Wild Irish Rose Page 10

  “Your wife!” I shriek. “I thought you were never going to get married,” I accuse.

  “Save your shock. It won’t be like I am really married,” he smiles. “It will be in name only, which will give me permission to lock you away if I have to, once you legally belong to me.”

  “Why would you want that?” I ask. “You don’t love me. You don’t want to be married. I will just be in your way, and could never marry anyone else, if I am forced to marry you!”

  “You say you will never marry again anyway, so why should that bother you? Take a lover, if you wish. You probably already have one, considering someone had to set you up in this farm house. If you are my wife, there will be less chance of you ever being arrested for treason. I won’t see your pretty neck dangling from a rope, if I can help it, and if marrying you is the only way to keep you under my protection, then that is what will be done.”

  “What does Loraine say about this?” I ask, still feeling shocked at his sudden decision to force me to marry him.

  “It is not up to Loraine, but considering you will be taking on a lover, there is nothing stopping me from having one, now, is there?”

  “It will be a farce of a marriage,” I cry. “Why do you wish to punish me in manner. Why do you even care if I am hung or not?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I have made up my mind. I have my own reasons for not wanting to see you hang. Besides, it is what you deserve, since you would not do it my way in the beginning,” he sneers. “Having you as my wife, will be no different than having you as my ward. The only upside is I won’t have to hunt someone up and dump you in their unsuspecting lap in order to safeguard your future. This way, I will have more control of your movements, since you are proving to be more rebellious than I counted on.”

  “I will kill you in your sleep,” I threaten.

  “A pleasant way to go, under your hand,” he replies.

  “You can’t do this,” I insist, but he is already dragging me from the farmhouse, and up into his buggy.

  “The Vicar is waiting at the manor,” he tells me, and gives me a broad smile. “Don’t worry. I will let you out once a week to meet your lover here, if you wish, but I will send servants to watch the house, to make sure this is the only place you go. Take heart. You will not have to keep wearing widow’s weeds, once you are married,” he snickers.

  “I am just one single person. How could I be that much of a threat? I am not the only one involved in the movement.”

  “Have you ever heard of Joah of Arch? One powerful woman can change the course of things. However, in the end Joan of Arch died for her efforts. We can’t have that happening to you. Look at it this way. At least you know me. We pretty much understand each other. You won’t have to get used to a new husband. Don’t look so shocked. I don’t intend to ravish you, if that is what you are thinking. Like I told you before, I don’t have time for a wife and I would rather go to a willing lover, than having you scratching my eyes out.” He touches his cheek where I had scratched him, and I notice a small scar, next to his eye.

  “I hope you will forgive me for my treatment of you before I sent you away. I regret allowing my anger to put you in pain, but you had no problem trying to scratch my eyes out, so I suppose we are even. I promise not to lay a hand on you in the future. Just try and comply to my rules, Rose. That is all I ask of you. Let someone else fight the cause, if the cause must be faught.”

  I don’t say anything. He has me completely under his control now. Even if I continue my love affair with Jamie, it will be short lived, because once the cause is won, I will still be married to Jason and Jamie will be going on with his life without me. I resolve live a day at a time, since there is little else I can do. I still know how to escape the manor, I think cunningly to myself, and Jason cannot always be watching me.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  When we reach the manor, Jason takes me into the drawing room where the Vicar is waiting. He doesn’t even have me change out of Ferrell’s clothes. The Vicar says the words and we sign a paper. Then the vicar leaves. His eyes seem puzzled, but he doesn’t say anything.

  “Now my dear wife, Jason says, “You can go up and put a dress on. I don’t ever want to see you in those clothes again.”

  I turn from him and go out of the drawing room but instead of getting dressed, I put on my night-gown and crawl into bed. I hide Ferrells clothes, because I still plan to go to the next meeting in two days. I lay stunned in my bed. I am married to a man I hate, while I have never even seen the face of the man I am falling in love with. I could meet him on the street, and wouldn’t know who he was, unless I recognized his voice. That beautiful Irish lilt, that I love listening to so much, rumbles in my head, trying to comfort me, I believe.

