Love's Fiery Jewel (56 page)

The low buzz of conversation in the next room
suddenly catching her ear, Amethyst walked slowly to
the door. Opening it quietly, Amethyst was startled to see
the subject of her thoughts talking quietly to Tillie in the
living room. Her heart thudding wildly in her chest, she
hastily stepped through the doorway, closing the door
carefully behind her. The click of the door latch snapped
both pairs of eyes in her direction.

"William, what are you doing here? You must leave!
Damien may be home any minute, and if he finds you
here there will be trouble."

Moving quickly to his side, Amethyst lifted pleading eyes to his, unaware of the breathtaking picture she
presented in the pale blue morning gown that lent her
glowing countenance an air of delicate fragility with its
fine ruffles of lace around the deeply scooped bosom and
slender sleeves. Restored to her former self, she was
small and lovely and infinitely appealing, and unable to
restrain himself, William reached out to take her gently
into his arms. Relaxing only for the briefest moment in
the security of his embrace, Amethyst stirred guiltily.
She could not afford to risk Damien's anger at William.
He was too vulnerable to Damien's obeah...

"William, please, you must leave. Damien will..."

"Damien Straith will do nothing, Amethyst. He can do
nothing to you now."

"What... what do you mean, William?"

"Damien Straith has been arrested, Amethyst. He and
his crew are being held in the stockade to await trial for
smuggling."

"Smuggling!" Startled by William's announcement,
Amethyst shook her head in disbelief. "But the Sally has
safely docked twice in Kingston. No one has dared to
speak up against Damien before. Who...who...?"

"I have named him a smuggler, Amethyst, and have
declared my intention to testify against him in court.
That is all the evidence needed to hold him and his men
long enough to allow you to escape."

"Escape?"

"Did you really think I would allow Straith to threaten
you with my safety another time, Amethyst.. .to take
advantage of your ridiculous belief that he can actually
hurt me with his pretended powers?"

"They're not pretended powers, William! I've seen
what he can do!"

"Nonsense!"

"But it's true!"

"Darling!" Taking Amethyst's small face between his
palms, William directed his glance into her eyes,
abruptly stopping her protest with his unrelenting
expression. "Listen to me now, please, Amethyst. I won't
argue the point with you. You choose to believe Straith
holds these powers of witchcraft, and I can see reasoning
is powerless against your fear. But you must also see that
I've taken an irreversible step against Straith. He can no
longer hold my safety over your head because I'm forcing
him to act against me to save himself. But you'll see,
Amethyst. I'll live in perfect health to testify against him
at his trial, and that will prove once and for all that any
powers he claims to hold are false."

"No, William, I won't allow you to take the risk!"

"You have no choice, Amethyst. I love you, darling,
and I'll have no peace until I've set you free of him."

"But William, I'm not free..."

"You soon will be, darling. I've arranged for you and
Tillie to sail with the child on the Whitestone tomorrow
morning. It sails to Philadelphia, and you'll be far away
from here before Damien Straith even learns of your
departure."

"But William, it's impossible. I have no way to pay the
fare or support myself when I arrive in Philadelphia."

Reaching into his pocket, William withdrew a small
pouch and placed it in her palm. "I've already paid for
your tickets, Amethyst. This money will tide you over for
a while until I'm able to arrange for more."

"I cannot live on your charity, William."

His glance suddenly stiff, William's voice was harsh in
response. "Would you rather I demand payment for my
`charity' in the same manner in which Straith demands
payment, Amethyst?"

Her face flushing brightly, Amethyst dropped her
eyes.

William's voice when he spoke again was soft and
apologetic. "I didn't mean to be cruel, Amethyst, but you
must see this is your only means of escape."

Slowly raising lavender eyes heavy with tears,
Amethyst said softly, "You're right, of course, William.
How can I ever thank you?"

Hesitating only briefly, William replied in a low tone,
"You may thank me by telling me the truth, Amethyst. I
must know for certain before I let you go. You.. .you
do not love me, do you, darling?" His clear mahogany
eyes intent and serious, he whispered softly, "Please fell
me now, once and for all. I must know."

