Savage Destiny (The Hearts of Liberty Series, Book 1) (25 page)

With their father's encouragement, Byron and Elliott described their recent adventure, but Alanna excused herself at the first mention of bloodshed. While she had listened to her cousins' tale, she had been haunted by the memory of Hunter's agonized expression when he had learned of Melissa's marriage. He had tried to hide his pain, and had succeeded with the others, but she was far more observant. She could appreciate his need for solitude, but at the same time, she did not want him to suffer needlessly.

As she started across the lawn toward the dock, Alanna could not help but marvel at the improvement in her attitude since Hunter's first visit. She had been terrified of him, not for who he was, but simply for
what
he was, and that had been most uncharitable of her. Due to her aunt and cousin's encouragement, she was more comfortable in the company of others now, and because she felt she owed him an apology, she thought this might be the perfect time to give it. As she had suspected, he was down by the river, but he had left his buckskins and moccasins on the dock and was swimming. Not wanting to embarrass either of them, she turned back toward the house, but Hunter had already seen her and called out her name.

Alanna turned around slowly. "I wanted to speak with you, but it can wait."

Hunter reached the dock in three long strokes, but remained in the water. He flipped his hair out of his eyes. "Did Melissa send you?" he asked.

A sense of obligation had prompted Alanna to deliver an apology, but she was surprised by how much his question hurt. "No, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I had a message of my own."

Hunter cursed his own stupidity for even imagining Melissa might have sent her cousin in her place, but he wasn't so lost in his own misery that he didn't notice the sudden change in Alanna's mood. The newly confident young woman who had stood before him only moments before had disappeared, and in her place he saw the same sad, sweet waif he had known. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disappoint you either. Turn around, and I'll come out and dress."

Alanna did as he asked, but what had struck her as a good idea when she had left the house, now seemed a fool's errand. Like so many men before him, Hunter was infatuated with Melissa, and he wouldn't care what Alanna had to say. He probably wouldn't even hear it. When he touched her shoulder, she jumped in surprise, but managed a faint smile as she turned toward him.

He had donned only his britches, and the water dripping off his hair was rolling down the muscular planes of his chest in slippery trails that caught her eye, and made it difficult for her to meet his gaze. The deep bronze of his skin added to the aura of masculine perfection, and while she knew she was staring, he was so attractive it was impossible not to. This was the first time she had seen him as a man rather than a dreaded savage. That he would prove to be so appealing was such a shocking sensation, she fought to force it away, but she had to clasp her hands tightly to resist the temptation to reach out and touch him.

Thoroughly distracted, she could scarcely recall why she had come looking for him. Finally, she began haltingly, "The last time you were here, my memories governed my behavior, and I was very rude to you. You didn't deserve it, and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am."

Alanna's expression was so painfully sincere, Hunter had no difficulty believing her. He now doubted that Melissa had meant anything she had told him, but Alanna impressed him as a woman whose emotions couldn't be hidden to enable her to lie. "The fault was mine, too," he replied.

"Oh, no, it was not," Alanna argued. "You were very kind, and I simply wasn't able to appreciate it. I know I must have hurt your feelings, and I'm so sorry."

Hunter frowned slightly. "Most people do not even realize Indians have feelings."

Alanna glanced back over her shoulder and, seeing no one in view, hastened to add another thought. "Please, you mustn't judge Melissa too harshly. Men have always adored her, but I fear she seldom took their attentions seriously. It's plain that you like her, and I understand why finding she's married Ian would disappoint you, but you mustn't dwell on it. Whatever casual flirtation you shared is over. She loves her husband dearly."

To have such an innocent creature lecture him on love was more than Hunter could bear. He reached out to grab her shoulders and replied in a tone she could not mistake for anything but rage. "You know nothing of what happened between Melissa and me. I'll stay here only one night, and I want you to tell Melissa I have to see her alone. She knows when and where to meet me. If she refuses, tell her I'll have a long talk with Ian in the morning."

When Alanna was too frightened to speak and simply stared at him wide-eyed, Hunter shook her. "Do you understand?"

Trembling badly, Alanna managed a nod.

"Good. Now repeat it. What are you going to say?"

Alanna had to swallow hard to force back her fear. "You want Melissa to meet you tonight. She's supposed to know when and where. If she doesn't, you'll talk with Ian in the morning."

Satisfied, Hunter dropped his hands to his sides and stepped back. "Deliver my message, and there will be no further need of apologies between us."

"No," Alanna swore as she backed away. "It's you who owes me one now." Panicked, she picked up her skirts and ran toward the house. Ian was expected home soon, and Melissa had gone upstairs to their bedroom to rest until he arrived. Alanna knocked lightly at their door, and waited for her cousin's welcoming call before she entered. Still shaking badly, she took the precaution of locking the door to insure their privacy before she approached the bed.

She studied her cousin's expression closely as she repeated Hunter's demand, but Melissa showed not a flicker of interest, let alone dread. "He's furious with you," Alanna warned, "and if there's something you'd rather he didn't tell Ian, I think you ought to get up and speak with him now."

Melissa covered a wide yawn. "I'll do no such thing, and I don't want you talking to him again either. Because he was my brothers' friend, I tried to be nice to him when he was here in April. Obviously he misinterpreted my friendliness for something more. It's unfortunate, but I won't compound the problem by talking with him now, or sneaking out at midnight either."

"Is that when you met him before?"

Aghast at the secret she'd just revealed, Melissa sat forward and attempted to save herself. "No, of course not. That was what he asked though, so I'm sure that's what he means now."

Recalling the vehemence of Hunter's tone, Alanna was amazed by her cousin's calm. "What is it he's threatening to tell Ian?"

