by Jerri Hines
“I’ll put her down on the couch,” Cathryn whispered, but William took Lucy gently from her and placed her down. He took her hand and led her away from the small one.
He pulled a letter from his waistcoat pocket. “I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t wait and read it when it arrived.”
“Of course not,” she responded softly. She eagerly opened it. All the words she skimmed over until the end—
...the decision of the court is as stated, that no viable cause has been given to keep said accounts from the wife. The restrictions have been lifted and full control back to Lady Cathryn Blankenship Tinsley.
“It’s over? Truly over.” She looked up from the letter. She caught herself for speaking loudly. William placed his finger over her lips and nodded silently. The next moment he bent down and kissed her lightly.
She said nothing and he kissed her again. He took his hand and wrapped it around her waist. She should have resisted, pushed him away, but she was so happy. He kissed her over and over. Cathryn could feel his need for more, and today, she wasn’t in the mood to deny him anything. He had freed her from the chain that had been placed around her.
A slight knock sent the two flying apart. Cathryn’s hand pressed her dress down, checked her hair to make sure it was in place. William hid behind the door when the door opened.
“Miss Cathryn,” Tacy called out.
“Tacy! Ssh!” Cathryn said in a loud hush. “Lucy’s sleeping.”
Tacy grabbed her arm and dragged her out into the foyer. “Mr. Sumner had me look for you. A carriage rode up the drive way. The group of them exited all together. Everyone’s staring...”
“What in the world are you talking of?” Cathryn said in confusion.
“Well, it ain’t the neighbors, Miss Cathryn. Two of them have Red Coats on. They’re British and one of them is,” she hesitated, “one of them is your Lieutenant.”
* * * *
Panic surged through Cathryn. Her blood froze, only a moment before she had control of her life. She had well known with the negotiations that they had been told of the existence of Philip and Lucy, but she never dreamed they would appear upon the plantation.
Fear shown from her eyes. William emerged from behind the door. He seemed as confused as Cathryn. As quickly as the panic swept through her, the instinct to survive surfaced.
“Tacy, stay with Lucy.” Cathryn squeezed Tacy’s arm tightly. “Do not leave her or let anyone take her. Do you understand?”
Tacy nodded. Cathryn ran to the door. Standing within the driveway were two British officers in full military uniform alongside another gentleman she wasn’t familiar with, but Mr. Parker stood alongside Colonel Jonathan Percy, commander of the patriot militia group. Cathryn caught Parker’s eyes and easily read the concern within.
Her heart pounded. She would never let them take her children! She rushed down the steps. She saw Sumner engrossed in conversation with Colonel Percy. All about the small group, a crowd had gathered. She ignored everyone. She had to find her son.
Where was Philip? From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Mary easing back into the house with her son in her arms. Relief flooded her.
Cathryn turned quickly. Her eyes now fixed on the visitors...one of the officers. Jake...Jake had returned. He wore his dress uniform, a brilliant red waistcoat with a white sash underneath, white trousers and black hessian boots...the epitome of a perfect soldier. From the golden bars on his shoulder, she saw he had been promoted to major.
The years had changed him little; he looked ruggedly handsome. His eyes found hers and her heart stirred. Oh, heaven above, what was wrong with her? He was the enemy.
Sumner nodded slightly and moved to her side. He looked none too pleased.
“The British officers are here on official capacity under a flag of truce. The major over there claims to be the twins’ guardian. An official request for their return to England has been made, Cathryn.”
Shaking her head, she stepped forward. “Leave,” she demanded in an ice-hard voice. “Now! Sumner, please see to it they are shown off of Elm Bluff. They are my children!”
The elder officer bowed to her, ignoring her command. “Lady Tinsley, I’m Colonel Hugh Noghtingard. We have come to work out a solution to the problem at hand. I’ve been asked to mediate this situation. Please understand it isn’t about taking your children away from you, but returning them to their home, which lies in England.”
“No,” she said. “You can’t force me to give you my children. There is no need to discuss this further.”
“We do not need to escalate this further here.”
Cathryn shot a look at Parker, who took her by the elbow. He shadowed her view away from the British. “You know me well, Lady Tinsley. Now that I know your situation I understand well what you have done. Trust me. It is only a formal request which I have to honor. It has come all the way from Congress. There is nothing I can do about the proceedings, but I can assure you I’ll do all I can to keep your children safe. At the moment, though, you need to invite them in to see the children.”
Cathryn shook her head. “No, they aren’t welcome. I want them off my land. Have them come back tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid this needs to be dealt with promptly,” Colonel Noghtingard stated.
“Not here. Not in my home. There is no need for proceedings. You aren’t taking my children.”
“Jalyn!” Sumner yelled at her for she had turned and ran back into the house.
* * * *
Cathryn stood by the window in the drawing room where she had the best view of the lawn. The French doors opened wide upon the veranda. In the background, the sun was setting beautifully brilliant red in a cloudless sky.
Her guests had reluctantly departed after her display, most left curious to the purpose behind the proceedings. Sumner had sent word to Charles Town immediately for a lawyer, surprisingly for Henry Peterson.
