Love's Vengeance (37 page)

“It is just down this path. This is the short cut. If we were riding we would take the road to the front entrance.” Tim explained.

They walked under a canopy of lush tropical trees and foliage on a narrow stone walkway. Only fleeting shafts of sunlight broke through to dance upon the stones as the trees swayed in the breeze.

“What in the world are these?” Bridgett asked bending to look at a strange flower.

“That is called a Bird of Paradise. Originally from Africa I believe but my mother brought some here from a long ago trip and they have thrived quite well. My mother is quite the gardener; a hobby of hers.”

“They are beautiful but they don’t even look real. I have never seen a bird of this color.” Bridgett laughed.

“Oh you shall Bridgett—another of my mother’s hobbies. We have some that are so large that they must perch upon your arm…” he paused as the two burst out in laughter, “But it is true!” he confirmed defensively.

“Timothy you are teasing!” Desiree laughed with a shake of her head. Desiree had seen some exotic birds at a distance up in the trees when at Nevis and O’Malley was full of stories about birds of all sizes and colors but so large as to perch upon an arm.

“It is true!” he insisted, “and what’s more these birds talk!”

Desiree and Bridgett both broke into giggles at this remark.

“You just wait.” Tim feigned injury, “You shall see.” he pouted.

Desiree had to laugh at the expression, the same expression she had witnessed on Stephen’s face at times and she wondered who had learned it from whom. Tim broke in to a wide grin and they moved on leaving the strange flowers behind.

After a time, the stone walkway stopped abruptly and they walked from under the canopy to see the house before them. It was a mansion, to say the least, no mere house as Tim and Stephen referred to it, huge beyond Desiree’s imaginings of it, easily twice the size of her own home in France. True, they had raised four boys here but they could have easily housed twice as many without overcrowding.

The home was similar in style to Red’s house, tropical, but with a mostly stone foundation and façade. The light color of the stone gave the effect of airiness—many wood shuttered windows, balconies and verandas. They walked across the back lawn, which was alive with exotic beds of flowers and graced with mammoth palms at measured and well thought out intervals. Near the center of the back lawn, they passed a stone pool of clear water, with several tiny brightly colored fish darting about.

Tim saw the question in Desiree’s eyes and answered before she could ask, “This is just one of our reserve water supplies. We do not have much in the way of natural resources, water being the scarcest of them. We make do though. You are lucky you arrived now, we just had a real drenching in the last few weeks.” he hissed good-naturedly.

Tim ushered them around the side of the manor on to a well tended stone walkway and to a veranda that skirted the entire front of the home. A formal cobblestone drive wound its way up to the front of the manor and in the distance a carriage house and formal gated entrance could be seen. As they topped the stairs Desiree was about to question Tim about the large ring which seemed to be some type of odd stand at the far side of the veranda but before she could inquire about its purpose, a huge blue and purple bird flew over their heads and landed upon the ring. Bridgett and Desiree stared agog at the squawking creature while Tim straightened up a bit taller with bravado and said with a sweep of his hand and obvious pleasure, “As I told you—large birds.”

“My goodness!” Bridgett exclaimed.

Tim placed a finger across his lips briefly before saying, “As for the talking—observe.” He instructed with an air of mystery.

“Alexander hello.” He called.

“Hello” Came a course reply from the bird. “Alex pretty boy.”

“Indeed.” Tim agreed.

Desiree covered her mouth and gaped at the bird and Tim waited for her regard to return to him before he said very smugly, “As I said…talking birds.”

He continued to lead the way to the door and was about to open it when it was opened for him from within.

“Timothy what are you about? Are you going to stand around on the porch all day or are you going to come in and introduce me to these young women?”

Desiree turned to the sound of a woman’s voice and met a pair of twinkling china blue eyes. At least in her mid sixties, she stood with hands on hips which were overshadowed by a tremendous bust and her gray hair was pulled up tight at the crown of her head in a matronly bun. She stood no taller than Desiree herself and although the woman was very heavy it was not unbecoming.

