Savage Deception (Liberty's Ladies) (9 page)

No one had been unkind to her, no one had harmed her. It was all of this mystery, this waiting here in a house that had once belonged to the Sheridans that caused her uneasiness. But she realized he meant what he said about David. If she left without first learning what all of this was about she’d never forgive herself if anything did happen to him.

“I’ll stay,” she told him.

“Very well, ma’am.” He looked pleased. “My name is Curtis and the serving woman is Cammie. You must be quite hungry by now, so supper is waiting for you in the dining room.”

“Thank you, Curtis. Have you left a note for my sister?”

“I shall do that immediately,” he promised. “And I’ll deliver a hot meal for all of them.”

“And firewood, please. I’d be most grateful and I’ll pay you back very soon.”

“Don’t worry about cost, ma’am. Everything has been taken care of.”

With that, he bowed and headed downstairs, leaving her to ponder how and who had taken care of everything.

After Diana had finished her meal of freshly cooked fish in a thick cream sauce and a salad of winter vegetables, she found herself still waiting for an explanation. The large clock in the parlor chimed ten when Cammie appeared to tell her that her bed had been warmed and was ready for her.

Diana started to protest, but she realized the futility of it and followed Cammie into the master bedroom. Diana remembered this as Harlan’s room, but the green drapes that once graced the french doors leading onto the upstairs piazza were now cream colored with tiny flecks of rust. The counterpane on the large rice bed matched the drapes. Diana immediately saw that the furnishings had been rearranged, the bed now standing against the wall with a pair of french doors on either side. A mahogany chest of drawers and a dressing table graced the opposite wall, and to the right of that were twin wardrobes. On the left side of the room before the fireplace was an overstuffed chair that had been Harlan’s favorite but was now covered in a vibrant shade of rust instead of drab olive. A doorway trimmed in alabaster white led into a small room that Diana recalled as a dressing room, but upon closer inspection she saw that it had been turned into a bathing room, complete with a porcelain inlaid tub and privy chamber.

Clearly whoever inhabited the townhouse now had made remarkable improvements.

Cammie opened the wardrobe door and withdrew a white nightrail with lace at the neckline and the edges of the long sleeves. She placed it on the bed along with a matching robe. Diana watched in confusion as the woman gestured to the silk, satin, and velvet gowns that hung in the wardrobe, then opened a lingerie drawer at the bottom to reveal pairs of silk stockings and lacy garters. “Matching slippers are lined up beneath the gowns, Mrs. Sheridan. I hope all meets with your approval.”

“Everything is quite lovely,” Diana told the dusky colored woman, not certain what she was supposed to say. What difference could any of this make to her? Cammie waited expectantly. “Is something wrong?”

“I shall help you undress, Mrs. Sheridan. A warm bath awaits you after your long journey today.” Diana had no idea she was expected to bathe, but she gratefully allowed Cammie to undo the hooks on the back of her black gown and then stepped into the steaming tub of water.

After she’d finished bathing and was wrapped in a towel, Cammie entered with the nightrail. “I can’t wear your mistress’s clothes,” Diana protested.

Cammie laughed softly and held out the gown to Diana, who reluctantly took it. “The gown is for your use, Mrs. Sheridan, as are the clothes in the wardrobe. I thought you understood that. Evidently Curtis didn’t mention this to you.”

There were many things Curtis hadn’t mentioned, but Diana was so tired that the absurdity of the situation didn’t faze her any longer. She had no idea whose clothes and room this was, but she delighted in the feel of the soft material, which hugged her body as it fell into place. It had been a long while since she’d worn anything so fine and delicate. Her own nightgown at home had become quite ragged, but it was all she had. For the time being, Diana luxuriated in the softness of the nightrail and the sweet lavender-scented sheets. It seemed that her head had no sooner touched the pillow than she was asleep.

Sometime during the night she wakened, certain that someone had touched her cheek. Swiftly sitting up, Diana glanced around the room to find that the fire in the grate had burned low and suffused the room in a golden glow, but she saw no one. Yet even after she’d convinced herself that she must be dreaming and had once more drifted off to sleep, she could still feel the warmth of invisible fingers against her skin.

