Again (7 page)

Eryn looked at the clock on the wall.
 
It was still fairly early.
 
She hoped everyone would eventually loosen up and draw each other to the dance floor the DJ had set up by the pool.
 

Sweet and spicy aromas drifted up from the buffet table spread out in the dining room and the three different bar stations were constantly busy.
 
The decorators had transformed the house into an island paradise, complete with Polynesian statues, Birds of Paradise, and gardenias with burlap covering most of the walls and palm trees dotting the edges of the pool.

After nodding her head with a “Really?” thrown in for good measure, Eryn chanced a glance over Carl’s shoulder where she spotted Brandi by the fireplace, absolutely sparkling.
 
Eryn was glad her friend was enjoying herself, but then, parties always were always Brandi’s favorite pastime.
 
In college, Brandi had made it a point to know where all the fraternity parties were and then somehow got herself invited to each one.  She may have failed every college class, but she scored high on mastering the party circuit.

Brandi glowed, animatedly talking to Dylan, a newly divorced banker.
 
By the way he had Brandi cornered, he seemed to have bounced back quite nicely from the collapse of his marriage.

“Speak of the devil!  Here he is right now!”  Carl bellowed.

Heat flooded Eryn’s cheeks.
 
She had been so engrossed in her thoughts she didn’t notice the man who had appeared at Carl’s side.
 

Impeccably dressed, the newcomer stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like he just stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine.

“Eryn, this is my nephew, Troy,” Carl’s voice carried across the entire room.  “Troy, this is Eryn, the gorgeous hostess of this party.”

God!
 
Eryn cringed.
 
Does the man ever speak quietly?

Barely over the first blush, she felt a second wave come on; not at Carl’s compliment, but at the way Troy was looking at her. 

His sandy blond hair fell carelessly over his eyes, but didn’t hide the intensity of them.  His gaze raked her body ruthlessly and with obvious appreciation.  He leaned slightly back on one leg, biting his lower lip, his shocking blue eyes giving her a definite come-hither look.

“Why don’t you two get acquainted?
 
I need to find my wife before she thinks I’m flirting with you.”  He winked at Eryn and slapped Troy on the shoulder before walking away.

Eryn watched Carl as he made his way through the room, until he reached his wife.

“I apologize for my uncle.”
 
Troy grinned.  “He gets so excited about his boats, he forgets not everyone is interested.
”

Eryn wrinkled her nose.
 
“Was it that obvious?
”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said.  “I can guarantee you he was totally oblivious.”  He turned to the bartender and ordered a beer.  “Let’s go outside.” 

Without waiting for her response, he took his drink and gently guided her towards the door leading to the patio outside, his hand placed firmly on the small of her back.

She looked around the room to find Bryce deeply engrossed in conversation with one of his clients.  She wondered how long it would take for him to notice that she was gone.

The air outside, though warm, was still cooler than it was inside.  She breathed it in, trying to clear her head.

“So what is it that you do?  You seem to be new to the circuit.”  Eryn waved her hand to indicate all the partygoers.

“My mother convinced Uncle Carl to take me under his wing,” he said, gesturing with his bottle toward the house.
 
Through the patio doors they could see Carl engrossed in a conversation, his wife at his side.  “She’s afraid I’m going to waste my life, so she feels the need to save me from myself.”  He looked over his bottle at her, gracing her with a smile meant to put her at total ease.
 
His charm was hard to ignore.
 

“Oh yeah?  What would you rather be doing?
”

“Rock climbing,” he said.

That seemed to fit him, Eryn thought.  She could tell he was in good shape by the way his suit fit snugly over his shoulders and tapered sharply to a trim waist.

“So what about you?” he asked.  “Are you a career hostess?
”

“Oh, God, no,” Eryn quickly responded.  “I’m a professional photographer.”
 
She definitely wanted to make that distinction.
 
Though she did what she needed to help out Bryce, she had her own life.
 
“So, where do you climb?”

“
There are some nice spots in Colorado and Idaho.
 
I go to Yosemite a lot and when I can’t get away, I like to practice over by the cove, just past the tide pools.”
 
He tilted his head to one side, contemplating her.
 
“You could get some great shots there.
 
In fact, I should take you with me some time,” he said, his smile just this side of suggestive.

“Take her where?”  Bryce seemed to have materialized out of nowhere.
 
In an instant he had his arm possessively around Eryn’s waist, pulling her close.  “How’s it going, Troy?
”

The two men shook hands. Bryce held his grip a moment or two longer than necessary, his eyes locking with the younger man.
 

Eryn looked down, pressing her lips tight.
 
The green monster of jealousy was raising its ugly head right under their feet.
 
Although Bryce had thrown the preverbal gauntlet, Troy was not in the least intimidated.

“I was just telling Eryn that rock climbing would give her an incredible photo experience,” Troy said coolly, yet searing Eryn with a blazing look.

She looked up at the mention of her name, stunned by Troy’s hot intensity.
 
She smiled, though, enjoying the fact that Bryce tightened his grip around her waist. 
My ego will never be the same
.

“I’m sure you’re right.”
 
Bryce’s tone was controlled.  “She always gets great shots.” 

Bryce ignored her sharp glance in his direction.
 
If he had ever noticed the quality of her photos, this was the first time she had heard about it.
 

Bryce pressed his lips to her hair and pulled her closer.  “There’s someone I’d like Eryn to meet.
 
So, if you'll excuse us…”  He led her away without waiting for an answer.
 

