Savage Spring

by Constance O'Banyon

  When the first streaks of morning announced the coming of a new day, she was still awake.

  The next few weeks were busy for Tag. He consulted a lawyer, using the name of Falcon Knight and saying he was from England. Through the lawyer, he had managed to rent the Carson mansion.

  Mrs. Green turned out to be a godsend. She handled the hiring of servants and made the house ready for occupancy. Tag and Farley spent several days buying horses and new clothes, while Alexandria trudged along beside them, uncharacteristically silent.

  The day finally arrived when everything was ready for them to move into the house. Alexandria walked into the marble-floored entryway and gazed at the high ceilings. She had never seen such a beautiful house and excitedly went from room to room exclaiming, over and over again, how lovely everything looked.

  Since the night she had spent with Mr. Knight, she felt shy in his presence. Often her eyes would follow him, and she would remember how it had felt when he had caressed her body and whispered passionate words in her ear. She felt an uneasy craving whenever he was near, and she tried to hide those feelings, from herself as well as from others. Sometimes at night Alexandria would awaken and find she had been dreaming about him, and her pillow would be wet with tears.

  Alexandria knew by now that there was something mysterious about Mr. Knight. She had heard him telling people he had just arrived from England, and she knew that was not the case. She had decided that it didn’t matter to her what his background and purposes were—whether he was a thief or a scoundrel, she would never betray him.

  She was standing on the landing looking up at the painting of a sunset, when Farley came up behind her. The old man had become very dear to her, and she could tell he was also fond of her.

  “I never did take to cheap imitations. That there sunset ain’t nothing like the ones you can see in Blackfoot territory.”

  Alexandria turned to the old man and studied his face closely. “Is that where you and Mr. Knight came from? Is that why you were both dressed so strangely when I first met you?”

  The old man’s eyes became guarded, and a secretive light gleamed in the sparkling depths. “I never said I’d been to Blackfoot country.”

  “You implied it.”

  “Listen here, boy, ifen you care ’bout…Falcon, you won’t ask no more questions. I’m a-telling you now ifen word gets back to certain people ’bout him, he’s as good as dead. I seed that you are fond of him, and don’t forget that he took you in. Keep your mouth shut, and don’t go asking no more questions.”

  “Farley, I would never do anything to endanger Mr. Knight. Don’t you know me well enough by now to see that?”

  He studied her face closely. “I seed a lot more than you think I do. I could ask you some questions that might surprise you, Alex.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, lowering her eyes for fear he really could see too much about her.

  He chuckled lightly. “I think you know, but my young friend has been too busy with his own problems to notice what’s right before his eyes.” Farley walked away, smiling to himself and leaving Alexandria to wonder if he had discovered she wasn’t a boy at all. Somehow she sensed that even if he did know her secret, he wouldn’t tell anyone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Spring was in the air, and the flowers in the garden were in full bloom, and the scent of honeysuckle filled the air. As Alexandria walked out the back door, she noticed that the dogwood trees were in bloom. Their dainty pink and white blossoms were waving slightly in the soft breeze.

  She was a farmer’s daughter and had a feeling for the land. Without realizing she was doing it, she bent down and began pulling weeds out of the rose garden.

  “Can it be that our Alex is a gardener at heart?” Alexandria stood up and clasped her hands behind her as if she had been caught doing something wrong. “I don’t like to see weeds choking the flowers out,” was her only reply.

  She noticed that Falcon was dressed in a blue cutaway coat that enhanced the color of his eyes, and his smile made her heart flutter.

  “Have you been keeping yourself busy, Alex?”

  “Mr. Knight, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something. I feel so useless doing nothing.”

  He eyed her closely. “You don’t have to address me as Mr. Knight—you can call me Falcon. Now tell me, what are you qualified to do, Alex?”

  “I…could tend the garden for you, Mr…Falcon.”

  “Is that what you want to do?”

  “Yes, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  Tag rested his hand on the boy’s curly head. He had grown quite fond of the little scamp and realized for the first time that Alex didn’t know any boys his own age.

  “I don’t think tending the garden is what I have in mind for you. How would you like to become a gentleman?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I have decided to go to a lawyer and have myself declared your guardian. You will be sent to the best boy’s school. If you like, I will even send you to England. Would you like being my ward, Alex?”

  Alexandria shifted her feet uncomfortably. “I don’t know…I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “Why don’t you give it some thought. All you need to do is give me your mother and father’s name, and I’ll have the papers drawn up.”

  Alexandria could feel the wall of lies that stood between them. He was being so kind to her, and all she had done was take advantage of his kindness and repay him with deceit. “May I think about it for a while?”

  “Of course. Did I not say so?”

  Not knowing what else to say, she bent down to pull another weed.

  “Alex, I have been meaning to ask you something. Do you know anything about a girl who came to my room one night back at the tavern?” Tag said, dangling her mother’s cameo necklace before her.

  The question had come so unexpectedly that she was taken unawares. Alexandria wanted to reach for the necklace, but she didn’t dare. Many times in the past few weeks she had wanted to ask him about the necklace, but she hadn’t wanted him to become suspicious.

