Swept Away (3 page)

Stephanie paused to savor the aroma of a deep, red rose before continuing her steady stream of complimentary remarks. “I think Raven is quite dashing. That he’s so dark gives him an air of mystery, don’t you agree? He might be capable of almost anything, from the grandest heroics to the vilest treachery. Who can say?”

“Who indeed?” Eden agreed. “Have you ever danced with him?”

“Of course,” Stephanie replied flippantly, not recalling how few partners Eden had had. “He danced very well, too. He didn’t speak, but I believe him to be the type of man who feels things very deeply and keeps his emotions to himself.”

“That’s an intriguing possibility.” Again Eden smiled, but she had seen nothing to indicate Raven was the sensitive sort. On the contrary, she suspected he deliberately used silence to intimidate people. She had to admit it was an effective technique, for he had certainly succeeded in intimidating her. She turned to look back toward the townhouse, hoping they would be invited to join her aunt and her guest for tea. Lord Clairbourne had merely been kind to her the previous evening, she knew that now, but she had enjoyed his company and was anxious to talk with him again.

There had been no hint of sorrow in Alex’s manner, so the wondered if perhaps his wife had been dead a long while. He had not seemed lonely, though, for there was none of the quiet desperation she had seen in men who were. Of course, he was quite attractive and might keep a mistress, as she had heard so many titled Englishmen did. The indecency of that thought made Eden blush, and she realized she had been so lost in her own thoughts she had not heard a word her cousin had said for several minutes.

“I think my mother is being very wise only to consider Clairbourne’s offer rather than to accept it. Alexander Sutton is by no means old so it could be many years before Raven comes into his inheritance and there are plenty of other men who have control of their family’s wealth now.”

“Definitely a point to consider.” Eden nearly choked getting that response out, for clearly Stephanie was merely planning to sell herself to the highest bidder. Her mother had warned her it was a common practice, but until she had met her English aunt and cousin, she had not truly believed it.

When they heard Anna, one of the maids, calling to them, Stephanie hurried toward her but Eden hung back now doubting she would even be included in the invitation to tea.

After a brief conversation, Stephanie wheeled around, a dark scowl marring the sweetness of her features. “Mother has sent for you,” she announced in a foul-tempered hiss.

“For me?” Eden lifted the skirt of her mauve-hued gown as she hurried to reach her cousin. “Why would she wish to see me?”

“How should I know? The only thing which seems clear is that Clairbourne didn’t come here today for the reason we had hoped.”

Stephanie appeared ready to burst with envy, but Eden was certain her anger was unjustified. “This must be some sort of a silly misunderstanding, Stephanie. I’ll be

gone only a minute, I’m sure.”

The warmth of Alex’s smile melted Eden’s apprehension the moment she entered the parlor. The light of the afternoon sun was more flattering than the candles’ glow at the ball and she revised his age down a few years from forty. Whatever his reason for paying a call, she was happy to see him and returned his unspoken welcome with a dazzling smile of her own.

Lydia shot her niece a sharply disapproving frown which instantly erased that charming smile, but the woman had seen it and could not help but wonder what had prompted Alexander Sutton’s surprising call. “I’m glad to see that you remember meeting Lord Clairbourne last night,” Lydia began rather stiffly. “He has been kind enough to take an interest in you. He has asked my permission to call on you, and I knew you would be flattered and want to thank him.”

“To call on me?” Eden asked in a breathless rush. “Do you mean that you wish to”

Alex could not help but laugh when Eden became too flustered to continue. “I know we had no more than a glimpse of each other last night, but surely I’m not the first Englishman to find you so attractive I would like the opportunity to become a friend.” That he was obviously the first was apparent in her startled response, but he was too enthused about the ploy he was attempting to dwell on her dismay.

Eden looked toward her aunt and found her staring with so menacing a glare she knew instantly she had sounded as though she had no breeding at all. “Please forgive me, m’lord. What I should have said is that I am honored you wish to call on me.”