Eryn felt Troy’s eyes following her as they left.

“Just like his uncle,” Bryce sneered.

She could hear the tension in his voice.  She didn’t have to look to know Bryce’s face was grim, his lips pulled into a thin line.
 
Eryn knew only too well what lay beneath that look.  He was battling for control.  He had always been jealous throughout high school and college, making sure no boy, especially the extremely attractive ones, got near her. 

She looked back at Troy.  He grinned and raised his bottle in a salute. 

She didn’t mind so much when Bryce not so gently pushed her ahead of him inside the house.

Chapter 6

The last of the sun’s rays reached across the waters, skimmed the top of the castle walls, and forced their way through the open window where Catherine sat atop silk pillows, tucked within the window seat.
 

She leaned against the wooden shutters with the circlet on her lap, and watched the jewels spark to life in the sun.
 
The gems, their colors deep and brilliant, and the sun’s rays, still warm and strong, sought one another and touched in an intimate and seductive way.
 
To Catherine, the duet between the gems and sun was an allegory for love, of belonging to one another.
 
She flushed as thoughts of Jonathan crowded into her mind unbidden.
 

Turning her face to the setting sun, she tried to imagine what he would be doing at that moment.
 
Would one of the ever-present women around him find her way into his arms this night?
 
A sigh feathered away a tendril of hair that had loosened itself and fallen across her eyes.
 
Oh, what difference did it make, she thought.
 
Whatever it was that she felt, whatever it was that she saw in his eyes, mattered not.
 
Their worlds are far apart - he a merchant on the seas and she the Lady of Elderidge.
 
Their stations alone placed an insurmountable barrier between them.
 
He would set sail two days hence and her life would continue as if their paths had never crossed.
 
She would go on with her life, go on with Galen, and she would more likely than not forget about Jonathan altogether, as surely as he would forget about her.

She picked up the circlet and hesitated a moment before rising to put it away.
 
Catherine yearned to wear it tonight, but was not prepared to answer the questions it would evoke, so she put the circlet carefully in its pouch and tucked it away on the bottom of her trunk.  Taking out the black velvet bag that Galen had given her, Catherine emptied its contents into her hand.  The brooch weighed heavy against her palm.  The sapphire’s deep vibrant blue stared back at her, solid and brooding.  It was worlds apart from the lightweight and colorful circlet from Jonathan.  Catherine smiled wryly at the difference.  How befitting that the two gifts should be such a contrast, for each man was as different as the gifts they gave.  Night and day.
 
Black and white.
 
Galen was the moon.
 
Jonathan carried the sun.
 

Deep inside her, something stirred, reaching for the light.

No!
 
Her fisted hand pressed against her mouth.
It would not be wise to encourage such feelings!
 
She pushed that emerging self back into the shadows, and resolutely turned her mind from it.
 
Slowly unclenching her hands, she saw the brooch had bitten into her palm, leaving a crescent line of scarlet
,
a stark reminder of to whom she belonged.
 

Resolutely she fastened the brooch on her bodice, smoothed her dress and took a deep breath.
 
With one last look over her shoulder at the fading sunlight, she prepared herself for the evening ahead.

≈

Catherine stood at the entrance to the great hall and took in all that had been done.
 
Large tapestries hung from the walls and fresh rushes had been strewn across the floor in preparation for the feast tonight.
 
Two dozen places had been set on long tables that would soon be laden with beef, fish, wine, and ale.
 
An intimate party, to be sure, reserved for Lord Oakley and his entourage.

Catherine grimaced at the thought of Lord Oakley, the neighboring landowner that reminded her of a leering rodent.
 
Why her father chose to keep his company, she did not know.
 
Perhaps their love of hawking was the thread that bound them.
 
Catherine shuddered.
 
She despised the man and his relentless advances, but as he was a guest in her home, she would be expected to endure his company tonight without complaint.

The guests had arrived sometime earlier, first being shown to their chambers to rest after their journey.
 
To her relief, Lord Oakley had not yet come down.
 
She relaxed a little as she watched the servants light the candles on the tables and stoke the fire, bringing it to its full force within the hearth.

“As always, you look radiant.”

A chill ran along the length of her body as the fetid breath of Lord Oakley blanketed her neck.
 
She stepped sideways and turned to face her father’s guest, keeping a fair distance between them.
 
His attempt to be charming made her skin crawl.
 

Close-cropped hair revealed the ugly scars of battle, scars he wore as trophies of his survival and power.
 
His lopsided smile could not hide the coldness of his eyes, like a hunter surveying his prey.

Catherine made no effort to hide her disdain. “Lord Oakley, you humble us with your visit.
 
To what do we owe this honor?”
 
Her lips curled with the words.

Stepping closer, Lord Oakley reached out to stroke her cheek.
 
His calloused fingers chafed her as he brushed them across her skin.
 
Though the touch was meant to be gentle, she could feel a controlled violence vibrating underneath the surface.
 
Catherine stiffened under his touch and backed a small step away.

He let his hand drop to his side.
 
“Such beauty you possess, Catherine.”
 
His small, dark eyes raked lewdly down her body as his tongue licked his thin, shiny lips.
  
“In answer to your question, I am here at the invitation of your father.”
 
Looking at the tables in the hall, he said, “As always, your hospitality is most welcome.”  He stepped closer and took hold of her hand. “I wish to discuss a matter with you, Catherine, if we might have a moment alone this evening.”