Swept Away

by Phoebe Conn

  “Tomorrow!” Paul gasped. “But what about the harvest?”

  “You can forget this year’s harvest,” Raven threatened coldly. Legally, he knew he had no right to throw Jessup off his land when he was not delinquent in his rent, but Raven also knew the man lacked the means to fight the eviction in court. Although he had no respect for landowners who did not treat their tenants well, in Jessup’s case he was prepared to make an exception.

  “Make your choice carefully, Mr. Jessup, because if you give me your word that you’ll meet my terms but do not, the next time I come to Briarcliff I’ll take great pleasure in making you beg for the mercy I’ll never show.”

  Paul Jessup tried to tear his gaze from Raven’s but lacked sufficient willpower to do so. He saw the terror of his own expression reflected in the black depths of the young earl’s eyes and knew instinctively that Raven was a man of his word. “Every man takes a drink now and then,” he whined, “and a good slap don’t hurt a woman.”

  Raven shook his head. “You still don’t understand. If you choose to stay, I’m going to leave word at every tavern in Devon that you’ve bought your last drink, Mr. Jessup. As for your wife and children, you’re going to escort them to church every Sunday where they’ll be able to show off their new clothes. If every last one of them does not look well and happy, I’m going to hear about it. For every mark you put on them, I’m going to put ten on you, and I’ll use a cat-o’-nine-tails to do it.”

  Paling at that terrifying thought, Paul jammed his hands into his pockets, and tried to think of a way to salvage his pride. The tenants on Briarcliff did far better than those on any of the neighboring estates. The land was fertile, and the rents cheap. Perhaps he did spend a bit too much on whiskey, but that was no reason to throw him off the land he had farmed for twelve years. As for Isobel, as he saw it she deserved a good slap now and then, but it would not be worth it if he got whipped for it later.

  “What’s your choice, Jessup?”

  There was only one that Paul could see. “I’ll stay.”

  “On my terms?”

  “Yes!”

  “Good.” Raven put his arm around Paul’s shoulders and walked him over to his wife’s side. “I’m very impressed by the changes your husband is about to make in his life, Mrs. Jessup. This will be the first home I’ll visit the next time I’m here.” As he had at the other cottages, Raven took a moment to place coins in all the children’s hands, then took Eden’s elbow and guided her back to her mare.

  As they rode away, Eden glanced back to wave at Isobel, while Paul glowered and the five children danced about tossing their coins in the air. “What did you say to Jessup?”

  Raven briefly recapped their conversation. “I’ll make certain that none of the local taverns will serve him, and Reverend Boyer will keep an eye on his family when they come to church. I’ll be sure to hear if things aren’t going well, and Jessup knows it.”

  “And you really will do something about it?”

  “You don’t believe me?” Raven asked in surprise. “Perhaps I should go back and break Jessup’s nose or his jaw just to make certain he doesn’t have any doubts.”

  When Raven began to turn his horse around, Eden reached out to grab his sleeve. “Raven! You can’t break the man’s nose in front of his children!”

  “Otherwise you do think I should do it?”

  “No!”

  “I wish you’d make up your mind,” Raven teased with a broad grin.

  Eden was exasperated with him, yet she couldn’t help but laugh too. “Thank you for not simply ignoring the Jessups’ problems. I’m sure a man who drinks to excess and beats his wife must be a coward so he’ll not want to cross you.”

  “Let’s hope not or I will make him sincerely sorry.”

  The rest of the morning’s visits went very well. Raven noticed Eden studying him on several occasions when she thought he wasn’t looking and considered that a good sign that he had piqued her interest and perhaps even won a bit of admiration. If he had also improved the lot of Isobel Jessup and her children in the bargain, then so much the better.

  At Raven’s insistence, Eden rested all afternoon and at dinner she was a far more attentive companion than she had been the previous evening. While she was not nearly as animated as she had always been with Alex, she replied to each of his efforts at conversation with polite interest. He appreciated that courtesy as it gave him hope for their marriage despite the fact he knew she undoubtedly still held grave reservations about the wisdom of it.

