Virginia Henley (46 page)

Only a week had elapsed between the time the
Red Dragon
docked in Colombo and the
Flying Dragon
reached that port. If Bernard Lamb was there, Savage hoped to catch him by surprise. If he was not, there was no need for alarm.

When Savage boarded his East Indiaman he was pleased for once that the
Red Dragon
had taken a full three months to make the voyage. He was less than pleased, however, when he learned the prisoner they transported had ruined the cargo in the hold where they had secured him. Savage cursed, wishing Bernard the bastard had met with a fatal accident on the long voyage. He decided not to tell Antonia of her ruined French fashions; she had taken such delight in choosing them. He told the
Red Dragon’s
crew to keep their eyes skinned in Colombo, as he wouldn’t be surprised to see Bernard Lamb turn up.

When Lady Randolph saw that their baggage would have to be transported by buffalo wagons she apologized profusely to Adam for having brought so many trunks. What a fortunate inspiration it had been to include Mr. Burke, for without his strong helping hand she doubted she would ever make it to the foothills and the Lamb plantation.

Antonia treated the whole thing like a great adventure, and looking at her granddaughter, Roz had to admit she was absolutely flourishing. The long, indolent sea voyage
had made her blossom, or perhaps it was simply because she was in love. Anyone looking at Adam and Antonia knew they were in love and that they had already mated. She had done her best to keep them apart, but as a result they shamelessly devoured each other with their eyes. The sooner these two were married and got on with the business of making babies, the better for everyone.

Antonia’s languor disappeared the moment she arrived in Ceylon. Everything here was completely different from England, the people, the trees and flowers, the insects, the fragrant warm air. She was filled with the anticipation of seeing her mother for the first time in over ten long years and she couldn’t wait to be reunited with her twin. But mostly she knew her excitement came from the awareness that very, very soon now, she and Adam would be man and wife.

She could hardly wait to see Leopard’s Leap, because she knew how much it meant to Adam. His plantation had been a labor of love for a decade and she knew it had become a part of him. She hoped that his adopted country and its people would find a place in her heart.

Antonia hummed and sang as the little mare Adam had bought her trotted along beside a buffalo cart, where Roz sat beneath a large parasol. Adam Savage rode at the head of the small cavalcade of wagons. For two days Antonia had only seen his wide shoulders and broad back, but it was enough to make her the happiest woman alive. She would willingly follow him to the ends of the earth.

Adam rode at a steady pace, alert and watchful for any danger or even discomfort that might befall the small party in his care. He was not looking forward to the confrontation with Eve. The situation would be awkward from the outset. He wished he’d had the luxury of seeing her before the others arrived to settle matters so they knew where they stood, but that was impossible. The best he could do was deliver his charges to Government House, then withdraw to Leopard’s Leap so they could
enjoy a family reunion. He must discreetly let Eve know he needed to see her in private.

Finally, Savage decided that in all decency he must send a dispatch with a runner to Government House to give Evelyn a few hours’ notice that her daughter and her mother were about to descend upon her. As he penned the note he thought how easy it would be to write her a letter explaining in detail why their relationship was over, but that would be the coward’s way out. He must tell her face to face, take all the blame, somehow soften the rejection. He must find the words that would save her pride. Savage did not agonize over what he had to do. They had certainly never loved each other.

Adam Savage chose the place to rest and water the animals because of its beauty. At this time of the year a waterfall made a deep pool not fifty yards from the road. In the daylight it attracted thousands of colored birds, and the wild orchids and flowering shrubs were covered with butterflies.

Antonia brought her mare to the pool’s edge so she could stand beside Adam. The sound of the water would drown out the private words they shared. “It’s like Paradise. Oh, I wish we were alone so we could bathe together.”

“Water attracts beautiful things, but it also attracts dangerous ones. Especially at sunset when wild jungle animals come to drink. Never go near water alone, darling.” He took off his shirt, dipped it in the cool water, then put it back on. “Ah, that feels so good. How are you standing up to the heat, love?”

