A Scarlet Bride (29 page)

Connor gazed at her. The blouse costume covered skin, but her limbs were much more visible, the bloomers hanging down below her knees. She walked
selfconsciously
towards him. He swallowed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"I would ask you kindly to quit staring or I'm going right back and changing into my clothes," she said, exasperated.

"I can't help it. You look ravishing." And indeed she did, with her legs showing beneath the bloomers.

Alexandra blushed. "There's so little to cover me up. I feel exposed."

Connor laughed. "Dear, believe me, you're covered. Now let's hit the water."

She grabbed him by the arm. "Wait!" Releasing him, she said, "First, promise me you won't throw me in."

Connor held one hand over his heart, the other behind his back. "I hereby solemnly swear that I will not throw you in."

"A simple yes would have been sufficient."

He shrugged and pulled his arm from behind his back, his fingers crossed. "Maybe I will and maybe I won't"

"I'm not going in."

4
4
Ah, come on. Last one in has to tell a deep dark secret about oneself."

"Not again, Connor. I always lose at these games."

"I'll even give you a head start."

4'As if that will do any good," she said, piqued.

"Go on, get started. All you have to do is put your foot in the water."

She glanced down at the river. "It's not deep?"

"Not up next to the bank."

"Okay."

"Go!" he cried.

Alexandra ran as fast as her long legs would carry her in the soft grass towards the river. When she got to the edge of the bank, she couldn't help it. She stopped and looked in the water, checking out the depth. Connor raced ahead of her, plunging into the water, swimming out several yards from the bank.

"Why did you stop?'' he asked, turning, treading water.

"I couldn't go in. Not without looking first."

"I told you it was shallow."

"I wanted to find out for myself."

"Get in. The water feels good." Connor grinned. "Okay, fess up a secret."

"No!"

"You lost. Now, you must confess."

Alexandra shook her head. "It's your turn to tell secrets. Mine have all been publicly exposed."

"I don't believe you. I know there has to be something no one knows about you."

Alexandra laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Connor swam until he could stand in the water. Water dripped from his body as he came towards her. "Try me."

He stepped out of the water and moved to within inches of her. Water dripped from his hair, his lashes, from every part of him. He was close enough that she could feel his dampness, see the heat in his eyes.

"Maybe another day," she whispered softly. "Today, let's concentrate on you teaching me how to swim."

Immediately he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, causing her to squeal in surprise. The feel of his wet, slick body seeped through her bathing costume. "What are you doing?"

He lifted her up in his arms and carried her from the bank.
"Into the water with you.
You can't learn to swim standing on the bank."

"I could try!" She squirmed in his arms. "Don't take me out here. Please, Connor."

He smiled down at her. "It's okay. We're not going out deep. Look, the water isn't even at my waist yet."

"That's far enough. Put me down now!" Her voice was beginning to sound panicked.

Connor stopped and said soothingly, "I'm about to give you your first lesson in swimming, my dear. By the time our children are born, you'll be able to teach them."

"What children? We won't be having any children," she reminded him.

Connor just smiled. "I love it when you become difficult. It makes life so much more of a challenge. And I truly love a good challenge."

"Then you should be very happy in our marriage."

"Oh, but dear, I am. And I'm hoping that soon I'll be even happier."

Alexandra rolled her eyes, but couldn't quite contain her smile. "If you're going to attempt to teach me to drown, please hurry, so we can end this farce."

"Not drown. Swim. Be positive. You might just learn how." He took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm going to put you down now, so don't panic."

He dropped her legs down into the water and Alexandra clung to him, her fear of the water intensifying, almost suffocating her.

"Don't let go of me," she pleaded.

"If only I could get you to say that to me at night."

Alexandra shot him a glance that should have
singed
him, but right now she was totally dependent on him. She let that remark slide.

Her feet touched the riverbed, the wet cold water sliding all the way up to her waist. She fought the panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Take a few deep breaths and try to relax. Remember, this is supposed to be fun."

"Locked in a room with Charleston's greatest gossip mongers would be more fun."

Connor laughed.
"But not nearly as exciting and refreshing.
Doesn't the water feel good against your skin?"

Alexandra took deep breaths, trying to calm the rapid beat of her heart. She glanced down and noticed the folds of her skirt bellowing in the water, but even with the layers of cloth between them, she was close enough to Connor to feel the
rockhard
solidness of his body tight against her own. She should feel ashamed, but somehow she didn't. She only knew that she felt safe, protected. Instinctively, she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

A quick glance up into his face revealed that he too could feel the slickness of their bodies pressed together in the water.

Alexandra took a deep breath."Okay, so
we' re
standing in
waistdeep
water. I'm not drowning yet."

"Now sink down until only your head remains above the water."

"That confirms it! You're crazy." She started to leave, but Connor grabbed her by the arm.

"Not yet, Alex."
He looked into her eyes. "Trust me. I'll hold your hand. I won't let you go. We'll do this together."

She glanced at the water and back at him. Why was she so afraid? Connor would be there beside her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

She released the breath she was holding.

"Okay." She looked at him. "Don't let me go under."

"You're not going under. We're just going to sink in the water up to our necks."