  As they climbed the stairs to prepare for bed, he did his best not to rush her, but he wanted her so badly he had to fight the impulse to sweep her up into his arms and carry her into his room. Instead, he walked her to her door.

  Eden entered her room, and then glanced back over her shoulder. Raven was still standing in the hall, his expression one of such open desire it was almost painful to observe. As he had spoken with their tenants that day, she had seen him display a compassion she had not known he possessed. She hoped that all the discoveries she had yet to make about him would be as good. With an enticing smile, she extended her hand.

  “We’ve only been married one day, Raven. Surely you did not plan to leave me alone tonight.”

  Raven’s heart was pounding so loudly in his ears he wasn’t at all sure what Eden had said. What he did understand was the sweetness of her smile and the tenderness of her welcoming gesture. He closed her door behind him, and drew her into his arms to begin what he now knew would be another night of the most incredible pleasure he would ever have. That he did not trust Eden, nor her motives for being such a devoted wife, was the farthest thing from his mind.

  Chapter Ten

  August 1863

  Eden stood beside Raven at the port rail as the Jamaican Wind sailed out of Lyme Bay. Silhouetted against the morning sun, Briarcliff seemed to glow with a majestic light. As the pale gray stone mansion slowly faded in the distance to no more than a sparkle on the cliff, a lump came to Eden’s throat that she could not dislodge. She had spent the happiest month of her life there. She had also buried the dear husband who had made those four brief weeks so memorable.

  “I have to go below,” she apologized hastily before turning away.

  Concerned, Raven laid his hand on her arm. “Are you not feeling well?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m merely tired is all,” Eden assured him, but after only a few minutes’ rest in his cabin, the anguish of her memories was replaced by an annoying sensation of queasiness. Certain she would feel much better in the fresh air up on deck, she rejoined her new husband.

  Raven took Eden’s hand and pulled her close. “Did you miss me so terribly that you couldn’t stay away?” he asked with a teasing grin. Too nauseated to appreciate his humor, Eden gulped in the sea-scented air and shook her head. “I needed some air. I never used to get seasick, but I haven’t truly felt well since, since

  When she hesitated, Raven readily gathered from her tortured expression what she found impossible to say. “Since Alex died?” he offered softly. “It’s no wonder. There are times when I can almost forget we’ve lost him.” He paused a brief instant, as though certain she knew precisely which times those were. “Neither of us will ever forget him, but in time we’ll be able to talk about Alex without becoming so badly depressed.”

  People always said sorrow became easier to bear with time, but Eden doubted that would be true in this case. She was grateful Raven had such an understanding attitude, however, and gave his arm a warm squeeze. She was embarrassed by how badly she had misjudged him. There was far more to the man than the unfavorable impression she had initially formed based solely on his darkly menacing good looks. Why hadn’t she had the wisdom to see that?

  “I feel better already,” she remarked with a shy smile. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For understanding why I can’t always be happy.”

  Eden’s expression was so appealingly innocent Raven could not r
esist leaning down to kiss her. He kept her by his side for the remainder of the morning, then after they had eaten a light meal at noon, he insisted she take a nap so that she would not become overtired. When he returned to the deck alone, Randy MacDermott approached him almost immediately.

  “I think our long friendship gives me the right to speak,” he announced with a cocky self-assurance. “I had thought her brave, but it sickens us all to see Lady Clairbourne so comfortable in your arms when Alex has been dead only a week.”

  Infuriated that the mate thought he had the right to offer such a personal comment, Raven immediately reacted with a hostile glare. He knew he had shocked his friend when he had asked him to be his best man, but he had expected whatever criticism there might be of their hasty marriage to be directed at him rather than Eden. Randy’s remark presented an unfortunate eventuality he had not foreseen and that failure alone was enough to anger him.

  “Do you realize that duels have been fought over remarks less offensive than yours?” he replied in a challenging hiss.

  “Duels?” Randy gasped hoarsely as he began to back away.

