Bryan tore off his robe and nightshirt and ran into the water. “Come on,” he beckoned to Jade as she stood watching and laughing. “Let’s swim to the sun!”
“You’re mad!” She shook her head, grinning.
“Yes! Mad about you, so go with me, because I can’t live without you.”
Bursting with happiness, Jade took off her robe, then her gown, and plunged into the cool, clear water. Bryan held out a hand, and she grabbed it, and together they waded farther and farther from shore until they were waist-deep in the water. Then they began to swim, with sure, strong strokes, their eyes meeting in a silent exchange of love each time their faces bobbed up from the water. At last, a few hundred yards out, they rolled over onto their backs, faces toward the rising sun. With legs and arms spread-eagle, they allowed the gentle current to rock them as the sweet morning breeze kissed their naked skin.
Finally, by tacit consent, they swam slowly back to shore. Then Bryan carried her beyond the beach where he placed her in a caressing bed of fragrant, silky ferns.
“Oh, how I love you,” he whispered, stretching out beside her. He kissed every part of her, slowly, languidly, wanting to savor the touch and taste and scent of her delicious flesh. In turn, her fingertips danced across his broad, muscular back, and she curved herself against him, arching her back to get even closer.
At last, aroused to fever pitch, she begged, “Take me, Bryan, please—”
And he entered her, gently, rhythmically, allowing the undulations of her hips beneath him to set the pace for his movements.
Afterward, they lay side by side, spent, silent, enraptured.
They swam once more before retrieving their clothes and heading back to the house.
“I never knew I could be so happy,” Bryan said as they left the cove, hand in hand.
Jade lifted his fingers to her lips. Even as she did, she felt a wave of guilt over her inability to utter a like proclamation…
The days melted together to become weeks, and all too soon, a month slipped by and they knew they had to return to New York and their lives there.
As they sailed into the harbor on a humid and hot day, Jade’s mind was filled with mental notes of all that needed to be done. She stared at the nearing skyline but didn’t really see it as she thought of how exciting it was going to be to see her studio.
“Jade, darling…what’s wrong?”
She felt Bryan’s hesitant touch as he stepped up beside her at the railing.
Self-consciously, she gave him a nervous smile; she’d been in another world, her world of dance, oblivious to everything about her.
“I’ve been calling you from the other side of the boat for almost five minutes. You just stood here like a zombie.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I was woolgathering. We’ve had such a lazy month, and now all of a sudden we’re going to be busy as bees, and—”
“The reception.” He grinned knowingly. “You were thinking about that, weren’t you? Well, so was I. I’ve even made notes,” he laughed, as though embarrassed to admit it.
Jade’s heart went out to him. The last thing on her mind was having a big party. In fact, she hadn’t even thought about it since their somewhat tense discussion before they were married. “As soon as we’ve had a chance to catch our breath, let’s go pick out the grandest ballroom in New York, talk to the best caterers, hire the finest musicians,” she conceded amiably.
He didn’t say anything, just held her against him. After a moment, she pulled away to look up at him and was puzzled by the mysterious, almost mischievous expression on his face. Hesitantly, she asked if anything was wrong, and he just grinned lazily, eyes twinkling, and assured her everything was wonderful.
It was nearly noon when they finally dropped anchor. Leaving the crew to take care of unloading their trunks and sending them on later, Bryan hurried Jade ashore and into the first taxi he could find. Settling back against a smooth leather seat, she adjusted her wide-brimmed hat with its side sweep of ostrich feathers and prepared to enjoy the ride through New York to the hotel. Then she heard Bryan give the driver the Riverside Drive address.
“No, dear,” she corrected him. “We can’t go there. It isn’t ready to move into, and I had all my personal things sent to the hotel a long time ago, remember? I kept the suite when we left so we could just move right in.”
He said nothing, and she saw he had that strangely mysterious look on his face again.
He signaled to the driver to be on his way.
