Velvet Chains (Historical Romance) (33 page)

"I will never dishonor you, Lucas. I would die before I would ever shame you."

He lowered himself beside her and pulled her into his arms. "I wonder if you could withstand the test?"

His exploring hands moved slowly and sensuously down her throat and across her breasts, gently caressing the rosy tips. She groaned with pleasure. When one hand moved down her stomach to lightly rest against her inner thigh, she couldn't seem to breathe properly. His touch was so gentle it was as if he thought Season a fragile thing, as if he feared she might break.

"You are so lovely," he said in a gruff voice. "I ache for you. Do you ache inside, Season?"

She was incapable of answering when his head moved down to sprinkle kisses over her stomach. Yes, I ache inside, she thought wildly. He had set her body on fire, and he knew it. Her hands moved up to untie the queue in his ebony hair, and his dark locks flowed about his shoulders, blending with her golden hair. Drawing his face up to her lips, she spoke. "I ache, Lucas," she admitted at last.

Lucas' breath caught in his throat as he tasted her sweet lips. He had wanted to master her tonight, but in truth, she had become the master. He wanted to bury himself in her silken body, to make her part of his flesh. He thought of all the puny feelings other women had aroused in him in the past, and he knew he would never want anyone but this golden-haired seductress.

When he guided his swollen member into her warm, moist body, he thought the sensation he experienced was a little like dying. He was losing his grip on sanity. This woman he had married was stealing his mind as well as his heart. He couldn't bear to think that he must leave her in a few days.

Season felt wave after wave of pleasure flow through her body. When Lucas' hot mouth devoured her lips, she emitted a strangled moan of pleasure.

As Season's soft arms twined around his neck, Lucas buried himself deeply inside her. "You are mine, Season. No one can have you after tonight."

"No, no one," she breathed.

"I have waited an eternity to find the woman who could feed the hunger that raged within my body. I have found her, and she is you, my wife."

"Lucas . . ." She groaned. He seemed to be caressing her inner body, to be making her drift on an endless sea of pleasure from which they both soared to the heavens on an endless, pleasurable journey.

As his burning lips bruised her mouth, he tried to erase all memory of The Raven from her mind for all eternity.

Season felt that her whole being was feather-light, floating. Then her body shuddered, and she knew she had reached the highest point of ecstasy. She heard Lucas groan as one tremor after another shook his body. She knew she had given all of herself to him, because he had demanded it of her. He had mastered her and would take nothing less.

"My love, my lady," he whispered against her ear, and suddenly Season remembered another voice and other hands that had caressed her body. A sad and unwelcome loneliness swept into her heart, and she knew that even now Lucas hadn't succeeded in wiping out the memory of her dark lord of the sea.

A sob escaped her lips as Lucas rolled over and pulled her against him.

"What's wrong, love? Was I too rough with you? I didn't hurt the baby, did I?"

"I…feel as if I have wronged you, Lucas, and betrayed him at the same time." The words were out before she could stop them, and she felt Lucas stiffen.

Season clapped a hand over her mouth. What had she said? Looking up into his golden eyes, she saw the anger smoldering there. She tried to move away from him, realizing what she had said; but he jerked her against him. She waited to hear his angry words, but they were never spoken.

When he released his grip on her, she watched him stand up. "Damn you, Season, you are determined to throw happiness away with both hands. What can I do to make you see what you are doing?"

"I…am sorry, Lucas."

'Are you?"

"Yes. Oh yes!"

"You cannot have us both, Season. You are going to have to decide which of us you want."

"Lucas, I'm your wife. I told you how I felt about The Raven before we were married. Knowing this, you still wanted me. I am trying to be a good wife, but I cannot forget him overnight."

"Are you my wife? By law you are, but I wonder what that means to you." He began to dress, and she watched helplessly as he tucked his shirt into his trousers.

"I was going to leave next week, but I think it would be a good idea if I were to leave now, Season."

"Lucas!"

"Be silent!" he commanded. "I don't wish to hear anything you have to say at the moment. I don't know how long I will be away, but you will be taken care of. If something comes up that you can't handle, I know Robert will be glad to help you."

