Travis chuckled. “You needn’t ask everything at once. I will give you time to ask them all.” He settled his shoulders against the cushions and while collecting his thoughts, caressed her waist to the satin belt below her breasts. “I have heard the story from all sides, so I suppose I have a modicum of the truth. My mother and her family lived in a village along the Ohio that was attacked by a band of settlers. My mother’s tribe was peaceful, the village contained only women and children, but the settlers burned it to the ground. Those who escaped sought shelter at one of the British forts. My father was a soldier there.”
So she had been right. Alicia moved uneasily in his hold. “The soldiers here do not marry their Indian women,” she protested.
Travis shrugged. “In my tribe, to marry means to set up housekeeping together. If the marriage doesn’t work, one of them moves out. Formality is not necessary. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who tells it, my mother’s family had been converted to Christianity by the Moravians. She would not marry my father in the traditional Indian way.”
Alicia lay against his chest contemplating this long ago conflict: the proud British soldier in an outpost in the middle of wilderness, surrounded by hostility on all sides, cut off from his family and his home, and the homeless Indian maiden, bewildered by an alien world and clinging to her beliefs. If Travis was any guide to judge by, they must have both been proud, self-willed people. The maiden had won the short term battle but lost the war.
“He must have known he could not take her home. Why would he do such a thing?”
He ran his hand into her hair and tilted her head to kiss her lashes and cheeks. “A soldier must be prepared to die. It is a very shortsighted life he lives. A fort does not attract the better class of women. In comparison, my mother was soft-spoken, English speaking, of noble heritage, and all those other things that are pleasing to men. Just as you are to me, my love.”
His kisses fluttered across her skin, enticing and diverting. Tentatively Alicia touched the smooth-shaven skin of his angular jaw, hoping to persuade his lips back to hers. “What other things are pleasing to men?” she murmured against his cheek as Travis’s kisses strayed to her earlobe.
“Is that one of those things you wish to know about me, or an underhanded way of looking for a compliment?”
Alicia gasped as the front of her bodice suddenly gaped, undone by the exploring fingers at her back. A draft of cool air blew across her uncovered skin, but Travis gave her no time to feel the cold. Unfastening the final barrier of her chemise ribbon, he brought his lips to cover the puckering crests thus uncovered.
Shocked by a surge of desire, Alicia tried to break free of his grasp. But his mouth caressed first one sensitive peak, then the other. His tongue swirled around them until they grew hard and aching, and she whispered his name.
Bent backward in his embrace, her thigh pressed against the unyielding strength of his, Alicia slowly succumbed to his caresses.
His hands sculpted her as expertly as they did his magical carvings. Travis filled his palms with the heavy weight of her breasts. He eased her gown from her shoulders, and shuddered with the strength of his need as his hands ran up and down the slender nakedness of her spine.
With grim determination he forced himself into control, holding Alicia so he could feel the rapid rise and fall of her breasts against the linen of his shirt. He pressed his kiss along the fragile peak at her hairline. “Alicia, my love, have you any other questions? I do not think I can answer many more with any degree of rationality.”
In reply, Alicia unwrapped his cravat and slid her hand beneath the opening of his shirt to caress him.
Travis held his breath while her white hand traveled across the bronzed expanse of his chest. The tension had not completely left her, she was still afraid, but she was still willing. High and firm, her breasts burned against his side until he unfastened the rest of his shirt and pulled it from his trousers.
Sliding her hand up to his nape, Alicia turned her gaze up to meet his. “No more questions,” she whispered huskily.
His mouth closed hungrily over hers, and the pounding of their hearts in unison seemed to rock the boat.
Not until the shouts and curses and yells outside grew bolder did they realize the boat’s rocking had other help. Booted feet jumped to the deck to a chorus of drunken railing.
They were no longer alone.
Chapter 18
“Hey, Lonetree! Where you at?” The shout rang from just outside the door. Equally raucous cries echoed from the riverbank, accompanied by drunken laughter and incoherent curses.
