Swept Away (46 page)

They had now reached the fields where ginger was grown for its aromatic roots and others planted with Jamaican pepper whose berries were dried and ground to make allspice. Raven then left the main road for a far-less-traveled lane that wound its way toward the river through uncultivated land still covered with lush, tropical vegetation.

Continuing to be an informative guide, he pointed out several of the Jamaican hardwoods: mahogany, ebony, mahoe, and juniper. There were stands of dogwood, and cedar logwood from whose yellow flowers a vivid dye was made. Among the ferns and bamboo, a profusion of orchids bloomed in a myriad of hues. Overhead brightly colored parakeets, hummingbirds, and butterflies darted in and out of the trees.

Eden found Jamaica’s beauty absolutely magnificent and told Raven so repeatedly. “This is like a trip through paradise. Where are we having our picnic?”

Relieved she had not found any of his comments offensive, Raven regarded his bride with a sly smile. “Are you hungry? It’s not much farther, and it’s such a pretty spot it’s worth the trouble to get there.”

“It can’t be any more beautiful than this.”

“You’ll see.”

Raven left the horses tethered within sight of the river and then, taking Eden’s hand, carried their basket down a seldom-used trail that curved upward away from the river before ending in a sylvan glade. At the center, a creek running toward the river spilled over an outcropping of moss-covered rocks to form a small, but utterly charming waterfall. A rainbow glistened in the air above it like a sparkling crown.

“Oh Raven, this must surely be the prettiest place on earth.”

While Eden’s rapt expression mirrored her delight, Raven forced back the desire to kiss her and busied himself laying out their tablecloth and lunch. He was happy that he had pleased her, and yet still apprehensive that her opinion of him might change once her child was born. Such conflicting emotions troubled him constantly, but he did not know what to do about them.

“I’ve always thought so. Now come sit down, I’m hungry even if you aren’t.”

Arabella had packed roast chicken, sweet rolls, banana slices sprinkled with coconut, and crisp ginger cookies. Raven opened the bottle of wine and poured Eden the two sips he knew she would drink while he filled his own mug to the rim.

“How did you happen to find this place?” Eden asked between bites of chicken.

“It’s near the spot where Azariah and I used to cut bamboo and build rafts. When I was a child, rafting on the river was what I loved to do best.”

“Azariah grew up here too?”

“Yes. Like most of our workers, he’s a descendant of one of William’s slaves. He liked rafting on the river, but I could never convince him to come to sea with me.”

Eden had been impressed by the friendliness of all the people she had met that day. She could not help but note the admiring glances the young women had sent Raven’s way. That he appeared completely unaware of the special attention he received had amused her, but she knew better than to tease him about it and commented on Azariah instead. “He appears to be an excellent overseer; apparently the sea simply was not his calling.”

Raven shrugged. “I guess not, but Alex was harshly criticized for giving him the overseer’s job rather than hiring a white man. From the time Englishmen started plantations here, the owners generally lived in England and relied upon white overseers to run things. Alex didn’t care any more about tradition than his father had when he believed it was wrong. I think you can understand why the Suttons have never been particularly popular here. They regarded Jamaica rather than England as home and visited only for the social season each summer.”

“But Alex was very popular in London. I never saw anyone snub him.”

“That’s true, but you’ve got to remember that, by the time slavery was abolished, sugar was no longer so vital to England’s economy as it had once been. Without free labor, owning a plantation was no longer as appealing an investment, so the lands of many were divided up and sold. What we did here no longer mattered in London. We do have neighbors upriver, but most are either in awe of an earl, or so incensed by the way we run things they want nothing to do with us either. You asked about a memorial service once, but I’d rather not hold one when our neighbors would probably attend out of curiosity rather than respect.”

“I understand.” As always, the mention of Alex filled Eden with longing for the dear man. She did not want to think about Alex that day, however; she just wanted to enjoy the beauty of Jamaica with Raven and talk about happy things. When she glanced toward him, she found him regarding her with the tender expression she had glimpsed only a time or two while they were making love. When she smiled, he seemed embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her and hurriedly grabbed another piece of chicken.

Eden looked away then, focusing her attention on the shimmering waterfall while the truth of what she had seen rocked her clear to the marrow. In an unguarded moment, Raven’s expression had been filled with the love he had never expressed in words. She remembered telling her father that she might one day come to love her second husband, but she had never dreamed Raven already loved her. When he knew that she still loved Alex, how could his love for her bring him anything but pain? Overwhelmed by the sorrow of that thought, she sighed sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Raven said. “I didn’t mean to remind you of Alex.”

“It’s all right. I enjoy hearing about your life here. I was just wishing that
we
could go rafting.”

“You want to go rafting?”

Eden laughed. “Of course. It sounds like a lot of fun. I’m sure Julian would forbid it now, but would you take me after the baby’s born?”

“Can you swim?”

“Probably better than you,” Eden announced proudly.

It was Raven who laughed this time, “All right, we’ll do it as soon as you feel up to it.”

Eden continued to wear a mischievous smile as they finished eating. When Raven offered her a cookie, she took one bite then set it aside. “It’s really too pretty a day not to enjoy it fully, don’t you think?”

Confused, Raven frowned slightly. “I’d say that we’re already doing that.”

Eden had been seated across from him, but now moved to his side and reached for the top button on his shirt. “You have more imagination than that, Raven Blade.”

Despite his doubts about her, Raven responded with his first impulse and pulled the blonde beauty down across his lap, where he covered her face with kisses before savoring her ginger-flavored lips. He gloried in the affection Eden gave so freely and for the moment ceased to care what the future might bring.

