Sweet Silken Bondage (5 page)

"I will."

The moment was a poignant one as their gazes
locked. Philip knew his son was a man now, but he
couldn't stop himself from throwing his arms around him and hugging him. Clay returned the embrace
without reserve, feeling all the love and affection his
father held for him in that one heartfelt moment.
When they moved apart, there was no embarrassment,
only a true depth of caring.

Clay picked up his things then, and they started
from the room. They made their way to the front of the
house without saying anything more.

"You be careful and take care of yourself," Philip
urged as they stepped out onto the wide front porch.

"You, too," Clay replied. They clasped hands one
last time. After a final glance at the house, Clay
descended the stair$ to mount the waiting Raven.
Putting his knees to Raven's sides, he headed off down
the drive, a solitary man.

Philip watched his son ride away, his heart filling
with an acrid bitterness for the woman who was responsible for all their misery.

"Evaline..." he spat. Her name was a curse on his
lips as he silently reviled her. He'd despised her ever
since that fateful day six years before. Evaline-so
selfish, so vicious, so destructive. The pitiful part of it
was, Philip knew she had no idea of the heartbreak
she'd caused her son. The woman was completely
without conscience.

During the last six years, Philip had been tempted to
tell Clay the truth about his mother, but had refrained.
Clay had loved her deeply with a child's devotion, and
he had not wanted to take that last vestige of innocence
from him. As he watched him disappear from sight,
Philip wondered if he'd been wrong in trying to protect
him. Guilt assailed him for keeping his silence, but he
dismissed it. Clay had been bound to find out about
her for himself, and now that he knew the truth too,
neither one of them would ever be hurt by her again.

Righteous anger blossomed in his bitterness, and as
Philip turned back into the house, he knew it was time
to take action. There was no longer any reason to allow Evaline to continue to sully the Cordell name. He
would send word to his attorney in New Orleans and
have him start divorce proceedings immediately. Since
Clay knew the truth, it didn't matter any more. He
didn't have to continue to pretend that there was hope.
He wanted that remaining tie between Evaline and
himself cut as quickly as possible. As Philip sat down at
his desk and began to write the missive to his lawyer, he
felt a lightness of spirit that he hadn't experienced for
years, and he knew instinctively that he was doing the
right thing.

Monterey, California, 1858

With shaking hands, Reina Isabel Alvarez adjusted
the skirts of the long-sleeved, high-necked white dress
she'd just changed into.

"Here, now put this on," her friend, Maria, a petite,
pretty, dark-haired girl, instructed solemnly as she held
out a floor-length garment that was to be worn biblike, front and back over the loose-fitting dress.

Reina did as she was told, slipping the unusual piece
of clothing over her head and feeling as if she'd been
enveloped by a tent when it was in place.

"Here, Reina. This is most important..."

Reina reached for the stiffly starched, waist-length,
black veil that Maria offered. She was about to don the
headpiece when her gaze fell upon the pile of her own
hastily discarded clothing on the small bed nearby, and
she hesitated. Staring at the fashionable emerald-green
riding habit and fancy petticoats, Reina's expression
was tinged with regret. She loved beautiful clothes, and
it pained her to think that she had to give them up.
The memory of her purpose reasserted itself, though,
and her dark eyes hardened with their intent. With a
strength of will inherited from her father, she put on
the veil, tucking her long, raven tresses beneath it.
That done, she turned to face her friend, who'd been watching the final transformation in silence from
across the room.

"Well, Maria, what do you think?" Reina asked
nervously, taking care to keep her voice soft and low.
Only Maria knew she was there in the convent, and it
was important that she not be discovered.

Maria, Reina's friend since childhood stared at her
in awe-struck wonder. "Take a look for yourself," she
urged in a whisper, pointing to the small mirror over
the washstand in the corner of her tiny, spartanlyfurnished bedroom.

Reina swallowed tightly as she turned to the mirror.
This had to work! It just had to! She lifted her gaze to look
at her reflection and was startled by the vision of the
woman who gazed back at her. It was she, and yet, it
wasn't!

Reina studied her mirror image in disbelief. The
eyes were her eyes, wide, dark brown and expressive as
they reflected the uncertainty she was now feeling. The
mouth was her mouth, full and mobile, given to quick
pouts and even quicker smiles when she was given her
way. The chin was her chin with its determined tilt that
revealed so much of her fiery, stubborn personality.
Yet, despite recognizing all these individual features,
with her hair hidden beneath the concealing veil, she
looked entirely different. She looked like a nun.

"I don't believe it..." Reina breathed, staring at
herself.

"Believe it. You look as if you were born to a
vocation," Maria said in a low voice, wondering how
the haughty, flamboyant Reina Alvarez, only daughter
of the richest ranchero in the valley, could change her
image so completely just by donning a nun's habit.
Reina looked positively devout, and if there was one
thing Reina wasn't, it was devout. Not that she was a
bad person. It was just that for as long as Maria had
known her, Reina had been too full of herself, too
much in love with the joys of living her life to the fullest to give much thought to anything besides her own
pleasures.

"Perhaps I should consider joining you here?" She
glanced back over her shoulder at her friend.

"Don't jest about something so sacred," Maria reprimanded her firmly. She knew full well what Reina's
thoughts were about the religious life, for she had tried
to talk her out of joining the order several times. Maria
had not listened to her, though, and had just been
professed after completing her required year as a novice.

"Who's jesting?" Reina returned petulantly. "Even a
life here would be far preferable to being forced to
marry that disgusting American!" She practically spat
the word "American," so deep was her dislike for the
man her father had so unexpectedly chosen to be her
betrothed.

