Love's Fiery Jewel (19 page)

Her hand sliding lightly along the graceful molded
handrail, Amethyst descended the staircase. She had been at Sheridan Plantation for three days and had yet to
see the great house in its entirety. Her eyes scanning the
first floor as she approached, she had to admit that it was
indeed a beautiful home. Most impressive were the
mahogany floors, bare except for an occasional reed mat,
polished to a brilliant sheen that reflected almost as
clearly as a mirror the graceful furnishings resting upon
it. The rich mahogany glow was repeated in the paneling
that ran to cornice height, covering all the walls and
extending as far as the spacious verandas onto which all
the rooms on the first floor emptied. Walking cautiously
to the rear of the house in her search for a cool drink for
William, she was amazed to see that although the house
consisted of two stories above ground, on the north side,
cleverly planned to take full advantage of the land
contours, the house had a third lower ground floor on the
south. As she walked out the rear toward the out-houses
behind the house, a small gasp escaped her lips at the
infinite beauty spread out before her. Set upon a rise of
a few hundred feet above the cane fields, the rear
commanded a spectacular view of the master's holdings,
extending almost as far as the eye could see. She also
realized that although it was not visible from her
position, a few miles to the west lay the remainder of the
estate buildings; a factory for refining the cane into
sugar, and a lime kiln.

Suddenly understanding for the first time the extreme
sense of pride the Sheridans had for their land, Amethyst
took a deep, awe-filled breath and moved quickly toward
the kitchen.

Within minutes Amethyst was quickly ascending the
same staircase toward William's room, a small smile
crossing her face as she heard William's voice.

"Is that finally you, Amethyst?" Hesitating a brief
second, he repeated, "Is that you returning, Amethyst?"

Shaking her head as she walked through the doorway, Amethyst said sternly, "What do you mean, `finally
returning'? I've barely been gone five minutes. You did
say you wanted a cool drink, did you not?"

"Yes." Smiling as she approached the bed, William
continued softly, "but I would rather someone else had
gone to get it."

Taking the glass from her hand, he quickly emptied its
contents and placing it on the night table, extended his
arms toward her. "Come here, Amethyst." William's
voice was a low purr that set Amethyst to laughing as she
shook her head firmly. There was a definite gleam in his
eye as he lay back against the pillows, his dark wavy hair
spilling onto his forehead boyishly.

"Oh, no, William. I think are you feeling far too well
today for your own good. I have the feeling you will
overdo at the slightest opportunity, and you must
remember. Dr. Martens said, `no stimulation'!"

"Come here right now, Amethyst," William repeated
firmly, "or I will far overdo by becoming frustrated and
angry. You know I am to be pampered for a few days
more."

Still laughing at his self-serving reasoning, Amethyst
walked closer to the bed and was immediately taken into a
tight embrace that all but carried her onto the bed beside
him.

Squirming uncomfortably, Amethyst protested in a
soft voice, "William, please, if anyone should walk in
now, it would be a complete scandal, and you know very
well the opinion your family already has of me."

His face suddenly sober as his dark eyes looked into
hers, William inquired quickly, "Has anyone been
discourteous to you since your arrival, Amethyst? If so,
please tell me. I will set the matter straight."

Caressing his cheek with, the palm of her hand,
Amethyst interrupted his building anger. "No, William.
Everyone has been quite hospitable, the little I've seen of them. You know I spend most of the day with you and
take all my meals with you in this room. There has been
very little opportunity for a clash of personalities."

"Then why did you say...'

"You really do not believe that opinions of long
standing will be changed by my brief visit here, do you?"

"This need not be a.brief visit, Amethyst."

Looking sincerely into William's sober face, Amethyst
responded quietly, "I appreciate your extended hospitality much more than you realize, William."

As yet Amethyst had not considered it wise to advise
William of the situation with Captain Straith, realizing it
would serve only to inflame his anger and possibly
worsen his condition. When he was fully recovered she
planned to explain her predicament and her need for
sanctuary.

"You could stay on, you know, Amethyst..."

