Alex sat there, his jaw set.
“I like that idea,” Jess said, not at all disturbed by Alex’s outburst. Her only concern was the stress his anger put on his weak heart.
Sayer glared at his son until Alex grabbed Jess’s hand, kissed the back of it and mumbled some incoherent words.
“Oh,” Jess said, obviously disappointed.
“Goddamn you!” Sayer bellowed, ignoring Jess. “I’ve bred no son like you. I’ve seen you kiss that little Italian flirt and she’s not half the woman Jess is. Aren’t you man enough to kiss your own wife?”
Alex exchanged a look of rage with his father, then he grabbed Jess and pulled her into his arms. In spite of the fact that the tea table was between them and cakes and teacups went rolling, Alex kissed Jessica with all the passion he’d been storing inside himself for weeks.
“There!” Alex yelled back at his father as he shoved Jessica back down to her chair. “I may not be able to please you any other way but I can kiss my wife.” With that, he angrily left the room.
Sayer was watching Jessica as she sat there, utterly dazed.
“Go on, go to him,” Sayer said gently.
Slowly, Jessica got up and went to the door. Her eyes didn’t focus as she made her way down the hall and stopped when she heard voices.
Eleanor and Sophy were sitting in Sophy’s room.
Jess closed the door, leaned against it, and took a moment to recover herself. “Alexander is the Raider,” she said in a voice of great strain.
“Yes, dear, he is,” Eleanor said.
Jess sat down. So many thoughts were going through her mind. She was married to the Raider. Slow, weak Alexander was the Raider. “Am I the last one to know?”
“Not the last, I’m sure,” Sophy said.
Jess took a deep breath. “Who else knows?”
Eleanor looked up from her sewing. “Let’s see, there’s Nicholas, Nathaniel, probably Sayer, Sam and—”
“Sam! But he’s only two years old. Why am I the last to know?”
“Alex probably thought you’d harm yourself.”
Jessica sat still for a moment, trying to let this news sink in. How had he managed to keep such a secret? Why hadn’t she guessed? “How did you find out?”
Eleanor smiled. “You can’t keep a secret from a woman who does your laundry. Men seem to think little green elves wash their clothes and put them away. Alex’s never even noticed that I’ve twice washed his Raider clothes and rehid them. I had to dry them hanging inside my night clothes.”
Jess blinked at her sister then turned to Sophy. “And you?”
“I knew him in Italy. He never had a fever.”
“And Nate?” Jess asked Eleanor.
“As far as I can piece together, Sayer sent Nate out to find out who the Raider was. Nate followed Alex—you know how he always manages to be where he’s not supposed to be.”
“I guess that’s why Nate and Sam adore Alex,” Jess said. She had never felt so stupid in her life. “But Sayer always sneers at Alex,” she said, hoping it wasn’t true that she was the only one who didn’t know.
“Alex doesn’t know his father knows, and Mr. Montgomery has never informed him otherwise. I guess he feels that if Alex doesn’t trust him, he doesn’t trust Alex. At least the Montgomery men can keep secrets from each other—if not from their women,” Eleanor laughed.
Trust, Jess thought. That’s what it all came down to: trust.
Her mind was beginning to function once again. She began to remember things.
There had been their wedding night with Alex telling her to get out of his room, then the Raider climbing in her window. There had been Alex telling her the Raider was incompetent, and the Raider getting angry with her for repeating what Alex said. And when the gunpowder had exploded, she had worried about the Raider’s blood on her hands, yet it had been Alex who came to her rescue, an Alex who’d seen her fears and let her suffer rather than tell her the truth. And Alex had arranged for Ethan to marry Abigail.
“How did it begin?” Jess asked. How could Alex have put her through this? The Raider said he loved her; Alex said he loved her; yet both men—no, this one man—had put her through hell.
Sophy and Eleanor together told all they knew about Alex, how he’d become the Raider, how he’d managed to hide it from the town.