  There is a tap on the door and Jason is standing there. “You didn’t come back down,” he says. “Aren’t you feeling well?”

  “I will never feel well again,” I say. “Go away and leave me alone,” I cry, and bury my face in the pillow.

  Jason comes and sits on the side of my bed. “Don’t be so dramatic,” he tells me. “Nothing has changed, except your Sir name. You don’t have to like me, except when we are in public and at functions together, you must pretend like you can at least tolorate me. I will still take you to those outings we promised you once we turned you into a proper lady. You are lady enough now, so I won’t be afraid to take you out into society.”

  “I will flirt outrageously with every man I meet,” I tell him.

  “Which will make every man fall madly in love with my wife and they will be fighting over you, trying to talk you into having a love affair with them. If you choose to leave the man that has been making love to you now, I may consider turning a blind eye,” he drawls.

  “Then it won’t be any fun,” I say.

  Jason chuckles. “Does this mean you don’t wish to continue your existing love affair, if I choose to turn a blind eye?” he asks.

  “You don’t even know if I am having one,” I say. “It could have been Randy helping me at that farmhouse,” I tell him.

  “That makes me feel much better about it then. But if you really are having a love affair, just let me know when you wish to visit the farmhouse, so I can send servants with you.”

  “I would never make love to someone with servants waiting outside the window,” I croak. “You must be addled to think I would.”

  “Then how will you ever meet him?” he asks.

  “I told you. I am not meeting anyone,” I lie. “Randy helped me.”

  “Very well, then I won’t worry about it.” Jason looks down at me for a long moment. “It is a pity we could not get along better,” he mumbles, and then leaves the room.

  The next two days Jason is gone during the day and at night I sleep alone. He doesn’t even open the adjoining door. Perhaps he thinks I have learned my lesson and will not escape any longer.

  On the night of the meeting, I wait until the house is quiet, and sneak down through the kitchen. At least Loraine in no longer in the house, so I wonder how Jason is ever going to make love to her, since he claims he will never lay a finger on me. Certainly he must desire a woman to satisfy his needs. I briefly remember the time he kissed me, almost melted my resistance. I wonder what kind of lover he would make, not that I really want to find out, I quickly remind myself.

  When I am out on the moors, I breath in the sweet fragrant evening, that gives me a sense of freedom, as I head towards the barn where we have been making the bombs. I am not sure that is where the group is going to meet or if that is what they are going to do, but it was the last place they met, so I will at least go and check. As I open the barn door, to the low murmur of voices, I see the men are getting ready to leave and Jamie jerks his head around and sees me. He rushes to my side. “What happened to you?” he asks. “You were not at the farm house, when I came.”

  “Jason found me and he forced me to marry him,” I hiss. “I will talk to you about it later,” I tell him. “What is going
on? Where is everyone headed?”

  “We are going to rob the armory tonight, since it did not work last time. I don’t want you coming with us. Why don’t you go to the farmhouse and wait for me to come to you later? You will distract me, if you are there. I will worry too much.”

  I can see the concern in his eyes, so I agree, and he lets out his breath. “It shouldn’t take long,” he tells me and he gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. Then I head towards the farmhouse and he goes with the men.

  I sit and wait at the farmhouse for Jamie to meet me, praying that nothing happens to him. The sounds of the night drifts through the open window. A distant cow bell, the sudden cry of an owl, along with crickets making a racket in the tall grass. When I finally hear the door opening, I let out my breath, and Jamie is standing in the room.

  “Did all go well?” I ask.

  “Perfect,” he smiles. “They did not think we would try it twice,” he laughs. “Come here, my darling,” he whispers. “I have missed you. But what of this marriage, you speak about?”

