Fire and Ice Page 18
“And he would not make me unhappy?” Kathleen asked quietly.
“Perhaps, but as lovely as you are, he would be a fool to do so. Besides, my dear, I suspect you have him half hooked already from the way he was looking at you. He has rarely displayed much interest in our local girls. It would take quite a woman to tame that rascal where others have failed,” Barbara suggested with a sly look at Kathleen.
“I don’t think I’m interested,” Kathleen sighed. “I just want to take one day at a time, make a few new friends, relax and enjoy myself. It seems so long ago that Papa was alive and boys were squiring me about and vying for my attentions. I want to be courted by many before I make my choice. I want to dance and flirt and forget the serious side of life for a while.”
“I can understand that, Kathleen, and I applaud your wisdom. There is one thing more I must ask you, and I pray you don’t take offense.”
“Yes?”
“Did anything happen between you and Reed on the trip over?” Barbara looked Kathleen straight in the face.
“To what are you referring?” Somehow, Kathleen met her aunt’s look squarely, without her usual telltale blush.
“If you have to ask, then I feel assured that nothing took place.” Barbara smiled, satisfied. “In case you have wondered where the others are, Amy has gone to Chimera to stay with Reed’s sister, Susan; Theodore is out riding with some friends; and William is still at the office. He is a very respected lawyer, the best in Savannah,” she announced proudly.
“Amy is at Chimera?” Kathleen inquired hesitantly. “Will she be coming home soon?”
“Not until the weather breaks. In fact, if we had not waited for you, we would be there already ourselves, but William had work to catch up on and Theodore refused to go until you arrived. Mary Taylor is one of my dearest friends, and we usually spend our summers with her. She in turn spends part of the winter season with me. We will join them in a few days. You will love Chimera! It is so beautiful! And there will be parties and barbecues and picnics; all sorts of delightful activities. You will meet all the young people your age and have such fun, I am sure!”
“I’m sure,” Kathleen echoed, silently fuming. So I end up at Chimera regardless! What a joke on me! Reed knew this all along and said nothing! I’m not the only one who has kept secrets, it seems.
“Now let me show you to your room where you can rest and freshen up,” Barbara continued. “I’ll send you your trunks when they arrive.”
“One thing more, Aunt Barbara,” Kathleen requested. “Mr. Kirby told me that Grandmother O’Reilly lives near here. You said I can make most of my own decisions, and I would like to spend time with her and get to know her.”
“Of course. She lives on the plantation next to Chimera. Emerald Hill, I believe it is called. We see her at nearly all the social functions. She and the Taylors are close friends, and she will undoubtedly be at Chimera often while we are there.”
“Oh? Mr. Kirby was under the impression she led a fairly solitary existence in her advanced years.”
“Oh, my, no, Kathleen!” Barbara said in amusement. “Your grandmother is quite active in Savannah society. Very high on the social roster, in fact.”
“I was also led to believe that you did not approve of or acknowledge any relationship with her,” Kathleen ventured.
“True, we do not admit to any relationship or family ties, but neither does she. We do not avoid one another, nor seek each other out, but we do respect one another.”
“Then I shall see my grandmother when I wish, but if it would make it easier for you, I will not reveal my relationship with her right away, but let it come out in due course.”
“I appreciate that, Kathleen,” Barbara commented as she led the way up the stairs.
The room that was to be Kathleen’s was decorated in gold and blue. The walls were a light gold with dark blue draperies and matching bedspread and canopy, and a light blue carpet that was so thick she felt she was wading through it. The bed, dresser, desk, and dressing table were a light cream color etched in blue, and the bed hangings were a sheer pale blue. The entire mood of the room was peaceful and dreamy. Even the fireplace was of light yellow stone. Barbara opened a door to one side to reveal a walk-in closet, and another to reveal a small water closet complete with brass tub and commode.
“Do you like it, Kathleen?” she asked.
“It is lovely! Elegant enough for a princess! I shall be very happy here, Aunt Barbara.”
