The Wicked North (Hearts Touched By Fire Book 1) (12 page)

She responded to his kiss, playing with his tongue, tracing the inside of his mouth. When he caressed Caroline, he felt her body beneath the sheer fabric. He cupped her breast, and his thumb rubbed her nipple, making it harden. He sucked in his breath. His mouth left hers and traveled down her neck, his tongue leaving a wet path as he kissed where her neck and shoulder met.

“Caroline,” he whispered against her skin and was pleased when she shivered beneath him. His hand lowered to pull the gown up over her head and bare her body. Her nipples were tight coral nubs and he suckled them. She mewled with pleasure.

She yanked his shirt out of his trousers and lifted it. He released her and threw off his shirt. He unbuttoned his fly and the drawers beneath. Free of clothing, his shaft sprung forth. Caroline’s hand closed around it, stroking it. He groaned. For a virgin, she held him just right, exerting enough pressure to increase his desire.

He put his hand between her legs, running his fingers along the folds of her flesh. Her nether lips were swollen and wet. As he inserted one finger, it was doused in her juices, and he heard her groan. Another finger joined the first and pumped into her. She was wet and writhing under his hand. She was ready for him.

He rose above her, placing his manhood at her opening, but before he entered, he looked into her eyes. She was panting.

“It’ll hurt,” he warned her. “But only once, then I’ll make the pain go away.”

She nodded impatiently. He felt her opening wider for him. He slowly entered her, being careful. He’d taken only one virgin in his life, and it had been a disastrous affair. He remembered her screams and the painful entry because she hadn’t been ready—wasn’t allowed to be. But Caroline was ready and more than willing.

A small warning went off in his head, but he ignored it.

She grasped his hips. He entered further. She was velvet soft inside. Before he pushed again, her hands reached back to his buttocks and pulled him to her. His erection went in to the hilt. She moaned, arching her back as he thrust into her.

Another warning, a voice in the back of his head, but again, he refused to acknowledge it.

He moved rhythmically in and out of her slick canal. She moaned loudly, almost screaming. It drove him over the edge—the sounds she made, the way her hips rose to meet him, her hands grabbing onto his buttocks. Faster and faster he thrusted, deeper and deeper, her body accommodating every move. He lost control, and when he felt her tighten around his shaft, shattering beneath him, he spilled his seed against her womb and collapsed on top of her.

It took a moment before his mind began working again and his breathing slowed. Something seemed wrong. He pushed up from Caroline and found her smiling at him, looking thoroughly sated. Would a virgin feel that way?

Getting off her, he went to the washstand and threw the water from the basin onto his face. He didn’t like how he was feeling. His skin prickled. Looking into the mirror, he caught her staring at the sheets with a cup in her hand. A cup?

He spun around. “What are you doing?

She froze. He went back to the bed as she tried to place the cup on the nightstand. His arm shot out and he grabbed the cup.

“Jack,” she started. She sounded scared.

He glanced into the cup. Red liquid that looked thicker than wine. Jack dipped his finger into it. It was thicker than wine. When he withdrew his finger, he realized it was coated with blood.

“Caroline,” his voice hardened dangerously. “You were a virgin, weren’t you?”

“Darlin’, please,” she wheedled.

He threw the cup and it shattered on the floor.

“You were going to put that on the sheets to prove to me you were.” She flinched before his accusation, and his anger flared. “I thought I compromised you and did the honorable thing. But I’m not the guilty party, am I?”

“Jack, be reasonable.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Madame, I do believe I’m being very reasonable.”
Christ
, he had lost everything, and now she was no longer a virgin. He was overcome with heartache. Anger followed. Deep, penetrating, settling on him.

“You know, I may just divorce you.”

He saw her panic as she scrambled to sit up. “Jack.”

He laughed. “For the love of God, we may not even be married. Confederacy laws probably aren’t even recognized legally, not even for weddings.”

She gasped. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

Jack ran his fingers through his hair, his mind racing. He picked up his clothes, grabbed a pillow and blanket and headed to the door, where he stopped.

“I won’t divorce you, not now.” He didn’t wait for her response. Instead, he walked out the door to the couch.

Falling onto the cushions, he beat the pillow. “Dammit!”

Vaguely, he heard her sniffling, but it did not soften him. Tomorrow he’d leave to go fight. And he could hardly wait.

#

Virginia

Emma sat at the desk, staring blankly at the pages before her—the accounts for the estate. Her father had been acting strange lately. He had been avoiding her since Caroline’s departure. Perhaps he felt he had acted rashly because she knew he missed her sister. And he would be missing Charles soon enough.