Jade was annoyed. Despite the excitement of arriving home, she was exhausted, and the last thing she felt like doing was going to the house just to check on things. There was a skeleton staff there, for heaven’s sake. All she wanted to do was get to the hotel and take a nice, warm bath, order tea, then sleep the rest of the afternoon.
With an exasperated sigh, she complained, “There’s no need to go all the way to the house, Bryan. Please have the driver take us to the hotel.”
He patted her hand, gave her a patronizing smirk. “You’ll understand when we get there, my dear. Just relax and enjoy the ride. New York is lovely this time of year, isn’t it?” He looked beyond her at the sweeping view of the waterfront as they headed into the mainstream of the city.
“No, it isn’t,” she snapped angrily. This was just too much. Of all the times for him to play some silly little game! “It’s hot and dirty, and so am I, and I’d like to just relax, not go all the way to Riverside Drive to look at a house that’s technically closed up, for God’s sake.”
He turned his head to the other side of the carriage, observing the view from that angle, and said nothing. In turn, Jade folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead, tight-lipped and annoyed.
When the carriage stopped in the driveway, Jade did not move. Bryan stepped out, offered his hand to her, but she shook her head and coolly said, “Go and see whatever it is you came to see. I’ll wait here.”
“Oh, Jade, stop acting like a baby!” he scoffed, abruptly reaching inside to grab her around her waist and roughly pull her out.
Straightening her hat once more and jerking down the hem of her short blue cotton jacket, she hissed between clenched teeth, “Bryan Stevens, if you don’t stop behaving like a fool, I’m going to get my own taxi to take me to the hotel, and you can find someplace else to spend the night!”
He chuckled. “Well, my angry little bride, I can assure you we’ll be sleeping together tonight. As a matter of fact, we’ll be sleeping right here—in our new home.”
She stared at him, bewildered, as he paid the driver. Then he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her up the steps to the front door, which swung open as they approached. Several of the servants appeared to cry in unison, “Welcome home!” then stepped back with slight bows to wave them on inside.
Jade felt a shiver of apprehension. Something strange was going on, something she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like very much.
She did not have long to wonder. As soon as she saw Lita Tulane standing midway up the curving stairway, a smug and proud expression on her face, Jade knew even before her disbelieving eyes began to sweep about the foyer to take in the unfamiliar wallpaper, paintings, statues, and other decorative pieces she’d never seen before—and certainly never selected.
With all eyes upon her, Jade walked into the grand parlor to the left, as large as a conservative ballroom, and great splashes of anger began to wash over her. The room had been completely redecorated—the walls in a pattern of bright red roses and pale green leaves, the complete opposite of the one she’d chosen: tiny white lilies interspersed among delicate ivy. Thick velvet draperies hung in swags at the window—heavy, ugly. She’d planned light and airy sheers to catch the slightest breeze from the river in the summer, changing to heavier brocade in the fall. Staring down at the floor, she saw the Tabriz carpet she’d selected and shook her head in instant horror. The fine piece was to have gone in the master suite; it certainly didn’t belong in a
room meant for the heavy traffic of people.
All about her were pieces of furniture she had never seen before; chosen, of course, by Lita Tulane.
She felt Bryan’s touch and cringed as he whispered against her ear, “My welcome-home surprise to you, my precious.” Then he said in a hearty, booming voice that denoted how impressed he was with himself, “It was all planned carefully in the last few days before we got married and left. I rehired Lita because she agreed to oversee the work on the house and take care of all the details for our reception this Saturday night. You don’t have to lift a finger, darling, just sit back and enjoy it all, like the true queen you are!”
“Everything is taken care of—food, drink, an orchestra, flowers,” Lita announced proudly. “We’ve had acceptances from every one of the hundred and twenty-five invitations that were delivered along with the announcements the day you were married. It took a lot of work, but I was happy to oblige,” she added, seeking praise.
