Ashes and Ecstasy

by Catherine Hart

  Thrilled to have him home, Kathleen was surprised to find that Reed had somehow managed to obtain gifts for all of them. When she unwrapped a small, oblong box, she discovered a magnificent opal choker necklace. The perfect arrangement of sparkling gems was set in bands of fine filigreed white gold. “You’ve been to New Orleans!” she gasped delightedly, recognizing the distinctive work of Reed’s favorite jeweler there.

  He nodded his dark head in agreement. “I also stopped by Grande Terre to see Jean. He and Dominique send holiday greetings.”

  “Did you see Eleonore also?”

  “Not this time,” he answered evasively, then decided to tell her what he knew. “She’s still in New Orleans with her brother, but the romance between her and Jean has cooled lately.”

  “Oh, no!” Kathleen’s face was immediately downcast at the news.

  Reed shrugged. “I think you are taking it more to heart than either of them. They are still friends, Kat. It’s just that they are no longer lovers. Neither of them regrets the time they spent together, but as Jean explained, their relationship was not going forward, and it was time to give it up before their friendship was destroyed, too.”

  “I wonder how Eleonore feels?” Kathleen mused.

  “Dominique said she has been homesick for France for some time now. She looks forward to the end of the war so she can return home.” Then he chuckled lightly. “From what I heard, she is now conquering as many hearts as she can before leaving New Orleans. She’ll leave many a broken one in her wake when she sails.”

  “I hope she’s not hiding a broken heart of her own, Reed.”

  “I hope not, too, but I’m sure you’ll hear from her as soon as she can get a letter through. Perhaps then she can set your mind at ease.”

  Reed stayed to see the new year of 1813 ushered in before he sailed once more. He and Kathleen attended several parties in that time, and everything seemed almost normal for a short while. Susan proudly introduced him to his new niece, whom he adored on sight; and he became reacquainted with his own children once more, Katlin and Andrea eagerly recounting their joys and woes.

  Several days were spent at Chimera, where he reviewed the books with Kathleen and advised her as to what she should do next; which crops to plan for, which fields to ready, what changes and repairs to make. He made sure she had the seed and materials needed, and sufficient funds to tide her over during his absence.

  At the wharf, he conferred with Ted about business, which was so slow as to be nearly nonexistant at this point. He discovered which of his vessels had reported in and when, whether repairs had been needed, what goods (if any) they had delivered. Instructions were left for those due in soon.

  While Reed was still home, one of his frigates, the Lady Fair, limped into port, badly damaged. Several of the crew members required medical attention, but they jubilantly reported that they had sunk the English sloop they’d challenged. Thus far, in the first seven months of the war, American privateers had reportedly taken hundreds of English merchantmen and three warships out of commission. They, at least, were tasting success on the seas, though the blockade remained securely intact. The Lady Fair was not beyond repair, and Reed set men to the task immediately. Kathleen promised to oversee the work as it progressed, to insure that the repairs were properly done.

  January and February dragged by interminably after Reed’s departure. Amy’s baby was born—a healthy boy named after Martin. They stayed in Savannah until the end of February, when Martin decided they must return to Augusta and prepare for spring planting. The Lady Fair returned to the sea, replaced at the repair dock by her sister ship, the Windfarer. Some of Kathleen’s time was taken up seeing to the renovations. One of her former crewmen, a burly Irishman by the name of Kenigan, had taken a shot in the shoulder, and Kathleen personally saw to his care.

  The Sea Cloud slipped past the blockade the first of March, carrying a letter from Eleonore. In the missive, Eleonore explained further the reasons behind her decision to ease away from her close relationship with Jean. She assured Kathleen that she and Jean had parted on amicable terms, both of them agreeing to remain friends. Neither of them was suffering undue heartbreak, realizing that their affair had been gradually cooling for some time. Repeating what Reed had stated, Eleonore said she had become progressively homesick for France, and yearned to return as soon as the war allowed. Included in Eleonore’s letter was a short note from Dominique, with greetings from Jean. Both men were faring well, and sent their loving affection to Kathleen and the children. They’d encountered Reed off the Florida coast in January and had spent a few hours exchanging news of the war and their individual exploits.

