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Raven waved his thanks to the butler as he sped out the double doors. The terrace overlooked the garden, but a hurried glance revealed Eden was not seated on any of the shaded benches. Frustrated by his lack of success, Raven was about to return to the house to tell Abbot to send the staff out to look for Eden when he sighted a patch of apricot on the distant cliff.
Recognizing the pale color as the shade of one of Eden’s favorite gowns, he could think of only one reason for her to have strayed so far. Terrified she was about to throw herself to the rocks below, he prayed he could reach her in time to prevent such a horrible tragedy. Skirting the winding paths of the garden, he vaulted the low hedges and flowering shrubs in a mad dash to save her life. He had never run so hard, but the lawn that extended between the end of the garden and the cliff’s edge seemed a mile wide even though he nearly flew across it.
The sound of the surf kept Eden from hearing Raven’s wild approach until he was within a few yards of her. She turned then, and delighted to see him after a long and trying day, she welcomed him with a bright smile before pausing to wonder why he was in such a great hurry.
Raven had expected hysterical tears and defiant screams, but when Eden smiled as she turned to face him, he knew immediately suicide had not been on her mind. Feeling like a complete ass, he slid to a bone-jarring halt, then had to lean forward and rest his hands on his knees while he struggled to catch his breath.
Thinking he must have some sort of terrible news, Eden ran to Raven’s side. “What’s wrong?” She was tempted to reach out and touch his curls, but stopped herself.
“Nothing,” he managed to assure her between deep gasps. Horribly embarrassed, he straightened up as quickly as he could, but his breathing was still labored.
“Well, something dreadful must have happened or you wouldn’t have run out here like that,” Eden prompted as she reached out to take his arm. “It isn’t the War, is it? Has there been news of the War?”
Raven held up his hand in a plea for patience, and in another moment he was able to speak. “I didn’t hear any news from America. It was just that I saw you out here on the cliff, and I was afraid that you were about to do something desperate.”
Eden didn’t understand. “What are you talking about? What could I possibly do out here?”
That she didn’t see the obvious appalled him. “I thought you were about to leap off.”
Raven still looked so terribly upset that Eden didn’t doubt his words. She thought him absolutely daft for thinking such a thing, however. “Oh Raven, where did you ever get such an absurd idea?” She couldn’t help but giggle then, and she was grateful she had him to hold on to when she could not control the riotous peals of laughter that bubbled up from deep inside her.
That he had exhausted himself racing to rescue her when she had not been in any danger was bad enough, but that she would ridicule him for it was more than Raven could bear. Infuriated with her, he grabbed ahold of her upper arms and lifted her clear off her feet.
“Don’t you ever laugh at me again!” he shouted in her face. “Don’t ever make that mistake again!”
Dangling in midair, Eden was aghast to find he did not think the situation as humorous as she did. His dark eyes were aglow with the fury of his rage and she clung to his lapels, terrified that he might be angry enough to fling her off the cliff himself.
“I wasn’t laughing at you,” she argued in a frantic whisper.
Raven watched her eyes fill with tears, and certain she was no longer in any mood for laughter, he placed her on her feet. “Women have killed themselves over a lost love. You must know that’s happened.”
When he released her, Eden backed away. “Is that what you feared, or what you were hoping for, Raven? You’re not the only one who despises pretense. Just forget that Alex hoped we might marry. There’s no way I’ll ever marry you when it’s plain you’d rather see me dead!”
Raven clenched his fists tightly at his sides but he didn’t follow Eden when she ran away from him. She might have called him a bastard and laughed in his face but he certainly did not wish her dead. No, he wanted her very much alive, and if she had not fled from him when she had, he knew in another instant he would have pulled her down into the grass and taken her right there.
He waited until she had reached the terrace before turning away and walking to the edge of the cliff. He waved to the men on the deck of the Jamaican Wind and decided since he had come that far he might as well go out to the ship. A few hours spent with Randy would undoubtedly put him in a better mood, and it would also give Eden the time to realize how ridiculous her accusation that he wished her dead truly was.
Chapter Eight
August 1863
Eden did not dress for dinner. She remained in her room stubbornly determined to again make Raven dine alone but that plan was foiled when he did not return to Briarcliff. His failure to do so confused her as he had not impressed her as the type of man to turn tail and run.
Then a truly horrifying thought occurred to her. What if he had sailed for London on the He had certainly been angry enough to abandon her. Had he actually done it?Jamaican Wind?
Not willing simply to fret over such a dire possibility, Eden rang for a maid. By the time the girl reached her room, she had a note written for Abbot asking him to ascertain immediately whether or not Raven’s ship was still lying at anchor in Lyme Bay. She waited at her window, thinking whomever Abbot sent would be carrying a lantern, but a knock at her door soon drew her away from her vigil.
Abbot had come in response to her note, and the white-haired butler appeared to be baffled by her request. “Lady Clairbourne, if the ship is in the harbor, is there a message of some kind that you wish sent out to it?”
Other than to tell Raven to go straight to hell, Eden could not think of anything. “Why no,” she attempted to answer calmly, “I just wondered if the ship had sailed on the evening tide.”
“Lord Clairbourne would not leave without informing you of his intentions,” Abbot assured her.
Eden took the precaution of glancing up and down the hall, and seeing no other servants about, she hurriedly drew Abbot into her room and closed the door. “I know Alex trusted you, and I trust you as well. Raven and I are not well acquainted, and constantly misunderstand each other. How would you describe his character? I know Alex thought very highly of him, but I find it extremely difficult to hold such a generous opinion.”
To ask a butler for a personal comment on his employer was irregular, to say the least, but in the past month Abbot had found Eden’s unassuming charm so delightful he was not offended by her request and responded in a fatherly tone. “I have known Raven for nearly twenty years, my lady, and he has never given anyone reason to criticize his behavior. He is a fine man, and very young for the heavy load of responsibilities he bears. These are difficult times for all of us who loved Alex. If a problem exists between you two, it is doubly unfortunate coming now when each of you is suffering so badly from grief.”
Ashamed to think what he said about Raven might well be true, Eden was so embarrassed she had to turn away for a moment. It was clear to her then that she had had no real cause to accuse Raven of wishing her dead. He had simply frightened her half out of her wits, that was all, and perhaps it had been rude of her to laugh at him for thinking her about to attempt suicide. They had again made a complete mess of thing