Cathryn didn’t care. She didn’t have faith in anyone or anything at the moment. All she could see was her children being snatched from her hands. The children had awakened from their nap, confused to the strangers surrounding them.
Sumner hadn’t given her any choice other than for her to prepare the children. She sat sullenly brushing Lucy’s hair, trying in some manner to pull it up, but it kept falling down. She was almost in tears.
Tacy tried to help, but Cathryn pushed her away. Tacy could have her hair up in seconds, but these were her children. Philip, bless the small one, could well feel the tension. He clung to his mother in a protective way.
“No one is taking the children from you, Cathryn. Let the entourage see the twins and have them depart. No one within Charles Town is going to allow children to be taken away from their mother,” Sumner said. “Have I not protected you?”
“What are you going to be able to do now, Sumner? Everyone will know or suspect now. Eversleigh knows well we have been exposed. I will be left with no other option.” Her voice cracked.
“No, Cathryn.” Sumner took his sister by her shoulders. “Don’t lose the fight within you. Do you not believe I will let anyone touch one strand of hair upon either’s head? They are my niece and nephew above all else. And around here, do you not believe anyone will dare have the nerve to stand against me?”
But here she stood, watching her children on the lawn with Jake and her brother. She had hoped the children would have run from him, but as she watched Jake, he had each charmed within minutes. Her daughter betrayed her first. Her little blue eyes fluttered toward him. The little minx was flirting with him.
Cathryn stood aghast as she watched Lucy escape from her uncle and run to Jake with her arms held high. Oh, Mother of God, she wanted him to pick her up! He did. Her eyes teared up. Slowly, Jake worked his way with Philip. At least for a moment, Philip was cautious, but he was done in the moment they moved toward the stables. She could well imagine Jake asked to see his pony.
“Lady Tinsley,” Colonel Hugh Noghtingard said, bre
aking the silence she had evoked upon the room. “Could we not talk about the situation? We don’t have long and ignoring the situation will cause more problems, I can assure you.”
“Don’t talk with me, Colonel.” Cathryn said. She brushed back a tear from her eye. “I didn’t ask for this meeting.”
“But in truth, your actions have brought this upon yourself,” Colonel Noghtingard stated simply.
Cathryn stared at him briefly, contemplating his knowledge of the situation. Her chest heaved heavily. Her eyes flared; a fire ignited within her. And with his words, Colonel Noghtingard was about to bear the brunt of all.
“My actions, sir? And what actions would that have been? Would it have been caring for my sick husband? Staying faithfully by his side while I myself was hardly in any condition to endure more than losing him, having my father-in-law constantly berating me that he was going to have the marriage annulled as soon as his son died. Only to have him threaten to take my child away from me? Or would it have been being thrown out of my father-in-law’s home while I was under orders to stay within my bed on the day my husband was laid to rest?”
“I understand you have your view of the situation...”
“Oh, you believe I misunderstood all?” she hissed. “I misunderstood being turned out, having my wedding ring confiscated, my own personal memories of my husband taken frightfully from me. Being left upon my own accord with only a small penance because my own money had been kept from me! Do you think I would have chosen my money over my children? Tell me, sir, exactly how did I misunderstand the actions taken against me?”
Silence befell the room.
“No, Cathryn, I believed you covered everything in your outburst,” a voice carried from the open doors of the veranda.
She turned to see Sumner holding Philip in his arms, but the statement had been uttered by Jake, to whom Lucy held tightly.
Cathryn’s first instinct was to grab her child from him, but she caught Sumner’s eyes. Jake met her eyes with his own intense glare, challenging her to continue, but with her children, she relented...for the moment.
“Philip had wanted to come back to retrieve his mother to show me his pony with her,” Jake said. “But I believe if you don’t mind, Cathryn, we might need to talk for a moment by ourselves.”
She glanced over at Sumner and back at the other British officers. She had no desire for prying eyes to watch her every move. Sumner stepped forward.
“There will be time for that after we have met and discussed the situation. Take the children, Cathryn. I believe that everyone has been satisfied with their welfare.”
Cathryn reached for her daughter. Jake handed Lucy to her without another word, but his hand grasped hers. A sultry warmth spread from her cheeks and flooded her body. Her breath caught in her throat. Something in his tough made color rise in her cheeks.
Disturbed, she grabbed Lucy. Turning, her free hand gripped Philip’s. She had a sudden need to escape the room for she felt a dam of tears about to break.
* * * *
Cathryn’s mind reeled. How had Jake ever shown up here at Elm Bluff? And now of all times? She reprimanded herself harshly. She should have known better than to have allowed herself to feel happiness; she had let down her guard. A price would be paid, for today her past had rode back into her life. There was no place to run.
Staring out her bedroom window, her troubled hazel eyes reflected back at her. The festival mood of the day had faded with the sun. Night had fallen.
The men had been in discussions for hours. It plagued her she had been kept from the deliberations, but there was more that bore on her mind.
The wall erected around her heart had its foundation shaken. Reminiscences rushed back with only a touch. Each kiss shared had been branded on her memory with a clarity that set her body aflame and left her aching for what had been.
