Part 54 (1/2)
Tillie seized her. ”And honest folk don't come out at this hour!”
She was right. ”Stay behind me in the shadows. Frank, don't hesitate to use that rifle if it sounds like our visitors have a nasty business in mind.”
Whoever had come calling at the midnight hour was pounding again on the door. Virginia went slowly downstairs, filled with trepidation, followed by both slaves. At her side, Arthur growled, his hackles up.
Virginia hurried to the door, her heart slamming with alarm and fear. ”One moment,” she said, putting the candle down. The baby chose that moment to deliver his first kick, a solid and strange blow, and she hesitated, stunned. But she had no moment to dwell on this strange miracle, as the person outside banged again, three times. Keeping the pistol in the folds of her nightgown, her finger found the trigger. She opened the door a crack.
A man stood there and even in the darkness, she knew. She was paralyzed. Arthur was not. He rushed forward, wagging his tail with excitement, his entire body writhing with happiness.
”Get down,” Devlin said, pus.h.i.+ng inside, as the dog leapt up on him. He closed the door behind him.
The dog sat, his tail thumping on the floor, grinning at him.
Virginia began to shake. In spite of everything, Devlin's cold, gray eyes were the best thing she had ever seen. ”Do you always open the door for strangers?” he said.
She wet her lips, briefly incapable of speech. She whispered, ”Enemy soldiers do not knock.”
He inclined his head, accepting her statement, and his gaze slid over her belly.
She wanted to seize his hand and place it on their child, but she did not. Too well, she suddenly recalled the last time he had touched her that way.
”How are you, madam?” he asked softly.
Virginia realized that she was trembling wildly. Why had he come? Had he risked his life merely to see her? ”We are fine, the child and I,” she managed. She was so stunned she could barely think straight, but there was a seed of hope flaring within her now.
He studied every inch of her face. ”Cliff told me you were here. I almost killed him for what he did-until I realized that you would have found another s.h.i.+p on which to come. Instead, I had to thank him for keeping you and the child safe. This is madness, Virginia.”
She had wrapped her arms around herself, because what she really wanted to do was to wrap her arms around him. ”I was born here, Devlin. Our child will be born here, too.”
He was not pleased. ”The war is close. I've risked the lives of four good men to call at this hour,” he said swiftly now. ”I have come to tell you to stay at Sweet Briar for the next week. And I mean it, Virginia. Do not leave this plantation,” he warned.
Something terrible was about to happen and he knew what that was. ”Why?”
”I am afraid I cannot tell you why, but Sweet Briar will be spared.”
She bit her lip hard, causing it to bleed. ”And why...” It was so hard to speak. ”And why would my home be spared?”
”Because I have demanded that it be spared,” he ground out.
She nodded, having expected him to say that, pleased. But her fear was greater than any pleasure now. ”Is it Norfolk? Will they invade the town?”
”You know I cannot give you any details.”
She nodded, briefly closing her eyes. Could he not take her in his arms, just this single time? ”One week?”
”Maybe more. It will depend on factors I cannot control.” He watched her closely. ”You will know when it is safe to leave the plantation.”
She leaned heavily against the wall. She felt certain an invasion of Norfolk was imminent. She must warn the town. Despair crashed over her. If only the d.a.m.ned war would end. Maybe then they would have a chance-but even so, the subject of his revenge still stood in their way.
He hesitated. ”Virginia, I want your promise, your word, that you will obey me this one single time. Your life and the child's may depend on it.”
She knew he was about to leave. Her despair grew. ”Yes...Devlin?”
He was grim. ”We must go.”
”Do you wish to rest...here?” She wet her lips, wis.h.i.+ng he would stay.
”I cannot. The county is crawling with scouts.”
She nodded, seized with anguish.
”I have to go,” he repeated harshly, their eyes colliding. His expression was filled with anguish, too, or at least she thought so. He quickly looked away as if to compose himself, before facing her one more time. ”I have one question for you.”
She wanted to beg him yet again not to leave her, for her nightmare was now coming true. But she did no such thing. The sane part of her knew he must leave, and swiftly, for if he and his men were captured they would all be imprisoned, or worse. She inhaled. ”Please.”
”Have you left me?”
She stared, stunned. Of course she had, though not by choice. Everything had changed since she had arrived on American soil-and nothing had changed, nothing at all. Virginia did not hesitate. She did not have to think about her answer; her heart answered for her. ”No.”
His expression tightened. And before she knew it, he swept her into his arms, hard, and up against his chest, his mouth seizing hers.
Virginia cried out as their mouths fused. In his powerful embrace, she felt safe-and she knew then that he loved her. Frantically they kissed, again and again, the war outside a burning fuse set to explode at any moment.
He pulled away, nodded at her, and went out the door.
For one moment, she did not move, stunned and tearful. Then she ran after him but paused on the porch, clinging to the rail, as he strode to his mount. ”Stay safe, Devlin,” she said thickly as he swung up into the saddle.
His stead pranced, sensing a gallop at hand. Devlin controlled the beast, turning it to face her. He nodded at her. ”Do as you have promised,” he said.
”I promise,” she breathed.
He stared for one more moment, and then he wheeled the bay and galloped off, his men flying with him. She was vaguely aware of Tillie coming to stand beside her, putting her arm around her. They stood there for a long time, staring blindly out into the night after Devlin and his men.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
THE ATTACK ON NORFOLK quickly failed. Although the British began an attack both by land and by sea, apparently with heavy reinforcements, a huge summer storm prevented the landing of half of their marines and those that succeeded were decimated by the heavy artillery fire of the American regulars. Within two hours, the British forces withdrew.
The news of the American victory rapidly swept through the county and reached Sweet Briar by the end of the day. Once again, Virginia was not quite well. She sat in the kitchen as Tillie prepared a light supper of fried greens, ham and eggs, fanning herself. It was a very warm day, but that was not why she could not seem to breathe properly and she knew it. She was also light-headed, enough so that she saw dancing lights in the room and her heart raced and pounded uncomfortably. When Frank came in, beaming, to impart the news of their triumph, she could not breathe at all.
As he began to speak-”Turned tail and ran, cowards, all of 'em”-her world grayed and began undulating and she began to fall.
”Frank, help her,” Tillie screamed.
Virginia fought the blackness and she fought for air. Images of Devlin as she had last seen him a.s.sailed her as she clawed someone's arms. Her last thought was she needed her husband, and then the blackness came.
She awoke slowly in her bed, stripped down to her chemise and drawers, with an ice compress on her throbbing head. Tillie sat beside her, her eyes huge with fear. Virginia tested her lungs and found she could breathe normally and she inhaled hard. Relief a.s.sailed her. Then she smiled. ”Tillie. The baby. He kicked again.” It was true. Just before she had pa.s.sed out, she had felt her child kick.