Bittersweet Endeavors (45 page)

“Tis a son,” Myra said, proudly.

“And his name?”

“Jonathon Isom.”

“Your father,”
he said, and smiled
with pride
as he looked down upon
his son
. 
“You shall carry the name proudly
.
”
He then
turned to Myra.  “And what of you?
,” he asked.  “
Have you fared well in my absence?  Have you been safe?”
  There was concern in his eyes
when
he swept a thorough glance,
and
examin
ed her
for any sign
s
that she’d been harmed.

“Very
safe
,” she said.  “Zachary has been gone since that night we last met
,
before you departed, but he’s due back within a fortnight.”

Margaret reached for Jonathon
and
removed
him
from Seth’s arms. “I shall take him to the nursery.  Father had one built in anticipation of
children after he thought I’d be betrothed to
Zachary,” she said.

“I’m sorry, Margaret,” Myra said, sorrowfully.

“
Tis fine.
”
  She shook her head and smiled.  “
Seth explained all that has happened and tis I who offers my apologies to you Myra.  You truly saved me from a terrible fate.
 
My behavior toward you was reprehensible.
”  She walked
to Myra
and kissed
her
on the cheek.  “I shall be
honored
to call you sister
someday soon
.”  She nodded to Lucia and Mary
,
and they followed her up the
mahogany
stairs.

She and Seth
watched as the ladies walked up the
stairs
and the
moment they were
completely
alone, Seth gathered Myra into his arms and
soundly
kissed her.  “Tis go
od to feel you in my arms again,
”
he said with a heavy breath.

“Tis good to be felt
,
”
she teased.

Seth laughed and pulled her closer and he kissed her long and hard. 
He cupped her face and stared longingly
into her eyes.  He
sa
id
nothing, as nothing needed to be said.  He lowered
his head
to kiss her again, but
Myra felt
Seth’s
body stiffen
beneath her hands and he
slowly pu
shed
her away.  Seth
looked
over her shoulder and she followed his stare.  Anvil stood behind her
, and his expression displayed
that of
annoyance
.

Myra didn’t know
what reaction to expect from him
.  As for her, she was still angered and wished she didn’t need to see him again.  Yet he was Seth’s father, and for that, she owed him
some
amount
of respect.  “Mister Preston,” she greeted
, and respectfully
bowed her head.

“As you are a married woman, this isn’t appropriate,” he said,
waving
his hand to
ward
them
and clarified his meaning, as
they stood
close
and loosely embraced
.  “
I’ll not tolerate such
unfitting
behavior in my household.”

“Father,” Seth
scolded
, and glared at him
.  “Myra shall be staying here until we leave to see The King and
have
matters
settled
, and considering the circumstances of her marriage,
tis not your place to designate what is proper
.”

Anvil
was embarrassed
by the reprimand, and
Seth’s
mention of The King
lightened his spirits immensely. 
“
Please offer your cousin, The King, my respects…my regard…my allegiance,” he stammered.  “Argh, whatever
greeting one
gives The King,
”
he said, and waved his hand and brushed off his ignorance.
  He then looked at her thoughtfully
, and Myra
wasn’t sure whether it was due to sincerity or
Seth’s reminder o
f her station
.  “Tis good to see you are looking well.”

“Aye, and tis a
wonder
I am
, considering my
situation
,
”
she responded with irritation.
 
He looked appropriately ashamed by her
reply
and Myra immediately relented.  “The fire,” she added, and hoped she recovered the slight that she initially aimed at him.  “The governor ordered an attack on
Frederickson
Manor and it burned down tonight.  Tis why I have come
to your home tonight for shelter
.”

“An ordered attack?” Seth asked, astonished.

“Aye, those me
n
—
the pirates
—
returned from the docks tonight and the Cavaliers followed them.  They burned the house in their attempt to flush them out.”

“Tis a shame Zachary wasn’t there for them to arrest
,
as well,
” Seth bit out.

“Aye, but I am hopeful they will capture him once he returns from Baltimore.”

Anvil stood silent
and
nervously shuffled his feet
against the burgundy, rush matting beneath his feet
.
Myra wondered if the conversation about Zachary made him more uncomfortable.

“Tis late and I must retire
,” he said with a terse nod.  “Goodnight
,” he finally said, and sauntered
his
away toward the stairs.

