Fire and Ice Page 20

  Some little imp inside Kathleen prompted her to reply, “I quite understand, Amy, dear. Your family greeted me nicely, and although the ocean crossing was not without its perils, Captain Taylor was extremely attentive and competent, and brought us to port safe and sound.” Kathleen smiled sweetly at Amy.

  Barbara grimaced inwardly, knowing full well that war had been declared by both girls in those first few seconds. Now Kathleen was being led around and introduced to each of the ladies individually. Within a few seconds, she was standing before a stately woman with gray-streaked auburn hair and bright green eyes. As their eyes locked, a strong current of love and understanding flowed between them, and Kathleen’s smile became warm and genuine for the first time that afternoon. The older woman was introduced as Kate O’Reilly. She smiled and nodded at the introduction, and before Kathleen could wonder how to greet her, she said quietly in a commanding voice, “I would appreciate having ye walk with me in the courtyard after lunch, Miss Haley.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” was all Kathleen had time to reply as she was led on to the next lady.

  Kate O’Reilly was seated on a small divan with another of Savannah’s leading dowagers when Kathleen and Barbara entered the parlor. She had thought she was prepared for Kathleen’s arrival in Savannah, whenever it would occur. Mr. Kirby had written to her, explaining that he was sending Kathleen to live with the Bakers so as not to burden her with the lively young girl. Also, through her social contacts, she had heard that Kathleen had indeed arrived a few days prior, and would be coming to Chimera with the Bakers soon for the remainder of the summer season.

  What Kate was not prepared for was to see her replica standing in the doorway. It was as if time had turned back the clock and she were gazing at her reflection in a mirror forty years prior. If there were any difference at all between the way she had looked and the young girl standing before her, Kathleen was even more beautiful. It was all Kate could do to remain calmly in her seat. She knew from Mr. Kirby’s letter that Kathleen knew her grandmother resided near Savannah. What Kate was unsure of was Kathleen’s feelings about her Irish heritage. The girl’s father had been an English lord and Kathleen would have undoubtedly been educated in England. Perhaps Kathleen would hesitate to reveal her Irish ties; perhaps her loyalties lay totally with the English. Maybe her old Irish grandmother would be an embarrassment to her.

  Kate O’Reilly decided to reveal nothing to this group of gossiping women as she and Kathleen were introduced. She would talk privately with Kathleen later. Then as her own bright green eyes gazed up into Kathleen’s, she felt that silent pull, that quiet yet turbulent and undeniable alliance of Irish blood meeting Irish blood, and she knew that all would be fine. As Kathleen’s delightful smile grew warmer and her eyes took on added sparkle, Kate felt the love flow between them and knew that before her stood a proud young Irish woman, and that the Irish far outweighed the English bloodline. Kathleen was truly the granddaughter her heart had longed for all these years.

  After luncheon, Kate motioned to Kathleen and the two of them escaped into the courtyard. Kate guided her toward a far corner where a lovely little white gazebo stood beneath an old weeping willow. Once they had settled themselves on the cushioned benches, Kate turned to Kathleen and asked, “Ye know who I am, lass?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Kathleen answered awkwardly.

  “Good. How do ye feel about running into yer old Irish grandmother here?”

  “I was hoping to call on you privately as soon as possible and save you any shock, instead of popping up so suddenly. Did Mr. Kirby write to you?”

  “Aye, lass, he did. I knew ye were coming and would be living with the Bakers.” A touch of bitterness crept into the old woman’s voice. “Do ye think ye’ll be living there?”

  “I suppose so. Ted and Barbara and Uncle William seem nice enough. I wish I could live with you, but no one seemed to think that was a very good idea,” Kathleen added.

  “Because I’m so much older and ye need to be around young people yer own age. Am I right?” At Kathleen’s reluctant nod, she continued, “Ye failed to say what ye think of Amy Baker. How do ye think the two of ye will get along together?”

  “Amy, I fear, is definitely going to be a problem!” Kathleen declared adamantly.

  Kate laughed heartily. “I’m sure ye are right, dear. Now, tell me all about my lovely Ireland. I want to hear about ye and yer mother and father. I want to know about yer childhood, yer likes and dislikes, yer skills and education, and yer heart’s desires. I want to get to know me only grandchild.”

