Harnessed Passions (18 page)

She considered whether or not to postpone
her trip to Europe, knowing full well she really didn't want to
leave Kentucky. This place was her home; it was where she met fell
in love and married her husband, gave birth to her children and now
buried her beloved soul mate. This place had grown on her over the
years and she didn't feel right leaving it behind.

Jeremy tried to concentrate on Malinda and
their upcoming wedding. He considered where they would live once
they said their vows. He had always loved West Virginia, and South
Carolina was recovering from the attacks of the Civil War at an
astonishing rate. With the money he inherited, he'd be able to make
a good life for himself and his new bride; they would never need a
thing, now or in the future, but his thoughts kept traveling back
to his sister. He loved Julia as no brother ever had; she had been
his best friend growing up, his confidant and his companion through
the dark times of their father’s nocturnal acts. Yet he could help
but accuse the old man of instigating this whole event. The great
Victor Turner never could accept the fact that his children didn't
need him, or want his interference. They wanted to live their own
lives, without his meddling.

A glance in Daniel's direction brought a
frown to his thick brows. Jeremy truly liked the man and honestly
felt that he would be good to his sister. But he didn't feel it was
right that she should have to marry a man, just to be rid of what
she had never wanted in the first place. He knew Julia would be a
great wife and together she and Daniel would find happiness that
span the boundaries of time and space, but first she had to open up
and talk to him; not an easy task for the woman.

Daniel watched Julia intently when she
wasn’t looking, then dropped his eyes when she saw him staring. He
could see the emotions wash over her features and prayed she would
calm down enough to listen to reason. He never wanted anything to
do with Turner's land in the first place and if he had known Julia
before, he would never have agreed to Victor leaving him the
stables. He thought of all the things she could do with her life;
all the things she could become and the only thing that brought
peace to his own mind, was taking her as his wife. He admitted
silently, he had been upset with that condition at first, but as
the hours of the day had passed by, the thought had taken hold and
seemed to find a place in his heart.

He felt a pang of guilt when he looked at
her again; Julia was too beautiful and too caring of a woman to be
put through any of this, especially by her own father. Daniel just
couldn't believe Victor had intended to do any serious harm. He
knew how much he adored his daughter and that was the crazy thing
about all of this; he knew her father never intended to hurt her.
Daniel didn’t think his friend would do anything to cause harm to
either of them, but he couldn’t help wondering what was behind his
motives. He knew they could contest the will, but it would take
time, perhaps years and by then God only knew what would happen to
the stables. All of this happened because of them; by the time the
courts made a decision, the reputation that had been built over a
period of a hundred years, would be ruined.

Daniel thought of Julia and tried to
understand what she was feeling. She was young, vibrant, and more
sensuous then any three women he'd ever known, although she was
stubborn and strong willed; two traits he normally didn’t like in
women. He considered what married life with her would be like and
had to smile as the visions began to dance before him.

He could see Julia, swollen with his child
growing inside her; he thought of the long endless sections of love
making that would bring about the event and even the arguments that
would end in hours of playing. He wanted Julia to be with him when
he fell asleep at night and he wanted her in his arms when he woke
up. He didn't know if this feeling he had for her was love, since
he had no emotional experience to base his analysis, but he did
know he cared for her beyond all else. There was nothing he
wouldn't do to make her happy, except let her go. He knew she
wanted to leave Kentucky and would, given the chance, but he just
didn't know how he would exist without her, if she left.

Julia could feel Daniel's eyes watching her,
but chose to ignore him at all costs. Deep down, she knew he wasn't
to blame for her father's actions, but since Victor wasn't there to
yell at, Daniel would have to be a suitable substitute. She felt as
though the whole world had collapsed around her and she was trapped
beneath the debris. She just couldn't understand what her father
had been thinking when he made those ridiculous conditions. He
claimed to have loved this land, but if he cared so much for it,
why didn't he leave it to someone he knew would want it? Why
her?

