Ecstasy's Promise (Historical Romance) (41 page)

Edward spoke at last. "Have you decided to accept
me, Victoria?" There was a world of feeling in his voice.

She raised her face to him. "I love you, Edward, with all my heart. If you will accept my love in return, I promise never to keep myself from you again."

"Oh, God, I love you, Victoria." His mouth
sought hers. At first his lips were soft and gentle, but
soon they became hard and demanding. He laid her
down across the bed and molded her body to his long
length. With expert hands he undressed her,
disposing of her gown and robe. She protested when
he pulled away from her.

Edward laughed. "Patience, my love." He quickly
removed his clothes and lay down beside her. His hands caressed her body. His lips caressed her face.
Her own hands moved over his muscular body. His
brown eyes burned with an inner fire. "Love me, darling, love me," he whispered. Suddenly, touching and feeling were not enough. Edward eased his body onto hers. Their bodies united as they became one.

*                            *                            *

Later that night, Victoria lay in Edward's arms, listening to his steady breathing. The light of the moon bathed the bedroom with a soft glow.

Edward nuzzled her ear with his lips. "Why are you so quiet, my love?" She snuggled closer to him.

"I was remembering the day I met you at the picnic."

He smiled. "Little did I know that day the effect Mammaw's beautiful granddaughter would have on my life. I very nearly did not attend that picnic."

Victoria reached for his hand and held it to her cheek. "I remember wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by you. I thought you quite the most handsome man I had ever met."

Edward laughed. "And I thought you were the loveliest little girl I had ever met."

"Little girl?"

"That impression did not last for very long, because I found myself wanting to make love to you. You have no idea what a tight rein I kept on myself that night, and on many other occasions."

"What if I had never come to Texas, Edward?"

"Then we would never have met. In that case I would have spent the rest of my life being lonely, searching for my love. We were meant to be together, Victoria. From the day you were born fate had you in mind for me. The day we met was simply the meeting of our souls."

Victoria nodded. "I believe that, Edward. If only we had told each other how we felt, we should have been spared a lot of grief."

Edward turned her face to his. "You will have to understand, Victoria, love was a new experience for me, and I had certainly never met anyone like you before. I did not know how to deal with you."

Victoria smiled. "What you mean is you never met a woman who said no to you."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "You are impertinent. I did tell you that I loved you, though, on two different occasions."

"When, Edward? I never heard you."

"Nevertheless, I did. When you were injured in that fall from the cliff, I told you I loved you."

"I did not hear you, Edward."

"So I discovered later."

"When was the other time, Edward?"

"Do you recall the night of our wedding, while we stood on your balcony?"

"How could I forget that night? You were so angry with me."

"You asked me to translate the song Rafael was singing." Edward kissed her softly. "I did not translate what he was singing entirely. Instead I told you of my feelings for you."

"Oh, Edward, if I had only known. I cried because you were saying the words I wanted to hear, but I thought they were only the words of the singer in the garden below."

"And I thought you were crying because you were married to me and not to Paul." Edward lowered his head so his lips were only inches from hers. "I fought hard against my feelings. You were so young, yet each time I saw you I fell more in love with you. We have hurt each other a great deal, but I will strive never to hurt you again."

"Hold me, Edward. Love me," she whispered.

"With pleasure my love; with a great deal of pleasure."

In the weeks that passed Cullem and Dorothea saw little of Edward and Victoria. The two Marshalls were content, knowing the couple who occupied the cottage were happy.

One night after Edward and Victoria had dined with them, Cullem and Dorothea watched from the veranda as the newlyweds made their way back to the cottage. Edward scooped Victoria up in his arms, and Cullem and Dorothea heard laughter drift back to the veranda. Cullem slipped his arm around his wife's waist. "You should feel proud of yourself, my dear. You helped Edward and Victoria find each other."

She sighed contentedly. "The love they have is so beautiful, they would have come together sooner or later without my help. I merely speeded up the inevitable."

"I pray God they hold on to what they have," Cullem said. "They are so perfect for each other."

"Like you and me?" Dorothea asked.

"Yes, I believe so," he said, hugging her tightly. "They have both suffered a great deal; they will heal each other's wounds."

One morning Edward and Victoria rode out on horseback. They rode to the site of a beautiful waterfall. Victoria dismounted, ran to the edge of the cliff, and looked at the water that cascaded down and fell below in a rush of white foam that washed out to sea. The sunlight reflecting on the mist caused a rainbow of color to burst forth. Victoria held her breath, caught up in the beauty that surrounded her.

Edward tied the horses to a nearby tree and smiled at her. Then he remembered her falling from the cliff, and in an instant he covered the distance that separated them. He grabbed her and jerked her against him. "Damn you, Victoria, don't ever do such a stupid thing again," he said angrily. "Must I stay with you every moment to keep you from killing yourself? A child would have more sense than you do."

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that as a child he had fallen over a waterfall, until she saw the look on his face. He was plainly shaken. "I am sorry, Edward. It was foolish of me. I will be more careful in the future."

"See that you are," he said, still angry with her, and turned his back and walked away.

Victoria was wise enough to let him have some time alone. She watched as he walked down the hill away from her. She sat down under a tree, and waited for his return. It was some time before he reappeared, and when he did she saw that he was no longer angry. He sat down beside her and placed a white flower in her hair.

"I will put diamonds in your hair, Victoria."

