Fire and Ice

by Hart, Catherine

  “Since you have seen through our charade, I will tell you if you do not reveal to Kathleen or anyone else that I have told you.”

  “Ye have my word,” she promised.

  He related the tale to his friend, telling of Nanna’s death, their marriage, and Kathleen’s obsession with the fact that he had stolen her ship. Kate seemed surprised when he told her of Kathleen’s strange alliance with the sea. He told her of their experiences on Grande Terre and why he had insisted on bringing her to Savannah. Finally he admitted that Kathleen had blackmailed him, and how their relationship had fared since he had returned to Chimera on the night of the ball.

  When his story was done, Kate asked bluntly, “Does Kathleen know ye love her? Have ye ever told her in just those words?”

  A puzzled expression crossed Reed’s face as he contemplated her question. “I honestly can’t tell you, but surely she knows that I do. I have told her how she affects me. I know I have been a beast at times, but she must know how I feel.”

  “Oh? Well I’ll let ye in on a wee secret, my friend. Women thrive on compliments, but they need to be told they are loved. It is their life’s blood. Tell her the first chance ye get.”

  “It’s no use now, Kate. She has made it plain that she can’t abide me. She can’t deny that she enjoys our marriage bed, but now I am certain that even that aspect of our ill-willed marriage is a thing of the past. She won’t want to become pregnant again, and I can’t say I blame her. I wish I had never uttered those dreadful words to her today. Whatever slim chance our marriage had for succeeding, I have destroyed forever today.”

  “Only time will tell,” Kate advised. She sat for a long time mulling over what both Kathleen and Reed had told her. Now she knew for certain that both of them loved each other very much. “They are at cross-purposes with one another,” she thought sadly. “And here I sit, knowing both sides of the story and sworn to silence. I wish I could sit down with the two of them and help them straighten this mess out, but I think this may be one of those times when it is best to let them work their problems out in their own fashion. I could be a busybody and stick my nose in, but I think they would both resent it. It wouldn’t cure Reed of his possessive jealousy or the need to dominate Kathleen. Nor would Kathleen learn to trust Reed and forget her desire for revenge. They must both learn that trust and love go hand in hand if they are ever to find true happiness in their marriage. Only when they are totally and blindly committed to one another will they come to know love as deep and strong as they are capable of, and they must do it in their own time and way. It is sad, but lessons learned the hard way are not so easily forgotten, and love earned the hard way is not so easily tossed aside. As much as I would like to save them the pain, I won’t step in unless the situation becomes drastic or I see one of them in danger.”

  Eleanore stepped quietly into the hallway, pulling the door shut after her. Reed, who had resumed his pacing, grabbed her by the shoulders. “How is she?” he demanded, fear causing her tanned face to appear pale.

  Casting a quick glance at Kate, Eleanore pulled him farther down the hall before she spoke. “Kathleen’s going to be fine, with rest. She lost the baby. I’m sorry.”

  “May I see her?”

  “It is best that you don’t, Reed. She needs to rest. Charles will be out soon to talk to you.”

  Kate had risen from her chair. Now she too inquired, “Will she be all right?”

  “She’ll be fine in a few weeks,” Eleanore replied, retracing her steps. “She took a pretty tough tumble. She’ll need light foods and plenty of bedrest, but Charles could find no broken bones. She is very shaken, and will be dreadfully sore for a while as well as black and blue, but she’s young and healthy and will recover quickly.”

  “Thank ye. It is a relief to hear ye say so. Would ye care for some tea now? Ye’ve been very busy these last few hours, and it is way past the lunch hour. Perhaps we could all use something to eat.”

  “Tea sounds marvelous.”

  “Reed, would ye care for something to eat?” Kate offered.

  “No. You ladies go on. I’ll wait for Charles here.”

  The two women went down to the parlor without him. As they sat drinking and talking, Eleanore found herself studying Kate’s features, the slightly upturned nose, the stubborn chin, and her arresting emerald eyes. The face was older, wiser, no longer as smooth as it was once, and the red-gold hair was liberally sprinkled with gray. Still, Eleanore was amazed that Reed had not noted the family resemblance. Once you knew the relationship, it was obvious, but perhaps if you were not aware of it you would overlook what was right before your eyes. Eleanore had been immediately struck by it the first time Kathleen had brought her to meet her grandmother.

