The Bartered Bride (30 page)

"Not really." She turned to him with a smile. "These last weeks have been like a dream. A year ago it seemed impossible that I'd ever see England again. Now I have Katie, a handsome home, a noble husband"-she laughed when he grimaced over that-"and my family nearby. I can't believe my luck."

"To a large extent, we make our luck. If you hadn't refused to believe your situation was hopeless, our paths would never have crossed."

He was right that her struggle for freedom had eventually put her in a place where she could become free. He was also too tactful to mention the price still being paid for her intransigence. If she'd been docile, she would be living peacefully with her first master, resigned to an alien but comfortable life in a tropical paradise. Fighting her fate had led her to Bhudy and rape, and scars which were still far from healed.

After their first night of sleeping together, she and Gavin had continued to share a bed. His warm, solid presence had banished the worst of her nightmares and they had enjoyed exploring each other's bodies-until the disastrous night when she'd been giddy with desire and all things had seemed possible. She had pulled him to her, sure that this time it would be all right. Instead she panicked, every muscle in her body going rigid even though he'd supported his weight above her rather than crushing her into the mattress. She bit her lip until it bled, determined to endure as she had endured the Lion Game, but he was too perceptive not to notice her reaction. He'd rolled away, saying tautly that he would wait until she was ready. Then he'd left to spend the night in his own bed.

She'd been embarrassingly grateful for his understanding, but the episode had hurt them both, and they hadn't shared a bed since. Fear of failing again in such an intimate, emotionally fraught area was so intense that it was easier not even to try. Gavin had been even more upset than she. For a man who would cut off his hand rather than hurt a woman, it must be harrowing to feel that he was terrorizing his wife even though he knew intellectually that her reaction had nothing to do with him. Still, they managed day-to-day life very well. They were friends, they trusted each other, and their lives were increasingly intertwined. In time, surely, the final barriers would fall ... His voice interrupted her reverie. "What are you doing today?"

"After I take Katie to Ashburton House for her lessons, I'll join Troth for another wing chun lesson. She says I'm coming along very well. After lunch at Ashburton House, I'm going to Hatchard's with my mother and aunt. Are there any particular books you'd like me to pick up?"

"See if they have any American imports I might enjoy."

She nodded and crossed the room to pour them tea, wondering how to broach the subject on her mind. One thing she'd learned early was never to spring anything provocative on a man until he'd been fed, so she waited until they'd both finished eating before asking, "Is there any useful work I could do at your office? Now that the household is organized and Katie is busy with school and her cousins for most of the day, I have time on my hands. I don't want to spend it shopping and paying calls on people who don't interest me."

Most British husbands would have been aghast. Gavin merely looked thoughtful. "I could use another clerk, but the work is rather tedious. How much do you know about running an estate?"

"A fair amount. The colonel found estate business boring-he was much more interested in mines and manufacturing. Since Mama was busy having babies and taking care of the tenants, for several years I handled most of the routine business of Bryn Manor." She smiled reminiscently. "When I married, the colonel said he was losing not only a daughter, but a land agent."

"That's even better than I hoped." Gavin sat back in his chair, looking pleased. "Ever since the earldom descended on my hapless head, the Seabourne lawyer has been sending mountains of documents about the estate. I simply haven't enough time to do a thorough job while also establishing the new Elliott House office. It would be a blessing to have a knowledgeable person I trust to supervise estate business."

Alex frowned. "Do you think Finn is cheating you?

"No, he seems honest and capable, but it's bad practice to accept all his recommendations merely because I'm too busy to study the issues more deeply. So far I've been following his suggestions and promising myself I'll do better when I have more time, but the situation has been troubling me. Shall I hand all the Seabourne business over to you? "

"Please do. Can I set up an office at Elliott House? That way if there is something you need to sign or make a decision about, you'll be right there. I can also learn more about the shipping business."

"Perfect! You need to have an understanding of Elliott House since, if anything happened to me, you'd be in charge."

