Authors: Kitty Margo
Mary was far from comprehending Lynna’s reasoning, however, she forced a weak smile. “Well, of course I do
, dear
. You take all the time you need. After all, a daughter
-
in
-
law as special as you will be is worth a short delay.”
“Thank you,” Lynna called over her shoulder as she hurried from the room. “If Aunt Judith is agreeable
, we wi
ll start preparing for the trip.
I’m
sure
she will
be as excited as I am!”
Instead, Lynna bypassed the cottage and ran to the river, stripped down to her chemise and dove in. What had she done? Had she j
ust made the worst
mistake of her life, agreeing to go to Joshua Jordan’s hometown? She swam far up river and allowed the current to carry her back down. She was floating on her back, woolgathering, when she heard a horse whinny. She nervously glanced up to find Daniel watching her with lust
-
glazed eyes. “I watched you run past your cottage and knew I
would
find you here.”
“Daniel Fletcher, how long have you been watching me?” she cried, ducking under the water. “You should have made your presence known instead of staring at me like some pervert!”
“Of all things. I stop to allow my horse a cool drink of water on this desperately hot day and get cruel insults hurled at my integrit
y from a beautiful mermaid.
And besides,
I am
not the one who should be apologizing for my reckless behavior,” he added more firmly. “Lynna,
you are
well aware of how dangerous it is to come here alone. How many times have you been warned about this?
There is
no telling what kind of riff raff might come to the river to fish and catch you floating around in your shimmy.”
“
I’
m
sorry, Daniel. I promise to be more careful.” She did feel guilty for having frightened him
and s
he knew it was foolhardy to come to the river alone.
“Judith w
ould worry herself into a conniption
if she knew of this latest escapade.”
“Oh, Daniel, you
won’t
tell her
,
will you?”
He pretended to give the matter serious consideration. “Will you promise to give me an answer to my marriage proposal by the end of summer?”
“Yes.”
“Will you promise not to come back here alone?”
“I promise,’ she mumbled, although she regretted the promise before it left her lips. No one knew, but a swim in the river had become a part of her daily routine, since Suzanne’s absence had allowed her to have a daily routine that was
not
centered on her.
“That’s more like it.” He grinned wickedly as he eyed her discarded clothes scattered carelessly around him. “Now, may I join you? The water looks most inviting today.”
“You beast!” Outraged
,
Lynna dove underwater and came up with a good-sized rock.
Seeing this, and the determined look on her face, Daniel wasted no time in turning his steed in the opposite direction. “On second thought
,
I really do have chores to complete!” He barely escaped potential injury from the flying rock that whizzed past his head
,
and called over his shoulder, “Remember your promises.”
Passing the cotton field as she walked down the dirt road toward home, Lynna watched as the slaves hoed the grass from the sturdy young cotton shoots, several waving a greeting. Her heart turned over for them. Mosquitoes swarmed around their heads and they constantly swatted flies as sweat rolled from their glistening bodies. They worked so hard, yet received little reward for their backbreaking labor other than food, shelter, and a new set of homespun clothes twice a year. Lynna knew their passage across the Atlantic Ocean to reach their new home had been
horrible and
dominated by suffering, sickness, fear, and death.
The life of a slave was a life of unending torment and brutality. However
,
there was not a slave at Magnolia House who
did not
count his blessings and feel fortunate to belong to Silas Fletcher. They knew all too well the conditions under which most slaves lived, or merely existed, on neighboring plantations and the inhumanities they suffered daily.
Many s
laves were grossly overworked, w
orking long days under the blazing, relentless heat
of the sun in the cotton fields.
During the day they were hastily fed a noonday meal consisting of corn pone with water before being prodded back to the fields under the vigilant eyes of the mounted overseer brandishing his ever-present whip. After a long day in the fields they hurried to an adjoining field to cultivate the land, plant the seeds, and tend the corn and other crops they personally grew to feed their own families.
Many women miscarried
because of
their exhausting workload. Others were forced to work until the day they delivered and then rushed back to the field shortly afterward to resume their grueling work schedule.
Age was no excuse for not working. The rare few
that
beat the odds and lived to a ripe old age were not permitted to spend their remaining years in leisure. Far from it, they were expected to cook, wash clothes, and care for the small children. Those chores more often than not fell upon the shoulders of the young. Very few slaves lived to see their supposed golden years. On some plantations
,
none wanted to, preferring death to their wretched lives.