~ ~ ~

“But this scarlet gown is quite pretty and much warmer than your black dress, Mrs. Sheridan. Please wear this one. The master will be most upset if you don’t.”

Diana’s eyes blazed with controlled fury as Cammie laid the velvet gown on the bed. “I’m quite happy with my own clothes and have no intention of wearing anything else. Your master, whoever he may be, has no say over my apparel. He coerced me into coming here, but I won’t wear those!” Diana gestured furiously toward the glittering and beautiful dresses in the open wardrobe. “Just do the hooks on the back of my dress and let’s be done with all of this nonsense, Cammie! I’m eager to speak to your master and be on my way.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cammie reluctantly began to fasten the back of Diana’s gown.

Diana could barely restrain her rage or her curiosity. Impudent man, she silently fumed, having learned from Cammie that the master was waiting for her in the downstairs parlor. How dare this stranger think that he could spirit her away to his home, feed her and provide lodging and clothes for her and tell her what to wear. Who did this person believe he was to keep his identity a secret, to treat her as if she had no choice concerning her own comings and goings? And she didn’t have a choice at all, she realized. Not when David’s and Anne’s futures rested on her acquiescence to this unseen person.

She’d stayed the night as he’d wished, but she’d be damned if she’d wear any of the clothes in the wardrobe simply because he demanded it. If her widow’s weeds weren’t good enough for her to wear to discuss David’s plight then this dictatorial stranger would have to back down. Diana felt almost as if this master of whom Cammie spoke with such awe was attempting to master
her.
Well, she wouldn’t allow anyone to control her. Kingsley had nearly killed her with his sadistic mastery. Never again would she give anything of herself to another human being — and she refused to be at a man’s mercy.

Still the gowns in the wardrobe seemed to beckon to her. It had been a long time since she’d worn pretty clothes, and her black gown was becoming quite shabby. But she didn’t want to draw attention to her natural beauty so she chose to pull her dark hair in a severe knot at the base of her neck. In her widow’s weeds Diana felt comfortable and more likely not to attract a man’s attentions. Of course Farnsworth and Clay Sinclair seemed more than taken with her, but she decided that the war prevented them from seeking out eligible and willing women. Once the conflict was over, Diana reassured herself, both men would forget her.

Catching sight of herself in the dresser mirror, Diana only shrugged at her plain but tidy appearance, realizing that it wouldn’t be difficult for a man to forget her. She’d grown used to doing without the rouges and pretty clothes to enhance her appearance, to attract eligible men. She thought herself long past the age of girlish preening, but when Cammie finished doing the hooks, Diana’s gaze wandered to the gown on the bed. For an instant she imagined herself in the scarlet creation, envisioning how beautiful she’d look, especially with her hair rearranged in long curls down her back — the way she’d worn it the night of her engagement ball — the night that Tanner had …

“Cammie, tell your master I shall be down in a few minutes!” she declared harshly, pushing the intrusive image of Tanner Sheridan from her mind.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cammie said and curtsied to her as if she were a duchess and hurriedly left the room.

Diana breathed deeply, seeing the rosy splotches on her cheeks. She touched her face, wondering what was happening to her. Even after all these years, that memory could still undo her. Tanner’s face as he gazed down at her. Tanner’s arms around her waist when they danced. Tanner’s laugh. Tanner’s kiss. Tanner’s hands.

“Stop!” she demanded and attempted to compose herself. Was she going suddenly insane? Why in the name of heaven was she thinking about Tanner at this moment? David’s predicament should be uppermost in her thoughts now, that and the man who waited downstairs, a man who conceivably might be able to help him — not Tanner Sheridan. Never Tanner.

Moments later, after Diana had composed herself, she walked down the flight of stairs to the parlor that adjoined a larger room that had been used as a ballroom whenever Harlan stayed at the townhouse. But now the double doors to the ballroom were closed. The breezy overcast morning barely penetrated through the sheer hangings on the windows, but she heard the rustling sound of the palmettos in the garden outside as the plants brushed against the house.

