Authors: Kitty Margo
Joshua cringed hearing Suzanne’s new name and then was quiet, absorbing her words and wondering if Suzanne was capable of such deception. It took only a moment
’
s thought to decide
that
she was
indeed
.
“How long has it been since you made love to her?” Resa inquired, hating the mere thought of Jo
shua’s hands on the uppity twit
.
“Almost four months.”
“Has she added any weight?”
“No, s
he is
as
scrawny as ever,” he answered
,
not even bothering to conceal his disgust.
“You mean s
he is
not showing at all?” Resa’s eyes widened.
“Not that I can tell.”
“You could tell if she was, Joshua. She should be rounding by now.” She grinned anticipating his shock. “I was showing by my fourth month.”
“You were showing?” Joshua gasped. “You have a child?’
“Yes, a girl.” She watched as Joshua’s eyes took on a faraway look. “S
he is
ten now.”
Joshua swallowed hard
,
for it had been about ten years since he and Resa first met. “Resa?”
“No, Joshua,
you are
not the father of my child, although, if I had thought of the idea at the time
…
” She grinned at his shocked expression. “No my love, I would never try to ensnare you into marriage and Suzanne will regret doing so
, I fear.”
Joshua was still not convinced. “Resa, how can you be sure your child is not mine?”
“
I am
quite sure.”
“How?” he persisted.
“Because
I was already carrying her when I met you.”
After listening intently
to her as she talked about her daughter,
he asked, “Why have I never met this child?”
“Because she lives with my brother and his wife.” She lowered her head shamefully. “This is not the life for her. Mariah is better off with a real family.”
“Mariah?
You are
Jake Almond’s sister?”
“The one and only. Mariah mentions your sister Malinda quite often.”
“I know your daughter well. S
he is
a frequent visitor at Sea Grove.”
“Underfoot, no doubt.” Resa laughed, followed by a pained sigh.
“Not at all.
I find her to be both headstrong and
adorable
, like her mother
.
Yes,
I see the resemblance now.”
He saw the tear that coursed down her cheek before she promptly brushed it away. Glancing up at him
,
she tried to smile. “You keep an e
ye on Mariah for me, Joshua. N
ow you better get back to that little bride of yours before she sends out a search posse.”
“I suppose I should,” he took her into his arms
,
holding her close. “
I will
give her a few weeks
,
and if I fi
nd out that she has lied to me…
” his voice trailed off as Resa’s hand moved to encircle his neck and make him forget his troubles
,
if only for a short while.
Joshua and Suzanne had been married for three weeks and still he had
n’t
touched her. She was forever trying, unsuccessfully, to lure him into her bed with skimpy negligees, whiskey, and even a voodoo love potion from one of the slaves. She was confident that his resistance was weakening and he would be unable to deny himself much longer. What man could?
They
had
left for Sea Grove the day after the wedding, where Joshua had insisted on separate bedrooms, ignoring the questioning glances of servants and family. Suzanne had been furious, with loud bouts of crying, pouting
,
and screaming. Patricia, who had never heard such carryings on in all her born days, rushed to calm the distraught girl, but was unsuccessful
,
and after a few minutes of her cater
wauling, eagerly fled the room.
Suzanne would have been positively irate to learn the servants were fair rolling with mirth behind her uppity back, due to the fact Joshua refused to share the bed of his eternally sniveling wife.
Malinda refused t
o welcome her new sister
into the family fold, pulling Joshua aside and accu
sing, “You told me not to worry! T
hat you would never allow yourself to be trap
ped by Suzanne’s feminine wiles!
Instead, you succumb to her… dare I say…
meager
charm, and wind up committing yourself, and this entire family, to a lifetime of misery.”
“I could not agree with you
more, Malinda,” Joshua agreed, climbing the stairs in search of Juanita, the voluptuous upstairs
maid. She could
help to
drown his sorrow
tonight. “Admittedly, I was a foo
l, but I seriously doubt the misery I have brought on this family
will last a lifetime.”
“Joshua, whatever do you mean?” she shouted to his retreating back.
At the top of the stairs
,
Joshua turned, put his finger to his lips, winked, and when he was just outside Suzanne’s door
,
shouted for the very agreeable Juanita.
Just after midnight
,
Suzanne slipped into his room and began
slowly and
seductively removing her clothes. “Joshua darling, what is it about me that you find
so
unattractive? Is my body so repugnant that you cannot bear to touch me?” Naked, she held out her arms. “
I am
yo
ur lawfully wedded wife!
Please, make love to me!”
