Swept Away

by Phoebe Conn

  Thinking how the unusual couple wished to spend their time was their own business, Raven started on up the back stairs. Eden and Yadira still treated each other with a stilted reserve, but his wife had abided by his decision not to discuss replacing Yadira until after the baby was born. If Yadira and Julian had fallen in love, though, perhaps the housekeeper would soon be leaving of her own accord. That prospect would certainly please Eden, but Raven did not want to raise her hopes and therefore chose not to tell her he had discovered Yadira and Julian were lovers.

  The next morning when the haughty housekeeper found the candle had been extinguished and moved during the night, she was not merely disappointed to find the owners of the house did not share her devotion to Alex, she was incensed by their callousness. They were young, of course, but true gentlemen like Alexander Sutton were rare, and she was certain he deserved to be remembered with far more devotion than Raven and his bride ever showed. She carried the white taper into her room, where she vowed to continue to light it each evening. She loved Alex still even if Raven and Eden had forgotten him.

  Having heard of his talents with wood, Eden asked Azariah to make a jewelry box for Raven, and when he unwrapped it on Christmas morning, the young man was both surprised and touched by her thoughtfulness. Made of highly polished mahogany, the elegant box was slightly more than a foot square. When unlocked with a brass key, the two panels at the front folded back to reveal four drawers, each divided into velvet-lined compartments. Perfect in every detail, it was as splendid a piece as any Raven had ever seen.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever received anything made especially for me,” Raven explained with obvious pleasure as he ran his hand over the reddish brown wood. “That you had Azariah make it means it’s all the more precious.”

  “It’s difficult to find something you don’t already own. I’m glad that you like it.” Eden was thrilled she had been able to arrange for a unique and beautifully made gift and responded to Raven with a delighted smile. She had insisted he open his present first, and now began to open hers. When the diamond necklace and earrings spilled out into her lap, she was so stunned it took her a long moment to find her voice to thank him.

  “Oh Raven, these must be worth a fortune.”

  “Every countess ought to have diamonds, and those are rightfully yours. They’ll look especially nice with that light blue gown I like so much. I hope you’ll wear them when we have our portraits painted.”

  Christmas had quite naturally brought longings for home and that she had received such expensive jewelry when she doubted her mother and the rest of the residents of the South would be celebrating the holiday filled Eden with a sudden sense of shame. “I’ll be happy to wear them for the portrait, and any other time you choose.”

  His bride looked so far from pleased, however, Raven reached over to lift her chin. “Would you rather have emeralds, or rubies? I can get whatever you want.”

  Eden had never seen any jewels more beautiful than the ones she now held in a reverent clasp. The round, marquee and emerald cut stones were set in graceful golden swirls to create a design resembling entwined flowers and ribbons. The matching earrings duplicated the same exquisite pattern.

  “These are far too lovely to exchange, Raven. I was just thinking about my mother and what a miserable Christmas she must be having. No one in the South has enough to eat, and with me and my father gone, she’ll be all alone.”

  Raven reached out to give Eden’s hand a loving squeeze. “There’s nothing I can do today, but we’ll make it up to her next year, or whenever we can. Now there’s another present for you. It’s from your parents.”

  “But how could they have sent me something?”

  “You’ll see. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and get it.” Raven left her for a few minutes, then returned with a cumbersome object wrapped in a sheet and tied with a lopsided bow. He set it on the floor beside her, then leaned down to give her a kiss. “Azariah must have really been busy. Your father asked him to make this for you when he was here. I think you’ll like it.”

  Eden had been on the verge of tears, but she was so excited by the surprise gift she began to laugh as she untied the bow and pulled the sheet out of the way. “Oh Raven, this is the prettiest cradle I’ve ever seen!”

  “I didn’t know about it until Azariah brought it to the house yesterday or I would have had some little sheets and quilts made for you. Babies need lots of those, don’t they?”