  “Yes,” Raven continued in the same threatening tone, “Lady Clairbourne is my wife and I’ll not tolerate a single word spoken against her. How could you have thought otherwise? I don’t want to hear another such comment, ever. If I see so little as a frown directed toward my wife, I’ll flog the man who wears it and that includes you.”

  Randy cursed his own stupidity in speaking his thoughts aloud, but he could not help himself. “I meant only to warn you,” he insisted.

  “Warn me? Of what?”

  “Of the type of woman she is. Just look how quickly she betrayed Alex’s memory.”

  When Raven took a step forward, Randy took another step back. Raven then reached out and grabbed the mate’s shirtfront to draw him close. “She is a lady,” he reminded him coldly. “She hasn’t betrayed anyone and she is to be treated with the utmost respect at all times. Our return trip to Jamaica will be the most miserable voyage of your life if you fail to remember that.”

  Raven had expected gossip aplenty from outsiders, but not from his crew. That Eden was relaxed around him was a source of great pleasure to him and he would not keep his distance to satisfy some ignorant fools’ concept of propriety. Damn it, Eden was his wife, and he did not care who knew it! He released Randy with a rude shove and turned his back on him, their conversation over as far as he was concerned, and the mate wisely chose to retreat.

  Peter Brady was standing not ten feet away and Raven knew he had to have overheard his argument with Randy. The groom had sailed with them and would ride back to Briarcliff in order to return the mounts he had rented when he had carried the news of Alex’s death to London. Rather than ignore the man’s presence, Raven walked right over to him. “Does the staff at Briarcliff harbor as uncharitable feelings about my marriage as my crew does?”

  “No, my lord, I heard naught a word said against either you or Lady Clairbourne. Briarcliff is your home. None of us would speak ill of you there.”

  Peter looked so badly embarrassed, Raven dismissed him immediately. Unlike sailors, who could seek work on another ship, the staff of Briarcliff considered the estate their home as well as his. He knew they would not dare criticize his actions for fear of losing their positions, and Peter’s words had not been in the least bit reassuring.

  When Raven joined Eden in his cabin for supper that night, he was still preoccupied with the dark thoughts Randy’s ridiculous criticism had raised. Other than a few distracted smiles, he offered little in the way of company. A loner by nature, he was content without conversation, but he knew he ought to try and make Eden feel welcome on board his ship. He was just not up to making the effort that night.

  Eden thoughtfully waited until Raven had finished his meal before she reached out to take his hand. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she asked invitingly.

  “What could possibly be wrong?” Raven replied with a befuddled frown.

  “A problem with the ship or crew perhaps? I’m certain that I know enough about sailing to understand whatever is troubling you.”

  Raven rejected that offer with a disparaging chuckle. “I doubt there’s a captain worthy of the name who seeks advice from his wife on the running of his ship.”

  Eden had not meant to put Raven on the defensive, and tried to explain herself more clearly. “I’m not offering to give you advice. I merely wanted to give you an opportunity to share your problems with me. I’ll be happy to listen, even if I’ll not be able to provide any answers. I realize you’re not accustomed to discussing your day with a woman, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.”

  Raven studied Eden’s face closely as she spoke. As usual, her guileless topaz gaze made her appear sincere in her offer to be a sympathetic companion, but he could scarcely reveal that his crew lacked the intelligence or manners to appreciate her spirit. They did not see her as a woman who had pledged her loyalty to him, but as one who ought to still be in the deepest mourning for Alex. Because she had begged him for more time herself, he would never repeat their complaints to her since she would undoubtedly feel they were justified.

  There was another problem which had been weighing heavily on his mind, however, and he decided now was as good a time as any to discuss it. “I’ve no problem with the ship, but there is something else that’s been bothering me.”

  “What is it?” Eden inquired eagerly, delighted she had convinced him to confide in her.

  “Alex asked me to order all the Enfield rifles and Kerr revolvers I could get from the London Armoury. What sort of plan did you two hatch to get them to the Confederacy?”

