Crystal Passion (The McClellans Series, Book 1) Author's Cut Edition

by Jo Goodman

  "Yes. I have been so afraid and uncertain."

  And desperate, he added silently. Desperate to hold and be held. "Then perhaps it is time you unburdened yourself and told me the whole of it. You told Courtney I would take care of everything. That may have been overstating the case, but at least allow me the chance."

  Ashley sat up in bed, drawing her knees to her chest. In a soft tremulous voice she related all that Davinia expected of her and all that had been used to threaten her.

  "Davinia obviously learned something from her lover," Salem said when he had heard it all. "Nigel would be well pleased with her intrigues."

  "I beg of you, do not make light of this. In her own way she is every bit Nigel's equal."

  "No, she is not," Salem answered. "But she wants to be. She is cutting her teeth on us."

  "Can she do the things she threatened?"

  "Certainly."

  "I thought so. I had hoped I was wrong."

  "Where you were wrong was in thinking nothing could be done about it. Put that letter from your mind. It is the least of all our worries. Assuredly Davinia can make some people believe it is true, but she can only shame us if we let her." He took Ashley's hand in his and ran his thumb across the back. "You understand, don't you?"

  "Yes."

  "I know you do, else you would never have told me any of this." He gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. "The matter of the smuggling charge will take some work on our part. There is no real authority anymore to deal with the charge here. I would have to be arrested and transported to London for trial. In Virginia there was no one to arrest me. It is not quite the same thing in New York, not with more soliders around than townspeople. If Davinia wishes to pursue the charge she can have me arrested. Ashley, there are several things we can do to avert that end. You could provide her with the information she seeks."

  Ashley's breath caught in her throat. "I cannot do that."

  He continued as if he hadn't heard her, though in truth his heart swelled with pride at her vehemence. "You can provide her with information that is false."

  "But if she discovered my duplicity, she would—"

  "It is a dangerous game, but it would give me time to intercept the papers she is waiting for and allow us to plan for leaving the city. I am not long for this place with Davinia here. It appears to me her husband was never told of my true loyalty, but Davinia has only to mention it to him and I am off to the gallows on the flimsiest of evidence." He paused, unsure of the reception his next thought would receive. "Of course, there is yet another way I can deal with Davinia. I don't believe you are so innocent that you haven't thought of it."

  Ashley went cold. "You mean kill her, don't you?"

  "Yes."

  "I had thought of it," she said in hushed tones. "I thought of doing the thing myself. Have I shocked you?"

  Salem shook his head. "No. You haven't shocked me. It would surprise me if you hadn't considered that method of protecting your husband and your child."

  An unhappy smile touched her lips. "What are we going to do?"

  "I have no taste for killing Davinia. If I must do it to keep her from hurting you or Courtney it will be done. But to save myself I cannot."

  "You can't go back to Newgate. You did nothing wrong."

  "In the smuggling matter. Of treason, I am guilty."

  "No!"

  "Ashley, it is true. A year ago you were saying it yourself. The only thing changed is that now you have joined me. Of your own choice you have collaborated with me on many occasions. Every time you shared information gleaned from the Tory supporters you were guilty of treason. If Davinia suspected how willingly you assisted me, she would use it against you." He sighed deeply. "I think the only recourse I can live with for now is to intercept the papers. I must find out what packet she expects them on and when."

  "I think they will arrive in two weeks. That is all the time she gave me to deliver information to her."

  "That is something, at least. The crew of the Lydia will like this assignment. To hear them talk you would think there is no sport in running down British merchants. While that is being done I will speak to Noah about the legal status of the smuggling charge and the theft of the Caroline. He may be able to advise me."

  "Noah? You've seen him?"

  "He's here with Washington's men."

  Ashley realized he had not exactly answered her question, but she doubted he would. "I know he is here, but I think it would be dangerous for you to see him. It would certainly set tongues wagging if people knew you were visiting him in Washington's camp."

  "I have no intention of setting foot in that camp. Come here." He pulled her closer so that she unfolded in his arms. "Why not allow me to attend the details? I haven't done the job too badly, have I?"

  "You know you haven't. The general must be very proud of you."

  Salem chuckled. "I do not think proud is precisely the word. I am doing what is expected of me as are thousands of other men—and women."

  "Thank you for that."

  Salem said nothing for a moment, taking pleasure in the way Ashley had relaxed against him. When he spoke his tone was hushed and grave. "I love you to distraction, too, you know."

  She nodded, placing a hand on the side of his neck. "I am sorry for this evening. You were right when you said I had a demon in my breast. It is strange, I know, but I thought making love would somehow keep you safe for me, that it would prove you could not be hurt."

  "I am a man, Ashley."

  "I know." She could feel the warm pulse in his neck.

  "And the kind of man you are is your strength." Her fingers touched his mouth. "I saw that in your face when you were loving me."

  He kissed her fingers, one by one. Slowly. Then they made love in the very same way.

