Savage Spring

by Constance O'Banyon

  Alexandria lowered her head. “I cannot stand the thought of being married to that odious man. I will never live with him as his wife, and no one can make me!” she cried, burying her face in her hands.

  Tag’s good humor startled her. His laughter caused her head to snap up. “I have been called many things in my life, Alexandria, but never odious. As for living with me as my wife, that will be your choice.”

  “I don’t understand…you just said that…”

  “I said, my dear wife, that I was a witness to your marriage. I didn’t tell you that I was also the groom.”

  Alexandria’s amber eyes widened in shock. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had thought he was implying she had married Rodney, but had he not called her his wife? “I’m confused. What are you saying?”

  Tag took a bite of the meat on his plate, chewed it up and swallowed before he answered. Alexandria watched him expectantly.

  He watched the different emotions play across her lovely face while he told her all that had occurred the evening before. When he finished talking, Alexandria pushed her plate back and stared into his eyes in total confusion.

  “Forgive me, Tag. It seems I have caused you nothing but problems since the first night we met. I’m sorry you were forced to marry me. That must be the last thing you wanted to do.”

  Her amber eyes were wet with tears, and he wanted to tell her that he didn’t mind being her husband in the least. In fact, he had been anxious and unsure as to how she would take the news of being his wife. Many times that day he had wanted to return home so he could tell her of the love in his heart. The fact that he didn’t know how she felt about him halted his confession.

  “I admit you have been trouble for me, but there was never anything I couldn’t handle.”

  “I won’t hold you to the marriage, Tag,” she said, looking at him with earnest eyes. “I know what your feelings were for Morning Song. If I am free to go, as you say, I will be returning to the farm as soon as possible,” she said, giving him an easy way out of their situation.

  “Why don’t we wait a few days for you to make that decision. I’m afraid I have some news that’s going to upset you.” “It’s Mr. Landon, isn’t it?” she stated, with uncanny insight. “He’s dead.”

  “I’m afraid so, Alexandria.”

  She stood up and walked to the window. “I know you hated him, Tag, and with every reason…but I grew to care for him. At the end, he was nothing more than a sick old man wanting to make amends for all he had done to you and your sister.”

  Tag walked over to her and turned her to face him. “Don’t ask me to feel sorry that he’s dead. I will always remember that he was responsible for the death of my father. You might have felt pity for him, but I can never forget how he treated me and my sister.”

  Alexandria thought about her meeting with Tag’s father. It was true that Mr. Landon had committed many sins in the past, but he hadn’t killed Russell James as Tag thought. She did not voice her thoughts, however, since Mr. James had asked her to not to say anything to Tag. “Time has a way of taking care of the ills of the world in one way or another, Tag.”

  He raised her chin and brushed the tears from her cheeks, smiling down at her. “So young, and yet so wise. I believe that you have touched my life as no other person ever has, Alexandria.” He brushed her forehead with his lips.

  Alexandria closed her eyes, knowing that though the man she loved was her husband, they would never be as one. Too much stood between them. Morning Song would always be there in his mind. Alexandria knew Tag had only married her to save her from Rodney and Barbara, not because he desired her as his wife.

  “Tag, I just want to say again how grateful I am to you. I wish you hadn’t found it necessary to marry me last night. I give you my word, when I return to Meadowlake, I will never trouble you again.”

  His grip tightened on her shoulders, and he pushed her away. “I suppose now that you are cleared of all charges against you, you will be happy to pick up your old life. I am not so fortunate; there is still much to do before I can pick up my life again.”

  “I will stay and help you, if you wish, Tag,” she said, hoping against hope he would ask her to stay.

  “Do as you will,” he said, moving past her and walking out of the room.

  Alexandria placed her hands up to her face, feeling more confused than ever. What did he want her to do. Go…or stay? There was no way she would ever understand Tag. He just wouldn’t allow her to get too close to him. How she envied his dead wife, Morning Song. She had died having known great love. Just once, Alexandria wished Tag’s eyes would soften when he looked at her the way they always did when he spoke of Morning Song.

