Silver Storm (The Raveneau Novels #1) (46 page)

The girl looked up at Alec and shook her head
in bewilderment.

"I cannot place a thing. This is all so
confusing—and frightening! Sir, what will you do with me?" Her
brown eyes were wide and her tiny chin trembled. Alec reached out
and gathered her into his arms. Although he was uncomfortably
conscious of two ripe breasts pressing firmly against his chest, he
managed to restrain himself so that he only stroked her hair in a
brotherly fashion.

"What did you imagine I would do—leave you
here alone in the woods? I may look unscrupulous, but I believe
that you will find I have a definite streak of decency! You shall
come with me back to my home and we'll find out who you are. In the
meantime, perhaps you'll recover your memory."

Impulsively, she hugged him, and Alec could
smell the sweetness of clover in her rich hair. Her voice was warm
with excitement in his ear:

"You would do that for me? How shall I ever
thank you?"

He could think of a few ways, but feared that
none of them would meet with her approval. He could not resist
smiling to himself as the girl loosened her grasp on him to look up
and ask:

"Could you please tell me your name? And what
shall
mine
be?"

"Ah, yes! Forgive me for neglecting to
introduce myself. I am known as Alexandre Beauvisage, but you must
call me Alec. As for your own name, I think it should be your
choice."

A smile lit her face, revealing deep dimples.
"What fun—being able to choose one's own name! And yours, sir, is
wonderful and most fitting. 'Handsome face'!"

He colored beneath his beard and bit his lip.
"Yes, unfortunately, that is the meaning. A constant source of
embarrassment to me, I assure you."

"But why? Certainly it is perfect for you! It
would only prove embarrassing if you were a homely man, I should
think!"

Alec relaxed and was chuckling softly when a
sudden realization struck him.

“You must have some education in the French
language. You know, that's no small accomplishment for a female,
especially one who has grown up during a time of war in a
relatively undeveloped country. You must have come from a good
family...." His voice trailed off and he frowned. "Why, I wonder,
were you running away?"

"Do you think that is what I was doing?"

"My dear, that is the only reasonable
conclusion I can draw from this rather inexpert disguise. Also, you
were more than a little off the main road. To be precise, you were
miles from the nearest house. I can't imagine what you were
planning to do before you had this accident, and I feel certain
that you were well on your way to being hopelessly lost." He
paused. "I suspect that you were running away in great haste from
someone or something. Your belongings were quickly assembled... and
you were taking an escape route to which you could not have given
much thought. As a matter of fact, you must have deliberately
crossed over the Boston Post Road some miles back."

He glanced over at the girl next to him only
to find her in perfect profile, staring dreamily into space. He
lifted one honey-colored curl from her shoulder and teasingly
flicked it across her tilted nose. His voice held a note of ironic
amusement.

"You do wonders for a man's ego. I can see
that you hold my brilliant conversation in high esteem!"

"Oh—sir—please do not be offended!" Relief
spread across her face at the sight of his flickering. "You are
teasing me! I am glad you’re not angry, because I was daydreaming
for a good reason. My name! To me it is so important, and I hope
you'll approve of my choice." She moved closer to him and paused
dramatically. "It is... Caroline. Don't you think that is the
loveliest-sounding name?"

She spoke the syllables with such warmth that
the name Caroline did indeed sound beautiful. His face softened as
he regarded this girl who was smiling at him so radiantly in the
midst of what should have been a terrible crisis for her. It
occurred to him that most young ladies of his acquaintance would
probably be carrying on quite hysterically if they were in
Caroline's position. She was lost, unable to remember anything, and
perhaps worst of all, left in the woods with only a hot-blooded
rogue to rely on. Alec was just beginning to realize how truly
different from other females this one was. Gently, he touched her
soft cheek and smiled.

"I believe that you have chosen the most
beautiful name in existence, little Caro."