She dropped the quill and sat back in the chair, resting her head against it. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Everyone was leaving her. Soon she’d be all alone. On this big estate, full of slaves. How would she control them? She didn’t know. Her father did, but unless he started to participate in life again, it’d be up to her.

“Knock, knock.”

She glanced up and smiled. Billy leaned in the doorway, dressed in his militia grays.

“Don’t you look dapper?” she commented.

He gave her a crooked grin. “I was wonderin’ if I could get you to go on a walk with me.”

Standing up, she walked around the desk. “Yes, I think that’d be marvelous.” Looping her arm in the crook of his, she followed him outside.

Billy had finally broken through her screaming fits, her rage and remorse. He comforted her without saying anything; he just hugged her and listened to her rants. It had been soothing at a time when she needed the support.

But this was the first time he had appeared in uniform. And she felt him tense under her hand.

“Billy, what’s the matter?” she asked as they rounded the side of the house and went toward one of the rose bushes the estate was named for.

“You know, the militia’s been trainin’.”

She laughed. “Yes.”

He cleared his throat. “There’s been a call to gather forces in Petersburg. They think there’s a fight coming.”

“But it shouldn’t be much,” she argued. “I’ve seen the reports in the newspapers. Both us and the Yankees sayin’ it’ll be over by Christmas.”

Billy stopped and turned to face her. “Hopefully.” His bare hand rubbed the inside of her arm languidly. It mesmerized her. “Emma, I’m leaving to go defend our right to live as we want, against any Yankee invaders.”

She nodded. She didn’t like the sound of this.

“And there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Anything, Billy.”

He held her hand as his other hand went behind his back and he knelt. “Emma Silvers, I want to have a reason to look forward to coming home. I want to come home to you. So, I’m askin’ you—will you do me the favor of marrying me?”

Emma’s mouth dropped open.
Marriage?

It is called the Army of the Potomac but it is only

McClellan’s bodyguard…If McClellan is not using the Army, I should like to borrow it for a while.

—Abraham Lincoln, 1862

Chapter Eleven

Rich Mountain, Virginia

July 11, 1861

Cannons and gunfire roared not far away while Jack sat on Goliath, waiting with Major General William S. Rosecrans and other officers as the ground before them erupted between the two opposing forces. Rosecrans sat atop his mount, aiming his looking glass toward the troops.

“Where the hell are my reinforcements?” Rosecrans snapped, closing the telescope.

No one uttered a word. Union troops had forced Confederates into battle in western Randolph County, Virginia at Rich Mountain. Jack knew if he could see through the sulfurous smoke, he’d find the enemy’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel John Pegram, standing with his officers, assessing the damage or victory, as determined by the men still alive on the field. But visibility was difficult at the moment.

The sound of a horse, ridden hard and fast, came barreling toward them, the horse skidding to a stop behind Jack’s group. Jack heard the creak of leather as the rider leapt off the animal to get to Rosecrans.

“Sir,” the rider said, reaching the commander’s side. Rosecrans bent in his saddle, lowering his head to better see the man. He snatched the note offered and unfolded it. “Hell and damnation, I tell you!”

“What does the general say, sir?” Jack asked.

Rosecrans wadded the note. “That pompous Ohioan’s holding his troops in case the numbers against us increase. So he’ll have fresh troops while mine are slaughtered.” He spat. His bitterness sounded louder than the guns below.

Jack shifted in the saddle. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard of McClellan’s maneuverings. The man organized the Army in Ohio well, recruiting and training first the Ohio militia, then expanding into the armed forces of the West after he re-entered federal service. It had been quite a jump in rank for the West Point graduate when he made major general due to the influence of Treasury Secretary and former Ohio governor and senator, Salmon Chase. He outranked everyone except Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, head of the Army and an old veteran of the War of 1812. Perhaps it was too big a jump for the railroad president. One thing was for certain, Jack felt the same as many officers—the man’s ambition rankled all of them.

McClellan’s drive reminded him of his wife’s. Caroline’s machinations to make herself his wife were well done. Jack blotted out the obvious setup he’d allowed himself to get caught in. Caroline’s plan had worked, and he was stuck with her. After reciting their vows and consummating their marriage, and after his anger about being betrayed had subsided, he packed his bags and left for the Army again. The long trip west gave him time to see clearly how she’d coerced him into marriage. A marriage made in hell.

