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Chapter Two
July 1863
Raven had known without making the attempt that it would be useless to argue when Alex had told him they were to entertain Lady Stephanie Lawton and her American cousin for the afternoon. One well-bred young woman was as tiresome as the next in Raven’s view, but he soon found himself reassessing his opinion as he watched Eden and his uncle converse. He and Stephanie were seated opposite them in an open carriage that afforded a fine view of Hyde Park, but he was taking little notice of the scenery.
The dark-eyed young man had been startled to learn Eden’s father commanded the Southern Knight, one of the Confederate Commerce-Destroyers which had been built in England to prey upon merchant ships carrying cargo from the Northern states to European ports. There had been a lively debate at the time the cruisers were built, and he had sided with those who thought England had clearly violated her neutrality by providing ships for the Confederacy, despite the fact they were outfitted with their armaments elsewhere.
Noting the direction of her companion’s glance, Stephanie leaned close and whispered to Raven, “All Eden cares about is that abysmal war. I wish your uncle hadn’t encouraged her to talk about it. She’ll never stop.”
Raven nodded, and tried not to flinch too badly as Stephanie tightened her hold on his arm to the point she threatened to cut off the blood flow. How she could criticize her cousin when she was such a chatterbox herself he did not know, but he restrained himself from making such a rude observation aloud. Stephanie preferred to discuss the parties he found so tedious, but because they had attended all the same fetes, she mistook that for a common interest. He had stopped listening soon after the petite brunette had said good afternoon, but he considered her too self-absorbed to realize he was listening to Eden rather than to her. He liked the seriousness of Eden’s conversation, as well as her delightful Southern accent.
Eden could not help but notice Raven’s unwavering stare, and while it was distracting, she found Alexander Sutton such an enthralling man it was not overly difficult to ignore his nephew. That Alex owned a fine clipper ship that carried the produce of Jamaica to England and returned with commercial goods delighted her, for it gave them a common bond she had not expected them to share.
“I prefer to remain at my home on Jamaica, and let Raven manage our shipping interests now, but when I was young, I dearly loved the sea.”
“Why, what do you mean?” Eden exclaimed, sincerely surprised by his remark. “You are a young man still.”
Alex laughed heartily, pleased that she would think so. “In years perhaps, but there are other ways to measure age.”
“By what you have suffered, you mean?” Eden inquired sympathetically, for she had not forgotten that he was a widower. “That I can easily understand. Just three years ago I was like every other girl in Richmond: interested only in the latest fashions and which men knew the steps of the most popular new dance. That all seems so frivolous to me now. I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize how precious that time was, and make better use of it.”
Alex was again wearing gloves, and so was Eden, but he could still feel the lively warmth of her hand as it lay in his. He was surprised she had grasped his meaning so quickly. She was very bright, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not feel threatened by her intelligence. “Yes, the concerns of youth are frivolous, but that’s only natural and nothing about which to be ashamed. No one grows up so rapidly that they do not spend some of their days foolishly. Besides, every young woman should have pretty clothes and handsome dancing partners. There’s nothing wrong in that.”
“I know it isn’t wrong,” Eden agreed with a slight frown. “It’s just, well, so trivial a concern when compared to the numbers of men who have lost their lives defending our beliefs.”
Raven knew slavery had been only one of the issues that had caused the Southern states to secede from the Union and he was convinced Eden Sinclair would vigorously debate them all if given the opportunity. He had never enjoyed argument for its own sake, however, and did not challenge her to defend her cause. He had overheard a whisper or two about her mother and, growing curious, decided to ask Alex about her family when they returned home.
For now he was content to merely watch the blonde with the luminous topaz eyes, and he found it a more fascinating pastime than he had imagined possible. She was dressed in apricot-colored muslin that day, a splendid shade that complimented her fair coloring while the demure lines of the fashionable outfit were every bit as flattering to her superb figure as her low-cut evening gown had been. The fullness of the sleeves accented the grace of her gestures, which he was amused to see she made constantly as though she considered no sentence complete without that additional emphasis.
The depth of her emotions was so easy to read in her expression, unlike the talkative young woman at his side whom Raven doubted possessed the capacity to feel anything deeply. As their ride continued, he was soon convinced that, for such a brief acquaintance, Eden and Alex had formed an amazing rapport. That worried Raven, for there was no point in the attractive young woman lavishing her affection on a man with no future.