Twilight gathered quickly, and Caroline did
not notice the approaching darkness until she felt a chill in the
air. She and Alec were both astride the black stallion, Ivan, who
was patiently making his way through the trees. Caroline sat in
front of Alec, who held her securely around her petite waist. His
nearness unnerved her, and during all the hours they had been
riding she had found it difficult to think—and heaven knew she had
plenty to think about! She realized that the discomfort she felt
wasn't because he repulsed her; instead, it seemed that all her
senses were full of him. His arm was strong and her skin seemed to
tingle beneath it. She would watch his brown hand holding the
reins, and find herself fascinated by its deft movements. She was
leaning into his broad chest and his chin brushed the top of her
head. She thought he smelled wonderful.

Riding into a clearing, Alec brought Ivan to
a stand-still and Caroline came back down to earth.

"Well," he inquired lightly, "how does this
strike you as an inn? Ceilings of tree branches and carpets of
leaves are the latest fashion, I'm told."

She smiled up at him. "These look like very
comfortable accommodations, sir!"

Indeed it was a lovely spot. The trees joined
overhead to form a perfect canopy and the blanket of leaves on the
ground looked almost plush. Alec swung down from the horse's back
and reached up to grasp Caroline around her waist. He lifted her
off Ivan and suddenly they were face to face, his hands still
resting on her hips. He looked down into her brown-and-gold eyes
and saw in them something he could not read. Moving his palms up
her back slowly, Alec could feel the hot blood rising in him, and
then Ivan pushed his nose against them and whinnied gustily.

Nervously, Caroline laughed and turned to pet
the horse's neck.

"Well, Ivan, I suppose you'd like to have the
rest of those things off your back, too!"

It was not yet dark when the three of them
set off through the trees to find a stream. They didn't have far to
go, and while Ivan drank and Caroline washed, Alec went in search
of food and firewood. He had good luck, and before long they were
seated by a cozy fire feasting on dried beef and johnnycake from
his saddlebags, nuts, berries, and sweet water. They drank from a
small wooden cup which Alec produced, explaining that he had carved
it in camp early in the war and still carried it with him in his
pack. After they finished eating, Alec leaned back against a tree
to smoke a thin brown cheroot. Caroline sat nearer the fire, and as
they talked he watched her face, which was framed by molten-gold
firelight. Her hair spilling over her shoulders, she looked
poignantly young and vulnerable in her voluminous shirt.

"Will you tell me about the future?" she
asked. "Where are we going? And what will you do with me after we
get there?"

He smiled behind the thin curls of smoke
which drifted up and dissolved into the darkness.

"Ah, yes, I imagine your head must be full of
questions! We are going to Philadelphia, where I live. I’ve decided
that after we arrive I shall install you at my parents' home. It
wouldn't help you at all socially to be living at my house! As it
is, if I were any sort of gentleman at all I'd marry you as soon as
we encounter a parson."

Caroline's eyes were wide with
astonishment.

"Marry me! Whatever for?"

"Why, to make an honest woman out of you, my
dear. Moral codes these days don't have clauses allowing men and
women to spend the night together unchaperoned—no matter how
innocent the circumstances may be. And in our case, I have a
feeling we'll be alone together several nights." He was smiling at
her as if the prospect delighted him, and Caroline shifted
uneasily. "However, no one needs to know what our circumstances
have been before we arrived in Philadelphia. I will solve this
problem by explaining that I am your guardian..." He grinned again,
looking to Caroline like a scoundrel, "I am not a particularly
honorable man, especially where women are concerned. Take that as
my warning,
cherie!
Also, I have no intention of ruining
both our lives by trapping us into a marriage neither of us
wants—just for the sake of propriety. You are young and very
beautiful, Caro, and I'm certain that there will be scores of young
swains in Philadelphia who will be eager to win your affections.
Besides, we must make sure that you are not already married!"

Caroline's eyes had been growing larger with
each sentence Alec spoke, but with his last words her mouth dropped
open.

"Married! Me? But—but—"

"It is entirely possible that you were
running away from a husband."