  Chapter 14

  The mood in the city was somber during the dog days of August as the armies prepared for battle. There was precious little laughter to be heard on the streets and few entertainments. People who could afford to leave the city were doing so; those who stayed often chose to keep close to their homes. It was impossible not to know the battle for the city was imminent. One did not have to travel far to see Washington's fortifications being erected with relentless energy. Batteries were established at strategic points along the rivers and hulks were sunk offshore. When Washington split his army, leaving almost half to protect Manhattan and taking the rest, about ten thousand men, to guard Long Island, some people said it was the beginning of the end and that the fighting was only hours away.

  In truth, there was a little more time than the doomsayers predicted, but Davina was out of patience. She wanted assurance that she would be in New York this winter and not staying on some wretched farm in the hinterlands. To this end she had convinced one of the Benningtons' servants to ferry her to Manhattan so she might speak with Ashley.

  She would have preferred to travel with the footman who had been so instrumental in helping her the night of the Benningtons' fete, but the man seemed to have vanished. Gone on to other employment, she supposed. A pity really. He at least had been pleasant to look at and displayed a modicum of skill in bed. There had been the chubby Scot in his place who said he would take her, but she didn't think she could have stomached looking at his simple smile for any length of time. She settled on a pimply-faced youth with strong arms and broad shoulders who worked in the stables. This one at least would be a pleasure to hold, if not look at. Nothing of the sort could be said about bedding the rolypoly Scot. She almost felt sorry for the man, remembering the quickly veiled disappointment in his eyes when she said she had found someone else to take her.

  Davinia was not as adept in veiling her own disappointment when Ashley ushered her into the sitting room and blithely informed her she had nothing to share. The preparations for war were there for all to see. There was no secret in that.

  "Will all this preparation never cease?" she demanded of Ashley. "Why hasn't someone started something by now?"


  Ashely choked on her sherry as she watched Davinia nearly come out of her chair with her question. She quickly put down her glass and covered her mouth delicately. She hoped Davinia did not suspect she was on the verge of hysterical laughter. Gathering her composure, she spoke quietly. "Davinia, calm yourself. The fate of New York is not likely to be decided in one day or by one battle. I can appreciate that you are most anxious to move in to your winter home, but you must let the generals command things as they see fit."

  Davinia's pale eyebrows raised a notch as she tried to determine if Ashley was making sport of her. She decided the chit would not dare; not when she had so much to lose.

  "Are you telling me there is nothing of any import to be learned?"

  "That is exactly what I am telling you. And even if there were, it is doubtful I would learn of it. I am afraid you have set yourself upon the wrong path by hoping that I would have information for you."

  Davinia frowned at Ashley's composure. One slim hand fingered the brooch at her throat. "Can it be you have forgotten that I will reveal your husband as a spy?"

  Ashley watched Davinia's nervous gesture without making it apparent that it interested her. This tendency Davinia had to touch her throat was something new, a gesture that occurred when the rasp in her voice grew more noticeable.

  "I have not forgotten," she said calmly as she tried to remember the things Salem told her to say. "But do you really want to incriminate yourself and your own husband in the matter? How will it look for Lord Grant when it comes out that you conspired with the duke to put Salem's name on that list of Loyalists? If Salem really is a traitor to the crown there are many who would think you aided the rebel's cause by playing such a trick. You need something more substantial to name my husband a spy. I am not worried you will be slipping more maps into his coat. I will not give you the opportunity."

  "You're feeling very certain of yourself. I can only suppose that you think I am bluffing. I am not, Ashley." Her eyes narrowed icily. "If you had the sense to know how much I despise you, you would know I will do everything I have promised."

  Ashley was careful not to show how affected she was by Davinia's vituperation. Salem had said that unlike Nigel, Davinia would be frustrated by Ashley's calm. It sounded so easy when she and Salem discussed it, but in practice it was difficult not to shy from Davinia's cold hatred. Ashley had never supposed Davinia felt anything tender toward her, but this bitterness was something else again.

  "I am beginning to think you are doing this thing only partly to serve yourself," Ashley said slowly as the thought took form in her mind.

  "Pray, continue. I find myself fascinated. Tell me why I am here at all."

  "I think you imagine I have done you some wrong. It is not my husband you wish to hurt, nor my child, but me."

  "Your powers of perception are astonishing," Davinia drawled in bored tones.

  "You don't deny it, then?"

  "Why should I? Think anything you wish if it encourages you to understand that I am not making idle chatter. If you think I cannot send your husband to prison as a spy, so be it. Spy? Smuggler? Do you think it matters to me?"

  "Smuggler, Davinia? Have you the arrest papers?"

  "Yes. And I will use them."

  "First the British troops will have to win New York. There is no one to serve notice of those charges here on Manhattan Island. Salem is not going to walk into Howe's headquarters and give himself over. I will tell him of your threats long before I let him leave here again."

  Davinia stood abruptly, her skirt swaying about her legs. "I am weary of this conversation, Ashley. I will give you two days to consider the seriousness of your position and that of your husband's. I will return on the twenty-seventh, and if you cannot help me, then I turn over the papers to Charles and he can arrange for Salem's arrest. It may not happen with the swiftness I would wish. But it will happen. Think on it."