Cursing, Travis strode to the cabin door. Alicia shivered and grabbed for her clothes as he slipped from the room.
“Hey, Lonetree! Where’s my money?” The man who had clambered over the side yelled as he reeled on the slippery deck.
“The jackpot! He hit the jackpot three times runnin’!” came the cries from the hillside.
Lanterns flickered and occasionally tumbled with their inebriated owners as the boatmen slid and staggered down the path.
“Lacrosse said you’d pay the pot. Fifty dollars, Lonetree!” A variety of whoops and cheers soared at mention of this wealth.
Arms crossed, blocking the cabin door, Travis grinned and looked his newly acquired creditors up and down with amusement. Many were the times he had been in a party such as this, and he knew how quickly the high spirits could turn ugly. Lacrosse was lucky they hadn’t tried to push the saloon into the river when they demanded payment. He’d seen it happen.
He dug into the pocket of his trousers and produced a sack of coins. Pitching it to the winner, he informed them, “There’s a down payment on the debt, gents. Take that back up and lose it in a game, and I’ll be up shortly to pay you the rest. I don’t carry that kind of cash on me. Lacrosse knows better than that.”
More cheers resounded off the river. Finally noting Travis’s state of undress, one of them hollered, “Whooee! Lonetree’s got himself a woman in there. Don’t expect him back none too soon!”
More drunken laughter and inquiries into the identity of the lucky female were met with Travis’s careless shrug and good-humored grin. “Go away, fellows, or I just might forget I owe you anything at all. By morning you’ll never remember whether I paid or not.”
A general laugh of agreement followed this riposte, and with the winner swinging his wealth high above his head and leading the way, the men began the stumbling journey back up the hill. Travis watched them go, then with heart in throat, he hurried back to Alicia.
She stood in the center of the cabin, her gown primly in place and covered by her pelisse, the hood pulled up to cover her chestnut curls. Travis groaned.
“Alicia, they are gone. We don’t have to go yet.” He reached for her hood, but she stepped away.
“You told them you would be with them shortly. I would not want to hinder your enjoyment of the evening.”
Her voice was cold and calm, but Travis could read the pain in her eyes. Cursing silently, he made no further attempt to touch her.
“They would have turned the boat over if I had not told them that,” Travis informed her. “I’ll not let you play this game with me, Alicia. I have done everything within my power to ensure your privacy, but I could not have foreseen this.”
“When you play with drunks and ruffians, you should not expect any less.” Alicia pulled the wrap around her, as if the night had grown colder.
“Damn it, Alicia! I’ve sold the saloon because you did not approve of it, but I cannot turn my back on the men I have worked with for years. You have to come down off that high horse and mingle with the common folk if you’re to survive out here.”
Travis tucked his shirt into his trousers and reached for his coat, not giving her a second glance.
Uncertainly Alicia clung to the one hope he had offered her. “You have sold the saloon?”
“The papers will be signed this week. It was a good investment, but I can find others.
”
That he had made this sacrifice for her took some of the wind out of her sails, and Alicia’s shoulders slumped. She had reacted in haste, out of habit, but the damage could not be undone so easily. The magic had gone out of the night and she felt only weariness.
“I am sorry, Travis,” she whispered.
Instantly he was at her side, encompassing her waist with a strong arm and brushing her forehead with his kiss. “It will be all right, Alicia. You’re overwrought and those damned fools didn’t help. Don’t think I’m giving up.”
She succumbed to the reassuring strength of his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder. She had disappointed him, caused him untold frustration, but still he wanted her and protected her. Travis had more right than Teddy ever had to call her a tease; instead he tried to understand.
She turned her head up to meet his gaze. “You’re not angry?”
Travis kissed her before leading her toward the door. “I’m angry, no doubt,” he responded ruefully, “but not at you. I’m not certain where I’ll find a safer place than this, but reserve next Saturday for me. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just kidnap you and carry you off to parts unknown and have my way with you.”