A man’s broad back was to her. He was looking out of the window, and Diana thought he hadn’t heard her enter the room, thus allowing her a second to take in the elegant cut of his black velvet jacket and trousers, the way the expensive leather black boots fit snugly around his calves. His hair wasn’t arranged in the fashionable queue of the times but was cut short, the silky strands so dark that they blended with his attire.

She started to clear her throat but his deep voice stalled her. “I know you’re here,” he said.

“Then would you please be so kind as to turn around. It’s quite rude for you to ignore me if you know I’m standing here, sir.”

Cammie’s entrance to light a candelabrum on the piano brought Diana’s attention to her, but after Cammie left the man still hadn’t faced her.

“I understand that you wish to speak to me about my brother-in-law,” Diana began with an edgy note in her voice.

“Yes.”

“Well, sir, please tell me what it is you have to say, otherwise, you’ve wasted my time and yours. I do have other duties and responsibilities more important than…”

“More important than Richmond’s life?” He stiffened.

“More important than playing games with you! Good day to you. I’m leaving.”

Diana grabbed her skirt in her hands and swung around, but she barely moved before the man was by her side, his hand gripping her upper arm. The very nerve of the man to touch her like that caused her to grimace and glance up at him, ready to berate him for the deed. But the black eyes that raked across her face impaled her, and Diana felt unable to move, hardly able to breathe.

“Games are what you’re best at, if I recall, Diana. Tell me, why didn’t you wear the scarlet gown? Is it because your guilty conscience won’t let you?”

Shaking her head in mute disbelief, Diana couldn’t speak his name aloud. It had been so long since she’d seen him, but suddenly it seemed like the many yesterdays that separated them melted away.

Her heart thumped out his name. Tanner. Tanner. Tanner.

6

“Sit down, Diana, before you collapse.” Tanner led her to the sofa, where he placed her like a fragile doll on a shelf. Sitting side by side, they looked at one another for long moments before Diana finally felt the breath reach her throat and she was able to speak.

Her eyes condemned him. “You should have come to me directly instead of going through all of this intrigue.”

“Would you have come if I had?”

“No!” she blurted out and then reddened at the vehemence projected behind her answer. He’d believe she cared about him if she wasn’t careful. And she didn’t care about Tanner Sheridan. In fact she hated him.

Tanner stared at her until she grew uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. His sudden smile, so bright in his tanned, handsome face, nearly undid the last vestiges of any composure she’d managed to maintain. She was unwillingly reminded of how handsome she’d found him that night by the river, but if possible Tanner had grown more handsome and stronger with the years. The hold he still had on her arm was proof of that strength, and the warm fingers wrapped around her arm caused her to shiver with a sensation she recalled from that long ago night.

“Let my arm go,” she demanded.

His smile collapsed to be replaced by a mocking frown. “Excuse me, Mrs. Sheridan. I forgot myself.” Tanner stood up and went to the sideboard to pour himself a brandy out of a large crystal decanter. “Would you care for one?” he offered gallantly. At a quick shake of her head, he leaned against the sideboard and perused her thoroughly, from the top of her severely coiffed hair to the bottoms of her well-worn shoes. “You look awful, Diana.”

Her mouth fell open in mute surprise, and she had to force herself to close it. His comment stunned her. Though she knew it was true, she hated to think she looked so terrible that someone would have the gracelessness to tell her so. She’d lost weight the last months and was reduced to dressing like a beggar. Her widow’s weeds were worn not because she had loved Kingsley but because the gown was the best she owned. Shifting in her seat, she grew all too self-conscious of her thinness, especially in her chest, which had once been full-breasted. Now her gown hung on her like an ill-measured drape.

“Never let it be said that you don’t know how to compliment a lady,” Diana said dryly.

“The gowns in the wardrobe are for your use,’’ he told her. “I expect you to wear them and get rid of that ugly thing you’ve got on. It’s little better than a rag.”

“I will not!” she insisted, and decided that no matter how he insulted her she’d stand her ground. Tanner Sheridan wouldn’t dictate to her. Who did he think he was? He wasn’t Briarhaven’s overseer any longer, and she wasn’t a slave. “I’m in mourning for your brother, or probably you don’t care. Still, I don’t see what I wear or how I look has anything to do with this meeting. I thought I was brought here to talk about David. Or am I mistaken in that?” she asked suspiciously.