She knew he had forgiven her, and this was Edward's way of saying he was sorry. "I do not want diamonds, my love. All I want is your love. It is much more precious to me. Besides, I have nothing to give you in return except myself."

Edward shifted his weight and laid his head in her lap. "It is enough, Victoria, it will more than suffice."

They were quiet for a long time, enjoying their surroundings. All of a sudden Edward sat up. "Let's go home, Victoria. Let's return to Rio del Lobo."

""Yes," she said excitedly. "I want to go home. I love our little cottage, but I want to be with you in our own home."

Edward lay down on the cool green grass and pulled her down beside him. "We could start a family. What Rio del Lobo needs is the sound of children's laughter."

Victoria laughed. "Once a statement like that would have made me angry, but not anymore. You are right. Rio del Lobo needs children, and who knows, maybe I am already with child."

Edward looked at her quickly. "Do you really think so?"

"I do not know; I suppose it is possible."

Edward placed his hand on her stomach. His eyes grew soft. "It is funny, Victoria. Before I met you, I thought marriage was for fools, and children were necessary to carry on one's name. I said as much to Dan on numerous occasions. But now I know having a baby that came from our love would make our life complete."

Victoria felt a prickle of fear as she thought of her mother's death while giving birth to her, but she pushed the fear to the back of her mind.

And so the happy golden days in Jamaica drew to a close as they prepared to return to Texas, and Rio del Lobo.

*                            *                            *

Victoria said a tearful good-bye to the Marshalls. She had become very fond of Cullem and Dorothea, and knew she would miss them. She promised to write often, and the Marshalls assured her they would visit Rio del Lobo before too long.

Edward and Victoria stood on deck and watched Jamaica fade into the distance. Their hearts were light, for they were returning to Texas.

The ship they were sailing home on was much more luxurious than the
Blue Dolphin
had been, but their fellow passengers saw little of Edward and Victoria, as they kept very much to themselves.

Victoria was sitting on the bed. She had removed her shoes, and had her feet tucked underneath her. "What are you doing, Edward?" she asked curiously as she watched him take a deck of cards from his valise.

"I thought we might play cards to pass the time until dinner, unless you would rather walk about on deck."

"No," Victoria told him. "I would like to play cards with you. What will we play?"

Edward removed his boots and sat down on the bed across from her. He broke the seal on the deck, extracted the cards, and began shuffling them expertly. He smiled at her. "Would you like me to teach you to play poker? It is strictly a man's game, but with your intelligence you should have no trouble catching on."

Victoria smiled at him demurely. "I am flattered you would consider teaching me, a mere woman, your game."

He smiled indulgently at her. "Shall we begin, Victoria?" Edward dealt out the cards and proceeded to explain the rules of poker to her. She listened very attentively to his every word, asking a question every so often. "What stakes shall we play for, Victoria?"

Victoria moved from the bed, found her handbag, and returned to her original position. "We shall play for money, of course," she told him. "Bodine gave me this fifty-dollar gold piece before we were married," she told Edward, showing him her money. "This is my stake."

Edward flashed her a smile. "I am loathe to take your money from you, Victoria, but if you play a man's game, you must play by his rules."

Victoria smiled at him innocently. "Perhaps I shall win your money, Edward."

He gave her a look that clearly told her that could not happen. He removed money from his pocket. "I told you poker is a man's game. I shall not allow you to win; nor will I show you any mercy because you are a woman."

"I can only hope you will not be too ruthless, Edward."

They played a few hands. When it was Victoria's turn to shuffle, she was clumsy and dropped the cards often. Edward was patient with her, however, and allowed her all the time she needed to deal.

In spite of his declaration to show her no mercy, Victoria knew he purposely let her win a few hands.

Edward dealt the cards and told Victoria it was her bet. He had won twenty-five dollars of her money. He watched her face as she smiled excitedly at him. "I bet twenty dollars, Edward." He covered her bet.

"You do not have a poker face, Victoria. You should never let your opponent know when you have a good hand. How many cards do you need, love?"

"I will just play these cards," she told him.

"The dealer takes two," he said. "It is your bet, Victoria."

"I have five dollars left, Edward. I will bet it all." He covered her bet. "Edward, what does it mean if one has ace, king, queen, jack, ten in the same suit?" she asked innocently.

Edward knitted his brow and threw in his hand. "That is a royal flush, Victoria; nothing will beat it."

"If you throw in your hand, does that mean I win:

"Yes, you won that hand."

She gathered up the cards, as it was her turn to deal.

"Aren't you going to show me your royal flush?" Edward asked.

"Oh, I did not have a royal flush, Edward. I only had a pair of deuces. I merely asked you what a royal flush was in case I ever got one."

Edward threw beak his head and laughed heartily. "It would seem you trapped me that time, my love." He pulled her into his arms and stared down at her. "You little devil, you lulled me into passiveness with your innocent looks, and then you moved in for the kill. You are very dangerous." He kissed her. "You are even now. Shall we quit?"

"Oh, no, I am not even yet, Edward, not until I strike a blow for womanhood." She extracted herself from his arms and picked up the cards. Edward watched in amazement as she shuffled them with an expertise a professional gambler would have envied. Her hands were sure and accurate.

Edward grinned. "When will I stop underestimating your

"You deserve what I am about to do to you, Edward." She smiled. "A man's game, indeed. I was playing poker with my father and Bodine since I was old enough to hold the cards in my hands."