His wry tone made her laugh, and Alicia followed him up the hill with lighter heart. Travis was quite capable of doing exactly as he said, and as of this moment she would most likely not object. The evening had left her with an unsatisfied ache and a restless yearning. Saturday could not come soon enough.
On Wednesday, to Alicia’s surprise, Letitia met her after classes. Nervously listening for the pounding of Travis’s hammer in the dance room, Alicia did not take in the first part of her stepmother’s greeting, but she nodded politely after realizing she had been offered a ride.
“That was thoughtful of you, Letitia, but really not necessary. I am accustomed to Philadelphia winters, and though everyone complains of how cold this winter is, it is no worse.”
“No matter. Your father and I don’t want you feeling that we neglect you, and I hoped we could have a little talk.”
Alicia mentally rolled her eyes heavenward. She could guess every topic to be covered, but stoically shouldering the burden, she gestured toward the dance room. “Would you care to see what Mr. Travis has done for the school? It is nearly finished and Miss Lalende is quite proud of it.”
Wanting to let Travis know where she went if he were here, Alicia didn’t wait for a response to her question.
The platform was nearly complete, down to the last polished and waxed floorboard. As they entered the room, Penny pirouetted in the middle of the stage, and two other little girls slid across the shining wood as if they were on skates. Travis looked up from where he carved at an embellishment to adorn the proscenium. With a grin at their entrance, he unfolded with lanky grace and bowed.
Before he could speak, Penny flung herself from the stage into Alicia’s arms.
“Lonetree says I can be a ballerina. What’s a ballerina, Miss Alicia?”
Alicia hugged the child and after reminding her to mind her manners and producing a quick curtsy from the child, she answered, “A ballerina is a dancer, Penny. You were dancing beautifully.”
When the child danced away, Alicia spoke in her most formal tones. “The platform is quite elegantly done, Mr. Travis. The girls are already eager for their first recitations.”
Travis acknowledged her distant praise with a nod and turned to Letitia. “It is an honor to have you view my humble efforts, Mrs. Stanford. Shall I show you the benefits the young ladies will derive from having a formal setting for their talents?”
Alicia had to smother a giggle at being outdone at her own game, but she followed them around as Travis pointed out all the refinements he had made to produce a truly professional stage. Even Letitia had to admit to being impressed.
Travis surreptitiously squeezed Alicia’s hand before she followed her stepmother out to the carriage. His touch served as a reminder of what they had already done and what they would do, and her cheeks flamed. She didn’t think her formidable stepmother would understand at all.
“Why did that little girl call Mr. Travis ‘Lonetree’?” Letitia leapt right into her subject as she settled herself beneath the carriage furs.
“That is what his men call him,” Alicia replied. “I don’t know where Penny learned it.”
“He’s an Indian, isn’t he?” Letitia demanded.
Alicia smiled at the abruptness of this attack. “Among other things, I suspect. Why the sudden interest, Letitia?”
The French woman peered suspiciously at her. “Your father has heard that he is courting you. I told him I would talk to you first before he gets things all confused.”
“I cannot imagine what he has heard. As you see, Mr. Travis is working on a project for the school. We have met several times at my father’s house. He occasionally comes to call on Mrs. Clayton and to see how Becky is faring. After all, he is the oldest friend we have here in St. Louis. I can see nothing improper in his behavior.” Alicia kept her answer as casual as possible. To cause a breach between her father and herself was the last thing she wished to do.
Letitia relaxed. “I am happy to see you are being sensible. Mr. Travis is an extremely attractive gentleman, but not at all what your father wants for you. What about this Mr. Howard? He seems quite taken with you.”
“Mr. Howard pays attention to me only when he sees me. I have seen a peacock pursue his mate more ardently than he. Letitia, do not concern yourself over my unwedded state. I am quite content the way I am.”
