Fields of Fire

by Carol Caldwell

  “Show them to the primp room—that special room only our honored guests get to use,” Donnegan told Henry who had joined them. “My wound is bothering me. I need to go sit.”

  She glanced at Taylor, but his expression gave no clue as to what he was thinking.

  “Thank you,” Taylor said, “We’ll only be a moment.”

  Taylor grabbed her hand and the instant his fingers tightly interlocked with hers, she sensed something was wrong. Yet, this wasn’t the moment to question Taylor. They exited the brightly lit room only to travel another short passageway.

  “In there,” Henry said, stopping in front of a door that was only half the size in height of a normal entryway.

  “This is an odd little door, isn’t it? Strange, that it was made so that you would have to stoop through it to pass inside.” Jalene spoke to Taylor, hesitant to go near the door, much less open it. “I tell you what. I’m really quite fine now that I’m dry.”

  “Let’s go back then,” Taylor said, still gripping her hand firmly as he made to shove his way past Henry.

  “I’m afraid not,” Henry failed to move and firmly planted, blocked their path. He pulled a pistol from the waistband of his breeches. “In there with ye now.” He waved the weapon first at them and next the little door.

  “We’re guests of Mr. Donnegan,” Jalene argued. “He’ll not like your bullying us about.”

  Henry laughed. “I’m followin’ his orders. Get in there unless you’d like assistance.” He flashed the pistol at them.

  “I’d like to speak with Donnegan,” Taylor said, without moving a step further.

  “Oh, ye’ll talk to him all right. Now go.”

  Henry made as if to hit her on the head. Taylor instantly reacted in her defense, attempting to grab for the pistol, but Henry apparently anticipated the move and aimed the weapon at Taylor’s head, stopping him in midstride.

  “Get your arse movin’. Ye’ve come real close to me usin’ this,” Henry told Taylor and cocked the pistol.

  Taylor grabbed her hand and reached for the door handle. Crouching over, he tugged her with him through the low entryway into total darkness. Once inside, she stood at full height again. She tore her hand from his and turned towards the door, the only source of light. She reached for the handle as Henry pulled it shut.

  “Wait,” she said, knowing her voice did nothing to mask her panic. “We have no lantern.”

  Henry slammed the door shut. As darkness enclosed the room, a scream of horror left her lips. Terrified, she steadily banged on the door with her fists and screamed at it, “Don’t leave me. I can’t see. I have to see.”

  “Jalene.”

  She heard Taylor’s approach and slapped into the darkness at him. Frantically, she kicked at the earthen floor. “Get away!”

  When his movement stilled, she instantly turned her attention to the door, pounding and pulling on the door handle. “Open. It’s got to open.” She sobbed.

  “It’s locked, Jalene. There’s no use,” Taylor said in a soothing manner.

  Once more, she heard him move in her direction and began kicking at the ground as he neared. “There’s something in here. I know it. Crawling on the floor. Get it! Get it! Hurry!” She yelled and groped at the nothingness in front of her.

  His hands connected with hers, and he pulled her into his arms. She wrestled with him, but his strength was too great.

  “I can’t stand it. I have to see.” She squirmed and fought against him. “Help! God help me! Get me out of here.”

  “Be still,” he commanded. “You’re hysterical. There’s naught to be frightened about. I’m with you.”

  “Leave me be.” She struggled further. His words of consolation meant nothing to her. She had to get out of this hell.

  His hands touched her head. He tugged on the hair at the nape and with the other, he slapped her face.

  His action left her breathless and speechless.

  Quickly, he held her to him. “I’m sorry, sweetness. It was the only way.” He patted her hair in a soothing gesture and caressed her back, holding her to him. When she started to shiver, he rubbed her arms for a few moments.

  “Close your eyes,” he finally said, and coaxed her to a sitting position against him and the door she had just beat upon so thoroughly. “The dark is nothing to fear, Jalene. What has made you so frightened?”

  Her words tumbled out over chattering lips. “I’ve always been afraid of the dark. But ever since I was locked in the wine cellar when I was a child, I panic if there’s no light.”

