Lynna's Rogue (15 page)

             
“
I am
sure you miss her terribly,” Judith commiserated, glancing toward her niece. “Bertie, my sister, has written Lynna several times pleading with her to come for a visit. But I
cannot
imagine waking up in the morning without her smiling face to greet me.”

             
“You have nothing
to worry about, A
unt Judith,” Lynna
promised
. “If Aunt Bertie
did not
live so far away
,
I
would
love to visit her. But I have no desire to travel to Jamaica,
of all places,
although I
would
love to visit Aunt Gypsie. Is she residing in Savannah or Charleston now?”

             
“One never knows about Gypsie,” Judith smiled. “She was always the spirited one. If
I am
not mistaken, the last correspondence I received stated
that
she was still in Charleston.”

             
“
I have
heard that Jamaica is a beautiful place,” Mary teased. “H
ot sultry nights, romantic moonlit
beaches. A person could find herself falling in love in such ideal tropical surroundings.”

             
“
I am
in no rush for love. I will happily bide my time until the right man comes along
..
.” Lynna immediately realized her blunder, seeing Mary's downcast eyes.

             
“Are you quite sure my Daniel is
not
that man?”

             
“Mary, I…” What could she say? How could she hurt this woman whom she loved so dearly? Fortunately, Mary saved her the heartbreak. “
I am
sorry, dear. Please forgive me.
I’m
just a romantic old fool at heart. Honestly, I
did not
mean to pressure you. I suppose I fear some han
dsome young
man is going to come along, sweep you off your feet, and steal you away from us all.”

             
“Romantic, maybe,” Judith laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “But please,
do not
call yourself old. After all,
I am
but a few years younger than you, Mary Fletcher.”

             
They were
on their way home after visiting
with the sick when Judith broached the subject that Lynna dreaded, “Mary, in Suzanne's letter
,
did she perchance mention Captain Jordan?”

             
“Mention him? Why, her tear
stains practically blotted out the ink because he
has not
yet proposed. Frankly, I feel it would be in my daughter’s best interest if she returned home immediately.
I have
never seen the child so smitten with a man before. Beth has repeatedly assured me
that
he really is a fine, upstanding young gentleman, and there is no cause for alarm. It seems
he is
one of Charleston's most eligible bachelors and w
omen seem to flock to him wher
ever he goes.”

             
“I should like to meet him myself,” Judith teased. “Wouldn’t you, Lynna?”

             
“Um…
yes. Yes…
I would,” she stammered and turned her face so they
would not
witness the betraying rush of color to her flaming cheeks.

             
“I should delight in meeting him as well,” Mary remarked. “But
I am
afraid my daughter is in for a heartbreaking disappointment. According to Beth, he
has
stated on more than one occasion that he has no intention of settling down any time soon with a wife and family. But then, if anyone can change his mind,
I am
sure my daughter could,” Mary stated with an abundant dose of a mother’s pride.

             
“If she sets her cap to it
,
she will,” Judith agreed. “Suzanne has turned into quite a lovely young lady
,
and from what I can tell
,
she
is
not without her own flock of admirers.” Glancing toward Lynna, Judith's heart swelled and her eyes glowed with pride. Suzanne was indeed lovely, but she held no comparison with Lynna
,
who was beautiful inside as well.

Chapter Eight

             
A
fter supper
,
Lynna and Judith sat on the porch sw
ing to enjoy the cool, fragrant
night air. A gentle breeze caused the wispy tendrils of Spa
nish moss hanging from the huge
live oaks to sway hypnotically. It puzzled Lynna that the slaves used the moss to stuff their mattresses, dried it for fire kindling, and mixed moss with mud to for
m clay to caulk their cabins, ye
t the trees were continually hanging full.

             
Lynna noticed her aunt's head nodding sleepily. Poor thing. Suzanne was going to send her to an early grave with her demanding ways. Taking her hand
,
Lynna pulled her gently to her feet. “Go to bed, Aunt Judith.
I will
be in shortly.”

             
“I suppose I am tired. Advancing age has a way of robbing your energy,” Judith admitted wearily. After a loving kiss on Lynna's cheek
,
she went to bed and Lynna knew she
would
be asleep almost before her head touched the feather pillow.

