Viola's voice was filled with shock. "April!"
"Oh, let's just go home, Mother."
Neither of them bothered to bid Hester goodbye as they left the porch and walked out into the night.
Hester was not surprised when Galen's coach drove up a few moments later. Galen set the brake and hopped down. "Your chariot awaits, madam, although you should be made to walk home for that stunt with Viola and her daughter. I've never liked mincemeat or women with pushy mamas."
Hester smiled at his words. "I'll remember that for the next time. But you know I can't let you see me home."
"I know. I'll have my driver take you."
"That isn't necessary. I'm certain Mr. LeVeq has no desire to be taken away from the festivities. I'll find someone else."
"Raymond drove only for me as a favor until I found someone suitable. He doesn't have the temperament to be hired help."
The driver appeared. As he nodded at Hester she noted that he was the same man who'd driven the coach in Detroit.
Galen asked, "I suppose I can't have a kiss either."
She shook her head and got into the coach.
He stood on the ground looking up at her and Hester could feel her body answering the desire's call in his eyes.
"I do wish you'd stay so we could talk."
"I can't."
"Ah, yes, reputation is everything."
She ignored his slight sarcasm. "I have to live here, Galen."
He eyed her in the darkness. "I'm sorry. I'm being selfish. You're very humbling for a man, Indigo."
She was succumbing to the memories of their times together. "That isn't my intent."
"You're humbling just the same."
Galen didn't want her to leave, but could not conjure up a plan that would convince her to stay. Were she a more worldly woman, he knew any number of ways to woo her, but Indigo had him in a complete flux. "May I come and see you later?"
Hester's first instinct was to see if they were being overheard. Her next was to try and slow her thumping heart. She'd never known a man of such directness. "I— no."
"I think I might anyway," he replied smiling.
"No," Hester gasped softly. "Promise me you won't."
"I can't give my word when there's a good chance I may not keep it."
"Galen?!"
"Don't fret."
She took that to mean he would not visit and she sighed with relief.
"I—must go," she stammered.
He stepped back. "Au revoir, petite."
The driver slapped the reins and the coach rolled forward.
Back at home, Hester made sure the jockey's light was lit, then went up for bed. Galen's request to visit still stirred her peace. She wondered what would happen if she had agreed? Would she have done something terribly forward like donning one of the gowns in the chest? She glanced at the chest sitting against the wall. It hadn't been opened again since the day it arrived. She walked over to it. Kneeling, she ran her hand over the fine wood carvings, once again caught by its beauty, then undid the small lock. As she slowly lifted the lid, the smells of the fine scents packed in the bottom of the chest wafted out and filled her nose with a fragrant aroma. What gown would she have worn for him, she asked herself. This one? She held up a dark, emerald-green gown. The seams had been left unsewn. The edges were beautifully scalloped and overlaid with an even darker emerald lace. The only closures were a delicate little ribbon at the base of the bodice and one on each hip. The lace-edged décolletage was far more daring than Hester would have liked, but she supposed men appreciated such things. She held it against herself imagining how it would feel to wear something so provocative. She decided she wanted to know, so she took it over to the bed and began to undress.
Hester stood in the mirror and surveyed a woman she didn't recognize as herself. The emerald gown flowed sensually to her feet. Her breasts were barely covered by the brief lace-edged bodice. Her shoulders and upper arms were draped by the fine, thin silk, but the sides of her waist and the line of her hips and thighs would have been bare above and below the small strategically placed ribbons had Hester removed her coarse muslin drawers. Modesty had compelled her to keep them on—Hester had never gone naked beneath her clothing, ever. She realized the bulky drawers looked silly peeking from beneath the thin silk, and she doubted a lover would be pleased by the sight. Lifting the gown, she undid the drawer's strings, then stepped out of them. With a high kick she propelled the drawers towards the bed.