“You’ll be properly rewarded,” Bryan assured her. “Now that my beautiful bride has seen how efficient you are, she’ll never let you go. You’re a marvel, Miss Tulane. Isn’t she, dear?” he prodded Jade.
Jade continued to stand mute…and angrier than she’d ever been in her whole life.
Sensing she was not enthralled, Bryan quickly pointed out, “If you don’t like some things, you can always change them later. The main thing was to get everything ready for the reception so we could have it as soon as we got back.”
It was only with great effort that Jade was able to hold her head high and walk in silence, stiffly, from the room and, upstairs. She looked straight ahead, not wanting to see anything around her. Her teeth were so tightly ground together that her jaw ached, but she was determined not to lose control in front of the servants or Lita.
Bryan was right behind her. “Jade, darling, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy over your surprise? Lita’s worked awfully hard, and I thought you’d be pleased. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She made it to the master suite, took one look at the garish wallpaper Lita had selected, and as soon as Bryan was inside the room, slammed the door so hard that a vase she hated on sight teetered on its pedestal.
Drawing in a deep, ragged breath, hands on her hips, eyes squinted furiously, Jade stared up at him and said in a ragged whisper, “How could you? How could you do this to me? How could you go behind my back and rehire Lita and then give her complete rein to decorate my house? Bryan, I didn’t think you were capable of being so deceitful, so…so goddamn audacious and presumptuous!”
His face paled slightly before her assault. “I…I thought—”
“You weren’t thinking of a damn thing except your damn reception,” she accused, whirling about and starting to pace up and down the room, waving her arms in frustration. “Look at it! Just look at the furniture, the draperies, the paint and paper. I can’t believe any of this.”
His own ire was rising over her ungratefulness, as well as her unladylike cursing, and he snapped, “It isn’t the end of the world. You can change all of it.”
“Before your precious reception?” She turned abruptly to challenge him. “Is there time in the next two days to rip all of this—this exhibition of poor taste out of the house so people won’t think I’m responsible?”
“It’s not that important.”
“Not important?” she echoed incredulously. “That’s strange, coming from you, Bryan. Sometimes I think that’s all you care about—what other people think. Isn’t that the reason you planned all this? Because you wanted to have a party to show off the minute we got back so people wouldn’t be offended by our not having a fancy wedding and inviting them? Dear God, Bryan, I can’t believe you’d do such a thing.”
He watched her as she went to stand at the window and stare out at the rolling river beyond. Feeling contrite, he moved to slip his arms about her waist. “I’m sorry. Truly, Jade, I am sorry. I guess I just wasn’t thinking. I believed I was doing us both a favor. If it means so much to you, we’ll postpone the reception, no matter what anyone thinks, and you can redecorate the way you want.”
Jade said nothing.
He nuzzled his lips against her cheek. “I love you so much,” he said wretchedly, “and I’d rather die than hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
Jade sighed, turned in his arms. She looked up into his eyes and saw how miserable he truly was. Finally, she said, “I know you meant well, Bryan. There’s nothing to do but make the best of things.”
At once he brightened. “Then you aren’t angry?”
“Let’s just say I don’t want to talk about it anymore, but please don’t ever go behind my back and do something like this again.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I promise.” Then he murmured, “Let’s make up the best way,” and started to kiss her.
“No!” she cried, pushing him away. “I don’t feel like making love now. Just leave me alone for a while, please.”
Bryan stared at her in angry silence. Frankly, he thought she was overreacting. He’d done her a great favor, and so what if Lila’s taste didn’t suit hers? The main thing was, they could move straight into the house, have a reception right away, and later she could do things to her own choosing. To cause such an uproar, well, he didn’t think she was being fair. Maybe, he mused spitefully, she needed to be reminded of just how fortunate she was to have a husband like him…how what she considered deceitful was nothing compared to what her precious Colt had done to her—or what she thought he’d done to her, he silently corrected with malicious delight.
