Love's Fiery Jewel (36 page)

Unable to suppress the small flush of warmth that
overcame her, she remembered Damien's unorthodox
presentation of the beautiful gems. Having come to her
room in the middle of the night the previous week,
Damien had cautiously lit the lamp at bedside, and
fastening the necklace around her neck with great
solemnity, had declared the stones attained true beauty
only when reflecting the color of her eyes. Refusing to
allow her to remove the delicate jewels, he had proceeded
to make love to her with a passion that still sent a rush of
color to her face, whispering softly against her ear as they lay sated in each other's arms that he wanted her to recall
that night vividly each time she placed the lavalier
around her neck. And strangely, uncertain whether the
lavalier was merely another charm to strengthen his
obeah over her, Amethyst found that she did.

Shaking her head to clear her rioting thoughts,
Amethyst murmured quietly, "Thank you, Mary. You
may go downstairs and tell Mr. Straith that I shall be
ready in a moment."

Taking a few moments longer to allow the slight
trembling caused by her thoughts to abate, Amethyst
dipped her fingertips into the basin of fresh water on her
washstand and absentmindedly attempted to secure the
small tendrils of hair that persisted in curling at her
hairline. Finally admitting defeat as the stubborn curls
returned within a few moments to their original position,
she shrugged her slender shoulders and turned toward
the door, grateful that the small distraction had allowed
the return of her poise. Moving through the doorway, she
walked slowly down the hallway to the staircase,
cautioning herself silently. She must not allow Damien
Straith to gain such control over her senses, for to do so
was pure madness. She was already uncertain which
disturbed her more, Damien's illicit almost nightly visits
to her bed, or his occasional absences when her mind
tortured her with graphic pictures of reasons for his
absence. No, if she were to survive, she would have to
accept the situation for what it was, a temporary
possession of her will which she was now powerless to
combat. Exposed to the many experienced beauties in
Philadelphia who sought to win his affections, he would
doubtless tire of her within a short time and release her
from the spell that held her so helpless against him.
Turning the corner of the hallway, she descended the
staircase slowly, her mind drumming silently with each
step she took, "Caution... caution... caution..."

Waiting impatiently in the hallway below, Damien
raised his glass to his lips. "Damn the girl, where is she?
We are due at the party in ten minutes, and I have no
desire to be the last to arrive." Hell, no, he added silently,
that would never do. Amethyst was enough of a sensation
at each affair they attended. She needed no additional
artifices to draw attention to her. His stomach tightening
uncontrollably, he recalled the stir she had created
within the ranks of Philadelphia's male contingent at the
two previous affairs they had attended. Wishing fervently he was free to disperse the circle of fawning males
surrounding Amethyst with a short statement declaring
his own priority, he had been forced to pretend
indifference, consoling himself that within a few hours
he would confirm again, if only in secret, his complete
possession of her. Damn! He had not expected the
deception to chafe so sorely. .had not expected he
could experience such fury when another man attempted
to insinuate himself into her affections. He had half a
mind to call the entire farce to a complete halt by
revealing the true manner of their relationship... but,
fool that he was, he had given his word.

A small sound on the staircase drawing his mind from
his disturbing thoughts, Damien glanced up, his first
glimpse of the girl/woman slowly descending the stairs
stealing his breath as effectively as a blow to the stomach.
God, she was lovely... His eyes meeting and holding the
glance of huge violet eyes, he felt the simultaneous tug at
his heart and groin that her appearance always stimulated, and an overwhelming desire to call the charade
they practiced to a complete halt by taking her into his
arms then and there. But Amethyst's nervous glance
toward Mrs. Dobbs as he continued his ardent, somewhat
obvious appreciation of her charms stirring a jolt of
conscience, he said aloud, "Amethyst, you look very well
this evening, but we must hurry or we'll be late for the dinner party." Extending his hand toward her, he could
not resist a small wink as their hands met, his good
humor restored when Amethyst flushed uncomfortably.
Hell, if he had to suffer through this ridiculous situation,
he was happy to see Amethyst also suffered discomfort
with the deceit. Perhaps if she became uncomfortable
enough she would release him from his promise, and they
could resume an open relationship. Smiling at the
comforting thought, he placed her purple velvet cape
around Amethyst's shoulders, his hands moving to
secure the closures in a possessive manner that darkened
the color on Amethysts cheeks. Ignoring her discomfort,
he said lightly, "We must step lively, my dear, or well
most assuredly be late."