  “Who did such a cruel thing to you?”

  “Oh, it wasn’t intentional.” She told him how she’d gotten locked inside the cellar, and that it wasn’t until hours later that she was rescued.

  “I still have nightmares where I wake up calling for my Poppy, ... my da.” Her voice sounded unusually loud in the blackness of the musty cave chamber, though she now spoke in a more normal tone.

  His embrace tightened around her. “That would be a frightening experience even for an adult, but a child…”

  “That’s why I have to sleep with a candle burning on a moonless night except ...” As she said the words, she remembered their lovemaking in the tinker caravan. She had slept the entire night in comfort and in the dark. Maybe ...

  “Except what?” Taylor asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “It’s understandable, Jalene,” Taylor urged.

  “Thank you, but I can’t stand this, Taylor. I have to see. I have to or I’ll go mad.” She buried her face in the crook of his arm.

  “Nay, see how well you’ve survived already by simply talking about it. Keep your eyes closed and try to sleep.”

  “I can’t. All I can think about is that I’m locked in total blackness and don’t know for how long, or if I’ll ever get out of here?”

  “Perhaps there is another door. I’ll feel along the wall to check and determine the size of this chamber as well.”

  “Nay, don’t leave me, please.” She gripped him tightly. “You don’t know what could be in the rest of this place. Maybe there’s a deep pit you could plunge into, or some …”

  “You’ve a vivid imagination, but this is not a large area. The air in here is stuffy and not as cool. This was probably some recess off the main artery of the cave trail. Donnegan must have decided to use it for storage, or for something like this—for his guests to make themselves more comfortable,” he said, and gave a forced laugh.

  She had been so involved in her fear that she had completely forgotten about why they were there. “Those lads acted more like they were drugged than dimwitted,” she voiced her concern. “Donnegan’s been behind the missing lads.”

  “Aye,” he agreed. “One of them is Paddy’s son, Kyle. He didn’t recognize me. Donnegan’s definitely been feeding them some form of drug.”

  “He knows we’re not who we pretend to be, doesn’t he?” she asked.

  “Not necessarily. It may be that he had no intentions of dealing with us, nor anyone, and that this was his plan all along. Either way, our situation is definitely grim. We’ll have to act fast once he summons us.”

  Her shuddering increased and again, he responded by rubbing his hand up and down her arms to warm her.

  “What if he doesn’t summon us? What if his intention is to leave us in here forever?” She desperately clung to him.

  “That’s not Donnegan’s way. He prefers to make a game of this, and one he can win. You saw how he was when he dumped us in the cottage outside Dublin. He’ll be back.”

  She took comfort in this, unsure how long she could tolerate not seeing. Yet, she knew that once they stepped outside the door, this darkness might be only a prelude to the final blackness of death. Fate had intervened on their behalf before, but it was unlikely this time. She reached for his arm and followed it down to his hand. She interlocked her fingers with his, and said, “I’ve a confession to make.”

  Chapter 22

  “Confession.”
Taylor repeated. “I’m not a clergyman, Jalene, and I definitely won’t feel like forgiving you if you’re about to tell me you knew Blackwater Distillery had been involved in illegal activities all along. Not now, as we sit here in a precarious situation.” His only hope was that Hug had followed a lot closer than originally planned, and was bringing more dragoons before it was too late.

  “I love you,” she blurted out in a rush. “Don’t say anything. I don’t expect you to do so. Knowing we may not leave this cave alive, I want to tell you—cleanse my soul, I suppose. Truly, I didn’t want to care about you, especially considering how you suspected my brother. But somehow the more I fought against the feelings you aroused in me, the more attached I became to you. I asked myself how I would feel if I never saw you again. That was when I knew I loved you.” She released his hand and scooted a bit away.

