Green Fire (12 page)

"How did Sara feel about all this?"

"Oh, she agreed with her family. It was an excellent match. Livermore was reasonably good-looking and in the right age bracket. He had good estates and lots of horses. Sara was very fond of hunting. She was quite happy with the marriage proposal and was on the verge of accepting it when the truth came to light. Lord Livermore was virtually bankrupt. He wanted Sara for her money."

"Where was Robert while all this was going on?" Rani asked.

"The poor guy was trying to convince Sara to forget her grand marriage plans and run off to America with him, of course. Sara found the idea laughable. She had no intention of banishing herself to the uncivilized wilds of North America, even though she was very attracted to Robert."

"A woman has to look after her own future. Robert undoubtedly appeared to be a high risk."

"Undoubtedly," Flint agreed neutrally. "Well, things got messy when Sara's family turned down Lord Livermore's marriage proposal. He arranged to kidnap Sara and hold her for a few days at his hunting lodge in Scotland."

"After which," Rani said knowledgeably, "she would have found herself thoroughly compromised and more or less obliged to marry the evil lord."

"Exactly. Enter our hero, Robert, to the rescue. He discovered Livermore's plans at the last minute and raced off to rescue Sara. He caught up with the coach, which was on its way to the border, fought a duel with Lord Livermore and rescued Sara. Robert had her safely delivered back into her family's hands before morning. Her honor was saved."

"What about Livermore?" Rani demanded.

"He spent several weeks recovering from his wounds."

"Oh. In other words, he was out of the picture. Did Sara fall madly in love with the brave Robert?"

"Not quite. Robert made the tactical mistake of telling Sara exactly what he thought of her high-handed, arrogant manners during the trip back to her family's home the night he rescued her. He was rather blunt about it and implied she was a selfish, spoiled young lady who needed a firm hand on the reins."

"Uh-oh. I'll bet Robert then went on to tell her he was just the man to bring her into line, right?"

"How did you guess?"

"I could see it coming," Rani sighed. "Stupid of Robert. There the poor woman is, probably terrified at having barely escaped being kidnapped, still in shock from having witnessed a bloody duel. She's thoroughly traumatized and then this rude upstart from America starts in on a lecture. I'm sure Robert wasn't her idea of a hero."

"Apparently not, because although her family was extremely grateful for her safe return, Sara refused to see Robert after that. But Robert, poor soul, was very much in love with her."

Rani waved that aside. "Then he shouldn't have yelled at her."

Flint's gaze narrowed. "She deserved it."

"Now who's taking sides in this story?"

Flint took a long swallow of beer before continuing. "Moving right along…"

"Yes, let's."

He shot her a quelling look. "As I said, Robert was still desperately in love. Given the fact that Sara was treating him badly and had all along, we have to assume he was under the spell of the ring."

"That's one explanation," Rani agreed blithely.

"But after the rescue, Sara pushed Robert a little too far. When she refused to see him, he decided he had to do something drastic. So he kidnapped her."

Rani was startled. "Another kidnapping? Just like the hero did in the first story? I think I see a pattern developing here."

"You're right. Robert made his way into Sara's bedroom, wrapped her up in a blanket and carried her off one night."

"Good grief! He thought that was going to make her look on him more favorably?"

"He thought," Flint stated bluntly, "that it would leave her with no other choice but to marry him."

"He deliberately compromised her! Just like the first guy did to the Clayborne lady, and the evil Lord Livermore tried to do." Rani was incensed.

"It probably seemed the simplest approach under the circumstances."

"It was despicable."

"Yeah, well, whatever, it worked. The next morning a very subdued young Sara married him under a special license. Her family had no choice but to accept the situation. Sara and Robert left for America a month later.''

"Poor Sara! What happened to her?"

Flint grinned. "She raised six kids and captivated Boston society. Everyone said she was a fine example of the perfect wife. Loving, obedient and fertile. Just as the lady in the first story had been. The ladies who own the rings make excellent wives."