  Kate listened with interest to all Kathleen had to say. They shared the sorrow of Ann O’Reilly Haley’s death. They shared the joy of Kathleen’s pranks, which the young girl told with relish. Kate readily accepted the fact that Kathleen preferred to ride astride a horse rather than sidesaddle. “I always did too, love,” she commented.

  When Kathleen related tales of her fencing prowess, the old woman’s green eyes glittered. “ ’Tis proud of ye, I am, Kathleen. There’s more of yer old grandmother in ye than I thought. I always had a yen to learn to fence, but the opportunity never presented itself. I’m a crack shot with a pistol, though,” Kate added proudly. “What other talents are ye hiding behind those pretty silk skirts?”

  “Papa taught me to sail a ship, and I’m truly good at it, Gram. I love it!”

  “But ye didn’t sail yer own ship over. Why?”

  “Mr. Kirby warned me not to start off on the wrong foot in Savannah. I could see how most people would be shocked, so I agreed to hiring a captain.” Kathleen’s voice hardened perceptably at the thought of Reed.

  “I heard ye say earlier that Reed Taylor captained the ship,” Kate said, observing Kathleen’s face closely. “What do ye think of him?”

  “As a captain he is superb,” Kathleen stated firmly.

  “And as a man?” Kate pressed.

  “As a man I thoroughly despise him!” Kathleen almost shouted. At her grandmother’s questioning look, she blurted, “He stole my ship! He stole the Kat-Ann from me. Gram! He’s a blasted pirate, and I mean to pay him back for it someday!”

  Kate moved closer to Kathleen and pulled the sobbing young woman into her arms. “Tell me about it, darlin’. How did he steal yer ship?”

  Wiping at her teary eyes, Kathleen almost whispered her answer. “He tricked me into marrying him.” Kate gasped, but did not interrupt as Kathleen went on. “All that I owned is now his, the estate in Ireland, the shipping firm with all eight ships, everything.”

  Throwing her chin out, she gazed into her grandmother’s face and added, “So far he only knows about the estate and the Kat-Ann. I have not told him of the other ships. It is bad enough giving up one unwillingly. You won’t tell him, will you?”

  “I’ll keep yer secrets, Kathleen. Now tell me how this marriage came about so I can better judge the situation. Living next door to the Taylors all these years, I have come to know Reed quite well. We like each other and respect each other a great deal. I have listened to him and understood his love for the sea when his own family stood against him. He confides in me like kin. I cannot imagine him doing anything so hateful, yet if ye say it is so, it must be.”

  Fighting for her composure, Kathleen launched into her story, telling of Nanna’s drowning and Reed’s deception. “He let me think he had defiled me while I was in a state of shock, and I couldn’t remember any of it, but what else was I to think after waking up completely naked?” Kathleen explained. She went on to describe their weeks aboard ship, and then asked her grandmother, “You said Reed confides in you. How much has he told you of his sailing activities, Gram?”

  “If ye are referring to his association with certain persons on Grande Terre, he has told me of his activities. I cannot say I approve, but I share his excitement in that life.”

  “I hesitated to say anything of it to you because of the pact Reed and I made,” Kathleen explained. “You see, when Reed tired of me, he wanted to bring me to Savannah
and dump me off here at Chimera to rot. Little did I know I’d end up here anyway!” Kathleen grimaced slightly. “I told him I would not be shoved off in a corner and forgotten like some hound waiting patiently for a kind word and a pat. In fact, I blackmailed him, Gram. I told him I would say nothing of his pirate activities if he said nothing of our marriage.”

  “Kathleen!” Kate was stunned. “And Reed agreed to this?” she asked incredulously.

  “Not willingly, I assure you, but in the end he considered it only slightly better than hanging.” From there Kathleen went on to explain about the chain of events that took place on Grande Terre and led up to the situation she now found herself in.

  By this time Kate was beginning to better realize what had occurred and why Kathleen felt as she did. “Then no one else in Savannah knows of this, lass?”