He went to the door, opened it, then dramatically paused before saying over his shoulder in a mock-sympathetic voice, “By the way, I didn’t tell you before now, but maybe this is the right time, when you’re doubting my feelings for you…”
She eyed him coldly, suspiciously. “Well, go on,” she snapped irritably. “What other surprises do you have for me?”
He feigned a look of compassion and pity. “Just before we left, the detectives told me Colt’s wife had a baby. Premature, they say, but healthy. I thought you should think about that while you’re so angry at me, and maybe you’ll realize what true deceit is.”
Jade reeled as though struck. She’d known that sooner or later this moment would come, yet actually hearing the news was shattering. “Bryan, what was it?”
He shrugged. “Does it matter? A son. She had a son.” He walked out and closed the door soundly behind him, leaving her with her anguish and, hopefully, the ultimate appreciation and awareness of the wonderful future he’d given her as his wife.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Even though the anger was still smoldering inside, Jade decided nothing was to be gained by arguing further. Bryan had said he’d thought he was doing her a favor, but he could not understand how sometimes he made her feel absolutely smothered. It seemed he was determined to remove every possibility or obligation from her control or concern, leaving her with not a care in the world except her roles as wife, hostess, and, ultimately, mother. That might be fine for some women, and most of the wives she met appeared perfectly content to be no more than an extension of their husbands, but she wanted an identity of her own. After all, in Russia, despite her wealth and social position, she’d managed to have a very successful career. The sooner Bryan realized she was no featherbrained fluff, the better off they, and their marriage, would be.
The reception was held as planned and went quite well. Grudgingly, Jade had to admit, but only to herself, that the food and drink Lita selected were acceptable, and the orchestra good. She refused, however, to allow the house to be opened beyond the grand parlor and the formal dining room. Instead, she opened up the French doors leading to the sweeping veranda with its view of the river and directed the party there.
Lita made a pretense of apologizing to her, saying she was only following orders from Mr. Stevens. Jade knew Lita gloated over being rehired, and was tempted to fire her again, then decided to let her stay on. After all, sh
e was competent, and Jade had no intentions of ever letting her have such control again.
Things went smoothly until the Monday after the reception, when Jade responded to Bryan’s query as to her plans for the day. She told him she was going to her studio to see how work was progressing. “I’m really looking forward to it, too,” she said. “I haven’t had a chance to go before now, because of the reception, and I can hardly wait.”
They were in the glass morning room, having a second cup of coffee after breakfast while enjoying the lovely view. As soon as she spoke, Bryan abruptly set down his cup with a clatter, and the tense, disturbed look she knew so well came over him. “I was going through the mail yesterday,” he remarked coolly, “and I saw an invitation to Mrs. Jacobah Huffstedter’s tea at two this afternoon. Are you going to attend after you leave your studio?”
She shook her head, poured herself another cup of coffee from a delicate Derby fluted, pear-shaped coffeepot, made a mental note to tell the cook the delicate antique was for special occasions, certainly not for every day. It was far too valuable.
“And why not?”
Jade glanced up sharply. The topic was too trivial to dwell on, and she blinked herself back to the present. “What? I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else.”
“I asked why you aren’t going to Mrs. Huffstedter’s tea,” he snapped impatiently. “Her husband happens to be a very important business client, and she’s also an important social leader. I was hoping we’d get an invitation to her annual Christmas ball at the Yacht Club, but if you ignore an invitation to a tea, she’ll blackball us for sure.” He glared accusingly across the table.
Jade shrugged. She would never understand why Bryan was so tense about such things. “Well, I’ll just tell a little white lie and send Lita with regrets that I have a headache.”
“Someone might see you out. Too risky. I’d appreciate it if you’d make an effort to go, Jade. After all, it’s expected, and while we’re on the subject of the studio, I’m beginning to wonder if you should pursue it.”
Love and Dreams: The Coltrane Saga, Book 6 Page 23