A cannon exploded near Rosecrans’ entourage, momentarily dispelling Jack’s self-loathing and forcing him to focus on the battlefield. As the smoke cleared, he heard his commander and several others scream “Huzzah!” as Pegram’s forces retreated.

Jack wished he could get Caroline to retreat as well.

#

“You may kiss your bride.”

Emma heard the preacher’s words, meant for her and Billy. Had she really said the vows? Had he? Was she truly married? The thought caused her to shudder just as Billy’s lips touched hers.

Her mind was a whirlwind after the past couple of weeks. So much to do, and none of it seemed real. Ever since the attack on Fort Sumter and Virginia’s alliance with the Confederacy, war fever had gripped Rose Hill. Her father’s raising of a local militia gave him something to concentrate on, coaxing him out of his widower’s grief. It also meant that Billy was at the house daily, as he was the ranking captain of the group per John Henry’s appointment. Billy made sure to see Emma and whittled away her resistance until she had accepted his marriage proposal.

She wished Charles were home. He had left not long after Virginia’s secession—not long after Jack had left for the North. Charles’ military experience placed him within the new Confederate Army, and he had written her of his role drilling men. Her fingers had traced the lines of his writing, noticing the flourish and his excitement. What she wouldn’t have given for his presence now. Had she made the right choice regarding Billy?

Billy claimed he loved her. Of course, she told him she loved him, but did she? Did she love him anymore than as the childhood friend he had always been? Even now, as his mouth pressed against hers, did she feel any of the spark, any of the fireworks that Jack Fontaine had caused?

The clapping around her and Billy brought her mind back to the present. This was her wedding. Unlike her sister’s quick ceremony with only her, Charles and their father as guests, Emma’s included the neighbors, Billy’s parents and even the house slaves. They stood applauding the joyous occasion. Billy smiled at her. Their kiss had been a public display of her commitment to him. She only wished her heart felt as committed.

“Congratulations, my beautiful girl,” her father murmured as he bent and kissed her cheek. “And you, boy, you best take care of her.” He slapped Billy on the shoulder.

As the crowd surrounded them, Emma felt trapped, suffocated as everyone wished them the best. Many of the men nudged Billy. Oh yes, she noticed. Her gut twisted.

“My missy Emma, now all grown up,” Sally cried as she stood in front of her. The head house slave, the woman who was a second mother to her, could not embrace her. It wasn’t proper for her to hug Emma with all the others around. That particular rule of the peculiar institution of slavery made Emma sad. She so needed a hug, but not from her husband. That thought made her skin prickle with aversion.

“Thank you, Sally,” she muttered, finally finding her voice.

The black-skinned woman chuckled, her plump body quivering. “Now, don’t you be worried none. We’ll get this all cleaned for ya’.” She winked.

Billy slid his hand under her elbow. “Come, sweetheart. Everyone’s expecting us to go start eating so they can.” He pulled her chair out and seated her before taking his own seat.

The slaves served dinner, and she had to squelch a nauseous feeling upon seeing the abundance of food. As the new mistress of the Silvers home, she had spent the last two weeks figuring out the upcoming months, how much they could sell, how much they should keep to get them through the winter, and it was a stretch. Particularly with her father feeding his troops from her store of grain and greens. And now this. They had a selection of beef and three different fowl, multiple salads, breads and fruits. Plus cases of wine, opened and served freely throughout the meal. Her head hurt considering their dwindling supplies.

Better to brood over that instead of what lie ahead. The newlyweds had only tonight. Tomorrow, Billy and his unit were to report to Richmond. News was about of a Yankee invasion. War hawks circled the Confederate capital. The Yankee aggressors were coming.

She barely ate. During the speeches for future happiness, she sipped her wine but found it hard to swallow. Billy glanced at her often, smiling. He was happy. She wished she was. He should have been Jack, as she had hoped and desired. That was before Jack found her wanting and took her sister instead. Although the screaming in her sleep had stopped, her dreams, despite the exhaustion from running the house, still found Jack lurking there.

Billy embraced her as they danced on the parquet flooring, which had been moved outside for the occasion. His hold was strong and steady. She tried to smile. He was a good man, and she needed to thank God that Billy at least wanted her.

The party goers were in high spirits, fueled by the celebration and alcohol when, in the middle of a dance, Billy stopped. Emma’s thoughts, which had been working at maintaining an illusion of happiness, came to a halt when she heard him whisper in her ear, “Come, my beautiful wife.”

She gasped when he locked his arm under her knees and lifted her. The dwindling crowd clapped, hooted and hollered as he took her into the house. Embarrassment flooded her, and she buried her face in his shoulder.

