by Adair, Mary
"Get those men to their feet and run!" Raven yelled to Tom, Mark, Sara, and Lady Gaylord, who sat casually on crates outside the front of the warehouse waiting patiently for Raven and Dawn to finish with Marguerite.
Everyone scrambled across the street. Marguerite’s men, bound with ropes but knowing what was on the other side of the crates and what must have happened, hopped in panic toward away from the perilous building.
Mark held back and called, "Wait!"
Sara grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away with the others.
"I'm telling ye, there is no reason to run," Mark yelled as loud as he could.
They all ignored him and rushed across the street and away from the dangerous structure. With a wild lurch, Marguerite pulled loose and ran back toward the warehouse. Raven started after her, but Dawn, Tom and Sara all grabbed hold to stop him.
Dawn shouted at him. "Let her go, Raven. There is nothing you can do. That warehouse will explode any second now."
Raven stopped his struggles. "Even an insane asylum would be better than a fiery death."
"If ye will just listen to me," Mark complained.
Everyone turned to Mark as Dawn demanded, "What is it, Mark? Did you not see the gunpowder and crates of explosives in there?"
Mark puffed his chest, "The crates was empty."
Raven shook himself loose. "There was still gunpowder." He reached for Dawn, but she fell back. He pointed to the ground. "Get down, now!"
Mark shuffled his feet and glanced at them through lowered lashes. "I took care of that too."
"How?" Raven asked suspiciously.
"Well, I ah..." He glanced at the women and took a step closer to Raven and whispered, "I peed on it."
"Unless your bladder is as big as a bucket I doubt you could piss...
A loud bang erupted and Dawn flung herself at Raven, the concussion of the explosion knocking them to the ground. The air filled with thick billowing smoke and dropping debris as the warehouse sprang into flames.
Dawn felt Raven shift beneath her. Hot searing pain bored into her back. Her head swam and she fought against blackness. Raven pushed at her as he shifted from under the shield offered by her body. She felt Raven roll over and tuck her protectively beneath himself.
"I would say someone has a lot of explaining to do here."
Through a red haze of pain Dawn recognized the voice of the Bow Street Runner who had plagued her and Sara on their trips to the shipping district. Raven shifted again and she was unable to hold back a soft moan.
She lay on her stomach. Shouldn't she be lying on Raven? She felt his gentle touch on her back. Pain throbbed through her shoulder and she forced herself to slip toward the sleep.
Raven drew her up into his arms, where he rocked her back and forth. His fingers felt hot as he placed them at her throat and then whispered a soft prayer of thanksgiving.
She let herself drift downward to hover just above the place where she could rest and heal her body.
Sara's scream cut through Dawn's inner peace. "Oh, my God, not Dawn. Please dear God, don't take her from us."
***
Raven cradled his Little Warrior in his arms as Dawn rested peacefully in the death sleep. All around them pockets of mayhem erupted. The Bow Street Runner, who had arrived too late to be of assistance, now demanded an explanation, then reversed his command to silence when stories spewed at him from every angle. Lady Gaylord fretted about like an aging bird of paradise. She refused to be sent home and threatened the Bow Street Runner with something worse than the loss of his position if he dared to refer to her as the old doxie just one more time. Jeremy Thorton, first mate from the Golden Lady assigned to trail Dawn, tried in vain to bring reason to the disorder.
Like thunder on a stormy day the booming roar of James Fitz-Gerald sounded above the excited clamor. "Where is my daughter?"
"Your father has arrived," Raven whispered into Dawn's ear. He felt her sink deeper. "Coward." He smiled and kissed her ear.
"Dawn!" James shouted again.
Raven raised his head and glared warningly at James. "She is all right, Uncle. She's resting, I'll take care of her."
"You've done quite enough!"
William stepped in front of James and bodily held him back. "Raven said she is fine, now let's see what we can do to straighten this whole mess out."
"Fine?" Screamed James. "She's not fine, by God! Don't you see all that blood? Now get out of my way."
