Sea of Christmas Miracles (10 page)

He didn’t answer, only continued to stare at
her in a way that made her heart beat faster. Then he pivoted and
continued down the stairs, his step less hurried. Surprised,
Caroline lifted her skirts and rushed to catch up. She overtook him
near the bottom, her quilted petticoat swirling out as she rounded
on him. “Tell me,” she insisted, wondering what possessed her to be
so bold. “You said ‘my people.’ I don’t understand.”

She was in front of him, her arms spread
slightly as if she were blocking his way till he answered her
question. Wolf wondered if she knew how easily he could set her
aside... break her in two if he wished. He considered telling her,
watching as her chin, now set at a defiant angle, began to quiver.
But then frightening his father’s bride was not his objective.

Seducing her was.

Still, he could not resist a slight taunt, a
verbal jab, to pierce the innocent veneer of this woman chosen by
the man he despised. He leaned forward till she had to tilt her
chin back to look at him. “My people are the
Ani`-Yun`wiya
,
the Cherokee.” His raven brow arched. “Your betrothed’s son is of
mixed blood.”

Wolf watched the delicate line of her throat
as she swallowed. She forced her blue eyes not to blink, and Wolf
grudgingly admired her ability to mask her emotions. “Well, have
you nothing to say to that, you who demanded to know why I was
angry?”

“What do you wish me to say?” Caroline’s eyes
locked with his. It appeared her companion was daring her to take
issue with his parentage. In truth the only emotion she felt was
surprise. She told him so. “Actually, I was more astonished to find
that Robert had a son nearly as old as I, than to discover he is
part Indian.”

“No one is ever
part Indian
,” he
began. Then his voice turned soft, seductive. “And I would guess
myself older than you by several years, Your Ladyship.”

Caroline imagined he was right, but somehow
it helped her peace of mind to think of him as she would Ned. In a
motherly fashion. Or at least to try. But when he looked at her, as
he was now, his dark eyes intense, it wasn’t maternal thoughts that
tightened her stomach. Caroline reached out for the carved banister
and turned. “ ’Tis unimportant which of us is the other’s senior,”
she said, her voice firm, before lifting her chin and descending to
the first floor.

She nearly added that she was to be his
father’s wife, but didn’t. He knew that. She was the one who needed
to remember it, and stop imagining intimate looks where none
existed.

The rooms downstairs in the Meeting House
were used as offices and courtrooms. There were people milling
about the hallway. Caroline didn’t pause until she was again
outside.

The bright sunshine dispelled any lingering
sensual draw she felt for Raff MacQuaid. At least Caroline thought
it did until she turned toward him. Now that she knew of his mixed
blood, she wondered why she hadn’t guessed it before. His skin was
dark, bronzed against the snow white of his linen. And his hair,
tied back in a neat queue, shone so black and sleek that the sun
seemed to pull blue highlights from its depths.

Caroline blinked and quickly glanced away.
Raff MacQuaid was certainly a compelling man, but she had to stop
thinking of him in that way. She took the arm he offered, deciding
she needed to concentrate on Raff’s father. But he seemed unwilling
to offer much information when she asked about Robert.

“You shall have to form your own opinions,”
he said, his tone one that did not encourage further
discussion.

They walked in silence down Water Street
until Caroline recognized the Inn where she’d spent the last few
nights.

“I’ve taken the liberty of having your things
brought down.” Wolf led her to the small courtyard to the right of
the building. There a blackamoor was loading her small chest on the
back of a pack horse. “Are the rest of your trunks stored
elsewhere?”

“There is nothing else.” Caroline said the
words quickly. If he found it surprising that she traveled so
lightly, at least his expression didn’t change. But Caroline
imagined it took quite a lot for him to reveal his true emotions.
The thought caused a shiver to dance down her spine. His hand
tightened on her elbow as he led her to another horse, this one a
chestnut mare replete with sidesaddle.

Caroline swallowed. Her breathing was
shallow, and she wiped her damp palms down the side of her flowered
skirt. “Aren’t we taking a coach?” She rarely rode. The once fine
stables at Simmons Hall were empty by the time her father moved Ned
and her to the country. And the large animals frightened her. But
then, nearly everything seemed to.