Season scrambled to her knees, wanting to call him back as he picked up his jacket and walked to the door.

Without a backward glance, he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. She had the strongest urge to run after him and beg him not to go. She hated herself for causing the hurt she had seen in his eyes. He didn't deserve to be compared to another man. Lucas had offered her his love, and she had thrown it back in his face.

Crawling onto the bed, she pulled the covers over her. Even now The Raven had reached out to destroy her, and in the process he had destroyed any tender feelings Lucas had for her.

She listened to the sound of a lone horseman riding away and knew that Lucas was gone. Season cried tears of despair when she realized what she had done to her husband that night. She couldn't really blame The Raven; it had been she who had dealt Lucas a cruel blow.

Lucas urged his horse into a faster gallop as he raced into the night. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Season as he could. She had become his one weakness, and she had torn his heart to shreds tonight. Perhaps it was best to give her some time to consider things. With him away, she would be able to think more clearly.

He desperately wanted to turn his horse and ride back to Season, but he wouldn't allow himself to give in to that weakness.

"Damn you, Season," he said aloud. "Damn you for making me love you!"

24

Lucas had been gone for over two weeks, and Season was having a hard time dealing with her guilt. She knew she had been the cause of his early departure, and she wished he would return so she could apologize to him.

The days seemed endless. Although she tried to keep busy, the manor house seemed to run smoothly with very little help from her. Drucilla had been running the household for over forty years and was more than competent.

Each night Season sat down to a solitary dinner and wished that Lucas would come home. She was finding that she missed him more than she had thought she would. The house seemed so empty without him.

She was only happy when she rode out on horseback to enjoy the crisp fall air. Then she was reminded of Chatsworth, where she had been isolated from the rest of the world, where she'd had no one to talk to except the servants who looked after her comfort.

Season always received smiling greetings from the slaves who worked the plantation, and she was learning to call many of them by name. The overseer, Mr. Walls, was an elderly man who had been at Rosemont for twenty years. He was always polite to Season, but they very rarely exchanged more than a friendly hello.

She missed Rebecca, who had gone to Williamsburg with Robert for their honeymoon and wouldn't be back for another week.

Season could do nothing but mark the passing of time and wait for Lucas to return. She tried never to think of the man who had stolen her innocence aboard the
Andromeda
, but she carried with her a grim reminder of him—the baby growing in her body.

One warm day Season allowed Molly to lace her into a gray velvet riding habit. She placed a matching gray hat on her unbound hair, set it at a rakish angle, and picked up her riding crop. Feeling almost light-hearted, she headed for the stables and mounted a gray gelding called Wildfire. Then she rode away from the house, across the meadow.

After Season had ridden a good way, she pulled up her horse and dismounted. The countryside was awash with brilliant autumn colors, and she drank in the beauty that surrounded her. Trailing its reins, the gray grazed near the stream. It was so peaceful that Season removed her hat and allowed the warm breeze to tangle her golden hair.

Leaning back against a tree trunk, she closed her eyes and listened to the soothing sounds of the stream. Brightly colored leaves drifted down about her, and she sighed contentedly.

Season hadn't been resting very well at night, but now she felt drowsy and vaguely realized she was about to drift off to sleep. The riding crop she had been holding dropped from her fingers, and her head slipped over to one side. Soon she drifted into a sound sleep.

Wildfire continued to graze on the dried grasses, unaware that his rider slept.

As the afternoon wore on, no one came to disturb the mistress of the manor. Finally, dark clouds covered the sun, and the warm breeze turned chill. Season awoke, feeling cold. She blinked her eyes and slowly stood up. She had a strange, uneasy feeling when she looked up at the sky and saw the storm clouds gathering.

Walking down to the stream, she dipped her hands into the cool water and splashed it on her face. A quick glance told her that Wildfire had not deserted her while she slept. She supposed she would have to return to the house, but she hated the thought of spending another lonely evening.

