Lynna's Rogue (38 page)

             
“Y
es sir, Mr. Jordan! Be happy to
!” he replied eagerly. “We fornicated more times than I can count, in fact.” He was getting off lightly if that was all he had to do and he
did not
even glance at Suzanne as he made a hasty retreat from the barn.
He had
expected Mr. Jordan to kill him when he caught him with his new wife. Instead, much to his surprise
,
the man had actually seemed genuinely pleased to find them go
ing at it. Damn! Rich people were
a peculiar lot.

             
“Get packed, Suzanne.
I will
be returning you to your parent’s home first thing in the morning. If
you agree to the annulment,
we can put this entire fiasco behind us and move on with our lives. If not, then I feel reasonably certain your parents will be both distressed and appalled to learn of your lies and multiple…
indiscretions
.”

             
“Joshua, y
ou cannot mean this!”
She
could not
let him go, not without one last try. “You could love me if you
would
only give yourself the chance.
Joshua, please!
William meant nothing to me.
It was a mistake.
”

             
“And Sawyer, was he a mistake as well, Suzanne?”

             
Her gasp echoed through the otherwise quiet barn. “What? How did you ever find out about both…?”

Chapter Seventeen

             
T
he magnificent waterfall cascading down the mountain reminded Lyn
na of a giant staircase rising
majestically up the face with lacy moss clinging
to the smooth stones under
rushing water. The sight left her breathless. If ever there was a paradise
,
Jamaica was it. Almost without thinking
,
she had
removed her dress and plunged into the inviting water
,
knowing
she had
found her place of peace and tranquility in this new land. Many times since coming to Jamaica
,
she had
climbed the sloping path to the top of the waterfall
,
tempted to dive into the deep pool below, but her courage always fled when she stood at the top of the precipice looking down.

             
She left the water
,
shaking her he
ad as her eyes wandered over the
tanned legs on display below her chemise. The Jamaican sun had turned her skin a light golden brown. Would she ever be magnolia blossom white again? She sincerely doubted it and certainly not as long as she remained in Jamaica, which she hoped was a long time to come. She had no desire to return to Magnolia House. Her only regret was that her
A
unt Judith
could not
be here to enjoy
the splendor of
this lush tropical paradise with her.

             
“Hello.”

             
Horrified, Lynna gasped
. She had just climbed out of the pool and quickly darted to the shadows of the forest, scrambling
to grab her dress and clutch it to her breast. “Oh, hello.” She exhaled a deep sigh of relief to witness a little girl, with long golden locks similar to her own, smiling back. “I
did not
realize anyone else was here.”

             
I know,” the child said and giggled secretively. “You never do.”

             
“I never do?” Lynna panicked. Who else had been watching her? “You mean
you have
been here before, when I was…
swimming?”

             
“Oh, yes, lots of times. I told Father and told him there was a beautiful mermaid who lives in the pool at the waterfall, but he never believes me.” She removed her shoes and dangled her dainty little feet in the cool refreshing water
,
looking Lynna over from head to toe. “I finally convinced him to accompany me today, but just when we were about to leave
,
there was another problem at the distillery and he
could not
come.”

             
“Than
k God for that.” Lynna shivered
involuntarily at the thought. “It would have proven most embarrassing for me if he had.”

             
“You are a mermaid, aren’t you?” The child asked, leaning over to give Lynna’s feet a closer inspection and seeming extremely crestfallen to find feet instead of a tail. “My mother would read me stories about mermaids. I know they
are
beautiful creatures that live in water and have big, beautiful tails. Where is your tail?”

             
Lynna’s hand went to cover her mouth, not wanting the child to think she was ridiculing her. “Thank you very much for the compliment, but, no, I fear
I am
not a mermaid. See
?
I have legs and feet just like you. Come and sit with me and tell me your name.
I am
new to the island and know few of its people.”

             
The ch
ild looked at her curiously and, evidently,
decided she liked her even if she
didn’t
have a fish tail. “My name is Crystal. My father named me for the crystal clear water in this very pool,” she announced proudly.

             
“You mean your father comes here as well?”

             
“Of course he does. Mother and I used to come here every day and swim.” Her angelic face clouded with pain. “Before she died.”

             
“
I am
so sorry. I know how you must miss her.”
Unfortunately,
Lynna knew all too well the pain caused by the loss of a parent. Then hoping to change the subject and brighten the child’s mood she asked, “Where do you live? It must be close by.”

             
“At Eden.”