"And Robert?"

"Robert is said to have been a very satisfied husband. He was wildly in love with his wife and she with him for the rest of their lives."

"So Sara fell in love with him after all, hmmm?" Rani thought about that.

"Once Robert had taken her to bed, she didn't have any choice. According to the legend of the ring, she was then as ensnared as he was."

Rani frowned. "Do you think he raped her that night he kidnapped her? Was that how he subdued her?"

Flint scowled and tipped his beer can to his mouth. "No, I don't think he raped her. He seduced her."

"Hah. That's your interpretation."

"The few people who saw Sara the morning after the kidnapping said she was quieter than usual but not at all unhappy. In fact, it was said she was the image of the happy, blushing bride."

"Amazing how a legend can smooth over some of the facts." Rani remarked. "Are you going to straighten things out when you write these stories? After all, you're the one who's going to force the truth down everybody's throat, right?"

"Facts are facts. I'm not going to change the verifiable details of the tales. In the case of the story of Sara and Robert, I'll simply point out that their marriage undoubtedly came about because a temperamental young woman pushed a passionate young man a little too far. The first story involves a similar situation. Both men lost their patience and took advantage of the conventions of the times to force the ladies into marriage. There was no magic involved."

"Just passion?"

Flint smiled. "Don't you think that's sufficient explanation?"

"Do you? You seem very ambivalent about this ring, Flint. Sometimes you scoff at it and other times I get the impression you half believe in it."

He tilted his head, studying her intently in the sunlight. "Maybe you'd better hope I don't buy the legends as fact."

Rani felt chilled. Much of the companionable warmth that had enveloped her as she listened to Flint's tales evaporated. "Why is that?" she asked softly.

"Because if I decide the legend is for real, I might decide to put it to the test. I might seduce you the way those other two men seduced their ladies. If the tales about the ring are valid, you'd be helpless to resist me then, wouldn't you? You'd be bound to me."

Rani felt caught, trapped in a glistening, silky web that made it impossible to get out of the chair and stalk off to-ward the house. The sunlight was suddenly too strong, causing everything around her to become too sharp and clear and full of color. The green of Flint's eyes, for example, was now far too vivid. She remembered what Charles Dewhurst had said about true emeralds. There was a fire trapped within them, green flames that mesmerized whoever looked too deeply. In that instant, Rani knew, she had looked far too deeply into living emeralds.

"Rani?"

She blinked, struggling to break free of the odd, trapped sensation she was experiencing. "What would you do to me if I were bound to you?" she heard herself ask.

"Make love to you often and well." He spoke as though he had already considered the question and had long since decided on an answer.

Rani felt strangely breathless. She must get away from him, but she still couldn't move. "Until your next handyman or gardening job took you to another state or another country? Or until another, more interesting woman came along?"

He smiled faintly. "You forget the ring works both ways. I'd be just as trapped as I was before I made love to you. The only difference is that after I've seduced you, you'll no longer have the privilege of being in charge. You won't be able to keep me dancing at the end of the string."

"I don't see much evidence of your dancing now!"

"Think not? Look at how easily you handle me."

Rani flushed. "I hadn't noticed."

"You tell me when and how to write, imply I'm shiftless and unstable—"

"I never said shiftless!"

"You chew me up one side and down the other just for being in your kitchen when you bring home your date—"

Rani was incensed now. "You deserved that."

"You only let me kiss you when you want to be kissed and you call it off when you want to stop."

Rani's mouth tightened. "It's a woman's prerogative."

"You assume I'm available when you get bored and want someone to row a boat for you," Flint continued blandly.

"That's not true. I invited you along because I thought you might enjoy the outing."

"You've made it clear that, as a lover, you think I'd be a high risk."

"Well, you would."

"And you've also made it clear you're a lady who doesn't take risks. That's not very good for my self-esteem."

