Lynette Vinet - Emerald Trilogy 02 (28 page)

Flowers! Flowers filled the cabin with their heady perfume, almost as if they grew out of the walls. Unless Paul stopped inundating the tiny room with a myriad of wild blooms, there would be no place for even cooking utensils.

Allison suspected his motives, and even as she tenderly stroked a wild rose, she was determined not to allow his sentiments to sway her. For three days she hadn’t spoken to him, bolting the cabin door at night to keep him outside, but she knew if he wished he could splinter the door into a hundred fragments. But he hadn’t.

Each night his voice drifted in, regaling her with snatches of “My love is like a mountain beautiful, brave and true.” And each night she muffled her ears with her hands, not wanting to hear, not wishing to recall the memories he tried to revive in her. She felt certain that those memories would be too painful. However, she couldn’t erase mental images of his face and his warm hands upon her cool flesh.

Though determined to avoid the past, she ached to know about their children and this finally forced her to seek him out.

Paul had been gone since dawn, and it was now late afternoon as Allison hiked through the verdant woods filled with the sweet scents of pine and maple. Wild daisies and violets grew along the narrow path to the place where Paul and Jacques had laid their traps. She thought of different ways to phrase her words, not wanting him to think she was eager to learn about their marriage when all she wanted was information about their children.

Walking with eyes downcast, she startled at the sound of crunching leaves behind her. She jerked around, expecting to see Paul, but there was no one there. The forest remained quiet except for chirping birds and scampering woodland creatures.

Shivers ran through her as she recalled Jacques’ stories about renegade Indians who kidnapped white women for their own pleasure, then killed them or forced them into bondage. She swallowed, trying to convince herself that no one was there but couldn’t allay her fears. Instead she started to run, plunging heedlessly through brambles and thickets. She imagined eyes watching her, thought she heard stealthy feet padding behind her.

Running blindly, she fell over a protruding tree root. Pain seared through her foot but she pulled herself up and kept on, hobbling. How much farther?
she
wondered frantically. Where was Paul? Though she saw no one, she sensed someone was stalking her, matching his pace to hers.

“Paul! Paul!” Her hysterical cries echoed through the still afternoon. Then her ears discerned the sound of dried leaves crunching behind her again, and she knew someone was closing in on her, ready to pounce. She screamed Paul’s name again, expecting to be dragged down at any second.

From nowhere Paul appeared, loaded down with traps, but seeing the stark terror in her face, he dropped them. She hobbled towards him and threw herself into his arms. “Someone’s chasing me!”

Unsheathing his knife, he pushed her behind him and listened. For long moments, the only sound was chirping birds. Then the crunching sound moved closer through the thickets. Paul stiffened, prepared to strike, as Allison waited, barely breathing.

Suddenly Paul’s booming laughter rent the air as they both watched as a mink curiously eyed them then scampered to the safety of the underbrush. A huge grin split his lips. “There’s your culprit,” he said, putting the knife away.

Allison’s countenance matched a cluster of red berries, growing nearby. She felt horribly foolish.   

“You’re far from the cabin. Is anything wrong?” he asked.

“No.”

“Something must be the matter.”

Embarrassment outweighed her curiosity about the children. She moved from the protection of his arm. “Nothing is wrong.” She grimaced and cried out as a sharp pain shot through her ankle and forced her to sink to the ground.

“Allison, you’re hurt,” he said with concern.

“How astute of you to finally notice.”

“Now, now, don’t act the shrew.” Kneeling beside her, he gently eased off her boot. He held her foot in the palm of his hand, carefully examining the pulsing bruise with his fingertips. “It’s very swollen. Stay off your foot for a while, but it will feel better once you soak it in the lake. I’ll carry you there.”

“I’ll walk,” she insisted, but he scooped her up into his arms.

“Don’t be stubborn, Allison.”

She felt so tiny pressed against the broadness of his chest, enfolded in his powerful, muscular arms. Despite her resolve to hate him, she relaxed against him, silently marveling at how quickly he traversed the distance to the lake.

He placed her on the edge of the shore and immersed her foot into the water. “Soak it and keep your weight off it.”

“Do you intend to carry me everywhere?”

“Hmm.”
He gave her a considering look. “That is a pleasant thought.”

She failed to conceal the blush which sprang to her cheeks at his lustful grin.

“When are you going to tell me the reason you came looking for me?”

She might as well admit it. “I wanted to know about my children.”

“Our children,” he reminded her. “I did have a hand in making them.”

“But you left us.”

Her words sounded so sad to his ears, not tinged with the bitterness he knew she must feel.

“Yes, I did … but I wanted to protect you. I thought I would only bring you pain if I stayed. We weren’t getting along.”

She suppressed a laugh. “So your leaving was a supreme act of love.”

“I thought it was the right thing to do at the time.”

Allison was confused and didn’t know what to think but refused to probe further. “Just tell me about the children.”

He moved nearer to her and explained about the night the twins were born but omitted the time she nearly died.