Her throat tight with tears, Amethyst's response was
hushed. "I don't love you in the way in which you would
have me love you, William. You're so dear to me. The
very sight of you lights a spot in my heart that is reserved
for you alone, but it's not love as you would have it be."

Her voice choking off at the sadness reflected in
William's face, Amethyst threw her arms around his
neck in a tight embrace, tears streaming freely down her
cheeks. "William, can you forgive me for all the
heartache I've caused you? It was not my intention,
really it wasn't, and I do truly love you, William!"

His arms closing tightly around her for long moments,
William finally stepped back, a small smile on his lips as
he whispered, "I understand, darling. I really do
understand at last. Mine were always the stronger
feelings. I was smitten from the first day I saw you when
you were still a girl. Your feelings grew to affection while
mine grew to love. I have had time to do a lot of thinking
in the past months and have finally come to realize that
your feelings for me never progressed past the point they
reached a few years ago, while mine grew deeper with
each passing year."

"Oh, William..." Her voice breaking into a small sob, Amethyst clung desperately to him.

His eyes suspiciously bright, William moved her away
to look into her face. "It's alright, darling, really it is.
You have done the kindest thing being honest with me.
And I'm satisfied at least to have freed you from this
bondage you've been living with Straith. Now you must
listen to me carefully."

Nodding her head, still unable to speak, Amethyst
raised her eyes to his.

"You must pack all your things tonight. Tillie has
agreed to go with you to Phildelphia where you and the
child will be free to begin a new life. When you reach
Philadelphia, you must contact my father's lawyer,
Wilbur Helmswood, and give him a letter I will prepare.
He will help you find accommodations and a situation."

Sensing the waning of his defenses against Amethyst's
clinging helplessness, William smiled and moved her a
step further from his reach. In another few moments he
would ruin all his good intentions by taking her into his
arms and begging her to return to Sheridan Plantation
with him. He must continue to remind himself that she
did not love him and could never be happy with the
lopsided emotion they would share.

"Do you understand all I've said, Amethyst?"
Watching as Amethyst nodded her head, he prompted
again, "Do you agree with all the arrangements I've
made?"

Nodding her head again, Amethyst finally managed to
speak past her emotion blocked throat, "Yes, and I thank
you, William... but... you will be alright, won't you?
You won't allow Damien to hurt you again...?"

"No, darling. Damien Straith will not hurt either one
of us ever again." Allowing the impact of his words a few
minutes to sink into her brain, William continued softly,
"You have a lot to accomplish before tomorrow, darling. I'll pick you up with the wagon at six in the morning and
take you to the ship."

Unable to say more, Amethyst whispered hoarsely,
"Thank you, William."

Staring wordlessly into her eyes for a long moment,
William gave her a small smile before turning to the door.
Stopping briefly at the doorway, he gave her a brief salute
before closing the door quietly behind him.

Staring silently in the direction he had disappeared,
Amethyst turned suddenly to Tillie's inquiring glance.
Taking a deep breath, she said in a resolute voice, "We
must hurry, Tillie. We have much to do before
morning."

Through the long, endless day, Amethyst's eyes
returned again and again to the doorway, expecting to see
Damien come striding through at any second as she
packed feverishly. Countless times during the long night
that followed, she awoke and reached to the bed beside
her, almost expecting her hand to come into contact with
Damien's warm sleeping body, hating herself for the
moment of disappointment the empty bed evoked. But it
was true. William had given her a few days grace with
which to escape Damien once and for all. There was no
real evidence against Damien and his crew and he would
undoubtedly be free again with a few weeks' time, but she
would have arrived in Philadelphia by then, contacted
Mr. Helmswood and be situated in a place where Damien
would be unable to find her. Yes, she would be free, and
would start her life again. Yes...