  Claudia had managed to pull herself together after Falcon’s visit. She had sent for her lawyer, Melvin Garner, and they had been discussing what they should do now that Howard was dead and Taggart James had returned.

  “I can’t see how you are going to be able to hang on to this house much longer, Claudia. The time will come when Taggart James will come out in the open, and you, my dear, will be in a lot of trouble.”

  “Is there nothing I can do?”

  “Oh, yes, there is quite a lot you can do. I suggest you start accumulating all the cash you can—discreetly, of course. There are three ships in drydock at the James Shipyard that are ready to launch. I believe I can find a buyer for them, and they should bring a tidy sum. There are some very expensive pieces of furniture and paintings in this house that you could sell. If we are careful, we could come out of this in good condition.”

  “What do you mean we…Melvin?”

  “Just what I implied, Claudia. We are in this together all the way. I am the only one who understands you. I know you have been panting after that Falcon Knight, but you don’t really think he will marry you, do you?”

  Claudia’s eyes blazed. “He cares about me—I know he does. Did he not come to me when he heard about Howard’s death? That is more than I can say for any of my other so-called friends. They are all like a bunch of rats deserting a sinking ship.”

  “You and I are the rats, Claudia. We are two of a kind. I’m afraid you are stuck with me whether you like it or not. I’m your only true friend.”

  “You’re only sticking around because you smell money! You would leave me like all the rest of them if you thought I was penniless.”

  “Just as long as we understand one another, my dear,” he said, removing a cheroot from his vest pocket and lighting it.

  Mrs. Dodson came into the room and leaned close to Claudia’s ear. “There’s a gentleman at the front door who says his name is Rodney Wilson. Do you want to see him or shall I send him away? He says it’s urgent.”

  “Tell him to go away,” Claudia said, not wanting to speak to the man.

  “I told him you were in mourning, but he insists you’ll want to hear what happened to Alexandria.”

  “Oh, very well, show him in,” Claudia said ungraciously.

  “Who is this Rodney Wilson?” Melvin asked with interest.

  “No one—just a nuisance.”

  Rodney entered the room, nervously twisting his cap in his hand. The scar on his face seemed redder than it had the night before. “Mrs. Landon, thank you for seeing me. I knew you would want to know what’s happened to Alexandria.”

  “What’s the matter—did the chit run away again?” she asked, with little interest. “Don’t expect me to help you find her again.”

  “No, ma’am, she didn’t run away. Three men came bursting into my aunt’s house just as I was about to marry her. They held a gun on me, while one of the gentlemen forced the parson to marry him to Alexandria.”

  “What’s this?” Claudia said, her interest piqued at last. “What man?”

  “I never saw him before in my life. He told the parson his name was Taggart James!”

  Claudia gasped, and her eyes became wild with fear. “What are you saying?” she cried. “Why would Tag want to marry Alexandria?
It makes no sense!”

  “I don’t know if that’s his real name. My aunt told us he once came to the house using another name.”

  Melvin spoke up. “What name?”

  “I can’t recall; something like a bird, I think.”

  “Was the name Falcon Knight?” Melvin asked, with a sneer on his face.

  “Yes, that’s it…Falcon Knight!” Rodney said, nodding his head in agreement.

  A loud, piercing scream issued from Claudia’s lips, and she flew across the room and threw herself at Rodney. Before Melvin could drag her away, she was pounding against the man’s chest.

  “You lie! You lie! Falcon Knight could never be Taggart James! Falcon cares about me. Why are you saying these lies to me?”

  It took all Melvin’s strength to keep Claudia away from Rodney Wilson. “I think you had better leave now,” Melvin told the badly shaken Rodney, who was only too happy to make a speedy retreat.

