by Kitty Margo
“Good morning.” Joshua stunned her with his most devastating smile, leaving her to stammer a greeting as her eyes remained fixed on his arresting face. Being quite accustomed to this flattering appraisal from the fairer sex, Joshua leaned casually against the doorjamb and eyed the shapely morsel in turn, for the moment completely forgetting the reason for his visit. After covering every square inch of her delightful frame, he opened his mouth to ask her name, but was stopped short when he heard his own name shouted from the top of the wide, curving staircase.
“Why Joshua, darling, you have come home at last!” In short order, the voluptuous Resa, slightly breathless from her hurried flight down the stairs, gently but firmly nudged the tiny maid aside and smiled at her thunderstruck expression.
“Lorraine, will you send refreshments to my parlor for our guest, please?” Resa instructed, as if anxious to have the delectable man before her all to herself.
Hearing her name spoken brought Lorraine out of her trance and she quickly scurried into the kitchen to do the madam’s bidding, shamefaced.
“Perhaps I should forbid you entrance.” Resa teased Joshua as her arms slid around his neck. “If you have the same effect on all my employees as you had on dear, sweet Lorraine, I fear my establishment might fall into decline.”
“Should your establishment fail,” he drawled roguishly, eyeing her bosom, which threatened to break loose from the confines of her enticingly low cut dress at any second, “I would do my utmost toward helping to keep your ladies….ah….gainfully employed.”
“You wretched oaf!” She squealed and then seductively pressed her full alluring curves against his hard, lean body. “I will take immense pleasure in scratching out those mesmerizing eyes should I catch you enjoying the delights of any of the girls in this establishment.”
“Does that include you, my sweet?”
Resa's heart skipped a full beat as his overpowering nearness made her knees go weak. “No, it does not, Joshua. For, in case you haven’t noticed, I am a woman and no longer a girl.”
Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her giggling up the stairs, past the envious stares of many. “Then I should think you would have better things to do besides threatening innocent men.”
“Innocent! Hah! Not since you were but a lad and carried me up a similar flight of stairs.”
Joshua kicked open the third door to the right and crossed through the sitting room, his mind filled with the intoxicating memory of the night he was introduced to the erotic ecstasy to be found in a woman's embrace. “Perhaps I will be a more artful lover than I was that night.” His lips were demanding as he laid her on the bed, while her eyes greedily devoured every inch of him.
“If you will recall, my darling, I had no complaints that night, either.”
“True.” His teeth gently raked across her neck as his practiced fingers moved to the fastenings on her dress.
Resa smiled contentedly. “My occupation sees me undressed by a good number of experienced men, Joshua. But none execute the task with the swiftness that you possess.”
Joshua gazed down at her flushed, naked body eagerly awaiting the mutual satisfaction they found in each other’s arms. They were lovers, and more important, best friends. Resa Harrington had not come to Joshua an ingénue, having already put years of hardship and prostitution behind her when they had chanced to meet. Now, men came and went regularly in her life, but only one could hold claim to a piece of her tattered heart. She could only pray that Joshua would someday acknowledge the presence of her love and return it.
Much later, Joshua watched as Resa slept contentedly in his arms. He recalled the night he and some friends had rode into town, paid what seemed like a small fortune at the time, and were led upstairs to wait in separate rooms. Their young bodies were rigid with desire, fear, or an exciting combination of both. When Resa had entered the room with her curvaceous figure clad in a revealing wisp of lavender silk, Joshua had no longer felt fear, only an irrepressible urge to experiment. To discover first hand what it was that only a man and woman could share. And what a discovery it had been! The reality had far surpassed his youthful illusions and over the years he had made it a point to pay a visit to Resa shortly after each homecoming.
Hearing her steady, even breathing, Joshua slipped from her bed, eager to be on his way before she awakened and pleaded with him to stay the night. She was hard to refuse and had ways of making him forget his purpose. Pulling on his trousers, he removed several coins from his pocket and deposited them on the table beside her bed. He did it to nettle her, knowing full well she had no need of his money.