“The Raider wouldn’t marry me,” Jess whispered. “I begged him but he refused me. He said Alex ‘couldn’t’ make love to me.”
“What?” Eleanor asked. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Who was the Raider last night when Alex and I were on the hill?” Why hadn’t she seen how strong he was when he’d mounted that wagon horse? All she had done was think how he was endangering his health. “I’ll endanger his health,” she muttered.
“No one knows who it was,” Sophy said. “I would imagine it’s making Alex a little crazy.”
Jess stood. “I am going to make Alexander more than a little crazy.” She left the room.
Chapter Twenty-one
IT was late when Jess burst into the room she shared with Alex. Her heart was pounding and her breath was coming in short gasps.
Immediately, the smug, knowing look Alex was wearing left his face. “What’s happened?”
“I can’t tell you. It’d be too much for your weak heart.”
“Damn my heart!” he said, grabbing her arms. “Jessica, what has happened?”
She took a deep breath before answering. “It’s the Raider.”
The smug look returned to Alex’s handsome face. “Yes, my darling, I know you know.”
Jess put her wrist to her forehead. She was the epitome of distressed womanhood. “Can a woman love two men at the same time? You for your intelligence and the Raider for kisses like tonight in the forest?”
Alex smiled in the way of a man with superior knowledge. “Of course you can, darling, if his kisses are—Forest? Tonight? When?”
“Just now. I was in his arms moments ago. Oh, Alex, you’re such a friend to me. I can tell you my innermost thoughts, can’t I? I do so hate secrets, don’t you?”
“What secrets? Our kiss tonight? Jess, I can explain. I have reasons for what I did.” He looked at her with pleading eyes.
“No, no, his kisses,” Jess said, hugging herself. “His arms. His body. Tonight when he touched me, I—”
“Who touched you?”
She looked at him in surprise. “Why, Alexander, you’re not usually so slow to understand. The Raider’s kisses, of course. Tonight when he touched me I—”
“The Raider kissed you tonight? Someone besides me in my father’s room kissed you?”
“I knew you’d understand. What the Raider and I have goes beyond mere passion; it’s a meeting of the minds. Oh, Alex, I wish I could forget him. Would you kiss me again? Try to make me forget.”
After a moment’s pause, Alex took her in his arms, and kissed her with passion.
Jessica’s eyes were closed as she lay in his arms a moment. Then, briskly, she got up. “Could you try harder please?” she asked with some exasperation in her voice. “This is important, Alex.”
He blinked a few times, then he kissed her face, her neck and her ears while his hands feverishly roamed over her body.
Jess pushed away from him and sighed. “It’s just not the same. I think I’m a one man woman. Alex, we’ll always be friends, but, physically, it’s not the same.”
Alex didn’t seem capable of speech.
Jess yawned. “I think I’ll go to bed,” she said and turned away.
Alex grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. He tore off his wig, revealing a thick head of dark hair. “Jess, I am the Raider,” he said solemnly.
Jess opened her eyes wide in surprise. “Why, Alex, your hair grew back.”
“It didn’t grow back, it’s always been there.”
“Let me see.” He bent his head and she inspected his hair. “It’s still a little thin in places, but, don’t worry, it will all probab
ly return soon. I’m sure it’s the good care I’ve been taking of you. Now, excuse me, I’d like to get some rest.” She turned toward her bedroom.
“Jess, didn’t you hear me? I am the Raider.”
“Yes, of course you are, dear, and, Alex, I can’t tell you how much your jealousy pleases me.” She smiled fondly at him.
“Jealous of myself? I am—”
She put her fingers to his lips. “Alex, remember your health. Don’t strain. It’s kind of you to want to please me, but remember that you can’t fool a woman who has kissed both men. Tonight I’ve kissed the Raider and you, and, believe me, the kisses are different.”
Once again he kissed her fervently. “The Raider kisses better than that?”
Jess took a moment to recover. “Yes,” she said at last. “Goodnight, Alex.” She turned and shut the door in his face.
