A short while later they entered an area that had been cleared of trees. The open land, now fields, stretched for seemingly miles. A sea of bright green shoots dotted the rich black soil. “What crop is that?”
“Sugarcane, the life’s blood of the Caribbean.”
A settlement of small wooden houses flanked the fields, and behind it stood a tall stone wall that hid from view whatever might be on the other side.
“Welcome to Liberté,” he said, picking up her hand and pressing the tips of her fingers to his lips in a gesture one part formal and a hundred parts sensual.
Freedom, she thought, translating the word and trying to remain unmoved by the sensations flaring from his eyes to hers. “Thank you.”
“I hope you will enjoy my hospitality.”
“And if I do not?”
“Then I shall try harder to please you.”
That took her breath away.
As the wagon rolled closer she saw people in the fields and near the houses, many of whom came running at their approach, calling Dominic’s name. Anna halted the mules so he could speak with them. They were as happy to see him as the crowd down by the water had been and were of African descent as well. They stared at Clare curiously and he made the introductions. When he was done, Clare looked at all the faces. She was certain she wouldn’t remember many of the names but they greeted her warmly.
Anna got the mules moving again and the wagon rumbled its way through the large arch opening in the wall. They entered an enormous stone plaza that was surrounded by what could only be described as a small castle of Spanish design, complete with intricate ironwork over the windows and making up the many verandahs attached to the wall face. A few of the windows even had stained glass. The sand-colored structure looked old, as though aged by time and weather.
“This is your home?” she asked, turning his way.
He chuckled at the surprise on her face and threading her voice. “Yes. It was built by the Spanish at the close of the last century.”
In spite of the age and worn condition the building was spacious and beautiful.
“The Spanish king required that all of their colonies erect a church, along with a building to conduct crown business and a mansion for the governor. The people here only got around to building the mansion before abandoning the island.”
As Anna drew the mules to a halt, Clare viewed the tunnellike alcoves leading from the plaza into the house. A weathered bell hung in a battered stone tower rising from one of the cone-shaped roofs.
“Christopher Columbus was the first European to drop anchor here.” He undid the wagon gate and stepped out. “Spain enslaved the native population but lost them all to the diseases the Spanish brought with them.”
Once again he placed his hands on her waist and gently swung her out and onto her feet. “They abandoned this outpost a half century ago.”
Clare stood on suddenly wobbly legs. From past voyages she knew this was to be expected after so much time aboard ship and that it might take a day or so for her body to accustom itself to walking on solid ground again.
He seemed to be cognizant of what was going on with her and so scooped her up into his strong arms.
“Put me down!” she said, scandalized. Richmond was viewing them with humor, but his grandmother’s face was closed.
“Put me down, Dominic! I can manage on my own.” Although Clare didn’t know a thing about Richmond’s grandmother, something inside made her wish for the woman not to think her weak and in need of coddling.
Clare was just about to restate her demand when a tall, brown-skinned woman dressed in an expensive-looking green gown swept into view. Her stomacher and petticoats were of high quality, and the lace at her wrists flowed elegantly. Beneath her lacy cap, the features of her face were too sharp to be considered truly beautiful, but she had a regal bearing and appeared to be well endowed.
The sight of Clare in Dominic’s arms brought her to an abrupt stop. Viewing Clare up and down as if she were an ugly insect she asked him coolly, “Your latest plaything?”
He slowly lowered Clare back to her feet. “Anna, will you escort Clare in, please.”
Anna, shooting daggers at the woman, replied to him with a terse nod, while her grandson looked on coldly.
Before they departed, Dominic took a moment to gently raise Clare’s chin. “I’ll join you in a moment,
petite.”
Accepting his words without comment, she followed the Spellings towards the house.
W
“Lord willing,” Richmond replied.
Anna had already given Clare the impression that she didn’t care for the woman and this was further proof. As much as Clare wanted to know the extent of their relationship with Sylvie, she didn’t ask. Being a servant herself, she knew gossip was frowned upon, and she didn’t wish to put Anna in an awkward position.
