Master Of Paradise (39 page)

Finally, she selected a rich red Madeira that had been aged for thirty years and carried the stone bottle to the master bedchamber. She decanted it carefully into a crystal bottle and mixed in all of the potion that Jessie had given her.

She sorted through her silk and lace nightgowns to choose the one that would tempt a man beyond his endurance, and settled on the wisp of whiteness that bared one shoulder. It's transparency left nothing to the imagination.

Nicholas made three speedy trips to Nassau in ten days and set a record. The navigator of the Rattlesnake was a Florida man who had known the waterways since childhood. They easily dodged the Union patrols until they were out in open sea, where the ship's speed and low gray profile left any pursuers miles behind.

On his return Nicholas left the ship anchored at Murrel's Inlet and arrived home that evening on horseback. It had been one of those unbelievably hot summer days where even the wind felt like a hot furnace. He stabled the newly acquired roan in the stall next to Sunblood. His eyes sought out the new colt and he admired the rich color of its coat. His wife had named it Sungold because of that color.

Nicholas scanned the galleries of the graceful plantation house and thought he glimpsed Amanda on the upper balcony of the West wing. He slung his saddlebags to Ben and ascended the outside staircase to the upper gallery three steps at a time in his eagerness. He experienced disappointment when he found their bedroom empty. Her essence was tangible in the room filled with pink roses, and a provocative nightgown laid ready on her pillow.

He stepped out on the gallery to scan the garden. There it was again-- an illusive glimpse of Amanda over toward the reflecting lake. He smiled to himself.
I'll make sure we finish dinner and come upstairs at the earliest possible moment.

Nicholas bathed and changed his clothes, then descended to the dining room. The head cook who'd been left in charge in Samuel's absence awaited him.

"Masta Nick, de stock of wine is badly depleted. What we used t'pay ten dollars a bottle fo', dey is now askin' one hundred dollars."

"Christ, if prices are going that high, I should be running wine past the blockade, rather than guns. Tell them we'll pay in gold, but at the old prices. They're beginning to call our paper money shinplasters because that's all it's good for."

The family assembled for dinner and because of the excessive heat, a cold supper of shrimp on rice, thinly-sliced ham and wild turkey, and platters of strawberries, peaches, grapes and melon were laid on silver salvers at each end of the table.

At the last possible moment, after everyone else was seated, Amanda slipped into her place. She smiled slowly as her husband's eyes devoured her.

She watched him answer Jennifer and Pamela's questions about Charleston and Nassau, while Aunt Billie sat nodding. She listened to him discuss the war's developments with Philip. The deep bronze of his hands and face contrasted sharply with his white teeth, as his ready smile spread leisurely across his lips.

His eyes however kept returning to Amanda and his thoughts could be so easily read by everyone present, he might as well have shouted across the room.

Not so Amanda. As he looked down the table at his golden-eyed wife, she was almost a mystery to him. Tonight she tempted him, yet seemed remote and unattainable.
She is without doubt the loveliest female I've ever encountered in all my travels. Her moods are mercurial, and often her thoughts, if I'm lucky enough to hear them, are mystical.

Jennifer was worrying about what they could take to auction at Virginia's Charity Ball, and he solved the problem quickly.

"I'm afraid there is a food shortage developing in Charleston. Unglamorous as it seems, I think a couple of hogs would be appreciated more than anything else."

"Lincoln's trying to strangle the South," Philip informed him. "He's added a Gulf Squadron to the Atlantic Squadron."

Nick nodded. "The blockade is getting tighter daily. We were fired on this last time. What started as fun, has turned into a very dangerous game. I think it's about time we got you back to England, Philip, before there's no getting out."

Pamela looked alarmed, but remained silent.

"Do you think the lawyers will have made any progress?" Philip asked.

"They had better, if they want paying." Nicholas added, "By the time we get to England, they will have had over three months. We'll talk tomorrow and decide if we'll leave next week."