Surprised, she said, "You would really leave your business in the control of a woman? "

"Who better? You're intelligent, trustworthy, and it's in your best interests to do the job well." He grinned. "Plus, it would make all the old mossbacks gnash their teeth. An irresistible prospect." She laughed. "You're a Yankee rebel to the core, my dear."

"Thank you." They shared a warm glance.

"When can we visit the Seabourne family seat?" she asked. "You need to meet your people, see the condition of the property and the tenants' farms, and all the other tasks that can't be done long distance."

"Philip said he'd be out by Michaelmas. That's the end of September, isn't it?"

"September 29th. I look forward to seeing the estate. I love that it's by the sea, just as you wanted. Perhaps we can visit for a fortnight or so after Michaelmas."

"A good idea-Elliott House should be running smoothly by then. We can invite Katie's cousins to keep her company." He finished his tea and rose. "Shall we start the new schedule tomorrow morning?"

"The sooner, the better." She gave him a kiss. If she wasn't yet a true wife to her husband-well, she'd be a very good steward.

Hatchard's Bookshop teemed with fashionable people, some of whom were actually interested in books. As Alex entered with her mother and aunt, she said, "I'll see if they have any books on estate management. It wasn't hard to supervise Bryn Manor, but Seabourne is far larger."

"I see that you're really looking forward to this," Catherine observed.

"With all of you leaving for the country soon, I need something to keep me out of mischief." She smiled fondly at Catherine and Rosalind, thinking how fortunate she was to be part of a family where females were assumed to be capable creatures.

As they worked their way toward the rear of the store, Alex glanced down an aisle bounded by high bookshelves and saw Frederica Pierce. The other woman was accompanied by her maid, a slim black girl in a neat dove-gray gown who was trying to balance an armful of books. Alex was about to move on when Frederica dropped another volume in the girl's arms. The precarious pile collapsed and books crashed to the floor.

"I'm sorry, my lady." The maid knelt to collect the fallen volumes. Her soft voice had a lovely musical accent.

"Daisy, you stupid, stupid girl!" Frederica swatted at the maid with her reticule. Alex wondered how long it would be before the young woman quit. Frederica's angelic face hid a vicious temper, and she'd always had trouble keeping servants in Sydney. Convict maids had run away from her household despite the consequences if they were caught.

I'm sorry," Daisy said again, her eyes downcast. She stretched for a large volume and dropped it when she misjudged the weight.

"I don't know why I keep you around," Frederica snapped. "If you continue to be so clumsy, I'll have you sold back to the Carolinas and you can spend the rest of your life chopping cotton." Alex froze, wondering if the situation could possibly be what it sounded like. She turned into the aisle.

"Good day, Frederica. Do you need a hand?"

Frederica scowled when she recognized the newcomer. "My girl will manage." She prodded Daisy's leg with one dainty toe. "She's close to worthless, but she should be able to pick up books."

"The way you spoke to her made it sound as if she's a slave, but of course she can't be. Slavery has been illegal in Britain for years."

"Mind your own business, Alexandra. Daisy is American."

And slavery was still legal in the American South. Sick to her stomach, Alex knelt and began to help gather the fallen books. "Even if you were born in slavery, Daisy, you're a free woman now that you're in England."

The girl glanced up, her dark eyes terrified. About twenty, she was pretty and neatly dressed, her black hair pulled into a knot on her neck. Ducking her head, she scooped the last of the books into her arms and stood.

"How dare you interfere in my household!" Frederica said furiously. "You may be a countess now, but that gives you no right to tell me what to do."

Ignoring the other woman, Alex said, "If you wish to change your situation, Daisy, come to me at 42

Berkeley Square. No matter what your mistress says, you are as free as she is. I will find you a new position where you'll be paid and where you'll be able to leave if you don't like how you are treated."

"What makes you so interested in slave girls, Alexandra?" Frederica hissed. "Was it because you were a slave yourself in the Indies? Do you see yourself in a creature like her? " Alex almost hit her. Only her mother's grip on her arm checked her temper. For a moment she hesitated. Until now, she and her family had kept silent about her experiences in the East, refusing to confirm or deny. But as Gavin said, none of it had been her fault, and in front of this girl it seemed cowardly to deny what had happened.

