They had now reached the fields where ginger was grown for its aromatic roots and others planted with Jamaican pepper whose berries were dried and ground to make allspice. Raven then left the main road for a far-less-traveled lane that wound its way toward the river through uncultivated land still covered with lush, tropical vegetation.
Continuing to be an informative guide, he pointed out several of the Jamaican hardwoods: mahogany, ebony, mahoe, and juniper. There were stands of dogwood, and cedar logwood from whose yellow flowers a vivid dye was made. Among the ferns and bamboo, a profusion of orchids bloomed in a myriad of hues. Overhead brightly colored parakeets, hummingbirds, and butterflies darted in and out of the trees.
Eden found Jamaica’s beauty absolutely magnificent and told Raven so repeatedly. “This is like a trip through paradise. Where are we having our picnic?”
Relieved she had not found any of his comments offensive, Raven regarded his bride with a sly smile. “Are you hungry? It’s not much farther, and it’s such a pretty spot it’s worth the trouble to get there.”
“It can’t be any more beautiful than this.”
“You’ll see.”
Raven left the horses tethered within sight of the river and then, taking Eden’s hand, carried their basket down a seldom-used trail that curved upward away from the river before ending in a sylvan glade. At the center, a creek running toward the river spilled over an outcropping of moss-covered rocks to form a small, but utterly charming waterfall. A rainbow glistened in the air above it like a sparkling crown.
“Oh Raven, this must surely be the prettiest place on earth.”
While Eden’s rapt expression mirrored her delight, Raven forced back the desire to kiss her and busied himself laying out their tablecloth and lunch. He was happy that he had pleased her, and yet still apprehensive that her opinion of him might change once her child was born. Such conflicting emotions troubled him constantly, but he did not know what to do about them.
“I’ve always thought so. Now come sit down, I’m hungry even if you aren’t.”
Arabella had packed roast chicken, sweet rolls, banana slices sprinkled with coconut, and crisp ginger cookies. Raven opened the bottle of wine and poured Eden the two sips he knew she would drink while he filled his own mug to the rim.
“How did you happen to find this place?” Eden asked between bites of chicken.
“It’s near the spot where Azariah and I used to cut bamboo and build rafts. Whe
n I was a child, rafting on the river was what I loved to do best.”
“Azariah grew up here too?”
“Yes. Like most of our workers, he’s a descendant of one of William’s slaves. He liked rafting on the river, but I could never convince him to come to sea with me.”
Eden had been impressed by the friendliness of all the people she had met that day. She could not help but note the admiring glances the young women had sent Raven’s way. That he appeared completely unaware of the special attention he received had amused her, but she knew better than to tease him about it and commented on Azariah instead. “He appears to be an excellent overseer; apparently the sea simply was not his calling.”
Raven shrugged. “I guess not, but Alex was harshly criticized for giving him the overseer’s job rather than hiring a white man. From the time Englishmen started plantations here, the owners generally lived in England and relied upon white overseers to run things. Alex didn’t care any more about tradition than his father had when he believed it was wrong. I think you can understand why the Suttons have never been particularly popular here. They regarded Jamaica rather than England as home and visited only for the social season each summer.”
“But Alex was very popular in London. I never saw anyone snub him.”
“That’s true, but you’ve got to remember that, by the time slavery was abolished, sugar was no longer so vital to England’s economy as it had once been. Without free labor, owning a plantation was no longer as appealing an investment, so the lands of many were divided up and sold. What we did here no longer mattered in London. We do have neighbors upriver, but most are either in awe of an earl, or so incensed by the way we run things they want nothing to do with us either. You asked about a memorial service once, but I’d rather not hold one when our neighbors would probably attend out of curiosity rather than respect.”
“I understand.” As always, the mention of Alex filled Eden with longing for the dear man. She did not want to think about Alex that day, however; she just wanted to enjoy the beauty of Jamaica with Raven and talk about happy things. When she glanced toward him, she found him regarding her with the tender expression she had glimpsed only a time or two while they were making love. When she smiled, he seemed embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her and hurriedly grabbed another piece of chicken.
Eden looked away then, focusing her attention on the shimmering waterfall while the truth of what she had seen rocked her clear to the marrow. In an unguarded moment, Raven’s expression had been filled with the love he had never expressed in words. She remembered telling her father that she might one day come to love her second husband, but she had never dreamed Raven already loved her. When he knew that she still loved Alex, how could his love for her bring him anything but pain? Overwhelmed by the sorrow of that thought, she sighed sadly.
“I’m sorry,” Raven said. “I didn’t mean to remind you of Alex.”
“It’s all right. I enjoy hearing about your life here. I was just wishing that we could go rafting.”
“You want to go rafting?”
Eden laughed. “Of course. It sounds like a lot of fun. I’m sure Julian would forbid it now, but would you take me after the baby’s born?”
“Can you swim?”
“Probably better than you,” Eden announced proudly.
It was Raven who laughed this time, “All right, we’ll do it as soon as you feel up to it.”
Eden continued to wear a mischievous smile as they finished eating. When Raven offered her a cookie, she took one bite then set it aside. “It’s really too pretty a day not to enjoy it fully, don’t you think?”