Love's Fiery Jewel (11 page)

Damien Straith's voice faded from her hearing as a
familiar rage expanded inside Amethyst. She never had
and never would forgive him his insulting attitude
toward her, nor had she forgotten the sting of his hand
against her cheek when she had approached him for help
dressed as a boy. Her mother's undying gratitude and
praise of the odious man for the barrels of food left
anonymously on their doorstep over the past three years
had only contributed to her dislike. Burned into her
memory was the picture of her mother's and Straith's
clasped hands the day she had unexpectedly entered the
cabin during the voyage to Jamaica. Recollection still left
a bitter taste in her mouth. Mama had been a lovely
woman, overprotected from the world by an adoring
husband. She had remained to the day of her death
extremely gullible when it came to human deviousness,
and it had been her own lot even as a child to follow
Papa's wishes and protect her mother from harsh
realities and her own trusting naivete. Amethyst was
aware of Damien Straith's reputation. He was a notorious womanizer. She was also aware that a man of his
character rarely did anything without an extremely
strong motive, and it had been obvious to Amethyst from
the beginning that the "generous, gentlemanly" Captain
fully expected his generosity to be rewarded when
Marian Straith returned to good health. Eating at her
even more deeply was the fact that Damien Straith was
the only man aside from her father that Marian Greer had
ever spoken of in such glowing terms. Certainly, the
overbearing boor standing before her was not to be
compared with her loving father!

No longer attempting to conceal her sneer, Amethyst
interrupted ungraciously, "If you regarded my mother so
highly, why did you never stop to see her? She was
extremely grateful for your `generosity,' you know."

"And I can see her daughter did not share her
sentiments," Damien mumbled, his face beginning to
flush a dark red at the girl's stinging attack.

"No, her daughter did not and does not share her
sentiments," Amethyst whispered fiercely. "Her daughter is not gullible enough to believe a man like you would
continue to flatter and provide for a lovely widow if he
didn't expect..."

"Blast you, girl!" Damien was barely able to resist the
urge to put his hands around that lovely little neck and
choke off the stream of nonsense streaming forth from
between those two lovely lips. Those soft, inviting lips
were not meant for the vicious nonsense spewing forth.
More angry still with his preoccupation with the mouth
that belittled him so vehemently, Damien continued
harshly, "You are a fool, Amethyst Greer! You were a
stubborn, headstrong child, and have grown into a young
woman who is headstrong to the point of stupidity! How
you ever managed to contrive such nonsense in your
confused brain, I will never understand."

"Nonsense! My confused brain!" Amethyst gasped incredulously. "You merely cannot abide a woman who
sees through your scheming!"

Taking a few quick steps forward, Damien grasped her
slender shoulders and shook her hard, growling between
his teeth as he glared down angrily, "I merely admired
your mother, I tell you...was concerned for her
welfare..."

"If you were so concerned, why did you never stop to
see her? The trusting person that Mama was, she often
hoped you would stop to call again."

"My voyages to Kingston were not exactly made under
ideal circumstances, Amethyst. In the event you have
forgotten, a state of war existed at the time and I had to
get in and out of Jamaica as quickly as possible."

"But you always had time for your streggahs..."

Amethyst's eyes glittered victoriously as Damien
found himself at a loss for a response to the truth of that
statement. Furious at being bested once again by the hottempered little chit, Damien released her shoulders with
a suddenness that knocked her a few steps backwards
before she regained her balance.

"I do not feel the need to explain my comings or goings
to a nasty little termagant who nurses imagined
grievances and is too stupid to listen to the truth!"

Her eyes flaring wide with anger, Amethyst pulled
herself up haughtily. "The truth? Alright, Captain
Straith, tell me, what is the truth? Why are you here?"

"Yes, why am I here? I've been asking myself that
same question since you first opened your mouth,
Amethyst, but perhaps you're right. My streggahs always
paid me well for the food I brought them. Maybe I do
deserve some sort of reward for everything I did for you
and your mother."