Despite the cleverness of his plans, Alex found himself so captivated by Eden Sinclair’s insightful conversation he quite forgot that the purpose of the afternoon’s ride was for Raven to become enamored of Stephanie. He was dimly aware of the steady hum of Stephanie’s voice, but unlike her more considerate cousin, she did not frequently provide an opportunity for Raven to offer a comment of his own. Alex thought it odd she did not know how greatly most men enjoyed talking about themselves. Not that Raven had such a flaw, but even if he had, he would have had scant opportunity to express himself when Stephanie seldom paused, and even then only long enough to draw a breath.
“Tell me more about Jamaica,” Eden encouraged, determined not to make everyone else’s mood as gloomy as her own by dwelling on the Civil War. She could easily imagine Alex riding about the plantation as he began to describe it. He explained that he raised sugarcane, ginger, and allspice and deftly managed to convey the impression that his life was not only wonderfully satisfying but exciting as well. She gave his hand a fond squeeze the way her mother had taught her to do when she wished to encourage a man’s attentions. When Alex returned it, she blushed prettily at the effectiveness of that ploy.
Much to his own amazement, being with Eden made Alex feel younger than he had in years. He had never seen her so relaxed either. There was none of the tension about her manner now that he had noted at the Carlisles’ ball or on other occasions prior to that, for indeed she had caught his eye long before she had joined him in the library. She was simply adorable, so utterly charming he began to wish there could be more than the friendship that had developed so easily between them. That was completely impossible, of course, and the pain of that realization forced him to look away.
Alarmed by the sudden sorrow of his uncle’s expression, Raven leaned forward to touch his knee. “Are you all right?”
“What? Oh yes, I’m fine,” Alex replied. Then scolding himself for wasting even a second of the time he had to share with Eden, he continued to extol the beauties of his island home.
“Jamaica must be like paradise,” Eden mused with another appreciative smile.
“Yes it is, even without a wife to share it,” Raven interjected sharply, not realizing how his remark would be interpreted.
Stephanie was so startled by the sound of Raven’s voice she ended her monologue in midsentence, but she had not been following Eden and Alex’s conversation and had no idea what Raven meant.
Eden, however, gasped sharply, thinking she must have been too forward. She had not said anything about visiting Jamaica, though; she was positive she had not, let alone offered to share Alex’s home with him. As her glance locked with Raven’s, she felt the same icy chill of apprehension she had experienced at their first meeting. For a man raised in the warmth of a tropical paradise, he had a remarkably cold manner. It was not that his gaze was threatening, it was that he seemed to be looking right through her. To what? she wondered. Did he think she was merely flirting with his uncle and did not approve? She tried to think of some witty response to put him in his place, but when nothing suitable occurred to her, she was forced to remain silent.
Alex was too perceptive not to notice Eden’s embarrassment, and while he knew what had prompted Raven’s remark, he dared not explain it. “Raven didn’t have the benefit of a mother’s love while he was growing up and I fear the manners I managed
to instill in him are rather few. You’re wrong, though, Raven. Every joy is enhanced when it’s shared.”
“And every sorrow cut in half,” Raven added flippantly. He looked away then, cringing at the pain of knowing that Alex had insisted he take a wife not for the pleasure a woman would provide but for the comfort he would need when he was alone. He turned, meaning to call to the driver to stop the carriage so he could get out and walk home, but Alex shot him so murderous a glance he thought better of it. He leaned back, resigned to spending the afternoon with a brunette who would not keep still and a beautiful blonde who was so charming he feared Alex might choose to die in her arms.
When they returned to the Lawton home, Alex let Raven and Stephanie leave the carriage first, then hurriedly apologized again to Eden for his nephew’s rudeness. “I have hopes that Raven will take a bride while we’re here. Unfortunately, he doesn’t share them. If his temper gets the better of him at times, you mustn’t think badly of him. He’s a fine man, only young and frequently thoughtless.”
Enormously relieved to learn that Raven had not been calling her a fortune hunter, or worse, Eden left the carriage with an agile dancing step. When Alex moved far more slowly, she did not question the reason, but took his arm and followed Raven and Stephanie inside the well-appointed townhouse where her Aunt Lydia invited the men to remain for tea. Delighted they would not have to part immediately, Eden decided if Raven continued to be an obnoxious bore, she would simply pretend he was not even there. She was having far too marvelous a time with Alex to allow anything, or anyone, to spoil it.
