Love's Fiery Jewel (64 page)

She was strangely unable to respond to his frantic
query, and suddenly standing up, Damien stripped his
overcoat from his back and pulled her to her feet.
Supporting her wavering form, he slid her slender arms
into the massive garment. Closing the collar under her
chin, his expression was tortured. "Darling, I was so
afraid I had lost you..."

Suddenly coming to her senses, Amethyst pushed
herself free of his hands, the first sound out of her throat
a harsh, croaking scream.'

"Armand!"

Pushing Damien aside, Amethyst moved a few steps
forward where Armand lay on the ground unconscious.
Raymond's tall broad form was bent over his as he beat
out the last of the flames that had seared through
Armand's clothing to the skin of his torso. The smell of
burning flesh filled her nostrils as Amethyst bent over
Armand's inert form. Her eyes wide, she mumbled over
and over again, her low tone hardly audible over the
melee that ensued around them, "Armand... Armand, please don't die. Armand... please don't die..."

Spotting a carriage picking its way cautiously through
the smoke-filled street, Damien rushed to its side and
jerked open the door to shout into the frighened faces of
the occupants, "We have a badly injured man here. He
lives close by."

"By all means put him inside, sir," the elderly
gentleman responded, pulling the woman at his side to
the far edge of the seat.

Nodding a brief thanks, Damien returned to Amethyst's side.

"I've secured a carriage, Amethyst. Quickly, move out
of the way so Raymond and I may lift him."

Cringing as his hand touched her shoulder, Amethyst
turned to hiss into his face, "Don't touch me! You did
this! You did this to Armand! You warned me, but I
wouldn't listen, and now Armand is..."

Turning her gaze back to Armand's unconscious face,
Amethyst stared speechlessly, unable to force the words
past her throat. Moving her abruptly aside, Damien said
harshly, "Raymond, take his feet gently. I'll take his
shoulders."

Suddenly screaming wildly, Amethyst charged
Damien's towering frame, her small fists beating at his
chest and face as she shouted hoarsely again and again,
"Don't touch him! You did this to him! Don't touch
him!"

Stepping back a step, Damien caught Amethyst's
flying wrists in his hands, twisting them behind her to
shout harshly into her wild-eyed expression. "Amethyst,
stop this! Beauchamps cannot lie in this street much
longer if he is to survive. Now get out of my way so
Raymond and I may carry him to that carriage and take
him home!"

Suddenly blinking, Amethyst nodded briefly, allowing
Damien to release her wrists. Moving quickly to Armand's side, Damien nodded to Raymond. Lifting him
slowly, they moved Armand's inert body to the carriage.
Signaling Raymond to slowly lower his feet to the
ground, Damien supported Armand's weight as Raymond
climbed into the carriage to pull him inside gently and lay
him on the seat opposite the old couple who cringed
visibly at the sight of his burns. Quickly lifting Amethyst
inside, Damien followed, signaling Raymond to sit atop
beside the driver.

The moments during which the carriage picked its way
slowly through the debris littered street dragged on
interminably. Finally arriving at Armand's residence,
Amethyst was the first out of the carriage, as she ran up
the front steps to ring the bell. Carefully handing
Armand's unconscious body down to Raymond, Damien
alighted from the carriage to share the burden of
Armand's unconscious form as they carried him through
the open front doorway and up the steps as directed and
into his room.

Dispatching a servant for the doctor, Amethyst turned
to Damien, her violet eyes dark with fury.

"Now, get out of here! Get out of here, Damien
Straith! You did this to Armand and I will not allow you
to stay to enjoy the fruits of your obeah! Get out!"

His face blanching white at the vehemence of her
accusation, Damien said softly, "You're upset, Amethyst. You don't know what you're saying...

"I know what I'm saying, Damien! You warned me,
didn't you? But I wouldn't listen, so you have attempted
to destroy Armand just like you attempted to put an end
to William's life! But I won't submit to your demands
this time, for after this time there would only be another
and another and another, with endless lives affected by
your obeah! You've done your black deed now, and I'll do
my best to nurse Armand back to health. And I tell you
now, Damien Straith. I will never, never come back to you! Never! Do you hear what I say? NEVER!"