“The honor is all mine, I assure you,” Alex responded as he came forward to take her hand. “And I insist that you call me Alex.”

Lydia watched a warm glow of pleasure fill her niece’s cheeks as Alex brushed the back of her hand with a light kiss, and she feared the man’s interest in the girl wasn’t at all proper. Eden was her sister, Sarah’s, only child, and she was attempting to do her best for her. Not that Alexander Sutton had less than a spotless reputation, but still, with the Sinclair family fortune tied so closely to the fate of the Confederacy, Eden could scarcely expect a marriage proposal from an earl. Eden was a beauty, however, and it was only natural that men would be attracted to her. Alex seemed sincere, but Lydia still suspected his motives. He had been a widower for at least ten years so she was certain had he wanted a second wife, he would have wed one long ago. When he mentioned a carriage ride the following afternoon, she refused immediately.

“I hope you will understand, Lord Alex. I simply can’t allow my niece to see you without a chaperon.”

“Would you like to come with us then?” Alex invited graciously.

“I’m afraid I have my own daughter to consider,” Lydia replied far more sweetly. “Stephanie frequently has callers in the afternoon and I can’t leave her alone either.”

Having listened to Stephanie praise Raven Blade for the last half hour, Eden quickly made a suggestion she knew both her aunt and cousin would approve. “We could take Stephanie with us, couldn’t we? And perhaps if your nephew doesn’t have other plans, he could join us too.”

“What a charming idea, Miss Sinclair,” Alex agreed, delighted Eden had found the obvious solution to their dilemma before he had been forced to suggest it himself. “Would you object to the four of us going out together, Lady Lawton? We’ll tour the city; and be back in time for Stephanie and Eden to join you for tea.”

Lydia hesitated a moment, but not wanting her daughter to miss an opportunity to impress Raven Blade, she reluctantly gave her consent. “That sounds like a pleasant outing, but only if you promise not to be gone more than an hour or two.”

Eden noted the grace of Alex’s gestures as he and her aunt finalized the plans for the following day. Despite the elegance of his attire and manners, he displayed a masculine strength that she found as appealing as his striking good looks. His deep tan revealed he spent most of his time out-of-doors. His waistline was as trim as his nephew’s, convincing her he enjoyed far more active pursuits than many of the wealthy men she had met whose builds more closely resembled dumplings than an athlete’s muscled form. He was so handsome she found it difficult not to smile too widely each time he glanced her way, but she was so thrilled that he wished to call on her she could barely contain her joy.

As Alex left Lydia Lawton’s, he was pleased his plans were progressing so well. It was now clear to him that Raven needed more strenuous encouragement to court the beauties of London than he had first realized. From what he had seen, Stephanie Lawton was among the most popular. She seemed both charming and sweet, if not as great a beauty as her American cousin. The Lawton family would provide the social ties Raven presently lacked but would most definitely need when he inherited a title. Surely if Raven were to spend some time with Stephanie, he would soon come to see how agreeable a wife she would make.

Yes, Alex decided, all Raven needed was a chance to become better acquainted with Stephanie, and he was determined to provide as many opportunities as were necessary to achieve that goal. The scheme struck him as remarkably clever until he recalled the warmth of Eden’s smile when she had first seen him. It had been a long while since he had cared for a woman, or allowed one to care for him. Too long perhaps, but he wanted to be a friend to Eden, nothing more.

As he entered his carriage, he realized a true friend would not involve a lovely young woman in the farce he had just begun. It was Raven’s future that was of paramount importance to him, however, and he promised himself he would display no more than a fatherly interest in Eden so that she could not possibly misinterpret his intentions and be hurt. He made that vow several times on his way home, but the memory of Eden’s enchanting smile proved impossible to forget. He could not even recall the last time he had seen such an enthusiastic light dancing in a young woman’s eyes and it was immensely flattering to think he had inspired it.

“If only,” he began regretfully, but he swiftly buried that dream deep in his heart where it could not torment him with desire as he feared Eden Sinclair’s spirited beauty would continue to do.