The short ride to Hiram and Millicent Strathmore's
house was endless as Damien, taking advantage of their
solitude, taunted her mercilessly. Sliding close to her
side as the carriage started forward, he took her chin in
his palm and turned her face toward his. His mouth only
inches from hers, his breath was sweet against her lips.

"Don't tire yourself too much tonight, darling, for
you'll surely need your strength once we've returned
home and the lights go out on Chestnut Street." Slowly
running the tip of his tongue across her lips, he felt a deep
sense of satisfaction as a small tremor shook her slender
body, and barely resisting the urge to crush her against
him to conquer completely the lips so vulnerable to his
touch, he slid his hand under cloak to intimately fondle
the soft flesh exposed by her ecolletage.

"Remember, darling," he whispered softly, "those
damned fools may ogle you all they want, but you belong
to me and only me...and when we return home
tonight, I'll make up for all the time wasted in this
damned charade you insist upon."

Struggling to quell the weakness that assailed her at his
touch, Amethyst managed a breathless retort as she attempted to stay the hand that moved caressingly on her
breasts, "For all your complaints, Damien, you seem to
find considerable enjoyment in the charms of Stephanie
Morgan... and Sara Barlow.. .not to mention your
forgiveness of Merrell Bristol despite the fact that she has
never apologized for her insulting remarks."

His brow raised satirically, Damien responded in a soft
voice, "Oh, yes, I had quite forgotten Merrell's
assessment of our relationship..."

Her eyes sparking an anger that was apparent even in
the semi-darkness of the carriage, Amethyst responded
deliberately, "Are you insinuating that she was correct in
calling me a whore, Damien? If that is so, it will be very
easy to demonstrate the manner in which a whore truly
conducts herself tonight when I'm surrounded by a
group of eager admirers!"

Managing to choke down a warning against that sort of
behavior, Damien responded with a control that surprised himself, "And that would be cutting off your nose
to spite your face, would it not, darling?"

His small, knowing laugh at her lack of response
angering her even further, Amethyst jerked herself from
his restraining hands sliding as far from him as the
limited confines of the carriage would allow. Startled by
an abrupt movement which jerked her firmly back
against Damien's chest, Amethyst gasped, only to be
startled once again by the savagery in his tone as he
whispered against her parted lips, "But so we may
understand each other completely, I'll make myself very
clear. It matters not what I do or say to any of the women
at this party or any other we may attend. The simple fact
is this. You belong to me, and the moment I feel you are
forgetting this, I will end this ridiculous masquerade
once and for all!"

She was trembling violently, incapable of a response
and realizing they would soon arrive at their destination, Damien released her with a sharp rebuke. "Now get hold
of yourself, you little fool, or you will put an end to your
own little game!"

His disposition negatively affected by the scene in the
carriage, Damien entered the Strathmore residence in a
surly mood barely concealed by a stiff smile. Still, he was
unable to suppress a burst of pride when all heads turned
on their entrance, and the almost simultaneous stab of
jealousy stimulated by the instantaneous movement
toward them of a small group of young men standing at
the other end of the room. Acknowledging their
perfunctory greetings as they approached, Damien
noticed Amethyst retained her hold on his arm, her body
still stiff and unrelaxed despite the profuse attentions
being showered upon her.

"It's just as well," he thought, his own mood
lightening as a result of Amethyst's apparent indifference to the circle of young men surrounding them,
"that she realizes from the first that I will stand for none
of her pretentions."

"Damien, darling!" A low, throaty greeting distracted
Damien momentarily from his thoughts, turning him
toward the woman who took the opportunity to move
between Amethyst and himself. "Millicent was beginning
to think you would disappoint her tonight and not
appear, and with Hiram called away on business, she was
decidedly disappointed that both her favorite men would
be absent this evening. But I assured her you would
never miss one of her parties. They are, after all, the most
successful social affairs in Philadelphia, are they not?"
Stephanie Morgan's wise brown eyes were turned up to
his as he nodded with a small smile, noting Amethyst's
quick glance in his direction as the group of young men
around her tightened to exclude both Stephanie and
himself.

