Authors: Kitty Margo
“Yo
u do not know!
You set up housekeeping with a man, but you
do not
know anything about him?”
“Rob tells me the ship
that
I was traveling on with my husband, Michael Devereux, sank after being attacked at sea and we were the only survivors. But it seems he wa
s gravely mistaken.”
Then
,
remembering her ploy
,
she gazed with longing into his
eyes and sighed, “I’m sure
I would have never survived on this island without Rob
to protect me
.”
“And where is
this Godsend now?” Joshua choked out,
in a voice filled with
all the anguish
he was unable to suppress.
“Who?”
“Rob!” he snapped. Then he spoke slowly as he would to a small child. “W
here –is- he-
now?”
“Oh.” Lynna had to cover her mouth to hide her smile. “H
e left a few days ago to explore the other side of the island. He s
hould return any day now.” She
turned around just in time to watch him storm out of the cave.
Joshua returned later to find Lynna kneading what looked like bread dough.
He entered without an invitation and sat down at the table.
He seemed somewhat calmer, but
she had
been fooled before by his mercurial moods. He stood quietly watching her. “Where did you get the ingredients to make bread on this island?”
“From the breadfruit tree. Thank goodness, Rob worked on a plantation in Jamaica and was taught which trees and fruits are e
di
ble. He taught me to soak breadfruit in seawater until it softens. Then you peel it and mash it into a pulp. Then you knead it like this, roll it, and bake it as you would ordinary bread dough.”
“Amazing.”
“Look at this.” She held up what looked like a big chunk of ivory. Slicing a small piece
,
she handed
it
to him. “Taste it.”
Joshua was surprised to find that it had a pleasing nut taste. “What is it?”
“Palm cabbage. The cabbage is the buds on the trees.” She then handed him half of a cut open coconut. “You eat the inner white flesh and drink the clear liquid inside.”
“You are a wealth of information.”
“Rob is a very good teacher.” She instantly regretted mentioning Rob’s name after seeing Joshua’s knuckles whiten under the pressure of his clenched fists. She had
n’t
meant to provoke him again. “He calls me Buttercup.”
“How touching
,
I am
sure.” Joshua moved to the entrance of the cave peering outside. “Do you ever
leave this cave?”
“I did before you and your men intruded on the island. I would...we would spend most of our evenings on the beach having clam and oyster
roasts, or build bonfires, or just watch the sunset. I have never witnessed a more breathtaking sight than when the moon hovers over the island.” She cut her eyes toward him when she said, “
Now
I am
afraid to leave the cave.”
“I noticed you found some beautiful shells to add to your collection back home.”
Lynna had no idea what collection he spoke of, but she knew a discussion of shells was not what he had on his mind. She was correct. “You need not fear going out as long as you accompany me.”
Which danger was greater? Facing his men or being alone with him? They were silent for a long time, both lost in thought. Joshua was t
he first to break the silence.
“Lynna, am I to believe that you have no memory of anything that happened before you came to on this island?”
“In all honesty, I care not what you believe. But what
I have
told you is the truth.”
Ignoring her
,
he continued, undaunted
.
“And that you awakened on an island with a man you had never seen before and the two of you im
mediately set up housekeeping t
ogether!”
“Did you expect us to live in separate caves?”
“I sure as hell
did not
expect you to share his bed!” His chest heaved with anger and his eyes blazed green fury.
“I find it hard to accept the fact that you have been living in this cave all this time with…with…”
“Rob,” she supplied, since he seemed to have some difficulty saying the word.
“Have you no explanations for me, Lynna?” He was begging her to make him understand. “How did you go from loving me, to marrying Michael, to this tryst with…with…”
“Rob.”
He opened his mouth to say more, but thought better of it and left the cave in a huff.
Lynna smiled at his retreating form, watching him once again storm out and going over in her mind what
he had said
.
He certainly painted her as a wanton woman with a very colorful past. Evidently, he did not know about her giving herself to the pirate captain to save Rob from being flogged or he would have surely added that to his long list of grievances.
The following morning
,
Lynna sat by the edge of the beach
,
digging into the soft sand with her bare foot and watching the
Windjammer
roll with the ocean swells. Heavy clouds rolled over the mountain
,
making the midday heat bearable, almost pleasant
,
as the cool breeze caressed her heated skin. The scene was ethereal and had been hers and Rob’s alone until those horrid men had found it. But if she admitted the truth
,
the men weren’t so bad. She no longer believed them to be pirates. The few
she had
come in contact with had gone out of their way to be nice to her, always polite and offering assistance should she need it. As for Joshua, what did she know of this man who claimed to love her? Absolutely nothing.