Charleston's most famous madam was wealthy in her own right. Having saved for years, she finally had enough money, with a little financial assistance from Joshua, to purchase the lucrative establishment where she had prostituted for years.
Resa was well aware that the majority of Charleston's fine citizens peered down their aristocratic noses at her. But the bulk of Charleston's fine citizenry had never gone for days on end without a bite of food or a soft surface on which to lay their weary heads. She had been determined never to lose the ability to afford herself the basic necessities again.
Joshua knew she would be offended and shout with indignation when she saw the coins, but it would give her something to argue about when he next visited her, and he did so enjoy the process of making up with her.
As he rode through town, a nagging thought struck him as he passed by a milliner’s shop and caught sight of a very immodest, vivid red satin ball gown on display in the window. He envisioned a slim body draped in that gown, or one very similar to it, but could conjure neither a name, nor face, to go with the body. He dismissed it as trivial. If the lady in question had appealed to him in the slightest, she would not have been so easily dismissed from mind.
Once out of the city he spurred his horse to a full gallop, eager to be home. Perhaps having his feet planted firmly on the solid ground would not be so bad. Not if Resa's greeting today was any indication of things to come. He shouldn’t find it too difficult to invent an excuse for an occasional trip into town.
He rode for hours as the sun moved higher in the sky, stopping once to rest his horse and drink from a cool, bubbling stream. Worry gnawed at him as he neared home, dreading having to relive the pain he had felt at Christmas, seeing his once hale and hearty father bedridden. A few miles from home, he steered his horse up the avenue of cedar trees that led to Cedar Hill, a neighboring plantation. Whether a wish to be welcomed home by old friends or simply postponing the inevitable, he could not be sure.
Chapter Six
Stopping in front of the red brick plantation house, Joshua leapt from his horse to grab Beth, who had dashed down the steps to greet him.
“Joshua, I am so glad you are home!” She laughed gaily as Joshua lifted her from the ground to twirl her high above his head.
“I am glad to be home, Tiny.” He winked slyly, knowing that she detested the nickname he had tagged on her as a child. “And you have grown even lovelier than you were when I left.”
“Joshua! We were wondering when you would show your ugly mug around here!” Samuel bellowed, coming around the side of the house from the direction of the barn. “Unhand my wife, sir!”
“There is the rutting scoundrel who stole my one true love whilst I was away at sea and could not fight for her,” Joshua accused a grinning Samuel, while still holding a merrily giggling Beth high in the air.
“Oh, Joshua, you are incorrigible!” Beth smiled down at him affectionately. “Put me down.”
“Admitted.” Joshua grinned. “But you love me anyway. And now that I have returned for good, you can divorce that dirty dog from Georgia who wormed his way into your affections and married you behind my back. Come to Sea Grove where you belong, my sweet Beth.”
“Over my dead body!”
“Very well then. A duel it is.” Joshua released Beth and clasped Samuel’s hand warmly in his. “Choose your weapon, sir.”
Beth's mother had died giving birth to her, leaving her to be raised by her overly stern father. He was a good man, but ever watchful where his only child was concerned. Beth had envied the loving family life at Sea Grove and spent a great deal of her youth there with Joshua's sister, and her best friend, Malinda. Joshua had watched over both young girls, and dismissed any number of unsuitable suitors, as they had grown into charming young ladies.
Glancing over Samuel’s shoulder, Joshua's vision was drawn to a slight movement on the verandah. Straining his eyes in the fast approaching darkness his memory came rushing back to him. It was the girl in the red satin ball gown. Now he remembered. She was Samuel's sister. What was her name? She really was quite lovely, but try as he might he could not attach a name to the face. Casually climbing the steps, he took her extended hand, bowing low to plant a soft kiss on it. “Good evening...” What was her name?
“Suzanne!” She furnished somewhat crisply after seeing that her name altogether eluded him. Batting her lashes demurely, she simpered, changing her tune completely, “Surely you haven’t forgotten little ole me, Captain Jordan.”