  Now, even as they shared Kathleen’s secret, they shared her loss and pain. Eleanore had told Kate that the baby could not be saved. Together they mourned the lost little life and the rocky marriage that seemed doomed if neither Kathleen nor Reed would make the first move toward the other out of faith.

  Eleanore leaned back in her chair wearily. “What are we to do with those two? I know they love one another, but neither thinks the other feels the same way. They are both headstrong, and I doubt either would listen to reason. I could shake both of them until their teeth rattle!”

  “And I’d help ye, but it would do no good. ’Tis best they settle this in their own way without our interference. ’Tis painful, but the only way.”

  “You are right, of course.” Eleanore rose and started for the stairs.

  “I see no reason why you can’t sit with Kathleen if it would make you feel better. Reed can too, when the rest of her family is not here. We wouldn’t want them to suspect anything.”

  “Oh, my!” Kate exclaimed excitedly. “I completely forgot to send any kind of word to Chimera!”

  Eleanore chuckled. “I’m glad you did. It’s been confusing enough around here today. I just hope I don’t get all these confidences mixed up or start talking in my sleep. What a tangled mess these two have caught us up in!”

  Charles emerged from Kathleen’s room just as the ladies joined Reed. “She’s resting comfortably,” he said at their questioning looks.

  “I’d like to see her, Charles. Just for a moment,” Reed requested again.

  Eleanore assured Charles, “It’s all right. Mrs. O’Reilly knows all of it.”

  “All right,” Charles conceded, “but don’t wake her, and if she does stir, don’t upset her.”

  “Is she in much pain?” Kate queried.

  “A little, but the worst is over. She was only two months along, so it was fairly easy as miscarriages go. It was just that her fall was so hard and the bleeding so profuse. We’ve slowed the bleeding to normal, and now nature will start its healing process. She’s young and active and healthy, and there is absolutely no reason why she couldn’t be up and about in her usual fashion in a few weeks.”

  Reed breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. “Thank God!”

  “Doctor,” Kate asked hesitantly. “Is there any reason that she could not have more children later?”

  Reed stopped with his hand on the doorknob, dreading what Charles might say next.

  “Ease your mind, madam. There is no danger. Kathleen could have a dozen if she so desires. However,” Charles turned to Reed, “I wouldn’t recommend any activities of that nature for at least a month or more, if you please.”

  Reed nodded his assent. “Thank you, Charles,” he said humbly, and entered the room.

  He tiptoed to the side of the bed where Kathleen lay with her eyes closed. Her long dark lashes formed thick crescents against her pale cheeks. He took her hand in his and kissed her open palm.

  “How are you feeling, sugar?”

  “How do you think I feel?” she murmured irritably. “I feel as if I’ve been pulled through a knothole feet first. I feel lousy! Does that answer your question?”

  “Charles told me you lost the baby,” he ventured again.

  Hot
tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and spilled silently down into her tangled hair. She stared up at him with pain-glazed eyes. “That ought to make you very happy, Reed, since you obviously doubted its parentage!” she declared vehemently.

  “Kat, please, you must listen to me, darling. I didn’t mean any of it. I knew the child was mine.” He waited for her reply.

  She sighed tiredly. “Just get out, Reed. Go away and leave me alone. I really don’t have the stamina to listen to more of your lies. It really doesn’t matter much now anyway, does it? It’s rather like closing the barn door after the horse has run off.” She closed her eyes again, warding off further comments from him.

  “I’ll be back later,” he said softly, and headed for the door.

  “Don’t bother,” he heard her answer weakly. “I’ll get along just fine without you.”

  After a good night’s sleep, Kathleen was surprised at how much better she felt. Her bruises bothered her the most. She sat up for a breakfast of toast, tea, and eggnog, but then Kate and Eleanore both insisted she lie back down again. Reed had informed her family of her fall, and shortly before lunch they started invading her privacy. In a way, Kathleen was grateful, for it took her mind off of her loss.