Stepping forward, Damien pulled the small, haughty
figure into his arms, crushing her against his broad chest
as he lowered his head to cover the lips that taunted him so viciously. But strangely, Damien himself suffered the
greatest surprise in the encounter. Totally unprepared
for the swell of emotion that overwhelmed him at the
first taste of her parted lips, his broad frame shuddered
with undeniable passion at the pure, sweet sensation of
coming .home ...the vague recognition of a blurred
dream.. .His mouth plunged deeper, his binding hold
on the small woman in his arms effortlessly subduing her
struggles to be free. Time ceased to exist as Damien
gloried in the absolute pleasure surging through his
veins. Lolling in a sea of unearthly sensation, he
efficiently ignored Amethyst's ineffective protests as he
pulled her closer still. He did not want, he could not bear
to let her go. Gradually the wild struggling ceased and
Damien drew his mouth from her throbbing lips,
whispering softly as he did, "Amethyst, darling, I
want..."

Stopped abruptly by the venomous glare in the
brilliant eyes raised to his, Damien attempted to pull
Amethyst back into his arms when she whispered
insidiously, "So, now that the Greer you had originally
planned to seduce is not available, you have decided to
take the Greer remaining in her place! Sorry to
disappoint you, Captain, but I am not my mother! I am
not susceptible to hypocritical endearments, no matter
how passionately rendered!"

His face suddenly flaming, Damien pushed Amethyst
from his embrace. "A true and utter bitch, aren't you,
Amethyst? Too bad all your beauty is on the outside and
none of it within. You're right, you know. You're
nothing like your mother. She was a lady-warm,
sincere, genteel-not a cold, hardhearted conniving little
witch..."

"I am a cold, conniving witch because I will not stretch
myself out on your bed like one of your willing streggahs?
Hah! That's where you're wrong, Captain. There is simply nothing about you that could possibly stir that
sort of emotion inside me. Were I one of your streggahs,
you would have to pay dearly for that kind of
service..."

"I have paid you dearly, Amethyst..." Damien
Straith's voice was low, his hypnotic stare holding her
gaze as he continued softly, "I have paid for three
years..."

Her eyes snapping wide, Amethyst gasped audibly.
"You don't really expect.. .you couldn't possibly
believe I would pay you in that way!"

A small sneer twisted the strong planes of Damien's
features for a few seconds before he gave a short, harsh
laugh. "Don't worry, Amethyst. I wouldn't take you now
if you begged on bended knee. The man who sleeps with
you will probably wake up frost-bitten the next morning.
There would be no pleasure in holding a cold fish in my
arms." Sweeping her with one last contemptful glance,
he said dismissingly, "You are perfectly safe with me!"

Trembling with fury, Amethyst spoke in a low, barely
controlled voice. "In that case, Captain, I believe your
business in my home is done! Please leave ...now!"

His huge hands clenching into tight fists, Captain
Damien Straith threw her one last scornful glance before
turning on his heel and moving wordlessly toward the
door.

"And by the way, Captain," Amethyst called at his
retreating back, "your charity is no longer needed here.
Save your precious food for the women who are willing to
pay you for it in the currency you demand! As for me, I
would rather starve!"

His hand on the doorknob, Captain Damien Straith
turned slowly, his voice filled with derision. "And as
for me, Amethyst, I would rather remain celibate!"

Still seething at his last, well delivered insult,
Amethyst watched as Damien moved through the doorway, slamming the door behind him in unmistakable
finality. Her face flushed with anger, she turned to meet
Tillie's horrified expression. Unwilling to submit to
another speech on her lack of gratitude, Amethyst said in
a low warning voice,"Tillie, kindly leave me be. I am not
in the mood for one of your lectures right now."

Ignoring her as if she had not spoken, Tillie shook her
head emphatically from side to side, her voice deep with
warning, "You be a fool, Amethyst Greer! You Mama
turn over in him grave if him see the way you speak to
Captain Straith today! Stupid girl! Do you remember how
you Mama was before that man take him under him wing?
Him dying, girl, quickly gowan away.. .But that man,
him take pity on you and keep you food closet full. That
man, him give you three more years with you Mama, and
you halla like kas-kas woman! Quashi! Fool!"

"Didn't you hear what he said, Tillie? He admitted he
expected payment for his 'pity."'

"Quashi! Now you have big trouble. That man have
strong obeah, Amethyst Greer. Him gowan bring him
duppy down on you! Him magic strong..."

Turning her back with a scoffing expression while the
earnest woman still spoke, Amethyst walked purposefully into her room and closed the door behind her, but
not before she heard Tillie mumble under her breath,
"Facety miss! Quashi!"