Spoiled. He should have known. Well, Lady
Caroline Simmons was going to have some difficult lessons in
reality... starting here and now.

“We’re heading for the frontier, Your
Ladyship. The roads are mired with mud in the spring, choked with
dust the rest of the year. At no time are they wide enough to
accommodate a coach and four.”

“I see.” Caroline glanced back at the animal
who pranced impatiently, and she sighed.

“You should go home.”

“I... beg your pardon.” The words were so
unexpected, Caroline didn’t know what to think.

The face she angled up toward him was pale.
He could plainly see a light dusting of freckles across her nose.
Which Wolf told himself was why he offered her an escape. Besides,
sending his father’s betrothed packing back to England was almost
as effective as taking her to bed... at least that’s what he tried
to tell himself.

Wolf folded his arms. “I have no idea what
you were told, but Seven Pines is not what you imagine. Life is
hard. The frontier doesn’t care that your lineage is pure or your
skin soft as down. Return to England while you still can.”

“No!” Caroline sucked in her breath, “I
won’t... I can’t return.” She felt childish blinking back tears
that sprang to her eyes, but she couldn’t seem to control her
emotions. For months she had worried about what was to become of
Ned and herself. The chance to come here had been a Godsend. She
endured the long weeks alone crossing the stormy ocean, only to
have Robert’s son suggest she return... to give up the one chance
she and her brother had to avoid debtors prison.

Grabbing the reins, Caroline put her fear
into perspective. The ocean voyage had frightened her, but she
managed it. She would manage this... and anything else that was
necessary.

Wolf arched his brow, then merely shrugged.
He’d given the woman her warning. His conscience was clear, he
decided, as he cupped his hands to boost her up onto the saddle.
But when he saw the expression of determination on her face, he
wished she weren’t so adamant about staying.

It didn’t take Caroline long to understand
why coach travel was impossible. They were barely out of the town
before the roads deteriorated to mere trails. Most of them bordered
dark, mysterious swamps. Large turtles sunning themselves on
rotting logs glanced around as they passed. Later they traveled,
often single file, through never ending forests of tall, stalwart
pines.

Only once did they stop, and that was to rest
the horses, and let them drink from a wide, slow-moving stream. But
Caroline refused to utter one word of discontent. In the back of
her mind lay the uneasy feeling that should she complain too much
about the conditions, her companion would return her to Charles
Town.

Besides, though her back ached and her legs
grew stiff, she could bear this. And sooner or later Raff had to
grow tired. But as the sun tinged the sky ahead with a splash of
mauve, their pace seemed to quicken. Caroline twisted in the
saddle, causing the leather to creak beneath her skirts.

Wolf glanced over his shoulder. “We shall be
at George Walker’s soon. Then you can rest.”

Relief washed over her, but Caroline refused
to let it show. Somewhere on the arduous ride, she decided to prove
to this arrogant man that he was wrong about her ability to last on
the frontier. “I’m quite all right,” she managed, only to see the
ghost of a disbelieving smile tilt his lips as he righted himself
in the saddle. With a slap of his reins, he prodded his stallion to
a faster pace. Gritting her teeth, Caroline urged her horse to keep
up with him.

Dusk was throwing eerie shadows across the
trail when Raff led them onto an even narrower path that angled off
to the south. Too tired to ask if this was leading toward the
George Walker plantation he mentioned earlier, Caroline followed.
Here she could see wide swathes of forest cut away to form plowed
fields.

Civilization.

When a house came into view, Caroline sighed,
obviously louder than she intended, for again Raff MacQuaid twisted
to look her way. She kept her eyes focused on the house, refusing
to acknowledge his stare.

Two storied, and whitewashed, age and the
surrounding canopy of trees gave the whole a shadowed appearance.
The dwelling had a wide front porch and shuttered windows. Beyond
it and down a long sloping stretch of land, Caroline caught sight
of a river. They reined in their horses, and a child of about ten
came running from one of the outbuildings. He wore cutoff breeches
and his dark bare feet were covered with sandy soil.

“Masta’, he done just come back from de
fields.”

“He’s in the house, then?” Wolf asked as he
reached up to lift his father’s bride off her horse. She sagged
against him when her feet hit the ground, and his arms reached out
to steady her. But she immediately righted herself and, with a
murmured “thank you,” stepped away.