Nicholas declined a cigar, arose and went around the table to Amanda. He pulled back her chair and laid a possessive hand upon her shoulder."Are you ready to go up, darlin'?" he drawled.

"Actually, it's so hot, I've decided to take a long, cool bath," she said low, giving him a sidelong glance. "You don't mind amusing yourself for a couple of hours, do you Nicholas?"

He was momentarily disconcerted.
Does she really expect me to mark time downstairs after conjuring up the tempting image of a nude bathing scene?
He decided to give her enough time to disrobe, then he'd join her for a cozy evening at home.

In the bathroom that adjoined their bedroom, Amanda filled the tub with cool, clear water and put in a few drops of perfumed oil, whose scent always reminded her of the Far East. She climbed in and took up the huge sponge to trickle the cool water down her body. She purposely used no soap so the water would remain clear, and give Nicholas an unimpeded view of her limbs. Tonight was most important to her and she had planned every detail.

Within moments Nick came in and sat on the edge of the tub. He bent to claim her lips and she reached up to brush her lips against his, then moved away quickly to squeeze the sponge and allow the delicious cool water to cascade in rivulets down her breasts.

Already aroused and finding it uncomfortable, he moved into the bedroom, leaving the door open. He removed his boots, jacket, and shirt, then bare-chested and bare-footed he padded back to her. "How long will you be?"

"Mmm, probably hours," she murmured languidly.

He went back to the bedroom and cleaned the pistols he'd traveled with. He could see her plainly from where he sat, and he was beginning to be annoyed at her delay. He put the pistols into their case, and saw with satisfaction that she was finished her sponging.

Next however, she closed her eyes and lay back in the cool water.

Suddenly, a suspicion came to him. She was deliberately tempting him beyond his endurance. He took up her nightgown and went over to the bath. "I do believe madam, that you are teasing me. He grinned down at her, and she opened her eyes wide to show her innocence. He offered her the nightgown and whispered, "Come to bed."

She made no effort to accept his invitation, but closed her eyes and murmured, "In a while."

Suddenly she screamed and her eyes flew open. Nicholas had stripped off his breeches and joined her in the tub. As she tried to stand up and quit the water, he chuckled and pulled her into his lap. He bit her ear playfully. "You are acting very mysteriously tonight. What are you up to, my little wanton?"

He was beside her instantly, lifting her hair and applying the towel to the seductive curve of her back. He kissed her shoulders. "Tell me more about this game."

She laughed. "It involves a secret... and a prize..."

"Like a treasure hunt?" He turned her to face him and gently toweled her breasts. The nipples stood erect like hard little fruits, inviting his taste, and his mouth could not resist.

She picked up the wispy nightgown, considered for a moment, then rejected it. "I shall be naked as a true Pagan Goddess." She lifted her hair with her arms, then let it cascade about her shoulders like a silken waterfall. She stretched with feline grace, then lay down supine on top of the bedcovers.

He quickly threw aside the towel and came to her.

Before he reached her, she took the goblet of wine and drank from it. She knew he would be able to detect there was something in it, so in a flash of brilliance she slowly, erotically tipped the goblet and let the wine trickle over her breasts.

His tongue and his mouth licked and sucked the red rivulets as they ran lower and lower, filling her navel, then spilling over her belly down to the triangle below. He groaned as he drank every last drop of the powerful aphrodisiac. The wine left a burning sensation in his mouth, but he was too far gone with desire to take special notice.

As he murmured love words, his voice was thick with his great need. His blood coursed along his veins like liquid fire, pulsing in his neck, his chest, and his groin until he was light-headed. His cock felt swollen to the limit; its head ready to burst if any more blood rushed into it.

Nicholas ceased to think, only to feel-- to enjoy to the full the unbelievable pleasure Amanda's body gave him. He plunged into her tightness, hearing her cry of pleasure only dimly.

