Chapter 27
GOLDEN Oaks was a different house with Bradford Maitland living in it. Jacob was overcome by good spirits. Even Crystal was no longer quite so hard to live with.
No one questioned Bradford about his reasons for staying at Golden Oaks instead of going on to Texas. Each of the family had reasons for not broaching the subject, so each day came and went with no one knowing when he would go.
But Angela knew. There would be a honeymoon after the wedding, which would take them across the sea to a land Angela had only read about. It was Bradford’s choice and they had discussed it at length while lying in each other’s arms. They would travel to England, to a large estate there that Jacob owned.
They would stay a month or two in England and then return to America, to Texas.
The days passed quickly for Angela. She lived in a state of continual bliss, wondering if it were real when she was alone, and knowing it was when Bradford took her in his arms and made love to her. The first week, Bradford let the family know that he was interested in Angela. He paid a good deal of attention to her, drawing her into conversation at the dining table, teaching her to play poker. In the mornings, he took her riding over the Maitland lands, lands rich with sugarcane and cotton once again. The invitations to the ball were engraved and sent out that first week, and acceptances began pouring in.
The second week, Bradford began taking Angela to dine in the city, deliberately excluding anyone else from his invitations. The family took note of this, especially Robert.
Two weeks before the ball, Jim McLaughlin arrived from New York on business, and was invited to stay. A day later, Golden Oaks received a visitor all the way from Texas.
Angela stood in the morning-room doorway studying the visitor curiously. The man towered at least half a foot over Bradford, making Bradford’s tall frame seem small by comparison. The man’s complexion was bronzed by long hours under the hot sun. His golden hair was parted in the middle, like Bradford’s, but was much longer, falling clear to his wide shoulders. He wore buckskins.
“Well, Bradford, I’d recognize you anywhere, but I can see you don’t remember me. Can’t say I blame you. It’s been almost fifteen years since we raced across the plains together.”
Bradford wrinkled his brow for a moment, but then exclaimed, “Grant Marlowe! Well, I’ll be—you were only ten years old when I came back to Alabama.”
“Yeah, and you only fifteen. But it looks like I’m the only one who’s changed much. Started growin‘ and it just seemed like I’d never stop.”
Bradford looked his old friend up and down and laughed heartily. “Looks like you’ve put on a few feet since then. That height must come in handy, though. I’ll wager there isn’t a man in Texas who would want to tangle with you.”
“That’s true enough, but it’s a hindrance too. Can’t find no filly out West who ain’t scared to death I’ll crash her little bones in bed.”
Bradford cleared his throat and indicated Angela’s presence. When Grant followed his gaze his face turned red, the color showing through his deeply tanned skin.
“For—forgive me, ma’am,” Grant stammered, rubbing his hands nervously against his thighs. “I was so glad to see Brad here that I didn’t see you standin‘ there.”
Angela smiled sweetly while she stared into the dark green eyes. “That’s quite all right, sir, really.”
“Angela, this is Grant Marlowe, a good friend of mine from way back,” Bradford said. “Angela is a ward of my father’s. And the gentleman lagging at the stairs over there is an old friend of the family, as well as my sister-in-law’s brother. Come here, Robert.”
Robert came forward and shook Grant’s hand, but Grant paid him scant attention. His sea-green eyes were drawn back to Angela. Both Robert and Bradford noticed.
“What brings you here, Grant?” Bradford asked, leading them into the morning room. “I was expecting your father. Is he here with you?”
“No, that’s why I came. Pa and I both got through the war without a scratch. Then, a week after we returned to Texas, he was done in by a rattler.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Phil Marlowe was one of the best men I ever knew. I needed him on the ranch,” Bradford sighed.
“That’s what I figured,” Grant replied. “I was foreman on a small spread near Fort Worth when I heard you were lookin‘ for Pa. I figured old Jacob was finally ready to fix up the JB again, so I quit and come here to see if he could use me. I’d rather work for your pa any day.”
“I’m sure Father will be glad to hear that, but he’s retired from all our business interests now. If you took on the job, you would be working for me.”
“That suits me even better,” Grant grinned.
“Good. There’s a lot to be done, and you’ll be in complete charge until I get there. That will be about four or five months from now. Do you think you can get the ranch in order by then?”
“I’ll give it my best try,” Grant replied eagerly. “When do I start?”
“You can head back for Texas in about two weeks,” Bradford answered. “We have a lot to discuss in the meantime, and you might as well stay for the ball my sister-in-law is throwing. You may even find a wife to take back with you.”
“That’d be worth stayin‘ for,” Grant laughed, his eyes lighting on Angela again.
Bradford took Grant to see his father, leaving Angela and Robert alone in the room.
“Angie, you’ve been avoidin‘ me lately, and I have to talk to you.”
Just that week Bradford had talked about the way Robert was sulking around the house. They had decided that Robert must be the first to know about them, and Angela insisted she be the one to tell him.
“This is not something you should have to bother with,” Bradford had told her. “I will handle it.”
Angela lost her temper. “I am the one Robert wants to marry!”
“And I am the one you are going to marry!” He came back at her so sharply that Angela caught her breath.
