Microsoft Word - Jenny dreamed (29 page)

"I'm glad we finally understand each other, sir," Jenny answered, then her voice softened as she gave a weary sigh. "I ... though I meant what I said, Mr. Courtland, I did not mean to sound so belligerent about it. I'm afraid I've been rather out of sorts lately, with the waiting and delay in our permits. This whole thing, the possibility that my husband is alive after I had accepted the fact of his death, has been a nightmare. Please ... couldn't you try to talk with General Blanco once more tonight. You have no idea how relieved I'd be-"

"Say no more, Miss Bryant," Wynn interrupted, stirred to sympathy by the distress reflected in her face.

"I'll escort you inside now, leave you in Mr. Warrener's care, and see what I can do. I'm anxious myself to get started with the search; if we're delayed much longer, the good weather will not last long enough for an adequate search of the area."

He moved to take her arm, but Jenny pulled back.

"No, please-I'd rather stay out here and wait." She opened her fan again and fluttered it, catching the orchid-scented evening breeze. "I'll be fine, I'm sure. You might ask Adam ... Mr.

Warrener to come out if he has a moment." Courtland seemed to hesitate at leaving her alone, and she again assured him she would be fine until he returned. "And with good news, I hope," she added with a tentative smile.

Courtland bowed, catching her hand to raise it to bis lips as he pressed a light, gallant kiss there. "If it were up to me, m'lady,"you'd have had your permits at the first request. As it is, I will pursue El Presidente with the determination of a hound after the fox. The permits ate as good as issued or I'll resign and let a worthier champion fight your cause." He was rewarded by a softening of Jenny's worried expression, and as he turned to re-enter the ballroom, Wynn found himself amused at the unaccustomed and ardent gallantry the Bryant girl had inspired in him. Little wonder that Cantrell was so possessive of her; Jennifer Bryant was a woman any man would long for, a prize worth fighting over, and it briefly entered his mind now that he just might give Cantrell a run for his money.

Almost two hours later Jenny returned home, her spirits riding high on the promise obtained from General Blanco that he would clear the way for the travel permits to be issued within the next few days. She had sat in the garden, alone except for an occasional couple who strolled by in the romantic setting, for almost a half-hour, brooding over the fight with Dev, wondering why Adam had not come out to talk with her. Just when she had decided to join the crowd again in a search for him, he had appeared at the door, Wynn Courtland on his one side, the Presidente on the other.

Jenny recovered quickly from her surprise, rising as the gentlemen approached and dropping a neatly executed curtsey as she was introduced. Blanco had actually apologized for any'

inconvenience she'd suffered, explaining, "We have grown accustomed, in this warm, temperate climate, to a slower pace of life, Senora. What seemed like a thousand obstacles in the path of your desired goal was merely the routine manner of handling matters in our little democracy." His government was hardly a democracy, but Jenny was not inclined to correct him when he promised he would personally see that she was granted whatever assistance was needed.

Blanco was not the most charming man she'd met in Caracas, but Jenny was so thrilled to have the irritating business out of the way that she listened patiently to a twenty-minute monologue on how difficult it was to be a great leader of people and even endured several dances with the Presidente. Despite the fact that he was overly attentive and admiring in a way she found annoying, Jenny had actually agreed to lunch with him within the week.

It was nearly midnight when Adam saw her to the door of the small, pleasantly furnished casa he had secured for her stay in Caracas. Isa had answered the door and curtseyed. When Jenny asked whether Dev was still awake, she was puzzled, explaining that she'd expected him to arrive home with Jenny herself. Not half an hour after Jenny had left, Isa told her, he had dressed in his formal evening wear and left the house.

Jenny was obviously taken aback by the news, and to save her further embarassment, Adam offered a somewhat lame excuse for Dev. "We probably missed him in the crowd, m'dear.

There were so many people milling about. I shouldn't worry if I were you; no doubt he'll be home soon." Then, remembering the pretense she'd employed earlier to excuse Dev's absence, he added, "Ah … he probably felt much better after we'd already left for the ball, didn't want to disappoint you by staying home." Suddenly Adam realized he was sinking deeper into a long, involved explanation. If he explained much more, he'd end up divulging the fact that he'd talked to Dev at the party.

