Share
Chapter 21
Stephen’s back screeched in agony with every step his gelding took. Their trip proved difficult as he and Herald came to the realization their bodies were not quite healed enough to withstand the grueling trip through the Georgia wilderness.
Stephen’s primary land travel was over the countryside nearing Savannah which was rapidly developing and Herald had only read of the wilderness in his school books. Theirs was not a journey for the weak of constitution. Although they were well cared for at the mission, they suffered greatly at the hands of the ocean’s raging waters and their constitution was not yet returned to normalcy. Therefore, a trip that should have taken no more than two to three days was well into its fourth day with at least one more day’s ride ahead of them, possibly more.
Their escort turned back two nights before, leaving them to forge their way as best they could. True to his word, the padre provided a detailed map that they put
Related chapters
Love Misunderstood Chagter 22
Paulette lay on the corn husk mat that was covered with an enormous bear skin as she watched Manley move about the hut. They were locked in together for three days with an occasional visit from Adahy or one of the other male leaders of the village. From Elsa’s whisperings through the cracks in the walls, they would remain together until it was certain that she was with child.Their first coupling proved to be a horrendous ordeal. Although accustomed to being used for stud service, never had Manley been asked to plant his seed in a mistress of society. His fear of the repercussions he would encounter from the plantation owners, should he ever break free from the Indian’s captivity, far outweighed his fear of what Adahy and his friends might do to him. He blatantly refused to perform.When the village’s old women examined Paulette the following morning and discovered her virginity was still intact, Adahy went wild with rage. One did
Love Misunderstood Chapter 23
The tracker Stephen hired in the nearby village proved his worth. Within hours Stephen was caught up with Arthur and his posse. Shocked, surprised, and happy that Stephen was not dead, Arthur greeted him with the enthusiasm of a true friend who was relieved to discover he had not lost their friendship.Although it was in the back of his mind, Stephen refrained from mentioning the fact that he knew Arthur intended to marry his wife. He also did not broach the subject of the newborn baby. He had not had time to do the math where the infant was concerned, but since Elizabeth’s waiting maid was relatively certain he had not impregnated her before she ran away, he could only assume that Arthur did the deed immediately upon purchasing her. The dis-appearance of Paulette proved devastating for his friend and he felt the timing for such a discussion not correct. There would be time to sort out these matters once Paulette was found; hopefully unharmed.Arthur sent a
Love Misunderstood Chapter 24
Elizabeth’s hands ached from her nervously ringing them while she paced the sitting area of her suite while watching out the window for Sara to return from her trip to town. Things were a mess and she needed a woman to confide in. Since her relationship with Sara grew stronger with every day she remained in their care and she felt no woman alive could match the good woman’s clear head and sense of right and wrong, she felt privileged to have Lady Sara Caldwell available at such a time.Herald sat in the corner of the room and watched his sister through lowered lids. To the onlooker who did not know him well, one would have assumed the young man had closed himself off to his sister’s obvious despair and decided to take a nap. Elizabeth knew better. Her brother was an astute young man who developed the uncanny skill of not missing a thing that went on around him. This was true even if his eyelids were all but closed. It proved handy on more than one occa
Love Misunderstood Chapter 25
Elsa shifted her position as she sat on the natural stoop the low lying branches and tree stumps created for the asi that imprisoned Paulette and Manley. She had been there since the night before and her body was going numb. She would have to get up and walk around soon or she feared she might lose the use of her legs completely. Her mind was racing. Atul would be wed soon and she would be left to the mercy of the village, or even worse –Adahy. It was no secret Adahy despised the white man and the only reason he had not killed Paulette was because of the potential wealth to be had from breeding her to the virile dark warrior. She also knew that if Paulette proved baron she would die immediately. Since Elsa was the property of Atul as well as produced several strapping children, she was protected from Adahy and his evil thoughts about white people as long as Atul was around. That protection would be gone soon.Elsa’s moon time had come and gone, which meant her cou
Love Misunderstood Chapter 26
Stephen looked over his shoulder as he watched half of Arthur’s posse disappear in the direction from which he came. They pressed hard since early that morning after stumbling upon a tradesman who rode Paulette’s mare. When questioned, the man told them that although he purchased the mare at auction up the river he had it from the best authority that the mare was brought to the auction by Cherokees from a nearby village.Giving the man a fair price for the return of the steed, they rode with him to a nearby town where he could replace his mount and provide them with a map of the area to assist them in locating the Cherokee village more swiftly. When the man learned that they intended to enter the village to save Paulette, he did his best to dissuade them. The Indians of that village were hostile toward white people and only interacted when necessary. He was positive that, by now, they either killed or sold Paulette and impressed upon them the fact that walking int
Love Misunderstood Chapter 27
Bishoff got Arthur safely to the Caldwell plantation in record time. The sun was just resting on the horizon when he went ahead of the small group of men and knocked on the front door of the main house.After giving him a quick reprimand for coming to the front instead of the back, the butler hurried to seek out Sir Caldwell. The house came alive as some rushed to help bring Arthur into the house, some rushed to ready a room for him, some went for the doctor, and some sought out Lady Elizabeth to inform her of the grievous news.Elizabeth rushed to the top of the stair landing just in time to see Arthur being carried into the small parlor toward the far side of the concourse. Although he was grumbling profusely about the pain he was in, he was coherent and that was a good sign.She slowly descended the stairs, stopping on each step to prolong her arrival. It had been a few days since Sir Caldwell laid down the decision that Stephen must be given an opportunity t
Love Misunderstood Chapter 28
Bringing Paulette to the safety of the Caldwell plantation was not as easy as Stephen hoped. Since he worked his horse as much as he dared and she still did not regained consciousness, he settled her in front of one of the other men on her own horse and then later on with another whose horse suffered the stress of their journey favorably and was still strong enough to carry them both in the intense heat of the day. It was shortly after this last transition that she awoke and went into a frightful screaming fit. This caused the horse to rear and for her to fall off.As if her disorientation was not bad enough, Paulette landed on her arm and it snapped like a dry twig. Stephen seized a flask containing their emergency brandy and took a long drink to steady his nerves. The stress and challenges he endured over the last few months was building within him to such a height he was certain his frustrations would cause him to burst from the inside out.It took the considerable
Love Misunderstood Chapter 29
Elizabeth and Arthur’s gay conversation could be heard long before Stephen reached the doorway of the atrium. He stopped and listened, uncertain whether he should enter or simply return to his room.He took much longer than even the doctor expected him to take to recover from his intense state of exhaustion. Herald sat in the room near the window watching him and then watching the world out the window for the majority of the days he lay abed. He was joined by Elizabeth for whatever time her greedy fiancé would allow her away from him.Elizabeth expressed her concern about Arthur’s monopolizing her time during one of her long conversations with her brother. She was torn over who she should be spending her time with. He was awake and alert and requesting her company, but Stephen was weak and still in need of constant watch; not to mention the fact that it was Stephen who had her heart. There were times when her visits with Arthur proved tortuous as she
Latest chapter