  Barbara and William visited first and were relieved to see her sitting up in bed, her hair combed neatly back. “I told you that horse was dangerous,” Barbara admonished. “I hope now you will give him up and choose a more gentle mount.”

  “Yes, my dear,” William advised, patting her hand awkwardly. “You should listen to your aunt and get rid of that animal before you get killed. You were very fortunate yesterday.”

  Kathleen lifted her chin stubbornly. “No! It wasn’t Zeus’s fault. It was my own stupidity. However, I promise to be more careful in the future.” She smiled ruefully at her own words and thought, “I most certainly must be more careful!”

  Ted managed to wrangle visitation privileges he would ordinarily have been denied, and he brought her a stack of books and fashion periodicals.

  “My heavens!” Kathleen exclaimed on seeing this, “I’m not going to be laid up that long, I’m sure!” Later in the day Mary Taylor visited with Susan, bringing a huge bouquet of flowers from the garden. Amy, thank goodness, stayed away.

  Kathleen had engaged in an honest talk with her grandmother, confessing her own guilt over losing the baby. She deeply regretted the loss, and admitted to Kate that she would have loved to have born it. Kathleen cried until she had no more tears left to cry, and then silently brooded over what the child would have been like. She imagined a little boy or girl with black hair and startling blue eyes, and her depression deepened.

  “Don’t dwell on it, lass,” her grandmother counseled. “I know it hurts, but ye are young, and the doctor says ye can have more children. There is plenty of time.”

  Kathleen shook her head determinedly. “Never! If you think I’ll ever let that vermin-ridden skunk bed me again, you are sadly mistaken! It is my misfortune to be married to him, so I most likely will never have a child of my own. Ours is not your everyday marriage, in case you haven’t noticed!” Her emerald eyes shone with spite.

  “Aye. It has come to my attention,” Kate commented with a short laugh. She added slyly, “However, if ye should find yerself truly desiring a child later, ye could always change yer mind and take him to yer bed until the seed were planted. It wouldn’t have to be a meeting of the hearts, ye know, it wouldn’t be any worse than him using yer body to ease his passions in the past.”

  “Kate!” Kathleen exploded in a shocked voice, and then giggled. “What a terribly wicked idea! I’ll think on it, but I can already see it has its pitfalls.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’ve told you before how Reed affects me. He’s like a drug. Once I let him touch me, I’ll be addicted again. It’s strange how he can make me forget my anger. In fact, my mind nearly refuses to function at all when he’s making love to me. Not only that, but should I have a child, it would only serve to tie me more closely to Reed. Then I should have to admit our marriage and abide by his rules whether I desired to or not. He’d have me right beneath his thumb, and once having gained that advantage, he’d move mountains to keep it. I’m not ready to be dominated that fully. Not now, perhaps never.”

  It was after supper that Reed came by. Kathleen had told Kate and Eleanore firmly that she did not wish to see him. Still, she was not unprepared when he strode into her room.

  “As you can see, I made it past your guards,” he growled. He stood at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips.

  Kathleen’s eyes glittered maliciously as she taunted, “That must have been a rare and difficult feat getting past two such muscular persons! What daring you possess!”

  “Your fall didn’t dull your sharp tongue at all, Kat.”

  “No, but it did shake some sense into me. I have come to the conclusion that the less I see of you, the happier I’ll be, so please leave. I’m sure you know your way out.”

  “Not so fast, lovely wife,” Reed sneered. “I have a few things to say before I go, and you are going to listen.” He seated himself on the rail of the footboard and peered at her with icy blue eyes.

  “How sweet! I am to be a captive audience to a raving madman!” she retorted, green eyes flashing. She waved her arm wide in a condescending gesture. “Talk away, sir. Have your say and then get out.”

  “Damn it all, if you aren’t the most maddening woman I’ve ever come across!” he exploded. “I come with good intentions of apologizing and trying to salvage our marriage, and all you can do is provoke me to anger. If you were well, I’d be tempted to turn you over my knee and give your bottom a long-overdue spanking!”

  “If you have nothing more to say—” she began.