Suspecting him of reading her thoughts, Amethyst
pulled back in astonishment, only to have William pull
her closer within the circle of his embrace. His
expression intent, he lowered his mouth to cover hers,
emitting a low groan as he suddenly tightened his
embrace, increasing the pressure of his kiss. Basking in
the warmth that always pervaded her senses with
William's touch, Amethyst allowed the kiss to deepen
until the frantic pounding of his heart against her breast
stirred her guilt. Gently extricating herself from his
embrace, she covered his lips with her hand as he sought
to kiss her again, whispering softly as she did, "Please,
William, there will be time for this later, when you are
completely well."

Noting he had started to pale, Amethyst pushed him
gently back against the pillows, imploring as she did,
"Please, don't excite yourself, William. If my presence
proves an impediment to your recuperation, I will have
to leave."

"No! Don't leave, Amethyst. That is exactly the point I
was trying to make, darling." Taking her hand, he turned
her palm to his lips and kissed it lightly. "I want you to
stay here, Amethyst. We can be married at the end of the
week, when I am feeling better."

"What! William, you can't be serious!"

"Alright, within two weeks if you need the time and we
wish to be absolutely certain I will be completely
recovered. What is the point of waiting, darling? You
know I love you...I have for a long time.. .and once
you are my wife you will no longer be prey to the
advances of madmen like Damien Straith."

"William..."

Reaching out to snatch her against him again, William
attempted to press another kiss against her lips,
mumbling softly as he did, "Amethyst, darling..."

The sound of an opening door and Sylvia Sheridan's
shocked gasp did not deter William from his purpose as
he continued softly, "Tell me you will consider staying,
darling."

"Really, Miss Greer," a haughty voice from behind
interrupted angrily, "I should think you would have a
better sense of propriety than to be found in such a
compromising position..."

Finally relinquishing his hold so Amethyst might pull
herself to her feet, William still retained his grip on her
hand as he turned to direct his next words to his mother.

"I'm afraid the lack of propriety is entirely my fault,
Mother. I was trying to convince Amethyst to remain
here so we might be married as soon as I am well."

Sylvia Sheridan's short intake of breath as he
concluded his statement speaking far more clearly than
words, Amethyst lowered her head, diverting her gaze
from William's angry expression.

"I tell you now, Mother," William continued softly,
his voice firm despite the signs of weakness beginning to show on his face in his loss of color and the small beads of
perspiration that had formed on his forehead and upper
lip. "I intend to press this issue with Amethyst until she
agrees to marry me."

"I think we should discuss this some other time,
William," Amethyst suggested quietly, "when you are
feeling better. There is no necessity for haste."

"The necessity is that you are here now, Amethyst,
and I do not want you to leave. Will you at least give me
your word you will not leave until we have this settled
between us?" His eyes beginning to droop with
weariness, William urged again, "Do I have your word,
Amethyst?"

Shooting a quick, furtive glance to the woman in the
doorway who stared at her son helplessly, Amethyst said
quietly, "You have my word, William. Now, will you
please rest?"

"Only if you will pull your chair near the bed and sit
beside me while I sleep." Looking up, he smiled a small,
apologetic smile. "I am a selfish, inconsiderate beast, am
I not, Amethyst?"

Pulling her chair close to the bed, Amethyst sat down
and taking his hand, kissed the knuckles lightly,
mumbling for his ears alone with a small smile, "Yes, you
are, William, a darling, inconsiderate beast."

Running his hand through his thick tawny hair,
Damien's brows knit into a dark frown as he stared
unseeingly at the column of figures in the ledger.
Abruptly throwing his pen against the page, he leaned
back in his desk chair with a frustrated groan, finally
jumping to his feet as a sense of utter despair
overwhelmed him. What was wrong with him? He was no
longer capable of adding a simple column of figures, so
poor was his concentration. What had ever possessed
him to come to Jamaica in the first place? Unbidden, the answer flashed before his eyes in the vision of the darkhaired, waif-like seductress that had stolen his peace of
mind. Damn her! What was she doing at Sheridan
Plantation anyway? She had been there almost two
weeks. In less than two weeks he would be leaving
Kingston, not to return for several months. Even then,
he would probably not return legally. His preliminary
figures showed that this trip would not be very profitable
to him or his men and he had a business to run. But he
could not seem to concentrate on business these past two
weeks. Completely ignoring his old haunts he had begun
to hang around the theater, hoping for some news of
Amethyst, but none was forthcoming. All he had
managed to do was to give that sultry little flirt Sally
Warren the wrong impression by his rash of questions
and his frequent appearances at the theater. As if that
little baggage compared to his Amethyst. His Amethyst!
He still could not think of her any other way, even
though right now she was probably in the arms of that
pampered plantation pup! Rumor had it that he wanted to
marry Amethyst, but his parents disapproved. She
wouldn't marry him. He was certain... almost certain
...that the response he had felt to his lovemaking had
not been feigned. He was too experienced to be fooled by
acting... or was he? Suddenly remembering the warmth
of her small body against his, the taste of her
mouth... the scent of her breath upon his cheek, a rage
of frustration swept over him. No! She would not marry
Sheridan. She would return to Kingston and when she
did, he would be waiting....