Jenny stared after Adam as he hurried down the tiled pathway to the front gate and his waiting carriage, puzzled by his abrupt, almost curt farewell and by his anxious excuses for Dev's mysterious actions. What on earth was going on, she thought as Isa closed the front door behind her and took the shawl from her mistress's hand. "Isa?' she asked, turning to face the maid with a gaze that was suddenly clear of the preoccupied air with which she'd entered the house. "Was my husband in an angry mood when he left? Did he say anything at all?"

Isa hesitated, and Jenny was even more mystified. "He did not seem angry or happy, mi Dona," the girl replied. She shrugged her shoulders, unable to offer more, thought for a second, and then offered, "He did look ... determined. You know the look, Dona Jena-when a man sets out with a purpose in mind, something he must see to?" Jenny sighed, worried now. Still, her anxiety was not something to share with Isa. "Well, we will know when he comes back. You can go to bed, Isa. The senor has a key. I'll wait up for him. I'm sure there's a good reason for his absence." The lamp was still lit when Dev entered the bedroom, but its oil was low, and in its flickering light, his shadow on the white stucco walls loomed large and distorted. It was three hours past midnight, and though he'd consumed a great quantity of rum, brawled his way through two cantinas, and Was sporting a blackened eye as proof of it, his ill-temper had not been dispelled. Even if he'd felt sheepish about his inebriated carousing, which he definitely did not, Dev would have had a hard time crossing the room without wakening his wife. His stride was uneven, his memory of the specific placement of the furniture hazy, his eyes bloodshot and vision blurred. Halfway across the room it seemed that a foot-stool jumped out to trip him, and Dev kicked it away with a loud curse as he made his way through the jungle of claw-footed chairs and tables to the side of the bed.

Jenny stared up at Dev in horror, startled awake by his vehement curse. A short, blood-encrusted cut marked his left cheek, though it was difficult to discern against the purple, swelling flesh around his eye. There was a tear on the right shoulder of his black evening coat, the smears of blood blurred by some other, amber-colored liquid.

Rum! The heavy, sweet smell of rum assaulted her senses as Dev leaned close and focused on her face, then asked, "I s'pose you had a good time at the ball?"

When Jenny raised her hand to touch his bruised cheek, Dev batted her hand away. "Dev ...

where have you been all this time?" Jenny pleaded, ignoring the rough blow that struck her wrist. "I ... I fell asleep waiting … worrying and wondering what could have kept youl" Then Jenny remembered the news she'd brought home and told him they'd be able to leave within the week. "Or doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Dev sat heavily on the bed. His blackened eye was beginning to throb now that the effects of the liquor were wearing off. He was in no mood to listen to anything concerning Rodrigo.

Again Jenny asked where he'd been, and he raised his head and snarled, "Out celebratin' ...

what else would I be doing on my birthday? Course you were too busy to notice. I saw you dancing and laughing with that son-of-a-bitch Courtland! For somebody who forced herself to attend out of necessity, you sure were havin' a good time."

Jenny was stunned and mortified to realize she'd passed up his birthday, without any kind of celebration or notice. No wonder he'd wanted to stay home tonight. She'd been so awfully stubborn about going, but there was no use apologizing now; in his present frame of mind he would listen to nothing reasonable. "Dev ... darling, why don't we discuss this in the morning?" she suggested in a calm, soothing tone. "We're both tired and-"

"I'm not tired," he protested, his hands closing on her shoulders, fingers digging through the thin material of her gown as he shoved her onto her back and pinned her therewith his body, "and we may be going to bed, but not to sleep. Remember what you wanted for your birthday, baby? Well, I want the same, and now, not just when you decide it's convenient!"

His mouth came down on hers, cutting off her shocked protest even as his hands moved over her body.

Jenny started to cry, unable to believe it was Dev whose hands were fondling her body as though she were some whore he'd purchased for the night, uncaring that he was hurting her. When he took his mouth away from hers and trailed a line of hot, hungry kisses down her throat, she cried out his name. "Dev, please .... stop this … it isn't like you! I ... I love you... oh, Dev, I'm sorry about your birthday, I've treated you terribly!" She didn't struggle further against him, but the sound of her sobbing filled the room and sobered Dev as no pleading could have.