“A man never forgets a beautiful lady.” She was pretty enough, although not exactly what he would call beautiful. Joshua reserved that title for another.
Suzanne's face fair glowed with excitement and she was about to fish for more flattery from the fine male specimen before her when Beth rudely, she thought, interrupted them.
“Joshua. I’m sure you are eager to be home with your family, but surely you can spare us a toast to your homecoming.”
“Have I ever been able to deny you anything, Tiny?”
“No, and you never will.” Beth teased as she led him up the steps.
Immediately upon entering the house, Joshua noticed the striking transformation. New furniture had been brought in to replace the worn antiquated relics. The dull, faded wallpaper that had hung for as far back as Joshua could remember had been painted over with a cheerful yellow. Flimsy, feminine, ruffled curtains hung at the windows. All of the old had been replaced by sparkling new as Beth and Samuel had lovingly restored the house to life after the many years of sad neglect.
“It doesn’t look like the same house, does it?” Beth came to stand behind him as he fingered the white lacy curtains. “What do you imagine Papa would think of the place now?”
“He would be extremely proud that you married a good man and have made a charming and comfortable home for him.” He took her small hands in his and gazed lovingly into her eyes.
“Oh, how I have missed you, Joshua,” she whispered, hugging him close.
“If you two would rather be alone,” Suzanne whined, her jealousy overriding her common sense. “My brother and I can go back outside.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Suzanne!” Beth gave her sister-in-law a quelling glance. “Joshua is the brother I never had.”
“Well, I do hope you will not be inclined to feel sisterly toward me,” Suzanne purred, thoroughly embarrassing her brother and his wife, evidenced by Beth's reddening cheeks and Samuel's disconcerting frown.
Deciding to ignore her brazen remark, Joshua took a seat on the plush sofa and stretched his legs to relieve the cramps from the long ride. Much to his surprise, an overzealous Suzanne plopped down beside him, actually, almost on top of him. Now he remembered what he didn’t particularly take a shine to about the frivolous female. She was too forward.
Joshua was of the opinion, with most Southern men, that women should be seen and not heard except behind the closed doors of a bedroom. He had a definite aversion toward overbearing women. Suzanne's perfume reminded him of the night of a Christmas Ball when she had made it known, loud and clear, that Joshua was her intended catch of the day. If he remembered correctly, she had been visiting her brother then also.
Always the quick study, Joshua had been shrewd enough to realize within mere seconds of making her acquaintance that her innocent demeanor was little more than a facade. He had also been quick to recognize her interest in him and had wasted no time in asking the flirtatious vixen to dance. No sooner had they reached the dance floor than she proceeded to rub her soft body against his in a most seductive and inviting manner, oblivious to the stares her actions were generating.
“You dance divinely, sir,” she had whispered softly against his ear as her tongue darted out to caress his earlobe.
Momentarily taken aback by her forward behavior, Joshua had drawled, “That’s not all I do well.” Then, never one to resist the charms of a willing female, he had crushed her against him.
“Why not let me be the judge of that?” had been her heated reply, not at all put off by his boldness.
Joshua had then escorted the shameless debutante across the dance floor, through the open French doors, and outside into the starry, moonlit night, fully intending to find a secluded spot and give the amorous lady what she so desired. Leading her through the garden gate, he took her in his arms under the sweeping branches of a weeping willow tree, somewhat shocked by her passionate response. She had behaved as a woman starved, her hands moving through his hair as she moaned deep in her throat. His lips caressed hers, kissing her long and hard until she broke away and proceeded to unbutton his trousers.