She stared at him heatedly, then pointed a stiff finger at her door. “Get out of here, Bradford Maitland! We’re not married yet, and I’m not so sure we’re going to be!”
“What?”
“You heard me!” she shouted. “If you plan to coddle and protect me from every little thing for the rest of my life, then you can just forget it!”
“Fine! Just fine!” he retorted and stalked out of the room.
But he came back after a few minutes, his expression contrite. “Can we at least discuss this?”
“I’m all for discussion, Bradford,” Angela said stiffly. “But that’s not what you were doing. You were dictating.”
“I’m sorry, Angel, but I was with my father when Robert told him that you had turned him down. He said he wouldn’t give up.”
“I told Robert that I was in love with someone else, but I didn’t tell him it was you,” she replied, softly now. “When he knows I am going to marry you, he will have to forget about me. But it’s up to me to tell him.”
He pulled her into his arms then. “You win,” he grinned. “But don’t think Robert will forget you. No man who loves you could ever forget you.”
He squeezed her tightly, then chuckled ruefully, “With two stormy temperaments, I guess we’ll have our share of flare-ups. But as long as they end like this, we can’t go wrong.”
He kissed her, then showed her in the way she liked best how much he loved her. She recalled the night with a secret smile. Yes, they would undoubtedly have other fights, but as long as they ended so pleasurably all would be well.
Now Robert had finally cornered her and she had to face him.
“What is it, Robert?”
“I don’t like all the time you’ve been spendin‘ with Bradford,” Robert said harshly, coming straight to the point. “And you seem to enjoy all the attention he gives you. I’ve never seen you so happy before!”
“I thought you would want my happiness, Robert,” Angela said in a soft voice.
“I do, but this isn’t right! You told me you were in love with another man, and that’s why you couldn’t marry me— and now this! Does your heart change so quickly? Are you in love with Bradford now?”
Angela sighed. As simply as she could, she told Robert that she’d always loved Bradford. His face grew angry and, when she finished, Robert ran out of the house without a word. A few minutes later, Angela stood by the window and watched Robert’s horse gallop down the long row of oaks toward the river road.
Later in the afternoon, another visitor arrived at Golden Oaks to see Bradford. Courtney Harden was a wily man in his mid-thirties, with reddish-gold hair and piercing blue eyes. Bradford didn’t like the man and had recently dropped Harden from one of his business ventures.
Bradford first met Courtney Harden in New York, where the older man had asked Bradford to back him in a hotel-restaurant venture. At the time, Bradford had been preoccupied with other matters, mainly his search for Angela, and had agreed to the deal without taking his usual precaution of having Courtney Harden investigated.
Harden, who had found the location for the hotel-restaurant, was to be in complete charge. But a few months before coming to Mobile, Bradford was informed that one Courtney Harden was involved in prostitution and drugs. Rather than bringing the law into it, Bradford had sent a message dismissing Harden from his employ.
Now Harden had caught up with Bradford, and was demanding to be reinstated as manager of the hotel. Bradford informed Courtney Harden in a very few words that he had two choices—accept his dismissal, or be arrested. Raging that Bradford would regret his actions, Harden stormed from the house.
That night, Bradford paced angrily back and forth across Angela’s bedroom floor.
“I never should have hired him!” Bradford stormed.
“Do you mean Grant?”
“Yes, damnit!” he yelled and turned to her. “I saw the way he was looking at you, and you weren’t exactly indifferent to him! You find him attractive, don’t you?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do,” she replied with a quick smile. “Grant is very pleasing to look at, but my heart is already taken.”
“Is it?”
“You’re jealous!” she laughed.
“The hell I am!”
“Bradford, aren’t you sure of me yet? For heaven’s sake, I have loved you for ten years.”
“I can’t help remembering the times you have slipped away from me.”
She grinned. “If you will remember correctly, I left you only once, and that was because I had to return to school.”
She walked slowly to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I’ll never leave you again, Bradford,” she breathed softly. “It’s you I love—no other.”
“You’ve never been with another man, Angela. How do I know your heart won’t turn in another man’s arms? Another man might please you better than I.”
“Now you stop it, Bradford Maitland. You are talking about lust, while I am talking about love,” she said sternly, then brought his lips down to hers.
“Ah, but I’ve found that the two go together so well,” he laughed in relief. He picked her up in his arms and carried her quickly to the bed.
On Angela’s large bed, there was no room for anger or jealousy, only the seriousness of love. Bradford undressed her slowly, his eyes locked with hers the whole time, so filled with passion that she became excited just watching him. She wanted him to hurry, felt she couldn’t wait to have her body covered by his. But Bradford set his own pace. Tonight he seemed to want to savor every nuance of their coming together.
At last their clothes were scattered about the bed, and Bradford drew her into his arms. She tingled everywhere he touched, and he touched her everywhere.
At last he moved to her breasts, cupping one in each hand, kneading them tenderly, his eyes still locked with hers. And then he bent his head and teasingly sucked on one and then the other soft globe.
Angela couldn’t bear it anymore. “Bradford!” she gasped. “Are you trying to drive me mad?”
