“Yes. She drew and painted everything. You should ask Mother about the time she painted the drawing room wall.”
“I would love to. There’s something I wanted to ask you. Cay often talks about her mother’s great beauty. Is she as pretty as Cay says?”
“Better. She’s older now, but she still stops men in their tracks—much to my father’s annoyance.”
“Cay thinks she isn’t as pretty as her mother is.”
“And what do you think?” Adam asked.
“I think God was smiling when He made Cay.”
“That’s what we all think. Will you write her?”
Alex’s hand tightened on the door handle. “I don’t think so. I want to give her time to make up her own mind. The idea of a bad marriage scares her, so I want her to be sure of what she decides to do.”
“I’ll tell her the truth of what happened and where you went and why.”
“Thank you,” Alex said. “You know, I thought you were going to be different than what you are. Or maybe it was just jealousy at hearing your name morning, noon, and night. I’m beginning to think that you’re worthy of being Cay’s brother.” With a smile, Alex left the room, closing the door behind him.
Adam stared at the door for a few minutes, then went to the desk to start writing a letter to his mother. He planned to comply with Alex’s wishes about exposing Cay to other things, and to other people in her life, but Adam knew who he wanted for his brother-in-law, and he was going to work to see that it happened.
He began the letter.
Twenty-seven
ONE YEAR LATER
Edilean, Virginia, 1800
Cay was sitting by the pond not far from the house, an easel in front of her, a watercolor tablet on her lap. She was idly painting the pretty little ducks on the water, the cattails growing along the edge, and the—
The smell of jasmine reached her, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes in delicious memory. The scent brought to mind nights full of hot, humid air and making love for hours.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the form of a man reflected in the water and instantly knew who he was. She tried to still her heart, which had started pounding, and worked to control her urge to leap up and throw her arms around him. It had been so very, very long since she’d seen him.
“I saw Tim,” she said and tried not to stop painting.
“Did you?”
The sound of his voice, so very familiar yet at the same time sounding like something from the faraway past, made her pulse race. His accent had mellowed, and that made her want to cry. She’d missed that change. Had his wife taught him how to speak like an English gentleman?
“I did,” she said. “He didn’t recognize me, so I flirted outrageously with him, and I asked about his trip into the wilds of Florida.”
Alex put a large bouquet of jasmine by her easel where she could see it. Pinned to the stems were the three diamond stars and her pearl earrings that she’d left behind when they went to New Orleans. Alex knelt on the grass beside her, but she still didn’t look at him. “And what did he say about that trip?”
“According to Tim, he saved my life half a dozen times.”
When Alex spoke, there was laughter in his voice. “And what did you do to that poor lad for saying that?”
Cay didn’t look at him but kept painting, as though his presence meant nothing to her. She didn’t realize that she was painting the pond pink. “I did nothing whatever. However, later, he did have a most unfortunate accident with a rowboat. It seems that a poor little snake—well, not so little—had crawled inside the boat with him. Tim was so agitated that he fell into the pond. I had no idea he couldn’t swim, so Tally had to dive in and save him.”
Alex sat down on the grass. “He must have been glad Tally was there.”
“Tim said he was saving Tally.” She took a breath and began to fill in the sky with pale green paint. “Hope and Eli got married two months after they met.”
“Nate told me. You were right about that match.”
“Thankfull came to visit me, and Uncle T.C. happened to be here at the same time.”