He started to descend in the water. He tugged on her hand. Slowly she watched the water coming closer, closer, until they were submerged up to their necks.

"Oh, my," she said. "Miss Katz, one of my teachers at Miss Bloomfield's school, always said that ladies should never be in the water with a gentleman present."

"I'm your husband, Alexandra."

"Still, I am breaking one of the unspoken rules for ladies."

"Blast the rules. I'm teaching my wife to swim."

"What if your wife doesn't want to learn?"

He stared at her. "Do you want to quit? Do you want to give up?"

She swallowed. No, she didn't want to quit. No, she wasn't ready to give up, but neither was she ready to swim the English Channel. But to admit to Connor that the prospect of learning to swim intrigued her would be admitting so much. Somehow she knew he would never give up.

"Can we take it slowly? Like maybe one or two lessons a year?"

Connor laughed. "So that by the time you're fifty, you'll know how?"

"Something
like
that."

"We'll go at a slow pace, but not that slow."

"Great." She stood up. Suddenly the feel of the water was almost suffocating. "I think I've learned enough for this lesson."

Connor smiled. "Okay, but now you have to swim back to shore."

She frowned at Connor. "What's to stop me from walking?"

"If you walk, you'll have to kiss me."

"I'd rather kiss you than try to swim."

Connor wiggled his brows. "We're going to go swimming more often. I like your eagerness."

"I wouldn't say that until after you've received your kiss."

He laughed and reached out and pulled her in his arms. "I may take two or three kisses."

His lips came down on hers, covering her mouth with a gentle kiss that tasted of water and sunshine, passion and heat. Their bodies melded together, the wetness of their clothes clinging to their skin.

From deep inside Alexandra, a warming began a slow heat until she felt that she was smoldering, wet, hot, almost combustible, from Connor's fiery kiss.

She broke away from him, stunned at her own response, wondering why she responded only with this man. "I think next time I'd be safer to swim."

Connor laughed and pulled her to shore with him up to the edge of the bank.

"Next time, you will swim to shore."

***

Almost a week later, Alexandra watched closely as Suzanne slowly pulled the needle through the material. Her stitches were small and neat, though she had ripped them out several times before she had gotten the knack.

Each day Connor spent time with her and Suzanne. Every evening after supper, the three of them retired to the parlor and played whist or euchre. Finally, Alexandra understood the feeling of how family life could be.
A feeling of warmth and security, of being accepted by not only her husband but also his sister, whom Alexandra had grown quite fond of.
The days had been pleasant, and Alexandra suddenly wished they would remain this way forever. Still, there was a faint
niggle
at the back of her mind of impending doom and the knowledge that, sooner or later,
Hester's Revenge
would complicate their lives. If only her life could continue in this same pattern with Suzanne filling her days and dreams of
Connor filling
her nights.
Though part of her wanted Connor spending his nights in her bed, not just in her dreams.

"Alexandra, do you think Connor is going to like this shirt?" Suzanne asked.

"I'm sure of it." Alexandra glanced back down at the embroidery she was working on. A sense of guilt pervaded her as she thought of the notoriety of being the author of
Hester's Revenge
and how the book would not only affect
herself
, but would also change forever the lives of Suzanne and Connor. And though she had never meant to hurt them, she knew the publicity could only increase and become even more negative. Yet so far no one had figured out she was the author of the first book. But soon, there would be a second book, which concerned her even more.

"It's been almost four months since you came to live with us," Suzanne remarked. "I'm so glad you married my brother."

"Thank you. I've enjoyed living here." Alexandra acknowledged the truth of her words.

Suzanne leaned back over her stitches. "You're the first woman since Georgiana he's been serious about. One of my friends told me he was considered quite a rake."

"Your friend is not very polite to tell you tales about your brother." Who was Georgiana?

"No. But I think she was right. Even I could see that his attitude was rather callous when it came to ladies."

Alexandra didn't know how to reply. Though she cared very much for Suzanne, she could not tell the girl about herself and Connor. He was, after all, her only brother and though they fought occasionally as siblings were wont to do, it was obvious Suzanne loved him very much.

"I think your brother is trying to change," Alexandra finally responded.

"Well, if he is, it's because of you. Since our father died, he's always taken care of me, but for years I've never felt he was happy."

Alexandra shook her head. "He feels a great responsibility toward you, Suzanne. He wants you to have the best. But I don't think he's very good at showing his feelings."

She watched the young girl's expression as she reflected on what Alexandra had just said.

The girl shrugged.
''Maybe so.
But no one has had as much influence over him as you. I think he loves you."

Alexandra looked up from her sewing. The girl was serious. Before she could reply, Leona came to the door, wringing her hands nervously.

"Mrs. Manning, there's a gentleman here to see you." Alexandra glanced at the servant, puzzled.
"A visitor for me?
Who is it, Leona?"
"A Mr. Gordon Thurston."

Her sewing fell to the ground.
Dear God
.

Alexandra entered the parlor, her heart tripping like a sledgehammer inside her chest. It had been more than five years since she'd seen Gordon. Five years since that fateful courtroom appearance when
jshe'd
found out just how deceiving her husband could be. Five years since he'd told the world she'd committed adultery, when she'd never been intimate with anyone but him.