  “It is in name only. I don’t really see a purpose for it, since he even claims I can keep my lover, which he suspects I have.” I give a little giggle. “And of course, he is correct,” I smile. “He has done it in order to control me. But he will never control me completely, no matter how much he tries,” I boast.

  “He still doesn’t know how you escape the manor?” Jamie asks.

  “And he never will learn,” I tell him.

  Jamie takes my hand and leads me into the bedroom and begins to undress me. “After this, just come here and wait for me, instead of coming to the meetings,” he breaths against my ear. “I worry that if we are ever caught, you will end up like your husband.”

  “You know that Jason said I would be like Joan of Arch, if anyone learned I was a woman,” I whisper. “Maybe it would inspire the others,” I say.

  “I don’t want to risk it. It might also just anger the others, thinking a woman would be bad luck,” he tells me, as his mouth starts to trail over my body and I catch my breath at what he is doing to my senses.

  “Let’s not talk,” I whisper, as I push his shirt away from his shoulders, and we begin to make love in earnest.

  Jamie does not stay with me the night. He brings me back to the manor saying if Jason discovers I am not in my bed, he may never let me out of his sight. “I don’t think I could live if I thought I couldn’t make love to you ever again,” he whispers. “Don’t anger Jason, or he may keep you from me.”

  “I will be careful,” I tell him, and then he is sprinting away and I wait until he is out of sight before I go to the garden shed, to make my way back into the house.

  Just as I get under the covers, the adjoining door opens and Jason comes into the room, He sits on the side of the bed but I pretend to be asleep. I feel him smoothing my hair back away from my face.

  “Why are you breathing so hard? You are perspiring,” he whispers. “I know you are not asleep,”

  I open my eyes and look at him. “I couldn’t sleep and was walking out in the garden to get some fresh air,” I tell him.

  “Next time, wake me if you feel the need to wander in the garden. I will keep you company.”

  “Why would you do that? We have nothing in common,” I accuse. “Besides, you were away at one of your confounded meetings. How was I going to wake you?”

  “Which is a pity, because I believe we have more in common than you know. I was laying awake thinking, you went all the way to England and didn’t even get a chance to visit there. I don’t have much to do next week, why don’t we take a trip there and I could introduce you to my mother. Then I’ll show you the sights of London.”

  “You are not going to leave me there, are you?” I ask, not trusting him.

  “And have you swimming back to Ireland?” he laughs. “Of course I will not leave you there. Now that you are my wife, you need to remain by my side.”

  “I suppose Loraine is in London and that is the reason you want to go there to visit,” I say.

  “A splinded idea, we will invite her to join us and I am sure she can get us some invitations to some sort of entertainment that is going on there. It will give you a chance to practice your flirting,” he teases, smiling down at me.

  “I suppose there is no way for me to get out of going.” I say.

  “Do not consider it a punishment, Rose. I want to introduce you into society and show you off as my wife. All my old flames whom I informed I would never get married are going to be anxious to discover who was able to wear down my resistance. You will be the envy of half the woman in London.”

  “That many were your old flames?” I respond with surprise. “You must have a huge ego, as a result of it,” I say, and he laughs.

  “I was rather in demand, when I was there. Perhaps it expanded my ego some, but now that I am a married man, I suppose I should mind my manners with the ladies now,” he teases.

  “I am surprised you claim to have any manners,” I say.

  Jason takes one of my hands in his. “I truly want to tell you how badly I feel about punishing you, the day I sent you on the ship. I was totally out of form, and never should have laid a hand on a woman in such a manner. You do have a way of exasperating me, though, Rose,” he mumbles, “but I just want to tell you how sorry I feel.”

  “You already apologized to me over it,” I say in a small voice.

  “I know, but I don’t feel like I could apologize enough for what I did. I don’t know what came over me.” Jason pulls me to him and places his arms around me. “Above all, I want you to be able to trust me. I truly do want what is best for you, or I never would have brought you to my manor in the first place. I suppose I just don’t know how to go about expressing that,” he whispers. “Let me lay with you tonight and hold you, like I did when you first came. You seemed to trust me then.”