Dev groaned, pulled away from Jenny, rolled over onto his back, and threw his arm over his eyes. "All right, damn it!" he cursed, "you can stop snifllin' now ... you're safe. As usual, I'm the one who's feeling guilty." Then he sat up, pulling off his coat and tossing it carelessly across the room before he stood and walked around the bed to his side.

Jenny tried to stop her tears, but they seemed to come from some source she had no control over. When Dev's weight sank onto the bed, she retreated to her side, curling under the cover. A few minutes later when she had managed to quiet her weeping, she turned to him, her mouth trembling as she hesitantly asked if she couldn't take care of his eye, perhaps hold a cool, damp cloth to the swelling.

Dev didn't look at her, but in profile she could see the deep lines of a scowl. Then he sighed heavily and turned his body away from hers. "Just leave me alone, Jenny," he snapped in a cold, distant tone. "Go back to sleep." There was nothing more she could say. After a while she could tell he'd fallen asleep, but it was a long time before she could do the same. When exhaustion finally claimed her, Jenny's pillow was damp with silent, frustrated tears.

Seventeen

After a week spent outfitting the expedition, they were at last ready to leave. Both Dev and Wynn Courtland had argued that the interior was no place for a woman, but Jenny had stubbornly refused to stay behind in Caracas. After all, they were undertaking the jouney because of her; the least she could do was to share any dangers they faced. Aside from the logical reasons Jenny presented why she should join them, she knew very well how anxious she would be until she knew the success or failure of the mission.

"After a week, you'll be crying you want to come back to civilization, Jen," Dev repeated over and over again. "I talked it over with Courtland and the guide he hired. The trip downriver's dangerous enough, what with the eels and watersnakes, not t'mention what the Indians call the caribe;" A vividly gruesome description of the small, schooling fish followed. "The mestizo guide, Ramon, said he once saw a full grown stallion fall in the water ... and it was eaten in minutes!

"I know how important it is to you, Jen, but I just can't see letting you take any risks. It'll be hot, tiring, and dangerous, bad enough for men ., !" Dev surveyed her neat, fresh appearance and grinned knowingly, "but the first time you miss a bath or washing up, you'll be plenty miserable!"

Jenny had employed every ounce of feminine guile she possessed to get her way. The things Dev had mentioned did sound awful, but she assured him she'd be very cautious not to fall prey to any of them. She moved closer to him, locking her arms around his neck as she stared up into his eyes with a soft plea.

"I promise I'll be careful when we're on the river, darling. And as for the land .. ! I'll be in no more danger than you or the others. You've forgotten my father wanted a son I can shoot almost as well as you! How could I send you tramping through the forest on my account when I stay here in the safety of Caracas?" She kissed him then, as much because she loved him as to further influence his decision.

Dev sighed in resigned exasperation. Damned if he had ever seen a woman more persuasive or bound to have her way than the one who nestled in his arms. It looked like she'd be coming after all. There wasn't much he could do to stop her and deep in his heart he'd known it all along. He'd just have to double his watch and make sure she came to no harm.

"All right," he relented, "you're coming along. Just remember we won't be turning back when you get tired of the dirt and heatl Don't forget, I have reasons of my own for wanting to see this thing through." He took another look at the light cotton dress she was wearing and frowned. Jenny couldn't go wandering around in the hard country of the interior dressed in such flimsy, unsuitable material.

"If I were you, I'd get that dressmaker you found and have her make up some travelling outfits," he suggested, adding a description of the materials and styles that would ensure some protection against the elements. "Get some cool blouses, nothing fancy, mind, and some kind of split skirts, like a riding outfit." He added a broad-brimmed hat, scarves and gloves, and finally, a good, high pair of boots, comfortable enough to walk in, to the required list.

"Now we'll be leaving in four days. We can't wait for some dressmaker to finish your clothes, so get her started now. Courtland told me the rainy season will start soon, and then we'd really be stuck!"

For once, Jenny was meekness personified. She accepted the challenge without a protest and busily set about following Dev's order that she be ready in. time. For the next three days, except at supper and later, in bed, Dev barely saw her.