“Nonsense! You cannot bury yourself in a schoolroom and a boardinghouse forever. It is time you moved in with your father and me, and met a better class of people. It would do you no end of good.”
Alicia bit back a sigh of exasperation. “Letitia, you do not need me moving in on you now, of all times. I am quite accustomed to taking care of myself. I have practically run my mother’s house since I was twelve years old. When my mother died, 1 took over control of not only the household but the finances. I am accustomed to doing things my way, and you would find it a nuisance if I began scolding your servants and telling them what to do. I am happy with Mrs. Clayton and see no reason to change.”
Letitia gave her a sharp look. “You have grown too independent, young lady, but it does not obscure the fact that you are young and unmarried and should be under your father’s protection. Rumors like the one about Mr. Travis start too easily, otherwise.”
As the carriage drew up in front of the Clayton house, Letitia finished, “We will not worry about it immediately. In March, when things are warmer, we will take you on a tour of Natchez and New Orleans. You’ll be certain to find someone to your taste in those cities. St. Louis is not quite cosmopolitan enough, I see.”
Alicia controlled the urge to rage aloud. “School will not be out until June. That will be quite impossible, but I thank you for the thought. Shall you come in?”
Letitia stared at Alicia in dismay. “June is the worst possible time to visit New Orleans. Your father has his heart set on this tour and finding you a proper husband. Will you travel with us if we wait until September?”
Alicia had climbed from the carriage and now met Letitia’s gaze. “School starts again in September. My father must accustom himself to the idea that I do not intend to marry. Thank you for the ride, Letitia.”
Without giving time for argument, Alicia marched down the path to the house. Letitia’s look of horror haunted her, but she would not back down. She might experiment with Travis as a lover, but marriage was a commitment she was not prepared to make for anyone’s convenience. She was beginning to enjoy her life just as it was. The inner rage that had once terrified her had subsided, finding better outlet in this unexpected freedom.
Throwing off her pelisse as she entered the hall, Alicia followed the scent of baking bread to the kitchen, where Becky punched down a bowl of rising dough while their landlady tested the doneness of the loaves in the oven. She smiled
at Alicia’s entrance and indicated she take a chair out of the way.
“Where is that hungry man of yours? I baked him something special.”
Alicia was in no humor to be questioned more about Travis. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot on the wood stove. “My father is after me to move again,” she said.
Becky turned excitedly on the stool she used to reach the high table. “Ooo, you mean we get to live in that big house?”
Alicia glared at this defection “I’m not certain that pompous butler they have would allow you through the doors, Rebecca Whitehead, so don’t go giving yourself airs.”
“Oh, no, now! That’s not fair!” Becky wailed before Mrs. Clayton overrode the uproar.
“Your father’s right. You belong with him. It’s not fitting for a young lady to be living on her own.”
As Alicia opened her mouth to protest, a knock sounded at the kitchen door, and a second later Travis strode in, filling the heated room with the cold air from outside. Slapping his hands against the arms of his fringed coat with a shiver, he blew a foggy breath and grinned.
“Howdy, ladies! Mind some company?”
Irrationally irritated by his arrogant assumption that they wanted nothing better, Alicia sat in silence while the other two fussed over him. Mrs. Clayton bustled about, pushing him into the chair beside Alicia, producing the chess pie she had baked just for him, and clattering about searching for plates and forks.
Becky erupted into a tirade about snooty butlers until Alicia gave her a stern look and asked her to pour Travis a cup of the coffee.
The small maid drew herself up to her most dignified stature, and gesturing toward her bandaged arm, demanded, “And how am I to do that with only one arm?”
“With the other!” Alicia snapped. “If you had not been dancing on tables like an utter fool, you would not be in this sorry state.”
“I was not dancing!” Becky replied indignantly. “I was scared of all them vicious, mean men a’rollin’ all overs. I was just protecting myself.”
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