  March drifted into April, and spring planting was underway. The birth of several new foals at Kate’s kept Kathleen dizzy going from Chimera to Emerald Hill. Katlin’s second birthday heralded the advent of spring, followed closely by Easter and Kathleen’s birthday. Kathleen and Reed’s fifth wedding anniversary was fast approaching, but Kathleen held little hope of Reed’s arrival in time to celebrate the occasion. Since early January he’d been able to send only two messages to her by returning ships, and those with little more than assurances that he was well, missed her and the children, and loved them all. Kathleen understood he dared not say more for fear his communication would fall into hostile British hands.

  One May morning, Kathleen was just coming up to the house from the stables when she heard a rider approaching. The bright morning sun was behind him, and she shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting to make out his identity. The man was tall, dark, and bearded, and riding his mount hell-bent on destruction straight toward her. As she stood in confused astonishment watching horse and rider bear down on her, not slowing their pace one whit, the man’s face split in a wide grin, revealing startlingly white teeth in the midst of his heavy beard.

  Before Kathleen could fling herself out of his path, he dashed past, leaning down to grab her about the waist and pull her into the saddle before him. As the horse skidded to a jarring halt, the stranger drew her tightly against his chest, his mouth descending on hers before she had time to react. The odd familiarity of his kiss was offset by the strange soft caress of his beard and mustache against her skin.

  Gathering her senses, Kathleen wriggled in his arms, trying to free herself of his iron hold. With doubled fists, she pummeled his chest, twisting her mouth free of his. Her indignant screeching set him laughing heartily, his chest heaving against her hands.

  “Kat! For God’s sake, are you trying to dump both of us onto the ground?”

  The sound of his voice froze her in mid-scream. Her startled green gaze flew to his face, scanning the dark beard and mustache for distinguishable features beneath. Her eyes collided with those of brilliant blue, full of merriment and deviltry.

  “Reed! You scoundrel! You scared me half witless!” She aimed a fist at his broad shoulder. “I thought you were some crazed lunatic attacking me!” No sooner had she hit him, than her arms went about his neck and she clung to him. Her cheek again came into contact with the soft bristles covering his face. Easing back in his arms, she reached up a tentative hand, lightly touching her fingers and palm to the unfamiliar growth. Her eyes grew wide with wonder at the springy feel of it. “What made you decide to grow a beard—and a mustache?”

  He grinned broadly. “Do you like it?”

  She shook her head undecidedly. “I’m not sure. Heavens! I didn’t even recognize you!”

  “So I discovered. How does it feel to have the shoe on the other foot for a change? I never recognized you as Emerald, either.”

  “It’s definitely a strange feeling,” she admitted softly. Once again she held him near. “To tell the truth, I’ve missed you so badly, you could have grown another head and I’d welcome you.”

  Reed chuckled. “I really don’t think I’ll resort to that. In fact, my theatrical arrival was rather unnecessary, but so is sitting out here forever on this horse, don’t you agree?” It was marvelous having him hom
e again, and once she was accustomed to his new look, Kathleen rather liked it. Andrea wasn’t sure she shared her mother’s opinion at first. “It scratches!” she complained, frowning up at her father and rubbing her pink cheeks.

  “No, no!” Katlin disagreed, shaking his head. At this age, he gloried in picking an argument with his sister whenever possible. “Tickles," he corrected with a lofty male superiority.

  Kathleen rolled her eyes toward the ceiling in exasperation, as if seeking patience from heaven. “He’s your son, Reed, head to toe. He not only looks like you, he acts like you!”

  Reed smiled proudly, if arrogantly. “Yes—isn’t it a blessing he inherited my good nature instead of your stubbornness?” he teased.

  Kathleen sighed in defeat. “If your head gets any bigger, your hats won’t fit,” she predicted wryly.