Nine years was the average life expectancy of a field hand. And since international slave trade had been abolished and no more slaves could be legally shipped in, worried plantation owners with large cotton fields
to be planted and picked, urged their slaves to
“breed like flies” in order to
keep
their supply of young, hearty workers
replenished
. Lynna could only pray that in death these people would find their much-deserved rest under the caring hands of their true master.
Silas Fletcher was a much kinder slaveholder than most of the landed gentry. True, his slaves worked as hard as any, the fact that Magnolia House was one of the most productive plantations in the South producing a bumper crop of cotton annually was proof of that. The outstanding difference was that Silas treated his slaves as human beings, instead of mindless working chattel without a single thought of substance.
Children could be seen scattered throughout the fields carrying buckets of cold well water to the thirsty laborers. At midday they were permitted to find a shady spot to rest and eat at their leisure of a meal consisting of fat back, hominy
,
and cornbread. Silas Fletcher believed a decent meal not only appeased their appetites, but also gave them the needed energy to return to the fields. The slaves at Magnolia House were an orderly lot with the occasional troublemaker being sternly disciplined by the black foreman
,
Jopree.
Albert Morehead, who owned a neighboring plantation, often lectured Silas against feeding his slaves a heavy noonday meal, among other things. “You keep
feeding them like that and they will become so fat and lazy you won’
t get a decent day
’
s labor out of
them. Just
keep them
from starving to death
.”
The following days were filled with excitement and too short to accomplish all that needed to be done before the trip. As Lynna had expected, Judith was thrilled at the thought of visiting Samuel and his family. They stayed up late into the night stitching by candlelight
,
with Lynna doing most of the sewing
,
as her aunt’s eyes were
not
as good as they once were, so they would each have a new gown in Charleston. Mary had come to their house the evening after inviting them and presented Judith with two bolts of material, a watered yellow silk and a dark green muslin. She
had
used the excuse that the material had
been gathering dust in the sewing room
for ages, when Judith knew the dear woman had purchased the material on her last trip into town.
“Mary, you are more tha
n kind, but honestly we cannot…
”
Mary had silenced Judith's protestations at once with an airy wave of her hand. “I must get back and oversee the packing.” At the door, she turned and winked at Lynna. “With my daughter away
,
perhaps
you will
find time to stitch lovely gowns for the both of you.”
Lynna noticed her aunt's eyes glistening with love and unspoken grati
tude for her employer and friend
.
Chapter Nine
W
hen Lynna was certain her aching bones
could not
stand to be jostled a second longer, Mary announced they were only a few miles from Cedar Hill. Lynna and the other exhausted travelers perked up, eager for baths, clean clothes, and a soft place to rest their much abused behinds after the long, dusty journey on cushioned seats that had long since begun to feel like planks beneath them.
Lynna was surprised at the size of the plantation house with its towering columns, elaborately carved portico, and rounded balconies.
The weary group departed the carriage and were making their way to the steps when the front door suddenly burst open. Samuel bounded down the steps two at a time
,
followed by Beth and their charming daughter. After greeting his family warmly
,
Samuel turned to Lynna with a broad grin on his face. “Well now, just look what a gorgeous young lady you turned out to be.” Then, turning to h
is wife with a playful grin,
he added, “Perhaps I should
no
t have been so eager to leave home.”
Fearing what Beth's reaction might be to Samuel’s teasing banter
,
Lynna lowered her eyes and turned nervously toward her. Beth only smiled and hurried to take Lynna's hands in hers. “Never mind him, Lynna. Samuel always was the worst jokester, but I
do
no
t
have to remind
you, do I? You have known him almost as long as
I have.”
“He always teased me mercilessly.” Lynna
smiled
, remembering Samuel's penchant for tomfoolery. “You never knew what mischief he had up his sleeve.”
“Or what bug he had in his pocket to chase
you around the lawn and
terrorize you with.” His mother laughed fondly.
“And
he is
still that way
,
even to
this day.”
Beth led the ladies into the house and tossed over he
r shoulder as an afterthought,
“You ladies follow me upstairs
,
where you can freshen up before dinner. We
are
having a special dinner guest tonight. Suzanne has invited our neighbor and dear friend, Joshua Jordan.”
Lynna jerked her hands from Beth’s to clutch at a heart that suddenly threatened to beat out of her chest. Joshua Jordan? Here? It
could not
be! She grabbed the banister for support, feeling light
-
headed and sick to her stomach. What a horrible, horrible blunder
she had
made in coming here. But, surely, there must be some mistake! He was
n’t
… really… coming here! Tonight! The thought was too horrible to even wrap her mind around
.