She wrapped her legs about him tightly and locked them behind his back, then opened her mouth to receive his tongue. She also had drunk a little of the aphrodisiac and was feelings the effects of the unholy passion it had aroused.

He plunged deeper and she adjusted her body to his to accommodate his engorged sex.

She gashed his back with her nails, and then it happened. She felt him lose complete control as he stiffened, then plunged and thrust as he spilled his seed into her.

He lay sprawled on her, totally spent, fighting for his breath, then he lay still and as his senses returned he said, "My God, what did you put in the wine?"

She whispered, "That's the secret."

He sat up and stared at her as his suspicions took hold "Have you been down to the cabins again? To that damned voodoo woman?" he demanded.

The fire was already returning to his loins. "Amanda, you are the most willful... maddening... tempting... sensual creature in the world." She ran her finger over his lips and down his neck, then traced it all the way down his body. "Purely and absolutely," he said with a groan.

In Charleston, Virginia threw open her house for the Charity Ball to raise money for the war. The city had completely run out of foodstuffs that were imported. There was no coffee, tea, wine, beef, lamb, cheese, but anything homegrown was still available.

The South had no shortage of flowers, so Virginia's house was filled with them. Confederate banners and flags decorated the rooms. The affair was well-attended by military men of every rank. Sabers glittered and banged against shining boots; spurs jangled along the waxed floors, and the gray uniforms were immaculate.

Virginia served bourbon made from mash and home-made rye whisky, and fruit punch for the ladies. No new clothes for either men or women were available in the shops, so many establishments had already closed their doors. Each woman attending had refurbished a gown she had worn before, and wore it proudly as a banner for the cause.

Jennifer was glowing. She was on the arm of Beau Hampden, already an officer, and she passed from one group to another showing off her engagement ring.

Amanda was amazed at how many people Nicholas knew. Of course they were all business connections, as he'd been in the import/export business in Charleston for five years. Every person he passed seemed to want to engage him in conversation, so Philip became Amanda's partner in the dancing, and her escort to supper and the charity auction.

As Amanda glimpsed Nicholas across the room, she reflected that she had never been happier. In spite of the fact that the times were frightening, the future uncertain, and the blockade running in which Nicholas was involved was deadly dangerous, the two of them were falling more deeply in love each day. In her heart's center she was almost certain that she was carrying his child, and it filled her with joy to believe she was so close to achieving her hearts desire. Nicholas, their baby, and Paradise. What more could any woman want, ever?

Philip was dancing with his mother when Jennifer spied Mandy standing alone. Jennifer's color was high and she tossed her blonde curls indignantly. "I'm surprised at Aunt Virginia being so insensitive to your feelings, Amanda."

Amanda's fan paused. She looked an inquiry at Jennifer and waited for her to explain.

"It's considered shocking form to invite a man's wife and mistress to the same affair. It's an open insult!" fumed Jennifer.

Mandy looked across the room at Nicholas and for the first time became aware of the woman who engaged him in animated conversation at the buffet table. As Jennifer's words penetrated her consciousness and their meaning became clear, she noticed the woman reach up her hand in a familiar way to adjust Nicholas's cravat.

Amanda felt as if a large, ugly hand were trying to pluck her heart from her breast; as though the sun had gone out and left the world cold and bleak.
Is this what the end of the world feels like?

"Who is she?" she heard herself ask, low.

"Lady Margo Stafford." Jennifer was unable to keep the note of satisfaction from her voice.

Amanda's pride was mauled and hung in shreds. She stood transfixed for a moment as anger, jealousy, and pain raged within her for supremacy. Anger won, hands down.

She closed her fan with a snap and walked a direct path through the crowded ballroom to Lady Margo. In a voice raised high enough to cause a stir in any crowd, Amanda said, "Stay away from my husband!"

Maggie looked at the young beauty before her and wanted to strike her, but the golden fury that blazed in her eyes made her afraid. She said between her teeth, "American bitch!"