Keeper of My Dreams (St. John Series Book 4) (4 page)

Kristina’s eyes grew wide with knowing as she shifted her position slightly. She looked up at her husband and could sense his tension. She placed her hand on his. Max looked down at Kristina, his eyes revealing none of his thoughts. Both already knew what Robert was about to announce.

“Many months later she presented a child to me and told me he was mine. I didn’t believe her. She was a prostitute. So I reasoned that she was trying to use the child to increase her station in life. She became upset and threatened to kill the child. I couldn’t let her do it. Whether the child was mine or not, it was not the child’s fault. So I proposed to give her funds to help with the child’s upbringing, and she agreed to not kill the baby. I supplied her with more than enough funds to sustain her and a child so she would not have to work in the brothel.”

Robert looked at Max. “I was young and foolish. If I had any sense to me, I should have taken the child myself and raised him.”

Jacob looked at his father and then followed his gaze. “Bloody hell. Are you telling us that Max is our brother?”

Robert’s gaze never left Max. “Yes.”

“Hell,” Matthew mumbled, closing his eyes and rubbing the side of his face.

“Really?” Madison beamed, ecstatic.

All the St. John brothers began to speak at once. Robert looked at his wife and could feel her anger. Her emerald eyes had darkened. She clenched her jaw and drew her mouth tight. Slowly standing, she walked over to him. Robert braced himself for her slap but was taken aback when she balled her hand into a fist and punched his mouth.

The room grew quiet when Elizabeth yelled, “You no-good whoring bastard!”

Robert dabbed the blood coming from his mouth. “I didn’t even know you then, Eliza—”

“I do not care! You produced a child and left him to be raised in a hellhole! Why would you think I would turn away an innocent child?” Elizabeth turned to look at Max. She took a small step back as she viewed him.

Max normally had a dangerous presence to him, but this was nothing akin to dangerous. His presence would make the devil take a cautionary step away.

The silence was broken by Nicholas. His laughter echoed throughout the room as he patted Max on the back. All were shocked by Nicholas’s act of boldness.

“Nicholas!” Madison scolded as she stood and faced her husband.

“What?” Nicholas asked with a pretense of innocence. “We all knew it. Just look at him. He looks like someone pulled him out of Robert’s arse.”

Max turned and planted his fist to Nicholas’s jaw. Nicholas stumbled backwards but caught himself before he fell.

Nicholas spit the blood from his mouth and asked, “Want ta go a round or two?”

Max lowered his eyes to slits as he viewed his friend. “Not now, Ale—Nicholas,” he corrected.

“Max,” Kristina softly spoke as she looked up at her husband.

Max looked at his wife and then at his daughter who had woken during the commotion. Sophia smiled sweetly at him and reached her arms up to him. He picked up his daughter and then looked back at Robert, but said nothing.

“I know you hate me, Max. I don’t blame you. If I could take back what I did, I would.”

“What?” Kristina questioned heatedly as she stood, defending her husband. “Bedding that bitch Sybil or not paying her so she would kill him?”

Robert turned his gaze to Kristina. He could sense her need to protect her husband. “No. I should have taken him from her.”

Madison began to take in the situation in the room. “I, for one, am glad you didn’t.”

“Madison!” Kristina shouted as she turned to her.

“Well, I am. Think about it. If Father had taken Max, then none of us would have met. You would not have met Max and Sophia would not be here nor would you be carrying a second child. I would not have been kidnapped. If that happened, Nicholas and I would not have met. And you and I would not have become friends. Fate has a way of taking our bad choices and making them good. You just have to choose to see the good.”

“You sound like Smitty,” Nicholas replied as he patted Madison on the shoulder, referring to
The Abyss’s
gunner.

Robert gave his daughter a caring look.

“What do you mean you would not have been kidnapped?” Oliver asked. “That damned pirate would have been around regardless.”

The slip of Madison’s tongue caused her eyes to grow wide. She diverted the observation by exclaiming, “Oh! This means Sophia is my niece!”

“Bloody hell,” Nicholas mumbled. Leave it to Madison to add more fuel to the fire.