It was so nice
to have her freedom back after the many days
she had stayed
cloistered in the cave. Joshua had order
ed that his men move their encam
pment further down the beach. Now she never happened upon any of his crew. Little did she know that each man had been issued a personal warning by the Captain, “The lady is mine and I do not share what belongs to me. Any man who does
n’t
heed my words will answer to me.” The message in his eyes spoke louder than his words and each man had taken his dire warning to heart.
“May I join you?”
Lynna turned to find him watching her intently. “We have nothing to say to each other.” She brushed the sand from her legs and made to rise.
“Yes
,
Lynna, we do. I can answer most of your questions about your past. Aren’t you curious?”
She turned to face him then, having a strong desire to learn about her past. Yet, at the same time
,
she was afraid she
might
discover
that
she
had
been no more than a shameless hussy. She hid her blazing face in her hands
,
wondering if it might be best if she never learned of her sordid past. But Joshua seemed determined that she remember as he divul
ged all that he knew
, in great detail. She could almost envision her Aunt Judith sitting at the table in the small cottage behind the great plantation house and Crystal running down the beach in Jamaica. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest when he told her about the child. Lynna tried desperately to remember all he told her, tried to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. “And you? What part did you play in my past? Did you live in Georgia as well?”
“No, my sweet. My home is in Charleston. We were reunited after three years apart. First, we met onboard my ship, the
Windjammer
, when you sailed from France.” He
would not tell her about her father, as it
would only cause more pain. A mischievous grin curved his lips as he recounted the night of love they had shared on his ship. But the smile rapidly vanished as he continued with Suzanne’s treacherous schemes. Pure hatred shone in his eyes as he remembered the pain on Lynna’s face the night of the Harvest Ball when he had told her Suzanne carried his child.
“But I could not have loved you,” Lynna tried to reason with him. “Or I
would not
have married another man so soon.”
“You married Michael because you believed we could never be together. You believed, as did I, that Suzanne carried my child.” He breathed a long sigh before continuing. “We
a
re both free now, Lynna. We can start fresh. Your memory may return i
n
time, but if it doesn’t
,
I will make you love me all over again.” Then he added
,
entirely too cocksure of himself, “It should
no
t be too difficult a task.”
Lynna wanted to believe him. She prayed his words were true. But she
could not
push the nagging thought from her mind that he was a complete stranger and could be filling her head with lies. Rob was aware she had lived on the plantation with Micha
el, yet he had never mentioned this
child
named Crystal
. She wondered if any of what Joshua had told her was the truth.
Taking her hand, Lynna
did not
resist when he led her to a grassy knoll where colorfu
l wild flowers waved in the gentle breeze
. Joshua bent to pick a handful and handed her the fragrant bouquet as an offering of peace. When she
would not
look at him
,
he turned her face up to his and saw the confusion in her eyes. “You question the
authenticity of my words, Lynna?
” With their lips only inches apart
,
it was an act of sheer willpower that kept him from tasting her sweet nectar. He was certain beyond a shadow of doubt that if given half a chance
,
he could make her remember him, and was sorely tested now each time he was near her. And each time it grew harder for him to leave. How much longer
could his body
smolder before it burst into flames
?
The only solution to the problem was to put some distance be
tween them until she could decide
to trust him.
“I…I am
not sure what I believe. I need time to think and sort out my feelings. You must try to understand how confusing this all is to me.” Her eyes swam with unshed tears and pleaded with him for understanding.
“I do, and
you will
have the time you need.
I am
returning to the camp with my men.”
Lynna looked at him, her pulse quickening for some strange reason. “Will you come back?”
Her response filled him with a small glimmer of hope. “Yes, I will be back.” Then he planted a tender kiss on her lips before she could voice an objection. “I
will not
leave t
his island without you, Lynna.
” His tone left no doubt
that
his words were true as she watched him until his tall shadow blended with the trees.
Three days later
,
she awoke again to find him watching her. “Don’t you have anything be
tter to do with your time?” She was furious that
he came and went as he pleased.
“And you really should learn to knock.”