Smiling a small, tender smile, William waved at the
petite figure at the rail of the Whitestone, his glance
unmoving as the ship glided steadily from the dock.
Watching until the ship faded into a small spot on the horizon and finally disappeared from sight, William
swallowed deeply, his voice hoarse with emotion as he
whispered to the image of the woman who had just sailed
from his sight, "Goodbye, darling.. .my darling Amethyst. I love you, darling. I'll always love you..."

Pacing the dank, cramped cell restlessly, Damien
stopped to swat the mosquito viciously biting his neck,
uttering a small grunt of disgust as a scorpion scuttled
over the damp stones of the floor at his feet. If he were to
judge the passage of time by the faint ray of light
penetrating a slit high on the outer wall, he had lain
sweating in the blazing heat of his cell for three days,
during which he was bedeviled by lice, and endless
varieties of hungry insects, and the numerous "searabbits" that shared his temporary abode. He had yet to
face his accuser! Frustrated to a boiling rage, Damien
swore viciously under his breath, no longer bothering to
raise his voice in a summons that he knew would be
ignored. Uncertain where his crew was imprisoned,
Damien was incensed at the manner in which his
incarceration was being handled. Causing him even more
unrfest was the fact that this was to have been his wedding
day. What was Amethyst thinking right now? Did she
have any idea where he was being held? What would
she...

The sharp, grating sound of metal against metal called
his attention to the peep hole on the door. Was it again
time for the revolting food that had been shoved in to him
since his arrival? Brackish water, moldy biscuits and
tainted meat were not his favorite fare, and he had
carefully considered throwing the rancid offerings back
in the face of his jailer before better judgment had
assumed control of his actions. But the voice that came
to him through the narrow grate was well educated and familiar.

"I just came down to check your accommodations,
Straith, and find out if you're quite comfortable."

Moving to the door in quick angry strides, Damien
peered out into William Sheridan's sober expression.
The blood pounding to his head in a flush of rage, Damien
growled heatedly, "I have waited three days to face my
accuser. I should have known it would be you!"

"That's right, you should have known. I'm the only
person you haven't been able to fool with that obeah
nonsense and the only person who doesn't fear
retribution at the hands of your black magic. In any case,
what did I have to lose, Straith? You had already
intended to put a `spell' on me if Amethyst didn't marry
you before you sailed, isn't that true?" His young face
suddenly twisting into a vicious sneer, William continued heatedly, "Did you really expect I would allow
you to use me against Amethyst again?" Stepping closer
to the door, William hissed venomously, "You were to
have married Amethyst today, weren't you, Straith?
Well, you needn't worry. I've contacted Reverend Sidley
and cancelled your arrangements. I didn't want the poor
gentleman to come to an empty house and wonder what
had happened to his prospective bride and groom."

"Empty house?" His hands balling into tight fists,
Damien demanded in a low voice, "Where is Amethyst?
What have you done with her?"

"Amethyst is quite safe, Straith. You needn't worry.
She's out of your clutches once and for all. Right now
she's three days into her journey back to America, and
before you're released from this place, she'll have
become situated where you'll be unable to find or harm
her again."

His throat suddenly going dry, Damien rasped quietly,
"I don't believe you, Sheridan. You'd never have let her go. She's probably at Sheridan Plantation."

"No, Straith, don't put me in the same classification as
yourself. Amethyst didn't wish to marry me, or you may
rest assured she would be my wife right now, and I would
not force her to comply to my wishes. I love her too much
to make her unhappy for my own selfish ends. But I don't
expect you could understand that thinking, Straith. At
any rate, she's gone! You'll never get your hands on her
again, and when the authorities here finally examine
your case, you may be sure I will appear to testify against
you!"

"Testify!" Damien's response was an enraged shout.
"What evidence do you have to give against me or my
men? This is a farce!"

A smile crossing his lips for the first time, William
raised his brows with a small uncertain shrug. "Perhaps
you're right, Straith. Perhaps my evidence is not
adequate, but by the time we find out, my purpose will
have been served, will it not?"