“Oh, dear,” Elizabeth stated as she walked in Madison’s direction. As she was walking, her thoughts began to race. Robert had a second grandchild with a third on the way. She stopped and turned to face Max. His presence still reeked of agitation and anger. She took a step towards him and placed her hand on his arm. “Should you chose to accept it or not, young man, you must think of your family. Your daughter. I . . . I . . .” she closed her eyes and opened them again. “I welcome you to the family, should you so choose.”

“I have already welcomed you, should you choose to accept what I have told you. I just hope that you can forgive me,” Robert said as he walked to his wife.

“Bloody hell,” Owen stated. “Does this mean Max is going to be an Earl?” He was finding humor in this serious situation.

Nicholas laughed again. “If so, I want to go to the House of Lords and witness that. One look at Max and that entire group of pompous assed upstarts would think the devil has come to collect their souls.”

“You’re all heart,” came Max’s droll reply.

Robert gave a small smile. “No. The title can only pass to a legitimate heir.”

“Sorry, old man,” Noah consoled as he looked at Eli. “You get to hang onto that title.”

Eli said nothing as he sipped his drink. Leave it to Noah to make this announcement worse by reminding him of something that he had no desire for. Eli looked at Max. The man had a dangerous aura to him, but when he picked up his daughter, it was as if she calmed him. Eli wished he could trade places with this man now. Max had a wife and child whom he protected and loved. Eli had no doubt in his mind that Max would kill anyone who attempted to cause harm to his family. He watched as Kristina stood and placed an understanding hand on her husband’s arm.

“Are you all right, Son?” Robert asked, his voice bringing Eli back to reality.

Eli took a frustrated breath. “Fine. Why?” His words were cold and caustic.

“You haven’t said a word during all of this.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know.” Robert looked at Max. “He is your brother. Why don’t you welcome him to the family?”

Eli stood. He leaned just inches away from his father. “Why don’t you? He’s your bastard.”

“Eli!” Robert yelled to his oldest.

“Don’t lecture me, Father.”

“Eli, what has gotten into you?” Elizabeth asked.

“He’s just being his normal bastardly self, Mother,” Oliver said as he held up his glass. “To the newest member—no, members—of our family.”

“Cheers to that,” Owen replied. Nothing made the two youngest boys happier than giving their eldest brother a hard time.

“You want to toast to something, how about to your death?” Eli questioned as he headed towards his younger brothers.

“Eli!” Elizabeth yelled again, stepping in front of her oldest son.

“What?! Am I supposed to be thrilled about this announcement? Are we to open our arms and welcome Max and his family into the bosom of ours? I like you, Max. You are a valuable business arrangement, but I don’t think I could tolerate you as a brother.”

Max handed Sophia back to Kristina.

“Max,” Kristina warned as she grabbed her husband’s arm.

“Speak ill about me all you want, St. John. But if you slander my wife or child, I will kill you, family or not.”

“I’ve been duly warned. But truth be known, there is something about you I don’t trust. You have an overly familiar look to you. I have thought so since I first met you. I can’t help but wonder if we haven’t met doing battle at sea.”

Kristina and Madison looked at each other with a newfound sense of panic.

“What are you saying, St. John?” Max questioned as he took a step towards the eldest brother.

“I’m saying you look too much like a damn pirate to suit me. Mayhap you are or were one. How else could you acquire a fully crewed pirate ship?”

“Enough!” Robert yelled. “I had not expected this evening to go well. But one thing I will not handle is false accusations against
any
of my children. Eli, if you know something, then by all means share it with us now. But if you are just lashing out at Max—”

“Believe whatever you wish, Father, just do so without me present,” Eli growled as he walked to the French doors leading outside.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Robert questioned.

“For a walk,” Eli snapped as he jerked the door opened. He slammed it closed with such force the glass broke on both sets of doors.

“Well, that went well,” Michael said as he walked to the liquor cabinet. “Take no offense, Max. He hates all of us.”

“I don’t care,” Max replied as he turned to his wife. “Let’s go.”

“Go?” Kristina exclaimed. At Max’s look, she turned to Madison. “Do you mind keeping an eye on Sophia?”

Madison shook her head. “No, not at all.”

“I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Kristina grabbed Max’s arm and dragged him to the corner of the room. “I know you’re furious, husband. But we both knew this would happen sooner or later.”

“And it’s happened. A startling revelation has been made.” His words oozed with angry sarcasm. “But it’s time to leave.”