“Bessie, now don’t be cross. Our friends don’t want to get a wrong first impression of you.” Tim said with a shake of his head, placing a kiss upon the old woman’s round face. He ushered Desiree and Bridgett in before him as he spoke, “Bessie may I introduce Miss Desiree Chandelle and Bridgett Spencer; guests of Stephen to be staying in our humble home.”

He placed an arm about the old woman’s shoulders despite her scowl of disapproval, “Ladies this is Bess, housekeeper, house mother, nanny to Stephen and I until we both outgrew her and became responsible self-reliant men. If you need anything at all you just ask Bessie.” he squeezed her against him, smiling sweetly.

“Timothy Colter you know full well that both you and Stephen still need a nanny to care for you. You would not make it a day without me!” She cajoled him with affection before turning her attention to the two at his side, “Ladies welcome. I am happy to have you. I have been needing some good company lately as the master and his wife have been gone to England the past three months and this ruffian…” She shot Tim a glare and received a silly dimpled grin in return, “he only stops in to have his laundry done up before he is off again.”

Desiree took Bessie’s hand in her own, “I am pleased to meet you and we too have been in need of the same. We have spent the better part of the last five months aboard ships with our only company sailors.”

Tim caught the pained expression Bessie held upon her face then looked at Desiree quizzically. She had said five months—on board
ships
in the plural. “Where on earth had they been?” He wondered silently.

“Oh you poor things!” Bessie sighed sympathetically. “Well until the men bring your things up from the ship, why don’t you come into the drawing room and relax while I see about your rooms. Tim, would you please fix the ladies something cool to drink and try to entertain them until I return?”

“Of course, I would not think of leaving!” Tim said happily.

“Well,” Bessie said with a laugh, “I guess we have found what is needed to keep you around the house.”

“So right Bess,” Tim agreed, “Ladies this way.”

They followed Tim through the main hall, which was brightly lit in spite of dark oak floors by large windows on either side of the front door. Another set of identical doors leading to the back lawn were directly across the hall beneath a curved grand staircase that stretched to the second story. A gigantic, brightly colored oriental vase, above Desiree’s height occupied an alcove beneath the staircase. The curve of the case and the alcove beneath looked to have been constructed for the sole purpose of housing the vessel. The furnishings of the hall were few. Two identical curio tables under beveled mirrors displayed vases of fresh cut flowers on either side.

The formal dining room was to the left of the main hall and the drawing room was just to the right and was spacious with a vaulted ceiling and many doors opening out to verandas. It was furnished with Elizabethan furniture of the Tudor rose, which was distinguished and elegant. Yet silk cushions in tans and cream brocade lightened the dark English oak. Tim crossed the room to a bar at the far end and turned back, “Ladies what would you like?”

“Just water for me if you please.” Desiree decided.

“Bridgett?” Tim queried.

“Nothing for me thank you.” She declined, taking a seat upon a sofa with a sigh.

Desiree turned about, admiring the décor when she looked up at a gigantic portrait gracing the wall behind her and facing the sofa. She had not noticed it until this moment but the magnitude of the work demanded attention. Tim looked up at the painting and placed Desiree’s drink into her hand, “Our family.” He informed with a smile, admiring the work, which he often neglected to notice.

Desiree stood silently taking in every detail. The parents sat in the foreground facing the artist, seated in Elizabethan chairs with a round table between them. Stephen’s mother was lovely—serene and smiling with her hair in a loose bun and wisps of medium brown curls framing her delicate face. His father was solemn and proud with rugged and chiseled good looks. His hand partially shadowed the cover of a leather bound book placed upon the table embossed with a family crest and shield. Standing behind them were the four young men, all amazingly similar with the blond hair of their father and the dark brown velvety eyes of their mother. Daniel and William were both dashingly handsome—Stephen a teen, slim but undeniably Stephen and Timothy, a child standing next to his mother and to her side, with his hands laced over the back of one side of her chair, his legs crossed jauntily at the ankle, a gleam of his still exuberant personality caught in the artist’s likeness.