  Perfectly proportioned and balanced, Eden found the finely crafted mahogany cradle rocked easily with just a slight push. “They must. I’m sure Azariah will be busy with his own family today, but I want to thank him for this tomorrow. My mother still has my cradle. Where’s yours—is it at Briarcliff?”

  That question caught Raven completely off guard. He sat down beside his wife, picked up the diamond necklace, draped it around her neck, and secured the clasp while he tried to come up with an answer. “No, Alex was born there but I wasn’t. There’s all kinds of old furniture stored in the attic. We’ll have to look next summer. Maybe we can find his cradle.”

  Eden put on the sparkling earrings, then turned to show off their beauty. “It would be nice to know where it is, but I’m sure I’ll still like this one best.”

  Raven took Eden’s hands and drew her to her feet. He slipped his arm around her waist and led her over to the mirror so she could appreciate the magnificence of the diamonds too. He was delighted when she smiled at him, and extraordinarily relieved that she had not asked him where he had been born since he had absolutely no idea.

  As Eden studied her reflection, she could not help but notice Raven was watching her rather than looking into the mirror too. She thought it only natural that anyone standing in front of a mirror would glance at his own image, but unless Raven was shaving, she had never seen him give a mirror a second look. For so handsome a man he was not in the least bit vain. Another of his many admirable qualities, she thought with a knowing smile. The baby gave a sudden kick then, and laughing she took Raven’s hand and pressed it to her abdomen.

  “The babe seems equally impressed with your gift,” she teased.

  It was impossible to tell through the folds of her gown if that had been a tiny foot, elbow, or knee, but Raven was thrilled all the same. Often when Eden lay sleeping in his arms he would feel the baby move and it never failed to fill him with awe. Surely such a lively child had to be a healthy one. He knew there was no point in praying the child favor Eden’s side of the family, as Julian had once suggested, for surely the infant’s fate was already decided. But every time he looked at Eden, he said a silent prayer to beseech God to give her a healthy child.

  Drawing his lovely bride into his arms, he again wished her a Merry Christmas with affection as well as words.

  After the holidays, Raven astonished Eden by announcing the first ship he wished to build when he went into partnership with her father was one of his own design. “Do you actually have the plans drawn?” the startled blonde replied, not nearly as certain her father would welcome him as a partner as he seemed to be.

  “No, but I will by the time we’re ready to go into business together,” Raven assured her confidently. “I want to build a fleet of merchant ships. I think the days of combining steam and sail will soon be over and that we ought to concentrate our energies on building steam-powered vessels that will be so fast and reliable no one will ever miss the sails.”

  Eden arched her brows slightly. “I doubt you’ll ever convince my father of that. I’m sure the only ship he thinks can do without sails is a canoe.”

  “A canoe is a boat, not a ship.”

  “You know what I mean, Raven.”

  “It’s been a long while since we had an argument, hasn’t it?”

  Eden did not have to reflect for more than a few seconds to realize their life had been remarkably placid of late. She then responded to Raven’s rakish grin with an equally warm smile. “Yes, it certainly has, and I don’t think we ought to
be arguing about the merits of sail versus steam either.”

  “Just wait until I draw up the plans, and then you’ll agree with me.”

  Amused by that boast, Eden shook her head, “We’ll have to wait and see.” She knew her husband was bright, and supposed if he wished to design a steamship he could certainly do so, but she had been unprepared for the enthusiasm he displayed for the project. He did not turn out the rough sketches she had expected, but meticulously detailed drawings that took him days to produce. None seemed to satisfy him, but rather than grow discouraged, he would simply begin another to incorporate the refinements that continued to occur to him almost daily.

  When February arrived, Eden entered her seventh month of pregnancy and found it increasingly difficult to be as active as she had once been. She spent most of her time reading or sewing tiny garments and was grateful Raven had found something to occupy his days. He rode about the plantation every morning, and for the first time knew as much as Azariah did about the status of the crops, but he spent each afternoon working on his designs as that was where his real interest lay. Yet even with their separate activities, each would have said they spent all their time together.