"Not on your life," William yelled back. "What are you going to do? Yank her up and drag her out of Raven's arms to injure her more? If my brother says she is fine, then she is fine and you are bloody well going to leave her be!"
Raven heard the crack of fist against jaw and knew the battle was on.
Thomas knelt beside Raven. "Here, son, let me have a look."
Raven pulled his hand aside, so Thomas could assess the damage to his precious Little Warrior. "Yer right. She'll be just fine. The good Lord was usin' his noggin when he created ribs. She has a nasty cut, but that's all it is. She's lost a good deal of blood, but that pressure you been puttin' to it has slowed it down real nice."
He pressed Raven's hand back over the wound. "You just keep yer hand there. I'll find a carriage to take her home."
Thomas knelt closer and whispered into Dawn's ear, "I know ya can hear me, darlin'. Don't ya let your cranky old da's bad behavior bother ya none. He just be workin' off some anxiety."
With that, he straightened and yelled out for all the ship's crewmen who had been assigned to watch over Dawn, "Jeremy, Becker, Little Jack, get over here." He explained to Raven, "They were supposed to stop any of this happenin', but you can't blame them. They're good men. If you don't know by now that ya can't stop that little girl from getting just what she wants, then you still have a lot ta learn."
Raven didn't look up, but heard Thomas' men approach.
"Little Jack, you go find a carriage to take Miss Dawn and Lady Montgomery back to Montgomery House."
"But where am I goin' to find a carriage, and if I did, how would I get it through this crowd?"
"Quit your complaining and get goin'. "He turned his attention to the fistfight still in progress. "Now, gentlemen, my bet's on James two to one over William. What's yer wager on this bout?"
"Great Spirit!" Raven mumbled as he shifted Dawn's weight to resume his gentle rocking. "My uncle, who happens to be your father, is beating the tar out of my brother, and Thomas is laying bets on the outcome. How do they expect you to rest through that?" Dawn stirred and he let her head drop back, so he could see her face. Her eyes remained shut. He lowered his lips to her cheek and whispered, "I am here my Little Warrior. You see, I am a good tracker too. You're going to be all right."
"I know," Dawn answered him.
Her eyes fluttered open. The turmoil that surrounded them disappeared. They became lost in their own world. Raven saw the love Dawn had for him and he ached with regret for all he had put her through.
"You know now, that William is your brother?" she asked.
"Shhh, don't try to talk. I know. When he said so just now, many things fell into place for me. It explains a lot that has happened through the years. This is why he invited me to share his grams, why they accepted me as one of the family. I'm surprised he kept it a secret from me all these years."
"It is good news to you? You don't hate that you share the blood of the man who left your mother? Can you let the vengeance against your father die now?"
"Yes, it's news I'm glad to hear. Seeing how Marguerite’s obsession with hate and vengeance drove her to madness opened my eyes to the path I traveled. You must rest now. I want you to get well so we can begin our path together. I will never let anything bad happen to you again."
Dawn smiled. "Our paths are already one. I am giving you a son. His hair is black and his eyes are blue." With that her eyes slowly closed and she drifted back into the death sleep.
Raven cuddled her close. His hands supported her head and back
the way a mother would cradle her child. "You are going to be all right. Do you hear me, Dawn? You are going to be all right. You had a dream and you made me a part of it. Now it’s my dream too. You promised me a son. I'll not let go of that dream and I'll not let go of you. I know the perfect place for us to live our dreams."
Dawn relaxed further, but still heard Sara's sad pleading. "God, don't take her, please God. All that blood. Just look at her, how quiet she is. She doesn't even cry."
Raven's voice rumbled gently in Dawn's ears, "You will never hear Dawn cry in pain. She is a warrior."
Dawn felt pride at his words. She also felt the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. They had won. She had walked her path and he lived. She had done what she set out to do. The price was of no consequence. "I had to save you," she whispered.