Chapter Two

July 1863

Raven had known without making the attempt that it would be useless to argue when Alex had told him they were to entertain Lady Stephanie Lawton and her American cousin for the afternoon. One well-bred young woman was as tiresome as the next in Raven’s view, but he soon found himself reassessing his opinion as he watched Eden and his uncle converse. He and Stephanie were seated opposite them in an open carriage that afforded a fine view of Hyde Park, but he was taking little notice of the scenery.

The dark-eyed young man had been startled to learn Eden’s father commanded the
Southern Knight,
one of the Confederate Commerce-Destroyers which had been built in England to prey upon merchant ships carrying cargo from the Northern states to European ports. There had been a lively debate at the time the cruisers were built, and he had sided with those who thought England had clearly violated her neutrality by providing ships for the Confederacy, despite the fact they were outfitted with their armaments elsewhere.

Noting the direction of her companion’s glance, Stephanie leaned close and whispered to Raven, “All Eden cares about is that abysmal war. I wish your uncle hadn’t encouraged her to talk about it. She’ll never stop.”

Raven nodded, and tried not to flinch too badly as Stephanie tightened her hold on his arm to the point she threatened to cut off the blood flow. How she could criticize her cousin when she was such a chatterbox herself he did not know, but he restrained himself from making such a rude observation aloud. Stephanie preferred to discuss the parties he found so tedious, but because they had attended all the same fetes, she mistook that for a common interest. He had stopped listening soon after the petite brunette had said good afternoon, but he considered her too self-absorbed to realize he was listening to Eden rather than to her. He liked the seriousness of Eden’s conversation, as well as her delightful Southern accent.

Eden could not help but notice Raven’s unwavering stare, and while it was distracting, she found Alexander Sutton such an enthralling man it was not overly difficult to ignore his nephew. That Alex owned a fine clipper ship that carried the produce of Jamaica to England and returned with commercial goods delighted her, for it gave them a common bond she had not expected them to share.

“I prefer to remain at my home on Jamaica, and let Raven manage our shipping interests now, but when I was young, I dearly loved the sea.”

“Why, what do you mean?” Eden exclaimed, sincerely surprised by his remark. “You are a young man still.”

Alex laughed heartily, pleased that she would think so. “In years perhaps, but there are other ways to measure age.”

“By what you have suffered, you mean?” Eden inquired sympathetically, for she had not forgotten that he was a widower. “That I can easily understand. Just three years ago I was like every other girl in Richmond: interested only in the latest fashions and which men knew the steps of the most popular new dance. That all seems so frivolous to me now. I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize how precious that time was, and make better use of it.”

Alex was again wearing gloves, and so was Eden, but he could still feel the lively warmth of her hand as it lay in his. He was surprised she had grasped his meaning so quickly. She was very bright, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not feel threatened by her intelligence. “Yes, the concerns of youth are frivolous, but that’s only natural and nothing about which to be ashamed. No one grows up so rapidly that they do not spend some of their days foolishly. Besides, every young woman should have pretty clothes and handsome dancing partners. There’s nothing wrong in that.”

“I know it isn’t wrong,” Eden agreed with a slight frown. “It’s just, well, so trivial a concern when compared to the numbers of men who have lost their lives defending our beliefs.”

Raven knew slavery had been only one of the issues that had caused the Southern states to secede from the Union and he was convinced Eden Sinclair would vigorously debate them all if given the opportunity. He had never enjoyed argument for its own sake, however, and did not challenge her to defend her cause. He had overheard a whisper or two about her mother and, growing curious, decided to ask Alex about her family when they returned home.

For now he was content to merely watch the blonde with the luminous topaz eyes, and he found it a more fascinating pastime than he had imagined possible. She was dressed in apricot-colored muslin that day, a splendid shade that complimented her fair coloring while the demure lines of the fashionable outfit were every bit as flattering to her superb figure as her low-cut evening gown had been. The fullness of the sleeves accented the grace of her gestures, which he was amused to see she made constantly as though she considered no sentence complete without that additional emphasis.