A shiver skittered down Reina's spine as she remembered how only three nights ago her father had announced his plan that she would marry the American,
Nathan Marlow, in just six short months. If that hadn't
been shocking enough, he'd refused to listen to her
objections, and his uncharacteristic, callous disregard
for her feelings had hurt her. Still, at the time, Reina
had felt certain that she would eventually be able to
convince him to change his mind, for, after all, he had
never denied her anything before. But when her father
had gone ahead and made the surprise announcement
that very night at the party they were giving at Rancho
Alvarez, she'd been trapped.

Furious over what Reina considered to be her father's betrayal, she'd been forced to act out a charade of
happiness for their guests with the smiling, gloating
Nathan at her side. When the crowd of well-wishers
who'd gathered around the happy couple had dispersed, she'd been helpless to object as the blondhaired American businessman had maneuvered her
out onto the patio for a few minutes alone. Reina had tried to maintain her calm, but when Nathan had
boldly kissed her and then attempted to caress her, she
had fought him tooth and nail. Reina had had her fair
share of kisses from her many suitors, but there had
been something about Nathan's touch that had repulsed her, and she wasn't quite sure why.

Reina grimaced inwardly now, as the memory of his
derisive laugh and taunting words "Don't worry, Reina, I
can wait for our wedding night. You'll be mine soon enough!"
echoed threateningly through her. Again, Reina shivered, and, realizing that Maria was talking to her, she
dragged her thoughts away from the misery of that
night.

"I don't understand how you can say Nathan Marlow
is disgusting," Maria was saying. "I've seen him, and
he's not an ugly man."

"If you think he's so handsome, you marry him!"
Reina told her heatedly, knowing she would never be
able to stand having him touch her again.

"Reina! You know I'll never marry! I was just saying
that Nathan's not unattractive. He's rich, too, isn't he?"

"I don't need money, and I certainly don't need a
husband!" Reina faced her friend, her eyes flashing
with indignation. "I just don't know how my father
could have done this to me! How could he have pledged
me in marriage without first considering my feelings?"

"It's true, this doesn't sound like your father," Maria
agreed, puzzled. "Did you try to talk to him about it?"

"I tried, but he wouldn't listen!"

"What reason did he give you for his sudden decision
that you should marry?"

"That's what's so strange. He wouldn't give me a
reason. He just said that it was time I got married and
that Nathan was perfect for me. I'm only nineteen,
Maria, hardly a spinster!" Reina agonized. "I've always
dreamed of marrying for love, but now..."

"Is there some other way you can make your point
with him?" Maria suggested hopefully, trying to dis courage her from this wild scheme she'd concocted.
Yet, even as she tried to dissuade Reina, she knew her
obstinate friend was not about to be deterred.

"No, I've tried everything already. When Father
locked me in my room and-"

"I don't believe it! He locked you in your room?"
Maria was shocked. She had known Luis Alvarez all
her life, and it was not like him to be so harsh with his
daughter.

"Yes, and he threatened to keep me there until I
agreed to do as he ordered." Reina felt suddenly tired,
and she sat down on the small bed. "I stayed there for
one whole day, but it didn't sway him at all. When I
tried to talk with him again, he still refused to listen to
reason. That's when I knew I had to do something
drastic just to let him know how serious I was."

"So you came here..."

"It took me almost a full day of traveling by horseback, but it was worth it. Father will never look for me
here, and, with this disguise, I should be able to make
it safely to New Orleans. I have friends there who'll
help me."

"You're planning on traveling to New Orleans
alone?"

"I am." She bristled at her friend's unspoken criticism. Nothing was going to stop her from escaping the
fate her father had planned for her, nothing!

"But you can't!" Maria insisted, coming to sit beside
her. "It isn't safe for you to travel unescorted."

"God will be my escort," she replied with flourish.
"I'm a nun now, remember? No one's going to bother
me."

"I wish I could be as sure as you are."

"You can be sure, Maria. Nothing's going to happen
to me." A rueful smile curved Reina's lips as she stared
down at the relatively shapeless garment she wore. She
had always prided herself on her extensive wardrobe,
making it a point to be perfecdy gowned for every occasion. Certainly, Reina decided, this was the perfect
gown for this occasion. Since the habit reflected an image
of purity, chastity and godliness, Reina was sure that
no man would even look at her, let alone give her a
second thought. It was the total opposite of her usual
way of thinking, and yet, she was immensely pleased
by the idea. To make her getaway, she had to travel
unnoticed.

"I hope not!"

"Everything's going to be fine once my father realizes
that I'm not about to marry Nathan," she declared,
believing in her heart that her father would come
around to her way of thinking.

There was a sound in the hall outside Maria's closed
door, and the young nun's eyes widened in sudden
panic as she realized the precariousness of their situation. She had smuggled Reina into the convent when
she'd come to her for help, and she could not afford to
have anyone discover she was there, especially not
wearing one of the other sister's borrowed habits.

"Shhh..." She clutched Reina's hand as she glanced
nervously toward the door. "If we get caught now..."
Her stomach knotted at the thought. Her Mother
Superior wouldn't look kindly on her activities with
Reina.

Maria's warning reminded Reina that her victory
over her father's unbending domination was not yet
insured, and she went a little pale.

"We'll have to be extra careful," Maria warned.

"How soon can I leave without anyone seeing me?"

"Maybe another hour... everybody's usually in
bed by midnight. We can sneak you out then."