They made love several times that afternoon, their passion as natural as the verdant beauty that surrounded them. It was not until the sun began to set that they regretfully forced themselves to leave, and even then, neither truly wished to depart. On the journey home, Eden wore a lingering smile. She knew it would be too dark to search for the lavender bottle in the shrubbery beneath her bedroom windows when they reached the house, but she intended to look for it first thing in the morning. Raven’s birthday was not that far away, and she could think of only one present she wanted to give him: a night of love he would always remember.

When they returned to the house, Eden was surprised to find Julian waiting to see her. She again assured him that she felt well, but after the way she and Raven had spent the afternoon she found it almost impossible to keep a straight face while she answered the reserved man’s questions. Because of the lateness of the hour, Raven invited him to remain for supper and to spend the night. The physician said little during the evening meal then, pleading appointments the next morning, retired early. That they would not have to entertain Julian when they much preferred to amuse themselves did not trouble his amorous hosts in the least.

When she had greeted Julian at the door, Yadira had behaved with the same aloof professionalism she had always shown. She had given him no opportunity to speak with her privately, nor had she provided even a hint that she recalled the last night he had spent in the house. When he retired to his room, the anxious physician paced for one hour and then two, hoping with each minute that passed that Yadira would come to his door. When finally he was too excited by the prospect of seeing her again to wait a moment longer, he stole down the back stairs and rapped lightly on her door.

Yadira’s long glossy hair covered her breasts, but otherwise she was nude when she opened her door. She found Julian’s obvious consternation at her lack of apparel highly amusing and reached out to draw him into her room. Her quarters were dimly lit, and filled with the heady fragrance of the incense she burned each evening.

When he reached out to clutch her breasts, she backed away. “No, you must undress first.”

“Oh please,” Julian moaned. His fevered gaze swept over her exquisite figure with a hunger he could not disguise. “I don’t think I can wait that long.”

As Yadira turned away, she called over her shoulder. “I can teach you many things, doctor, but if you have no better control than a schoolboy, it will be very difficult for you to learn.” With her usual grace, she lay back on her bed, and propped herself on her elbows. After a shake of her head, her inky tresses fell back to reveal the lush fullness of her breasts. When Julian nearly drooled at that sight, she laughed at him.

“Undress,” she insisted.

Julian had trouble removing his tie, and then his hands shook so badly he could not get the buttons on his shirt undone. All the while he struggled with his clothes, Yadira continued to tease him. Her suggestive comments were humiliating, and yet he wanted her so badly he would have listened to any abuse. When he had finally thrown off the last of his clothing, he rushed toward the bed, but again the dark-eyed beauty stopped him.

“You must please me first, doctor,” Yadira ordered in a husky whisper. “I want to feel your mouth on me, the hot wetness of your tongue. Not until you have pleasured me will I let you have what you want.”

Julian thought Yadira a wanton whore, but he would have satisfied any conditions she put on their affair. As before, she demanded more of him than any woman ever had, but it did not even occur to him to say no. He satisfied her every whim rather than risk losing the exotic rapture of her favors. When she again made him return to his room carrying his clothes, he was too busy planning when next he could visit to worry that they might be seen.

On November tenth, Eden asked Arabella to prepare all of Raven’s special favorites for dinner, but this time the lively blonde gathered the orchids to decorate the table herself. She donned her ice blue gown that evening, but rather than wearing the diamond and ruby ring Alex had given her on her right hand as she usually did, she wore only Raven’s diamond wedding ring. She was always beautifully groomed, but that night she took extra time with her hair and was very pleased with the result.

She was now in her fourth month of pregnancy. Her breasts had a new fullness but her stomach had only a slight swell, and she thought her figure as alluring as ever. As she and Raven talked easily during dinner, she could tell from his admiring glances and charming comments that the evening was going to be a wonderful success.

Raven had not expected a present from Eden. In the month they had been home from Kingston, there had been scarcely a moment when she had been out of his sight so he knew she could not possibly have bought or made one. But when she told him she had something special to give him later that night, he could not help but become not only curious, but excited as well. He had been unable to banish his fears that they might have horrible conflicts in the future, but Eden had not once mentioned Alex’s will, and he had no desire to bring up the subject again himself. Especially not on his birthday, when Eden made him feel more like a king than an earl.

Eden had found the delicate lavender bottle unbroken. It had fallen among the orchids that grew beside the house and, cradled by their softness, would have been there indefinitely had she not come looking for it. She had given a great deal of thought to how she wanted to use the magical oil, and the possibility Raven might react angrily to the first taste of the heavenly liquid had not escaped her. That what she intended to do contained an element of risk served only to make her more determined to carry it off well, however.

When they went upstairs to Raven’s room, Eden kissed him lightly and then drew away. “There’s something I want to do tonight simply for the joy of it. There’s no other reason, so you mustn’t accuse me of having any other purpose.”

Greatly intrigued, Raven readily agreed. “What’s my part in this?”

“Slip off your clothes, get into your bed, and I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Eden blew him a kiss as she started for her room. She was too enchanted with her idea to reconsider it now, especially when Raven was in an equally playful mood.

She undressed, donned her most exquisitely beautiful nightgown, and brushed out her elaborate hairstyle. She then sat down on the edge of her bed and counted to one hundred slowly to make certain Raven would already be in bed before she returned to his room. When she was satisfied she had allowed sufficient time for his anticipation to build, Eden opened the bottle of exotic oil and applied a liberal amount to her lips. It would take only one kiss to know if the evening would go as she had planned. Concealing the bottle in the folds of her gown, she made no effort to hide her smile as she returned to her husband’s room.