Joshua
was totally void of any emotion as he declared unequivocally, “I
will not
risk jeopardizing the life of my child. When the child is safely delivered
,
then, and only then, will I execute my marital duties.”
“Duties! You never considered it a duty before!”
He had not even attempted to stifle a yawn as he turned over, ignoring
her still outstretched arms.
“How in the hell am I suppose to deliver a child when you refuse to touch me?” she gritted through clenched teeth, before fleeing the room and slamming the door loud enough to send picture
frames leaping from the walls.
Suzanne knew time was fast running out and she was getting desperate. People would soon start questioning why she was
no
t showing. What would she tell them? Several times
she had
caught Joshua fixated on her flat stomach. She caught the glimmer in his eyes and the smile that played across his lips and imagined he was thinking of his little brat
that
she carried safely inside her. The horror! Even though the mere thought of ruining her slim figure appalled her, she had no other choice.
In a state of total desperation, she realized that
Joshua might not desire her, but plenty of other men did. She may never know who fathered her child, and she
didn’t
care. Her only concern was creating one, before it was too late. Besides, it would serve Joshua right to raise another man
’
s offspring after his cruel and neglectful treatment of her.
So, it happened that by the end of the following month
,
Suzanne had frequently been with
William,
the
new
stable boy
her father-in-law had hired, and Sawyer, the son of a neighboring plantation owner. She found Sawyer to be too unskilled, and William too slow for her taste, but after a few weeks under her tutelage, William was soon able to satisfy her completely
. But still her monthly flow continued on a maddeningly regular basis. What if there was some female problem and she was unable to conceive? Dear God! How would she excuse
such deceit to
Joshua?
If she hadn’t been so convinced she would become with child presently after their marriage
,
she could have feigned a miscarriage, but Joshua would in all likelihood have had the marriage annulled. How was she to know he
would
avoid her like the plague? He must have ice water flowing through his veins instead of blood.
When Joshua finally admitted to himself that
he had
been played for a fool, his hatred for Suzanne increased tenfold. He had permitted himself to be ensnared in her trap and his ignorance had caused him to sacrifice the only woman he would ever love. He had accepted that, but Suzanne would pay. Dearly! He was sure beyond any doubt now that she was
no
t
carrying his, or any other man
’
s, child. She
had
paraded around in front of him naked often enough, trying to entice him into her bed.
The following days he kept a careful vigil and observed closely her every move. He was watching when she slipped silently out of the house around midnight. He saw
her greet William,
with no small amount of exuberance
,
and the two of them enter the barn from the rear. He waited and then crept silently inside
,
guided to their hiding place by Suzanne’s passionate moans. Walking to the edge of the dimly lit stall
,
he stood watching them. He actually felt sorry for the man as Suzanne dug her long nails into his back, trying to devour him.
“Well now,
what have we here?” Joshua drawled
, sm
iling pleasantly. “I fear I
have ignored my duties as a husband for too long and my darling wife was forced to turn elsewhere for satisfaction. Although, I sincerely doubt that any one man is even capable of such a monstrous feat.”
Suzanne gasped in horror, pushing William from her roughly as she grabbed her gown and tried
to cover herself. “Oh, thank goodness
you came when you did, Joshua!” she sobbed, breathlessly. “He threatened to kill me if I
did not
submit to him!”
“
You are
saying the moans I heard
were cries of fear?” He was
enjoying her groveling immensely.
“Yes! Oh Joshua, I was so terrified!” she cried, clutching her gown to her breasts and nervously reaching out to him.
“Thank God you arrived in time!”
“
Do not
touch me, Suzanne. And please
do not
think me dim-witted. Your touch sickens me!” He watched her cringe from the p
ure hatred reflected in his voice
. “I watched you from the time you left the ho
use until now and you certainly
were not forced against your will. In fact
,
you were enjoying yourself so much that, in all honesty, I regretted having to disturb you.”
“You bastard!” she sneered, sensing the ruse was over. “I know what you hope to
accomplish with your hateful
words. But believe me;
you will
never get an annulment. And Lynna will have you only over my dead body!”
“That can be arranged, I assure you,” he replied ominously. “And you are woefully mistaken, Suzanne. You see, you will grant me an
annulment, for I have witnesses
who will att
est that you copulated with them
during our marriage. Our Marriage! Hah!” He laughed harshly. “What a farce. But no
t to worry, for it is all but
over.” His eyes were like cold steel as he said, “You will grant me an annulment or
I will
drag your famil
y’
s good name through the mud and there will be a scandal the likes of which Georgia has never seen.” He turned to William
,
who was still cowering against the wall. “William
,
will you swear in a court of law that you fornicated with my darling wife?”