Alec had no doubt that she was old enough,
for he had become quite familiar with the attractive curves beneath
her smock during their ride on Ivan that day. He knew a great deal
about women, and there was no doubt in his mind that she was indeed
a delightfully fully grown woman.

Caro—how she liked the way Alec pronounced
her new nickname!—sat quietly for a few minutes, her profile
pensive in the firelight. Finally, Alec broke the silence.

"You look like you're trying to remember
something."

"I am." She paused. "You know, I feel as if I
know all about myself, but for the moment it all eludes me. It's as
though it's there, in my head, but I cannot reach it."

"Or perhaps you don't want to," he offered
gently.

"What do you mean?"

"Only that whatever is in your past may be so
painful to you that you've buried it—blocked it out—without even
realizing it."

Their eyes met, and though she did not speak,
Alec knew that she understood what he was saying. Her face was so
lovely, and in it he could see bewilderment and fear.

The air was growing colder and Alec moved
forward from the shadows to add more wood to the fire. Caro
observed him with interest, uneasily aware of his nearness. He
turned to look at her, reaching out to grasp one of her hands.

"Are you warm enough? Here, put this on." He
wrapped his own heavy blue wool coat around her shoulders. It was a
handsome garment with a rich satin lining, wide lapels, and brass
buttons. Then Caro found herself leaning back against the tree next
to him, his arm around her, her cheek against his chest. A sudden
feeling of well-being flooded her, and she began to ask him more
questions. At length, the conversation turned to his family, which
Alec described with relish.

"My father was really a pirate—I was telling
you the truth. He did a great deal of illegal trading with the
colonies during the days when trade with England was so expensive
and troublesome. Actually, it was all quite respectable then.
Father tells wonderful stories about the rounds of entertainment
from the merchants of New York when he would put into port with his
cargo. He really led a wild, adventurous life, but I believe he met
my mother just in time."

"Where did they meet?" asked Caro, completely
fascinated.

"Quite classic circumstances, I assure you!
My father captured her ship."

"Her ship!?"

"Yes, she was on board one of the few quite
luxurious passenger vessels of that time, bound from Russia for the
colonies to visit her brother and his wife. Father confiscated all
the valuables from her ship, foremost among which was my
mother!"

"Alec!" Caro exclaimed. He was chuckling in
amusement.

"Yes, I'm afraid the worst happened—for after
all, my father was no gentleman. Seems to be a family trait. At any
rate, my mother appears to have enjoyed herself immensely, and soon
my father had not only returned all the stolen goods, but also
married my mother there at sea. She accompanied him on his pirate
ship's last voyage to America and they settled down in Philadelphia
to live happily ever after. I stand with my four brothers and
sisters as proof of that."

Caro looked up to see white teeth flash
against his black beard.

"Your father gave up his pirating?"

"Oh, yes—the only voyages he makes now are
with my mother to visit their respective families in Russia and
France and to inspect some family vineyards they own in the Loire
Valley. After my parents married, Father began ship-building, and
as the business grew he branched out into several other interests.
These days, when I am home, I am his partner in the ships."

"When you are home?"

"I have been quite occupied these last years
in the war for independence."

"Oh—of course!" Caro felt something click in
her mind, but even though she squeezed her eyes closed, she could
not catch it in time.

"Do you remember anything about the war?"
Alec queried, looking down at her face.

"Yes, I seem to, though I hadn't thought of
it until you said the words. Suddenly now, I can remember it all
but rather indistinctly—the deaths, and women all alone, and living
with hardships. But I simply cannot see faces in my mind, or recall
names."

They were silent for a moment, then Caro,
eyes wide with frustration, blurted:

"I don't even know where we are!"

"That is easily enough answered. We are in
Connecticut, nearing its western border and the Hudson River. We
will follow that to New York town, and then journey on south to
Philadelphia."

"But, if you are a man of means, why are you
here in the woods with only a horse? Isn't the war over now?"