Fire and Ice

by Hart, Catherine

  At this point, Kathleen, who was becoming more uncomfortable and angry with each passing moment, breathed into Reed’s ear, “I’ve always said you were a devil!”

  “Yes,” he whispered back, his eyes twinkling merrily, “and I have found such a wonderfully wicked playmate!” Reed continued to be charming and gallant throughout the afternoon. At the barbecue he brought her plate to her, and they ate on a bench beneath a shade tree where they could catch the breeze. They were not to be alone however, and Kathleen was relieved. “He is worming his way into my heart bit by bit, and if I let down my guard completely I’ll be lost for sure,” she warned herself. “Something has got to happen to prevent it—and soon.”

  They chatted and ate, then strolled and played croquet on the rolling lawn. All the while, they were surrounded by admirers. Kathleen had collected her own entourage of young swains, while Reed seemed to draw the young ladies by droves. Amy had taken up her stance at Reed’s side and was making a great show of proprietorship. She clung to his arm whenever possible, giving him long, loving looks and batting her lashes so swiftly that Kathleen thought she might fly away at any moment. She stroked his sleeve and patted him at every opportunity.

  Kathleen became very weary of her own throng of beaus, and when the time finally came for the girls to rest before the evening’s dancing, she was more than glad to retire.

  The evening became another battle, as she was continually fending off advances. She began to wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to announce her marriage and be able to relax her guard when she caught sight of Reed having similar problems. At one point, as she was dancing with Reed, he reminded her that they were indeed wed, and he would appreciate it if she would redouble her efforts to keep her would-be suitors at bay.

  “You might do the same, Reed. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” she reminded him with a particularly suggestive smile. She spotted Amy hurrying in their direction as the dance ended, and her green eyes narrowed slightly as her long-nailed fingers curled unconsciously into talons.

  “Your claws are showing, Kat,” Reed drawled with a broad grin.

  “That witch just rubs me the wrong way!” she declared, not at all aware of her pun until she heard Reed’s loud hoot of laughter.

  “Oh, hush, you big oaf!”

  A while later, she was talking with Ted when she noticed Reed standing in a corner surrounded by a half dozen swooning young ladies who were hanging on his every word. He glanced up and caught her looking at him. With an impish smile, she flashed her wedding ring at him, reminding him to behave himself. He caught her message and quirked his brow at her before she turned away.

  Still later, as Kathleen was dancing with a man she could have sworn had more than his share of arms and hands, she felt Reed’s eyes on her. When she met his impudent look, he raised his champagne glass in salute, boldly flashing the onyx ring she had given him, its diamond glimmering brightly at her. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly and wrinkled her nose as she and her octopus whirled by.

  It was late afternoon before Reed finally pulled up before the front entrance with Eleanore and Charles. Kathleen raced across the porch and down the steps to throw her arms about her friend.

  “Good heavens!” Eleanore laughed. “You’d think it had been years since we’d last seen one another.”

  “It is supposed to have been,” Kathleen said conspiratorially, and then gave Reed a dark look, “or didn’t Reed tell you?”

  “Yes, he filled us in. You are as stubborn as ever.” Eleanore shook her head and clucked her tongue in a reprimand.

  “Don’t scold me, please. I get enough of that from Reed.”

  Charles chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “I would give you a good spanking if I were he, young lady.”

  “Heavens!” Kathleen threw up her arms in mock horror. “Don’t give him any more ideas than he has already!”

  “I still think it is poetic justice that you should end up staying here of all places!” Eleanore giggled.

  “So do I. So do I,” Reed declared with a laugh. “Come now, let’s get you settled in.”

  Kathleen waited until Eleanore was settled into the rooms next to hers before she allowed herself to ask, “How is Dominique?”

  “Fine. He asked me to be reminded to you. He seems distraught with the thought that you might forget him.”

  “I could never do that, Eleanore,” Kathleen avowed adamantly, causing Eleanore to give her a queer look.

  “Now don’t you start, too!” Kathleen announced. “We are like brother and sister, and I do love him dearly, but not in any romantic sense.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, because whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, you are a married woman,” Eleanore stated flatly.

