The Raider (21 page)

He had stayed for hours after Jessica had gone. Everyone else had gone to bed, but Alex had stayed alone in the common room. He had been afraid to have even one drink, one mug of ale, because he had known it might weaken his resolve. He'd told himself that what he was doing was for the good of America and worth his personal agony.

But when he had walked into his bedroom and seen a sleepy-looking, gentle-eyed Jessica in his bed, he'd almost turned traitor. He had known he had to get her out quickly or he'd never be able to control himself.

He had meant to make up to her for his rudeness when he'd come to her as the Raider, but the little she-cat was damned hardheaded. She'd thrown him out without too much misery on her part.

So here he was now, facing another agony. His father wanted to see the newlyweds in Alex's room. Of course he wanted to see them in bed together. Alex grimaced as he adjusted his wig. His father wanted to make sure his weak-spined son had done his duty by his wife. Alex jammed his fist through the sleeve of the nightshirt. Sayer wouldn't visit Adam or Kit to see what they had done with their brides. Not his
best
sons.

Angrily, he opened the door to Jessica's room.

The sight of her head, just barely visible above the covers, made him forget his father and his country.

Jess turned over and looked up at him. “Alex, what…what are you doing in here?”

The fear in her voice dampened his ardor considerably. He slouched and made his voice whine. “Nick just told me my father is going to visit the newlyweds in their bedchamber. My father wants grandchildren of his own and I'd not like to make him think there was no possibility of them. Would you join me in my bed?” With that he spun about on his bare heel and went back to his own room.

Jessica lay in the bed, blinking after him. For a moment, she'd thought he'd known about the Raider's visit last night. She was relieved to see that he knew nothing.

She lay still and thought of Alex standing over her. He always looked so much better when he wasn't wearing one of those absurd coats of his. In fact, watching him walk in that long gown, she couldn't see his fat legs or his big belly. Odd, but she'd never noticed before what broad shoulders he had.

She jumped out of bed, started toward his room, then on impulse looked at herself in the mirror. She picked up her comb to smooth her hair but then didn't. Her hair was billowed out about her head and right now her eyes looked bright with anticipation.

She went into Alex's room.

He was lying there, his belly making a mound under the covers, and looking up at her. She'd never before noticed what thick eyelashes he had.

She smiled at him. “Aren't you going to invite me in?” she asked with a lowered voice.

Alex seemed to hesitate before he pulled back the covers and she climbed in beside him. He stayed on his side of the bed, as far away from her as possible.

She moved around in the bed some. “Alex, I think your bed is much more comfortable than mine.” She turned toward him, but he was lying as stiff as a ship's mast, his eyes on the ceiling.

“I guess we should pretend to be the loving couple.” She moved her body next to his, but if anything, Alex grew stiffer. She raised on one elbow. “Alex, you aren't a bad-looking man at all.” She put her finger to his cheek. “Remember the time you held the pistols on Pitman and saved our house from being burned? You were very brave that night.”

Alex kept his arms to his sides and didn't look at her.

She moved near him so her body was pressed against his. “Alex,” she said softly, running her finger along his chin, “you've been awfully good to me and my family. You know, it's amazing, but in this light you look almost as handsome as your brothers.”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I knew that would get some reaction from you,” she laughed and then listened as she heard voices outside the door. Alex didn't move.

“Here,” she cried, “put your arm around me. At least
pretend
that we're married.”

Woodenly, Alex obeyed her. Jess curved herself into his body, putting her knee across his stomach. She snuggled against him and thought how solid he felt, how big his shoulders were, how hard his thighs and soft his stomach. She sighed contentedly.

When the knock came on the door, she didn't hear it and when Alex answered it, his voice cracked.

Nick entered the room carrying the emaciated Sayer. Alex's father had aged many years in the short time since his accident.

“Father,” Alex said, his voice sounding strained. He tried to sit up but found Jessica clinging to him like a barnacle.

She opened her eyes only enough to smile at Sayer.

“Jess!” Alex hissed.

Sayer waved his hand. “Let her sleep. I didn't mean to disturb you. I had no idea you'd still be in bed,” he lied. “Nicholas, take me in to breakfast.”

