Ecstasy's Promise (Historical Romance) (24 page)

Dan laughed. "It has been my experience with Victoria that nothing or no one can prod her into anything until she is ready."

"Alas, Doctor, you know my Tory very well. When she was small she had me twisted around her little finger. I adored her even then. I am five years her senior; yet it was always she who had the upper hand. I can remember the first time I saw her, she was only two months old. As I looked down into her cradle, saw her golden ringlets and blue eyes, I knew I had lost my heart, even at the age of five."

"How romantic," Monica said, leaning forward. "Tell us more."

"Well," Paul said, "when Tory was six and I was
eleven, she demanded that I have no more birthdays until she caught up with me in age, so we could be married."

Monica laughed. "Continue, Mr. O'Brian, this intrigues me."

Edward watched, his dark eyes smoldering. He felt murderous rage well up inside him. This new emotion, jealousy, did not set well with him. It was a feeling so foreign to him, and he did not know how to deal with it. In the past when he had tired of a woman, he never gave her a second thought if she turned to another man. But then, he was not tired of Victoria; nor would he ever be. He tried to swallow the rage that threatened to overwhelm him. He gritted his teeth as Paul continued speaking.

"Well, being eleven," Paul said, "it was not popular to be fond of the opposite gender, as all my friends thought girls were dumb. So I began to think of Tory as something of a nuisance."

"Then what happened?" Clarissa asked.

"Well… when Tory reached fourteen, I was a young man of nineteen. I began to notice the attention she was receiving from all the other young men of the county. I was horrified that my feelings were so strong for a mere child. Tory was a minx, but she had already blossomed into a beautiful young lady. I felt jealous of all the attention showered upon her. Unconsciously, I had begun to think of Tory as my property. The war came and I had to leave. I was plagued by doubt and uncertainty. Tory was too young for me to tell her of my feelings. I wondered if she would still be free by the time I returned home. When I received my first leave, Tory was fifteen. I attended a ball at a neighboring plantation. When I saw Tory, she was surrounded by young men. I worried over how to approach her. She seemed totally unaware of me, while I could not keep my eyes off her. She was beautiful. She was still too young to be married, but I could not leave without telling her of my feelings."

"Did you tell her?" Monica asked.

"Yes." Paul smiled. "And that is as much of the story as I am willing to share with you. It is enough for you to know that I am here now, and Tory wears my engagement ring."

"Being engaged does not always lead to marriage, Mr. O'Brian," Edward said acidly.

"It is my belief that the one usually follows the other, Mr. Hanover, but maybe you speak from experience." Paul wondered at the hostility in Mr. Hanover's voice.

Edward swallowed the anger that threatened to choke him. His hand gripped the porch railing. He looked at Dan, who knew Edward well enough to recognize the danger signs.

Clarissa reached for Dan's hand. "Whoever said romance was dead did not know Paul and Victoria. I would say that romance is alive and well."

"Hello," Victoria said, coming out onto the front porch. All eyes turned to her as she stood in the doorway. Her golden hair fell about her face and spilled down her shoulders. Her white silk dress made her look angelic. She looked so lovely standing in the halo of light, that everyone seemed speechless as they watched her.

Victoria was totally unaware of the impression
she created as she walked gracefully toward Paul. "Did I hear the subject of romance being discussed?"

Everyone laughed except Edward. He did not find
any humor in her statement.

Paul took her hand and seated her in the chair he had just vacated, while he sat on the porch railing
beside Edward. Victoria noticed Paul's coat hanging
on the back of the chair. Not wanting to wrinkle it, she held it in her lap and gently ran her fingers over the material.

The gesture was not lost on Edward. He wanted to
order her to remove Paul's coat from her lap, and to remove his ring from her finger.

"Tory, I have just been telling your friends how we grew up together," Paul said.

"Did you tell them how I trailed after you, never giving you any peace?"

"I concentrated more on the fact that you bossed and bullied me as a child, Tory."

"That's not true, Paul. I never bullied you!" Victoria said indignantly.

Paul laughed. "Let your friends be the judge." He stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, picture if you
will, a fourteen-year-old boy. He is meek and mild-mannered. He prepares to sneak off to the Savannah
River for a few hours of solitude and an afternoon of
fishing, when he is approached by a nine-year-old golden goddess who asks 'Where are you going, Paul?' Well, Tory, says I, I am going fishing. 'Take
me with you, Paul,' says she. Not today, Tory. A boy needs time alone sometimes. Besides, girls make too
much noise and scare all the fish away. 'If you will let me come, Paul, I promise to be as quiet as a little mouse.' Well, I, being kind-hearted, finally agreed to let her accompany me. For the first five minutes, I was not sorry, for true to her word, Tory was quiet. After that, she began to squirm and ask all kinds of questions. Tory, I scolded, you gave me your word you would remain silent. 'Let me fish, Paul,' she begged. No, Tory, says I, fishing takes a lot of patience, and one must remain perfectly quiet. 'Oh, please, Paul,' she pleaded. All right, I told her, handing her my fishing pole grudgingly. 'Paul, will you bait the hook for me? I could never touch that awful worm.' I, never being able to refuse her anything, did as she asked. Tory sat down on the riverbank and dropped the line in the water. Now, picture if you will, my day had been completely ruined. I had given up my solitude, as well as my fishing pole. I became bored just watching Tory, and wanted to talk. I had hardly opened my mouth to speak, when Tory demanded I remain silent or I would scare the fish away. There was nothing for me to do but lie on the bank and watch. Before long Tory had a nibble. She jumped up, becoming very animated. 'Paul, I have caught a fish. Aren't you proud of me?' Let me help you pull it in, Tory, I volunteered. 'No, I caught it, I want to bring it in.' Well, she did. It was a good catch, at least a five-pound catfish. I watched as the smile left her face, and a look of horror replaced it. She began to cry loudly. 'Paul, please take the hook out of the fish; it is hurting, can't you see?' But Tory, that is the only way you can catch a fish, says I. She began beating
me on the chest with her fist.
‘
I said release it, Paul.
You do it right this moment.'

