Moontide Embrace (Historical Romance) (57 page)

Liberty screamed as Bandera thrust herself between her
sister and dagger. She watched in stunned horror as the
knife entered Bandera's body! A red stain covered the
front of her sister's gown, and she reached out to Liberty,
then whispered in a pitiful voice. "I tried to make… it up…   up to…”

As Bandera collapsed into Liberty's arms, Liberty tried
to hold onto her, but Bandera's body was limp and she slid to the ground, carrying Liberty with her.

Liberty did not know how much she had loved her
sister until she saw her lying dead at her feet. Kneeling
down beside Bandera, she gently removed the dagger
from her sister's chest, while staring into blank eyes. She
pressed her hands over the wound, frantically trying to
stop the flow of blood that now stained her own gown.
Blinded by tears, she realized it was futile—her sister was
dead!

Hatred burned in Liberty's eyes as she looked up at
Sebastian. "You have killed her!" she cried, horror in her
voice. "You will pay for this, Sebastian."

Sebastian had been silently staring from Liberty to Bandera, stunned because he had killed his own wife.
Now he whirled on Liberty. "You and Judah have robbed
me of everything, Liberty. You will soon join your sister
in death."

Liberty watched Sebastian pull a derringer out of his
breast pocket, knowing she was alone with a man deter
mined to end her life! There was no one to help her. She
took a step backward, aware that Sebastian was beyond
reason. If only she could make it to the river and into a boat, she might be able to escape from him.

She took another step backward, while Sebastian
watched her suspiciously. "You cannot get away from me
this time, Liberty. How beautiful you will be in death. Then you will belong to me alone, and no one can ever take you away from me."

Liberty had never been so frightened in her life. She
turned and ran toward the river knowing Sebastian would
not be satisfied until she was dead.

She was not aware that a strong wind had begun to
blow off the Mississippi, or that dark clouds, boiling like
an angry sea, had dipped down over her. She ran as fast
as she could, but she could hear Sebastian gaining on her.
Is this the way my life is going to end? she wondered
desperately.

A sudden pain shot through Liberty's side, and she stumbled and fell to the ground. With her golden hair
blowing across her face, she raised her head to see that
Sebastian was bearing down on her.

Judah jumped from his horse and ran down the hill
toward Liberty. He saw her trip and fall at the same time
he saw Sebastian raise his derringer and take aim. Judah
was too far away, and he knew he could never reach
Liberty in time to save her. He reached out his hand and
cried into the wind. "Help her! Dear Lord, please help my
love."

Judah's eyes were drawn to the river's edge, and he saw
Zippora with her arms raised over her head. He was too
far away to hear what she was saying, but he could hear
her shouting some kind of chant.

Sebastian had aimed his gun at Liberty's head, and eyes
closed, she was waiting for the impact of the bullet.
Liberty saw neither Judah nor Zippora, nor did she see
Sebastian pause and stare at the old woman with fear in his eyes.

The wind whipped Zippora's hair and plastered her gown to her thin frame. Her gnarled hands reached into the heavens as she cried out. "Let the hand of revenge
strike the spawn of the devil. Let him return from whence
he came."

Judah was running toward Liberty, when a bolt of
lightning split the sky. Its jagged edges danced in the air,
then pierced Sebastian like an avenging spear. His ago
nized screams made Liberty look up. She was horrified by
what she saw —Sebastian seemed to glow as electricity,
from the lightning bolt, jolted throughout his body.

Liberty felt herself go limp, and she was soon lost in
the soft, trouble-free world of unconsciousness. Judah
scooped her up in his arms and examined her for wounds. He did not know that the blood which covered her gown,
and come from her sister. Finding no injury, he held her
tightly to him.

Zippora appeared at his side and looked into Liberty's
face. "She is unconscious. Perhaps it is better that way.
Take her away from this scene of death, Judah Slaughter."

Judah looked into the old woman's strange yellow eyes.
"I do not know if you are a devil or an angel —I am not
even sure that my eyes have not been deceiving me—but I
thank you for saving Liberty's life just now."

The old woman chuckled. "If I saved her, it is up to you to make her happy."

Judah smiled at the old woman. "I would be afraid to do otherwise with you around. I would hate to face the
consequences.

"You have nothing to fear from me. Just keep the little one safe. She will need all your love and strength in the
weeks ahead."

Judah lifted Liberty in his arms, and was about to walk
away when his eyes fell on Sebastian's body, which was
still smoldering. The stench was unbearable, that of burning flesh. Judah spoke to the old woman. "Zippora, did you do what I think you did?"

She looked at him innocently. "What do you think I did?"

"Never mind. I don't even want to know. I will send
someone over from Bend of the River to deal with this."

Zippora watched as the tall, handsome Judah Slaughter mounted his horse, his precious burden in his arms. "It is
going to be all right, Liberty. That man loves you so
much he will help you forget all about the sorrow of this
day," she said quietly.

Then, without a backward glance, Zippora made her way to the river and got into her skiff. As she paddled
toward the swamps, the clouds rolled away and the winds
calmed, the sun shone down on the river, and birds sang
sweetly in the nearby trees.