Nick carried the old man out of the room, giving Alex a wink before he shut the door.

Alex was half sitting up, Jessica wrapped around him. There was sweat on his brow.

“Alex,” she whispered and turned her face up toward his in a way that meant that she wanted to be kissed.

He drew back from her. “Jessica, it seems to me that you'd be amenable to copulation. I believe it could happen. If you whisper vulgar words to me and—oh yes, tell me dirty stories, and dance, naked of course, the more suggestive the better, then in an hour or so, I might be able to perform. Of course you'll have to get on top and be very, very quick. I tend to find procreation rather dull—and messy. But if you are determined to use my body, you may do so.”

It took Jessica a moment to recover herself, then she began to laugh. “Oh, Alex, what an imagination you have.” She rolled away from him and got out of bed. “Someday, I'll have to tell you about
real
men. Poor Sally Henderson.” She looked back as she heard a thud behind her. It almost looked as if Alex had fallen out of bed, as if he'd made a grab for something and missed.

She started to help him up, but he looked up at her in fury. “Touch me and you'll regret it.”

She drew back. “Alex, you get the vapors more often than a woman,” she said before leaving the room.

*   *   *

“What have you been doing to Alexander?” Eleanor hissed an hour later.

“Absolutely nothing. He is as untouched as when I found him,” Jess said, her mouth full of breakfast.

“If I didn't know better, I'd think he looks like he's been crying.”

“It couldn't have been anything I did. Eleanor, where are the household accounts? I'd like to look at them.”

B
Y
noon of the day after the marriage, the Montgomery household was well aware that they had a new mistress. Jessica treated the rambling old house as she would have a ship, and the overfed, underworked bondsmen and women as her crew. Ceilings and floors were washed, as well as everything in between. She set Nicholas to hauling barrels out of the cellar so she could take inventory of supplies as well as send the ratcatcher in to do his work.

John Pitman boarded himself inside his office, Marianna decided to visit the sick people of Warbrooke, while Sayer had himself carried to the common room where he could help Jessica bellow orders. Everyone said he'd never looked happier.

Alexander disappeared right after breakfast and by sundown he still hadn't returned. By then most of the men of Warbrooke were telling themselves they were glad they'd not won Jessica's hand. There was much sympathy for poor Alexander who was run from his own house so soon after their marriage.

“If she'd spent a night with me, she wouldn't have so much energy this mornin',” was what one man after another said.

They all chuckled smugly.

*   *   *

“Sit down!” Eleanor commanded her sister. “You've worn everyone—including me—out. It's time to rest. Where's your husband?”

“Husband? Oh, Alex.”

“Yes, Alex. Where is he?”

“I have no idea.” As Jess looked out the window, she saw John Pitman walking down the hill toward town. “Where's he going?”

“To a meeting with the admiral. He'll be back later.”

“You mean he'll be away through dinner?”

“Jess!” Eleanor called, but Jessica was already on her way down the hall.

“Could you bring me something to eat in Alex's room?” Jess called over her shoulder.

An hour later she looked up to see Alex opening the door of his bedroom. She was sitting cross-legged on his bed, the household ledgers that Pitman kept so closely guarded, all about. Also about her were scattered bread crumbs, half a piece of apple pie, a wedge of cheese, three plums and a mug of ale.

“Hello, Alex. Where have you been?”

Alex stood in the doorway staring at her. Her hair was disarrayed, her clothes were half unfastened, as if she'd started to undress and stopped in the middle of the process, and there were crumbs on her chin. She was beautiful—and he was all too aware that he couldn't touch her.

“What do you think you're doing?” he asked crossly.

“Taking care of your house, what does it look like? Want something to eat?” She held out about half a pound of cheese. “Sit down and quit scowling. Take off your coat; take off your wig; take off your shoes. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Because you run about in various states of undress, doesn't mean I plan to,” he said primly, handing her a hand mirror.

She brushed the crumbs off her face. “All right, have it your way,” she said, looking back at a ledger. “Another one! Your brother-in-law cannot add. Nearly every column is misadded.”

