Swept Away (34 page)

Raven kissed her cheek lightly, then hurried away. Remaining at the rail, Eden watched him start up the dirt road toward the plantation that still lay out of sight. Apparently the staff had sighted the masts above the tree tops, however, for half a dozen women were already running toward the river. Raven waited where he stood, then held out his arms to keep the enthusiastic group from going past him.
Jamaican Wind
’s

Eden had expected him to have Negro servants, and was surprised when one appeared to be a most attractive Spanish woman. She was tall and slender, with ebony hair worn in a chignon. Unlike the others, she was not wearing an apron, although she was dressed in a simple gray gown that a servant might wear.

While Eden could not overhear Raven’s words, she saw the shock and grief register in the women’s faces and knew they had loved Alex too. Only the Spanish beauty appeared unmoved, but in the next instant she swayed slightly, and had Raven not caught her when she fainted, she would have fallen in the dirt of the road. Thinking her husband would surely need her now, Eden started toward the gangplank, but Randy MacDermott swiftly blocked her way.

“Yadira Morales is the dramatic sort. You needn’t concern yourself about her. She’ll have recovered by the time she reaches the house.”

Eden sighed impatiently, then decided to accept Randy’s word rather than argue since Raven had asked her to remain on the ship for a while. “She’s very attractive. Is she one of the maids?”

Randy shook his head. “She’s the housekeeper, came here right after Eleanora died.”

That neither Alex nor Raven had ever mentioned they employed such a lovely housekeeper puzzled Eden for a moment, until she realized each had described only the beauty of the island, and never the residents. Actually, she was pleased to find the housekeeper was a young woman and hoped they would get along well and become good friends.

“Here’s your father’s ship now,” Randy pointed out. “I’ll bet he’s anxious to see you again.”

“Oh yes, I’m certain he is and I can’t wait to see him either.” Eden did not think she would upset Raven if she remained at the docks, and with Randy by her side, she left the
Jamaican Wind
as soon as the
Southern Knight
had tied up at the dock behind them. She returned her father’s wave, and nearly danced with excitement as she waited for him to reach her. When she saw Michael Devane following him, she hurriedly glanced over her shoulder to look for Raven and was relieved to see he had not yet returned.

Nathan again wrapped Eden in a boisterous hug, but he had encouraged Michael’s interest in her, despite the fact she was now a countess, and he swiftly stepped aside to allow the young man to speak with her. Not about to waste an opportunity to kiss the pretty blonde, Michael did just that.

Startled by what she considered an overly affectionate greeting, Eden took her father’s arm. “Will you please excuse us for a moment, Michael? I need to speak with my father.”

While he was disappointed Eden did not seem particularly happy to see him, Michael responded with another broad smile. Blond and blue-eyed, he knew he was handsome and was confident that she had always liked him since all the other girls in Richmond most certainly had. “Of course, talk as long as you please. We’ll be here for a week at least and there will be plenty of time for the two of us to talk.”

Although she was uncertain just what she and the overly attentive officer had to discuss, Eden replied that she would look forward to it. Once she had drawn her father aside, she forgot Michael completely. “Have you told everyone that I was widowed before I married Raven?” she asked in a breathless rush.

Because that was not the type of news he wished to circulate, Nathan glanced toward the heavens in a silent plea for the strength to handle the tangle his lively daughter had made of her life.

“No, I said only that you’d wed the Earl of Clairbourne. I didn’t reveal how many times you’d done it.”

“Good. Raven wishes to keep the fact I was married to Alex a secret until after the baby comes.”

“Good Lord, Eden. Whose baby are you having?”

Eden had forgotten her father didn’t know she was pregnant, and he wore too horrified an expression for her to think he was pleased about it. “I’m sorry. I should have told you when last I saw you. Please forgive me for not doing so.”

Nathan dismissed that request with an impatient wave. “Whose child is it?” he asked again in a hoarse whisper that readily conveyed his annoyance.