  Sinking into a chair, Kathleen retorted, “Please! Don’t remind me!”

  “Someone has to, dear.” Leaning forward, Eleanore continued earnestly. “Don’t you see how foolish all of this is, Kathleen? Here you are on this beautiful plantation in a marvelous mansion, with servants and horses and clothes and jewels. You have the most handsome and attentive of men for a husband. Most women would sell their souls for what you have. Reed can afford to provide well for you, and would probably grant your slightest wish. I fail to understand why you are being so obstinate, my friend. What more could you possibly want?”

  “Love,” Kathleen replied simply, her eyes resting on her friend’s face. “Love or revenge, whichever the fates shall decree.” Her emerald eyes shimmering with unshed tears, she went on in a strained voice, “Do you realize that Reed has not once told me he loves me?” Holding up her hand to ward off any interruptions, she choked out, “Sure. He has said I am beautiful, desirable. He has told me he desires my body, admires my charm and my talents, but never,” her voice shattered, “never has he said ‘I love you, Kathleen.’ ”

  Tears coursed down her face as Eleanore gathered her into her arms. “I would give anything to hear him say those three small words. He comes to me at night now and shares my bed, and I cannot seem to find the courage to forbid it. I need him, Eleanore, as I need air to breathe. For now I take what affection he throws my way, but I cannot live this way forever. This is why I refuse to let him have it all. I will not be his chattel. I must have his heart and love or all this means nothing—less than nothing. All I am doing now is torturing myself, for soon he will be off to sea again, and perhaps with him gone I can begin to piece my life together.”

  “I am sorry I was so hard on you, petite. You are going through your own private hell, I know.” Eleanore dried Kathleen’s tears with her handkerchief. “Perhaps,” she mused, “all is not as bleak as it seems. Have you told him how you feel, how much you love him?”

  Straightening her shoulders and drying her eyes, Kathleen blurted, “I’ll die before I crawl to him on my knees, Eleanore! I’ll never give him the satisfaction of knowing that! He would only use it to hurt me as he has hurt me so many times in the few months we have known one another.”

  “Ah, well, perhaps things will work out in time,” Eleanore suggested. “I still cannot help feeling that he cares for you even if he does not say so. ”

  “I cannot share your optimism, even while I pray you are right. Let us say I will not hold my breath in waiting. Miracles are not as plentiful as they once were, I fear.” Kathleen rose and checked her face in the mirror.

  “Come. Let’s find the men and chat awhile before supper. I’ll introduce you to the others. I ask only one favor, besides keeping my secret.”

  “What might that be?”

  “Please, please don’t like my cousin Amy, and if you do, don’t tell me about it,” Kathleen laughed.

  It was nice having Eleanore to talk to once more. Early each morning the four friends rode together after a light breakfast. Afterward, Reed was usually occupied with overseeing the plantation and Charles would retire to his room and pore over his medical books, preparing for the seminar. If the two women felt so inclined, they would join th
e others, if not, they would go off by themselves to chat or take a ride over to see Kate.

  When they were alone, Eleanore often helped Kathleen sew up her three sets of vests and breeches. They even found some fine lawn and made her three white shirts with long, billowing sleeves and tight cuffs. Eleanore tactfully never asked when or where Kathleen would wear her new clothes.

  It became a ritual after supper to repair to the parlor, and, if they had no company or social functions to attend, they usually started a lively game of poker, ignoring Amy’s high-handed criticisms. Always, after everyone retired for the evening, Reed came to Kathleen’s rooms.

  It happened on Friday morning. As they were enjoying their ride, Eleanore, who was usually so tactful, related to Kathleen that Dominique had expressed concern over Kathleen’s well-being. Upon discovering that Eleanore would be visiting her, he had asked her to remind Kathleen that he had promised her his aid if ever she had need of it.