With the removal of the drawers, Hester could feel the slide of the silk on her bare hips and thighs. Would her mythical lover find her enticing, she mused, turning to look at the back view. A sound in the room froze her and she stared aghast as the secret wall panel opened. A heartbeat later, Galen Vachon stepped smoothly through the portal and into her room.
"Good even—"
Galen's voice died as he took in the vision of sensuality standing across the room. His manhood hardened instantaneously. He didn't know where to settle his eyes first. Her beautiful breasts, her bare throat and the sultry hips all fought for his attention. "I do hope this is for me, Indigo, because I will surely die if you've dressed this way for another ..."
His husky voice caressed her like a hand. The heated look on his face made her ask almost shyly, "Do you like it?"
Galen nodded. "Very much so. Turn for me."
Hester complied slowly. "What are you doing here?" she asked over her pounding heart.
Galen could feel himself become more and more aroused at the lusty picture she made. "You haven't answered my question."
His desire for her made her bold. "I was imagining what I would wear had I said yes to you tonight..."
Galen had to force himself to remain where he stood. He knew if he took even one step in her direction, the next steps would lead to her bed. "I came to talk, but seeing you like this makes talking seem a true waste of the moment."
Hester's voice came out a lot less firm than she'd intended, "You're going to get us both in serious trouble, sneaking in and out of my room this way."
"Only if I touch you, petite..."
Hester's eyes closed for a moment in reaction, and she fought to stay unaffected by the heat in the air.
Galen wanted to place her atop the bed and slide the thin emerald silk up and down every inch of her firm, lithe body. During the party, the sight of her in the ivory gown had kept him in a state of high arousal all evening. All he could think about was slowly removing it. Now however, she had on something far more provocative. He wanted to slowly strip it from her too. He said then, "Do me a favor. For now, would you put on a robe? Preferably one of those ugly ones."
Hand on hip, she took mock offense.
He grinned at her reaction. "Please? Let me talk business a moment and then you can torture me."
"If you insist, but only because you said please."
She crossed to her wardrobe, shucked on a muslin wrapper, then firmly tied closed the fat beige ribbons that ran from prim high collar to her waist.
When she turned back, Galen's face held a decidedly disappointed look. "I take it this is ugly enough for you?"
"More than enough."
But Hester noted that not even the ugly robe kept away the heat of his eyes. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't come here tonight..." she said, walking over to where he stood.
"You agreed."
"You told me not to fret."
"Yes, I did."
He reached out a finger and traced her cheek.
Her eyes slid closed and she asked, "Why can't you use the front door like everyone else?"
Unable to resist the lure of her, Galen leaned down and placed a warm kiss upon her mouth. "You expressed a concern about gossip. I didn't think you wanted anyone passing on the road to know I was visiting you at night."
"This talk couldn't wait until morning?"
His lips brushed her jaw as he shook his head no.
"Then let's go down to the table."
"N
o, I don't think it's wise for your lights to be lit again. Let everyone think you've gone to bed." He pulled away.
"Aren't you supposed to be playing billiards with LeVeq?"
Galen liked the way she looked after being kissed. "I pleaded fatigue and retired to my quarters a bit after your departure."
"And your guests, are they still at the Folly?"
"Undoubtedly. The game was a ruse, really. LeVeq wants to study some of the men around here. We're evaluating their potential as traitors." Galen couldn't take his eyes off her. The memory of the beauty hiding beneath the gown kept his arousal high.
Hester knew she was fighting a losing battle. His eyes were hotter than she'd ever seen them. She struggled to keep up her end of the conversation. "I doubt you'll find a traitor amongst the men you invited tonight."
"I was once as optimistic as you, petite, but after my naivete landed me in a South Carolina prison for three years, I was cured. Traitors can be anyone: mothers, fathers, individuals you may know and love. I went to prison because I was betrayed by the husband of a woman I tried to help escape."
"He didn't want to join her?"