“No. I know you hold hard feelings towards this family, but it’s not your brothers’ fault.” Max turned his gaze away from Kristina. “You forgave Madison. And she has forgiven you for attacking her family when we were pirates,” she whispered. Kristina took a controlling breath. “I know what you’re feeling, Max.”

“Do you?” he questioned heatedly as he looked at his wife.

“
Si
. You are my husband, and your pain is my pain. Your happiness is mine. Do not allow Sybil’s bitterness towards this family to affect your judgment. Don’t judge Robert harshly. You yourself said that you did not blame him for not believing her when she presented you to him.” Max looked out the window as his wife spoke. She took a deep breath. “You have longed for a family.”

“I have all the family that I need,” Max replied as he looked back to Kristina and gently stroked her cheek.

She placed her hand on his. “We need you, too. But you will not be at peace with yourself until you fully accept your other family. Go. Make amends with your brother. Besides,” she began with a twinkle in her chocolate-colored eyes, “I want to visit with Madison.”

“Can’t we just go to Nicholas’s house?”

“No,” she answered as she looked around her husband. “I believe our daughter is enjoying the attention.”

Max turned to find Robert and Elizabeth sitting on the floor playing with Sophia and Alexandra. Sophia pushed Robert and he fell backwards taking her with him. He held her up high above him. She let out a scream of delight.

“She needs to know her grandfather. This is her
only
grandfather,” she reminded him. Kristina had longed for her child to have a relationship with her grandparents. However, Kristina’s parents had been murdered several years before. But now, thanks to fate, Sophia had a chance.

“Very well.”

Max turned and headed out the double set of doors. The broken glass crunched under his booted feet. How in the hell did his wife do it? She could always manage to calm him down and make every irrational situation seem . . . well, rational.

Once outside Max scanned the grounds looking for Eli. It was late in the evening and the darkness hindered his view. Max squinted his eyes to get a better look. He spotted Eli’s silhouette going down the path towards the beach. Max took a deep breath and headed in the same direction. He knew he needed to follow, for if he didn’t make amends with Eli, he knew his wife would give him hell.

Chapter Five

Eli’s pace matched his anger. With each thought and frustration, his feet would hit the ground harder as his stride lengthened. As he mounted the small hill to descend to the ocean, a woman blocked his bath.

“What do you want, Natasha?”

The old black woman titled her head to the right as she looked at her master. She slowly shook her head. Eli St. John was far from her master. She was outspoken and overbearing. She had overstepped her bounds too many times lecturing him about his actions and activities. She was more of a grandmotherly figure to him. He would seek her out for advice when his parents’ logic did not suit him. She had a feeling that this time would be no different. However, this time he was not heading in the direction of her quarters but to the beach. The sound of the angry crashing waves on the sands matched his disposition. Whatever had transpired in the house this evening was vexing Eli tremendously.

“Why are yuh troubled?”

“Were you eavesdropping?”

Natasha shook her head. “Nah dis time. Now wat ‘as transpired?”

“Use your voodoo powers and figure it out for yourself,” Eli snapped as he gently pushed her out of his way.

She began mumbling under her breath.

“Do not be cursing me, Natasha.”

Natasha turned just in time to see the tall menacing man emerge from the house. “I don’t need ta curse yuh. De devil ah comin’ afta yuh as wi speak.”

Eli closed his eyes and groaned. He turned around and spotted Max heading his direction. He did not need his new older brother’s presence right now. Eli turned and headed down the path to the beach. When he reached the sandy shore, he stopped and waited for Max to catch up to him.

Max quickly reached Eli. Neither man spoke a word as they stared at the crashing waves. The violence of the waves matched each man’s emotions.

“I’m not interested in that bloody title,” Max finally spoke.

“Neither am I,” Eli responded.

“I didn’t ask for this.”

Eli turned to face Max. Eli was not the tallest of the St. John brothers. He was used to looking upwards to do his battles, except against Michael who was the smallest of the crew—hence giving him the nickname of Runt. He was not surprised to find that Max was just as tall as his other brothers. He tilted his head and looked directly into Max’s eyes. The blackness of Max’s eyes matched his own.

“What do you ask for then?” Eli growled.

The corner of Max’s mouth lifted up in a sneer. “You wanting to fight me?”

Max’s answer was Eli’s fist hitting him across the jaw. Max’s head was tossed back by the blow. When he lowered his head, an evil sneer had crossed his face.

