Swept Away (18 page)

Shocked to think the handsome young man could read her mind so easily, Eden sat up proudly and forced herself to smile as they continued on down the tree-lined lane. The tenant farmers had yet to learn of their marriage, and she hoped it would not become common knowledge until they had sailed halfway to Jamaica.

As they approached the Jessups’ cottage, Raven decided to seize the opportunity to deal with Paul in a manner that would favorably impress Eden. Clearly her sympathies lay with Mrs. Jessup, and he did not think it would be too difficult to convince Paul that he ought to treat his wife more kindly than he had in the past.

Raven dismounted in the yard, and went to the door while Eden remained by the gate. At his knock, a little girl in a tattered dress opened the door only far enough to peek out, then called for her mother. Isobel Jessup did not appear for a long moment, but when she did, the ugly purple bruise on her right cheek was confirmation enough in Raven’s mind that the rumors her husband mistreated her were true.

Isobel’s pale blue eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Raven. She knew who he was, but she had never spoken with him. She could not imagine why the new lord of the manor would call at her home, and frightened he had come to tell them to leave, she grabbed for her daughter’s hand and pulled her close.

At the other tenants’ homes he and Eden had been welcomed so graciously, Raven had not expected to encounter the stark terror that filled Isobel’s eyes. “Mrs. Jessup,” he began with the most charming smile he could display. “Lady Clairbourne and I will soon be leaving Briarcliff, and, we wanted to speak with all our tenants before we leave. Is your husband working nearby?”

“Yes, that is, I think so,” Isobel replied in a hoarse whisper. She then bent down to speak to her child, “Mary, go find your father.”

As the little girl darted out the doorway, Raven turned to Eden, hoping she would realize he was not to blame for the woman’s obvious fright. When Eden gestured for him to come to her, he went back to help her dismount.

“I think things may be even worse here than Elkins imagined,” he confided softly.

Eden nodded, then lifted the skirt of her dark green riding habit and started toward the cottage. “Mrs. Jessup,” she called out with a friendly smile.

“Lady Clairbourne,” Isobel managed to mumble. She sent an apprehensive glance over her shoulder, certain her home was not nearly fine enough to invite a countess to come inside.

As well as obviously battered, Isobel was painfully thin, but Eden continued to smile as though nothing were amiss. “The morning is so lovely, we’re hoping to be able to see everyone on our ride. We can stay only a few minutes so please don’t think you must invite us to remain for tea.” She bent down to enjoy the fragrance of the single bloom on the withered rose bush that grew beside the door. “I love roses, they remind me of home.”

Isobel stared at Eden, her confidence rising when she realized the lovely young woman’s smile was genuine. “Roses need more care than I can give them,” she apologized, surprised the old bush had again produced a few buds.

“Yes, they are as demanding as children,” Eden agreed.

Raven had had frequent opportunities to observe how effectively Eden had charmed Alex. That she could also put a frightened housewife at ease did not surprise him, but it did serve to remind him that he ought to remain on his guard where she was concerned. He listened attentively as, with Eden’s encouragement, Isobel shyly described her family as consisting of Mary and four sons who were old enough to help their father in the fields. He thought Isobel might have been a pretty woman once, but the years, as well as Paul Jessup, had not treated her kindly.

Paul soon arrived home accompanied by four scrawny boys in worn and patched clothing. Unlike the rest of his family, who were all quite thin, the man had a brawny build, but was of only average height. Certain he could beat him handily if their conversation came to blows, Raven greeted him as warmly as he had the other tenants and then took him aside so his remarks would not be overheard. Cleverly, he positioned himself so that his back was toward Isobel, Eden, and the children.

“I have no intention of raising the rents Alex set,” Raven began, and certain he had Paul’s full attention, he lowered his voice as his tone took on a decidedly threatening edge. “But there are, conditions you must meet if you wish to continue living here.”

“What sort of conditions?” Paul asked with a surly frown.