“At last!” Mary affected an exaggerated sigh, thankfully not noticing Lynna’s distress. “We
will
finally have the honor of meeting the irresistibly charming, unspeakably divine, astonishingly handsome, and just plain perfect Mr. Joshua Jordan.”
Everyone laughed u
proariously at Mary’s facetious remarks concerning the often-heard
descriptions of Joshua, except Beth and Lynna. Beth knew that each description fit Joshua to a tee, except maybe the one about being perfect. However, she chose to keep mum and allow each of them to discover his numerous attributes for themselves.
Lynna found absolutely nothing about the man to be worthy of laughter. Instead she felt the urge to throw up, sob hysterically, and walk every step of the way back to Magnolia House. He
could not
be coming here. Tonight! What would she do? What would she say? What would
he
say? He was such a vile, despicable bounder. Would he relish watching her squirm and happily inform Suzanne and the others of their…acquaintance? She should never have come. Good Lord, she should never have come!
Upstairs, after being shown to her room, Lynna poured water from a cornflower blue pitcher into a matching bowl and breathed a deep sigh of relief as she sponged her body, washing away the light film of grit that had settled over her during the seemingly endless carriage ride. How she longed for a long
,
hot soothing bath to soak in, but there was no time. Company was coming to dinner in the form of a black-hearted sea dog
,
and she was expected to hurry downstairs and pretend to greet him for the first time. Oh, how she would love to greet him
w
ith a hard uppercut to his jaw!
Perhaps she could send word
that
she had a simply dreadful headache and planned to retire early. How rude would that be? Plus,
she had
never been ill a day in her life and a sudden ailment would only cause her aunt unnecessary worry. No, it was best to get this ordeal over with. Huh! With the quantity of women he
had
bedded
,
Joshua would be hard pressed to even remember her name.
Feeling revived after her sponge bath
,
she sat at the dressing table, pinched her cheeks until they reddened, and pulled her heavy mass of golden hair atop her head. Deciding against that style
,
she dropped her hair to trail caressingly down her back and fall in soft shimmering curls of spun gold. Pulling the sides back
,
she held her hair in place with turquoise combs
,
while bouncy tendrils fell to frame her oval face. Suzanne had often chided her for wearing her hair in such an unfashionable style.
“Hair should always be swept off your shoulders for effect, Lynna
.” But
unlike Suzanne, Lynna had never conformed strictly to the fashion of the day.
With her toilette complete
,
she chose her favorite gown of sea green dotted muslin. The gown was cut fashionably low with off the shoulder puffed sleeves and a velvet sash at her waist. The hem flounce, sleeves
,
and neck border were appliquéd with double rows of creamy French lace that Mary had been considerate enough to supply. After adding matching kid slippers
,
she stood in front of the cheval glass for a final inspection.
Satisfied with her appearance, she braced herself for the drama that was surely about to unfold and descended the stairs to the sound of robust laughter drifting from the parlor. That laugh! She would recognize it anywhere!
Joshua!
She
could not face him
again. Now or ever! No, her aunt could make her apologies and she would remain cloistered in her room for the duration of the visit. Pausing midway down the stairs, she was abo
ut to turn and flee to her room
when her eyes were drawn to the unmistakable physique of the man standing
with Silas and his sons.
It really was him! Standing only a few feet away! Even with his back turned
,
Lynna recognized him at once
,
and her ragged breath caught in her throat.
Joshua felt eyes like simmering coals burning into his back. He turned slowly
,
and from where he stood
,
he alone saw the breathtaking creature poised on the stairs like a goddess about to take flight. That face! That body! Those eyes! Could it be? No, of course not. Evidently, he had overindulged in Samuel’s stock of fine Jamaican r
um. For the exquisite young vixen
perched on the stairs held more than a passing resemblance to…no…it
could not
be!
He placed his rum glass on the mantle and his hand moved to scrub his face, before ag
ain looking toward the stairs. Could it be
!
Yes!
It was her! The very vision that had haunted him for the past three bedeviling years! She was even more breathtaking now than when
he had
first witnessed her stunning beauty onboard the
Windjammer
. Lynna! I
t really was her!
Hardly realizing
that
someone was speaking his name, or that anyone else was even in the room, Joshua found himself moving toward her. Nor did he realize
he had
left Samuel in mid
-
sentence
,
looking after him with a worrisome frown. Joshua came to a halt at the foot of the wide staircase
,
gazing up into familiar crystal blue eyes.