“Miss Clare, I’ll be leaving you now, but I shall see you this evening,” Richmond said, favoring her with a bow very much reminiscent of his captain.
“Thank you, Richmond. You’ve been very kind.”
After placing a kiss on his grandmother’s cheek and receiving a strong hug in response, he left them to seek what Clare supposed were his own quarters.
“He’s a fine young man, Anna.”
“I’ve done my best to honor my daughter, his mother, with his raising.” She didn’t say more, so any questions Clare might have had about the powder monkey’s personal life went unspoken.
A few short steps later, Anna pulled open a large iron grille that led them into a quiet courtyard awash with tropical blooms that scented the air. From her travels with the Sullivans, Clare knew that in Spain such places were known as piazzas. Stone benches flanked a reflecting pool built into the marble plaza. The enclosure had a peaceful, restful atmosphere that was almost palpable.
“This is beautiful.”
“Yes it is. The captain sits out here to relax, and when he needs to think over things.”
Clare wondered if this was the same piazza he’d made mention of on the
Marie
when he’d whispered his desire to have her stand nude in the sunlight. The scandalous thought scalded her cheeks. Hastily setting it aside, she focused on following Anna across the marble-paved way of the stone-capped breezeway. She couldn’t help but wonder about what Dominic and the Sylvie woman might be discussing, though. What if he decided he’d rather entertain her instead of Clare? Yet another thought she put aside because she didn’t wish to dwell on it or the possible ramifications.
They entered the house through another intricately worked iron gate. The interior with its soaring curved ceilings was many degrees cooler than it had been outdoors, and was filled with diffused light from the windows. To her left she saw an elegantly furnished sitting room, anchored by an enormous fireplace with fine Turkish rugs spread across the marble floors. She and Anna climbed a stone stairway to an upper floor and then walked down an expansive hall. Every few feet there were elegantly carved wall niches that might have held statuary at one time but now stood empty. At the hallway’s end stood another decorative grille, and behind it an imposing, heavy wood door with aged brass fittings.
Inside Clare’s eyes were caught first by the wealth of hanging panels of gold-toned netting flowing about the entrance, and as she advanced farther, by the view through the wide pane-free windows of the sparkling blue Caribbean off in the distance. Only then did she see the bed. The area around it was draped in the same fine-gauge netting, and it appeared to be even larger than his bed on the ship. The highly polished wood and the gilt-edged headboard with its monogrammed inset could have easily come from Versailles. “Is this the captain’s quarters?”
“It is,” Anna replied.
“Might there be another room for me to use?”
Anna studied her for a silent moment. “You don’t wish to be in here with him?”
“If he needs privacy, I’d like to spare myself the embarrassment of having to move elsewhere.” Clare had always been a realist and in spite of Dominic’s promises to her on the
Marie,
she had no idea what would really happen between him and the tall and elegant Sylvie. If he chose to entertain her instead, Clare didn’t want to be in the way.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“Then come.”
They left the room, and Anna led her back down to the other end of the hall and around a corner. The room they entered next also looked out on the water, but was smaller, as was the bed.
“I’ll have to get bedding,” Anna explained.
Clare could see the bare mattress. “If you bring it to me I can place it on the bed.”
Anna stared again.
“Is something the matter?”
“I’m not sure.” For a few more moments she evaluated Clare silently, then shook her head. “You are certainly nothing like the others he’s brought here.”
Clare didn’t say anything but Anna must have seen something in her eyes because she added, “I like you. Settle yourself in and I will return with bedding. Is Gaspar bringing your trunks?”
“I have none.”
“No? The others usually arrive with trunks bursting with gowns and make straight for his bed. You undoubtedly have an interesting story to tell.”
Clare’s eyes lit with humor but she didn’t respond further.
“I will bring the bedding and send someone up with water so you may bathe.”