  When Kathleen mentioned Eleonore’s letter and Jean saying he’d seen Reed, Reed told her he had been to New Orleans since then. On a government mission, he’d been sent to Louisiana with orders from Washington for General Jackson. Years before, Reed had occasion to meet Andrew Jackson and his wife, Rachel. He’d liked them both, and it had been a privilege to be of service to the stalwart soldier now. Reed admired the older man tremendously, and Jackson had high praise for Reed’s contribution to the war effort. While in New Orleans, Reed had gone to Jean’s warehouse to find a worthy gift for Kathleen in honor of their wedding anniversary. Among Jean’s contraband goods, he’d found a selection of French-made lingerie and nightwear to delight any woman, and make any man foam at the mouth just imagining a woman in it. He’d chosen several sets of risqué French undergarments, embarrassingly sheer and lacy. In addition, he’d selected a shimmery emerald satin peignoir set. The gown was simply styled in the Greek fashion and designed to cling seductively beneath the sleek matching robe. Delicate, open-heeled slippers went with the ensemble. Reed could not resist them, thinking how the color matched Kathleen’s eyes, and how magnificent her curvaceous body would look draped in the shiny, clinging fabric. But his imagination had not done justice to the actual sight when Kathleen modeled the outfit for him. She stood before him like a queen, proud and tall, and he could not take his eyes from her. Her long copper tresses hung loosely across one shoulder, her eyes sparkling like jewels. Her creamy breasts stood sentinel, pushed high against the low-cut bodice of the gown, while the folds of the skirt clung suggestively, outlining the shapely length of her long legs.

  “Kat, I’ve dreamed of you in that gown since I bought it, but the reality takes my breath away,” he confessed huskily, his eyes caressing where his hands would soon follow. “You have to be the most sensuous woman in the world.”

  She laughed softly, embarrassed and excited by his praise. “If I am, it is you who make me that way. When you look at me with that devilish gleam in your eye, you bring out the wanton in me. All I can think of is how your hands will feel on my body; your lips, your tongue. Then I want to reach out and touch you, feel your hot skin beneath my fingertips, please you and excite you in any way I can.”

  Her seductive words were more than he could take, and his well-intentioned patience flew out the window as he stripped out of his clothing. He looked down at himself mockingly. “If you were any more exciting, I swear I’d burst!” He pulled her with him onto the bed. “Come, my sultry vixen, show me how well you can please me. You’ve sung your siren’s song—now fulfill all of my wildest fantasies!”

  Laughing, she batted her lashes at him flirtatiously. “Ah, but sir, after a night of exotic ecstasy and forbidden pleasures, will you still respect me in the morning? After all, a wife is supposed to restrain herself and not be too bold before her husband, or so I’ve heard.”

  He eyed her wickedly, his sparkling eyes sapphire-dark with desire. “I promise not to be shocked, my pet, and I swear that, not only will I respect you come morning, I’ll make passionate love to you all through the night and again in the morning light.”

  A delicate eyebrow raised tauntingly. “Are you sure you can make good on all those rash promises?” she teased.

  Leaping playfully at her, he pinned her to the mattress with a low growl, causing her to giggle. “I’ll prove it, you minx, as long as you contribute your share.” His lips hovered temptingly over hers.

  “It is a bargain,” she whispered silkily, already falling under his seductive spell. Suddenly she felt as if her body was on fire; her skin was actually aching for the feel of his. All teasing was forgotten as she gazed ardently into his face, the face she had longed to see for long, lonely months. Her lips trembled for the touch of his. “Kiss me, Reed,” she prompted softly, her eyes adoring him. “Please kiss me now.”

  If some nights are made especially for love, this was one of them. Every move, every look, each touch heightened their desires. It was like sipping salt water; the more they drank of one another, the thirstier they became. They came together leisurely, lingering over time-sweetened kisses, their lips and tongues tasting fully of love’s nectar. Hands and fingertips caressed slowly, as if memorizing every pore; as if loathe to overlook any pleasure point to be discovered in this sensual foray. His body adored hers, and hers worshipped his in turn. Fire danced in their veins, igniting sparks of passion that traveled through every nerve like bolts of lightning. All their senses were heightened, responding instinctively to the elusive magic woven into the fabric of this exquisite night of splendor.

