“Yes. She runs the house as though it were her own.”
“That’s good.”
Raven was relieved Eden had been curious only about Yadira’s housekeeping skills. He had had too much on his mind on the voyage home to worry about Yadira, but now that they had arrived, he hoped the hot-tempered woman would not prove troublesome for Eden. Hoping to avoid any such conflict, he vowed to tell Yadira to keep her memories of Alex to herself. He patted Eden’s hand lightly, and continued to escort her on up the wide road.
“A violent storm did cut through here a couple of weeks ago,” he told her as they walked around a heap of wilted palm fronds. “But fortunately they caught only the edge of it here, just as we did. Other than some damage to the foliage, which they’ve nearly cleared away, there was no serious harm done.”
They rounded a slight bend then and Eden got her first glimpse of the house Alex had regarded as home. It was an imposing structure with the ground floor built of stone and the upper story of shingled wood. It had multiple roofs, and was surrounded by a shady veranda overgrown with native orchids and brightly blooming hibiscus. The windows were covered with louvers, which assured privacy at the same time as they allowed the breeze easy access to the large home.
The well-designed house was every bit as beautiful as the rest of the island, and suddenly Eden was overcome with longing for the man who had described it with such pride and had wanted to bring her there to live. Raven was standing quietly by her side, but she could not bear to look up at him her heart was so full of love for Alex. He had insisted she was as lovely as the orchids that grew in such abundance on the plantation and she knew she would never be able to look at the exquisite flower without remembering his whispered words of praise as they had made love.
Raven felt Eden hesitate, and when he looked down and saw her golden eyes filling with tears, he knew without asking where her thoughts had strayed. He had already carried Yadira over the threshold that day, but he scooped up his tearful bride and carried her into the house as though they were like any other happy couple who were beginning their marriage in a new home. That neither of them could manage a smile did not faze him.
Chapter Seventeen
September 1863
The portraits of Alex and Eleanora were on display in the drawing room.
Eden immediately agreed with Raven’s opinion that this painting of her late husband was superior to the one at Briarcliff. Completed in the last year of his first marriage, Alex’s hair shone with the silver light Eden had thought a wonderfully attractive complement to his deeply tanned skin. The blue of his eyes held precisely the right amount of sparkle to reveal his lively wit, and his slight smile, while suitably serious for a formal portrait, readily conveyed his engaging personality. Had she never met the charming man, she would have fallen in love with him with a single glance of the remarkably flattering portrait.
Grateful she would be able to appreciate it daily, Eden turned to study the one of Eleanora and found Alex’s first wife had been a brunette, with large hazel eyes. She appeared to have been petite, for her features were delicate and the hands which lay folded in her lap were as small as a child’s. Her expression was one of such innocent sweetness, it was easy to believe Raven’s comment that she had never raised her voice to anyone.
Raven had not stopped to contemplate Eleanora’s portrait since the day it had been hung. Now he wondered what Alex had seen in the shy young woman. She had been undeniably pretty, but completely devoid of either the keen intellect or passionate temperament that made Eden such a fascinating woman.
“We’ll have to have our portraits painted next summer when we visit Briarcliff,” he mused aloud. “England has several excellent artists who can make us look as attractive as we truly are.”
“Why Raven, I’ve never heard you say anything in the least bit conceited before today.”
“I’ve no need to be conceited,” the dark-eyed young man responded confidently. “Besides, you must know you’re a beauty without having to hear it from every man you meet.”
Eden regarded Raven with a skeptical glance, certain he was teasing her for a purpose and unwilling to walk into some clever verbal trap. She looked up at Eleanora’s portrait rather than respond. “Was she truly as childlike as she seems?”
“Even more so, but Alex was happy with her, although I doubt he knew what happiness was before he met you.”
“Are you trying to make me as conceited as you?”
Raven knew from her smile that his comment had pleased her too much to argue the point. He took her hand to draw her away. “Come on, there’s lots more to see. This house isn’t a quarter of the size of Briarcliff, but it’s always been my favorite of the two.”
“I think it will soon become my favorite too.” Eden was uncertain if Raven’s teasing had been a deliberate attempt to raise her spirits, but regardless of his intent, it had had that effect. “I’d like to see the whole plantation tomorrow.”
“Wouldn’t you rather spend the day with your father?”
“Yes, but I doubt he’ll have much time to devote to me. He may have put Michael in charge of the repairs, but I know he’ll want to oversee the work himself. He’s as particular about the running of his ship as you are.”
Pleased that she thought he and her father shared such an important attribute, Raven was happy to grant her request. “We’ll ask him first then, and if he’ll be occupied all day, I’ll be happy to take you on a tour.”
“Thank you.” They had reached the stairs without seeing any of the servants, and Eden wondered aloud where they were.
“I sent them all home for the remainder of the day. Yadira is the only one who lives in the house. Her room is on the ground floor, next to the back stairs. She’s very high-strung.” Raven found it difficult to return Eden’s inquisitive gaze when he had no intention of revealing more than a small portion of the truth about the attractive housekeeper. “She’s been here for nearly a decade, and takes a great deal of pride in maintaining our home well. Because the house has been without a mistress for so long, she may be reluctant to take orders from you at first. I’ll speak to her about that tomorrow. After learning of Alex’s death, she was in no condition to discuss anything.”
Eden could readily understand how Yadira might regard her as an interloper. “No, please don’t talk to her about me. I didn’t expect to come here and immediately begin giving everyone orders. If Yadira has managed this long without a mistress to provide direction, she’ll undoubtedly regard any suggestions I make as interference. Please give her a chance to become comfortable around me. Then if there’s something I want done differently, she won’t feel insulted when I approach her about it.”
“You’re right, of course.”
“Alex’s death will make things difficult too. I want to be sensitive to whatever grief the servants here may feel but my father won’t be here but a few days, so I hope your staff will understand why I’m anxious to entertain him. I don’t want any of them as outraged as Stewart was, or to think we aren’t mourning Alex as respectfully as we should.”
It never failed to amaze Raven that Eden was not only beautiful, but practical as well. “That we’ve had longer to deal with his loss than everyone here has might make things difficult for us for a while, but we don’t have anyone here with such a strict sense of propriety as Stewart had.”