Thompson stepped into the room, feeling the
tension and anxieties swelling up around him. He cleared the dinner
away and sighed at the amount of food left on each plate. He placed
the chocolate cake Mrs. Lester had made, in the middle of the
table, but found the offering as noticeable as he was. Hell, he
could have sprouted horns and a fork tail and nobody would have
noticed him - or the cake.

The clock ticked by the seconds, causing the
tension to mount even higher. Julia felt like running and locking
herself away in her room, never to emerge again. The silence was so
consuming that it was no surprise when a heavy step fell outside in
the hall, startling those who were suffering from the silence.

Rally Overton turned the corner of the
dining room, his sun worn hat held tight in his hand, his boots
caked with horse dung and the smell of sweat and dirt filled the
air. He searched out the faces of those around him, until he at
last came to the emerald eyes of his new employer. He opened his
mouth to speak, but when she rose to confront him, he forgot what
he was going to say. He felt a sudden tightening in his breeches,
as he admired the woman's beauty openly. Julia's tiny waist was
accented with perfection, in her amber gown. Her well-developed
breasts rose and fell at a steady rate beneath the lace trim of the
collar. Rally could hardly breathe, as his eyes traveled up and
caught her staring at him.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Overton?" Julia
asked, her soft tone made the bulge in the man's breeches, even
more unbearable.

"We's got a problem at the stables, ma'am,"
he began, receiving a soft grunt form Daniel. Why did everything to
this man, have to be a problem?

"What is it, Mr. Overton?"

"Well ma'am...," he stuttered, uncertain how
to explain his reason for being here. "Ya see, it's like this...
the fellers used some of the money Mr. Turner done left 'em and
bought some whiskey. I wouldn't have mentioned it, if'n it weren't
fer the...well um...I mean they brought some...well, what I mean
is..."

"Out with it Overton," Daniel snapped,
stepping forward to divert the man's attention from Julia. Rally
grew in confidence, having a man to speak with now, rather than
having to report to a woman.

"Whores Mr. Brownin'," he announced boldly.
Louise gasped, Jeremy choked on his coffee and Daniel hid his
laughter as best he could, while Julia only grunted
disapprovingly.

"Am I to understand," Julia began, forcing
control in her posture, "that there are concubines on our
property?"

"Yes ma'am, that's it right 'nough. We's got
whores in the bunk house." Daniel could no longer contain his
laughter, he and Jeremy hooted with amusement at the man's words.
Jeremy tried desperately to contain his amusement, but when his
chair tipped over backwards sending him sprawling across the floor,
he gave up the effort. Julia and Louise stared at each other in
amazement. If word was to get out that there were prostitutes at
Turner Stables, it could cost the entire success of the sales.

"You're a big help,
Browning," Julia snorted, punching Daniel in the arm so hard it
knocked him off balance as she hurried to the door. She was
determined to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all, even if
her new
partner
wasn't. She was nearly to the back door, when a hand caught
hold of her arm, pulling her to a halt.

"And just where do you think you're going?"
Daniel asked; his face flushed from his recent bout of good
humor.

"I'm going to put a stop to this escapade
and have those hussies thrown off my property."

"Ya can't go there ma'am," Rally insisted,
hurrying behind Daniel. "Ya don't know what them fellers are
capable of, 'specially with a purty little filly like yerself
'round. They ain't 'zactly in a respectable mood."

"He's right Julia," Daniel insisted, his
face taking on a serious look. "Do you have any idea what those men
would do, if you went barging in there?"

"I don't see that it's any of your concern,
Mr. Browning, and if Mr. Overton was doing his job, those women
wouldn't be here in the first place."

"Now ya hold on there just one goddam minute
- beg pardon - but I was doin' my job. Hell ma'am - beg pardon -
you should be happy them women is out there. Them fellers reckoned
to yer daddy real well and his death sort of left them feelin'
blue. If it weren't fer them whores, them fellers might just have
come up here, lookin' fer a little 'fection. Hell - beg pardon - I
wouldn't have mentioned it at all, if'n I were wantin' them fellers
to get a ridin'."