"Well, since Millicent is detained in the kitchen with
her small emergency, I will assume the role of hostess
temporarily. Come, darling," her glance was soft and
intimate, "we've been waiting for you." And then at
Damien's quick glance toward Amethyst, she murmured
quickly, "Leave the girl on her own for a while, Damien.
You are far too protective of her. After all, if you are to
marry her off, you must allow her some time with those
eligible young fellows."

"Amethyst is only sixteen years old, Stephanie. I think
you will agree that she is at far too tender an age to
contemplate marriage in the immediate future." Striving
to hide his annoyance, Damien noted out of the corner of
his eye that Amethyst had turned her full attention to the
most gregarious of the group and was laughing full up
into his enraptured face, her discomfort of a few
moments before apparently completely overcome. Damn
the precocious little flirt! Well, he would not spend the
evening scrutinizing her actions. He had far more
interesting matters to attend to, the most appealing of
which was leaning prettily on his arm. She could waste
her time with those young fools if that was her wish, and
he would amuse himself as well. Turning his full
attention to Stephanie Morgan, he said softly, "But
perhaps you're right, Stephanie. At any rate, you're far
too lovely to argue with." Hardly noting her flush of
pleasure at his compliment, Damien heard only the small
burst of laughter from the group surrounding Amethyst.
Damn her and her cleverness! She already had them
eating out of her hand!

Heading resolutely toward the champagne being
served at the other end of the room, Damien managed a
small, intimate glance for the beaming Stephanie. "And
now, I think it's time for some refreshment."

Smiling brightly into Martin Quell's animated face, Amethyst managed to hide her anger as her mind
wandered to the tall, blond figure laughing so intimately
with Stephanie Morgan on the other side of the room.
The man was insufferable, and he had no right to look so
handsome in his formal attire. Certainly a man of such
large stature should look awkward in these elegant
surroundings, but he managed, as he did everywhere
else, to stand out in the crowd with a subdued elegance of
his own. It was not as if the other men in the room were
not as well outfitted as he, but the superb tailoring of his
dark blue coat was in startling contrast with his gleaming
blond hair and sun-darkened skin, the light blue of his
waistcoat and britches tinting his piercing gray eyes a
startling blue that commanded attention. His movement
was fluid and agile as he moved through the crowd. He
probably dances well also, she thought with disgust at her
inability to find an outstanding flaw on which to place
her ridicule.

The group around her was laughing now, and taking
her cue, Amethyst smiled also, realizing she had heard
nothing of the humorous story Martin had spun for her
amusement. Feeling a stab of guilt, Amethyst forced her
attention back to the young men surrounding her. After
all, it was not their fault that they paled into
insignificance beside Damien's overpowering masculine
aura. If it were not for them, she would probably be
standing in some corner, waiting desperately for dinner
to be announced so she might find a way to pass another
boring hour while Damien amused himself elsewhere.
Had it not been for her own unusual circumstances, she
might have found Martin Quell attractive with his
smiling brown eyes and glib tongue, or even Gerard
Whitestone, with his appealing stammer. But moving her
eyes from one to the other in the group surrounding her,
Amethyst felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her
stomach, for there was not one within the group that was capable of holding her interest for more than a few
moments.

Thoroughly ashamed of her ungracious thoughts,
Amethyst glanced away from the eyes riveted so steadily
on her countenance, fearful that they might read her
thoughts on her face, only to catch the glance of intense
black eyes staring in her direction. Her own eyes held
inexplicably by the force of his stare, Amethyst mentally
noted the stranger's striking appearance. A few inches
over medium height, he was extremely broad of shoulder
and chest, his black coat tailored precisely to fit the
unusual expanse of shoulder and narrowness of waist.
His waistcoat and britches in fine white cloth fit closely
against his flat stomach and powerful thighs. A
masterfully tiod cravat hugged closely his wide, muscular
neck, emphasizing the appearance of strength and power
that he exuded. But most impressive of all was the oliveskinned, devastatingly handsome face, dominated by
large, black eyes which openly stared in her direction
from beneath dark, heavy brows. His strong, aquiline
nose added a sensual appeal, as did the firm, square chin
that completed the impressive visage. His hair was a
midnight black, straight and shining, tied to a queue at
the back of his neck with a black ribbon, and he was,
without doubt, one of the most attractive men Amethyst
had ever seen.