27

For five days Liberty lay in a bed, thinking and feeling
nothing. She was aware of shadowy forms that moved about the room, administering to her needs, but she had
lost touch with reality. Perhaps she just did not want to
remember, knowing she would feel pain if she did.

One morning she awoke to hear the birds singing in the
tree outside her window, and to realize she was at Bend of
the River, not Briar Oaks. With each passing day Liberty
grew stronger. And at last the day came when she felt well
enough to sit up in bed and take some nourishment on her own.

Liberty stared at the curtains that were stirred by the soft breeze blowing through the open window. She had just bathed herself, and she was reclining on the bed, garbed in a fresh white nightgown. She plucked at the
lace on the sleeve of her gown while Gabrielle arranged a
vase of bright-colored flowers and then set them on a night table close to her.

Judah's mother smiled down at her lovely daughter-in-
law. "Liberty, I see that you are well on the way to
recovery. Do you feel like seeing Judah? I have been hard
pressed to keep him away from you so you could rest."

Liberty felt the muscles in her body tense. She had
known this moment would come, and she dreaded it; for
she feared Judah would tell her he no longer wanted to be
married to her. "I had thought Judah might have sailed away on the
Winged Victory."

"No, he has been here the whole time you were ill. As a
matter of fact, it was he who sat up with you at night in
case you needed someone." Gabrielle fluffed up Liberty's
pillow, then sat down beside her to brush her hair. "You
had nightmares and had to have someone with you around the clock. Do you remember that?"

"No, I don't remember."

"Perhaps that is a blessing."

Gabrielle finished brushing Liberty's hair and tied it back with a pink ribbon. "Now you look lovely."

"Gabrielle, I am sorry to have been so much trouble."

"Nonsense. You gave me the chance to take care of my
new daughter. You could never be trouble to those of us
who love you." She kissed Liberty's cheek. "I am going to
go out now, and I will send Judah up to see you."

Liberty felt trapped, for she knew there was no way she
could avoid seeing Judah. Would he be angry with her because she had disobeyed him and gone to Briar Oaks
alone?

Moments later he entered the room, but his face was a
mask, revealing none of his feelings. Liberty's eyes fol
lowed him as he strode to the window and stared out.
How handsome he looked in his buff trousers and black boots. His blue cutaway coat was open to reveal an even
lighter blue shirt.

His eyes rested on her face, and he thought how like a
little girl she looked. "I am glad to see you are feeling
better, Liberty. We have been very concerned about you."

"I seem to have lost any recollection of some of what
happened at Briar Oaks, Judah. Will you fill in the missing pieces for me?"

He pulled up a chair, and sat down beside her. "As you already know, Oralee is none the worse for her ordeal.
However, your sister and Sebastian are both dead. They were both buried here at Bend of the River."

Tears came to Liberty's eyes, and she whispered, "At last Bandera is at Bend of the River where she always wanted to be."

Judah wanted to pull Liberty into his arms and assure her that this sadness would pass, but he didn't. All he could do was watch her as she raised her face to him.
"Are you angry with me for going to Briar Oaks, Judah?"

"I should be, but I could never stay angry with you. After you left the ship, I decided to make sure that you
were safely at Bend of the River. I was not in the least
surprised to find that you had gone to Briar Oaks. When I got there, Sebastian was holding a gun on you. The rest I am sure you will learn in time. Right now you have enough grief to deal with."

Liberty met his eyes. "What about you, Judah? Are you . . . did you grieve because Bandera is . . . dead?"

He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "I
am sorry only that her passing causes you pain. She was
not a good sister to you, Liberty. Oralee has told me how difficult it was for you to grow up in that house with your
mother and sister. I never suspected you had been through
such hell."

His eyes held so much kindness, that Liberty felt her
heart swell with love for him. "The past is dead, and I
suppose it should be put in its proper place. I will try to
remember only the good things about Bandera. She ... died saving my life."

Judah reached out and gripped her hand. "Yes, do remember that, Liberty."

"Everyone has been so kind to me." She looked into his
beautiful eyes. "I want to thank you for all you have done. I am told that you sat by my bed at night."

Judah reached up and touched her pale cheek. "I did no more for you than you did for me when I was in Zippora's cabin." His eyes danced with mirth when he
remembered her coming to him as his lover. "Well, per
haps I did not do quite all that you did for me."

Her cheeks flamed and she ducked her head. "Judah, I
never thought of myself as a weak female who would faint, but it seems I have turned into one."

"I wouldn't worry about it. You have been through a lot lately. Try to rest and regain your strength."

"I am strong now, Judah. I want to get out of this bed,
but your mother insists that I remain one more day."

"I can see that you are stronger. Perhaps between the
two of us, we can convince her to allow you to get up this
afternoon. Would you like that?"

"Yes, very much."

His eyes moved across her shining hair to rest on her
upturned nose. "I want to tell you a few things that may put your mind at rest. First of all, I did not send for Adriane Pierce, Liberty. She would never have come to
the house had she known that you were my wife. Sebas
tian used her to hurt you."