  During the last week of the month, Raven and Eden had just sat down to dinner when they were interrupted by a fierce pounding at the front door. “I think I better see who that is myself, but I want you to stay here,” Raven ordered firmly.

  Eden did not argue as Raven left the table, but she had no intention of waiting meekly in the dining room until he returned to explain who their heavy-fisted caller had been. While she moved far more slowly than he, she left the table too, and crossed to the door where she could overhear what was transpiring in the entryway. When she recognized Michael Devane’s voice, she joined the two men as quickly as her condition allowed.

  While Raven was annoyed his wife had not obeyed him, he did not scold her in front of her old friend. “The Southern Knight has just tied up at our docks.”

  While her husband’s words had been spoken calmly, Michael looked so distraught Eden knew she had every right to be alarmed. “Why didn’t my father come with you? Is something wrong?”

  The lieutenant was exhausted, and while he thought she had a right to know, he could barely provide a coherent response. He gestured toward the leather satchel he had set down beside the door. “We’ve little time so he sent me to deliver Raven’s gold for the arms and to ask if we might leave our more severely wounded men here. The Union has so many ships out looking for us we don’t dare risk staying past dawn and leading them here.”

  “You said we’d take the wounded, didn’t you, Raven?”

  The uncertainty in Eden’s voice broke Raven’s heart, for he could not even imagine how she could think he would refuse. “Of course, but I’ll not ask you to carry a stretcher. I think it would be best if you waited here while Michael and I go back to the ship and work everything out.”

  “No, I want to go with you and talk to my father. If he’ll be here only a few hours, there’s no time to waste.”

  Eden started for the door, but Raven reached out to catch her elbow. “Wait a minute. I’ll go and tell Azariah to hitch a team to the wagon and we’ll ride with him. Go on back to your ship, Lieutenant, and tell Dr. Endecott we’ll take as many wounded as he wants to give us. Let him know we’ll bring the wagon.”

  “We didn’t know where else to turn,” Michael mumbled as he started out the door.

  “You needn’t beg, Lieutenant. I’ve already said we’ll care for your wounded and I would have done it even if you hadn’t brought the gold.”

  Seeing that he had unintentionally angered Raven, Michael nodded and hurried away.

  “I don’t understand why my father didn’t come to see us himself. He can’t possibly have planned to drop off the gold and his wounded without at least saying hello.”

  “You must remember a captain’s first responsibility is to his crew. It’s not surprising he hasn’t the time to pay social calls.”

  Not understanding that her question about accepting the wounded had brought the caustic edge to Raven’s voice, Eden regarded him with an angry glare as he left the house to summon the wagon. If the crew of the Southern Knight had suffered so many casualties they could not be tended on board, she feared they must have come up against another warship. At least they had gotten away without being taken prisoner, but the mere thought of how narrow their escape must have been left her badly shaken. Fortunately, she did not have long to fret over that possibility before Raven and Azariah returned with the wagon.

  Raven helped Eden down from the wagon as soon as they reached the docks, but when she did not see her father among the men standing on the deck of the Southern Knight, she continued to cling to his arms. “Just exactly what did Michael tell you?”

  “Nothing you don’t know.” But Raven also thought it odd that Nathan was not there to meet them.

  Instead, it was the ship’s surgeon, Clifton Endecott, who came down the gangplank to greet them. He was in his shirtsleeves and looked every bit as distressed as Michael Devane had. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are for your help, Lord Clairbourne. I’ve listed the men’s names, and the treatment they’ve received so far in this letter. Will you please give it to Dr. Ryan?”

  Raven recalled the lengthy conversation between Julian and the Confederate physician when they had dined in his home and hoped Clifton’s assumption that Julian would care for the Southern Knight’s wounded was correct. “I’ll see that he gets it. How many men do you need to leave with us?” he asked as he slipped the letter into his pocket.