Turning abruptly toward the bed, Amethyst joined
Tillie who worked laboriously over Armand, completely
ignoring Damien's existence. Watching for long minutes
as Amethyst gently bathed Armand's face with cool
water, whispering softly into his ear as she did, Damien
finally turned around and walked slowly into the
hallway. Closing the door behind him, he met Raymond's
dark, observant gaze.

His voice hushed, Damien said hoarsely, "Stay here,
Raymond. They'll need your strength to take care of
Beau champs. I think it's best if I leave here now. My
presence will only serve to disrupt, but you'll be
welcome. I'll come back tomorrow. Maybe by then,
Amethyst..."

His words suddenly choking in his throat, Damien
turned abruptly and moved quickly down the staircase
and through the front doorway, unable to say the words
that flashed through his mind, "...maybe by then,
Amethyst will believe me..."

The full result of the disaster on Market Street had left
one man dead, and many others injured. Charles Peale
himself had fallen twenty feet from the flaming arch, his
clothes afire, to break several ribs and suffer severe
burns. For several days during which Amethyst never
left his side, Armand Beauchamps continued to waver
between life and death. Her life revolving between her
child and the man lying mortally wounded, Amethyst
spared little thought for anything else. Each request to
speak with her sent into the sickroom by Damien Straith
was met with the same negative response.

"I do not wish to see him."

Raymond remained his only contact with Amethyst.
Plying him with endless questions, Damien listened
anxiously as Raymond responded carefully.

"Miss Amethyst nevah leave Mr. Beauchamps. Him
stay there day `n night, 'til Tillie make him leave him
room t' rest. Miss Amethyst say him nevah gowan see de
cap'n `gain, dat it be de cap'n dat bring dis trouble down
on Mr. Beauchamps's head, `n Miss Amethyst nevah
gowan forgive him."

Staring steadfastly into the black eyes level with his
own, Damien said softly, "You knowthat's untrue, doh't
you, Raymond? I never possessed any powers of
obeah...never conjured any black magic..." Somehow it was important that Raymond believe him innocent
of the crime for which the entire household seemed to
hold him guilty.

Returning his glance, Raymond hesitated only a
moment before responding. "Raymond hear de stories of
de white obeah-man when him on Massa Conway's
plantation, `n him believe den. But Raymond know de
cap'n now, `n him know de truth now. Him believe de
cap'n."

Grateful for Raymond's confidence, Damien smiled
briefly. "If only I could convince Amethyst of my
innocence, perhaps then she would..." Not bothering
to finish his statement, Damien shook his head in a small
gesture of defeat. With each day that passed he was
beginning to believe more strongly that he had lost her.

A month passed slowly, during which the reports from
the sick room grew increasingly better. Armand Beauchamps would indeed live, but his recuperation would be
long and slow. No longer able to withstand the deadly
ache inside him, Damien arranged to wait at the back
door of the Beauchamps household at the time when
Amethyst regularly went to the kitchen to prepare
Armand's tea. It had become a daily ritual, on which he
was certain he could depend in order to finally speak with
her. The skin on the back of his neck prickling with
anticipation, Damien waited silently outside the rear door, his eyes catching a short glimpse of Amethyst as
she moved past the window toward the fireplace. Slipping
quickly through the door which had been left conveniently open, Damien ignored the gasps of the startled
servants, his eyes transfixed on Amethyst's figure as it
turned toward him.

"Damien! What are you doing here?"

Her eyes wide with shock, Amethyst stared into his
face. His heart twisting in his chest, Damien noted she
was painfully thin, the stress of the past month showing
in the vague circles under her eyes and her unusual
pallor. But she was even more beautiful to him in her
fragile state, her vulnerability drawing a fierce protective
instinct to the surface. Longing desperately to take her
slimness into his arms to shield her from all she had
suffered, Damien said softly, indicating the two servants
who stood hesitantly, uncertain how to react, "Please tell
them to leave, Amethyst. I would like to speak with you
alone for a few minutes."

"We have nothing to discuss, Damien."

"There are some things we must settle, Amethyst.
Please tell them to leave."

Hesitating a moment, Amethyst finally nodded her
head to the two uncertain women who scurried from the
room with relieved haste. Taking a few steps further into
the room, Damien attempted to close the gap between
them when Amethyst's sharp command stopped him in
his tracks.