“Please, Kathleen. Call me Barbara. Somehow Aunt makes me feel so matronly. Even the children calling me Mother doesn’t make me feel so old. Besides, we are going to be friends, aren’t we?”
“I’m sure of it,” Kathleen avowed.
Kathleen freshened up, and then, opening the doors, walked out onto the veranda. The view from her room was as tranquil as the room itself. A huge moss-draped oak stood off to her right, and below lay a beautiful, well-tended rose garden. Roses of every hue lent their fragrance to the light breeze blowing through her windows. A rolling green lawn spread itself into a row of trees shielding from view the neighboring property.
Kathleen was standing at the iron railing enjoying the sunshine when her door opened to admit an enormous black woman. She wore a starched white apron over her black dress, and a spotless white bandanna over her frizzly gray hair.
“Honey chile, you git yourself out o’ dat sun dis minute! You gonna freckle lak a hen!”
Kathleen grinned and stepped obediently into the room.
When the black woman stepped closer, she shrieked, “Land o’ Goshen! Look at you! You’se nearly as dark as me! Chile, I can see I gots my work cut out for me!” Kathleen stared at her and started to giggle. The woman put her hands on her abundant hips, and ordered, “Turn aroun’, gal. Hold your ahms out from your body.” Kathleen obeyed, giggling even more. The black woman frowned and shook her head. “Yo is brown all ober! Surely dat ain’t your natch’ral color! Hike up your skirt a bit.”
Kathleen at last found her tongue. “No, it is not my natural coloring. My legs are white. See?” She pulled up the corner of her skirt.
“Tha’s a relief!”
“Why?” Kathleen ventured.
“’Cause I’m gonna hab ’nuff trouble tryin’ to bleach da rest o’ you white agin.”
“But I like my skin tan like this.”
“Lordy me! You cain’t mean dat! Ebery young lady wants skin dat’s lily white. Da men folk laks dere ladies lak dat. What dey want wif a woman what looks half fried?”
Kathleen laughed until her sides ached while the black woman continued scolding her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed with tears streaming down her face when Barbara entered the room.
“I see you have met Mammy,” she said with a knowing smile.
“Yes,” Kathleen managed between laughs. Drying her eyes, she continued, “Mammy does not seem to like my tan. Will you please help me convince her that I prefer my skin this way? She seems determined to soak my body in milk and lemon and heaven knows what else to correct the problem.”
“Mammy has definite ideas about how a lady of quality should appear,” Barbara explained as Mammy scowled at them. “She has been with us for over twenty years and has virtually raised Amy. She is the one who runs this household and everyone in it.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Mammy. I am Kathleen.” Kathleen nodded to her. “I am sorry I laughed, but you remind me so of my old Nanna. She was always scolding me, too. But I warn you, she had little success for all her efforts, so don’t expect much. I am very stubborn when I set my mind to it, and I intend to keep my tan.” Kathleen grinned.
Mammy studied her with a sharp eye and finally said, “All right, but why a beautiful young lady wants to go aroun’ lak dat is beyon’ me. When you gits tired o’ bein’ a wallflower let me know, an’ I’ll bleach you white agin, Miss Kathleen.”
“Fair enough, and thank you for the offer.”
Mammy smiled and shuffled from the room.
“Yes. I’ll be right down. Thank you, Barbara.”
Dan was seated at the kitchen table drinking coffee when Kathleen entered the spacious kitchen. He rose instantly. “Thought ye might want these,” he stated flatly, handing her the oilskin bag with the Kat-Ann’s log books in it.
“Thank you, Dan.”
“That other thing ye wanted me to scout around for is in port, too,” he advised her warily, looking about him suspiciously at the cook and her kitchen help. “Just in yesterday. Got a letter fer ye.” He dug into his shirt pocket and handed her the letter.
It was from Mr. Kirby. Kathleen tucked it into the pocket of her dress. “How long will it be here?” she asked ambiguously, her brain working fast.
“ ’Bout three days, I reckon.”