"Why so melancholy, my lady?" The deep raspy voice she knew so well had come from behind her. Season didn't need to turn around to know The Raven had come! Her heart was beating wildly, and she could hardly breathe as she turned her head to see him step from behind a tree.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, edging her way toward Wildfire. She knew she had to get away as quickly as possible, but she feared The Raven might try to stop her.

A strong breeze lifted his black cape and spread it out behind him. He stood with his legs spread arrogantly apart, his hands resting on his waist as if he were still aboard the
Andromeda
. "I have been watching you sleep for a long time. Do you know how beautiful you are?"

Season took another step toward Wildfire and was exasperated when the horse shied away. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?" she asked again.

Even though the black helm hid The Raven's face, she could feel him staring at her. Suddenly he moved, so quickly that he seemed to swoop down on her. She would have run from him, but he blocked her escape route, trapping her between himself and the stream.

"I will scream if you come near me!" she threatened. "I hoped never to see you again."

"There is no one to hear you scream, my lady. I made sure we were alone before I showed myself," he said in an amused voice.

"My husband will kill you if he finds you on Rosemont land. You had better leave quickly."

"I also made sure he was away before I came. I must say I was amazed to find you had married an English sympathizer. You didn't waste much time, did you? The last I knew you were to marry Edmund Kensworthy."

"How do you know Lucas isn't at the house and might come looking for me at any moment?" she asked, as tiny prickles of fear and excitement tickled her neck. What if he has come to take me away again? she thought, frightened.

"I make it my business to know everything that concerns you, my lady." His hand reached out and captured hers. "I even know you are carrying my child. Could you not have waited until I came back before you married Lucas Carrington?" His voice seemed to hold a note of accusation.

"How dare you say this to me! You left me alone and dependent on strangers. The child I carry may be yours by deed, but it belongs in fact to my husband."

He held her chin in a tight grip and forced her to look at him. "Do you love this man?"

Season pushed his hand away. "That is no concern of yours. I would suggest you leave at once." A part of her was frightened of him, while another part wished he would take her in his arms and soothe her battered heart.

"Suppose I told you I have come to take you away with me? Would you come freely, my lady?"

She whirled away from him. "You must be mad to ask such a thing of me! I am married, and I would never dishonor my husband in any way!"

The Raven seemed to tower above her. "He has no right to you—you belong to me. Do you ever think of golden beaches, of the night you willingly gave yourself to me? Come with me now and we will sail the seas and tempt fate."

Season threw her head back and tried to conceal her indecision. The Raven was offering her what she had once wanted more than anything. Now it was too late. How dare he come back into her life as if he had not abandoned her. If Lucas had not offered her the protection of his name, she would have been shamed before the whole world. No matter what her feelings were for The Raven, she would never let him persuade her to leave Lucas.

"I will never go with you, Raven. I want you to leave now and never…come back."

The gloved hand that brushed across Season's face was gentle, and she closed her eyes. "I know your husband is away from home. Come away with me now, my lady. You know you want to."

Her eyes flew open. "What makes you think I would want to go away with you. What kind of life would I have locked in your cabin aboard the
Andromeda
? What would I do? Wait for the times you would remember I was alive so you could come to me and—"

"Make love to you," he finished for her.

"Go away! I don't want you here," she cried in a strangled voice, backing farther away from him.

"I could dispose of your husband, and you would be free to marry me," he suggested in an amused voice.

"You wouldn't dare! If you ever harmed Lucas, I would hate you until I die." Season moved closer to him and clutched at his black cape. "Promise me you will never hurt Lucas. Promise me now!"

"If he means so much to you, my lady, perhaps I should get rid of him. It would solve one of my problems."

"Lucas is no problem to you."

"Ah, but there you are wrong, my lady. He has what I treasure most in life."

"If you mean me, you didn't treasure me enough to keep me with you."

"I thought you wanted to be free of me. Did I not do you a favor by turning you over to Lucas Carrington? Besides, when I allowed you to go, I had no way of knowing you were carrying my child."