His warm lips touched her cooling brow. "I know, Little Warrior. Now rest and come back to me soon."
With his words gathered in her heart, Dawn allowed herself to drift into the sleep.
Chapter Twenty-seven
In the Caribbean on Cloud Plantation, eight months and two weeks later:
Dawn screamed like a banshee!
"Now look at what you've done," William scolded.
Raven looked down at his hand. Shards of glass from the fragile goblet he held stung his hand. "I can't take this any longer. I've got to see Dawn." He moaned, dropped the remaining pieces of glass, and would have dashed from the room had not James and William sprung up to restrain him.
"Let me go, Uncle! Don't you hear that? How can you be so unfeeling toward your own daughter?" He struggled harder, then yelled with an intensity that shook the room. "Turn me loose!"
"If he hadn't lost so much weight through this pregnancy, I doubt we could hold him," William declared to James as he gasped and fought gallantly to maintain his hold on Raven. Speaking to Raven, he continued, "I'm seeing a new side to you, brother. Now can you just get it through that thick head of yours that we're not letting you go up those stairs until New Moon comes down to escort you up."
"All right," Raven abruptly stopped his struggles but leveled an angry glare at them.
Neither man appeared troubled by Raven's unspoken threat. Satisfied that he wouldn't bolt, James and William cautiously loosened their grip and returned to their seats.
It still brought Raven up short when William called him brother. If only his anger had not blinded him for so long. He couldn't blame his grandmother or William for not telling him sooner. It took seeing his own possible fate reflected in the madness lurking behind Marguerite’s eyes to wake him to the danger of his own obsession.
"Raven, I asked you a question."
Raven started and forced his mind to focus on those in the room instead of his wife's pain upstairs. "Sorry, I wasn't listening." He shook out his handkerchief and wrapped it about his hand.
"How much longer will you need Benson working in your office here? He's anxious to take over the London side of Phoenix Shipping so that William can travel to the Colonies."
Raven irritably batted a contrary lock of hair from his eyes and looked at William. "You're expected in Charles Town by the end of the month, aren't you? I think Benson can leave at any time now. No need for you to worry about our grandmothers. I'll see to it they get back to London before the real heat sets in here."
"They will be glad to stay a little longer. They're anxious to play with your new son, and Dawn has assured them this baby will be a son."
"So she has. She's even named him.. Johnny."
"Johnny?" William asked in surprise. "I expected a Cherokee name."
"He'll earn his warrior name when he goes to Chota Town." Raven wondered how James would react to the suggestion. He was pleased to see his father-in-law puff his chest and grin widely.
"New Moon and I will look forward to our grandson's visit." He slapped a hand to William's shoulder. "By the time Johnny comes to Chota Town, William and Sara's brothers will be ready to help guide him as well."
Raven allowed his gaze to focus on William. William had suffered through this labor almost as much as Raven had. Though haggard, William looked the part of an English gentleman rather than a colonial. "I just can't see you as a frontiersman, brother."
"Well, let's just say I decided to take a page from your wife's book."
"Oh? Which page is that?"
"The one that says 'Go after what's yours and protect it with your life.'"
Raven's brows shot up with surprise.
James stepped forward and whispered into his ear, "A certain spunky little redhead decided to go with her brothers to Charlestown.”
"Now wait a minute," William interrupted. "I didn't say anything about Sara."
"Of course not," James teased. "I need another drink. How 'bout you, Will, Raven?"
Raven waved off the suggestion and turned his back on the two. His uncle and brother had formed a bond after their fistfight on the docks. They were as close as any family members could be. Family. He rolled the word around in his head. He had family all around him. To think they had been there all along.
He looked at his wrapped hand as he walked through the large double doors leading out to the veranda. The cool ocean breeze caressed his sweat-dampened face and caused a chill to slither down his back. His legs trembled. He had never felt so weak. Moving carefully to the rail, he sat with his back propped against a large pillar. After a few deep breaths, he unwound the handkerchief and proceeded to pick out the glass. Satisfied he'd gotten it all, he re-wrapped his hand and tilted his head back to rest against the pillar. To keep his mind off what Dawn was enduring upstairs, he let his thoughts drift back over the last few months. They were the most wonderful and yet most miserable he had ever experienced.