“Make sure of it. Use my name and authority, but I want it for my own use. Ready and outfitted soon. Do you take my meaning?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“As soon as a certain gentleman leaves port, we’ll figure out the rest. Stay close.”
“Count on it,” Dan assured her. He tipped his hat and left.
Back in her room, Kathleen’s mind was racing. The Starbright was in Savannah! Her own ship, waiting for her next move. What sport it would be to sail her out to sea. Here lay the key to her revenge on Reed! Opportunity was knocking if she could just iron out the details.
First she needed a place to hide the ship, not too far away, but safe from view, especially Reed’s. Dan would already be looking for a place, she knew. Next she needed an excuse to be away from the house for a few hours alone. She would have to figure that out soon, before they left for Chimera. Later she would need more time away, perhaps a week or two. It seemed impossible, but where there was a will there had to be a way. Something would occur to her.
Finally she needed money. This reminded her of the letter from Mr. Kirby. She pulled it from her pocket and tore it open. Included with a short personal note was a check for a staggering sum. According to Mr. Kirby, this was her allowance for the next two months. Kathleen stared at it in disbelief. It was enough to keep her in new dresses for a year! Now she had the money she needed and plenty to spare! If only her other problems could be solved so easily. Dan would be rounding up a loyal, closemouthed crew, probably a combination of Irishmen from the Kat-Ann and Starbright who had sailed under her command before. Her main problem was going to be how to disappear for a week or more at various times. She needed a reliable alibi, but how, when she was new in town and knew no one yet? If Kathleen could solve this dilemma, she would know exactly how she was going to wreak her revenge on Reed. She would pirate him! Each time he sailed out, she would follow in disguise, and lie in wait. When she was sure he had a hold full of booty, she would relieve him of his spoils until she drove him to ruin! She would show him that it didn’t pay to steal ships or anything else from Kathleen Haley! If only he had loved her, she could have forgiven him, but now he would pay royally!
Barbara gave Kathleen a tour of the house before they dressed for dinner and introduced her to Cook, who evidently sampled most of her delicious dishes; Rose, a small delicate girl who would be Kathleen’s maid when Mammy was busy elsewhere; and most of the other house servants. As they completed their tour and were heading back up the stairs to their rooms, the front door flew open. A slim young man of about twenty, with curly light brown hair and soft brown eyes, stood staring up at them.
“Close your mouth, Theodore,” Barbara commented dryly. “It is not polite to stare, son.”
He blinked, and a slow smile spread across his handsome young face. “You are even more beautiful than I’d imagined!” he said softly. Then he added with a chuckle, “Amy is going to hate you! At last she has some worthy competition around here. The belle of the county is about to lose her throne to a more deserving queen!” He gave an exaggerated bow, grinning from ear to ear.
“Theodore!” Barbara warned lightly, not raising her voice, but letting him know by the tone of her voice she was displeased. “Both Kathleen and Amy are beautiful in different ways, and it is unfair to predict how Amy will feel about her. They may become very close friends.”
All this time Kathleen stood silently by, a delighted smile on her face. Yes, she was going to like Ted. Who knew what mischief they could dream up together! The prospect was exciting after her gloomy moods.
Ted shrugged at his mother’s comments. “Anything is possible, I suppose.” He had not once taken his eyes from Kathleen, and now he asked, “Do you ride, Green Eyes?”
“Theodore!” Barbara gasped again, a look of desperation on her face.
Kathleen just laughed and answered with a jut of her chin, “Better than most, cousin dear. I wouldn’t be Irish if I didn’t.”
Even Barbara laughed and said, “Well, Theodore, you asked for that! I definitely think you have met your match, you young scamp, and may finally get your comeuppance!” Taking Kathleen’s arm, she led her up the stairs. “Come, Kathleen. Theodore will have to wait until dinner for your company. Perhaps by then his brain will catch up with his tongue and he can be civil.”