“The babe is Alex’s, but I didn’t realize there would be a child when I married Raven.”

“Well of course not, he didn’t give you time to consider anything at all!”

“Daddy, please don’t be angry with Raven. We did the only thing we could under the circumstances.”

Nathan turned away to shield her from the string of oaths he could not suppress, but when he faced her again, his expression was no less dark. “The man is up to no good, sweetheart. I can’t believe that you don’t see that. He rushed you into marriage, and now he expects you to keep your marriage to Alex a secret so no one will know what a scoundrel he is. I don’t like the sound of any of this and I’ll tell him so, too!”

“Daddy, please! After Raven was kind enough to invite you here where you can make your repairs without fear of attack it would be most ungrateful of you to insult him. Don’t forget the arms either I know you need them too badly to refuse them out of pride just because you suspect Raven’s motives.”

He was thoroughly disgusted, but Nathan had to admit she was right and nodded. His scowl didn’t lessen, however. “All right, I’ll hold my tongue for the time being, but the minute the War’s over—”

Eden interrupted her father’s threat with a hasty kiss. “Thank you. There’s so much about Raven that you don’t know, but please believe me, his character truly is an admirable one.” She caught sight of her husband out of the corner of her eye then, and hoped her father would act like a gentleman as he had promised.

Raven was not surprised to find Eden with her father and, after greeting him briefly, introduced the young black man at his side. “This is Azariah Dunn, my overseer. If you’ll give him a list of what you need, he’ll see you receive it promptly.”

“Thank you, I’ll do it first thing in the morning.”

Raven glanced over at the blond officer who was watching them with more curiosity than he considered polite. Making a determined effort to ignore him, he simply turned his back on him. “The slaves were freed here nearly thirty years ago. As you might expect, the sight of a Confederate ship at our docks makes those who can remember slavery more than a little nervous. I know there’s nothing you can do about your gray uniforms, but will you at least strike your colors?”

Eden saw the fire fill her father’s eyes and used her elbow to provide a sharp jab to his ribs to remind him of his promise. He looked down at her with a warning glance, then surprised her by agreeing to Raven’s request to lower their flag without argument. “Of course, I consider it only prudent to do so when it’s highly probable not all your neighbors are so willing to disregard Britain’s neutrality as you are, my lord.”

Raven was certain he had asked his father-in-law to call him by his name, and did so again. Nathan smiled as he said that he would, then motioned for the young officer who was obviously eager to join them to come forward.

“Lord Clairbourne, this is Michael Devane, my first officer. He’ll be the one supervising the repairs.”

“Raven Blade,” Raven repeated as he extended his hand. “I would prefer that you called me by my name, Lieutenant Devane.” He had taken an instant dislike to Michael when Nathan had first told Eden the young man was on board the
Southern Knight.
He saw no reason to change that view now. Michael had struck him at first glance as an arrogant dandy and he knew they would never become friends. He again introduced his overseer, and explained one of his many talents.

“Azariah is a master carpenter, so if you need help with your repairs, just ask him to assist you.”

Michael Devane dismissed the handsome Negro with no more than a disdainful glance. “I’m sure we’ll not require his help. We do need fresh water, though.”

“Help yourself to the river, Lieutenant.” Azariah inclined his head in a mock bow, turned away, and walked over to the men who had begun unloading the arms that were to be transferred to the Confederate ship.

“You ought not to allow such insolence from your servants,” Michael pointed out sharply.

Amused by his overseer’s obvious contempt for the arrogant lieutenant, Raven broke into a wide grin. “He’s an employee, not a servant, and I don’t consider him insolent at all.”

Raven was a couple of inches taller than Michael, and a good deal more muscular. While Nathan would have liked nothing better than to see a fight break out between

the two young men, he saw no point in encouraging such a contest when Michael could not possibly win. “Will you excuse us?” he asked his daughter instead. “I imagine you’re anxious to see your new home, and we’ve more than enough to do ourselves.”