  When Claudia and Melvin were alone, he shook her hard, trying to calm her down. When that didn’t bring the desired results, he slapped her several times, and she collapsed against him. Helping her to the couch, he sat down beside her.

  “Well, one thing has come from all this, Claudia. We now know who the enemy is!”

  “No, it can’t be true—I don’t want to believe it. Not Falcon!” she cried.

  “I’m afraid your Falcon Knight was only using you to gain information. You know he’s Taggart James!”

  “But I loved him,” she cried, trying to associate the handsome, golden-haired man with the twelve-year-old boy she had hated so avidly!

  “If you will stop and think, Claudia, you will see the advantage we now have. Taggart James doesn’t know we are on to him. The possibilities are limitless, if we put our heads together and plan.”

  Suddenly, Claudia started laughing hysterically. Once again, she had come up the loser, just as she always had with Joanna. Alexandria had ended up with the man Claudia loved, and she would make them both pay! Falcon had made a fool of her, and she intended to see him dead. She hadn’t even been aware that Falcon…no, Tag…knew Alexandria.

  “Tell me what we should do, Melvin,” she said, as her eyes sparkled with renewed life. Claudia always seemed to thrive on hatred.

  Her eyes clouded as she remembered the day Alexandria had wheeled Howard into the garden and Falcon had been there. The two of them must have contrived the meeting. Her mouth flew open and a strangled cry issued from her throat. Howard had known who Falcon was all the time! That was why he invited him to come to his bedroom that night.

  “They were all in this together!” she screamed. “I will see Tag and Alexandria in their graves! He deceived me by making me love him. You will pay, Taggart James—you will pay with your life!” Claudia screamed.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  A week had passed since the night Tag and Alexandria had been married. The house was silent, and Alexandria found that time lay heavily on her hands. She had spent the morning in the garden weeding the flower beds, and later in the day she ate a solitary lunch.

  Tag was very rarely at home, and Farley was still at Meadowlake. Since Mrs. Green was also at the farm, and the two remaining servants were busy trying to keep the big house running smoothly, there was no one for Alexandria to talk to, and she was feeling neglected.

  Alexandria made her way to the stable, thinking she would take a ride on one of Tag’s horses. Perhaps it would help her clear her mind and give her a fresh outlook. After Tom, the man who tended the stables, had saddled a gray mare, Alexandria mounted and rode away at a steady pace. The estate wasn’t very extensive, and she soon felt the longing to ride in open country. Tag had cautioned her about leaving the grounds, but she saw no harm in riding past the gate. She would just ride a ways down the hill and then return to the house.

  As the hooves of the big gray beat out a rhythmic sound on the road and the wind ruffled Alexandria’s hair, she began to feel more lighthearted. She was from the country and was becoming stifled by living in town.

  She had been married to the man she loved for over a week, but not once in that time had he came near her bedroom, nor had he given the slightest hint that she would be welcome in his. Knowing he had married her only to protect her, Alexandria realized theirs would always be a marriage in name only. She couldn’t understand why Tag had wanted to make love to her before they had been married, but didn’t come near her now that she was his wife.

  Even though Tag hadn’t confided in Alexandria, she knew he was spending his days planning how to recover his estates and shipyards from Claudia. It was as though they were all waiting for the final chapter in a book. No one knew how the book would read between now and the end.

  Alexandria couldn’t help feeling sad over the death of Mr. Landon. No matter what he had done in the past, she would always remember him for his kindness to her. She doubted that anyone besides herself would mourn his passing.

  Alexandria knew that she should be feeling relieved now that the threat of Barbara and Rodney was no longer hanging over her head, but she wasn’t. She was frightened for Tag. Soon he would reveal his true identity to Claudia. When that day came, he would be in real danger. She wished Farley would return—she felt better with the old trapper around to keep an eye on Tag.

  Alexandria hadn’t seen Russell James since that night in the garden, but she knew he would be around somewhere, watching over his son. She was grateful to him for the part he had played in her daring rescue, and she wished she could see him to tell him so.