“No, you’re not mistaken.” Tanner took a seat in a chair covered in a rose print and stretched out his long legs until the toes of his highly polished boots were almost in contact with the hem of her gown. “David Richmond is going to hang within two days’ time. That’s why I was unable to speak to you last night. I was with Lord Rawdon, trying to arrange for his release.”

“And did you?” Diana now knew that Tanner had written the note, and if he had been with Rawdon, then he must be one of the very few people who had any influence with the man. Her hopes rose. Maybe Tanner was the answer to Anne’s prayers.

“Yes and no. Yes, I can arrange for Richmond’s release. Today, in fact. But I won’t unless you can promise me that I’ll be repaid.”

“Money? You want money?” Diana was incredulous. Tanner wanted payment to release David from prison when he had all of this? She gazed around the room then shot blue fire in his direction. “I don’t have any money and neither does Anne! You’re an awful man, a horrible person… .”

“I didn’t say money, but I do want payment. I’ve learned never to do anything unless there’s something to be gained from it, otherwise, the consequences might be too much to bear.” Watching her, his frown deepened until he shook himself and rose to refresh his drink. “You must realize by now, Diana, that I didn’t go to all of this trouble to get you here just so I could tell you  that I can arrange Richmond’s release.”

A shiver of apprehension slid down her back. “What do you want then?”

A nonchalant smile appeared on his face. “I promise that Richmond and his family will be taken to safety away from Charlestown this very afternoon, but only if you agree to one condition.”

“What condition?”

Tanner smirked and swirled the liquid in his glass without taking his gaze from her. “You’ll probably balk when I tell you, but I think that once you see the value of the situation, you’ll believe it’s for the best. Richmond will be released today, and your sister and her children taken to safety, only if you agree to marry me.”

The blood drained from Diana’s face. She felt cold, horribly cold. Tanner couldn’t mean to force her to marry him as a way of saving David. It was blackmail, she knew that. But why would Tanner insist she marry him to help David? He didn’t love her, had never loved her even when he spoke the words that night on the bluff. He’d lied to her to gain his vengeance on Kingsley and Harlan. Was he lying now? But why? Apparently he owned the Sheridan townhouse and must be a very wealthy man, so what could he hope to gain from marrying her, a nearly penniless widow, when he appeared to have so very much? Then the answer came to her in a flash. Tanner wanted something of hers; he wanted Briarhaven.

Heat shot back into her body with the force of an arrow. Her cheeks grew warm and her eyes gleamed like sapphires, in the sunshine. Her anger rose to think of how truly despicable he was to blackmail her like this.

Diana stood up and clasped her trembling hands in front of her. “I won’t marry you.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t believe anything you’ve told me. I doubt you can free David at all. I know what you want, Tanner, and I’m not going to let you have it.”

Tanner placed his drink on the sideboard and came to stand in front of her. She felt dwarfed by his height, the broadness of his physique, and the very strength contained within his body. But she refused to be intimidated by him and stared up at him in defiance even when he was so close to her she could smell the brandy on his breath.

“I doubt you know what I want at all.” His soft whisper fanned a wispy tendril at her ear that had escaped the knot. A shiver slipped through her when he suddenly touched her hair and gently coaxed the stray lock into place. She couldn’t deny that his fingers felt warm upon her earlobe or deny that a sudden longing swept through her. Tanner’s face was so near, his sensuous and mesmerizing lips were scant inches from her own. Her eyes were unwillingly trained upon his mouth, unable to draw back as an invisible force seemed to be pulling her toward him, and once again she was waiting for something as she had on that long ago night. Waiting. Waiting …

“He wanted to have his way with you!” Kingsley’s voice from the misty past of her wedding night harshly intruded into her thoughts. “Tanner hates all of the Sheridans; he hates you, too—”

“No!” came Diana’s protest. At first she had no idea she’d spoken aloud until she realized that Tanner had drawn himself up sharply and was watching her with a mixture of anger and something that hinted strongly of repulsion. She knew then that he didn’t desire her for herself, that he’d meant his earlier comment about her appearance. He really did want Briarhaven and would go to any lengths to claim it, even by marrying a woman he clearly didn’t desire.