Kathleen washed her hair, then allowed herself the luxury of a long hot bath full of scented oils that made her skin feel smooth and silky. She dressed carefully in a lemon colored satin dress, knowing full well that it emphasized her tan and would send Mammy into spasms. The dress was etched in rows of fine white lace and clung low to her full breasts. The sleeves were short, fluffy layers of lace. She chose a delicate white fan to complement the dress, and with Rose’s help managed a coiffure of thick braids intricately woven between waves and curls. About her neck was stretched a band of white lace from which hung a single emerald teardrop that matched the earrings and her sparkling green eyes.
Rose was delighted with the final results, exclaiming over Kathleen’s figure and small waist. “And those legs! Lawsy me! You got the longest, prettiest legs I ever done seen on a gal! It’s almost a shame to hide them under a skirt. If the gents ever guessed whut they can’t see, it would drive ’em crazy!” Rose exclaimed.
Kathleen smiled, thinking that Reed already knew, and she hoped it did indeed drive him to distraction. It would serve him right, the conniving snake!
Downstairs Kathleen found everyone gathered in the parlor, including Reed. Barbara came forward and, taking her by the hand, presented her to a portly, balding gentleman in a gray waistcoat and trousers. “Come meet your Uncle William.” And to William she said, “This at long last is our niece, Kathleen.”
Kathleen curtsied politely as he kissed her hand, his brown and gray mustache tickling. “My pleasure entirely, Kathleen,” he said, his quick brown eyes flicking over her.
“Thank you, sir,” she replied, feeling she had just been thoroughly assessed by this sharp old lawyer.
They stood for a moment silently measuring one another, Kathleen never wavering, and then a satisfied smile broke over her uncle’s face, altering his stern demeanor to one of congeniality. “I see you are not afraid to look a person straight in the eye,” he observed with a chuckle. “You are no shy little miss, are you?”
“No, sir, that I’m certainly not!” Kathleen smiled in return.
“Good. Then we’ll get along fine. If there is anything more annoying than a flighty, fainting young female, I have yet to encounter it.”
As Kathleen sat down, Ted handed her a frosty mint julep and seated himself next to her. “Mother is the only one who has had any time to talk to you as yet, and I for one am dying of curiosity about you. What are you really like behind that lovely face and fabulous green eyes?”
Kathleen noticed Reed’s dark frown and laughed lightly. “I’m sure that only time will tell you, Ted, for I certainly shall not. A lady never willingly reveals al
l her secrets.” For the first time she addressed Reed, “Captain Taylor, I want to thank you for sending my trunks around so promptly.”
Before Reed could respond, dinner was announced and Ted leaped up at Kathleen’s side. “May I escort you to the table?” he requested, already propelling her forward.
“The boy has misplaced all his tediously learned manners,” Barbara apologized, taking Reed’s arm. “She has him spellbound.” Reed’s barely concealed scowl was his only answer.
The dinner of roast duckling and dumplings was delicious, and for dessert, a mouth-watering peach cobbler appeared. At first the conversation centered around Kathleen and her life in Ireland, and finally on the ocean voyage. Reed seemed to enjoy listening to her explanations of the trip, knowing her discomfort. Several times she felt his eyes on her and his unvoiced laughter, and she feared he would contradict her story at any moment. Finally, almost out of pity, he did step in and finish the tale himself, adding a few embellishments of his own.
“Following Mrs. Dunley’s demise, Miss Haley was fairly well in a state of shock, even into the next morning, but thankfully by that evening she had recovered remarkably and seemed quite a different person,” he related, eyes twinkling.
Kathleen shot him a withering look over the rim of her goblet. He merely nodded, flashing his strong white teeth in a daring smile. His gaze fell to her hands, where she was clutching her wine glass, as if she were visualizing his neck between her hands. His smile widened even more.
“Have you been introduced to everyone in our household?” William was asking.
“Oh, yes,” Barbara cut in. “I gave her a tour of the house earlier. Mammy was extremely upset over Kathleen’s tanned skin. She is just itching to get out her milk and lemon recipe!”
“Don’t let her, Kathleen,” Ted broke in. “I think you look marvelously healthy that way. Personally I prefer your tan over the pale look of all of our Southern ladies, don’t you, Reed?”