Raven was eyeing her with so threatening a stare Eden had no desire to remain. “I’ll go for a walk, and see you later, Daddy.” Embarrassed she had disturbed them, she left the ship as swiftly as she had come. She paid no attention to those she passed as she started down the path beside the river, but when Michael Devane saw her, he quickly gave the men he had been supervising a break and ran to catch up with her.
“Good afternoon, Eden.”
“Oh, hello, Michael. Is it afternoon already?”
“Of course, it’s after two.”
Eden laughed, as though keeping track of the time was beyond her. “The day is so lovely, I thought it was morning still.”
“It’s not nearly so pretty here as it is back home.”
Eden smiled again and, with only an occasional nod, allowed Michael to monopolize the conversation. If he wanted to talk about home, she had no objection, but she did not bother to listen too closely to his comments either. When they reached the shore, she was surprised to find her father had stationed sentries there.
“Is such a precaution really necessary?” she asked apprehensively.
“Of course. If Union vessels are in the area, we want to know about it. When we return to sea, we’ll sail before dawn so no one will see us leave the Rio Bueno. We’re always that cautious. We’re fighting a war, remember, not merely involved in the merchant trade like your husband.”
Eden preferred looking out at the endless motion of sea rather than at her companion’s adoring expression. “The War’s not going well for us now, is it?”
“Let’s not talk about the War,” Michael begged. “When I found out you’d gone to England last fall, I knew I’d been a fool not to propose long before then. It broke my heart to learn you’d married someone else. Are you happy with Lord Clairbourne, or do you want to leave him and come home to me?”
Raven had made her promise she would never divorce him, but Eden knew she had not been thinking clearly when she had mentioned ending their marriage or she would have known she could not really do it. Raven was a complex and continually perplexing man, but Eden knew she would never leave him. While she could not describe their marriage as one of blissful contentment, there was definitely something precious in her relationship with her husband and she did not want to lose it.
“This is my home now, Michael,” she assured him. “There was never anything special between us. Don’t try and pretend that there was. I’m certain there are still plenty of young women in Richmond who are praying for your safe return. Give your love to one of them.”
While Michael was deeply disappointed she had not thrown herself into his arms, he could not help but break into a grin at the mention of other women. “Well, if I can’t have you, let’s hope the prayers of the Richmond girls are answered.”
“Yes, let’s do,” Eden agreed. She reached up to kiss his cheek, then took his hand as they started upriver. They had not gone far before they encountered Raven standing in the middle of the path.
“Go on back to your ship, Lieutenant,” he ordered brusquely. “I want to talk to my wife in private.”
When Michael hesitated, Eden encouraged him to go, and although reluctant, he did. She waited until their conversation could not be overheard to speak. “I was so anxious to see you, I didn’t stop to consider the fact you might be busy. I’m sorry I disturbed you.”
Eden was wearing the pale apricot gown Raven had always liked, but now it reminded him of the dreadful argument they had had on the cliff when he had stupidly thought she was about to leap to her death. “I thought you understood Julian’s orders and planned to remain in bed for a couple of days. It was bad enough that you went down to the docks, but to walk all the way out here is totally irresponsible.”
Raven was standing with his feet wide apart and his hands on his hips as though he were shouting orders to his crew. It took all of Eden’s willpower not to react angrily to his criticism. Instead, she took a step closer, as though he had spoken to her sweetly. “How could you have expected me to allow you to go on believing I didn’t care about you?”
“What are you saying?”
If anything, Raven’s frown had deepened, but Eden did not back down. “You were right. It was very thoughtless of me to think only of Alex and not of you. While I don’t for a minute believe that all English lords amuse themselves with their servants, I know things might be different here in Jamaica. I know you mean to be faithful to me, but if there are women in our employ who once, well, who once provided services of a personal nature, I want you to find them work elsewhere immediately. It’s not an unreasonable demand. It’s what any gentleman would do to ensure his wife’s peace of mind. You must know you’ll not need other women. I’ll never turn you away.”
Raven stared down at Eden, amazed that she was able to discuss such an intimate matter so calmly. He was embarrassed he had allowed her to see how badly she had hurt him. He had not meant to beg for her affection but now it seemed as though that was exactly what he had done. He looked away for a moment as he tried with only partial success to gather his thoughts.
“The slaves were freed here in 1834, three years before I was born. Before then, just as in America, there were plenty of white men who slept with their slaves, but here children who were part white were free. Many were recognized as members of the family and some were even sent to England for schooling. Alex’s father was not one of those men, however, and I like to think it was because he was a man of high principles rather than merely one in poor health. Alex followed his example. He did not abuse the women in his employ and I haven’t either.
“I should never have made that stupid remark about sleeping with servants. I have no idea what most English lords do. All I know is that in all the time Yadira has been here, she’s never given anyone cause for complaint. Alex didn’t let her go when he ended their affair so it seems ridiculous to fire her now for it.” Raven glanced back at Eden, and finding her expression one of interest rather than dismay or scorn, he continued. “There’s never been anything between Yadira and me. Alex and I didn’t share the same women.”
He had not realized what he had said, but shocked by his words, Eden certainly did. “Except for me, you mean.”
Raven winced. “No! You mustn’t think that. I never have.”
Raven’s pose had relaxed, but Eden felt far more tense than when their conversation had begun. “I believe you about Yadira and the others. We need never discuss this matter again, but I beg you to at least give some more thought to finding Yadira work elsewhere.”
Raven felt as though he had already revealed too much of his feelings that day. If he agreed to send Yadira away, wouldn’t Eden think him no better than her slave to command? Squaring his shoulders proudly, he refused to give in. “This is only the third day you’ve been here, Eden, and you barely know the woman. If after the baby is born you still want to hire another housekeeper, we’ll discuss it again then. I don’t want to hear any more about it until then. Is that understood?”
Eden nodded unhappily. There was something about Yadira that had made her uneasy from the instant she had laid eyes on her and she doubted she would ever change her mind. “I suppose there’s always the hope that Yadira won’t like me, and that she’ll leave of her own accord.”
“The subject is closed, Eden. Now what were you doing out here with Devane?”