"No. He thought his first loyalty was to his master and it outweighed all else. He found his wife's desire for freedom dishonorable."
"'Tis slavery that's dishonorable."
"Well, he didn't view it that way."
"How did you get out of the prison?"
"LeVeq. My punishment for slave stealing was three years of hard labor, after which I was to be sold deep south. The day I was put on the block, I was purchased by a ringer Raymond bribed to pose as a legitimate planter."
"When was this?"
"Over a decade and a half ago. I was twenty."
"You've been on the Road quite some time."
"As have you," he softly said. "So, may I stay?"
"Do I have a choice?"
He grinned in the shadows. "Of course you do. You will always have a choice."
Hester motioned him to the rocker positioned next to her small room stove. He took a seat then patted his lap. She nervously took her seat atop his hard thighs.
He whispered, "Lean back."
When she did she felt the solidness of his chest and shoulders warm against her back and the encircling strength of his strong arm.
"That's better. You and Foster didn't do much cuddling, I take it."
"We never cuddled."
"The man's a fool, but the fool's loss is the dragon's gain."
He kissed her brow. "Now, the real reason I needed to see you—"
Hester looked up into his face.
He corrected himself, "Well, one of the reasons."
He withdrew a sheaf of paper from inside his coat. "I have a list of all the people invited tonight. If you would, I'd like you to tell me which ones are associated with the Road."
"Let me take it over to the light."
As she crossed the floor she could feel the silk tempting her skin beneath the muslin wrapper. Each move of her legs made the fabric caress her like the soft hand of a lover. The no-nonsense Hester scolded her mightily for being so brazen, even as the other Hester wanted to kiss him until dawn.
She walked over to her desk where the room's only light sat and withdrew a pen from the stand. With her back to him, she made a small mark adjacent to the names she knew. She looked over at him. "I don't recognize all the names here."
He came and leaned near as he looked at the names she'd marked. His faint cologne and his nearness washed over her.
"You've narrowed the names down a bit. That's a help."
His eyes were so filled with desire, Hester began to tremble and she could not stop. He was so tall and so beautiful any woman in her right mind would probably jump at the chance to be with him this way. Hester had apparently lost her right mind the moment she met him, because she wanted to be with him, too.
Galen lifted a finger and slowly traced the outline of her mouth. He was mesmerized. He delicately drew his finger across her soft cheek and then the curve of her jaw. She had skin like silk, he noted, dark indigo silk that drew his touch like a powerful magnet. He could spend a lifetime just touching her. Unable to resist, he leaned down, gave her one fleeting kiss, and prayed she wouldn't deny him more.
The passion exploded in Hester with a power that was as buffeting as it was tender. She responded to his coaxing lips. She saw nothing wrong in sharing his kisses for just the tiniest while, after all he thought her beautiful.
And she felt beautiful as his hands began to move over her back and up and down her waist. The kiss stoked the embers still red from their last encounter, but this time there would be no interruptions. She gave no protest when he undid the ribbons of the coarse cocoon to free the emerald-green butterfly inside. She shuddered in reaction as his hot lips slowly devoured her bare throat, her ear, her jaw. He worked her free of the muslin gown and tossed it aside. Hester felt disembodied yet she was very conscious of the gentle bite on the underside of her jaw; conscious of the heat of his kiss against the v of her breasts. His hands cupped her, caressed her. He placed kisses against the dark satin tops, then pulled aside the lace to set one breast free. She moaned when his lips found her nipple. He suckled gently, his tongue circling expertly. Hester stood with her head back and her mouth passionately wide, unable to corral her vibrant response. He pulled down the other side of her gown, then ran his firm palm over the berried points.
She heard him whisper, "This is how I envisioned you when I first saw this gown...bared for me so I could pleasure you in just this way..."