  “I have plenty more to say!” he roared, his face dark with fury. He strode to the side of the bed. Leaning close, his hands resting on the mattress on either side of her, he continued in a barely constrained tone.

  “To start with, I am leaving on a sea voyage tomorrow morning. I will be gone for a couple of weeks or more.”

  “The dear Lord does answer prayers after all!” she interjected acidly, meeting his steely gaze steadily.

  His eyes narrowed dangerously as he clenched his fists tightly, striving to maintain control. “By the time I return, you should be back to normal again. At that time you are going to assume your position as my wife.” He watched her face for her reaction.

  Her features remained placid, but her eyes glittered like a spitting cat’s. “Pray go on. This is becoming interesting. Shall I buy a new rope for your hanging or will an old one do?”

  “There will be no hanging, Kat. You are going to forget all this nonsense and behave properly as a wife should. 1 don’t know how I ever allowed you to bluff me in the first place. It is time I took a strong hand with you. Someone should have dealt firmly with you long ago!”

  Kathleen started to laugh, a low evil laugh that sent chills up Reed’s spine. He met her mocking look and stepped away from the bed before the temptation to strangle her became overpowering.

  “Something I said amuses you?” he growled.

  “You fool!” She sneered. “You bloody fool! If you think for one instant that I will bow to your insane demands, you are indeed crazy. I was never joking, Reed, when I said I’d see you hang for piracy. Don’t try to out-maneuver me. It won’t work. We are not on Grande Terre now, and your bullying tactics won’t work here. Admit defeat gracefully and learn to live with it, and above all, don’t ever make the mistake of pushing me too far, darling. It could be hazardous to your health!” Her eyes blazed like emerald fires as she glared at him defiantly.

  Reed contemplated her words. “You really are a cold-hearted witch, aren’t you? If I hadn’t seen your blood running freely, I would swear you have ice water running through your veins! The only time you show any warmth is when you spread your legs for me in bed!”

  Kathleen’s temper flared. “Rest assured, Captain Taylo
r, skunks will smell sweet before you gain that privilege again!” Her hand flashed out, and before he had time to react, she threw the heavy porcelain pitcher from her nightstand at him. It hit him just above the knee, shattering on impact and sending shards flying across the floor.

  With a roar of pain and anger, he lunged for her. Just as he reached the bed, the door flew open with a crash. Reed froze as Kate and Eleanore took in the scene before them.

  “What in heaven’s name is going on in here?” Kate exclaimed.

  Kathleen, her breasts heaving with emotion, pushed Reed roughly from her bedside. “Captain Taylor was just about to leave. He has overstayed his welcome.”

  When he hesitated, she picked up the book nearest her and pitched it angrily at his head. He ducked the missile and glared at her, his eyes like two frozen pools. Executing a swift bow, he stomped toward the door, his jaw twitching madly.

  “Have a nice trip, Reed, and don’t expect any changes around here upon your return!” she shrieked after him, and threw her hairbrush at his retreating back for emphasis. She let out a strangled cry of anger as the brush fell short of its mark.

  Reed turned, retrieved the brush, and tossed it carelessly onto the foot of the bed. “Don’t feel too badly, Kat,” he said. “Your aim is improving. One out of three is better than none at all. Practice while I am gone and you can try again in a couple of weeks.” His jeering laughter lingered as he departed.

  That next afternoon Kathleen had a long talk with her grandmother. Kate was especially curious about Kathleen’s kindred spirit with the sea. “Ye know, Kathleen,” she confided, “it is not as strange as it seems, especially in our family. Every third generation or so, this sort of thing emerges in a woman in our immediate family.

  “There is a tale that long, long ago an ancestor of ours was out fishing on his boat and caught a mermaid. They fell in love and mated, and even though they had to live apart; he on the shore and she in the sea; they saw each other every day. When the girl-child was born, she was more human than mermaid, and having no fins, had to live ashore with her father. Even so, the sea was where she was born and was in her blood. Since that day it is not unknown for this sea blood to show up in one of her descendants, stronger in some than in others. When it does, the call of the sea is inevitable. Ye could not ignore it if ye tried, but it is dangerous to one who tries to fight the allure or who does not understand her own limitations.