Alex sat on the end of the bed, as far from Jess as possible. “Here, let me see that.” It took Alex only minutes to figure out what Pitman was doing. “Jess, how many pairs of shoes have you bought for yourself since our engagement?”

“None, of course. What do I need with new shoes? I have a pair of shoes. Only patched once.”

Alex winced. “We'll fix that tomorrow, but according to this, you've bought three pair of expensive satin shoes in the last week.”

“Satin? What a waste they'd be. Step once onto the rocks and they're gone.”

“Didn't you read these columns?”

“I'm better at adding than I am at reading. Look at this, Alex. It says here that Eleanor bought the kids three pair of shoes each.” She looked up at him. “Why's he lying?”

“Because he presents these accounts to my father each week and my father authorizes his steward to release the money. And the totals are wrong as well?”

“The actual totals are less than his figures. Not much but some. The money adds up after a couple of ledgers. It looks like your brother-in-law is embezzling money.” She shoved the ledgers off her lap and stood. “Alex, you'd better eat something.” She gathered all the food remnants and set them on a table by him. “If you'd like, I'll get you something hot.”

“No, thank you. Jess! What are you doing?”

“Undressing. I'm going to bed.”

“But you can't do that.”

“Alex, I promise not to roll over on you in my sleep. I don't snore, I don't grind my teeth and I don't even take up very much room. And since I don't plan to do any naked dances, you'll not be expected to perform any husbandly duties. But I do plan to sleep in here with you tonight. I don't want to be alone in that other room tonight.”

“You can't sleep with me, Jessica,” Alex said.

“I don't think your back is strong enough to carry me out of this room.”

“What's wrong with that room?”

“I don't like the window.” She moved ledgers and stacked them on the floor.

Alex caught her hand as she started to push her dress down over her shoulders. “It's the Raider, isn't it? He comes through the window. You're staying with me because you can't resist him.”

Jessica groaned. “Alex, I'm staying with you so I can get a full night's sleep and also because I don't like sleeping alone. Now, please get undressed. I'll never be able to sleep with that coat flashing at me.”

Alex sat there and watched as she removed her dress, but turned away when she started on the laces of her underwear.

She put a cool hand to his forehead. “Alex, are you well? You're sweating. It isn't that fever returning, is it? Now go get undressed. I promise I won't look.”

It was a long, long night for Alex. He lay in bed, Jess curled up beside him and sleeping like a child, and he couldn't allow himself to touch her. He felt every movement of her breasts against his side. Her nightgown rode up and her long, lean legs touched his. He'd gone into another room and put on a nightgown, leaving his wig on and returned to her. She was already asleep and as soon as he put his weight on the bed, she had groped for him, her hands seeking his body, and pulled him to her as if he were a child's comfort toy.

As she clung to him, he tried to reason out what he was doing. He couldn't tell her he was the Raider. Look at how she was snooping into what Pitman considered his private territory. She'd never be content to let Alex continue raiding when he needed to and keep her pretty little nose out of it. Jessica would involve herself in every aspect of whatever the Raider was doing—and she'd get herself in trouble—or worse.

Jess pulled her knee over Alex's maleness and he reacted instantly. So much for dirty stories and naked dances, he thought.

He didn't sleep until just before dawn. He held her, looked at her in the darkness, caressed her hair, ran his hand down the length of her until he knew he'd have to stop while he still could. He started thinking of all the most awful things he'd ever seen in his years at sea. He tried anything he could to keep from thinking of the delicious bundle in his arms.

An hour before dawn, exhausted after two sleepless nights, he fell asleep.

At dawn, six of the seven Taggert children jumped onto his stomach. As usual, Samuel's bottom half was juicily wet.

Jessica rolled out of the line of fire while Alex said a few words meant to discipline sailors.

“Gor…” Philip said, impressed.

Sam laughed and jumped on Alex's belly.

“Jessica, get him off of me. He's wet me through to my backbone. Can't you control these brats?”

Jess had already picked up Sam but at Alex's last words, she dropped him so that his diaper made a splat sound. But Alex didn't notice because when Jess leaned over, he could see all the way down her nightgown.

“Ah, here they are,” Eleanor said, opening the door. “Out!” she commanded. “Let them have some privacy. Alex, did you sleep in that wig?”