Footsteps sounded out in the hall. She tensed as she heard the steps halt at her door.
“Miss Cathryn.” Tacy eased quietly into the room and handed her a note.
Cathryn read over it quickly. “Watch the children.”
She gave Tacy no further instructions. She took her shawl and exited her room.
* * * *
Brilliant, glittering stars graced the moonless sky. Cathryn hurried along the path to the garden house. Holding a lamp in her hand to illuminate her footpath, she reached the quiet shed.
Oh, where was he? Her heart hammered rapidly for fear of discovery. Why ever did he want to meet in secret? He could have simply called upon her at the house...but he had seemed so angry the last she had seen of him in the afternoon.
With the British in the house, surely William understood the chance they took to meet in this way. She could ill afford being caught in these circumstances. Glancing over her shoulder to ensure she hadn’t been followed, she slowly turned the handle of the door.
“William,” she whispered. “Oh, for heaven sakes! I came alone, but I cannot stay. Someone will miss me soon enough.”
There was no answer, only silence. She sat the lamp down on an elongated work table. Glancing around, she saw no one. She hadn’t the time for this! Then from the shadows a figure emerged.
Tall and intimidating with his jaw set and his brow furrowed, Jake walked across the room. His dark hair loose around his shoulders, his wig had been discarded. He wore no waistcoat, only an unbuttoned shirt, revealing his firm, well-muscled chest. His dark eyes bore into her.
“Expecting another?”
“Jake!” she caught her breath. “What are you doing here? Are you not part of the discussions?”
A half frown, half smile crossed his face. “I had the thought it would be of more benefit to talk sense into you than through political channels. Then I noticed your friend wandering the grounds.”
“I assure you we are not in the habit of meeting in such a manner. The events of the day dictated a more discrete meeting. It has little to do with the affairs at hand,” she looked around the room. “What have you done with William?”
“I advised him it was in his best interest to leave. Once more, he did not argue.”
The inference to the incident years before did not go unheeded. Her chin came up in defiance. “You had no right.”
He ignored her statement. He had his own purpose to accomplish and seemed quite determined in his pursuit. “Is he your lover?”
“No!” She blushed furiously. “He is a married man!”
“Yet you met with him...alone.”
His words cut sharply. She felt as insulted as if he had slapped her. She stared at him in silence. The long moment stretched longer. She lowered her gaze.
“He is Sumner’s friend as well as mine. He has helped in my quest to retain my inheritance in which I have won back. I received news only this day.”
“You would be foolish to believe you have control of it now. You will soon discover there are other means to keep you from your money if you refuse to return with the children.”
“Why are you doing this to me, Jake? Why?” She raised her eyes. Her voice betrayed her bristling anger.
“Dammit, Cathryn! Did I not tell you this wasn’t a place for you or a child? We are at war with each other. War! You have placed your children in the middle of a battlefield!”
“They are safe. Sumner has well looked after them. Do you believe I don’t love my children above all else? I had no choice with my actions...”
Jake cut her off with a snarl. “It is a façade that your brother has created for you. The truth is they are in grave danger here in the colonies. For the love of God—Philip is heir to a dukedom. You are deluded if you believe Sumner can protect you. You are at great peril!”
“You are trying only to scare me. What you ask I can’t do. Eversleigh will take my children.”
“Enough!” His voice was sharp. “You risk your children’s lives in staying.”
Whack! She slapped his cheek, her composure sorely strained. He caught her wrist. His eyes flashed a
dangerous gaze.
She felt his arm tighten across her back and before she could gather her wits, his mouth covered hers with a brutal kiss. His lips forced hers apart and his tongue plunged through with a savagery she had never experience. She responded to his hard-driven desires.
Stunned, passion surged through her like a searing bolt of lightning, exposing her own denied hunger. She had no strength to hold him off, unleashing years of pent-up desire for each other.
A voice in the far recesses of her mind told her to stop. He was the enemy...ever so dangerous. He had hurt her before, taken her heart and shattered it. She tried desperately to regain some reason, but her mind could not form a rational thought.
Gone was everything but an overwhelming need for the man who held her. Her breasts ached against his chest; her loins throbbed. He murmured against her ear and brushed warm kisses along her throat.
Her eyes closed. The hard pressure of his arousal made her all too aware of his intent.
“What do you want, Cathryn?” he whispered against her skin.
“You,” she confessed and surrendered to the strength of his embrace.
In the tenders of first love, Cathryn remembered a gentleness to his kisses. There was nothing gentle in his touch when he slammed her back against the wall. His lips found hers with a fiery heat that surged through her whole body.
Her senses flooded her with his taste and touch. She felt his hand go to the ties of her bodice. A moment later, she felt his hands push her gown down to her waist, exposing her breasts to his full view.
In a blur, the past and present merged together. She was aware only of his primitive need and...hers. She made a muffled sound against his mouth, one of pleasure, and arched towards him.
He moved his lips along her neck before whispering, “I want you, my love. I want you completely.”
Willingly, she obliged. Her hands found his waist and opened his trousers. He was hard. She looked up at him. The cool officer had disappeared. He smiled then he pressed her back against the wall once more.