“I don’t really mind it. I learn from you. I wear only drab cotton for traveling and tie my hair back with a leather thong as you do. I never felt less glamorous even when I dressed in Tony’s clothes, but I feel disgustingly comfortable.” She glanced back at Roz and Mr. Burke, then slipped out of her cotton shirt. When she bent forward to dip it into the cool water her lovely ripe breasts
almost popped from her cotton chemise. It took every ounce of willpower Adam possessed to keep his hands from her. It had been a long time since he had been able to make love to her. When she put her wet garment back on, his desire was inflamed further. It clung to her wetly, emphasizing every luscious curve. His gaze became so intense, she knew he was fully aroused. She swayed toward him. “Your eyes are as blue as the Bay of Biscay,” she whispered sensuously.

“Stop it. Behave yourself. A young bride should be chaste.”

“You should have thought of that in Ireland when you took my innocence,” she taunted.

He reached out to lightly caress her cheek. He felt so very protective of her suddenly. “It will take me at least a year to strip you of your innocence, my beloved.”

Lady Lamb read the note twice before she allowed a small frisson of triumph to lift the corners of her mouth. So, Savage had returned for her after all. If he had obtained a title, his signature on the note gave no indication of it. Even if he had managed to get one it would certainly be of lower rank than an Earl of the Realm. She tried to compare him with Cornwallis, but it was an impossibility. There simply was no comparison. She sighed, knowing if she chose Savage she would never be able to control him, but she simply couldn’t resist the man.

The thing that puzzled her was why on earth he had saddled himself with an old woman and a young girl. Probably some misguided impulse prompting him to think she’d like her family present at their wedding. Eve wasn’t best pleased. Her mother had always disapproved of her, and as for Antonia, what woman in her thirties needed a seventeen-year-old at her side, glowing with youth?

She tapped the note with a long fingernail as she calculated how much time she had. When they arrived they would be hot, tired, and begrimed from the rigors of the
journey from Colombo. Sleeping in a tent did nothing for a lady’s disposition or appearance and the dust of the road ruined one’s complexion, coiffeur, and wardrobe. She rang for her women and ordered a lotus-scented bath.

Bernard Lamb had ridden over every inch of Leopard’s Leap that week. He had viewed the thousands of thriving tea bushes and the four-story tea factory. He knew the exact location of the smokehouse that held a fortune in molded sheets of rubber latex, and he knew the workers’ schedules.

Anthony Lamb’s future hung by a precarious thread. As he rode before his cousin pointing out the crops at various stages of harvesting, he had been a tempting target for Bernard’s pistol. Bernard managed to restrain himself, however, because of their location. He did not want the body to be found at Leopard’s Leap. When his bullet found its mark, he wanted his cousin Anthony to fall to the floor of the jungle, where the evidence would be naturally disposed of as soon as darkness fell.

“Well, I think we’ve exhausted the plantation. How about exploring in the jungle this afternoon?” Bernard suggested.

“I’ve always had a native Tamil with me before, but I suppose we’ll be safe enough if we stick together,” Anthony replied. “The flora and fauna are so uniquely exotic, you’ve never seen anything like it. There are scores of different types of palmetto, bamboo, and rattan, all covered with flowering vines and orchids in shades you never dreamed existed. There are monkeys, macaques, flying foxes, and sloths all picking fruit from the high branches of breadfruit trees, Indian dates, pawpaw, pomegranates, and plantain. I followed a path where the leafy canopy blocked out the sunlight so well, moths a foot across sat on the rough bark of the tamarind trees.”

“Do you think you could find that exact spot again?” Bernard asked eagerly.