  Alexandria could see a coach approaching from the opposite direction and she moved out of the road to allow it to pass. She paid little attention to the people who occupied the coach as the flying dust from its wheels stung her face.

  She often wondered what Tag would do when he found out his father was alive. Surely he would be overjoyed, and perhaps it would erase some of the bitterness he carried around in his heart. She tried to imagine what he must have been like before Morning Song had been killed. Had he laughed a lot? Had his days been filled with happiness? Her mind shied away from thinking what his nights had been like.

  Alexandria had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t realized she had ridden so far from the house. Turning the gray homeward, she allowed the animal to gallop at top speed.

  As Alexandria rode along, she wondered about Tag’s baby daughter. He never mentioned the child, and she had never even heard him call her by name. She wished with all her heart that he would give her a chance to raise his daughter. Legally, she was the child’s stepmother. She made herself a promise that if she were ever allowed to care for the child, she would love her as if she were her very own. But Alexandria doubted she would ever get that chance. Tag hadn’t actually said anything, but she suspected that when this ordeal was over he would be returning to the Blackfoot tribe, and she doubted that he would ask her to accompany him.

  Just ahead of her, Alexandria saw the coach that had passed her earlier. It had pulled over to the side of the road. Thinking they might be having trouble, she halted the horse to see if she could offer them some assistance. Seeing no one about, she started to ride on when she heard a woman’s voice call out for help from the other side of the coach. Without thinking, Alexandria dismounted and ran around the coach. She had no time to react as a hand reached from behind her and clamped over her mouth. She kicked and struggled, trying to get loose, but the man who held her was much too strong. When she saw a woman come from behind the bushes that grew beside the road, Alexandria recognized Claudia.

  “Hurry up and put her in the coach, Melvin, before we’re seen,” Claudia said, watching the roadway nervously.

  Alexandria renewed her struggle, but she soon found it was useless to fight. What a fool she had been to disobey Tag when he told her not to leave the grounds. She didn’t have the slightest notion what Claudia and Melvin wanted with her, but she knew that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be anything pleasant. As Melvin tossed her into the coach, she co
uld see the house only a short distance away. She realized that if she hadn’t been so foolish, she would have been safely back at the stables by now.

  Claudia climbed into the seat opposite her while Melvin seated himself beside Alexandria, keeping a firm grip on her arm so she wouldn’t try to escape. A coachman seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and the coach lurched forward.

  “Why are you doing this, Claudia?” Alexandria demanded to know. “What right have you got to force me into this coach? You had better let me out right now!”

  “Shut up!” Claudia hissed, swinging her hand wide and catching Alexandria a stunning blow across the face.

  Alexandria’s temper flared, and she struggled to get at Claudia but Melvin Garner held her firm.

  “You shouldn’t strike such a lovely flower, Claudia,” Melvin said in a silky voice. The man looked at Alexandria with appreciation in his eyes. “I had no idea that she was such a comely young lady.”

  “I won’t hear this from you, Melvin. Is beauty all you men ever have on your mind? I see nothing unusual about Alexandria.”

  His eyes drifted across Alexandria’s face, and he looked into her golden eyes, eyes that at the moment were hostile and defiant. “If you were a man, Claudia, you would appreciate what a rare jewel our little captive is,” he said in a caressing voice. His hand slid up Alexandria’s arm, and she shuddered.

  “Take your hands off me!” Alexandria demanded. “I insist you stop this coach right now and let me out!”

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, my dear. You see, you will be the lovely bait Claudia and I will use to snare your husband, Taggart James!”

  Alexandria looked quickly at Claudia and saw the satisfied smile on her face. “I…don’t know what you are talking about. I know no one by the name of Taggart James.”

  “How prettily she lies to protect her husband,” Melvin taunted. “Would you do as much for me, Claudia?”

  “If you were standing on the gallows, Melvin, I would be the one to pull the platform from under you,” Claudia said spitefully.