  Unfortunately, Reed was within hearing as Eleanore spoke, and it sparked his temper. “Damn that dirty scum!” he roared, causing Kathleen to jump at his voice. “He certainly takes a lot on himself where my wife is concerned! I can see that I am going to have to remind him whose responsibility you are.” He glared at Kathleen, his eyes as icy as frosted crystal, his lips drawn tightly in a furious frown. “I’m beginning to wonder just what went on under my nose on that island that I wasn’t aware of.”

  Kathleen attempted to calm him. “Reed, you know better than that. Dominique and I are just friends. He is your friend, too. Don’t destroy that relationship. He cares a great deal about both of us.”

  “Don’t try to placate me with that innocent act of yours, woman. It doesn’t suit you. You forget. I know what you are like, and can only wonder how far you would actually go to inflict your revenge on me. Tell me, Kat.” He leaned toward her, his jaw muscle twitching in anger. “Is it my child or someone else's you carry within you, or perhaps even you are not sure?”

  For a long moment she sat stunned, then looked from one person to the other as if she had never seen them before, her eyes enormous in her shock. “Child?” she repeated dumbly.

  “Come now, Kat,” Reed retorted sarcastically, “surely you must have suspected it by now.”

  The naked scorn in his voice sickened her, and she felt slightly dizzy and more than a little nauseated as she faced him. Tears formed in her eyes and she stared at him through a misty veil, the reality of his accusation hitting her like a blow. Her voice was shaking with hurt and anger. “How cruel you can be,” she accused in a barely audible voice. “Is it any wonder I despise you? If I am with child, believe that it is yours and,” she went on as she wheeled her horse about, “believe that with all my heart I wish it were anyone else’s!” Tears streaming down her hot cheeks, blinding her, she kicked Zeus into a gallop as she raced across the field. She let Zeus have his head in a headlong gallop as she clung desperately with one hand, wiping futilely at her tears and sobbing uncontrollably, her one thought to escape Reed forever.

  A wave of dizziness threatened to overcome her, and she cried out in anguish as she felt herself slipping from the saddle. She landed with a sickening thud, and felt an agonizing pain shoot up her spine before everything went black.

  Reed threw himself from Titan’s back, kneeling at Kathleen’s side, his face white with anxiety as he gently turned her over. He wiped the dirt from her forehead and tear-stained cheeks, and peered anxiously at her still face. “Dear God,” he prayed, cradling her next to his chest, “let her be all right. Punish me as you will, but let her be all right.”

  Charles and Eleanore had dismounted, and Charles quickly bent to examine her unconscious body. He looked grimly at Reed. “She’s bleeding badly. It is most likely she’ll lose the baby. We have to get her to bed as quickly as possible and stop the bleeding or she may die.”

  Eleanore sat stroking Kathleen’s forehead. “She’s regaining consciousness, I think.”

  Swimming up to reality, Kathleen almost wished she had not. Through her pain, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Reed’s worried face.

  “Forgive me, Kat,” he whispered hoarsely. “I didn’t mean any of it. ”

  She tried to lift her hand to stroke his cheek, but it fell limply to his chest. “I didn’t know about the baby, Reed. Believe me,” she pleaded weakly, biting back a groan. “And it is yours, I swear it!”

  “I know, love. I know. I was just angry. Please don’t try to talk. We’ve got to get you back to tbe house.”

  “No one must know,” she murmured into his shirt. “Promise me.”

  “No one but the four of us, kitten.”

  Her lids fluttered open again. “Take me to Kate’s.” At his confused look, she said, “It’s closer, Reed. Hurry, darling. I hurt so badly!”

  As he lifted her into his arms, she screamed out in agony and fainted.

  Chapter 17

  REED paced the hallway outside Kathleen’s door. Charles had been in there an impossibly long time. Reed had carried her tenderly upstairs to Kate’s guest room, and then had been promptly ushered out. Kate had scurred around gathering every item Charles requested, but she too was refused entry once the doctor had all he needed. Only Eleanore remained with him and Kathleen.

  Kate, sitting in a chair near the bedroom door, tried to calm Reed as best she could, but she was extremely upset herself. “Tell me what happened, Reed.”

  “She fell from her horse,” he said shortly.

