Savage Destiny (The Hearts of Liberty Series, Book 1) (7 page)

While that was a daunting thought, he liked the company of white men, and did not think living amongst them would create any great hardship for him. Besides, he could return home as often as he chose. To continue to come and go as he pleased was precisely how he intended to live his life, and he was certain he could keep Melissa too content to complain about his habits.

"Does Ian Scott intend to marry your sister?" he asked suddenly.

Because that question bore no relation to the subject Elliott had believed was under discussion, he was understandably perplexed, but recovered quickly. "He might. I really can't say. Melissa has always been popular and I don't believe she is any more fond of Ian than she is of her other beaus."

"There are other men interested in her?"

"Of course," Elliott insisted with a hearty chuckle. "Young women as pretty as Melissa are always eagerly sought after."

Not wanting Elliott to discover he had a serious interest in Melissa just yet, Hunter deliberately pretended his curiosity about the comely blonde had been satisfied. "What about Alanna? Is she too shy to have beaus?"

"I spend a great deal of my time worrying about her," Elliott confided unhappily. "She's so dear to us, but perhaps we've sheltered her more than we should. When she first came to us, she was so easily frightened, that I'm afraid we spoiled her terribly. She isn't demanding now, of course, but still, if we'd done more to encourage her to be as independent as Melissa, she might not be as shy as she is today."

Hunter cleverly turned their discussion to the subject of the Ohio Valley, but he remained preoccupied with how best to impress Melissa so that she would be anxiously awaiting his return. When she displayed an annoying indifference to him at supper, he was not only dismayed, but disgusted. He could readily understand her reluctance to openly display her feelings for him, but thought ignoring him completely was a poor way to behave. He held that sorry opinion until they left the dining room to go across the hall into the parlor, and she brushed by him to slip a tightly folded message into his hand.

Believing it to be a fervent plea for a meeting later, Hunter's spirits soared. Then he had to bear an agonizing wait as Rachel and Melissa treated them all to another harpsichord recital. It wasn't until everyone retired to bed that he finally had a chance to read the note. He was ashamed not to have thought of a way to get a similar message to Melissa, but as soon as the house was quiet, he went down to the dock where she had suggested they meet.

By the time she finally appeared, Hunter was thoroughly sick of waiting for her. "Did you think I would stand here all night?" he scolded, but when he drew her into his arms and discovered she was wearing only a light shawl over a cotton nightgown, his anger dissolved in the heat of desire.

Melissa reached up on her tiptoes to kiss away his frown. "I'm sorry. It took forever for Alanna to fall asleep and usually she's asleep before I've finished brushing out my hair."

"Would she tell your parents if she discovered you'd left the house to meet me?"

"No, I don't believe so, but I'd never hear the end of it from her."

"What does that mean?"

"She'd not approve and she would try to talk me out of seeing you."

Melissa had let her hair fall free, and Hunter slid his fingers through the fair curls at her temples to keep her face pressed to his as he kissed her. He then wrapped her in an affectionate embrace. "Are you afraid she'll convince you that seeing me is wrong?"

Melissa responded with a throaty giggle. "I already know it's wrong," she teased, "but I'm here anyway."

She felt so good in his arms that Hunter rested his chin atop her head and continued to hold her close. "Why is it wrong?" he asked.

The warm softness of his buckskins invited her caress, and Melissa rubbed against him with the unabashed joy of a contented cat. "Why?" she murmured seductively. "It's wrong because the envious people who want to keep lovers apart constantly say it's wrong. That's the only reason I can see."

That she would refer to him as her lover was all the encouragement Hunter required. He relaxed his hold on her to allow her the freedom to step back slightly, and then kissed her again with the same demanding affection she had welcomed so eagerly that afternoon. He slid his hands to the small of her back and pressed her hips against his. He wanted her, and that blatant gesture made his need shockingly plain.

Although captivated by him, Melissa knew better than to give in to Hunter, and when he ended a lengthy exchange of deep kisses to provide an opportunity for them both to take a much needed deep breath, she slipped out of his arms. "I can't stay," she whispered dramatically, as though having to leave him tore her heart in two. "Meet me here again tomorrow night."

Shocked that she would even consider leaving him now, Hunter delayed an instant too long before reaching out to catch her arm, and she easily eluded him to escape into the night. Left too disappointed to do more than moan, Hunter vowed not to waste a second of their time talking the next evening. It would be his last opportunity to be with Melissa for several months, and he intended to leave her with such exciting memories, no other man would ever win her heart.

* * *

As was her custom, Alanna left the house early the next morning, but Melissa slept late and when she finally awakened, her late-night tryst with Hunter lingered in her memory with the vague sweetness of a dream. She was certain she had met him, but to her mind, the encounter had been far more innocent than the one beside the road, which was precisely how she had intended it to be. She had sought only a few passionate kisses, and surely, despite Hunter's ardor, he could not have expected her to give more.

She was a lady after all, and he was an Indian brave, albeit an immensely appealing one. Where her mind had been the previous day on their ride home from Williamsburg she could not explain, but she was in full possession of her faculties now. A brief exchange of fevered kisses certainly made for a memorable interlude, but falling in love with an Indian would bring only tragedy, and she would certainly not disgrace herself with such an unsuitable match.

Melissa had left her bed, but was still wearing her nightgown and stretching languidly when her mother came to her door. Completely unburdened by guilt, she greeted Rachel warmly. "It looks like another lovely day. Tell me what to do for tonight's party."

"I'd appreciate your help in arranging the flowers," Rachel replied. "Then I'd like for you to convince Alanna to join us at supper tonight. We've had ample opportunity to observe the Indian scout, and he's no savage. Besides, Lieutenant Scott has promised to bring along two of his friends, and I'm hoping she'll like one of them."