Lynna took a deep breath and clutched the banister for support as his eyes slowly caressed every square inch of her. If she dared try to take a step
,
her trembling limbs would surely cause her to tumble head first down the steps and land in a crumpled heap at his feet. She was stranded on the stairs, as she
could not
trust her legs to flee the man’s presence by running either up or down. What a humiliating quandary! Breathe! Just breathe!
He is
but a man. A flesh and blood man
.
She took deep
,
steadying breaths
,
hoping to still her racing heart and erratic pulse before blood shot from her ears.
She was determined to ignore Joshua; it was her only hope of enduring the night without making a complete fool of herself. She moved on trembling legs with slow
,
careful steps, lest she trip on the hem of her petticoat before safely reaching the bottom of the stairs. But far from snubbing him, she found herself unable to free her eyes
,
as they were held prisoner by his searing gaze.
“Lynna, I see you
have
met
our dinner guest.
” Samuel coughed and repeated the words, neither having heard them the first time. Noticing Lynna’s obvious distress
,
he hurried to her side.
“No,” she stammered, pleading with her eyes for Joshua not to yield their secret. “I have not yet had the pleasure.”
“Then allow me,” Samuel turned to Joshua and said, “This ravishing creature is Lynna Mathison.” Then, to Lynna, “Lynna, this is Captain Joshua Jordan.”
Only after Joshua's eyes had leisurely traveled down and then back up her slight, yet fully rounded frame and rested on her face
,
did he extend his hand to take hers and bring it to his soft mouth. Turning her hand over
,
he pressed his warm, moist lips to her palm. “It is indeed a pleasure to make your
acquaintance, Miss…ah… Mathison.” He flashed
a sinful smile that seemed to light his entire face and cause his sea green eyes to sparkle with unabashed desire. He would have to be very careful, for
he had
almost called her Miss Rhodes.
Lynna's hand tingled, no burned, from his touch. When his lips placed hot kisses on the tender skin of her palm, hot liquid fire traveled from her hand to all parts of her anatomy
,
leaving her stunned and breathless. She again clutched for a banister to steady herself.
Then, drawing a trembling
breath
,
she gratefully took the arm Samuel offered and allowed him to escort her into the parlor
,
where the others were watching with no small amount of interest, especially Suzanne.
Joshua had
no
t
failed to notice Lynna's quaking reaction and was pleased to note he had
not
been so easily dismissed from mind
,
either. In retrospect
,
he had
n’t
changed in the last few years, whereas
she had
blossomed into the most breathtakingly beautiful woman his eyes had ever beheld. Turning to Silas
,
he said, “You do grow stunning women in Georgia, sir.”
“Yes,
I will
be the first to admit that there are some enchanting women in our fair state.” He beamed, proudly. “However, few to rival Lynna and Suzanne.”
“Why, Joshua!” Suzanne quickly
left her seat
,
almost colliding with Beth in the process
,
and grabbed his arm
,
while wheedling for a compliment. “
I’m
sure that a few of the young ladies here in Charleston and some of the ladies
you have
met during your travels abroad fair put Lynna and little ole me to shame.”
Ignoring an infuriated Suzanne and looking straightway across the room into Lynna's azure eyes
,
Joshua smiled a most besotting smile and said, “Oh, to be sure,
I have
had the privilege of meeting some exquisite and exotic females in my travels. But I said it then and
I will
say it now.
I have
never seen one more beautiful
,
” he added as an afterthought, “than the two of you, of course.” Joshua was tempted to reach out and touch Lynna, to see if she was real or only a figment of his imagination.
He
had
dreamed of her so often, dreamed of her standing in front of him just as sh
e was now. Dreamed of her sweet, soft lips and smooth
satiny skin. His eyes fell to her swelling bosom and he had an almost overpowering urge to cup her breasts in his hands and bring them to his lips. To feel and taste the soft curves displayed so abundantly before him.
Taking a step toward her
,
he was unaware of what his true intentions were until Beth rushed to grab his arm and quickly say, “Shall we go in to dinner, Joshua? You must be starving!” Beth had known her reaction would have to be swift in order to avoid a scene. And what a spectacle Suzanne would
have
created had Joshua succeeded i
n his mindless endeavor to embrace
Lynna! Having witnessed Joshua's initial reaction to Lynna's dazzling beauty, she realized her sister
-
in
-
law was in
for a rude awakening. Good grief
! Beth already dreaded that dramatic scene.