“Sweetheart, they mean well,” he said softly as he stepped across the threshold and headed for the stairs.

With each step, Emma’s heart thudded. This was her wedding night. The night she was to become a woman. Anxiety snaked down her spine but not because of the act necessarily. No, it was because her husband was Billy and not Jack. Caroline had succumbed to Jack and he to her, and Emma’s heart broke as a result.

The scent of roses filtered through the air, filling Emma’s nose with their essence. She looked up. She and Billy were in the guest bedroom. Billy lowered her to her feet. “I wanted to make this special for you,” he said softly. Did she hear fear in his voice? Or was that only her?

Emma swallowed and gazed about the room. It held several vases of roses, on the dresser, nightstands, table, windowsills and along the floor. And bright red petals were sprinkled across the bed.

He came up behind her and encircled her waist with his arms. He kissed her neck as his hands reached back and untied her bodice lacings.

She bit her bottom lip, fighting the tears pooling in her eyes. He turned her to face him and covered her mouth with his. Her stomach clenched.

“Oh, my darling,” he murmured as he pulled down her bodice. With a flick of his fingers, her skirt came undone, and he reached underneath and pulled the strings to her petticoats and cage crinoline. As her gown and undergarments pooled around her feet, a small voice inside wondered at how quickly he was undressing her. Her corset came loose, and he unhooked its busk. It fell onto the heap at her feet. Considering she had never seen him with another girl besides Caroline, she was amazed he knew what he was doing.

Emma saw his eyes darken as he reached for the hem of her chemise and raised it over her head. Her nude body shivered as his eyes devoured her. He growled and picked her up to place her on the rose petal-covered mattress. He shrugged off his shirt and discarded his boots and pants to climb in next to her. “Oh, Emma,” he whispered against her mouth.

His kisses were warm. Not hot, but she could get used to them. Slowly, her hand circled his neck, bringing him a touch closer. She felt him hum in her mouth. With resignation, she breathed the rose-scented air deeply. Billy was her husband, and this was his right. And maybe he would help her forget Jack. She pressed her body against his.

Billy moaned as his arms encircled Emma tightly. Still kissing her, his tongue invaded her mouth as his hands lowered onto her buttocks, lifting them and pulling her closer. She felt the pressure of his arousal next to her pelvis. It was hot and hard, but the tip of it was smooth against her skin. When his hand reached between her legs, his fingers tracing the folds closer to the front, she trembled. Fear raced through her. Not from excitement as Jack’s touch had caused but from intimidation.

“Emma, relax,” he murmured as his lips trailed down her neck, down her chest and to a nipple. He brought the tip into his mouth and suckled. Tingles blossomed, sending a warmth through to her core. She felt the sensation flood her lower abdomen. And when his wandering fingers skimmed the slit between her legs, she felt the wetness there. Next, Billy slid one finger inside her. She clenched at first, feeling invaded before her body welcomed it and released more of her juices.

“Oh, Emma,” he rasped, removing his hand, “open your legs.”

When she did, his member fell to her slit. He reached between them and placed the head of it at the opening where his finger had been. Fear swept over her as he kissed her neck. His member slid inside her as he murmured her name.

It was wrong. She cringed as he started to move inside her. It shouldn’t be him. She wanted to tell him to get out when she heard him moan and felt him thrust deep inside her. She gasped at the pain, biting her cheek to avoid screaming as he entered her, feeling herself stretch to accommodate him. He stopped moving, looking into her face.

“Oh, Emma, please don’t,” he said, his hand wiping the tears from her face. “It only hurts once.”

Her body opened to him, but she felt sick. He continued to move inside her, withdrawing and re-entering, and her body met his, answering his thrusts. She bit her bottom lip when he rose above her, moaning as his actions increased, her hips keeping time with his. Deep inside her now, Billy went faster, and her slick canal tightened around him, squeezing harder.

“Oh, Emma! Yes!” Billy roared at the last plunge, lifting her hips off the mattress as he filled her with his seed.

She turned her head, weeping, her heart torn.
Jack
.

#

As Jack got closer to the front door of his house, he couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. His insides clenched. Surely Caroline was home, although she was the last person he wanted to see. But he was tired and had nowhere else to go.

It had taken three days of hard riding back to Washington after the Union victory at Rich Mountain. The story about Pegram’s troops being turned away was repeated in every paper he saw on his return trip. The victory was credited to McClellan. Jack himself saw the small grin cross the officer’s face as he read the telegram from Washington, calling on him to lead the Union forces to even greater victories.