“I know that you earn a good living, and in the future I’ll expect you to spend your money far more wisely. You’re the only one here who doesn’t look half-starved so it’s time you started putting more food on the table. Your wife and children ought not to be clothed like beggars either. Once you put your mind to it, I’m certain you can find a great many things your family needs more than you need to drink yourself into a stupor every night.”

Insulted, Paul took a step backward, “The way I spend my money is my own business.”

“Not if you want to stay here it isn’t,” Raven assured him. “There’s nothing lower than a man who’ll strike a woman and I’ll not rent land to you unless you mend your ways. Out of consideration for your wife and family, I’ll allow you to remain here, but only on my terms. Make your choice now, because if you’re going to leave, it has to be by noon tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!” Paul gasped. “But what about the harvest?”

“You can forget this year’s harvest,” Raven threatened coldly. Legally, he knew he had no right to throw Jessup off his land when he was not delinquent in his rent, but Raven also knew the man lacked the means to fight the eviction in court. Although he had no respect for landowners who did not treat their tenants well, in Jessup’s case he was prepared to make an exception.

“Make your choice carefully, Mr. Jessup, because if you give me your word that you’ll meet my terms but do not, the next time I come to Briarcliff I’ll take great pleasure in making you beg for the mercy I’ll never show.”

Paul Jessup tried to tear his gaze from Raven’s but lacked sufficient willpower to do so. He saw the terror of his own expression reflected in the black depths of the young earl’s eyes and knew instinctively that Raven was a man of his word. “Every man takes a drink now and then,” he whined, “and a good slap don’t hurt a woman.”

Raven shook his head. “You still don’t understand. If you choose to stay, I’m going to leave word at every tavern in Devon that you’ve bought your last drink, Mr. Jessup. As for your wife and children, you’re going to escort them to church every Sunday where they’ll be able to show off their new clothes. If every last one of them does not look well and happy, I’m going to hear about it. For every mark you put on them, I’m going to put ten on you, and I’ll use a cat-o’-nine-tails to do it.”

Paling at that terrifying thought, Paul jammed his hands into his pockets, and tried to think of a way to salvage his pride. The tenants on Briarcliff did far better than those on any of the neighboring estates. The land was fertile, and the rents cheap. Perhaps he did spend a bit too much on whiskey, but that was no reason to throw him off the land he had farmed for twelve years. As for Isobel, as he saw it she deserved a good slap now and then, but it would not be worth it if he got whipped for it later.

“What’s your choice, Jessup?”

There was only one that Paul could see. “I’ll stay.”

“On my terms?”

“Yes!”

“Good.” Raven put his arm around Paul’s shoulders and walked him over to his wife’s side. “I’m very impressed by the changes your husband is about to make in his life, Mrs. Jessup. This will be the first home I’ll visit the next time I’m here.” As he had at the other cottages, Raven took a moment to place coins in all the children’s hands, then took Eden’s elbow and guided her back to her mare.

As they rode away, Eden glanced back to wave at Isobel, while Paul glowered and the five children danced about tossing their coins in the air. “What did you say to Jessup?”

Raven briefly recapped their conversation. “I’ll make certain that none of the local taverns will serve him, and Reverend Boyer will keep an eye on his family when they come to church. I’ll be sure to hear if things aren’t going well, and Jessup knows it.”

“And you really will do something about it?”

“You don’t believe me?” Raven asked in surprise. “Perhaps I should go back and break Jessup’s nose or his jaw just to make certain he doesn’t have any doubts.”

When Raven began to turn his horse around, Eden reached out to grab his sleeve. “Raven! You can’t break the man’s nose in front of his children!”

“Otherwise you do think I should do it?”

“No!”

“I wish you’d make up your mind,” Raven teased with a broad grin.

Eden was exasperated with him, yet she couldn’t help but laugh too. “Thank you for not simply ignoring the Jessups’ problems. I’m sure a man who drinks to excess and beats his wife must be a coward so he’ll not want to cross you.”