He still must hate his family, and her, to use her so shabbily to achieve his goal. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it down, vowing not to cry like a silly goose in front of Tanner.

“You’re lying about David. I don’t believe he’s going to be hanged at all. What you want is Briarhaven, and I won’t allow you to have it or to hurt your father again.”

“Or besmirch my dead brother’s memory either,” he put in and sneered.

Diana flinched, saying nothing. In fact there was nothing but awful things to say about Kingsley, so she refrained from even mentioning him. “Then you admit you do want Briarhaven.”

“I admit nothing, but this says a great deal.” Tanner took a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Diana glanced at it, seeing three names upon it. David’s name was second. “That list is the execution schedule, Diana. The first fellow is going to be hanged tomorrow, and Richmond the following day. You can say anything you like to me. You can refuse my marriage proposal, but Richmond will die if you don’t agree.”

“Your marriage proposal is blackmail and you know it! I don’t know whether to believe you.” Her eyes implored him, but Tanner’s face was inscrutable, expressing no emotions. The choice of saving David was up to her. Her head swam with the implications. If she refused, David could die. She still wasn’t at all certain that Tanner wielded enough power to free David, but the very fact that he’d arranged for her safe passage to Charlestown and was evidently in close communication with Rawdon dispelled some of her doubts. But marriage to Tanner was something else again.

Would he demand his husbandly rights? Would he hurt her like Kingsley had done? But of course he would. A wife must endure her husband’s animal lust, and somehow she knew that Tanner would be more ferocious and possessive in bed than Kingsley. Yet hadn’t Tanner asked only that she
agree
to marry him? Once she gave him her word and David had been freed, then she would have done what was asked of her. Somehow she’d hedge on marrying him — that was all she need do. Tanner only wanted her word, and when the Richmond family was safe she’d break it.

“I agree to marry you,” Diana told him.

Tanner quirked an eyebrow, but he smiled and took the paper from her, replacing it in his pocket. “Such a ready acceptance makes my head spin. But you’ve done a wise thing, my dear. Now I suggest you fetch your cloak and let’s progress to the next stage of our relationship, because time is of the essence in this case.”

“What … do you mean?”

“Why our wedding, of course, Diana. Curtis has brought round the carriage for our ride to St. Phillip’s where the minister is waiting to perform the ceremony this morning. I knew you’d agree so I made the necessary arrangements in advance.”

“But … but … you said only that I agree to marry you.”

“And so you have, my love, but if you want Richmond and his family safe, then you will marry me today.”

“That wasn’t what we agreed upon!” she stated hotly, standing with arms akimbo. “I want some proof that David and my sister and the children are safe.”

“I promise you shall have it soon enough, but do hurry, Diana.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “Not many hours are left until the execution; even as you stand here dawdling and arguing about semantics the scaffold is being readied for your brother-in-law.”

Tanner’s threat was obvious. Diana knew she was beaten for the moment and sent Tanner a baleful look. Once she was in the carriage for the ride to the church she didn’t so much as look in Tanner’s direction, but she was aware of his large frame filling the small confines of the carriage, acutely aware of his masculine scent, which seemed to curl her very toes. He in turn watched her like a large hawk with its prey, unnerving her to such an extent that she trembled. However, it was not until he took her arm to lead her into the reverend’s study and a not unpleasant jolt of attraction surged through her that she finally focused fully upon him.

“I shall always hate you for this,” she confessed.

“I know that.”

And that was all Tanner said to her until he repeated his vows.

~ ~ ~

Diana stood on the piazza of the townhouse that overlooked the crashing waves of the Atlantic. The purplish haze of dusk descended like a gossamer counterpane, and overhead a thin sliver of a moon broke through a cloud. Soon it would be dark and still she waited, as she’d waited in the cold since the minute she’d arrived from the church earlier that day. She felt unable to wait inside, felt that the warmth of the townhouse wasn’t truly hers to enjoy, not until she knew with no uncertainty that David was free and reunited with Anne and the children.

A flash of gold on the third finger of her left hand caught her attention. Tanner’s ring to her, a tangible reminder that she was his wife now, binding her to him forever and always. She wanted to cry.