“
Then why did you come up
here, Mr. Overton? Looking for a handout from the main house?
Something to tide your men over until those tramps had time for
them?"

"If'n I were ta look ma'am," the man snarled
with venom, "it sure's hell wouldn't be at a spoiled lil’ brat like
yerself."

“
That's quite enough
Overton," Daniel insisted, taking up Julia's defense.

"Yes sir," the man said, staring down at his
feet. Daniel was certain the man's anger and grief had gotten the
better of him, or else he would never have overstepped his limits.
Julia thought about what Rally had said in silence, ignoring his
rude comments. It was the idea of having women like that on her
land that proved to be a heavier demon to deal with.

Without warning, Julia turned on her heel
and continued her march towards the bunkhouse. Her actions caught
Daniel and Rally so off guard, they had to run to catch up to her.
Daniel grabbed Julia around the waist and ordered Rally to get to
his men and keep them quiet. Tossing Julia over his shoulder like a
sack of feed, he carried her back in the house. He assured Louise
and Jeremy that she was fine and ordered them to stay out, as he
carried a kicking, screaming Julia into the sitting room. He shut
the door behind them so hard, several small books fell from the
shelves behind the wooden barrier. He tossed Julia into a chair
near the fireplace, pinning her into it with an arm on either side
of her.

"How dare you treat me like a..."

"Yes, like what Julia? A spoiled selfish
little brat?"

"You have no right speaking to me like
that," she snapped, struggling to push the arms that pinned her in
the chair aside.

"Are you so damned reckless, that you didn't
even hear what you were being warned against?" Daniel had always
prided himself on his control, but this woman had a way of blowing
whatever restraint he had all to hell.

"I'm not a child, Browning. I know exactly
what would have happened."

"Then tell me. Spell it out for me, so I
know."

"I would have witnessed the scenes of a
brothel. Those women would have no doubt been naked and the men
would have invited me to stay, and I'm quite certain I would have
heard a great deal of vulgarity, when I refuse."

"Close Little Princess, but not exactly
true. You would have seen those women naked, there's no doubt of
that and the men would have been more than eager to accept their
invitations. At least two of them, more depending on the women’s
experience, since Overton said they brought only two back with
them. The rest would have been very hard to contain. They would
have seen you enter and assumed you were with the other two, since
most of them have never seen you before. There would be no asking
on their part. You would have been raped and beaten when you tried
to fight.

"There are twenty seven men out there,
Julia. Each and every one of them would have had a piece of you.
They would have taken great pleasure in relieving you of your
virginity and your reputation without regard to you or who you are.
When they were finished, they would continue drinking until the
urge to start over hit them then the whole nightmare would repeat
itself. You would have been lucky if you escaped with just a few
bruises to show for your ordeal."

When Daniel finished speaking, Julia was as
white as a linen sheet. His words had done their job and the
visions that passed before her eyes were less than appealing,
leaving her feeling nauseated and disgusted. Seeing the fear echo
through her eyes, he sighed deeply, gently pulling her from the
chair and into his arms. His heart was beating rhythmically under
her ear, as she laid her head against the warm wall of his chest.
She didn’t resist him; she needed the security he offered in order
to hide from the thoughts of all he told her.

They stood in each other’s arms for several
long minutes until he at last tipped her chin up and looked into
her pale face. Her eyes were misty with emotion and visions of his
tale still danced before her.

"No matter how angry I get with you, I will
never allow anything like that to happen. I don’t know what I’d do
if another man touched you." He bent his head down and kissed her
trembling lips. His need to comfort and to be comforted outweighed
his logic and warning of resistance. He pulled her closer to him,
until her breasts were pressed tightly against him, feeling the
searing heat through his shirt. He wanted her, he needed her and he
didn't care about the consequences.