“You’ll come for dinner tonight, won’t you?” Eden asked.

“We’ll have to make that tomorrow night, Captain,” Raven corrected. “We’ll be unable to entertain tonight.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Eden was badly embarrassed she had not considered that the household staff had just learned of Alex’s death and should not be asked to entertain. “Is everyone upset?”

“
Devastated
is a better word.” Raven found it difficult to believe Eden would have expected Alex’s servants to feel otherwise.

“We’ll have to let you know about tomorrow night then.” Eden reached up to kiss her father goodbye, but offered Michael no more than a smile.

When Raven took her arm, she apologized again as they started up the road toward the house. “I don’t know how I could have been so thoughtless. It’s just that we speak of Alex so often, it doesn’t seem as though he’s really gone.”

“I understand.”

Eden studied Raven’s pensive frown and doubted that he did. “Should we have some sort of memorial service here for him? He must have had many friends who’d like to attend.”

“Let’s discuss it after your father leaves.”

“Was he right about your neighbors? Will people be upset that we have a Confederate ship here?”

Raven shrugged. “It’s possible, but they’ll surely understand my reasons for wanting to aid my wife’s countrymen.”

“I certainly hope so.” Eden clung to her husband’s arm more tightly, but thought it prudent to change the subject.

“Tell me about Yadira. Is she all right?”

Raven came to a halt in midstride. “How did you hear about her?”

Eden explained her conversation with Randy. “She’s very pretty for a housekeeper. Is she efficient as well?”

“Yes. She runs the house as though it were her own.”

“That’s good.”

Raven was relieved Eden had been curious only about Yadira’s housekeeping skills. He had had too much on his mind on the voyage home to worry about Yadira, but now that they had arrived, he hoped the hot-tempered woman would not prove troublesome for Eden. Hoping to avoid any such conflict, he vowed to tell Yadira to keep her memories of Alex to herself. He patted Eden’s hand lightly, and continued to escort her on up the wide road.

“A violent storm did cut through here a couple of weeks ago,” he told her as they walked around a heap of wilted palm fronds. “But fortunately they caught only the edge of it here, just as we did. Other than some damage to the foliage, which they’ve nearly cleared away, there was no serious harm done.”

They rounded a slight bend then and Eden got her first glimpse of the house Alex had regarded as home. It was an imposing structure with the ground floor built of stone and the upper story of shingled wood. It had multiple roofs, and was surrounded by a shady veranda overgrown with native orchids and brightly blooming hibiscus. The windows were covered with louvers, which assured privacy at the same time as they allowed the breeze easy access to the large home.

The well-designed house was every bit as beautiful as the rest of the island, and suddenly Eden was overcome with longing for the man who had described it with such pride and had wanted to bring her there to live. Raven was standing quietly by her side, but she could not bear to look up at him her heart was so full of love for Alex. He had insisted she was as lovely as the orchids that grew in such abundance on the plantation and she knew she would never be able to look at the exquisite flower without remembering his whispered words of praise as they had made love.

Raven felt Eden hesitate, and when he looked down and saw her golden eyes filling with tears, he knew without asking where her thoughts had strayed. He had already carried Yadira over the threshold that day, but he scooped up his tearful bride and carried her into the house as though they were like any other happy couple who were beginning their marriage in a new home. That neither of them could manage a smile did not faze him.

Chapter Seventeen

September 1863

The portraits of Alex and Eleanora were on display in the drawing room. Eden immediately agreed with Raven’s opinion that this painting of her late husband was superior to the one at Briarcliff. Completed in the last year of his first marriage, Alex’s hair shone with the silver light Eden had thought a wonderfully attractive complement to his deeply tanned skin. The blue of his eyes held precisely the right amount of sparkle to reveal his lively wit, and his slight smile, while suitably serious for a formal portrait, readily conveyed his engaging personality. Had she never met the charming man, she would have fallen in love with him with a single glance of the remarkably flattering portrait.