A smile sprung to her lips at his description of them, and she could almost see them in her mind’s eye. When he finished, she said, “They must be very beautiful babies.”

Paul plucked a wild daisy growing nearby and traced her lips with the soft petals.
“As beautiful as their mother.”

His gentleness, the love in his eyes, nearly undid her. She almost liked him better when she hated him, but she certainly could imagine loving this man.

The sun straddled the horizon, and a slight breeze drifted off the take. Withdrawing her foot from the water, she forced herself to look away from him. “It’s getting late.”

He picked her up and carried her to the cabin. Once she was comfortable, he served up the supper she had prepared earlier in the day.

“How’s the ankle?” he inquired after they had eaten.

“Much better, but I’m not certain I’ll be able to sleep unless you stop bringing me flowers. There’s hardly any room left.”

His gaze skimmed lightly over the cabin, and he laughed. “I hoped you’d think that I am an ardent lover.”

Her eyes fastened on the floor as color flooded her cheeks. She already thought of him that way and couldn’t forget the rapturous night of love they had shared by the lake. Carefully, she eased herself from the chair and hobbled without help to her pallet. Suddenly her head ached and she wished to sleep.

“Are you feeling unwell?” he asked.

“Just another headache, but it will pass. They always do.” She
laid
down and covered herself.

“If you need anything, just call for me,” Paul insisted.

“I just need to rest.” She closed her eyes though she felt his gaze upon her, and when she heard him start for the door, she said, “Paul, you can sleep in here tonight.” She suddenly found his presence comforting.

Allison heard his clothes drop to the floor and the rustle of the furs as he settled himself across the room from her. For hours, wide awake, she stared into the darkness. Paul’s steady breathing and his presence somehow comforted her. In vain she tried to divert her thoughts from him, but always they returned to him.

Without realizing it, she dozed and imagined she heard a baby’s cry. Half awake, she stood up. “I’m coming, Douglas,” she mumbled sleepily, thinking she was in her bedroom at Fairfax Manor, stepping into the adjoining nursery. But the slight pressure of her foot against the floor caused her some pain and she awakened fully. She blinked in bafflement to find herself standing by the cabin door, hand on the latch. The first thing she realized was that her headache was gone,
then
her entire past washed over her like a tidal wave. Her hands flew to her face and she turned toward the sleeping figure of her husband.

Moonlight covered him in a silvery counterpane, and she knew why she had traveled thousands of miles to find him. Without the least uncertainty in her heart, she knew she loved him, but more importantly, she felt assured of his love for her. No matter what had happened in the past, they had an endless future to right all the wrongs. A slow smile spread over her face.
He loved her!

Stripping off her clothes and oblivious to her aching ankle, she went and knelt beside him. Her lips touched his forehead, his eyes and his mouth, rousing him from his slumber.

A startled look wreathed his features, but she paid scant attention as her mouth and hands moved over his body. He groaned in pleasure. “Allison, what are you doing to me?”

She looked at him, a seductive gleam in her eyes. “
I’m loving
my husband.”

“You remember?” His voice was whispery soft.

“Yes,” she breathed and kissed him deeply. “But let’s not talk right now, Paul.”

And they didn’t. For the waning hours of the night, they rekindled their desire, awakening each other’s body to the glorious surge of love. When the rising sun bathed the cabin in a luminescent glow, they lay spent in each other’s arms, exhausted but completely satiated.

Planting a tiny kiss on his chest, her periwinkle blue gaze roamed upwards to his face. She didn’t feel the old need to tell him she loved him or to hear it in return. Words were unnecessary. Now, her heart knew it.

“Paul, take me home.”

He nuzzled the top of her head.
“Today, my love.
We’ll leave today. But first…” He grinned wickedly, his hands scorching her flesh as renewed desire for her overcame his exhaustion.

After a few hours sleep, Allison awoke, and slipping out of Paul’s embrace, dressed and walked to the lake. She took small, careful steps because her ankle still hurt a bit though not as much as the night before. She smiled, remembering their passion, and knew that once they were home again and reunited with the twins, everything would be perfect. However, her happiness was marred by the memory of Howard swirling away from her the day of the accident. She dreaded informing Constance of his death, because she felt some responsibility since he had insisted on accompanying her.

But no matter—they would soon be home. Home! As she bent down by the shoreline and rinsed her face with the cool water, the excitement in her face was evident in her wavering reflection. God, she was happy, happier than she had ever been in her life, and this time nothing would keep them apart.

Another face, with a reddish beard, reflected next to hers. She blinked in astonishment, but the leering, evil look did not disappear. “My, but you’re a pretty little wanton,” a voice said behind her.

She twisted around, panic rising in her. “Who … who are you?”

The man wasn’t much taller than she, his body covered in leather and pelts. Though he had silently come upon her, she saw he wasn’t an Indian but was apparently familiar with native culture because he carried a tomahawk and wore leggings. He was just inches from her, and she caught the scent of stale body odor mixed with fresh whiskey. If he touched her, she knew she’d be sick. Already bile rose in her throat at the mere thought.