The memory of the gaping hole in the back of Dawn's buckskins and the blood pouring from the wound caused by flying debris still gave him nightmares. His first thoughts were how stupid he'd been. Dawn had caught that blow because she threw herself in front of him, so intent on saving his life that she would sacrifice her own. Uncle was furious when he arrived at the warehouse to find his daughter hurt and bleeding in Raven's arms. If James had tried to kill him on the spot, he would have done nothing to stop him. A smile spread across his face. Lucky for him that William arrived with James. He'd never before seen Uncle lose a fight. The whole affair had left William much too cocky.
Then came Dawn's announcement about the coming baby. From that day forward, while Dawn bloomed in good health, he had suffered from debilitating bouts of nausea, headaches, and backaches. And if that wasn't bad enough, his body betrayed him with severe cravings for the most outrageous foods that only brought on more vomiting.
His peculiar state of health interfered with his plan to establish a home on the island, and it had taken all his effort and concentration to carry out his scheme in grand style. Well, not all his effort. He and Dawn found time to spend together establishing their home on the thriving sugarcane plantation and reveling in their shared love. From his office, he kept in touch with offices in London and the colonies—a perfect solution in a paradise setting. He found he loved the casual, no hassle life style of the island. He hoped that Dawn would not find it dull.
Now that Dawn's pregnancy was at an end, perhaps his usual sturdy health would return. He looked down at himself. He was thin, and not only that, he was dirty. Since Dawn had started labor nearly twenty-four hours before, he'd not eaten or shaved or even bathed.
Another scream filled the air and Raven stumbled as he hurried back inside. William and James halted his progress. "Turn loose of me! I can't take this. Don't you understand? I promised I'd not let anything bad ever happen to her again."
"It's kind of late for that now, don't you think. You not only let this happen, you did this to her," James snarled.
"Now look here. I'll not have you speak to my brother like that."
Raven struggled harder. "Just turn me loose and the two of you can fight this thing out."
Ag
ain a blood-curdling screech filled the air. Raven held his breath as his belly tightened. His knees buckled and his head swam. The next thing he was aware of, he was sitting on the floor looking up at New Moon, while James stammered with an explanation to New Moon why he let Raven fall.
New Moon patted her husband's chest, then knelt down beside Raven. "You have a son and Dawn is doing fine. We need a little longer to prepare her and the baby before you go in. There is plenty of time for you to clean yourself up." She rose to her feet and extended a hand to Raven.
Raven took her hand. "Thank you, New Moon."
When he continued to sit on the floor, James and William each hooked an arm under a shoulder and hoisted him up.
Raven's head swam. He was weak, and suddenly so tired that he could hardly move. The tension between him and James weighed heavily on his shoulders. Though Dawn had never said anything, he knew it made her uncomfortable as well. He placed a hand to James' shoulder. "Uncle, I love Dawn, you know that."
James threw back his head and laughed. The tension that had been between them since he was forced to leave Chota Town faded. Raven relaxed and found he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. This was the wonderful, complicated man Raven knew. This was the man who stepped up to be his father when he had been so lost and desperately alone, when he had needed the guidance of a strong hand. James had taken an angry boy and turned him into a man. Raven's life would be lacking if James were unhappy about Dawn's choice for a husband and held a grudge against him.
James patted his face roughly. "Of course you do. You couldn't have gotten away from her any more than I could have gotten away from her mother." In a more somber tone he added, "I have always been proud of you. I can't think of a better man to be the father of my grandson. The last few months have been hard on both of us. I think it's time now to put old problems and hurts behind us and build a new life."
The two men embraced briefly until James curled his nose and complained, "You stink." He held him at arm's length. "William, he's your brother. Go clean him up."
***