The idea that she would soon get to bathe made Clare want to kiss the woman. “Thank you, Anna.”
“You are welcome, miss. I’ll return shortly.”
Downstairs in the courtyard, Dominic was eager to join Clare but had to rid himself of Sylvie first. She was trying to make the process difficult.
“But Dominic, where will I go?” she asked, pouting.
“Back to Jamaica and your husband.”
“He’s forbidden me to return. I told you the old fart caught me with one of the grooms. It was very embarrassing but what’s a woman like me supposed to do for pleasure? I certainly don’t find any with him, and besides,” she said, sidling closer and draping her arms sinuously around his neck, “we both know I can warm your bed better than that one who is with you. I doubt she’ll consent to any of the things I know you’ll want her to do.”
A muscle tightened angrily in Dominic’s jaw as he gently but firmly removed her arms. “If you have nowhere to go you should have considered that before being mounted by one of Lord Kinney’s stable hands.” Her husband, Lord Kinney, was a retired Jamaican official. He was well up in age, and although she’d known that when they married last summer, at the time her desires had centered solely on having unlimited access to his gold. “Either remove yourself and your belongings, or I’ll have placed them out by the road.”
“But Dominic—” she whined pitifully.
“Good day, Sylvie.” He bowed with icy formality and strode off.
Dominic entered his room, and the familiar sight of his sanctuary coupled with the idea of sharing it with Clare put a smile on his face. Now that he no longer had to contend with Sylvie, Clare filled his mind. He walked farther into the room expecting to find her there, but was met by echoing silence. Perplexed, he did a quick search of the rooms that led off his suite of rooms. No Clare. Thinking she must be somewhere with Anna, he strode back to the stairs. Anna was ascending, her arms laden with bedding. “Where’s Clare?”
“In the blue room.”
“Why?”
“That is the room she chose. She wants to give you privacy in case you need it.”
Dominic didn’t understand.
“She’s not like the others you’ve brought to the island.”
“I agree, and it’s those differences that make her so special.”
“I like her.”
That pleased him. Anna was very special to him as well, even if she did tend to be abrasive more often than not. “Why would she think I’d need privacy?”
“Sylvie, maybe?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe to you. To her, maybe not.”
Dominic sighed. “I’ll just have to move her back.”
“That is her decision.”
“Then I’ll have to change her mind. Give us some time alone before you come up.”
Anna nodded.
While waiting for Anna to return, Clare stepped out onto the verandah connected to the small room and looked out towards the water. They’d sailed in from the south, so the windows were facing north. She could see the southern coastline of Cuba’s main island. Somewhere beyond it and the glistening sea were the colonies and home. She wondered how the war was faring. Had the rebels surrendered, or were the crown’s forces on the run? Were the patriots still holding Savannah, or had the British invaded and restored the city to the crown? There was no way of knowing. Being on the
Marie
and now here had distanced her so much from the everyday events on the continent that her former life might as well have been imaginary. It wasn’t, of course, and neither were her children, but at the moment she felt as if she were living inside a dream.
Her musings were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps in the room. She glanced in, and there stood Dominic. Her heart skipped. As he joined her out on the verandah he focused his gaze on the sea.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” he asked, looking down at her.
“Spectacular.”
Because he was gazing at her so intently, she set her eyes back on the panoramic view.
“Anna tells me you have chosen this room. May I ask why?”
She offered a tiny shrug. “I assume you and Sylvie were once together and I didn’t wish to be an impediment if you decided to take up with her again.”
He asked her softly, “Did I give you any indication that I might?”
“No, you didn’t, but truthfully, I haven’t much experience with men. However, I watched Violet’s intended pursue her for nearly two years with pretty words and promises, only to not show himself at the church on the day they were to marry.”
“I see. So you were trying to spare yourself and your feelings just in case.”
“Yes. I may not know men but I know that I will not share you, Dominic, no matter how short the time we spend together.”
The honesty in her eyes was plain. “May I be truthful with you?”