  “Only a few of the ship’s crew. I needed to tell someone who would understand. I felt sure you would, Gram.”

  “Aye, love, but I think ye are too set on revenge. Oft’ times revenge backfires and ye and yer hasty words and actions come home to roost. I speak from experience, believe me.”

  “It cannot be helped, Gram. I must avenge myself and I need your help,” Kathleen beseeched. “Knowing and liking Reed as you do, can you side with me against him?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Ye are my granddaughter and I will always help ye in any way I can against anyone else, Kathleen,” Kate promised her with a warm hug. “Now, what kind of help can an old Irish woman be to ye?” she said, her green eyes dancing in merriment.

  “First of all, I must ask you not to reveal the fact that I am your granddaughter.” At the hurt look on Kate’s face, Kathleen hurried to explain. “At least not until I can have a chance to strike back at Reed. The Bakers will not say anything, I am sure. It would require much explaining on their part. Besides, Reed would no longer confide all his secrets and plans to you if he knew, and I need all the information you can squeeze from him. Also, since I must hide my plans from Aunt Barbara’s family, I need an alibi to cover my absences for a week or two at a time while I pirate Captain Taylor,” Kathleen revealed with a triumphant grin.

  “Pirate him!” Kate exclaimed with a start. “Saints alive, Kathleen! I never dreamed ye’d go so far! Surely ye cannot mean to kill yer own husband?”

  “No, indeed! That would be far too merciful and quick to suit me! I intend to ruin him enough financially to make him sell the Kat-Ann, and I will have an agent from Papa’s firm buy her back from him.”

  “Ye could be caught, lass, or even killed. Can ye be sure it is worth it? Ye might regret yer actions in time. Besides, where will ye get a ship and crew?”

  “The ship is one of Papa’s that docked here about a week ago. I have commandeered her for my use and had her repainted, and have a loyal crew standing by. I will need your help in devising a disguise for myself, though. I cannot let Reed know it is I who is ruining him, much as I would like to. He has no idea I can captain a frigate, though I almost let it slip that I am a master at fencing when I bested Pierre Lafitte.”

  “Ye saved Reed’s life that day, Kathleen. Surely ye must love the man if ye would risk yer life for him,” Kate commented softly.

  “Oh, yes. I love him more than I have ever loved anyone else or ever will again, I am sure,” Kathleen declared sadly, her voice catching in her throat. “But he does not love me in return. I am a possession, just like his precious ship, only not as important to him. He has already told me he will never let me go, never release me from his loveless marriage. He swears I’ll die a lonely old woman before he’ll grant me a divorce, and threatens violence on any man who would bed his wife.”

  “And did ye expect differently, girl?” Kate defended Reed huffily. “I am Catholic even if you are not, and I cannot condone divorce. I have to agree with Reed at least on this, granddaughter.”

  “I did not ask him for a divorce and never will,” Kathleen placated her grandmother. “Oh, Gram, if he would only love me even a little I would gladly give up all thoughts of vengeance and be a dutiful wife. I would shut myself away out here and raise his children and do all else he asked of me. I would go anywhere, wait for him a lifetime if need be, if I was assured of a place in his heart.”

  “And are ye so sure he does not love ye, my dear? Some of what ye have told me indicates to me that the possibility exists. Ye are both strong-willed and temperamental. It could be that all that fighting and spatting disguises a lot of love. Are ye still willing to risk destroying that chance?”

  “On this you are wrong. Reed enjoys dominating me, but he does not love me. He delights in my body and my looks. He takes pleasure in bedding me and he is very jealous at times, but I do not honestly believe he loves me at all.”

  “Have ye ever really tried to make him love ye?” Kate inquired with a wry smile and a speculative look at Kathleen. “There is more than one way to skin a cat, my girl.” At Kathleen’s brooding look, she went on. “Why not put that infamous O’Reilly beauty to work for ye? Entice him, bait him and lure him. Ply your feminine wiles and wits against him. Flutter yer lashes, sway her hips, throw out yer chest, and bat those big green eyes at him. What flesh-and-blood man could resist!”