“Good,” Max said as his fist connected with Eli’s mouth.

Eli was knocked backwards several feet by the force of Max’s blow. Eli was no stranger to fights. Having seven brothers assured that there was a fight at least daily. Whenever Eli traveled to England, he would join Matthew in the ring for several rounds. Which was a punishment in itself because not only was Matthew the broadest of the St. John brothers, but a skilled pugilist as well. Eli spat the blood out of his mouth.

He advanced on Max. As he approached, he noticed Max did not take a shielding stance. When he swung at Max’s jaw a second time, Max leaned back and landed a punch to Eli’s midsection. Eli doubled over and was knocked on his backside by Max’s uppercut.

Eli slowly stood and shook the stars from his vision. He was not thrilled to see that Max would be a better opponent than Matthew. Hell, maybe once they finished, he’d have those two fight. He had always wanted to see Matthew have his pride handed back to him.

Max took another swing at Eli. Eli stepped back. Max took another swing. Eli stepped back again, dodged to the left and connected a punch to Max’s rib cage. Eli struck with such force that the contact sounded like a dropped cannonball hitting a wooden deck. Eli’s fist screamed with pain and the intensity traveled to his elbow. He didn’t show Max any signs of the pain he was experiencing. But Eli was certain that Max must be hurting as much as he was.

Eli took another swing at him. Max caught his arm and tucked it under his. He then took his free hand and hammered it onto Eli’s face. Eli felt blood begin to pour out of his nose. He knew there was no freeing himself. Max’s fist continued to connect with his face. Eli was pinned so he used the leverage of sitting low and knocked Max off his feet. Eli landed on top and landed several punches to Max’s face before he was knocked off by Max rolling to his side.

When Eli landed on his back, he waited for Max to advance. After a few seconds, he raised his head and looked to his left and noticed Max was still lying on his back, breathing heavily. He laid his head back in the sand.

Laughter came from Max. Eli turned back to him. “What’s so damn funny?”

“I think you broke my ribs,” Max replied.

“Well, you broke my hand as well as my nose, so we’ll call it even,” Eli said as a chuckle exited his chest. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“Kris.”

“Kris?” Eli questioned with skepticism.

“Not really. But it sounds good,” Max replied and grimaced as he sat up.

Eli slowly sat up and moaned. “Remind me not to piss you off.”

Max just shrugged his shoulders.

Eli looked over at his new brother and then back to the ocean in front of them. The moon was full now, which made the tide rougher than normal. Both men sat in the sand for several minutes listening to the rhythmic crashing of the waves. Taking his hand, Eli took hold of his nose and grimaced. Waves of nausea came over him as he set his nose.

“Hurts like hell to set your own nose,” Max said, watching Eli.

“I wouldn’t have had to set my nose, if you had not broken it.”

“Then don’t go looking for fights you can’t win.”

“Just don’t speak.” Eli said, turning his gaze back to the ocean. He was fighting the desire to vomit. Once the sickening sensation passed, he stood and noticed something to his right. He started that way, but was stopped by Max’s hand on his shoulder.

“What?” Eli questioned.

“Approach cautiously. It might be a trap,” Max informed him.

“A trap?”

“Yes. Pirates use this trick sometimes. One will lie on the beach pretending to be injured. When someone investigates the body, they will either rob or seize them to work on the ship.”

“How do you know this?”

“Helps to know one’s enemy.”

“Very well then. You go check it out and I’ll stand guard.”

“Why me?”

“Well, for starts, you’re scary as hell.”

“So is my wife. If it is a trap, you’ll have her to deal with.”

“Good point. You stand guard then. I’d rather face pirates than your angry wife.”

Max laughed. “By all means,” he said as he gestured his hand in the direction of the object.

Eli approached the object carefully. With each step he looked at the tree line, scanning for potential attackers. His gaze then would travel back to the object at hand. The closer he came to the image, the more his steps quickened. He could make out a white material of some sort flowing with the waves. A wave crashed and pushed the object onto the beach further. His eyes grew wide when he spotted an arm float above the object’s head and then back to its side. His stride broke into a run. He could hear Max yell a warning at him, but he didn’t stop.

When he reached the object and looked down, he saw that the object was a woman. He turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps and quickly pivoted. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw it was only Max.