             
Settling
back
against a cushion
,
she pushed
with her bare feet to set the swing in motion and allowed her mind to wander. Absentmindedly, her fingers went to twirl a lock of hair as her mind drifted to Charleston. Suzanne was probably ha
ving a marvelous
time in the Holy City, flitting from ball to ball in the fabulous gowns Aunt Judith had designed and painstakingly stitched into the wee hours of the morn
ing. She most likely had all
the young bucks vying for her attention, including Joshua Jordan. No! She simply
would not permit herself to think
about him, or what he and Suzanne we
re doing on this beautiful moon swept
romantic night. Hearing a rustling noise
,
she peered into the shadows, ready to bolt if her uncle appeared.

             
Lynna and Judith were grateful and gave thanks nightly for their quiet, peaceful evenings alone. Her uncle had
no
t
forced his company on them in over a fortnight, which meant they were due a visit any day. Judith’s husband, Tobias, knew she received her wages on the first day of the month and would be home searching for whiskey money.

             
Tobia
s Mathison was a nasty
drunk.
S
hort and heavyset with carrot
-
colored hair, a pudgy
,
screwed
-
up face, and the meanest of dispositions. After quenching his constant thirst at the local tavern, and spending his last coin for a night with one of the local harlots
,
he would
come home, often turning hostile if there were no more coins to be found. Lynna had stayed hidden behind closed doors for days at
a
time
,
ashamed to be seen after one of his visits.

             
“
It’s
only me, Lynna.
Do not
be frightened. I was hoping you
would
still be awake.”

             
Relieved to hear Daniel's familiar voice
,
she patted the swing, inviting him to sit with her. “Aunt Judith just went to bed.
It is
such a marvelous night
that
I decided to sit outside for a while. Come join me, Daniel.”

             
Daniel took the seat beside her on the swing as fireflies danced merrily around them. He smelled clean, of soap, and earth, and tobacco. “I remember when Suzanne was a little girl
,
she would
pull the hind portion of a firefly off, the part that glowed, and place one on the top of each finger. They still glow even when severed from the body, you know? Then she would waltz around with the body parts shining on her fingers and pretend they were sparkling jewels.”

             
“How awful!”

             
“Suzanne
did
no
t
bat an eye when she mutilated the insects, dozens of them each night. Jasmine always said you could tell a
person’s true character
by the way they treated animals. I wonder if that saying holds true for insects.”

             
“If you ask me, cr
uelty is cruelty no matter
the species
,
and if I recall
,
you and Samuel also had a fondness for such devilment. Remember when you would chase down a June bug, retrieve a length of Aunt Judith’s sewing thread, and tie the June bug’s back leg to the string? The poor insect would fly madly around and around your head trying to free itself of the string until it collapsed from exhaustion.”

             
“I guess
you
a
re
right,” he lamented. “They left a nasty smell on my hands
,
too.” Then, with a look of steely determination in his eyes, he turned abruptly to face her, evidently before he lost his nerve. Daniel took both her hands and pul
led her to her feet, gazing
deep into her eyes.
He lifted his
hand to push a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and then returned
it
to grasp her hand. “Lynna, you know how I feel about you. How I
have
felt for a long time.” He paused as if gathering his courage. “Will you marry me, Lynna?”

             
Lynna sat in stunned silence
,
not knowing what to say or how to say it. If the truth be told, she had been e
xpecting him to ask her
for months now, but when it actually occurred
,
she was caught off guard.

             
Daniel drew her into his arms and his kiss was demanding, filled with years of pent
-
up passion. When he drew away
,
his fingers went to where his mouth had been
to gently outline her
lips.

             
Unfortunately,
Lynna felt no emotion fr
om his touch or kiss,
none of the overwhelming passion that she knew existed inside her. Nor did she feel the revulsion that had swept over her when Malcolm had kissed her. She
did not
feel anything really, except sadness and regret. She
could not
hurt Daniel by allowing him to see
that
his most passionate kiss failed to elicit even the slightest response in her. She
would
try another kiss
,
and
this time demand
her body to respond.

             
Slipping her arms around his neck
,
she touched her lips to his in her most ardent kiss
;
a
nd she had been taught kissing by a master. Still
,
she felt nothing. Not even the slightest twinge in her nether region. She heard Daniel's sharp intake of breath, but
did not
realize he was undergoing the same feelings she herself ha
d
experienced after being the recipient of Joshua’s kiss.

             
Dropping her arms from around his neck
,
she went solemnly to stand at the edge of the porch
,
watching fireflies flicker and moths flutter around the sputtering candle. After several minutes of pained silence
,
she turned to Daniel and could only surmise
that
he was still awaiting a reply to his proposal. She had to stall for time, until she could think of a way
to refuse his heartfelt request
without breaking his heart
in the process
. “Daniel, this is so sudden.”