             
“What a fitting name. Is your home very far?”

             
“No, father
will not
allow me to go far, and
I am
eight years old! Can you credit that he still treats me like a child?
He is
such an old fussbudget.”

             
“
I am
sure your father worries about you only because he loves you so much. If you were my daughter
,
I
would not
let you stray too far from home
,
either. Now you were telling me where Eden is.”

             
“Oh,
it’s
on the other side of the cane field.” Crystal stood up, her eyes twinkling. “Will you come home with me so father will know that I
did not
create you in my imagination?” she pleaded. “Please?”

             
“No, I
couldn’t
. Your father is busy, you said yourself there was a problem this morning at the distillery.
We would not want to interfere with his work.
”

             
“Oh,
he is
always busy.
He will
stop work to see you
,
though. Please?”

             
How could she refuse such a darling face? “All right, just let me get dressed
.
B
ut I can only stay a short while.
It is
almost lunchtime.”

             
“Come on.” Crystal giggled. “Let’s go eat a stinking toe.
I am hungry.
”

             
Lynna
could not
have heard the child correctly. She
could not
have invited her to consume a stinking toe. “Excuse me?” Although
she had
heard from her Uncle Cliff that Jamaicans had rather bizarre appetites.

             
“
I said a
stinking toe
,
or ‘tinkin toe
,
’ as some Jam
aicans call it. It is called that
because the seedpods look like big, fat toes and have the scent of smelly feet.
It is
delicious
,
however
,
and the pulp is very sweet. Father says
it is
good medicine
,
too, it relieves headaches and rheumatism.”

             
A short while later, Lynna wiped the sweat from her brow, munching on the sweet
meat of a stinking toe, as they rode down the narrow road that snaked through the sugarcane fields. The sugarcane stalks rose ten feet into the air, blocking even the slightest breeze from reaching them, but allowing the blazing sun to beat relentlessly upon their heads. She clung to the sides of the little cart for dear life as it bounced over the ruts in the road pulled by a donkey. Much to Lynna’s relief
,
when they cleared the twin fields of towering cane stalks
,
Eden was visible in the distance.

             
Crystal took her
on a guided tour of the plantation
,
describing in surprising detail the many buildings they passed. First were the coolie houses, row after row of cabins surrounded by trees to block out the tropical sun. Lynna knew that sugarcane, often described as a rich man's crop, was so labor intensive and had such a relatively small window for harvesting
,
that coolies on plantations were often actually worked to death. Unfortunately
,
owners found it was cheaper to bring in fresh workers than to treat coolies humanely. After a day of intense labor
,
the coolies could most often be found drowning their sorrow in rum or smoking the ganja.

             
Next were the workshops for the blacksmiths, carpenters
,
and coopers.
Then there
were the overseer’s cottage, the office and the bookkeeper’s cottage. Crystal stopped the cart in front of Eden, a huge plantation house similar to the ones back home.

             
“So, there you are
,
little lady. You almost missed lunch.”

             
Lynna turned to find a handsome man emerging from the side doors of the house, with a wide grin at the sight of the lovely vision with his daughter.

             
Crystal jumped from the cart into her father’s waiting arms. “Father, this is the mermaid I was telling you about. Isn’t she beautiful? But you were right; she
isn’t
really a mermaid
,
and she doesn’t even have a tail. Alas, she
is
just like us.”

             
“Cheer up
,
my darling, perhaps s
he is
an enchanted mermaid who has the ability to take human form at wil
l. And yes, she possesses an exceptional beauty
.” Coming around to Lynna’s side
,
his eyes twinkled as he whispered, “
I am
sorry if she caused you any embarrassment, but s
he is
a child with a very vivid imagina
tion. Please, accept my apologi
es.” Extending his hand
,
he introduced himself, “
I am
Michael Devereux
,
and the little minx is my daughter.”

             
“Lynna Mathison,” she replied, taking his hand. “I assure you,
there is
nothing to apologize for. Your daughter is adorable and quite an accomplished tour guide.” His hands on her waist were firm as they lifted
her from the cart
. Lynna noticed he had
no
t
shaved and had a flashback to when she was a child and her father would
beard
her
,
as he referred to his mischief making. In the morning before he shaved
,
he
would
chase her, grab her in his arms, and rub the scratchy prickles of his unshaven cheek lightly across the tender part of her neck
,
sending her into peals of gay laughter. Her eyes welled at the thought. Why had her own father forsaken her?