Season made a leap for the horse's trailing reins and would have mounted had a hand not gone around her waist. To her surprise, however, The Raven lifted her up and placed her in the saddle, but he kept a hand on the reins.

"I will be back a week from tonight. I will be waiting for you right here at eight o'clock."

Season jerked the reins away from him and whirled the horse around. "I will not be here," she said.

"You will come. I know you wouldn't want to keep me waiting. Remember, one week from tonight, right here."

Season applied the whip to her horse, and the animal leaped forward. She rode away without once looking back. Her heart seemed to be keeping time with the horse's hooves, and something inside her wanted to return to The Raven so she could throw herself into his arms. Even now she loved him.

Once she came within sight of the plantation house, she slowed her pace. Why had The Raven come? she wondered. What did he expect of her? He had said he knew about the baby, but he hadn't sounded overjoyed. Perhaps he wanted her to betray Lucas. He might want her to extract some information from him. No matter how much she loved The Raven, she would never betray Lucas.

The Raven watched Season depart, a dull ache deep inside him. He had wanted to tell her how happy he was about the baby, but he hadn't found the right words. He had tried to stay away from her, but something had pulled him back. He had asked her to come to him next week, and he knew she would come. At that time, he would find out how deep her feelings for him were.

Three days had passed since Season had seen The Raven. She was supervising the cleaning of the books in the library, when Molly came in with a strange expression on her face.

"You aren't going to believe who's here, insisting he see you right away, my lady?" the maid said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I have told you repeatedly not to call me 'my lady,' Molly," I am no longer using that title."

"Just because you aren't using it, don't make you other than what you was born."

Season sighed exasperatedly and she wondered if Molly would ever see reason. "Who wants to see me?" she asked, removing the apron she had tied about her waist earlier.

"None other than Sir Edmund Kensworthy, my lady, or ma'am, or whatever you want me to call you."

"Edmund is here?"

"Yes. I told him to wait in the sitting room, but if I'd had any sense I'd have sent him on his way."

"I wonder what he wants?"

"Like as not he'll tell you when you see him," Molly said, sailing out of the room.

Season dreaded the thought of seeing Edmund again. She paused at the sitting-room door and straightened her hair before entering.

Edmund rose from the settee when he saw Season.

"Edmund, what are you doing here?" she asked, noticing that he wasn't wearing his uniform.

"I might ask you the same thing. If my memory serves me right, you were supposed to marry me, but I find that instead you married my cousin, Lucas."

She walked over to the settee and seated herself, then she motioned him to a chair. "I had thought you would be glad to be free of your obligation to me. Did my father tell you that I am married to Lucas?"

"Oh, yes. He made quite an ado about how happy you were and he said you would be residing in Virginia."

"I still don't understand why you are here, Edmund. You are out of uniform, and if you are caught, you will be arrested as a spy."

"Oh, is the lady concerned about me?" he asked sarcastically. "I am truly touched."

"Why did you come here, Edmund? You know you shouldn't be here with Lucas away." She couldn't help thinking that Edmund's behavior was very peculiar. He was giving her a strangely uneasy feeling.

"I came here to kill my cousin, Lucas, and to get some things straight between the two of us, Season. Let's just say I wasn't overjoyed to be left waiting at the altar. I had my mind set on having you as my wife. Lucas is as good as dead."

Season stood up and faced him. "I will never allow you to harm Lucas, and he wouldn't like the way you are talking to me. If you are wise, you will be gone before he finds you on Rosemont."

"When I left New York, your husband was still there. I might say he seemed to be enjoying himself without his wife. You might want to ask him about a certain Lady Southerland. They seem to be very good…friends."

Season felt her face burn. How dare Edmund imply that Lucas was seeing another woman. "State your business and then leave, Edmund. I have neither the time nor the desire to trade insults with you."

He stood up and walked slowly over to her. Season watched as he withdrew something from his pocket, and she gasped when she saw it was her diamond and emerald necklace. The last time she had seen the necklace had been in Maude's bedroom in Tripoli! Quickly she looked at Edmund, searching his face for an answer.