He dropped his head and tasted the breast he'd just freed. She found it harder and harder to stand, especially as his hands were mapping her hips and sliding through the gown to journey over her thigh. He raised his head to recapture her lips in a kiss that was possessive and fervent. She was so enraptured, she didn't even know the ribbons at her side had been undone until she felt the gown's seams lift and the heat of his hands cup her intimately.
He pulled her in against him, solidly, boldly. They both seemed to have caught a shared fire because he couldn't seem to get enough of her or she of him. She moved her hands over the strength of his back, kissing him, flicking her tongue against the edges of his lips, experimenting with the boldness his passion had planted within her, while his hands beneath her gown toured lustily.
Hester could feel the sweetness pouring wantonly in response to his intimate teasing. No man had ever touched her this way. Her legs were so shaky, she knew she was going to fall, but he didn't stop. Truth be told, she didn't want him to stop. "I'm going to shatter, Galen..."
"No, you're not...I won't let you..."
Hester shuddered as his fingers took up a dallying, lazy rhythm so potent her hips began to sway. "You're very good at this ..." she heard herself say.
"I knew you'd like it." He grinned.
Eyes closed, she whispered, "Audacious man, ohhh..."
He bit her gently on her breasts, then suckled softly, his fingers still moving. "I have a treat for you..."
He kissed his way back up to her mouth, after which she felt herself lifted effortlessly into his arms and taken over to her small canopied bed. As he laid her on the thin mattress a small voice inside Hester's head shook her sanity awake and made her think about the dangers of what she was doing. "Galen I—"
He was seated on the edge of the bed. "Don't worry, petite, there will be no harm in this. You will remain as chaste as you are now. After we marry, it will be different."
Hester sat up and blinked. "Galen, I'm not marrying you!"
"Yes," he said, "you probably are."
"No, I'm not."
"Do you want your treat or not?"
"I'm not marrying you. Why would you want to marry me?"
"It certainly won't be for your obedience, ma coeur. Now lie back."
"Galen?"
He leaned over and kissed her with such magnificent passion she nearly swooned. He slowly backed away. As she sat there, eyes closed, he cl
ouded things further by gently feasting on her breasts until she moaned softly.
"Now lie back ..." he commanded.
Hester melted back onto the mattress without a further word.
Words continued to fail her as he once again set her on fire from the roots of her hair to the tips of her indigo toes. When he leaned down to circle his tongue around the whirl of her navel, Hester moaned in response to it and to his hand moving lazily over her thighs. The gown lay in scandalous disarray, it no longer covered very much of her body at all, but it provided his hands tender access to all that made her woman.
With kisses he slid down her navel and flirted with the edges of the hair crowning her thighs. She instinctively stiffened. She was just about to protest when his fingers parted her, his kiss wantonly branded her, and then, the only word she could find to say was, "Glory..."
It was the most shocking and delicious experience of Hester's life. His mouth set off a heat stoked higher by the intimate accompaniment of his dallying fingers. A passion-induced dementia gripped her, tossed her. Her thighs parted in wanton invitation and he rewarded her with an erotic thanks that lifted her hips off the bed. The crescendo shattered her with the force of a lightning bolt, racking her as she screamed out his name.
Chapter 13
Galen eased her back to earth with sweet tenderness. When she finally opened her eyes, she stared up at him with such wonder, he smiled smugly. "Well?" he asked.
"Is that one of the reasons women rarely tell you no?" she asked in a voice that mirrored her half-dazed state.
"Partially. Did you enjoy the treat?"
"Partially? You mean there's more?"
He chuckled softly. "Much more."
Hester shook her head. She couldn't imagine what "much more" entailed, but being a woman of the 1850's she did know properly raised women weren't supposed to enjoy this, yet she had. So much so, just looking up at him made her want to be shown "much more." "Well, treats or no, I won't be marrying you."
Galen sat beside her, ignored her statement for a moment, concentrating instead on her mattress. Using the flat of his hand he pressed down upon it. It had all the resiliency of wood. He'd slept on open ground that was softer.
Indigo Page 18