“Let’s hope not or I will make him sincerely sorry.”

The rest of the morning’s visits went very well. Raven noticed Eden studying him on several occasions when she thought he wasn’t looking and considered that a good sign that he had piqued her interest and perhaps even won a bit of admiration. If he had also improved the lot of Isobel Jessup and her children in the bargain, then so much the better.

At Raven’s insistence, Eden rested all afternoon and at dinner she was a far more attentive companion than she had been the previous evening. While she was not nearly as animated as she had always been with Alex, she replied to each of his efforts at conversation with polite interest. He appreciated that courtesy as it gave him hope for their marriage despite the fact he knew she undoubtedly still held grave reservations about the wisdom of it.

As they climbed the stairs to prepare for bed, he did his best not to rush her, but he wanted her so badly he had to fight the impulse to sweep her up into his arms and carry her into his room. Instead, he walked her to her door.

Eden entered her room, and then glanced back over her shoulder. Raven was still standing in the hall, his expression one of such open desire it was almost painful to observe. As he had spoken with their tenants that day, she had seen him display a compassion she had not known he possessed. She hoped that all the discoveries she had yet to make about him would be as good. With an enticing smile, she extended her hand.

“We’ve only been married one day, Raven. Surely you did not plan to leave me alone tonight.”

Raven’s heart was pounding so loudly in his ears he wasn’t at all sure what Eden had said. What he did understand was the sweetness of her smile and the tenderness of her welcoming gesture. He closed her door behind him, and drew her into his arms to begin what he now knew would be another night of the most incredible pleasure he would ever have. That he did not trust Eden, nor her motives for being such a devoted wife, was the farthest thing from his mind.

Chapter Ten

August 1863

Eden stood beside Raven at the port rail as the
Jamaican Wind
sailed out of Lyme Bay. Silhouetted against the morning sun, Briarcliff seemed to glow with a majestic light. As the pale gray stone mansion slowly faded in the distance to no more than a sparkle on the cliff, a lump came to Eden’s throat that she could not dislodge. She had spent the happiest month of her life there. She had also buried the dear husband who had made those four brief weeks so memorable.

“I have to go below,” she apologized hastily before turning away.

Concerned, Raven laid his hand on her arm. “Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m merely tired is all,” Eden assured him, but after only a few minutes’ rest in his cabin, the anguish of her memories was replaced by an annoying sensation of queasiness. Certain she would feel much better in the fresh air up on deck, she rejoined her new husband.

Raven took Eden’s hand and pulled her close. “Did you miss me so terribly that you couldn’t stay away?” he asked with a teasing grin. Too nauseated to appreciate his humor, Eden gulped in the sea-scented air and shook her head. “I needed some air. I never used to get seasick, but I haven’t truly felt well since, since

When she hesitated, Raven readily gathered from her tortured expression what she found impossible to say. “Since Alex died?” he offered softly. “It’s no wonder. There are times when I can almost forget we’ve lost him.” He paused a brief instant, as though certain she knew precisely which times those were. “Neither of us will ever forget him, but in time we’ll be able to talk about Alex without becoming so badly depressed.”

People always said sorrow became easier to bear with time, but Eden doubted that would be true in this case. She was grateful Raven had such an understanding attitude, however, and gave his arm a warm squeeze. She was embarrassed by how badly she had misjudged him. There was far more to the man than the unfavorable impression she had initially formed based solely on his darkly menacing good looks. Why hadn’t she had the wisdom to see that?

“I feel better already,” she remarked with a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For understanding why I can’t always be happy.”

Eden’s expression was so appealingly innocent Raven could not resist leaning down to kiss her. He kept her by his side for the remainder of the morning, then after they had eaten a light meal at noon, he insisted she take a nap so that she would not become overtired. When he returned to the deck alone, Randy MacDermott approached him almost immediately.