“It is wonderful Timothy.” Desiree managed, feeling a tug at her heart, “How long ago was this completed?”

“Ten years or so—completed shortly before we lost Dan and Will.”

Desiree nodded that she was aware of the accident and Tim gestured to the sofa, “Shall we?”

Desiree continued to study the portrait as she sipped at her drink, feeling a sense of sorrow and pain when looking at the young man Stephen had been when he had watched his brothers die. She was amazed by how handsome his older brothers had been, as startling as Stephen and Timothy’s good looks. In fact, if she did not know better, she would swear that Timothy at her side was actually William, their looks were so similar. She thought of what Stephen had told her about looking up to those two and she could not help but feel as she studied the magnificent offspring of the couple in the foreground that the world had lost two bright stars ten years ago. Oh to see those four together today would have been an experience that few women would ever forget, she thought sadly. She felt a welling up of emotion and very close to Stephen at this moment as she glimpsed through this window in time and peeked into his past.

Chapter Thirty-One

Stephen was rushing to complete the task of unloading the
Windward
. He did not trust that brother of his alone with Desiree for one instant. He would surely be charming her and he was a charming little scoundrel, he thought with affection.

“Davison you get the
Windward
moored and then go on home. All of you—let’s get this finished up and be about more important matters.” he urged.

Resounding approval of that command was quick in coming as Stephen left the ship, watching from the dock as the
Windward
was loosed and the natural current in the harbor slowly moved the vessel. She was anchored well out in deep water, then sloops were lowered, and men scattered, rowing toward their homes.

Starting up the dock, Stephen noticed Tim’s horse tied at a post, “Sebastian, left you behind did he? Well I think he had more important things on his mind.” Stephen patted the Arab’s graceful neck and then swung up into the saddle, heading off down the road at a canter.

***

A stable boy hurried out at the sound of approaching hoof beats and met Stephen at the front drive relieving him of Sebastian and after exchanging greetings, Stephen jogged across the drive, bounding up the steps. He paused, walking to the end of the veranda, “Hello Alex.” he crooned gently.

“Hello.”

“How are you?” Stephen questioned.

“How are you?” The bird mimicked. Stephen stroked the silken feathers of the ancient parrot briefly before continuing to the front door.

Stephen burst into the house and was met just inside by his old nanny, “Bess how are you? It has been a long time!”

“Long indeed! You have been gone for ages!” She said with pleasure at seeing him. She allowed him to place a kiss upon her cheek and then hugged him to her in an affectionate embrace, “I have missed you Stephen. You and Tim are never home anymore and I will tell you now that your parents are off to England. They should be back in two weeks or so.”

Stephen nodded, “Where is Miss Chandelle?”

“I have shown both the ladies to their rooms. Their things arrived and they wished to prepare for dinner.”

“Well then, where is that brother of mine?” Stephen asked with a grin.

“In there.” She pointed to the drawing room. “It wouldn’t hurt you to get cleaned up for dinner soon.”

“Soon Bess.” Stephen assured, rubbing his hand across the dark stubble shadowing his jaw and heading for the drawing room.

“I mean soon!” Bessie called sternly.

“Soon!” He assured again.

Bessie heard him laugh as he undoubtedly had found his long lost brother, “How the hell are you?” She heard him call out.

“Well Stephen let me tell you all about it!” She heard Tim reply.

She shook her head and with a happy chuckle went off to attend to dinner. “Those two!” She sighed under her breath with affection.

***

Stephen clasped Tim’s outstretched hand in a sound shake, then the two slapped each other upon the back affectionately, “It is good to see you Tim.”

“What the hell took you so long to return? Christ Stephen I arrived at Jamestown a good three weeks after your departure and beat you home by another four!” Tim declared as he moved to the bar and returned with a drink, holding it out to Stephen.

“Thank you. Tim I don’t know where to begin.” Stephen laughed, sitting heavily upon a sofa.

“Try starting with why Desiree mentioned that after almost five months at sea she was very happy to be here. Five months?”

Stephen figured up the time silently as Tim waited and then realized that at least for Desiree it had been close to that count.