  Davinia regally swept out of the room without a backward glance. Ashley simply gaped after her, astonished at the woman's bold exit. Long after Davinia left Ashley remained in the sitting room, pondering the other woman's threats and puzzling over what it was she had done to bring Davinia's hatred on her head.

  "It was as if she held me responsible for some terrible deed," Ashley told Salem later at dinner. She speared a small piece of cold ham and chewed it thoughtfully.

  "And you can't think of any reason why she should hate you?"

  "Davinia has always resented me, and she liked to cause mischief between Nigel and me, but this bitterness? No, it is new."

  Salem frowned deeply, massaging his aching temples with his fingertips. This day had been full of setbacks; Davinia's uninvited presence in his home was a complication he did not need. "Ashley, do you think Davinia would physically harm you?"

  "No. She is a vicious woman but not violent."

  Salem was not as certain as his wife but he kept his counsel. "She said she would return in two days?"

  "Yes. She is adamant that I will have something for her or that she will give over the papers. I fear I almost laughed when she said she had them. I had not thought her capable of such a bluff."

  Salem pushed his plate away, leaving much of his food uneaten, and leaned back in his chair. "You were right. She is not capable of such a bluff."

  It took Ashley a moment to understand the meaning of Salem's words. "But I thought—the Lydia—surely the crew was able—" Her voice drifted into silence as she watched his still face, the faint muscle twitching in his jaw. "Oh, no. Never say she has them."

  "She does," he said wearily. "There were ten transports and four more warships that anchored off Sandy Hook late last night. We knew most important communications were on the Perry but there was nothing the Lydia could do against so many. An interception was planned on land but it failed. A courier delivered the papers to Davinia early this morning. Which is precisely why she felt she could pressure you today. I'm sorry, darling. I did not know of the failure until I met with the captain of the Lydia late this afternoon."

  Ashley's own appetite vanished. "Then she could have you arrested at any time."

  "Any time after the British take the city. I do not intend that we should be here when that happens. I am making arrangements for all of us to leave on the Lydia if it appears we could be caught behind enemy lines. General Washington already knows that I cannot continue in this Tory guise while Davinia is here. My usefulness in the city is at an end."

  He sounded defeated, she thought. She could think of no phrase that would ease his surrender. She rose from her chair and stood behind him, easing her arms around his shoulders and pressing her cheek against his.

  Ashley sighed softly. "I know not what to do."

  "Don't do anything." Concern made Salem speak in clipped tones. "I have no wish to see you in danger. I will be happy when we have left this place."

  He said it so vehemently that Ashley could not doubt that he meant it—for the moment, at least. She could feel the tension in his shoulders and back. Her hands gently massaged the knotted muscles. "What shall I say to Davinia when she returns?"

  "Repeat what you told her today, that you have no information for her. Tell her to do what she will. No doubt she will be incensed, but I will be with you this time. I don't want you to see her alone. I don't trust the woman."

  "Do you think it wise for you to be there? After all, I met with her alone today."

  "Hardly alone," Salem corrected her. "Shannon was guarding you."

  Ashley's fingers stilled on Salem's back. "Shannon? Has he been watching my every move since the Green?"

  Salem nodded, shrugging his shoulders slightly so that her hands returned to their working caress. "And Noah. And Smith. There were no others I could trust with the task, but their help ended this evening. They had to return to duty."

  "How did I never notice them?"

  "They would have been humiliated if you had. They stayed very much in the background."

  "I can hardly credit they have been
so close to me all these days. And for nothing. It would appear Mr. Flannigan was a mixture of terror and frustration on my part. Now I wish I had said nothing. Poor Shannon, he must have hated being so close to Meg and unable to speak, to her."

  "He'll recover," Salem said dryly.

  Ashley was thoughtful, pressing the pads of her fingers against Salem's temples. "If they have returned to their duty then the fighting is very close, isn't it."

  "Very close. It could begin tomorrow or the next day. Smith says it will start within the week."

  "Does Smith have an opinion on who will carry the day?" she asked lightly, mocking Smith's prescience.

  "Yes."

  But Salem did not elaborate, and the silence answered Ashley. She held Salem's head to her breast and prayed that Smith was not in the right of it this time.

  * * *

  Two mornings later Ashley and Salem were enjoying an unusually late breakfast in the privacy of their bedchamber when Meg rushed in with scarcely a scratch at the door. Her face was flushed, blending all her freckles. Arms akimbo, she stood at the foot of the four-poster.

  Ashley clutched a sheet to her bosom and swallowed the bit of toast Salem had playfully fed her only moments ago. "Meg Culgan! What—"

  "The battle for Long Island began at nine this morning," she announced breathlessly. "I just heard the news from the crier. Thought you'd both want to know the way of it."

  Salem sat up, alert. He did not have the look of a man who had had every intention of making love to his wife just a moment earlier. "Tell us what you learned."

  "The redcoats made a night march. Sure, and didn't I always say you couldn't trust an Englishman."

  "Get on with it, Meg," Salem said.

  When Salem used that particular tone, Meg knew better than to color her story with any more asides. "The word is that the British came around from the east and completely surprised the men. They've taken two American generals and some eight hundred prisoners."