"I didn't realize your self-esteem needed to be pampered," Rani snapped. She finally managed to get to her feet. "Look, if you don't want to go out on the lake, just say so. I thought you'd appreciate the break, but I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the story hour. I don't think I want to hear any more Clayborne ring stories today." In her agitation she clutched the empty beer can. There was a crunching sound, and she looked down in astonishment to see the can crumpled between her fingers.

"Don't get the idea you've turned into Wonder Woman," Flint advised with a faint grin. "Anyone can do that with an aluminum beer can."

"I'll remember that." Rani tossed the can in his direction. He plucked it easily out of the air as she turned to stride toward the back door of her cottage.

"Rani," he called after her. "What time tomorrow are we going to the lake?"

She swung around to glare at him, her hand on the doorknob. "This is not a good time to ask me. I am seriously considering withdrawing the invitation."

Flint shook his head in mild reproach. "You're playing with fire. You know that, don't you?"

Rani stepped into the house and let the door slam shut behind her. She was playing with fire, all right. Emerald-green fire. The flames were licking at her heels.

By three o'clock that afternoon, Rani was too restless to convince herself any longer that she was simply enjoying a quiet day around the house. She had to get out. Perhaps she would walk over to the lake and throw stones or something equally exhilarating. Anything to get away from the feeling of being surrounded by Flint Cottrell's presence.

Even as she came to that conclusion, he opened her front door without bothering to knock. He stood on the threshold, wiping his damp forehead with the back of his bare arm.

"I'm going to have to run into town to pick up a few things at the hardware store. Want to come along?" he asked.

"No thanks," Rani said, aware that she sounded waspish.

"Okay. Suit yourself. I'll be back in a half hour or forty-five minutes."

Rani moved over to the window to watch as Flint slid into the black Jeep and turned the key in the ignition. He was gone before she could think of a graceful way of changing her mind. Just as well, she told herself. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression. He already had enough misconceptions about their association.

She prowled restlessly around the cottage, looking for something to take the edge off her uneasiness. She walked out into the garden and examined Flint's work. He really did have a knack for this sort of thing, she admitted to herself. It was obvious he took a deep pleasure in what he did. Sitting on the back steps, chin in hand, Rani contemplated the changes Flint had already made in the chaotic yard. Bushes had been trimmed, plants pruned for winter, grass raked. An orderly atmosphere was being gently established here. It made Rani even more nervous suddenly. She got to her feet, dusted her hands and decided to take a walk to the lake.

Zipp meowed at her feet as she opened the door and urged him into the house. Rani glanced down. "No, you can't come with me. I'm going over to the lake and you might get lost."

Zipp looked distinctly scornful of the possibility. He jumped onto the windowsill to watch forlornly as Rani headed off across the road. She turned to wave once to him and then set about making a serious effort to enjoy herself. She wasn't going to let flint Cottrell influence her whole vacation with his tales of the ring or with his purely masculine interest in acquiring a convenient bed partner for the remainder of her vacation.

That was what he was after, of course. A bed partner. It was the only answer that made sense. He was the kind of man who would be gone on the next breath of wind. Furthermore, he didn't come from her world. He didn't even come from a world with which she was vaguely familiar. He was a restless wanderer, a man who chased legends for a hobby and who made his living by doing whatever came to hand. It wouldn't surprise her to learn that some of the things that had come to hand in the course of his life had been less than respectable. He hadn't gotten that scar on his shoulder while gardening.

Rani crossed the road and started into a stand of fir and pine. The needles were occasionally slippery underfoot, and she had to use some caution on the long, gentle slope down toward the water. Rani knew from a previous walk that the hike would take about fifteen or twenty minutes. Through breaks in the forest she caught glimpses of the lake shining in the bright sun. Here in the trees the light was pleasantly dappled and golden. She began to relax. Taking the walk had been a good idea. She realized that she was going to have to organize more outings for herself, however. She wasn't the type to simply sit around and relax for several weeks. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but the reality was proving to be full of complications.