"Stay where you are, Damien! We may speak very well
with this distance between us." Amethyst's breast was
beginning to heave with agitation as she struggled to
resist the magic his presence always worked on her
senses. Unable to stop her eyes from moving over him,
she noted the tenseness in his expression, the supreme
control he exerted as he stopped his advance, the manner
in which his broad hands clenched nervously as if longing to reach out and pull her into the haven of his
arms. And how she longed to be in his arms.. .to hear
his heart hammering against her ear, to feel the touch of
his hands in her hair and his mouth upon hers as he
crushed her against him. But she could not submit to her
weakness. He would only use it against her as he had done
in the past. Armand needed her desperately. Damien was
strong. His lust could be sated by any number of willing
bodies that had served him in the past. She must keep in
front of her mind his selfish use of her and anyone who
would serve his purpose. And his black magic... Please,
God, help her to remember the misery and near death he
had caused in the past in order to achieve his selfish ends.

"Amethyst," Damien's voice was hoarse, filled with
emotion, "I would have you know... impress upon
your mind once and for all that I was not to blame for the
events that took place on Market Street."

"Don't bother to deny what you have done, Damien."

"Surely you don't truly believe I was to blame? You
could not possibly believe I could have caused that
tragedy with the mere power of wishing, or wave of my
hand..."

"I have no idea how you conduct your magic spells,
nor do I care to learn, Damien. I only wish to be free of
you.,,

Covering the distance between them in three quick
strides, Damien reached out to grasp her shoulder in
obvious desperation. "Have you not been listening to
what I have said, Amethyst? How can I convince you that
I never held powers of obeah, never conducted spells of
black magic?"

Standing stiffly in his grasp, Amethyst responded
disbelievingly, "You wish to convince me now that you
are innocent, when you openly admitted to binding me
to you by the power of possession you exerted over my will."

"God, help me, it's true, Amethyst. I used your fears
against you so I might keep you with me. I love you,
darling. I have loved you from the day I returned to
Jamaica and first saw you as a mature woman, although I
suspect my deep feelings for you went back even further
than that. I know only one thing for sure, darling, that I
have been unable to wipe your memory from my mind
since you were a child, and my need for you is so great
that it consumes me." Drawing her into his arms, he
whispered softly against her ear, "Let me prove how
much I love you, Amethyst. Don't shut me out. I'll agree
to any arrangements you wish to make if only you'll give
me a chance to prove my love."

Mesmerized by his ardent plea, Amethyst stood
helpless as Damien slowly moved his mouth to cover
hers, the first touch of his lips sending the fire leaping in
her veins as his arms closed roughly around her to crush
her against his chest. The magic of his kiss was working
again, lifting her on brilliant wings to a familiar euphoria.
Her arms ached to go around his neck, to tangle in the
heavy gold of his hair as he crushed her endlessly against
him. She was slipping away, slowly, steadily...

The clear tones of a bell from upstairs suddenly
entered her love-drugged mind, snapping Amethyst to
the present. Abruptly ashamed that Damien had so easily
overcome her resistance, she shoved violently at his
chest, her face twisting into a sneer of self-contempt,
"I'm still the same old fool, aren't I Damien? But you
won't lull me into tranquillity now only to later use the
same threats against me when I oppose you. I will no
longer be taken in by you."

The bell rang clearly again, snapping Amethyst's head
in the direction of its sound. `That's Armand. He's
wondering what is keeping me so long. I'm going to him now and will send Elizabeth back to prepare the tea.
Leave now, Damien, and don't return. I hope you will
believe me when I tell you once and for all I never want to
see you again."

Turning abruptly, Amethyst strode through the
kitchen doorway, her purposeful stride belying the heavy
weight in her heart.

Sitting motionless at his desk, Damien slowly lifted a
broad hand to his forehead, closing his eyes wearily for
long moments as he struggled to put in order the words
whirling around his troubled mind. It was over at last. He
had lost her...his Amethyst. Mishandling the whole
affair from the beginning, he had finally succeeded in
driving the only woman he had ever loved into another
man's arms. Like a fool heliad allowed her to believe in
his mystical powers because it suited his purpose and he
was now trapped by his own deviousness. Had he not
been so frantic to have her from the first; had he allowed
their love time; been adamant when she had returned to
him from Sheridan Plantation and denied his part in
William Sheridan's illness.. .But no, he had not been
strong enough to fight his desire for her, and having
taken her once, could not risk losing her.