Stepping to the bed, Amethyst absentmindedly began
to straighten the bedclothes she had abandoned a short
time before. Tillie was the fool, not she! She no longer
needed to depend on Damien Straith's charity. She was
in good health and could easily exist on the mangos and
achees that abounded on the island, with an occasional
supplement of fish or eggs bought with her small salary.
She would not starve without that conceited oaf's
providence.

A picture of Damien Straith returned to her mind's eye and Amethyst considered it unconsciously. In the three
years since she had last seen him, the Captain's broad,
muscular frame seemed only to have lengthened and
broadened to a more powerful, impressive size. That was
undoubtedly part of the reason for the awe he inspired in
the superstitious natives. But more likely still, the
natives were probably impressed by the light gold hair
that shone like the sun, the broad, sharply chiseled planes
of his lightly tanned face from which his peculiar light
eyes appeared to glow translucently. Had she been a more
weakly minded person, she would have felt fear herself at
the fury besetting that formidable specter only moments
before. Suddenly remembering the bruising pressure of
his mouth against hers, gradually softening into a deeply
stirring caress, she snorted angrily. A marvelous actor
was Captain Straith! Should he decide to give up the sea,
the American Company would do well to offer him a
prominent spot in their troupe! But she was an actress,
too, and could not be fooled, despite her body's own
traitorous reaction to those firm lips pressed against
hers, those strong, powerful arms holding her passionately close, his softly whispered endearment,"Amethyst, darling..."

Abruptly angry with herself, Amethyst dragged her
thoughts forcefully from her mental meanderings. "You
are a fool, a quashi, Amethyst Greer!" she mumbled
under her breath as she slapped the lumpy bed
vigorously. "But you need not worry. You have seen the
last of Captain Damien Straith!"

Moving down the street with long, angry strides,
Damien turned the corner, heading instinctively in the
direction of the docks. His massive chest heaving in
anger, he muttered under his breath, "Damn that girl!
Damn that Amethyst Greer! She did it again!" Since the
day of their first meeting when she was still a child, she had managed to turn the tables on him, twist his words
and his actions until they lost all resemblance to his
original intentions. Why was it she was determined
to think ill of him? Think ill of him.. .that was a
masterful understatement. The girl despised him! His
pace automatically slowing as unanswered questions
continued to swirl in his mind, he examined his actions
honestly. He had done nothing to incite the anger with
which she greeted him today. In truth, he had been too
stunned to do more than mutter her name! God, she had
become a beauty! It was no wonder they had accepted her
so willingly into the troupe of actors in her mother's
place. She wouldn't have to be able to act...not the way
she looked! She probably had to be escorted from the
theater with a bodyguard to protect her from the wild
young bucks that frequented the waterfront area. His
scowl darkening at the thought, Damien felt a peculiar
tightening in his stomach as his irritation flared anew.
And the damned brat probably gloried in every minute of
it!

Suddenly conscious of his boorish conduct of a few
minutes before, Damien thought defensively, "Well, she
got exactly what she deserved." Everything she said was
untrue. That pale, sickly woman, Marian Greer, had
stirred nothing more than pity inside him. Hell, she was
too unobtrusive, too retiring in her manner to interest
him in the way Amethyst had intimated. He had gone to
that household today merely to set his mind at ease that
the child.. .the little brat.. .had survived her
mother's death well. Humph! He needn't have worried.
That little shrew was too contrary to allow the world to
defeat her, and she had her strongest weapon in her
biting tongue!

And it was a mystery to him why he was allowing that
little scene of a few minutes before to bother him at all.
He had accomplished his purpose in finding out that the girl was indeed doing well. Then why this sense of
discontent that disturbed him so completely? Could it be
because the scent of her still lingered in his nostrils...
because his hands still tingled from the touch of her
skin.. .because the memory of the pressure of that
small, delicate body against his was still vivid in his mind,
the unbelievable sweetness of her mouth leaving him
with a lingering desire for more? Stunned, he finally
faced the facts squarely as the Sally came into view. He
had been thoroughly devastated by the touch of her, and
she had been utterly repelled! What's more, the
conniving little snip had used him and used him well
while she needed his help, and now that he had served his
purpose, had driven him off like a stray dog! Suffused
with a deep, blinding anger, Damien mounted the Sally's
gangplank, the thunderous fury pervading him reflected
in his raging expression. Amethyst's malevolent sneering
voice rang in his ears.