  Taylor’s stomach flip-flopped and his skin heated with excitement. He hadn’t expected this. He’d found her attractive from the moment he saw her leave the Kilronan House dining parlor with Donnegan. Under the circumstances, he, too, had questioned his wisdom in pursuing her, but he had shoved the issue from his mind by only admitting to the physical attraction between them and nothing more. Now, if he were completely honest with himself, he knew he loved her in return. How would he feel if he never saw her again? The idea sent a sick feeling to the pit of his stomach. What if Hug failed to arrive in time? What if he lost her? He couldn’t live with that thought. He’d do everything within his power to save her—if he had to die for her.

  “I know I said not to say anything, but can you at least talk to me about something else now that I’ve stated my mind? I wish I could see your face.” She fidgeted.

  “If you could, you’d see me smiling at you. Ach, Jalene, my love,” he gathered her into his arms, even closer than before if that were possible, and snuggled his head against hers. Despite the rain, the dampness of the cave, and the length of day, she still smelled faintly of lavender. He breathed in the scent of her. “As long as we’re making confessions, I as well have something I must admit to.”

  “Ah, really, what is it?”

  Her voice sounded anxious, and he wondered if for an instant she hoped he might say he loved her in return. Instead, he said, “I have to confess that when you so bravely shed your garments in full view of Donnegan and his men at the cottage—I lost all strength of mind and stole a peek. Will you forgive me?”

  “Ah, aye, of course,” she whispered. She tried to squirm away from him, but he hugged her all the closer.

  “Wait, there’s more,” Taylor said, and smiled to himself. Clearly, she expected some other sort of confession. Well, she was about to get it.

  “What? What is it?” her voice held a hint of frustration.

  “I love you, too.”

  She tensed in his arms. “Taylor, this is no time to tease. You don’t have to say it because I did.”

  He released his hold to search for her face. He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs, and lowered his lips to meet hers in a passionate kiss. When they finally broke apart, he said, “Is that the kiss of someone who isn’t serious?”

  “Nay,” she breathlessly replied and embraced him. “When did it happen? How did you know?” She rattled on excitedly, and pushed herself from him to swat him playfully on the chest. “Why did you tell me the other first? That was cruel.”

  He chuckled. “I was reminded of the times I waited for you to tell me you wanted me. I couldn’t resist. My devilish side, you know; it slipped to the surface. Anyway, I was always attracted to you, but knew it wouldn’t be wise to get involved with you. I couldn’t help myself either. After my initial anger when you left Knights’ Head to meet Wil, I was worried sick. I’d never reacted that way about anyone before. I think that’s where it began, but I shrugged it off as being merely the reaction of someone who is responsible for another.”

  “So when did you really know,” Jalene interrupted.

  “When you let me make love to you in the tinker caravan. In spite of everything that had happened between us I knew I loved you. You had become a part of me, but I wasn’t going to admit it to you for fear of rejection, though I sensed you felt that there was more than an attraction between us. Your confession of your love for me was more than I could have wished for.”

  “Ah, Taylor, whatever are we to do? Now that we’ve found each other—in a short while it will all end.” She sighed heavily and cuddled against him.

  “I have to admit our situation is grim, but have you forgotten about Hug? He’s following us with reinforcements. There’s still hope, sweetness, and I guarantee you, no one wants to see us get through this more than me, especially now.”

  “I hope you’re right,” was all she said.

  With their backs supported by the door and their legs and shoulders pressed to each other, he held her hand as they each drifted off into the silence of their own thoughts. He was relieved that Jalene’s fear of the dark had subsided and that she had gained control of her emotions. A lesser woman would have gone mad. This was another reason why he loved her. Damn, he’d have to do some fast thinking where Donnegan was concerned. What he planned to say to him he hardly knew, until at last confronted by the man. Talk he would, though, and if that didn’t work he’d find another way. Damn, but he would. Their love was not going to end here—not when it was just beginning.

  * * * *

  A heavy thumping sound on the door woke Jalene. She jerked and opened her eyes. When she failed to see, panic tried to grip her, but she remembered where she was, with whom, and what had transpired between them. She clung to Taylor and stared into the blackness.

  “The time has come,” Taylor said. He reached into the darkness to help her to her feet and backed away from the door.