  “And Dr. de Beaumont is a friend of yers? Was he riding as well?”

  “Yes. We were all out riding together.”

  “Did her horse bolt?” Kate pried, and then declared, “1 should have never let her have that animal! What have I done?”

  Kneeling next to her chair, it was now Reed’s turn to reassure her. “No, Kate. Her horse didn’t bolt. I was angry and said some awful things to her, things I shall regret until my dying day. She was hurt and crying and spurred her horse into a gallop, trying, I suppose, to put as much distance between us as possible. Somehow she fell. We were closest to your place and she asked to be brought here.” His face was lined with worry and guilt as he sat staring at the closed door.

  Kate took his hand in both of hers. “What could ye have said to her? That spunky little lass is the type to stand up and throw yet words back in yer face tenfold.”

  “I can’t tell you. I promised her no one would know.”

  “Know what, Reed?” Kate said irritably, clutching his hand. “That she was with child?” At his surprised look, she explained, “I have lived enough years on this earth to know a miscarriage when I see one, boy. Now, why don’t ye tell me the rest? Ye are the father of the child, are ye not?”

  Reed nodded. “Yes, but I was furious with her and stupidly asked her who had fathered her child when I knew damn well she hadn’t even suspected her pregnancy yet. We are always at each other’s throats, and now she has every right to hate me. It was unforgivable for me, and I doubt she’ll ever want to see me again. Kat does not forgive or forget all that easily.”

  “ ’Tis done now. The words can’t be unspoken,” Kate said with a sigh. “I can’t understand ye though, Reed. I’ve known ye since ye were in knee breeches. Ye’ve always been headstrong, but never deliberately cruel!”

  “You have to know Kat to understand. She’s such a temperamental, stubborn little vixen. From the moment she stepped aboard the ship in Ireland, I knew she meant trouble, but I was drawn to her as a bee to clover. I’ve never wanted another woman as I wanted this copperhaired beauty with those slanting green eyes. Right from the start we were as duelists, always clashing, but even as we battled there was an undercurrent pulling us toward one another.”

  “Do ye love her?” Kate asked when he paused.

  “God help me, yes,” Reed admitted, holding his head in his hands. “She’s the one woman I can’t live without, and she’s the only one who resists me for all she’s worth. Kat also seems to have a particular knack
for sparking my anger faster than anyone else I’ve known. I don’t understand it at all.”

  “I think I do,” Kate offered, her eyes taking on a distant look. “ ’Twas the same with Sean and me. Our love was like the ocean—wild and strong and constantly changing. When we weren’t lovin’ we were fighting, but our life together was never dull, and neither of us would have changed it. Through all the tiffs, our love continued to grow. Sean admitted he could never have stood being married to some quiet little milksop of a girl. He actually enjoyed some of our arguments, and deliberately baited me at times. He said I was beautiful when I was angry, and he admired my spirit.”

  “It’s the same with Kat and me, but this time I’ve gone too far. If she loses the baby she’ll never forgive me. On the other hand, she told me she wished it was anyone’s child but mine. She despises me that much. She may be glad to be rid of it.” His clouded blue eyes showed plainly the heartache he was feeling.

  “I’m sure she didn’t mean that, lad. She was hurt and angry.”

  “She’ll be more than angry if she finds out you know all this.”

  “I’ll not be telling anyone about this. ’Twould cause quite a scandal, to be sure. Still, the lass is ruined whether anyone suspects or not. Ye are responsible for that, and I’m wondering what ye’ll be doing now. Kathleen has lost all hope of making a good marriage. Unless the man is a complete moron, he’ll realize something is amiss on his wedding night.”

  “She can’t marry, regardless,” Reed blurted.

  “Why not?” Kate pressed, already knowing why but wanting to see if Reed would break his promise to Kathleen.

  “I’ve said too much already. I made a vow and I cannot tell you more.”

  Kate smiled sadly, proud that Reed would keep his word to her granddaughter. “I think I can guess that too, Reed. She cannot marry because she’s already wed to ye. Why all the mystery? That is what I really want to know.”