Lynna's Rogue (28 page)

Chapter Thirteen

             
I
n town
, Joshua made inquiries as to
Tobias Mathison’s whereabouts at the local taverns. He learned from a barkeep that Tobias had come into town the night before, purchased a bottle of whiskey, and went upstairs with one of the girls who was known for leaving a man with empty pockets. Joshua was halfway up the stairs, already imagining the feel of his hands tightening around Tobias’s neck, before the barkeep stopped him.

             
“He ain't here now. He rode out before sun up.”

             
Joshua slammed his fist into the wall
,
making the barkeep jump. “Can you tell me which direction he traveled?”

             
“Naw, he slipped out without even paying what he owed fo
r the room, the thieving low-life
.” The barkeep swished a filthy rag across the bar and mumbled. “I should have learnt the lying beggar by now.
But, you know, I can’t figure him out. One day his pockets are overflowing with coin, and
the next he can’t afford
a cup of ale.
”

             
Ignoring the barkeep, Joshua swore,
“You got away this t
ime, b
ut I will find you if
it is
my last mission on this earth!”

             
Lynna remained indoors for the next four days, only venturing outside to stroll through her garden late in the evening when the big house was quiet. Daniel came by each morning and her aunt reported that she was fe
eling under the weather and
resting in bed. Jasmine arrived with Lynna's favorite sugar cookies. Ignoring Judith's excuses
,
she went straightaway to Lynna's room to find her sitting up in bed
,
stitching a row of ruffles on Suzanne’s much ballyhooed ball gown.

             
“Good morning, Jas
mine.” Lynna averted
her face,
ashamed for Jasmine to see
that
her un
cle had once again used it
as a punching bag.

             
“It ain’t seem like
sech
a good
mawnin
’
to me,
wit
you in bed all bruised and
swoll
up like you is,” she muttered
angrily. “Why you ain’t gone out in
dem
woods and
got
a big stick and next time he come at you lay it
side
his thick s
k
ull
,
I ain’t
knowin
’
!”

             
Lynna attempted a laugh, but it failed miserably. “I may heed your advice and do just that, Jasmine.”

             
Judith entered with
a fresh pot of aromatic
coffee. “Please sit down, Jasmine and we
will
sample those cookies
.
They
smell simply delicious.” She glanced over at Lynna, whose cheeks stung with shame and humiliation. “Lynna has been confi
ned to this room
for days. We
a
re so glad you stopped by.”

             
“This will be my last day of confinement, the bruises have almost faded. Anyway, at least we completed Suzanne's gown.”

             
“If
dat
gal was to take up
sewin
’
and spend
as
much time at it as she do
primpin
’
and
paradi
n
’
in front of
dat
mirror, it would put you two out of
binness
.”

             
“Truer words were never spoken,” Judith agreed, and all three women laughed.

             
The laughter left Jasmine’s eyes as she looked at Lynna with all seriousness. “Y’all needs to tell somebody
‘
bout
Tobias
fo
it’s
too late.
Dem
bruises be
gittin’ st
ur
dily
worse each time he pays a visit. He mean
binness
now, Lynna, and he seem to be
takin’ mos’
of it out on you.”

             
That night as Lynna was preparing for bed
,
she heard a light peck on the
front
door. Who could it be at this hour?
Hearing her aunt’s soft snores from the other room, she tiptoed
through the quiet house
. Pulling the curtain aside,
her breath c
aught in her throat as she saw
Joshua on the opposite side of the portal
,
smiling brightly. “I came to bid you goodnight, my sweet.”

             
“Goodnight
,
Joshua.”

             
“Could you be persuaded to take a walk
with me to
night?”

             
The temptation was strong to rush headlong into his arms and remain there
,
blissfully content
,
until the morning sun climbed above the trees. But that dream could never become reality. She was silent as she sought to come up with a plausible excuse.

             
“Please, Lynna.
Just take a walk with me. That i
s all I ask. Nothing more.”

             
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead opened the door and allowed him to take her hand.

             
“
You will
be safe with me, Lynna. I promise to be the consummate gentleman.”