"I asked her only yesterday if she would like to meet one of Ian's friends, but I'd no idea two had already been invited."

"What did she say?"

"She gave her usual reply. She doesn't care if she ever meets a man and falls in love." Melissa picked up her brush and began to brush the tangles out of her hair. "I don't think I'll mention Ian's friends. I'll simply insist she be at dinner to tell Byron and Elliott goodbye. If I make it sound as though they'll be insulted if she stays away, she can't refuse to eat with us. After all, we're just asking her to walk down the stairs, not to attend a party in town."

Rachel gave her clever daughter a hug before turning toward the door. "Perfect, I knew you'd think of a way to convince her to join us. I'll be out in the garden when you're dressed."

"Yes, Mama." Very pleased with herself, Melissa moved to the dressing table and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Ian had kissed her cheek a time or two, but now she wondered if he knew how to kiss as well as the Indian. If not, she would most certainly teach him. Not that night, of course, but soon.

* * *

After a day of Melissa's inspired coaxing, Alanna found herself agreeing to wear one of her cousin's fancy satin gowns. She chose a pale blue dress Melissa seldom wore, but the fact that she was several inches taller was readily apparent when she smoothed the skirt into place over a hoop and a dozen petticoats. Even encased in silk stockings, her slender ankles looked horribly unattractive to her.

"Oh, dear," she complained. "This doesn't look right at all."

Melissa stepped back to survey the problem and clucked her tongue impatiently. "That you have no beautiful gowns designed to fit you is your own fault, Alanna. Perhaps now you'll come with me on my next visit to the dressmaker's. It's high time you had more elegant clothes. You think just because you seldom leave the plantation you needn't dress well, but what about all the times we have guests? Hasn't it ever occurred to you that Mother and Father are embarrassed to have you look so neglected? It reflects very badly on them, you know."

Having never once considered that her choice of apparel was anyone's business but her own, Alanna was horribly embarrassed by her cousin's scolding. "Oh, no, I never thought—"

"No, of course not," Melissa chided. "You are too lost in yourself to worry about how we look to our friends. Well, that can't be helped tonight, but if you remain seated, or take care to stand behind me, no one will notice your gown is of an improper length. You look adorable otherwise, so let's go on downstairs and enjoy the party."

Alanna gave her skirt a tug in a vain attempt to find another couple of inches of material that just wasn't there. At least the sky blue slippers were the right size, so any anguish she might suffer was purely mental. A final glance in the mirror revealed a young woman who appeared more uncomfortable than adorable, but Alanna had agreed to go to dinner and forced herself to follow Melissa down the stairs.

It had been the prospect of dining with Hunter which had upset Alanna initially, but when she saw Ian Scott coming through the front door with two other young British officers, she panicked. She would have run right back up the stairs had Melissa not clamped her hand around Alanna's wrist and refused to let go. Trapped, Alanna took a fortifying breath, and telling herself that at least these unexpected guests were not Indians, she managed to respond to the introductions with a shy smile which completely charmed the Englishmen.

Hunter stood back, content to observe the festivities rather than participate. He had not expected Alanna to come to supper, and when she first appeared, he did not immediately recognize her. One of Melissa's ribbon-and-lace-trimmed caps sat atop her curls, and the blue gown was so flattering that for an instant he saw only a lovely young lady, rather than Alanna. When he did realize who she was, he managed a smile rather than an awkward gape, but Alanna appeared not to have seen him.

Knowing that he would not be ignored later that night, was all that kept Hunter from striding out of the Barclays' home, when Melissa appeared no more interested in him than she had been at supper the previous evening. He was pleased to see that she included Alanna in the conversation, and gave as much attention to Ian Scott's friends as she did to Ian. Soon after the British officers' arrival, two young women joined the party. Brunette sisters from a neighboring plantation, Sarah and Robin Frederick barely spoke to the Englishmen, before hurrying over to Byron and Elliott to chat.

When supper was announced, Hunter found himself seated with Byron, Elliott, and the Frederick sisters on one side of the table, with Alanna, Melissa, and the three British officers on the other. Because he had a clear view of Melissa between the silver candelabra and crystal vases filled with colorful cut flowers, he took his place without complaint. The other young men at the party were dressed in military uniforms, but he was not ashamed to attend in his buckskins. He was proud of who and what he was, but as always eager to learn, he kept a close watch on his companions and studied their every move.

Lacking Hunter's natural self-confidence, Alanna twisted her napkin into a tight knot during the blessing. The young man on her left, Graham Tyler, was the most talkative individual she had ever met, and she savored every second of her Uncle John's lengthy prayer, as it forced the young man to be silent. She did not want to be rude to him, but thought he must surely know that conversations required more than one person's comments to be successful. The other officer, Stuart Harnett, appeared to be a taciturn individual, and she thought it a shame that they had not been seated together, since neither would have pestered the other with needless conversation.

As the food was served, Alanna pretended to be listening to Graham and assiduously avoided looking in Hunter's direction. She was proud of herself for being there for Byron and Elliott, and hoped that with all the guests present she and the Indian would not have to exchange a single word. Others at the table addressed questions to him and he gave intelligent replies, but she had already known he was bright, and that did not make him any the less difficult to accept.

Unmindful of Alanna's worries, Melissa had an absolutely wonderful time the whole evening. Despite the presence of Alanna and the Frederick sisters, Ian was especially attentive, which was enormously flattering. She failed to notice that Hunter disappeared after supper somewhere between the dining room and parlor. It wasn't until Byron suggested their mother provide the music for dancing that she looked around and found him gone. Doubting that he knew any of the charming country dances she and her friends loved, she dismissed him from her mind, until after a marvelously entertaining evening their guests departed and she and Alanna went upstairs to bed.