  Astonished by that absurd, if calmly asked, question, Eden’s mouth fell agape, but she quickly caught herself and recovered. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Are you positive Alex wanted you to buy guns?”

  “Do you want to read that letter too?” Raven’s question was accented with the defiantly arched brow she had seen all too often.

  “No, I believe you, but honestly I’ve no idea what Alex’s plans were.”

  “Oh come now,” Raven continued in the same skeptical tone. “Alex had little interest in your country’s civil war until he met you. With my own ears, I heard you bemoaning the fact England had failed to become the South’s ally. Most of the rifles have already been loaded and we’ll take delivery on the rest and the revolvers day after tomorrow. I’ll honor Alex’s promise to you to provide arms, but you’ll have to explain how they’re to be delivered as I’ll not risk my ship nor the lives of my crew attempting to run the Union’s blockade of Southern ports.”

  “Raven, I have absolutely no idea what Alex planned to do!” When the dark-eyed young man’s cold stare did not waver, she slammed her clenched fist down on the table for emphasis. “Why are you doing this to me again? You can be so wonderfully considerate at times, and then you turn around and accuse me of some preposterous act like contemplating suicide, or willfully endangering Alex’s life, or masterminding a plot to supply weapons to the Confederacy. If all I’d wanted was guns, I would have brought gold with me to buy them when I came to England and they would have been purchased and shipped last fall. I’d certainly not have waited until I married, which I never expected to do, and asked my husband to support the Confederacy with his wealth.”

  Raven had pushed her as far as he dared as he did not want to ever see her hysterical again. Her face was flushed, her breathing a trifle too rapid, and he lowered his voice to a soothing whisper so as not to upset her any further. “I know that I tend to be a great deal more direct than good manners generally allow but we are husband and wife and I think we should always be honest with each other.”

  “So do I, and I have always told you the truth,” Eden protested, “but unfortunately I have no control over whether or not you believe me. In this instance it should be obvious that if I’d known about the guns, and had a means to deliver them, I’d tell you. Why would I deny it? Th
at doesn’t make any sense at all. I worked in one of the hospitals in Richmond before my parents made the decision to send me to live with Aunt Lydia. I saw too many boys die because the only weapons they had were the rusty old muskets they’d brought from home when they enlisted.” Eden choked on her tears at the sadness of that memory and held up her hand in a silent plea for a moment in which to compose herself.

  “I’m sorry. Alex and I talked about this too,” she then revealed. “But I never asked, nor expected, him to take matters into his own hands.”

  Unmoved, Raven’s frown did not lift. “I’ll admit your outraged denials appear very convincing, but they simply don’t match the facts, Eden. Alex managed his investments cautiously. It was precisely because he was such a prudent man that the Clairbourne fortune multiplied so rapidly during his stewardship. He would have been the last man on earth to begin dealing in munitions on his own. He had to have begun such an enterprise to please you.”

  “Perhaps he did,” Eden admitted reluctantly, fearing Raven would be quick to use that admission against her. “We talked about the War frequently, but I swear I never asked him to contribute to our cause.”

  “Are you suggesting he meant to surprise you? Could he have planned to say something like, ‘Oh by the way, my darling, the hold is filled with arms for your beloved Confederacy’?”

  Raven had not only given a perfect imitation of Alex’s voice, but he threw in one of her late husband’s gestures as well. That he had done it so easily both frightened and appalled Eden. “How dare you make fun of what Alex and I shared? We loved each other desperately. Can’t you understand that? Alex might have done any number of things in hopes of pleasing me, but I did not ask him to purchase weapons.”

  Raven already knew his attitudes toward Eden were contradictory, but that was not surprising when his feelings about her were ambivalent at best. He was enchanted with the seductive side of her nature, for the abundant affection she wantonly provided gave him the greatest pleasure he had ever known. It was her intentions that he did not trust. At best, he saw her as selfishly putting her own needs before Alex’s. At worse, she was a manipulative bitch who had maliciously hastened his uncle’s death to fill her own purse, or the Confederate treasury. Somehow that struck him as being an even worse crime.