Swept Away (14 page)

“Why no, I don’t. But Alex asked me not to wear black for him. He wanted me to always wear the pastel colors he thought so pretty.”

Raven had no way of knowing what Alex had told Eden, but because that did sound like something the gracious man might have said, he didn’t question her any further. Her wardrobe was a minor point when Raven considered the fact he had absolutely no idea of the content of Alex and Eden’s conversations just prior to their elopement or during their brief marriage. If Eden realized that, then surely she would use it to her own advantage and cleverly fabricate all kinds of convenient things Alex might have said whenever she wished to make a point.

It was a disturbing thought, but if she and Alex had talked about something so insignificant as her wardrobe, what could they have failed to discuss? Realizing there were several important questions he ought to ask, Raven waited until they had finished their soup to respond.

“You knew all the while, then, that Alex didn’t have long to live?”

Eden was amazed by that question when she thought the answer had to be obvious. “Yes, of course. He told me before he proposed. The shock would have killed me when I lost him had I not known that each day we spent together might be our last. Perhaps we were overly optimistic under the circumstances, but we’d hoped to measure the length of our marriage in months or possibly years, rather than days. Didn’t you realize that I must have known Alex’s heart wasn’t strong?”

Raven shrugged. “I knew Alex meant to tell you, but I wasn’t certain that he actually had.” After all, the last time he had spoken with him, he had gotten the impression that Alex meant to tell her goodbye.

Determined to defend herself, Eden could not let that comment go unchallenged. “Then you must have thought me the most unfeeling of women.”

Raven had a great many opinions about her, but few he cared to share. “You always struck me as being very serious-minded. When you learned of Alex’s illness really doesn’t matter. I knew you’d be able to cope with his death.”

The coldness of that remark jarred Eden badly. If Raven truly thought her more unfeeling than brave, she did not want him to hold such an insulting misconception a moment longer. “I’ll miss Alex for the rest of my life. That I’m not so sick with grief that I can’t leave my bed doesn’t mean that his death didn’t affect me very deeply.”

The threat of tears made her amber eyes glow with an appealing golden light. That she was a great beauty was a fact of which Raven was already fully aware, however. He reached over to take her left hand. Alex had given her a magnificent diamond and ruby ring, which Raven caressed lightly with his thumb as he began to smile. “Anytime you wish to take to your bed, let me know, and I’ll be happy to console you there.”

“You bastard.” Eden yanked her hand from beneath his and rose to her feet so rapidly she nearly toppled over her chair. She fled the elegant dining room, unable to give him the tongue-lashing he deserved, but the minute she reached the privacy of her room, she gave vent to her rage. She blasted Raven with every despicable name she had ever heard shouted in her father’s shipyard, but that failed to erase her guilt over the ease with which he had already shared her bed.

She had used the handsome young man shamefully, and that was something she knew she would never be able to forgive herself for doing. That Raven would pounce on an opportunity to remind her of that horrible indiscretion was equally unforgivable, however. Despite his devotion to Alex, Raven had proven himself to be arrogantly self-centered. Clearly he cared only about himself.

A new torrent of tears began to stream down Eden’s face then, for all she truly cared about was Alex, and her darling Alex was gone.

Eden’s parting insult stung Raven far more harshly than she could ever have guessed, but he did not let it show. Instead, he continued to enjoy the excellent meal. He gave no excuse for Eden’s sudden departure from the table to the footmen who brought in the remaining courses. Instead he made a point of savoring every last crumb and sending his compliments to the cook. He then went out for a stroll in the garden before entering the study, where he sat and sipped brandy for a good long while.

He liked the fact Eden was such a high-spirited woman, but he saw no reason for her to constantly resort to tears to justify her actions when her motivations were all so clear. She had to have known even a brief marriage to Alex would leave her wealthy should her family suffer irreversible losses in the Civil War.

Women were expected to protect their futures with marriage. He would not condemn her for that. It was the fact she had taken advantage of Alex’s love for her that galled him, for in doing so she had undoubtedly hastened his death. Even if she had shortened Alex’s life by no more than an hour, he intended to make her pay for that crime.

Raven felt neither sad nor lonely that night, merely determined. He knew precisely what he wanted from Eden, and certain she had had sufficient time to calm down and provide it, he went upstairs to find her.

His bed had been turned down, but it was empty that night. He had expected as much, however. When he tried the connecting door between his room and Eden’s, he found it locked but that presented no problem to a man who had been raised in the house. All the doors could be unlocked with a single key, and he had several.

When he walked into Eden’s bedroom, Raven was disappointed to find her already asleep. Her blue gown had been replaced in the wardrobe; indeed, there was nothing out of place, no feminine clutter in sight. If she had carelessly tossed her clothes about, then one of the maids had seen that the fine garments did not remain on the floor.

Unlike the previous night, Eden was hugging a pillow tightly and her brow was puckered in a troubled frown. Clearly her dreams were not sweet tonight.

“Guilty conscience, my pet?” Raven called softly, but Eden did not stir. He removed his clothing, laid it over the bench at the dressing table, and again joined her in bed. He had said they would share his bed each night, but he was in no mood to argue over which room they slept in as long as they were together.

He drew her into his arms and nuzzled her sun-kissed curls, grateful she did not braid her hair at night as so many women did. She felt delightfully warm and relaxed, and as he pulled her close, her body conformed to the contours of his as easily as spoons fit together in a drawer.

“Eden?” he whispered, wondering if he would again have to kiss her awake. She snuggled against him, but the deep, even rhythm of her breathing did not change. Raven rose up slightly and found her expression had become the sweet smile he had often seen her wear with Alex.