A thin hand reached out and touched a wisp of her hair. “Real, pretty girl,” he said. “Saw you last night through the window, mating with that bloke. I sure could use some fun, too.” From the lecherous gleam in his eyes, his intentions were only too clear.

She backed away. The lake was behind her and she instantly knew that if she had to swim, she would. “That was my husband. If I don’t return soon, he’ll search for me. You’re no match against him.”

“You don’t think so? Well, let me just give you some proof, missy.” He grabbed her, his lips viciously pressing against hers and smothering a shriek of protest.

She clawed at his face but this only enraged him further and he persisted in his exploration of her mouth with his tongue while pinching a nipple with two bony fingers. She felt like she was going to faint and would have if a man’s voice hadn’t cut sharply through the woods.

“That’s enough, Adams!”

Adams instantly released her, and she staggered but caught herself. They both turned towards the voice, and in that moment Allison felt a surge of hope as she recognized the man. He was dressed in bedraggled clothing, the very same clothes he wore the day of the accident, but his face was now covered with a dark beard.

“Howard! You’re alive.” Allison jerked away from Adams and ran to
Howard,
sure that he would protect her from the filthy little man.

A crooked grin twisted his face. “Yes, but if Adams wouldn’t have found me, I’d still be staggering around in the wilderness. He’s been a good friend. And it seems you’ve found your Paul.”

She nodded, remembering that Adams had seen her and Paul making love. Had Howard also observed them? “Paul will be glad to see you,” she said.

“I doubt that,” he cryptically remarked.

“Let’s go tell him.” Allison started to move away, eager to return to the cabin, when Howard’s hand caught her in a steely vise.

“You’re coming with us, Allison.”

She noticed the hard edge of his voice, the determined glint in his eyes. Her earlier gladness to see him dissolved, and she knew Howard intended to keep her from Paul. “Paul and I are returning to Ireland today. Come with us,” she told him, vainly attempting to mask her fear.

“Don’t patronize me, my dear betrothed, for that is what you shall be when this day is over. Yes, we will return home, but without your Paul. He shall be cold as stone very shortly.”

His implications were clear. “You can’t mean to harm Paul.”

“Then think again. I’ll do anything to possess you and Fairfax Manor.
Anything!”

And there was no doubt in her mind that he would. She must reach Paul, save him, somehow play for time. “I’ll come with you, just don’t hurt him,”

“Very noble, my dear.”
Her sincerity caught him off guard and he slackened his hold momentarily. She felt the pressure of his fingers loosening, and with
a quickness
she didn’t know she possessed, she kicked his shin and dashed off along the pathway, her voice screaming Paul’s name the whole way.

“Bloody bitch!” she heard Howard curse behind her. Just as she made it into the clearing by the cabin, Adams caught up and knocked her to the ground.

The cabin door was thrown open and Paul ran out. Barely able to scramble into his pants, he looked astonished to find her upon the ground, a strange man atop her. Then he saw Howard veering straight for him. Instantly he knew the other man’s intentions when the barrel of a pistol glittered like silver in the sunlight. Paul took cover behind a tree, unarmed and unsure as he tried to think of a way to rescue his wife.

A bitter laugh escaped from Howard’s snarling lips. “She’s mine now, Paul, as she was meant to be, as Fairfax Manor shall soon be. You always thought I was a dolt, but now you’re the one who’s a dolt—unarmed and at my mercy.”

Paul spotted a tree limb on the ground. Picking it up, he held it tightly, intent upon bashing in Howard’s skull. If only he could rush him somehow. “Let’s settle this in a gentlemanly fashion, Howard.”

“Do you think I’m a fool?” Howard cockily brandished the pistol in the air. “I’ve learned quite a bit during my time in the wilderness, and I’m more determined than ever to have both Fairfax Manor and your wife. I know that if we settle this in a so-called gentlemanly fashion, you would win, Paul, so that is why I intend to shoot you down before Allison’s eyes. Perhaps then she’ll realize just how determined I am.”

Adams loosened his hold upon her, and Allison was able to breathe. Taking advantage of Adams’ interest in Howard and Paul, she cried out, “You’re a pitiful excuse for a man, Howard. No wonder Beth
never
loved you.” Not really knowing anything about him and Beth, she was grasping at straws. And her ploy worked.

Howard removed his gaze from Paul long enough to glare at her, and this gave Paul time to dash forward, the heavy limb raised. But Adams’ voice rang out in warning, and Howard turned and pulled the trigger.

Allison screamed as Paul staggered, a crimson tide of blood stained his chest. When he looked at her, it was as if he didn’t see her, and when he fell, she attempted to run to him, but Adams held her back.

“Paul! Paul!” she shrieked. But he
laid
still, not moving.

Howard, exultant, dragged her screeching like a banshee, away from the cabin, along the shoreline and pushed her into a canoe. Adams paddled
away,
her last look was of Paul lying dead upon the ground. The late morning sunshine warmed the earth and covered her face with its golden glow, but she had ceased to feel it.