“And what of your father?”
Sarah asked
, after Anvil quit the room
.  “Is he still in ill spirits over our plans to be together?  T’was hard to tell either way whilst he was here.”

Seth reached for her hand and squeezed
, but offered only a half-hearted smile
.  “He’s accepted you, Sarah.”

“He accepted me or my title?”

Seth lowered his head
,
shame
d by
his father’s behavior
.  “My father is set in his ways, Myra. 
No matter how much I wish I could,
I cannot force him into someone he is
not.
”
  He placed her hand near his
lips
and kissed her forehand.  His lips lingered and Sarah felt his hot breath against her skin.  He took her into his arms and squeezed her securely within his embrace. “We shall not worry about him,” he whispered in her ear.  “We have our own family now,
and you can be sure that
I’ll not make his mistakes with our son.”

“We shall make ou
r
home in England
, as you said before
?”
she asked, hopeful.

“
Aye. 
First you need to speak to The King.  Tis safer if Jonathon remains here until matters are taken care of with your uncle
,
and he cannot do harm to either of you
.  I’m sure Margaret and Lucia will be delighted to care for him
in our absence
.”

“Together?  I don’t believe Margaret will be acceptable
with
having Lucia by her side with
any
task.
  Have you been gone so long that you’ve forgotten her hatred for Lucia?
”

“I think she shall surprise you both. 
I spoke with her earlier and
Margaret has thought greatly
up
on many matters
whilst I was away.  I don’t suspect she’ll be near as judgmental toward anyone, even Lucia.”

“And you?  Shall you
, too,
be
less
judgmental
toward
Lucia?”

“
Aye
,” he said, and smiled.  “Although I
shan’t
go as far
to call her sister, I shall
be pleased to call her
our friend.
  It hasn’t gone without notice what she has done for you, Myra.  I may be stubborn, but I’m not a fool.
”

Myra smiled up at him.  “
Your turnabout
shall bring her great merriment, as it does me.
  Perhaps one day, your father will open his heart to her, as well.
”

“As for our
voyage
,” he said
, and effectively changed the subject
away from his father
.  “A
re you well enough to make the
journey
fairly soon
?
  Tis best
if we leave before
Frederickson
’s
return.
”

“Aye,” she said
enthusiastically
.
  “I greatly look forward to having my life back.”
 
Myra
placed her hands inside his
red
waistcoat and rubbed his muscular chest and stomach
seductively with her hands. 
Seth groaned out his need
to have more
and
brought his lips
down
to hers and soundly kissed her. 
Myra
eagerly
looked forward to the time they could lay togethe
r again, as they had done
many times
before
upon
the
Preston
fields.
  It had been too long since they last made love and Myra
truly
missed him and
their intimate times together.

“
Tis
real
, Seth?  This will soon be over and we’
ll
finally
be together?”

“
Very soon, my love,” he said, and he lifted her into his arms and headed for the stair
case
.  “To the devil with my father and Frederickson, for I will make love to you tonight
in my bed, as you so deserved from the
beginning
.
”
  P
assion overflow
ed
within his deep blue eyes
as
he carried her up the stairs. 

*                    *                    *

“
A message has arrived for you, milady
,” said a servant as he approached her
.  She
leisurely sat and enjoyed the sun’s warmth
in the
Preston
gardens.

Myra
thanked him and placed the letter aside.  She
adjusted Jonathon’s
blue, cotton
blanket as he
lay
upon her lap
and
she
smiled down
at
him
. 
Yet he
r
smile faded
for
a moment, and s
he
fretted over how she’d bear
leaving him
once they s
et sail
for England
the following day
.  He smiled up at her and
she
playfully
tickled his chin
, and her own smile was reclaimed
.  “You must promise not to forget me,”
she
chided
cheerfully
.
Placing
Jonathon
in the basinet aside her chair, she reached fo
r the letter and
immediately recognized
the
precise, flowing penmanship of Thomas Witcliff.

“That isn’t from Mister Frederickson, is it?” Lucia asked as she drew near.

“Nay,
but it is about him,
” Myra replied
, and she further skimmed the letter
.  “
Thomas
sends
word
that
they have returned from Baltimore and warns me that
Zachary is quite upset.  They have seized all his shipments here
,
as well as
in
Baltimore, and he’s further stressed
about my being here at the Preston home
. 
As they are looking to arrest him, Zachary has taken off and they are searching for him now.  Thomas
fears I may be in danger
and warns me to be cautious
.
”