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“Oh Raven, these must be worth a fortune.”
“Every countess ought to have diamonds, and those are rightfully yours. They’ll look especially nice with that light blue gown I like so much. I hope you’ll wear them when we have our portraits painted.”
Christmas had quite naturally brought longings for home and that she had received such expensive jewelry when she doubted her mother and the rest of the residents of the South would be celebrating the holiday filled Eden with a sudden sense of shame. “I’ll be happy to wear them for the portrait, and any other time you choose.”
His bride looked so far from pleased, however, Raven reached over to lift her chin. “Would you rather have emeralds, or rubies? I can get whatever you want.”
Eden had never seen any jewels more beautiful than the ones she now held in a reverent clasp. The round, marquee and emerald cut stones were set in graceful golden swirls to create a design resembling entwined flowers and ribbons. The matching earrings duplicated the same exquisite pattern.
“These are far too lovely to exchange, Raven. I was just thinking about my mother and what a miserable Christmas she must be having. No one in the South has enough to eat, and with me and my father gone, she’ll be all alone.”
Raven reached out to give Eden’s hand a loving squeeze. “There’s nothing I can do today, but we’ll make it up to her next year, or whenever we can. Now there’s another present for you. It’s from your parents.”
“But how could they have sent me something?”
“You’ll see. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and get it.” Raven left her for a few minutes, then returned with a cumbersome object wrapped in a sheet and tied with a lopsided bow. He set it on the floor beside her, then leaned down to give her a kiss. “Azariah must have really been busy. Your father asked him to make this for you when he was here. I think you’ll like it.”
Eden had been on the verge of tears, but she was so excited by the surprise gift she began to laugh as she untied the bow and pulled the sheet out of the way. “Oh Raven, this is the prettiest cradle I’ve ever seen!”
“I didn’t know about it until Azariah brought it to the house yesterday or I would have had some little sheets and quilts made for you. Babies need lots of those, don’t they?”
Perfectly proportioned and balanced, Eden found the finely crafted mahogany cradle rocked easily with just a slight push. “They must. I’m sure Azariah will be busy with his own family today, but I want to thank him for this tomorrow. My mother still has my cradle. Where’s yours—is it at Briarcliff?”
That question caught Raven completely off guard. He sat down beside his wife, picked up the diamond necklace, draped it around her neck, and secured the clasp while he tried to come up with an answer. “No, Alex was born there but I wasn’t. There’s all kinds of old furniture stored in the attic. We’ll have to look next summer. Maybe we can find his cradle.”
Eden put on the sparkling earrings, then turned to show off their beauty. “It would be nice to know where it is, but I’m sure I’ll still like this one best.”
Raven took Eden’s hands and drew her to her feet. He slipped his arm around her waist and led her over to the mirror so she could appreciate the magnificence of the diamonds too. He was delighted when she smiled at him, and extraordinarily relieved that she had not asked him where he had been born since he had absolutely no idea.
As Eden studied her reflection, she could not help but notice Raven was watching her rather than looking into the mirror too. She thought it only natural that anyone standing in front of a mirror would glance at his own image, but unless Raven was shaving, she had never seen him give a mirror a second look. For so handsome a man he was not in the least bit vain. Another of his many admirable qualities, she thought with a knowing smile. The baby gave a sudden kick then, and laughing she took Raven’s hand and pressed it to her abdomen.
“The babe seems equally impressed with your gift,” she teased.
It was impossible to tell through the folds of her gown if that had been a tiny foot, elbow, or knee, but Raven was thrilled all the same. Often when Eden lay sleeping in his arms he would feel the baby move and it never failed to fill him with awe. Surely such a lively child had to be a healthy one. He knew there was no point in praying the child favor Eden’s side of the family, as Julian had once suggested, for surely the infant’s fate was already decided. But every time he looked at Eden, he said a silent prayer to beseech God to give her a healthy child.
Drawing his lovely bride into his arms, he again wished her a Merry Christmas with affection as well as words.
After the holidays, Raven astonished Eden by announcing the first ship he wished to build when he went into partnership with her father was one of his own design. “Do you actually have the plans drawn?” the startled blonde replied, not nearly as certain her father would welcome him as a partner as he seemed to be.
“No, but I will by the time we’re ready to go into business together,” Raven assured her confidently. “I want to build a fleet of merchant ships. I think the days of combining steam and sail will soon be over and that we ought to concentrate our energies on building steam-powered vessels that will be so fast and reliable no one will ever miss the sails.”
Eden arched her brows slightly. “I doubt you’ll ever convince my father of that. I’m sure the only ship he thinks can do without sails is a canoe.”
“A canoe is a boat, not a ship.”
“You know what I mean, Raven.”
“It’s been a long while since we had an argument, hasn’t it?”
Eden did not have to reflect for more than a few seconds to realize their life had been remarkably placid of late. She then responded to Raven’s rakish grin with an equally warm smile. “Yes, it certainly has, and I don’t think we ought to
be arguing about the merits of sail versus steam either.”
“Just wait until I draw up the plans, and then you’ll agree with me.”
Amused by that boast, Eden shook her head, “We’ll have to wait and see.” She knew her husband was bright, and supposed if he wished to design a steamship he could certainly do so, but she had been unprepared for the enthusiasm he displayed for the project. He did not turn out the rough sketches she had expected, but meticulously detailed drawings that took him days to produce. None seemed to satisfy him, but rather than grow discouraged, he would simply begin another to incorporate the refinements that continued to occur to him almost daily.
When February arrived, Eden entered her seventh month of pregnancy and found it increasingly difficult to be as active as she had once been. She spent most of her time reading or sewing tiny garments and was grateful Raven had found something to occupy his days. He rode about the plantation every morning, and for the first time knew as much as Azariah did about the status of the crops, but he spent each afternoon working on his designs as that was where his real interest lay. Yet even with their separate activities, each would have said they spent all their time together.