  I am surprised he wants to hold me, but he is my husband now, so I merely nod and Jason lets his robe fall away, and gets in the bed with me. I realize he has nothing on under the robe, and I wonder if he is using this as an excuse to try and take his husbandly right, but he merely holds me to him, and eventually I fall asleep.

  When I wake, Jason is smiling down at me. “Have I mentioned how beautiful I think you are?” he asks. “I don’t think it will only be the women that envy you, but the men that will envy me. When we are in England, would it be too much to ask if you showed a little affection towards me, just so others will believe this is a true union? My mother especially would think it odd that I have held the women away all this time and then suddenly decid to get married. I would like her to believe that the only reason I would consent to embrace matrimony was because you stole my heart away.”

  “I still don’t understand why you forced me to marry you,” I tell him.

  “To keep you safe from yourself,” he smiles. “If I were not here keeping an eye on you, your need to save Ireland would get the better of you, I’m afraid.”

  “What makes you think you can keep me safe?” I ask.

  “Because I am an influential person, and even if you do manage to get yourself in trouble, I could probably get you out of it. Now that you are my wife, I will even have more power to save your little hide if needs be. Just trust me, Rose, and don’t do anything that is going to get a rope put around that neck of yours.”

  “I am not going to get hung,” I tell him. “And since you are trying to be kind, I will do my best to pretend that at least I don’t hate you, as much as I do,” I smile.

  Jason laughs. “I realize I will never tame you, Rose. Perhaps I don’t wish to,” he says, and he places his mouth over mine. I start to stiffen and Jason pauses in his kiss. “Sorry,” he whispers, and gets out of the bed, putting his robe on, and I feel guilty for rejecting his efforts to be kind, so I grab out for his hand.

  He looks down at my hand grasping his and then he looks into my eyes. “It’s all right,” he murmurs. “We will have a life time together to get accust
omed to each other.” Then he pulls his hand free and goes into his own room.

  Jason confuses me. I realize there is a tender side of him that I have only seen glimpses of when I least expect it. But most of the time he makes me feel like I am more of a thorn in his side than anything else.

  Shannon comes in to dress me. “The master tells me that you are going to England and since many of your belongings are already at his mother’s house, there will be no need for packing more. I hope you have an enjoyable trip.”

  “Thank you, Shannon,” I say. “Did he mention when we plan to leave?” I ask.

  “After you have breakfast,” she tells me, “Since I packed all your black clothes the last time you left, Mr. O’Malley tells me that you should wear one of your other gowns.”

  “Then you can pick it out,” I tell her, and she brings out a gray traveling suit and helps me put it on.

  When I come down the stairs, Jason meets me and ushers me into the dinning hall. “You look lovely, my wife,” he says, as he leads me into have breakfast. “We don’t have a lot of time, though. I don’t want to miss the ship. While we are in London, I wish to buy you a wedding ring so everyone will know you have a husband. And then, perhaps, we should get you some more clothes, seeing as how all you have at my mother’s house are your black widow weeds. Now that you are freshly married, you should wear something more befitting a new bride.”

  “I do not feel married,” I say honestly. “The Ceremony was rather lacking.”

  “Maybe it was because I forgot to kiss the bride,” he smiles. “I will do it now, if you like.”

  I decide he is giving me an opportunity to allow the kiss he tried to give me earlier and since he is trying to be nice to me, I decide to allow it. “I think that would be the proper thing to do,” I say quietly.

  “If it pleases you,” he murmurs and he takes my head in his hands, lowering his mouth over mine. I am expecting a gentle kiss, and while it begins gentle, the kiss builds. I find myself consumed by the kiss in a way I hadn’t expected. I think he is trying to persuade me to forget about my lover. I could never forget about Jamie, and the thought of Jamie causes me to pull away abruptly, in the middle of the kiss.