"I ask you gentlemen, what would you have done?" He paused. "Doctor, what would you have done in my place?"

Dan smiled. "I am afraid I would never have
allowed a girl to accompany me fishing when I was
fourteen. You did ruin his day, Victoria."

"And how about you, Mr. Hanover?" Paul asked, turning to Edward.

Edward looked at Victoria. "Most probably, I would have released the fish, Mr. O'Brian. I doubt that I would have been able to deny her any request."

"That is exactly what I did, Mr. Hanover, much to
my regret, and to Tory's delight."

"Is that story true, Mr. O'Brian?" Monica asked.

"Tell them, Tory. Did I speak the truth or not?"

Everyone had been listening intently as Paul talked. All eyes turned to Victoria, who could not keep from smiling. "To this day," she said, "I have not let catfish pass these lips."

"Miss Farraday," Monica said, "if Mr. O'Brian was mine, I would not wait too long to marry him, lest someone steal him away from me."

Victoria smiled at Paul. "Should I be worried?"

Paul said nothing; instead, he let his eyes answer for him.

Clarissa watched Edward. Since the day of the picnic they were coolly polite when they met. She still felt a pang of regret that he would never be anything in her life except a neighbor. "Speaking of marriage," she said, "I have heard that you have
decided to take a wife, Edward."

Dan leaned back in his chair and poked his hands in his pockets. "Yes, Edward, tell us about your plans," he said lazily.

Music was drifting to them from the house. Edward stood up and took Monica's hand. "Let's dance," he told her, leading her down the steps and onto the front lawn.

Victoria watched as Edward swung Monica into a dance step. She wondered if anyone had ever felt such pain as she was feeling. If only this night would end. Seeing Monica in Edward's arms was like a knife thrust in her heart.             

"Edward," Monica asked, "what did Clarissa mean when she said you were to be married?"

"Clarissa talks too much," Edward told her curtly.

"Then it is not true?"

"Monica, have I ever told you that I am partial to blue eyes?"

She smiled at him. "You like my eyes?"

"I am haunted by blue eyes," he told her honestly.

"What else do you like about me, Edward?"

How easy it was to distract her, Edward thought. "I am glad you came with me tonight; you are helping me retain my sanity."

"I do not think I understand."

"Don't think, Monica, just dance." She did not understand the anger in his voice.

Clarissa and Dan joined the dancers on the front lawn.

"Shall we join them, Tory?" Paul asked, removing his coat from her lap and replacing it on the chair.

Victoria allowed him to lead her to the lawn, and swing her into a dance. The next moment she was surprised when Dan broke in and asked that they change partners. Victoria danced with Dan until the music stopped.

"Where is the sparkle I saw in your eyes earlier?" he asked.

"It is too dark; you cannot see my eyes, Dan."

"I can sense them, though, Victoria."

"I am just tired, Dan."

"No, I do not think so, Victoria," he told her, still holding her hand.

The music started again.

"This is my dance," Edward demanded. He took Victoria's hand and pulled her roughly to him before she could protest. His hand seemed to burn into her skin while he gripped her waist tightly.

Victoria was vaguely aware that Paul danced with Monica. She felt Edward's arms tighten about her as he drew her close to his body. He laid his cheek to hers.

"I noticed the kiss you gave Dan when he arrived; yet you were barely civil to me. Did you not want a kiss from me, Victoria?"

She felt so weak and knew that if he were not supporting her weight, she would have fallen to the grass.

"I still want you," he whispered.

Victoria tried to pull away. His iron grip stopped her.

"Do not struggle, Victoria. Do you want the others to suspect that something is wrong?"

"Edward, please do not do this."

"Do you want me to tell you how you are tearing my insides out, Victoria? What if I told you I am hurting like hell?"

"Edward, do not say these things to me. Think of Paul and Monica."

"There is no one in the world at this moment but you and I, Victoria."

Victoria could not think clearly. Her heart threatened to betray her as she felt Edward's hand slip to the small of her back, caressing her tenderly. She felt his breath warm against her face, and felt his lips move over her skin.

"Say you want me, too, Victoria," he said huskily.

"No!"

"Liar. I feel your body tremble."

She felt his lips move to the corner of her mouth. "I want to kiss you, Victoria, until you beg for mercy."

"No," she said weakly. "Edward, the others will see."

"Do you think I give a damn, Victoria? I am drunk from the nearness of you. Give Paul his ring back. Send him away, please, and give yourself to me.

Victoria turned her head away. Was he asking her to be his mistress? How dare he? "You shame me in front of my friends, Edward."

Victoria felt his hand tighten painfully on her fingers.

"There is no shame in what I offer you, Victoria, though you seem to think there is. Go to your Paul O'Brian. Marry him, I do not give a damn."

"You are hateful and faithless, Edward," she accused.

"And you are heartless, Victoria," he retaliated.

The music stopped. Victoria tore herself out of Edward's arms and made her way quickly to Paul. She hoped her actions did not betray what she was feeling. Paul seemed not to notice anything out of the ordinary, however. He slipped a comforting arm about her shoulders. When she looked back to where she had left Edward, she saw him leading Monica across the lawn to his buggy. Victoria could tell by the way he walked that he was angry, and Monica was having a hard time keeping pace with him.

That night when Victoria went to bed, she cried bitter tears. Edward was completely faithless. Although he was going to marry Monica, he still had said those things to Victoria that indicated he was interested in her also. Monica would have an unfaithful husband in Edward, and yet Victoria envied her.