* * *

It was with great enthusiasm Eve greeted her family when they arrived at the plantation. Anyone witnessing the touching reunion might have been hard pressed not to shed a tear. Mr. Burke was such an observer, but the glitter in his eye was not from tears, it was from cynicism. Eve’s clothes, manners, and demeanor were impeccable, yet Mr. Burke wondered how many hours she had spent before her mirror? How many of her maids had been punished for their clumsiness while dressing her hair?

Eve welcomed them exactly as etiquette dictated, acknowledging her mother first out of deference to Lady Randolph’s age and station. It looked the perfect picture of filial affection, but Mr. Burke knew looks were deceiving and it was usually the ear that picked up the true feelings beneath the surface.

Roz made up her mind to start out on the right foot this time around. Perhaps in the past the animosity between mother and daughter had been her fault. Eve presented her cheek and Roz kissed it gently. “My dear, I am so sorry about Russell. I can see your strength has brought you through it. You look marvelous.”

“I detect your disapproval that I’m out of widow’s weeds,” Eve said sweetly. “How I’ve missed your mothering me.”

Eve turned to her daughter. Antonia stepped forward to embrace her. “Mother, you are just as lovely as I remembered. I’m so thrilled to be here.”

The flawless creature in blue chiffon clearly wished to avoid any physical contact. She put up a small, beringed hand as if warding off an invasion and said, “Antonia dear, you’re so tall. Why, I believe you must be as tall as your brother.” Her gaze swept over her daughter’s dusty and disheveled appearance. “You must bathe and change at once.”

Antonia’s joy began to dissolve. Her mother made her feel as she had when she was six; inferior in every way.
Still, there was no denying Eve was a great beauty, and Antonia wished with all her heart that she hadn’t been such a disappointment to her mother.

Eve’s cool gaze fell upon Mr. Burke, whom she had known most of her life. She acknowledged him with one word, “Burke.”

Up to this point Adam Savage had only been an observer, but what he witnessed made him realize what a fortunate escape he’d had. Evelyn Lamb was not cool at all, she was cold blooded as a reptile.

At last Eve was free to turn her attention to the object of her desire. Her lips widened into a smile, she laid her hand on his arm possessively, and she looked up into his face. “Adam darling.”

Savage’s blue gaze was glacial. “Lady Lamb,” he said formally, taking her hand and removing it from his arm. In that moment Eve knew irrefutably that Savage did not want her. How vastly amusing. Too bad! She had him firmly hooked and she intended to reel him in.

Savage bowed to the ladies. “I extend the hospitality of Leopard’s Leap to all of you.” His gaze came back to Eve. “I will intrude no longer, but perhaps we could have a private talk tomorrow?”

Eve inclined her head, then turned her back upon him, dismissing him from her presence, if not her thoughts.

Antonia blushed, knowing Adam would inform her mother that they intended to marry.

Eve saw the blush, saw the radiant look upon her daughter’s face, and experienced a stab of jealousy she’d never felt for any other female.

“Where’s Anthony?” Tony asked eagerly.

Eve waved her hand irritably. “Where he is every day, off at Leopard’s Leap. I believe he covets the, place!”

Roz thought the word
covet
that dropped from Eve’s lips was most apt. It was clear as crystal that her daughter coveted the wealthy nabob. It was also obvious, at least to Rosalind, that they had been involved. Now she understood
why Adam Savage had insisted upon returning to Ceylon. His personal code dictated he make a clean break with Eve before he could honorably marry Antonia. Roz didn’t like it one bit. Someone was going to be hurt, perhaps deeply, perhaps even permanently. Thank God she had decided to accompany her granddaughter. Roz didn’t believe Antonia was any match for Eve’s vitriol.

The next hour was a blur of activity as a dozen servants scurried about carrying luggage, plenishing rooms, providing refreshments, drawing baths, and unpacking for the newly arrived guests at Government House.

The small native girl who attended Antonia while she bathed knelt quietly in a corner with downcast eyes. Tony was used to bathing in private, but this child was so self-effacing, she did not make Antonia feel uncomfortable.