“Privacy!” Alex grumbled. “No one in this house knows the meaning of the word.”

Eleanor closed the door and while Alex watched in open-mouthed astonishment, Jess stripped off her nightgown and pulled on underwear and her dress. “Alex, you look awful. Have you been sleeping well? Stay there, I'll bring you some milquetoast. On second thought, you don't smell so very good. I could bring you a bath. Wash your hair and back for you. And your feet. I don't guess you can reach your feet over that belly too well.”

“Get out of here, Jessica,” Alex said through clenched teeth.

“Are you always in a bad mood in the morning?”

“Out,” was all he could manage to say.

Jess gathered the ledgers on the floor and left him alone.

By the end of the second day of their marriage, Jessica was ready to call it quits. She was trying her best to be a good wife to Alex, just as she'd promised, but everything she did displeased him. First of all she'd brought him a tray of food, all of it carefully chosen so he didn't have to chew very much.

But when she'd tried to feed him, he'd pushed her halfway across the room. He said she was not to treat him as an invalid. Jess said she thought he was an invalid. It had been her experience that he couldn't even walk a few feet that she didn't have to put her arms around him and support him. She said she had gone into marriage with him with her eyes open and she had known she would have to be a nurse and was willing. He'd growled at her to bring him two pounds of beef or anything that he could chew.

He'd left the house after that and returned when Jess was scrubbing Samuel down in a tub set before the fire in Alex's room. Sam had decided to play with the new piglets and the sow had chased the terrified boy through several feet of mud and manure until Nick had pulled the boy out by his collar. Nick had comforted a crying Eleanor while Jess dumped buckets of water over Sam before taking him inside and giving him a proper bath.

Alex stood in the doorway and gaped at her for a moment, then turned his back. “Jessica, you are indecent.”

She glanced down at her wet, clinging underwear. “I didn't want to get my dress wet. Alex, you have to get over your shyness. We did get married, you know. Sam, stand still so I can dry you. Alex, do I remind you of when you were a man?”

He whirled to face her. “I'm a man now. God, Jess, you look—” Sam launched himself into Alex's arms, his damp arms hugging Alex with all his might. Alex smiled and hugged the nude little boy back, nuzzling his damp neck. “For once, Sam, you smell good. You want me to read to you?”

Sam laughed in answer.

Jess took the boy. “I'll put him down before he has an accident on your fine coat.”

“Jess, please cover up. There are men about the house.”

“Ah yes. Sorry. I'm not used to a house full of men.”

Minutes later she was back, bending over, cleaning out the tub.

“Jess,” Alex asked. “What would you do if you'd married your Raider?”

She paused in scrubbing. “Help him. I'd know where he was going to be when and I'd be there to cover his back. I'd ride with him.”

“What if he refused to let you know where he was going to be?”

She grinned. “Oh, he'd tell me. I could persuade him.”

“Yes, I believe you could. Then when he was shot at, you'd be there too, is that right?”

“You take the bad with the good.”

“Jess, I'm glad you didn't marry the Raider.”

Jessica didn't answer.

*   *   *

Three days after the Montgomery wedding, nearly everyone in town was standing on the wharf, their eyes turned up toward the admiral and his soldiers, who were standing on the bow of a ship.

For a full minute after the announcement, no one could speak. Everyone just stood there, mouth open, and blinked in disbelief. The admiral had announced that three of Warbrooke's young men would be taken away to serve in His Majesty's honor. All three of the men were big, strapping, healthy young men, all three were intelligent and had an air of independence about them.

One of the young men was Ethan Ledbetter.

“He thinks he's sending the Raider away,” Jessica said under her breath.

The next moment the air was split with Abigail's screams. Everyone turned to see Ethan put his strong arms around Abby and lead her away.

Jessica started to follow them, but Alex caught her arm.

“Leave them,” Alex said, pulling her away.

She struggled to free herself, but Alex held her fast as he forcibly guided her away from the crowd and toward the forest.

“Alex, will you stop mothering me? I want to go to Abigail.”

“For what reason? Jess, you're to keep your nose out of this. The admiral thinks he has the Raider or he's sure the Raider will try to rescue the men.”