“Damn!” she had sworn, after hearing her brother Samuel calling her name from only a few feet away. “We’ll continue this later,” she had promised, pausing long enough for one last lingering kiss. “To be perfectly honest, I am sorely tempted to ignore my brother’s rather persistent calls, since I have no doubt that a tumble in the grass with you would be well worth a few lectures on propriety. But then again, it might be best not to press my luck. Samuel might very well become furious enough to send me home. And besides, there should be plenty of time to become better acquainted with you, Captain Jordan. After all, this is the season of parties, and I will be attending them all, especially now that you are making the party circuit.” She hurried back into his waiting arms for one more kiss before darting through the garden and back into the house.
Joshua feared that she would be greatly affronted to learn he had not so much as given her a fleeting thought since that night.
“Joshua, dear, you haven’t heard a word I said,” Beth chided.
“I am truly sorry, Beth. Please, forgive my rudeness. I suppose I am more tired than I thought. What with docking the ship, packing, and the ride home, I am tired enough to fall asleep right here.” He chose not to mention the hours of strenuous activity with the nimble Resa.
“Well then, you should!” Suzanne leaned toward him with hard to conceal excitement and was quick to suggest, “Beth has oodles of beds in this big old house, and you could sleep here and get a fresh start in the morning. Oh, please say you will stay the night, Joshua! I could ride home with you in the morning. I have been intending to visit Malinda, but just can never seem to find the time.”
“Joshua knows without being told that he is welcome to visit us anytime.” Beth cast a sharp glance at her overzealous sister-in-law. “I am sure he is anxious to inform his family that he has arrived home safely. Malinda was here just yesterday and said her parents were eagerly waiting their son’s homecoming, Suzanne. We cannot expect to monopolize all his time. But, if you will recall, you complained of a simply vicious headache and did not venture downstairs once during his sister’s visit.” Beth rose, gave Suzanne a pointed look, and giving Joshua one last welcoming hug, escorted him to the door. “You won’t be a stranger now, will you? I have no doubt they will be keeping you busy over at Sea Grove, but do stop by to see us as often as you can.”
Joshua clasped her small hand in his larger one. “You just try keeping me away, Tiny.” Shaking Samuel's hand, Joshua asked, “Could I impose on you now and then for advice? I fear I may be a bit rusty on plantation affairs.”
“Call on me anytime.” Samuel intended to walk with him outside, bu
t after a meaningful nod from his sister, Samuel bid Joshua good night at the door and escorted an exasperated Beth back inside.
“Samuel, Joshua is tuckered out and would most likely prefer not to be bothered by your sister's simpering ways tonight.”
“Joshua is a big boy, honey. If he doesn’t care to be bothered, I am sure he will not hesitate to say as much to my sister.”
Turning to bid Suzanne good night, Joshua found her draping a lacy shawl over her shoulders. “I am going for a stroll in the fresh air. It is such a pleasant evening.”
“Enjoy your walk, Suzanne. I am exhausted and headed for home.” A cool night wind blew across the land as he started toward his horse, but he was stopped by a small hand on his arm.
“What’s your hurry? If I remember correctly, you and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
A few more hours without sleep would not kill him, he surmised, and she might prove a pleasant diversion when he couldn’t make the trip into Charleston. “At your service,” he chuckled, and reached to draw her into his arms.
“You cannot be serious, Joshua! I do have a reputation to uphold, and unless I miss my guess, Samuel and Beth are peering through the curtains this very minute like some peeping Toms. At times, I think Beth is just searching for a reason to send me packing. No, I am afraid we will have to show some discretion.”
“I can be very discreet.” Ignoring her weak protests he pulled her against him right there on the front lawn. His kiss affected her so that it was several minutes before she could summon a reply.
“Shall… we meet later… tonight?”
“Name the time and place.” Then, his lips again descended on hers, succeeding in drawing the breath from her body.
“Meet me at midnight… down by the pond,” she gasped before turning to bolt into the house.
Joshua smiled as the door slammed shut behind her. She had certainly turned nervous and jittery upon finding him a willing subject. He had first learned the trick from Sam Bogan, only then the ruse had failed miserably. Joshua would keep their rendezvous at the pond tonight. Although he doubted Suzanne would show, after having witnessed her hasty flight just now. He knew her kind well.