“Please.”
Dominic wasn’t certain how this small unique woman had worked her way into the fabric of his being in so short a time, but he would feed himself to the sharks before causing her even a second of pain. “Showing you the truth may be better than words….”
Placing his hands around her waist, he eased her in against his length and raised her chin so he could feast visually on the lips he had come to crave from sunset to sunrise. Bringing his mouth down to hers, he whispered, “I’ve chosen you,
petite.
No other.”
He kissed her, slowly, passionately, intensely. “You, Clare,” he murmured. “Only you…”
Shaken by the power flowing from him, Clare returned the kiss and mapped her hands blindly up and down the muscled lengths of his hard arms, pressing herself closer. His lips traveled over the edge of her trembling throat and then drank from the soft skin covering her jaw.
“And I will not share you, either,
bien-aimée,
” he pledged. “Ever. Never…”
Clare’s world was spinning. Every press of his lips sank her deeper into the maelstrom fed by his touch and the seductively whispered promises.
He husked out against her ear, “Do you really wish to be in here where I can’t kiss you…or touch you…this way…?”
He circled his palm lazily over her breast. As the tip blossomed, hardened, and pleaded for more, a moan rose from deep in her throat.
“Do you wish to be alone…or with me, Clare?”
He bent and gently nipped her throbbing nipple. When he transferred his erotic attention to her other breast, her world exploded. Arching bonelessly, she cried out in a soft raw voice, “You, Dominic. With you…”
Knowing an orgasm when he heard one, Dominic picked her up and carried her from the room.
His boots sounded loud against the marble floor and his long strides made short work of the lengthy distance down the niche-lined corridor. In his arms, Clare was so overcome she didn’t know if she was on land or sea. Only he mattered. Held against his heart, she pulsed everywhere, from her lips and breasts to the shadowy place between her thighs. His masterful caresses had made her body shatter, and she was certain she’d still be trying to find pieces of herself come sunrise.
As they approached his door, the sight of Gaspar and Esteban posed beside it narrowed Dominic’s eyes. “What?”
Gaspar shrugged, keeping his gaze away from Clare. “Sorry. Levine wants to see you. He’s trying to change the price on the guns.”
“Can’t you two handle it?”
Esteban shook his head. “Says he’ll only negotiate with you.”
Dominic wanted to lean back and roar with frustration. “Meet me downstairs.”
They nodded and complied.
Dominic entered his suite and set Clare on her feet. Viewing her passion-swollen lips and thinking of the pleasure he’d hoped to continue, the last thing he wanted to do was to leave her. Tracing that same mouth with a light finger, he bent and kissed it softly. “I must go and handle this.”
Clare’s world was still hazy but not so much that she didn’t feel the regret. “I understand.”
They spent the next few moments sharing a reluctant kiss-filled farewell. “I’ll send Anna up,” he breathed against her ear.
She watched him remove a clean change of clothing from his armoire and depart. She and her pulsing desire were left in the room alone.
Downstairs, Gaspar and Esteban were waiting as he’d asked. After he conferred a moment with Anna, the three men left the house, but Dominic’s angry strides took him in the opposite direction. Gaspar and Esteban shared a confused look.
“Where are you going!”
“To the waterfalls for a cold shower! I’ll meet you at Levine’s shortly.”
The two friends smiled.
In addition to owning one of the most fabled taverns in the Caribbean, Moses Levine was a prominent weapons merchant and smuggler. It was he who would make the arrangements for the selling and the shipment north of the muskets Dominic and his crew had taken from the British frigate, but the price he’d quoted Gaspar and Esteban was far below the price he’d contracted with Dominic. He was a mousy little man of about fifty years of age who couldn’t see his hand in front of his face without his thick-lensed spectacles. “Ah, LeVeq,” he voiced warmly as the freshly washed and clothed Dominic, flanked by Gaspar and Esteban, walked into his office above the tavern. “So glad the winds brought you and the
Marie
home safely.”