  “True enough, he succumbs to my charms at times, but only for a while. Then it seems he becomes immune to them except when it suits him,” Kathleen mused, chin in hands. “Still, the thought is interesting. After all, what do I have to lose?”

  “Aye, lamb, and look at all ye stand to gain,” Kate emphasized. “Will ye not try charm instead of force? ’Tis the safer route.”

  “No! I shall extract my ounce of flesh with one hand while I attempt seduction with the other. That way I stand a better chance all the way around,” Kathleen reasoned.

  “Beware ye don’t get burned in the process. The stakes are high and the risks even greater in this game ye plan to play,” Kate warned, shaking her head sadly. “I’ll help ye all I can, but pray be very careful, lassie.” Kate’s face split in a mischievous grin. “Ye remind me so much of meself when I was young! How anyone can look so much like an angel and scheme like the devil is truly amazing! I have a feeling ye are really going to stand Savannah on its ear! Nothing this interesting has happened to me in years. Aah, it’s good to have ye here, Kathleen. Ye are making me feel young again. This could turn out to be fun after all, if we don’t get caught in our own trap.”

  After a moment of silent comradeship, Kathleen said quietly, “Gram?”

  “Aye?”

  “I love you.”

  “I love ye too, lamb.”

  “I’m so glad! I need someone to love and understand me, especially right now.”

  Taking Kathleen into her arms once more, Kate answered softly, “I know, dear. So do I. I thank the dear Lord for sending ye to me. Now, regardless of all else, we’ll have each other.”

  Chapter 13

  TED took Kathleen riding across the plantation, and she was amazed at the amount of land it encompassed. Not only were there acres of croplands, but many of forests as well. They stopped a couple of times to water their horses in delightful sun-dappled glades where the streams ran merrily across rocks and reeds. At one point the property was bordered by a river so wide and fast that they dared not cross on horseback there. Ted showed her where Kate O’Reilly’s property started so she could travel to her grandmother’s home the back way if she preferred.

  By the time they returned to the house, Kathleen barely had time to dress for dinner. She was so tired and sleepy that the meal passed almost in oblivion, and shortly afterward she asked to be excused and retired to her room, where she slept like the dead until morning.

  After breakfasting at a small table near the open windows in her bedroom, she dressed and went in search of anyone else who might be up so early. She encountered the slim servant girl who had answered the door the day before, and after some gentle persuasion, the girl agreed to give Kathleen a tour of the house. The left wing consisted of four large lower rooms. The
parlor Kathleen had seen the day before, as well as the elaborate dining room with tall windows and French doors leading into the courtyard. Down a wide hall and beyond the parlor was a well-stocked library with shelves reaching from floor to ceiling. It was a comfortable room; one Kathleen felt she could spend a lot of time in.

  Across the hall was Reed’s study. The slave girl hesitated to let Kathleen into this private male sanctuary, but Kathleen persisted. The room was large and airy, also opening onto the courtyard. A huge stone fireplace dominated the room. Anyone entering here could catch the nautical aura. Ship’s models, trade maps, mementos from all of Reed’s travels were scattered hodge-podge about the room in neat but illogical order. The large leather-covered furniture was slightly worn and comfortable looking. The entire room emanated masculinity. The room smelled of tobacco, whiskey, and Reed. A deep feeling of longing assaulted Kathleen’s senses.

  Next the maid escorted Kathleen through the forbidden upper left wing, except for Ted’s suite, of course. At the rear corner of the wing were Reed’s rooms. Kathleen could have found them blindfolded, for here too they smelled of cigars and the lime cologne Reed usually wore. Once more she fought down an intense wave of nostalgia. The furnishings were masculine, and in the bedroom doorway, Kathleen stopped short. She had never before seen a room decorated in this manner. The entire room was done in red and black in an Oriental fashion. The dresser and highboy and wardrobe were all painted in a glossy black lacquer with Eastern scenes on the doors and drawers. Against the white walls, deep red velvet curtains hung at the windows. The carpet was an Oriental delight. The immense four-poster bed of dark wood was overlaid with a deep red bedspread and hung with sheer black draperies with fierce red dragons interwoven in the fabric. Altogether, the effect of the master’s room was absolutely stunning, almost overpowering.