  Clifton massaged his forehead as though the number had slipped his mind. “Did Michael tell you what happened?” When Eden and Raven shook their heads, the doctor did his best to relate the news. “We docked in Havana earlier this week to take on coal. Before it could be loaded, we were attacked by a Union ship.”

  “In a neutral harbor?” Raven asked incredulously. “Yes. They didn’t even make a pretense of allowing us to leave first. It was clear they wanted to take the ship undamaged because they did no more than rake the deck with rifle fire in an attempt to kill the crew.”

  Raven was stunned by Clifton’s tale. Wars were fought with rules to which all civilized countries agreed. Both Union and Confederate ships purchased supplies in neutral ports, where they were supposed to be equally safe from attack. That the Union had violated so basic a rule disgusted Raven as thoroughly as it did his wife.

  “Now do you see what unprincipled bullies the Yankees are?” Eden questioned harshly. “They will go to any lengths to beat us into submission. Can you understand why we’re fighting them now?”

  Raven had no interest in reopening that debate and merely nodded. “How did you manage to get away?”

  Clifton shrugged. “The Union captain made the mistake of thinking we’d surrender without firing a shot. Our cannons were not only loaded but fired before the fool realized his mistake and at that range we couldn’t miss. Then there was such confusion we were able to steam out of the port before they could respond. We took a great many casualties, though.”

  “I don’t care how many there are. We’ll find a way to care for them,” Eden promised.

  Clifton’s lips trembled slightly as he tried to smile. “We all hate to impose on your kindness. I’ll not leave any of the men who can walk, but there are seven whose injuries are too severe for me to tend them properly. If you could just take them for a few weeks, I’m sure they will all be more than willing to work to pay for their keep just as soon as they are able.”

  “I’ve never asked a guest in my home to earn his keep, Dr. Endecott, and I’ll not begin now,” Raven assured him.

  “I didn’t mean to insult you, my lord, but you are a British citizen, and as such are under no obligation to assist us.”

  “Rendering medical attention to wounded will not violate Great Britain’s neutrality, nor will supplying coal. If you were unable to load any in Havana, I think I have all
you’ll need.”

  Michael Devane had joined them in time to hear the offer of coal, and certain he could not have understood, he asked Raven to repeat it. When he did, the lieutenant was still amazed. “It did not occur to any of us that you would have coal here.”

  “I’ve become interested in steamships of late,” Raven informed him, rather than admit he had stocked the fuel anticipating just such an emergency. “There are one hundred barrels of coal in the first storehouse. Tell your men to load all they need. Of course, I’ll require Captain Sinclair’s written promise of payment, but I’m sure that will be no problem.”

  The anxious glance that passed between Michael and Dr. Endecott alarmed Eden so badly she reached out to touch the lieutenant’s arm. “Was my father one of those injured? Is that why we haven’t seen him yet?”

  Unable to allay Eden’s fears, Michael found it easier to direct his reply to Raven than her. “Dr. Endecott has advised Captain Sinclair to leave the ship here with the others, but he won’t even consider it. Perhaps if the two of you would speak with him, you could convince him to stay.”

  Raven felt Eden sway slightly, and quickly slid his arm around her waist to make certain she did not fall. He was furious with Michael Devane for so thoughtlessly subjecting her to such needless worry and angrily lashed out at him. “I wish you had had the presence of mind to tell me about this when we spoke earlier, Lieutenant. Just how badly was Nathan hurt?”

  Aghast they had again provoked Raven, Clifton Endecott hurriedly explained, “He was shot in the thigh, but fortunately the bullet passed through his leg without hitting either the bone or an artery. His prospects for recovery would be excellent if he would stay in his bunk but he refuses to do so. Every time he gets up he reopens the wound and a man can stand to lose only so much blood. There’s also the danger of infection. I’ve told him he could lose the leg if he doesn’t rest, but he won’t heed my advice.”