"Yes, Frederica, I was a slave," she said in a voice that carried to other customers who'd halted and were listening to the altercation. "A pity you've never been one-perhaps it would have broadened your understanding and compassion." She turned to Daisy again. "Will you come with me? I promise your situation will improve."

Daisy looked at her mistress, and froze as if she'd been struck. She glanced at Alex and shook her head, then dropped her gaze to the floor.

Having subdued Daisy, Frederica turned to glare at Alex with shocking malice. "You will pay for this."

Alex recoiled. Frederica had always been selfish and difficult, but now she looked almost deranged. Reminding herself that the other woman had no power to injure her, she repeated, "Remember, Daisy, 42

Berkeley Square, any time of day or night." Her voice dropped. "Please let me help you." Daisy turned away. Frederica smiled triumphantly. "Now that you've admitted you were a slave, people can imagine what your life was like. Though you're far past your prime, there must have been some men desperate enough to buy you."

"What an unpleasant mind you have, Lady Pierce." The Duchess of Ashburton was the most easygoing of peeresses, but she'd once been an actress and she could pitch her voice to a note that would freeze glass. "I can't imagine that good society will welcome you in the future." As Frederica turned white, the duchess pivoted on one heel, giving the cut direct, and walked away. Catherine gripped Alex's wrist and they followed Rosalind out into the street as a path opened up between silent customers.

Alex was shaking. When they reached the relative calm of Piccadilly, she said, "I'm sorry for embarrassing you both."

"I have never been more proud of you, my dear," her mother said quietly. Rosalind added, "I've never liked that young woman. It doesn't reflect well on me, but I enjoyed demonstrating my opinion of her character." She smiled wickedly as she signaled for the Ashburton coach to pick them up. "In the future she will find that her social life is not what she would like."

"It will damage her social ambitions to be cut by the Duchess of Ashburton," Alex agreed. "But I failed to convince that poor girl to leave, and surely Frederica will punish her for everything that happened."

"Perhaps she will come to you later," Catherine suggested as she climbed into the coach. "I doubt that she knew she is legally free here. I'm sure Lady Pierce didn't tell her so. When she has time to think, she may very well run away from her mistress."

Alex hoped so, but she doubted that would happen. Neither of the older women could know how slavery broke one's will. Six months of bondage had nearly broken Alex; Daisy had probably been born a slave and treated as one her whole life. As the carriage rumbled through London, Alex closed her eyes and prayed the girl would have the courage to break free.

Then she thought about slavery. The fact that it was now illegal in several European countries was a start, but slavery was one of the most ancient scourges of humanity, and there was still much to be done. What could one lone woman do at long distance?

It was time Alex found out.

That evening Alex went in search of Suryo. Though they'd been living under the same roof since the Helena had sailed, she almost never saw him. She suspected that he could cross sand and leave no footprint.

Invited to come in when she tapped on his door, she entered. "Tuan Suryo, may I speak with you?" He stood and gestured her toward the one chair in the simple, meticulously neat room. "Of course, my lady. How may I be of service?"

Sitting down, she said bluntly, "What is your opinion of slavery?" A muscle jerked in his jaw. "I think it is an abomination."

She caught her breath, recognizing the note in his voice. "You have had personal experience?"

"I have. I do not speak of those years." After a pause, he added, "But it was the captain who freed me. I pledged myself to him that day."

Fascinated, she asked, "Isn't such a pledge a form of slavery?"

"I serve him of my own will. Never has he asked anything of me that was against honor or humanity." Alex guessed that was a veiled warning to her that he would not do anything he thought was against Gavin's best interests. That was no problem; she would never ask him to. "Today I met a young female slave who has been brought here from America and is kept in bondage, not knowing she is free. I failed when I tried to get her to leave her mistress, but now I am wondering. I never expected to see a slave in England. Is slave trading still going on here in Britain?"