Bittersweet Endeavors (17 page)

Myra
lifted the blankets
and
began removing
herself from bed, but
she was
surprise
d by her nakedness
and
it
stayed her movement
.  Her eyes closed slowly
and she looked embarrassed
.
“Who undressed me?”

Dear Lord, from the heat that rose
within
his cheeks, he actually thought he may
break
into
a blush.
  Opening his mouth, he
started
his reply
, but with a purposeful grin, he winked and leisurely thumbed his chest.

“You—”  
She twisted the covers in her fist
s
and held the
blanket
near
her chest
.
  She sat upright in the bed too fast and
Myra
grabbed her head.  The pain that shot through
her by the
sudden movement must have overcame her anger
, Seth surmised
.  Her
hold on
the
coverlet
lessened
when she
cradle
d
her head. 
In turn, t
he covers slipped
to reveal her naked,
rounded breasts.  A true gentle
man sh
ould turn away
, he thought
. 

Seth
didn’t.

When
Myra
realized the result
of
her
hasty
movement, she quickly corrected the error. 
She
snugg
ed the quilt
beneath her chin and
returned her hands
to caress
her temples
, a blush tainted
her cheeks
. 

“Here,” he
said
softly
as he gave her more water, but this time with the physician’s powder
.  He
took her hand
comfortingly
into his and placed
it at
her side.  “Lay back.  The powders
shall
soon
start working
and
you’ll not even know you have a head,
” he teased.

Thick,
ebony
hair entwined between his fingers as he massaged her t
emples in circular
successions
.
  He sat on the edge of the bed and her eyes
began to
close.  His hands continued their leisure
ly
strokes and her head relaxed on the
pillow. 

Myra opened her eyes and arched
a
brow.  She closed her eyes again.  “How long have you been here?”

“
Many days
.
  Y
ou’ve been out for almost a fortnight.”

She didn’t say anything for a few moments, but several emotions played on her face, and Seth knew the question she
quietly
assess
ed
.

“Why?”
she finally asked.

Why, indeed, he thought.  How could he explain when he didn’t know th
e answer himself?  His heart
convinced himself
that
he stayed with her out of
love, but his mind compelled him
to believe
otherwise
. 
Could
he actually
be
in love
with
Myra
? 
I
nfatuation?  Pity? 
W
hat possible
excuse
w
ould
she accept
for
his constant care of her
?
 

“No one else wanted to do it.”

One eye opened lazily, hazed over by the powders that
quickly
gained its
full effect.  A lopsid
ed smile emerged
.  She struggled
and
open
ed
her eyes but
the medicinal tonic was too powerful and she
closed them again.  A little giggle es
caped her mouth. 

“Thank
you, Seth
,
”
she said, h
er
words
breath
y and barely above a wh
isper as she
neared the edge of sleep.  “
Perhaps,
Charles
sha
lt not
hang you after all,” she murmured.  She nuzzled deeper
within the coves of her pillow.
 

Seth smiled when realizing that e
ven in slumber
she
woolgathered
about being of royal blood.  “
I give thanks
for
the
reprieve, milady.
”

“
Nay
,” she
whined
sleepily
.  “Lady
Myra
…
Lady of Brunnington
…
a…
Lady,” she groggily repeated.
“
Nay
…
Tis
impersonal
,” she sighed.  “
Myra
shall
do,
”
she finally said.

Although her words were not much more than a
whisper, they made their mark
on his mind.

*                    *                    *

“Did he really stay here all those days?” 
Myra
couldn’t believe her ears.  Seth Preston, the man who
equally criticized
inasmuch as
trifled
with
her came
and cared for her
.  “Why?”
Myra
asked.

“I think he fancies you.” 
Lucia covered her mouth and giggled. 
“Nay, I
know
he fancies you,” she amended.

Sh
e shook her head.  “Surely, he doesn’t.”

“Oh, he was
fraught
when you took
a turn for the worse.”  Lucia nodded her head and
the smile left her face.
  “When he risked his own life
by going
into
town
to
retrieve
the physician
, I thought
Mister Preston
would surely disown him.  In fact, he said he would!”

Myra
grabbed Lucia by the arm and whirled her around
so she’d face her
.  “He didn’t, did he?”

“
Nay
, he didn’t, but they’ve not spoken since
he
forbade him to
ever to see you again.”  With an impish grin Lucia’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“He told his father that he’
d
not
avoid
you.”

“He didn’t!”

“He did!”

“W
hat
shall I
do now?”

“Well, do you
have affection
for him?”

She
couldn’t think
of much
other than Seth Preston since she
had
arrived in
Jamestown. 
His presence helped
divert from
the pain
ful memories
she
left
back
in England. 
Despite all the hate and violence she
saw
by the h
and of her
uncle, she
was relieved to know
there was
something good and pure left in the world, even if it couldn’t flourish into anything more than a friendship. 
“Perhaps,
”
she teased.

“Oh,
Myra
, you said we are
friends
…
confidants!  Tell me true.  You know I’ll keep your secret.”  Lucia held her hands in fr
ont of her
and bobbed
excitedly
on her feet.  

“Well
, if you must know the truth,
”
Myra
smiled. 
In a dramatic gesture,
Myra
raised her hand to her chin and
playfully tapped her finger in thought.  S
he laughed when Lucia’s bottom lip extended into an overdramatized pout.  “
Aye
, I think Seth Preston is the most handsome man I’ve ever met!  Behind all that gruffness he displays, there’s
truly
a man of sweet sincerity.”

“So, what
shall
you do about it?”

Myra
’s spirits fell.  What could she do about it?  After hearing
about
Anvil Preston’s reaction toward Seth
at the cause of herself
, there was
naught
to
be done
.
She couldn’t come
between him and his father
.  She couldn’t
be
the cause of
discord
within their household.  Having
a
close
bond
with
one’s family
was
too important. 
Myra
learned that lesson
all too well
when her
family
ties
were
severed by the hand
s
of
her uncle
.  A
t the price of her heart
, she’d
castoff her feelings for
Seth Preston
.
 

“I shall not do anything,” she finally said.

“
She is quite lovely, isn’t she
?” 

Margaret beamed with delight
, but she wasn’t alone
. 
E
ver
yone
in town
gained
better spirits
by
the new day
.
The
break in weather
brought forth
sunshine and warmth.  It made
Seth
eager for
spring
so he could
tend
the tobacco fields.
  Seth believed it’d b
e a good season and
bring
forth
many riches.
 
If he
was
right
, h
is father w
ould
be most definitely pleased.

Margaret reached for another bolt of
cloth
while in the General Store.  Seth stood at her side
and
had grown
more bored by
each
moment
passed
. 
Beneath the brim of her lace mantilla,
Margaret
looked at
Myra
who
waited by the door.  
His sister nudged him in the ribs and offered an ornery smile.  “She’s so graceful and regal appearing, is
n’t she
?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d believe you
are
playing
a
go-between
,
my dear sister.”
Seth arched a warning brow, but relented with a smile.

“Oh, I’m doing no such thing
,
”
she said,
and
her eyes widened
as
she exaggerated
surprise
.
“I’m simply making a statement
. 
Tis
of no use
, though,” she sighed.  “W
e both know father
shall
never
allow it
.
”

Seth frowned and lowered his head.  All
of
his family kn
ew
about
his interest in
Myra
, but Margaret was
the only one bold enough
to speak
aloud
about it
.