Slowly pulling herself out of the downy mattress on
the large four-postered bed she had occupied since her
arrival at Sheridan Plantation, Amethyst walked to the
window and gazed out thoughtfully. Situated at the rear
of the house, her room overlooked the cane fields where work gangs already labored in the early morning sun.
Turning around, she surveyed her temporary room
casually. The room was moderately sized, really quite
ample for her needs, with plastered walls painted a pale
yellow and a floor boarded in rich mahogany that
gleamed with true depth of beauty. The bed and the other
well-carved furniture in the room were also constructed
from the mahogany that was so abundant on the island,
and gleamed with the same rich hue. Walking to the large
wardrobe that dominated the corner of the room,
Amethyst opened the doors, smiling at the ridiculous
picture of two skirts and two blouses hanging so
forlornly within its vast expanse. She quickly removed
the blue skirt and one of the alternate white blouses
which disappeared each night when she took it off to
reappear mysteriously the next morning, freshly laundered. Laying them on the bed, she moved to the
washstand to commence her daily ablutions. She was up a
bit early this morning, but she wanted an opportunity to
speak to William alone before breakfast.

A small frown creasing her brow, she recalled several
days previous when she had donned her blue skirt for the
first time since arriving at the great house. Noticing a
small bulge in the skirt, she had reached into the
concealed emergency pocket her mother had insisted she
sew into her skirts, and drawn out the grisly charm Tillie
had tried to force on her on so many occasions. Suddenly
remembering Tithe's placid expression when she left as
she had stated solemnly, "Tillie not be worried anymore,
Amethyst," she was irritated beyond sizeable proportion at the well-meaning woman's interference. She
considered her escape from Damien Straith a result of
her own ingenuity and her present satisfactory, if
somewhat uncertain position in William's household, a
result of William's concern and generosity. She did not
wish to put the credit for her improved circumstances on the powers of black magic. Also, during her short stay she
had come to lay the blame for her mishandling of the
whole affair with Damien Straith on the hysteria his
imposing figure seemed to stir within her. To accept the
charm would acknowledge his powers which she had
recently refuted in her own mind. With a deep sense of
purpose Amethyst had dressed and walked to the kitchen
on the pretext of visiting Delsea that morning, and had
thrown the charm unseen into the fire. Turning back, she
had steadfastly ignored the slight chill of apprehension
that had slipped down her spine and had returned to the
house and William's room.

Now giving a last-minute check to her appearance.
Amethyst followed her daily routine since arriving at the
great house and walked down the hallway to knock on
William's door. He had not recuperated from the
persistent headaches and weakness as quickly as the
doctor had expected, but in the last few days had made it a
point to put on his robe and come down to breakfast with
the family. On those occasions Amethyst assisted Amos
in helping him down the stairs and sat on his right at the
table with an honest attempt at being as unobtrusive as
possible. The senior Sheridan's resentment of her
presence was apparent from the black scowls he sent in
her direction, as was his son's obvious irritation with his
father's attitude. Sylvia Sheridan's nervous tittering
through the tense meals did nothing to abate the growing
hostility and in fact had the effect of rubbing tattered
nerves raw. But William was adamant, speaking frequently of their forthcoming marriage, directing his
comments pointedly to his stiff-faced parents, and
Amethyst's heart went out to him. She had not actually
agreed to the marriage, but each passing day only
convinced her more of her love for William.