He raised his head and lightly brushed his lips over hers. “Why do you say that, Angel?”
She saw the gleam in his eyes and wanted to scream. Instead she clasped his head in her hands and drew his mouth to hers, letting him know just what she wanted.
Bradford felt her need and delighted in it. The knowledge that she wanted him filled him with such pride and joy that he thought surely he would burst.
He lowered her to the bed, his mouth still covering hers possessively. She opened her legs for him, and his hard member slid smoothly into that moist haven. He worshiped her with his body, drawing out every measure of her passion. She was passionate, wild, shameless in her love, and he loved her all the more for it.
Chapter 28
BRADFORD was still determined to keep Angela well out of Grant Marlowe’s view. Bradford took her to the city more often now, to the theater and late-night suppers. They went everywhere together, and as Bradford had predicted, the gossip about Angela had now taken a different turn.
Preparations for the ball were nearly completed. The next two days would be filled with cleaning and cooking. A new load of ice would arrive by packet in a few days, to be stored in the cellar beneath the house. Ice cream would be made, and baskets of flowers would be collected from all over the plantation. The ladies were assured that their gowns would be finished in time, and the gentlemen’s tailor came to Golden Oaks for a couple of days.
Robert had not been seen since he had run out of the house the day Grant arrived. Crystal informed the family, without explanation, that he had finally taken an interest in running The Shadows. She doubted they would see very much of Robert in the near future.
* * *
The sun rose in a clear sky, predicting fair weather for the Maitland Ball. Throughout the morning and afternoon, the rich aroma of baking filled the lower floor of the house. Mountains of apples and peaches had been peeled and turned into mouth-watering pies. There were French pastries and candies, and large cakes were being frosted and set aside. The ice cream was made and put in the cellar to chill, and soups and gravies were simmering in large pots over the long fireplace in the kitchen. The hams that would be served cold were baked now. The rest of the meats would be roasted later, for the eating wouldn’t even begin until midnight.
An anxious excitement filled the air, affecting everyone, including the servants. Angela’s excitement had not so much to do with the ball but with what would happen a week from now, when Bradford would make her his wife.
Angela passed through the dining room on her way upstairs, stopping by the long table to inspect the glasses stacked on it. This would be the bar. Liquors were lined up behind the table, champagne and other wines to be brought up later, packed in ice. Seeing that all the glasses were spotless, Angela continued on her way. But as she heard Crystal’s voice in the hallway, she stopped.
“You’ve been avoidin‘ me, haven’t you, Brad?”
“Now what would make you think that?” Bradford asked, a note of humor in his voice.
“‘Cause this is the first time I’ve found you alone, without that little farm girl trailin’ you. You really are payin‘ that girl too much attention. Are you competin’ with your father?”
“You’ve acquired a vicious tongue over the years, Crystal. But then as I remember, you were pretty cruel seven years ago,” Bradford replied.
“Just because a few stubborn words were spoken, you walked out of my life,” Crystal pouted. “Was that fair?”
“You walked out of my life when you married my brother!” Bradford reminded her sharply.
“But it’s you I’ve always wanted. Zachary isn’t half the man you are.”
“You’ve made your bed, Crystal. I really hope you enjoy sleeping in it,” Bradford returned, a slight touch of bitterness in his tone.
“So you’re turnin‘ to that girl? You won’t come to me because of her!”
“F
or God’s sake, Crystal, it’s long over between us!” Bradford replied brusquely, losing patience. “Even if I had never met Angela, I wouldn’t come to you. But I did meet her, and I thank heaven I did. She is like the sun after the storm. If you are unhappy with your marriage, I suggest you look elsewhere. I’m not available.”
Angela could hear Crystal running up the curving stairs, and then Angela moved to the door slowly, just in time to see Bradford disappear into the study. She waited a few minutes and then hurried out of the dining room and up the stairs without being seen.
Angela was beaming, for her lingering doubts had been dispelled. Crystal still wanted Bradford, but he didn’t want her. Angela wondered if anyone had ever been as happy as she was at that moment.
Chapter 29
“ANGEL, hurry up,” Bradford called impatiently from outside her door. “The first carriage will be pulling up any minute now.”
“She’s comin‘, Master Brad,” Hannah called back, sending Bradford on his way downstairs. Then she turned to Eulalia. “You did a real fine job, Eulalia. Miss Crystal will want you to do her hair from now on, after she sees our Missy.”
“I told you I’d do her up right. You didn’t have to come up here to check on me!” Eulalia snapped saucily.
“I just wanted to see for myself, gal. Now get yourself down to the kitchen and see iffen Tilda needs your help,” Hannah said in her bossiest manner.
Hannah chuckled as Eulalia stalked from the room. “That gal’s gettin‘ to be like a mother hen, I swear she is. She always thinks she knows best. She do a lot of the time, but you can’t let her know it.”
“I’m going to miss Eulalia when Bradford and I leave. And I’ll miss you most of all, Hannah.”
“This no time to think about that, child,” Hannah replied cheerfully. “You’ll be back to visit old Hannah. Now turn ‘round and let me see you.”
Angela did as she asked and then came to stand before her full-length mirror.