  Low moans of pleasure echoed in the night as they enticed one another to higher levels of passion. Kathleen abandoned herself to Reed’s will, shamelessly following his daring lead, mindlessly obeying his every directive, satisfying his every wish. Their desire raged out of control, like a wind-fed forest fire, consuming them in its hungry flames. Their love was erotic and adventurous, raising them to breathless peaks of rapture and tossing them into the wild winds of the fiercest gale before spinning them dizzily back to earth.

  So intense and lovely was their lovemaking, that Kathleen could not hold back the tears of joy that dampened her cheeks afterward. Thinking perhaps he had inadvertently hurt her in his ardor, Reed was immediately concerned. “Sugar, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head, whispering, “Nothing could be wrong, my darling, now that you are here. You make me feel so adored, so cherished. My heart is so filled with love for you, it is spilling over, that is all. These are not really tears you see, but the overflow of my love that my heart cannot contain because you have made me so happy.” Tenderly he kissed the tears from her cheeks, his eyes drinking in the sight of her love-filled face. “My sweet, you have just given me one of the most spectacular nights of my life. How can I tell you what it does to me when you give yourself so completely? Not one moment of this night would I trade for all the world’s gold.”

  “Are you absolutely sure?” she teased gently.

  “Not for ten times that amount,” he told her, pulling her close against him. “I love you, kitten. I love your spirit and your fire; even your stubborn, willful ways. I adore you from the top of your sun-kissed head to the tips of your dimpled toes.”

  “I love you, too, Reed—so much that I must confess it scares me sometimes,” she sighed, relaxing in his embrace. “I fear there must be a price to be paid for all this happiness. That is why I hate it so each time you sail without me. I am afraid something will happen to you, and then I would simply die!”

  “Nothing this side of the grave will destroy our love, Kat,” he said tenderly.

  She reached out a hand to touch his cheek,, and encountered the beard again. “I have something else to confess,” she said, stifling a giggle.

  “What’s that?” he asked curiously.

  “Katlin was right. The beard and mustache do tickle!”

  His rumbling laughter mingled with her giggles in the early morning air.

  Reed left a few days later, telling Kathleen he was on his way to Washington. There was soon to be an important prisoner exchange at sea, Reed confided, in which the Kat-Ann and anot
her privateer were to play a major role. Where and when the exchange would take place would be revealed to him in the capitol.

  Kathleen kept busy through the rest of May. June brought sultry summer temperatures, and everyone sweltered under the blazing sun and clear azure sky. It looked as if this summer was to be unusually hot, and everyone hastened to leave the city and take refuge on the cooler country plantations. By now, the war was twelve months old, and Savannah had yet to see its first British ship or soldier. The residents let down their guard, leaving that chore to the militia stationed at the forts, and sought comfort outside the city.

  Kathleen welcomed Mary home, as well as Susan, Ted, and their two children. Chimera was too large and empty without Reed, and they helped to divert her attention from her loneliness. Barbara and Uncle William did not join them, deciding instead to visit Amy and Martin on their estate outside of Augusta.

  July was hotter still. No one did a thing they didn’t absolutely have to, avoiding all work in the hottest part of the day. Cooking was done at night, and cold meals served during the day. Everyone lazed about in the shade, consuming tall, cool glasses of lemonade and iced drinks, doing what was required in the cooler hours of morning and evening.

  The Starbright limped into Savannah the first day of the month, reporting violent storms in the Caribbean. Dan Shanahan and Hal Finley, two of her former crewmen, were aboard, Dan having suffered two cracked ribs during the gale that had maimed the Starbright. Regardless of the heat, Kathleen made several trips into Savannah with Ted to see to the repair of her favorite frigate, the same vessel she’d disguised and sailed as the Emerald Enchantress years before.

  She was at the docks the day a strange ship anchored at Savannah port. Like the others, she took note of it, reassuring herself that it was an American vessel, and went back to her work. It was a short time later that Ted came looking for her, a uniform-clad stranger in tow. Kathleen eyed the smart young lieutenant curiously, wondering why he would want to speak to her. Her ready smile was frozen by the serious look on his face and the worry on Ted’s.