Once inside her room she poured a glass of water, started to drink it, then, on second thought, threw it in her face. “This is going to be more difficult than I thought,” she muttered.
She was still shaking as she climbed into bed and, as she made her nightly prayers, she said, “Dear Lord, forgive me for lying but if ever a man deserved what he’s going to get, Alexander Montgomery does.”
It took her a long time to fall asleep and twice she woke to hear Alex pacing in the next room. She smiled, thought, I’m married to the Raider, turned over and went back to sleep.
When morning came, she stretched happily and thought of what she’d learned the day before. She couldn’t quite believe that both her men were actually the same one, but she was certainly happy to contemplate the idea.
Of course, she wasn’t about to allow Alex to share her happiness—at least not yet. He’d not let her know he was the Raider because he thought her too stupid to keep the secret—or too flighty or too whatever he thought was wrong with her.
When she remembered all the times Alex had made her defend the Raider and how the Raider had said terrible things about Alex…
She heard the latch between their rooms move and she snuggled under the covers, pretending to be asleep.
“Jessie.”
Sleepily, she rolled over to look at him. He wasn’t wearing his wig but he did have on his padding. His eyes were red from lack of sleep and he looked devastated. Never had a devil looked more angelic. Jessica gave him her sweetest smile. “Did you sleep well, Alex?” She almost purred, remembering the times the Raider had made her cry.
“I’d like to talk to you.”
She sat up in bed. “Why of course, Alex. I’m always ready to listen, no matter what you have to tell me.”
He sat on a stool beside the bed so his arms rested on the mattress. He studied his hands.
“Alex,” she said softly, “I understand about last night. I’m sure it was brought on by your father’s disappointment in you, but I’ve been telling him of the good you do around here. Don’t worry, eventually, he’ll begin to believe that you’re worth something. You don’t have to pretend to be the Raider to get either his love or mine.”
Alex didn’t look up. “Jess, how would you feel if you found out I was the Raider?”
She waited until he was looking at her, then answered as simply and as innocently as she could.
“Why, Alex, I’d hate you. I’d never be able to speak to you again, much less live with you. That’s just too awful to contemplate. That would mean you were the one who told me the Raider was incompetent, yet when I repeated that to the Raider—you—you got angry with me and made me miserable. And that would mean it was you I begged to marry me—oh! that was humiliating!—yet you knew that I was marrying you. No, Alex, I can’t believe a single man would be capable of being such a low-living, lying, sneaky, deceitful, cowardly bastard. I would deeply, sincerely hate any man who could play such a hideous game. Play with my feelings, with my life.”
She stopped and smiled. “No, Alex, you’re a good man and that’s why I love you. I know that, had circumstances been different and you been physically able, you would have been as manly as the Raider, but I don’t think you could be so dishonest as to be both Alexander Montgomery and the Raider.”
She blinked, wide-eyed. “Does that answer you?”
Alex’s face was white as he nodded.
“Are you planning to continue wearing your wig now that your hair is growing back?”
“I…I hadn’t thought about it.” His voice was hoarse.
She leaned forward and whispered against his cheek. “It is a little thin yet, perhaps you should hide it and pray that it grows back somewhat thicker. At this point the wig really is better-looking.”
* * *
For three days, Jessica did everything she could to make Alexander’s life miserable, and she did it in such a way that no one—with the exception of Eleanor—could fault her. She waited on him as if he were an infant, talked to him as if he were a wayward child—and did everything she could to sexually entice him.
She had another dress made, this one in emerald green satin, and she filled the low neckline with a piece of lace that had belonged to his mother. Once they were alone in his room, Jess removed the lace and bent over in front of him so often that her back began to ache. But it was worth any amount of pain to see him sweat.
At dinner she cut his meat for him, chided him to eat his vegetables, refused to allow the children to jump on him and, in general, let it be known how much of a weakling he was.
Eleanor watched her with angry eyes while Sophy’s eyes sparkled in delight. Sophy even announced she was staying a few days longer.
