the room. She watched him move about, his fat belly silhouetted in the dim light. He lit a candle, then drew in his breath when he saw Jessica.
“What are you doing here?” he said, his eyes widening at the sight of her.
She was not going to get angry. “We got married, remember?”
“I thought you’d be asleep now—in your own bed,” he said pointedly.
She clutched her hands together and gave him a sweet smile. She didn’t like the way he was treating her, as if she were an intruder. “Alexander, this is our wedding night.”
“I know,” he snapped, “but I’m tired and I have a headache and I want to sleep.”
He did look tired. His eyes were red-rimmed and his face was beginning to sweat. She tossed back the covers, then stood on the bed, putting her hands on his shoulders. “I can rub your head until it feels better. Come to bed and I’ll—”