“Yessah, he’s in there. Gettin’ on close to
supper time.” The boy took hold of the reins and led the horses
toward the barn.

“That’s what I’m counting on.” Wolf turned
and motioned Caroline forward with a wave of his hand.

She passed him, head held high, though her
legs felt as if they would buckle beneath her at any moment. And
worse, to Caroline’s way of thinking, it wasn’t just the long,
unaccustomed ride that made her knees wobbly. Foolish as it was,
the brief instant she’d stood in the cocoon of Raff’s embrace had
affected her equilibrium. She only hoped her future stepson hadn’t
noticed.

The door was partially open to allow the
breeze off the river to come through. Wolf stepped inside just as a
small dark-haired woman turned the landing of the stairs. She gave
an excited yelp and raced down the remaining steps, propelling
herself into Wolf’s arms. While Caroline watched, the tall, silent
man lifted the woman and twirled her around till she begged for
mercy.

“Papa said you might come,” she said when he
put her back on the floor. “But we didn’t expect you this soon.”
The young woman flashed her dark eyes toward Caroline, before her
gaze riveted once more on Raff. “How long are you staying?”

“Only overnight,” Wolf brushed his finger
across Rebecca Walker’s pouting bottom lip before turning to
Caroline and introducing the beauty that clung to his hand.

This time Rebecca Walker’s attention to
Caroline lasted a little longer, but it was as if an invisible
string kept pulling her smiling face back toward Raff. “You
promised to stay with us longer next time,” she reminded him.

“I said
sometime
, Rebecca. And that
sometime is not now. I need to deliver Lady Caroline to my
father.”

“Is that company I hear?” A big booming bear
of a man with grey hair and a ruddy complexion came through a door
near the back of the hallway. In half a dozen giant strides, he had
Raff in a bear hug, repeating that the younger man wasn’t expected
this early.

“I was able to have an audience with Governor
Lyttleton immediately and saw no reason to delay. Besides, as I
just explained to your daughter, I’m escorting Lady Caroline to
Seven Pines. She’s to be Robert’s wife.”

Caroline didn’t imagine the slight lift of
her host’s bushy white brows when Raff introduced her. But George
Walker was extremely considerate and polite.

“You must be tired, my dear,” he said as he
took her hand. “Rebecca will show you to your room. As soon as
you’ve freshened up, we’ll eat.”

After thanking him, Caroline began to follow
an obviously reluctant Rebecca up the stairs. The girl fairly
bounced when she walked, and Caroline thought she must look very
drab and listless in comparison as she clutched the banister.

Below, in the hallway, George Walker clasped
his friend’s shoulder. “ ’Tis glad I am, that you’ve come. And not
just because Rebecca wonders constantly when you’ll arrive.”

“I do no such thing,” Rebecca called back,
stopping so abruptly that Caroline almost bumped into her. “Papa,
don’t you dare tell such tales on me.”

Rebecca turned, hands akimbo, and glared down
at the two men standing shoulder to shoulder below stairs. Her
cheeks were flushed and her dark eyes sparkled, and in that
instant, Caroline realized why. Rebecca Walker was in love with
Raff MacQuaid.

Since she had little experience with romance
of any type, Caroline wasn’t certain how she knew. But know, she
did. She glanced around, to see if she could discern if Mr.
MacQuaid was privy to this tidbit of information, and her breath
caught in her throat.

She’d thought of her future stepson as
imposing and unmistakably masculine, in turn broodingly quiet and
angry, but as she stared at him now, she appreciated how handsome
he was. His hand rested on the rounded newel, as he grinned up at
Rebecca. Then his piercing stare shifted, meeting Caroline’s, and
she felt as if all the air was sucked from her body.

Rebecca flounced about, continuing the climb
up the stairs, and Caroline had no choice but to follow.

Dinner that night was delicious; Caroline
hadn’t realized how hungry she was. But afterward, when she would
have preferred to climb into the soft down-filled bed and sleep,
she adjourned to the drawing room with Rebecca while her father and
Raff walked outside. Rebecca’s vibrant mood vanished, and she
sullenly stared out the window, answering only briefly Caroline’s
attempts at conversation.