  “Yes, I do know her, and if you will give me the cameo, I will see she gets it back,” she said, hoping he would do as she asked.

  “I have been trying to find her. I asked at the inn, but no one seems to know anything about her. You were my last hope.”

  “I…told you I know her. Give me the necklace, please. I’ll see that she gets it. Don’t you trust me?”

  Tag took her by the shoulders and raised her up to face him. “No, I think I’ll just keep it until I see her again. Tell me all you know about her. What’s her name? Where does she come from?”

  “I cannot tell you,” she said pulling away from him. “Why do you want to know?”

  His eyes rested on her face for a moment. “I don’t even know myself. I can’t seem to get her out of my mind.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Alexandria asked, with hope in her heart.

  “Tell me where I can find her. I must see her again!”

  “No, I can’t do that.”

  “Why?” he asked in an irritated voice. “Why all the secrecy?”

  “She doesn’t want to make her identity known. I can tell you nothing more about her.”

  Tag was quiet for a moment as he glanced back toward the house. Then he looked at Alexandria. “I would like you to go to her and ask her to come to me. Tell her to meet me here in the garden tonight.”

  “I don’t know,” Alexandria said, and her heart seemed to be pounding against her ribs. “She doesn’t want you to see her face.”

  “Why not, damn it? She wasn’t scarred or disfigured—I could tell by tracing the outline of her face that she was very beautiful.”

  Alexandria felt her heart skip a beat. “I will send her to you, but she won’t come to the garden because there is too much light here. She will come only after the household has gone to bed. You must have no light in your room, and the curtain must be drawn
so no light is showing through.”

  Tag’s eyes narrowed. “Damn it! I don’t like all this secrecy.”

  “If you want to see her again, you must abide by her wishes. Otherwise, I know she will not come.”

  Tag was quiet for a moment. He couldn’t understand the reason for all the mystery, but he definitely did want to meet the woman again. Since the night she had come to him, he had been unable to get her out of his mind. Perhaps it was the mystery that stirred his blood to the boiling point…perhaps if he had been able to see her face he would have forgotten about her by now.

  “Tell her it will be as she wishes. Are you sure she will come? I said some very harsh things to her before, which I didn’t mean.”

  “She will come,” Alexandria said, turning her back to him lest he read the excitement that sparkled in her golden eyes!

  Alexandria climbed out of the bath and quickly dried herself. As she stepped in front of the mirror, she noticed that her amber-colored eyes were fever-bright. Her hand was shaking when she reached for the brush and ran it through her mink-colored hair.

  Was it wrong and sinful to go to Falcon, knowing what he had in mind for her? How could anything that felt so right be sinful? Falcon had said that he needed her. Had he not been kind to her and taken her in off the streets?

  She would have been sent off to sea had he not come to her rescue. Didn’t she owe him something for all he had done for her? She turned away from the mirror, no longer able to look at herself. She wasn’t being noble in going to him—she was going because she couldn’t stay away. Ever since the night he had held her in his arms and whispered passionate words in her ear, she had been his and his alone. Lately, she had begun to feel guilty for deceiving him, but she had gone too far to pull back now. Today when he had so generously offered to make her his ward, the impact of her guilt had hit her full force. Alexandria realized the deception couldn’t go on forever, but would it be so wrong to take what happiness she could for the moment? When the time came to leave, she would just disappear from Falcon’s life forever.

  Looking at the trousers and shirt that hung over the back of the chair, Alexandria frowned in distaste. She couldn’t go to him dressed as a boy. He would know right away about her deception if she did that. Seeing the soft blue velvet spread that covered her bed, she picked it up and draped it about her shoulders. Laughing delightedly, she unfastened a golden-colored tassle from the canopy above and tied it about her waist.

  Moving before the mirror once more, she drew in her breath. The blue of the velvet caused her skin to appear white and creamy. Alexandria was startled to see how her amber eyes sparkled with fire. She was in love, and it made her appear beautiful.

  Suddenly, Alexandria wished she could end this farce and tell Falcon the truth about herself. Shaking her head, she knew that would not be possible. She couldn’t bear to have him angry with her. Had he not said to her just today that he didn’t like secrecy? Didn’t he have enough troubles without being burdened with her problems?

  Alexandria walked to her bedroom door and looked out. Falcon had kept his word—the hall was in darkness, and there seemed to be no light coming from downstairs. She stepped into the hallway, heading for Falcon’s bedroom, using the wall as her guide in the darkness. When she reached his bedroom, she felt panic. What was she doing? What if she were discovered? Knowing she wanted to be with Falcon more than anything, she found the courage to turn the doorknob.

  The inside of the room, like the hallway, was shrouded in complete darkness. Closing the door, she stood, undecided, not daring to speak lest Falcon recognize her voice.

  Out of the darkness, a hand reached out and touched her cheek, tracing the outline. “I half feared you wouldn’t come tonight,” Tag said in a deep, meaningful voice.

  Alexandria melted against him when his arms encircled her. She felt a shudder wrack his body and realized he was as excited as she.

  “Can you not talk, or do you not want to?” he asked, laying his face against hers.