Neither Marianna nor Pitman seemed to sense anything out of the ordinary in Jessica’s behavior.
And Jess never missed an opportunity to tell Alex how she was so glad he wasn’t the Raider. Then the next minute she’d tell him how, if he were the Raider, she could borrow his black costume and ride with him. She made up long fantasies of how romantic a couple they’d be, a Mr. and Mrs. Raider. And if they were hanged, they’d have adjoining nooses.
Each time she talked of this, Alex turned paler and Jess grew angrier at him. Why did he think she was so stupid?
On the afternoon of the third day she pointedly told Alex she was going to Farrier’s Cove. His spirits were so glum that she had to say it three times before he lifted his head and heard her.
She went to the common room where Eleanor was bending over the fire.
“You’d better stop this,” Eleanor hissed. “That man adores you and you’re hurting him badly.”
“I’ve shed a few tears over him, too.” She stuck a sumac root onto a skewer and began to roast it.
“What are you doing now?”
“Making a little ‘medicine’ for my husband.” Jess smiled at her sister and dropped the charred root into a mug of boiling water. She skimmed the nastiest bits off the top, then took it in to Alex.
“Here you are, my darling,” she said in a tone one would use to talk to an elderly, invalid person. “This will make you feel better.” She handed him the warmed mug.
Alex smelled of it and grimaced.
“Now, now, you must take your medicine. Drink up like Mama’s good little boy.” She turned her back enough so she could still see Alex out of the corner of her eye. She saw him toss the vile liquid out the window.
When she turned back around, she took the mug. “That’s a good boy, now you just rest. Mama has an errand or two to do.”
Jessica was out of the Montgomery house in no time at all and running toward Farrier’s Cove. She figured Alex would have to row to Ghost Island, then dress and come to her. She knew as well as anything that the Raider would appear to her. And she was ready for him.
Jess was so glad to see him that she didn’t know if she could do what she’d planned. As he was running toward her she saw how like Alexander he was. Their hands were the same, the Raider had that Montgomery walk, his shoulders thrown back and walking lightly on his feet, and their lips were alike.
Jess opened her arms t
o the Raider. How could she not have seen that Alex’s lips and the Raider’s were the same? How could she have desired one pair and not the other?
The Raider was all over her at once and Jess knew she’d better say what she had to or she’d lose her resolve.
“His hair’s grown back some but it’s so thin it’s pathetic and his breath smells terrible, as if he’s decaying inside.” The Raider’s teeth were on her neck.
“What?” he murmured.
She had some trouble thinking. “I’m afraid my husband is dying. Please hold me. It’s so good to feel strong arms about me. Alex is so weak I have to hold his arms in place. Oh, please make love to me.”
He stopped untying the front laces of her dress. “Make love to you? But you’re a married woman. Married to someone else.” He was pulling away from her.
“I think Alex would understand.” She clutched at him.
“Understand another man making love to his wife? No man understands that.” He stepped away from her.
“It’s not as if he were actually a man. Not a complete, whole one.” She put her arms about his neck.
The Raider pulled her arms away. “He may come looking for you.”
“No, I gave him a sleeping potion. He’ll be out all night. He won’t be here.”
“You drugged him?” He was aghast.
“I wanted time alone with you. I knew you’d come tonight. I felt it. Come back to me. We have all night to make love.”
“I thought you were an honorable woman, Jessica Taggert, but I can see you aren’t.”
“And who are you to talk of honor? You who encouraged me to marry another man. You who slipped into my room on my wedding night with my poor, broken husband only feet away.”
“It’s different for a man.”
“Like hell it is,” she snapped, further shocking him. “Go on, get out of here. I’d rather have my stinking, balding, poor-kissing husband than you any day. At least he has brains.” She left the cove.
By the time she got back to the Montgomery house, Jessica was feeling a little guilty. After all, Alex was suffering because he loved her. He was afraid to reveal himself as the Raider for fear she’d hate him.