Certain Alex would not approve of his method for convincing Eden they should marry, Raven lay back down. In all his life he had never trusted anyone as he had Alex. He had never known him to make even the smallest error in judgment. Had marrying Eden been his single mistake? A deadly mistake he had suggested Raven repeat?

It was a sobering thought but it did not prevent Raven from hugging Eden even closer. He knew he could again turn her anger to passion, and the pleasure they would find together would be just as deep, but now he wanted it on his own terms. She was his now, and he meant for her to realize it, to eagerly await him in his bed rather than to hide in her own.

Was she again teasing him? Had she wanted him to kick in her door and drag her off by her hair? That was just ridiculous enough an idea to appeal to her, but not to him. He liked being able to hold her close, to sleep with her, and for that night at least, it would be enough. If she wanted to tease him, she would soon learn he would repay her in kind. Thinking he had won this latest battle between them, Raven closed his eyes and went to sleep confident he was clever enough to get the better of her every time she defied him.

It was still long before dawn when Eden awoke. Frightened at first, she soon realized it was Raven who held her wrapped in a confining embrace, but she dared not risk waking him by struggling to break free. Instead she lay still. When the initial fear the discovery of his presence had caused passed, she began to relax and then did not find lying in his arms unpleasant.

His breath was very gentle as it caressed her cheek, warm and comforting. She had been terrified she would awake some morning to find Alex had died during the night, but she had no such fears with Raven. He radiated strength from every pore. The man would probably live to be one hundred. The question was, did she wish to spend those years with him?

A firm
no
came swiftly to her lips, but their relationship was far too complicated for a simple
yes
or
no
to change things between them. Since she was Alex’s widow, their lives would be linked forever. Unless, of course, she married someone else and never saw him again. She had spent most of the day contemplating Alex’s thinly veiled hint that she and Raven marry. That Raven was Alex’s choice was not the only point in his favor, however, but the ease with which the virile young man could make her forget who he was was too painful a fact to face, even in the dark of night.

When Eden awoke for the second time that morning, she was alone. At first she thought the memory of Raven’s presence might have been only a vivid dream, but the spicy scent that clung to her pillows dashed that hope. She and Alex had never shared her bed. In fact, that was the first night she had ever spent in it, but the fragrance that teased her senses was definitely Alex’s.

“Raven’s,” she reminded herself aloud, determined not to confuse the two men ever again. She sat up quickly when she noticed the door between their rooms was standing wide open. She knew she had locked it, but Raven had obviously not respected her privacy enough to leave it that way.

Slipping out of bed, Eden crossed to the doorway, and peering inside the next room, she found Raven standing in front of the washstand shaving. Bare to the waist, he looked not only disgustingly fit, but handsome as well. His broad shoulders and back were deeply tanned and his muscular torso tapered to a slim waist. As usual, he was clad in black pants. Alex had worn a variety of grays, browns, and blues, but not Raven. His wardrobe appeared to be just as extensive, but the majority of his garments were as dark as midnight.

“I think you must wear black more often than Mr. Lincoln,” she called to him.

Raven was not startled by the sound of her voice for he had seen her in his mirror and had been waiting for her to speak. He took the time to wipe off the last traces of shaving soap before turning to face her. Her lace-trimmed nightgown covered her lovely figure with modest folds, but the casual disarray of her long curls gave clear evidence of the wildness of her spirit. It was the allure of the untamed side of her nature that drew him to her now.

“Mr. Lincoln has good reason to wear black, and so do I.”

“I think we have already had this argument,” Eden replied with forced calm, not wanting to again have to justify her choice of clothing. She was now sorry she had not waited until he had donned a shirt before she had spoken.

Raven walked toward her with a slow, measured stride. “Then let’s not have it again. What sort of headstone did you order for Alex?”

Eden’s gaze swept over his bare chest before coming to rest on his dark eyes. She had been about to demand he stay out of her bed, but she suddenly suspected he would deny he had ever been there. Because Alex was a far safer subject, she answered his question. “I waited to discuss it with you.”

Raven was surprised, but pleased by that. “Do you want to come into Exeter with me? I’m sure the stonemason can create any design we suggest, but I want it to be as beautifully crafted as Eleanora’s angel.”

“Do you know the man?”

“No,” Raven admitted, “but I’ll make certain he does his finest work for Alex.”

“I know that you will. I’d rather stay here, though. I trust you to choose something handsome for Alex.” She hesitated a moment, then rushed ahead. “Even though he’s buried beside Eleanora, would you think it terribly selfish of me to request the phrase ‘Beloved Husband of Eden’?”

Of all the possible inscriptions, Raven could not think of a less likely one, but recalling Alex’s adoring praise for his honey-eyed bride, he could not refuse. “You were his wife, Eden. If that’s what you want, then I’m sure it can be done.”

“Thank you.” Wanting only to get away from him before their conversation deteriorated into another bitter argument, Eden wished him a good day, then closed her door. Raven had difficulty stifling a deep laugh when he knew Eden had to know he had spent the night in her bed. He found it highly amusing she had not mentioned it. Whistling softly to himself, he decided his strategy was working. In as good a mood as could be expected, he completed dressing and left for Exeter.

At first Eden had been relieved Raven would again be away for most of the day, but she soon grew restless on her own. It was a short step from that point to despair. She and Alex had never run out of things to do. Since his death, she had had more than enough to keep her busy, although she would have preferred never to have had to arrange for his funeral. Now she found herself wandering aimlessly through the halls of Briarcliff with nothing to occupy her mind but thoughts of the husband she had lost.

Raven had also thought he would appreciate the time alone, but he had not even reached Exeter before he wished he had insisted that Eden accompany him. After all, she was Alex’s widow. While it had been thoughtful of her to wait for him to select a headstone, it now struck him as a task they should have shared. Bored and restless on his own, he vowed not to make the mistake of leaving her behind ever again.