  She only shook her head.

  “No matter,” he said, leading her toward the bed. “Speech is not necessary between you and me.”

  He eased her onto the bed and lay down beside her. “I find myself wanting to know all about you,” he told her, while pulling her head to rest against his shoulder. “Will you answer some questions for me by nodding your head?”

  She nodded her agreement.

  “You had never been with a man before me…this I know. Have you…been with a man since me?”

  She shook her head no and heard his sharp intake of breath.

  “How did you find out about me? Did Alex tell you?”

  She nodded yes.

  “You are a friend of Alex’s?”

  Again, she nodded the affirmative.

  “There are so many things I want to know about you. What color is your hair, and your eyes? Do you have any family? Where do you come from, and where do you go when you leave me?”

  She took his hand and raised it to her face, sprinkling kisses over it.

  “Oh, sweet, silent one, you do have a way of getting into a man’s blood. Suppose I told you that because of that one night with you, I am able to find a glimmer of happiness?”

  Tag felt hot tears fall on his hand, and he crushed her in his arms while he kissed the tears away. “Do not be sad for me, little one. Just give me a few hours of forgetfulness. One can ask for no more than that.”

  She wished she could ask him if he had been with another woman since her, but she dared not. She would do as he asked and give him a few hours of forgetfulness.

  Alexandria felt his hand brush against her cheek. “Because I cannot see you, I will have to be content with the sense of touch.” He outlined her face with his hands. “You have a beautifully shaped face—your hair is curly and you wear it shorter than most women.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “A pert little nose,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “Your mouth is full and made for a man’s kiss.” He proceeded to demonstrate by brushing her mouth with his. When his hand drifted down to her shoulder, pushing the velvet drapings aside, Alexandria was mesmerized by the sound of his voice.

  “You are small-boned and delicate. I can imagine your skin is a soft creamy white.” For a moment, the vision of dark bronzed skin flashed though Tag’s mind, and suddenly he felt no guilt where Morning Song was concerned. He knew she would want him to find…what?…surely not love? He couldn’t love someone he had only been with for one night and whose face he had never seen. No, this woman was nothing more to him than an outlet. Why then had he thought of her so often? Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? Pushing his troubled thoughts aside, his hand slipped down her back.

  “You have a mole just at the base of your spine. Did you know that?”

  He felt her nod her head. Sitting up, he untied her belt and, with a quick jerk, removed the soft velvet in which she was draped. “What kind of a gown is this…some kind of new mode in women’s clothing?” he asked, dropping it to the floor.

  There was no reply.

  “You have small hands,” he continued, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her fingers one by one. Alexandria thought she would go out of her mind as he explored every inch of her body in such a sensuous way. She could hardly wait for him to move from one part of her body to another.

  “Your stomach is smooth and flat,” he whispered in a husky voice, sliding his hand downward. “Your legs are perfectly shaped, and your feet are tiny.” His fingers followed his assessment, sending shivers of delight across every nerve end of Alexandria’s overheated skin. “I would say you have the perfect body, my silent one,” he said, coming back to lie beside her and drawing her naked body against him. “If only I could hear the sound of your voice. I’m sure it would be as lovely as the rest of you. Can you truly not speak? I know that you have communicated with Alex.”

  Alexandria shook her head no.

  “No matter,” he sighed. “As I said, words are
not necessary between you and me.” His head dipped down to brush against her lips, and he heard her gasp. “I want so many things from you…I don’t even know what they are. Perhaps you are a witch who searches for a man’s soul during the night and disappears in a puff of smoke in the dawn hours.”

  Alexandria smiled and shook her head, lacing her hands through his hair. How different this man was from the brooding, often angry man she had come to know in her other identity as Alex. How could a man have two sides that were entirely different?

  She slid her body against his in a bold display of enticement, and he laughingly crushed her to him.

  “Yes, I believe you are a witch.”

  His lips came down on hers with a bruising force, and she slid her hands about his shoulders. Moving forward, Alexandria felt as if her body were being absorbed into his. A deep longing filtered through her body like a slow, burning flame. She could now feel the urgency in him as his lips moved across her face hotly, touching her closed eyelids, brushing against his ear, and then dipping down to nuzzle her neck. She could hear his labored breathing and knew he wanted her. When he thrust forward within her body, she clamped her lips tightly together to keep from crying out. Wave after wave of pleasurable feeling ran through her body like a soft whisper that echoed and reechoed in her heart. Her fingernails dug into his back, and he groaned.

  “I thought perhaps it might have been the rum I consumed the other evening that made me think you were special, but I now know that was not the case,” he whispered in a deep voice. “It wasn’t the rum…it was you.”

  Alexandria felt tears in her eyes at his beautiful words. He would never love her, but she could tell he did have a special feeling for her. She knew she would have to be content with that.

  “Sweet, sweet,” he murmured against her ear. Alexandria could feel her body building up to a climax, as she had the other time. Groaning, she moved forward, and her body seemed to explode in a feeling unlike anything she had ever imagined, leaving her breathless. As the feeling seemed to lift her higher and higher, she felt Falcon shudder, and they both went limp.