  As the door swung open, the bright light blinded her, and she shielded her eyes. After a few seconds, she forced her eyes to adjust. She noticed Taylor had done the same. They hunched over and exited through the entryway.

  “Not so fast,” Henry said. “You’re not free to go. Follow the path back that way.” He motioned to the right of the door. “I’ll be immediately behind you, so don’t try anything.”

  Taylor pulled her along after him, not stopping until they were back at the huge cavern that looked like a medieval banquet hall.

  Donnegan and Nelly sat at the long wooden table where two other places were set. They were sipping from pewter goblets when Donnegan apparently heard Jalene and Taylor enter.

  Donnegan stood from his place. “Nelly suggested we show a bit of humanity and give you a decent meal at least before we see the last of you.”

  “What the bloody hell is the matter with you? Why did you lock us up like that? I thought we made a deal,” Taylor answered, ignoring Donnegan’s comments. He released her hand and stood with his arms crossed.

  Donnegan stood and reached for his cane leaning against the table. “You had plenty of time to think. I hope you have figured out that this is my way of saying I don’t deal.” He gave a hearty laugh.

  “Couldn’t you have just told us that? Why go through all this? We get the message. Now, if you don’t mind we’d like to go.” Taylor grabbed her hand and turned to leave.

  Donnegan let out another festive laugh. “You’ll go as far as this supper table, then I’m afraid it’s ...” He made a slashing gesture at his throat.

  “Why? Why do you have to do this?” Jalene asked. “Let us go. If you’re worried about us telling anyone, we won’t.”

  “What kind of fool do you take me for? I’d never risk it. Besides, it took me a while to place you with your hair dyed black and new fashion for dress, but I finally did. Your name is not Jane, but Jalene. Jalene Somerville if I recall.” He stroked his chin and studied Taylor for a moment. “This must be your companion from Dublin— same height, build.” He turned his attention back to her and gave a wicked grin. “I must say, you are even more appealing as a whore.”

  Jalene was momentarily worried about Taylor
’s reaction to Donnegan’s crudeness. But Taylor paid no attention.

  Instead, Nelly frowned and stood. She looped her arm through Donnegan’s, and forced him to be seated once more. “Regardless, you’ve made my Cory upset when I was anticipating a nice chat between all of us. I get so few opportunities to speak with other ladies.”

  “You know you’ll be considered an accomplice,” Jalene said, trying to sway Nelly to deal with them favorably, but knowing in her heart it was useless.

  “For sure, I stopped worrying about that a long time ago. Never mind all this. Sit down. We’ve had a pleasant meal prepared.”

  “I’ll not dine with the likes of you,” Jalene replied.

  “How interesting,” Donnegan said. “Whatever you prefer.”

  “Nay, we’ll stay,” Taylor cut in. “Ignore the wench. I, for one, plan on having a good meal.”

  “Be seated,” Donnegan ordered.

  They all sat, and it occurred to Jalene that her anger might almost have led her to a quicker demise had Taylor not intervened. Better to prolong this meal and try to come up with some positive course of action.

  The cook arrived at the table with a tray of deviled crab, potted beef and oyster loaves. “I’ll bring the remaining courses out in a wee moment,” he told Donnegan.

  Donnegan nodded in approval and passed the dishes around. He grinned at Jalene before he said, “A pity about your brother.”

  “What do you know about my brother?” Jalene instantly asked.

  “I know everything, my dear. You see, we were partners.” Donnegan laughed. “Maybe partners isn’t a good word. Let’s say he provided me with casks and labels and occasionally whiskey—in return for seeing that no harm came to his wife and babes—twins, I believe.”

  “You were blackmailing him,” Jalene said in disgust, toying with the amber ring on her forefinger. “I knew James would never have been willingly involved in anything illegal.”

  “Aye, but that’s rather harsh. I prefer to refer to it as being cooperative with each other. Only problem though, he was starting to whine more and more each time we met. Then this Wil fellow, your cousin, stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. It got to the point where I couldn’t trust James, nor did I want your cousin confronting him or going to the authorities. There was only one course of action for me to take—dispose of them both.”