             
“Did
I
not
hear that line or one similar to it while I was an innocent and naïve passenger on your ship, Captain Jordan?”

             
“Let
u
s not revisit the past. But rest assured, Lynna. I
did not
rescue you from
Malcolm and Jess only to finish what they
started.
You have
been through enough torment at the hands of men.”

             
“Which reminds me, Joshua, I never had the opportunity to thank you for rescuing me,
yet
again
.
”

             
“Ever the damsel in distress. I shall be your dragon slayer as longer as you need me, my sweet.” Interlacing his fingers with hers
,
they strolled under the luminescence of a full moon away from the garden, since Suzanne’s balcony overlooked it. They walked under a huge live oak, pushing wispy tendrils of moss from their path as dozens of fireflies lit the way. He was the first to break the silence. “Is Daniel still pressuring you to marry him?”

             
“I thought Samuel answered all your questions on that subject.”

             
“I
would
hear your answers.”

             
“There are none. Daniel has asked me to marry him, but
I am
not ready for… matrimony. I intend to travel someday, hopefully,
back
to France to see my father again. Oh, Joshua,
you will
never know how much I miss him!” Her eyes welled with tears at the thought of her beloved father. “Three years without a single word.”

             
“I understand
your feelings, Lynna
. But your father insisted you wait for him to contact you, and I urge you to abide by his wishes. No father ever loved
a
daughter more than Nathan Rhodes loves you. As soon as the danger has passed and he feels
it is
safe for you
to return, he will contact you.
I have no doubt on this. And when he does
,
the
Windjammer
will set sail for France and return you to your father’s side
without delay
. I hope
I have
eased your mind about that worry.” He tilted her face toward his. “Now answer a question for me, if you will.”

             
“If I can.”

             
“Only you can, my sweet. Do you refuse to marry Daniel because
you are
afraid a husband would hinder your travels?”

             
His logic was too much for her. “
I am
only creating excuses, I suppose. Daniel is
n’t
the man I wish to spend the remainder of my life with.” There
,
she had admitted it.

             
“I am thankful
that
you realized the truth before it was too late, Lynna.
Do
no
t
allow yourself to be encumbered for the rest of your days with a man you feel no passion for. To go through life without passion is a wasted life.” To prove his point, he drew her into his arms as his soft lips lowered to hers and his tongue gently explored her mouth
,
making her knees go weak. With one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head
,
he molded her
firm young
body to his.

             
When his lips left hers to travel down her neck
,
she unconsciously whispered his name as memories of their night on his ship assaulted her. His kisses were leaving a searing trail of fire in their wake. Her entire body cried for his touch as he slipped her nightgown from her shoulder and his warm hand closed over her breast. Then suddenly her body stiffened as she remembered the many conversations with Suzanne, as she recalled these exact same feelings of bliss, with this exact same man.

             
“Joshua, please stop!” she cried, flinging his hand away. Another second and she would be lost. “This
cannot happen
again.
It is
not decent.”

             
“It is decent, Lynna. I want
you more than any woman before you or since, and you
cannot deny that you
desire me.”

             
“Are those words the same words you used to seduce Suzanne?”

             
“I
will not
lie and tell you
that
Suzanne and I
did not
enjoy a brief interlude. And
I am
not lying when I tell you
that
she meant nothing to me. She was very willing and very eager
,
and I accepted for a time what she
offered
. Now
,
it is
over.”

             
“
It is
ov
er? And how soon will you be
ready to cast me
aside? Is that what you told
the other willing and eager females who you so carelessly used and then tossed by the wayside?

             
“I
do not
use women, Lynna, quite the contrary. I give as well as I get. You should
not
have to be prompted to remember that fact. Now
,
if you will but permit me,
I will
be delighted to refresh your memory.”

             
She knew she should put the arrogant man in his place, but her strength was rapidly dwindling. In fact, it had all but abandoned her. Even if his hands were
not
holding her head
,
she
would
be unable to move, that was the last thing her betraying body sought to do. She felt the now familiar tightening in the pit of her belly and questioned how much longer she could withstand her
body’s demand to respond to this man.