"I've no idea," Melissa insisted. "The man's a savage. He might make up any wild tale, but don't worry, I'll speak to Ian, so there won't be a problem no matter what Hunter says."

Hunter had reacted as though he had a right to feel betrayed, but he had terrified Alanna, and she found it impossible to plead his case. "I hope he does leave tomorrow."

"So do I. I wonder why he bothered to come."

Alanna made an easy guess. "Apparently he thought the trip was worth making. I wish you could have seen his face when your mother said you'd married Ian. He may have meant nothing to you, but it was plain you meant a great deal to him."

"He's an Indian."

"He's also a man who cares about you."

Melissa raised her hand to massage her forehead. "Please, Alanna, no more. I'm not feeling well, and I don't think I'll come downstairs for supper. Will you please ask my mother to send up a tray?"

As Alanna unlocked and opened the door, she heard Ian coming up the stairs. "Shall I make that two trays?" she asked her cousin.

"Yes, please do." Melissa held out her arms to welcome her husband with an enthusiastic embrace. "That awful Indian is here again, and somehow he thought that I liked him. I'm so embarrassed that he could have mistaken my friendliness for affection, that I'd rather not sit at the same table with him. Do you mind?"

Alanna closed the door before Ian replied, but she had the uneasy feeling she had just witnessed a performance that would have done a professional actress credit. She would have liked to have provided an excuse herself and also eaten in her room, but unwilling to take such a cowardly option, she forced herself to join the family. Her apprehensions proved unfounded when there was nothing threatening in Hunter's manner during the meal, and as they left the dining room for the parlor, she stepped close.

"I gave Melissa your message."

Hunter barely nodded his appreciation, and because Melissa had not asked Alanna to convey a reply, she kept their conversation to herself. John wanted to hear more about the skirmish with the French, and she and Rachel excused themselves and went to their rooms, rather than listen to any more of the disastrous tale. Once there, however, Alanna found it impossible to prepare for bed. She knew she ought not to be so curious about what had transpired between Hunter and her cousin, but Hunter's anger and Melissa's denials had left her aching to know the whole story.

She was still dressed and wide-awake when she heard her uncle and cousins come up the stairs. She listened at her door, expecting to hear them tell Hunter good night before he went up to a guest room on the third floor, but apparently he wasn't with them. Had he decided not to spend the night? she wondered. Or had he merely gone to meet Melissa?

She opened her door a crack, and sat down where she would be sure to hear anyone passing by her room. She sat nervously fidgeting in the dark, and prayed that any footsteps she heard would be Hunter going upstairs to bed, rather than Melissa sneaking out to meet him. She had nearly nodded off when the clock in the parlor struck midnight. Instantly alert, she rose and moved to her door. In the next instant she felt rather than heard Melissa tiptoe past her room.

Alanna did not mean to spy on Melissa, but she did not think her headstrong cousin ought to meet Hunter alone either. She waited a few seconds to allow Melissa to reach the bottom of the stairs, and then followed her outside. The moonlight reflecting off her white nightgown created a ghostly image, and Alanna had no trouble keeping her in sight. She followed at a discreet distance, but realizing that Melissa was headed for the dock, she swung around to the south and approached through the trees bordering the river. She was too far away to overhear Melissa's conversation with Hunter, but she could at least keep an eye on her cousin and run to her aid should she need it.

Unaware that they were being observed, Hunter rushed forward to greet Melissa. He drew her into a warm embrace and kissed her with a demanding passion meant to inspire the truth. Rather than welcoming his affection as she had in the past, however, Melissa was coldly unmoved by his ardor and stood stiff in his arms. When he released her, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

"I'm a married woman," she stated proudly, "and I've come to tell you goodbye. I've already spoken to Ian about you, so you can just forget making any vile threats. He'll never believe you."

Hunter grabbed her arm to again pull her close, and slid his hand over the slight swell of her belly. "Does the fool believe this babe is his?"

"It is his," Melissa swore.

"Not if you were wed in May."

"We were secretly married a month earlier. That's when the child was conceived."

Her golden hair glowed in the moonlight, but her features were shadowed, and Hunter recalled how many nights he had lain awake trying to see her face clearly in his mind's eye. He had remembered her blue eyes had the bright sparkle of the sun and her fair skin the cool beauty of the moon, but now he saw her as no more than the pale reflection of his own desires. Cold, heartless, that she had deceived him so easily filled him with shame.

"You were with me in April," he reminded her.

"That was no more than a foolish mistake I shan't repeat."

"Neither will I," Hunter responded with equal bitterness, "but how can you be certain who fathered your babe?"

Melissa knew the truth, but she had buried it so deep in her soul that she could not admit it to anyone, least of all to him. She wrenched free of his grasp and began to back away. "Don't try and make trouble for me," she warned. "If you even hint to anyone that I so much as kissed you, I'll swear you raped me. My honor is as precious to my family as it is to me, and you'd not live to stand trial for the crime."

Shocked by the venomous hatred dripping from her words, Hunter forgot the string of ugly insults he had practiced, and merely shook his head in disbelief. "Is it really me you despise, or yourself?"

"You! Now go away and don't ever come back!"

Hunter didn't try and stop her when she ran from him. Instead, he turned toward the river and wished with all his heart that he had had the sense not to climb out of the
bateau
the first time he had visited the Barclay plantation. That had been his first mistake. His affair with Melissa had been another, but he vowed there would not be a third.

The brevity of Melissa's meeting with Hunter had assuaged Alanna's fears for the moment, and she hurried back to her room. She did not know what she had expected, but if Melissa and the Indian could settle their dispute so quickly, then she tended to believe her cousin's story had been closer to the truth than his. Grateful that Hunter would be gone in the morning, she climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

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