"You and she were very close, weren't you?"

"I will not lie to you, Liberty. At one time we were more than friends."

"She was very beautiful. Did you love her?"

"No, Liberty, there was never love between us. At least
not on my part. And now I want to clear up any
misunderstanding there might have been about Hope
Blackburn. To me she was just a bothersome child. I spent most of my time telling her how wonderful you
were. I had no feelings for her one-way or the other. She
was certainly not my ideal woman."

"What is your ideal woman?"

His smile was radiant. "My ideal woman, is a preco
cious, golden-haired, blue-eyed minx by the name of Liberty Slaughter."

She leaned back against her pillow, too afraid to believe
what he was telling her. "You do not have to be kind to me, Judah. As far as Adriane Pierce is concerned, I
realize you would not have brought your mistress into our
home. And I know you would not have flirted openly with Hope Blackburn."

"Liberty, I am glad you realize this. There is no woman
in my life save yourself." He smiled down at her. "Now, to
move on to a safer subject. Oralee told me how upset you
were because your slaves had been sold. With her help, we
found them all, and they are now back at Briar Oaks. Also, I have paid off all your father's debts, and at this
time I am buying back as many of your treasures as I can
find. Oralee seemed to think you would be particularly
pleased to learn that I had located the portrait of your Aunt Liberty."

Welling tears burned Liberty's eyes. "There are no
words to express my gratitude to you, Judah," she said,
wiping the tears away. "I am most grateful to you for your
kindness. I don't know how I will ever repay you."

"I didn't do it for kindness, Liberty. My motives were not nearly so noble. I wanted to weaken your defenses."

"What defenses?"

He crossed his long legs and rested a sun-browned hand
against his boot. "The defenses you have built between
you and me, Liberty. The ones that stand between us like
a wall."

"There is no wall between us."

"Is there not?"

"I ... perhaps there is."

His golden hair was streaked by the sunlight that
filtered through the open window, and she was mesmer
ized by his handsomeness. She tried to avoid his eyes, but
he grabbed her head between his hands and made her look at him.

"While we were on the
Winged Victory,
I told you that we needed to talk, Liberty. Do you feel up to it now?"

"I . . . yes, I suppose." She had no idea what he wanted to say to her, but she prayed he hadn't taken her threats
seriously when she had said she did not want to be
married to him. She couldn't imagine not being his wife.
Even if he did not love her, she still wanted to stay with
him.

"I once asked what you want of me, Liberty."

"Yes, I remember."

"Have you thought about it? Do you have an answer for me?"

She stared at him in confusion. "I don't know what you
mean, Judah."

"It is very simple, Liberty." He looked deeply into her
eyes. "If I can keep you with me, I will do anything—be
anything—you want me to be. You have only to tell me
what you want, and if it is within my power, it is yours."

Liberty felt a sob building in her throat. Had she just
heard correctly? Was Judah saying that he wanted her?
She was blinded by tears as she shook her head, still not
understanding. "Please explain what you mean," she choked out.

"What do I have to do to make you love me, Liberty?
Do you want me to be your jester and make you laugh? Would you rather I be your gallant, and drop to my knees
whenever you enter a room? How about an adoring lover? I would court and woo you every day, Liberty. I can be all these things for you, if it will make you love me. Tell me what you want of me? I love you so
desperately that I don't know how to handle the emotions
I am feeling. You see, I have never been in love before and it has me thoroughly confused."

Liberty felt as if her breathing had stopped. She stared
at Judah, thinking she must have misunderstood. She was
afraid to believe he loved her. "But you loved . . . Ban
dera," she said in confusion.

"No. I was infatuated with her for a few weeks, and
thought it was love. I realize now what a puny emotion it
was compared with the earth-shattering feelings I have for
you, Liberty."

"Judah, there is something else I have to ask you. Did
your grandfather offer you Bend of the River if you would marry me?"

"He did, but that was not why I married you. I married
you because I couldn't live without you."

Tears ran down Liberty's face, and she reached out her
hand to him. "I cannot believe you love me, Judah. Please do not say it if it is not true."

His hand trembled as he touched her lips. "How can I joke about a love so strong that I cannot even catch my
breath when you are near me?" His eyes were shining with
unshed tears. "I had thought to put some distance be
tween us until you decided how you felt about me, but I
realized that no matter how far I ran, I could never get you out of my mind."

Liberty saw uncertainty and pain in his glorious eyes.
She took his hand and laced her fingers through it. "How
could you not know that I loved you even as a child, Judah? I lost my heart to you the first night I met you."
Tears now flowed, unchecked, down her face. "I love you
so much, how could you not know?" She pressed her cheek to his, then raised her head to stare into his eyes.
"My dearest, dearest love, you asked me what I want you
to be. Never be anything other than what you are. You
are everything a man should be. You have been kind and
patient with me. You have slain all my dragons. You are
the man I fell in love with on a summer night, so long ago."