“It’s a woman,” he told Max.

“Is she alive?”

Eli knelt down and lowered his head to her face. Her breathing was shallow. “Yes.”

Max scanned the beach and saw no one present but the three of them. “Do you know her?”

Eli moved the hair away from her face. He studied her appearance. She was wearing only a thin tattered white shift, but it was of high quality. He couldn’t tell much else about the woman due to the lack of light. One thing he did know was that he did not know her.

“I don’t recognize her.”

Max knelt down beside them. He ran his hand over her face and could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. “She either has a fever or is severely sunburned. You pick her up. I’ll go to the house and have the women make arrangements for her care.”

Eli nodded and gently picked the woman up. She let out a pain-filled moan as he stood with her delicate frame in his arms. When he turned to head towards the path, he noticed that Max had already disappeared up the path to the house. Eli looked back down at the woman and his breath caught in his chest. She was breathtaking in the moonlight. She had an oval face with a petite upturned nose. The wetness of her thin shift made the material translucent and he could make out the outline of her breasts. He could not tear his eyes from her.

She gave a small moan again and her mouth opened slightly. Something was amiss. How did a woman of her obvious high station end up washed ashore on his beach?

He walked up the path to his home. When he reached the double doors, he was greeted by his mother.

“Quickly, take her to the guest bedroom,” Elizabeth ordered as she approached. “Madison and Kristina are making the room ready. Robert, retrieve Suzan. We’ll need her medical expertise.”

“No,” Eli said. “Natasha. Find her. She will know what to do.”

“Eli,” Elizabeth protested. “That woman is mad. I don’t know why you keep her around.”

Eli ignored his mother’s protest and headed towards the stairs. “Natasha,” he commanded as he carried the woman to the guest bedroom on the second floor.

When he entered, the bed had already been turned down. He gently laid the woman down and looked at her. She was a hideous mess. Her dark, brown hair was tangled, caked with sand and broken seashells and matted to her head. Her face and shoulders were severely sunburned and covered in angry red blisters.

Madison began pulling the bottom of her gown up. “We must get this off her.”

Eli gently raised the woman off the bed as his sister pulled the wet shift off the woman’s delicate frame. He laid her back on the bed and Madison pulled the silk sheets up over the woman’s naked form.

“Out,” Kristina said as she walked over to Eli. “This is no place for a man now.”

Just then Natasha entered. Madison gave the woman a shocked look at her attire. Natasha was wearing a long straight bright green frock covered with multi-colored floral designs. She had her hair braided in several small braids and then gathered in the back. But the pièce de résistance was the leather necklace with the chicken foot attached to it hanging around the woman’s neck.

“I will never get used to that woman,” Madison said.

Natasha gave an evil smile. “’Ello ta yuh ta, Miz Madison.”

“I told you Suzan should help,” Elizabeth protested from the doorway.

“No,” Eli repeated. “Natasha.” He looked back to his servant. “Do what needs to be done.”

“Yes, sah, Masta Eli,” Natasha said as she walked to the bed. She looked down at the woman and noticed her severely burned skin. She pulled back the covers, exposing the woman’s completely naked body. Natasha gently ran her fingers over the woman’s legs. She let out a small cry when her finger hit the detached tentacle of a jellyfish. “I need vinegar an paper. I also need som ‘ot sea wata.”

Eli nodded his head. “Anything else?”

Natasha examined the woman’s face. Several small cuts and scrapes flawed her complexion. There was a large lump over her right ear. Pulling the sheet up, the servant peered at the woman’s body. A large gaping wound was on the woman’s upper right leg.

“I need sumting ta fix har leg. Shi has ah nasty cut. I need soap ta clean dis wound.” Eli turned to leave but was stopped by Natasha. “Mek it lots of vinegar, too. An hurry wid de wata an thread.” Eli left and then Natasha turned to the other women in the room. “I will needs aal of yuh ‘elp wid dis oman.”

“Whatever assistance you need, we will gladly perform,” Kristina answered.

Natasha nodded her head at the Spanish lady. As she looked at Kristina, she voiced her thoughts. “Yuh de one married ta de devil.”

Kristina smiled proudly. “
Si
.”

“Yuh ah healer, too?”

“At times,” Kristina answered.

“Gud. We will need both of our skills ta help dis oman.”