According to Silver, Dominic was suffering for her sake. There was so much pain in the world and one could only bear it with as much courage as possible. No! The rejection of that meek homily came immediately and with violence, jarring her out of the tearful apathy and confusion into which she had fallen. She was not going to sit calmly and “bear” anything ever again. The words she had heard Silver speak when she had fought her way up from the depths of sleep came back to her. She had thought she had been behaving with boldness and aggressiveness since her father’s death, but she realized now it had been a mere travesty of strength. She had not been strong, she had been pitifully weak. Instead of solving her problems herself, she had nagged and prodded Dominic for help. If she had possessed true strength of will, she could have somehow prevented Andre’s death last night.
“Elspeth?” A tiny frown creased Silver’s brow beneath the turquoise-beaded headband. “What is it? Don’t you feel well?”
Elspeth nodded. “I was just thinking about Andre.” She closed her eyes, shutting out Dominic and Silver and all the support and warmth they lent her by their presence. Loneliness. Aching loneliness and the beginning of panic rippled through her. She would feel better, she assured herself in swift desperation. She had really been alone all her life and this was no different. When she spoke again her voice was only a thin thread of sound. “I was thinking about Andre, and about strength.”
“There she is.” Silver’s voice held a strange tension as the wagon rolled onto the flagstones of the courtyard. “I should have known she’d be up and about.”
Elspeth struggled to a sitting position, her glance following Silver’s to the front door of the imposing house. “Who?”
“The old woman. Dominic’s mother, Malvina Delaney.”
Malvina Delaney stood in the shadows of the alcove sheltering the carved double doors. As the wagon drew closer, she stepped onto the flagstones of the courtyard. Elspeth judged her to be about sixty years old, her hair was still more brick-red than gray and her broad-boned face more interesting than attractive. She was tall and full-figured and wore a simple yet fashionable violet gown.
“It’s about time you came to your senses, Dominic.” Malvina Delaney said bluntly. Her tone of voice was unsoftened by the faint Irish lilt that enriched the sound of her words. “You should have brought the girl to me when the accident happened instead of calling on Silver. I tried to send Patrick to fetch you both when he told me about this foolishness, but the boy refused to budge from Killara.”
Silver stiffened. “There was no reason to bring her here. I took very good care of her. Better than you could have done.” She lifted her chin. “Better than anyone could have done. We had no need of you.”
“Then why are you here now?” The older woman asked dryly. “Just passing through?”
Dominic jumped down from the buckboard. “Be quiet, Silver.” He faced his mother. “We had to leave Hell’s Bluff. Something happened that made it difficult for Elspeth to stay.”
Malvina’s gaze flew swiftly to Elspeth, raking her in swift appraisal. “Is she with child?”
“No.” Dominic’s reply was as curt and blunt as the question.
Malvina’s expression reflected first skepticism and then disappointment. “Patrick said you hadn’t bedded her, but I thought …” She shrugged. “She must be sicker than Patrick believed.”
“You think a woman has to be on her deathbed to escape me?” Dominic’s lips twisted. “Well, I guess a mother should know her own son.”
Malvina nodded slowly. Her eyes glittered in the sunlight. “I know you.” She took a step closer and suddenly reached out, her arms enveloping him in a fierce embrace. “Welcome home,” she said huskily. “Don’t expect us to kill the fatted calf for you. As it is, we’ve had trouble rounding up enough cattle for a trail drive this year.”
Dominic’s arms came around her and gave her an equally fierce hug. “Patrick told me Da sold the south herd and the White Sulphur land to get the money to buy my pardon. It’s a wonder you even let me set foot on the place.”
“Patrick talks too much.” Malvina took a step back, her arms falling to her sides. “It was Shamus’s decision to sell. He wanted you free to come home.” Her gaze turned to Elspeth. “She’s a little pale and puny-looking, but if she’s what you want, I guess we can work her into some kind of—”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding,” Elspeth interrupted quickly. She instinctively straightened her spine and braced herself as if to withstand a gale-force wind. Indeed, she had felt she had been buffeted by those winds since Malvina Delaney had stepped out of the shadows to meet them. The woman exuded the same forceful presence as her son and Elspeth hadn’t a doubt about her passionate devotion to him or her willingness to permit him to have whatever took his fancy. “I thank you for your hospitality, but I’ll be staying only a few days, Mrs. Delaney.”
Malvina Delaney studied her coolly, her hazel eyes narrowed. “We don’t hold with formality here. My name is Malvina, and I seldom misunderstand my boys. Dominic has gone to a parcel of trouble for you, and he’s not a man to put himself out unless he has a reason. You could do worse than to take Dominic as your man.”
“That’s enough.” Dominic shook his head resignedly as he turned away from his mother. “I know better than try to change your mind when it’s set, but if you make Elspeth uncomfortable, I’ll have to take her away again.”
Malvina’s eyes widened in surprise. “I have no intention of making the girl uncomfortable. Fact is, I’m going to make sure she’s given every consideration; I’ll even move Brianne out of the best bedroom and let Elsepth have it.” She beamed at Dominic. “Why don’t you carry her upstairs while I go get Rosa to air out the clean linens?”
Dominic gazed at her suspiciously. “We’ll have to find a place for Silver to sleep. She’ll stay with Elspeth until she’s well again.”
Something flickered in Malvina’s eyes and then was gone as her glance touched on Silver and then slid away. “She can sleep with Rising Star. Joshua and Patrick are over at Shamrock helping Cort and Sean build the new barn.”
“What happened to the old one?” Dominic asked.
Malvina smiled grimly. “Anne’s boy, William. He was sneaking a smoke in the hayloft and managed to set the place on fire. At least he got the horses out before the barn went up.”
Dominic gave a low whistle. “I’ll bet Da skinned him alive.”
“He was tanned good and proper.” Malvina nodded. “Brianne felt sorry for him and begged Shamus to let him off with nothing more than a good hiding. She’s been over at Shamrock every day trying to keep William out of mischief while the men are raising the barn.”
Silver noticed the bewildered expression on Elspeth’s face and took pity on her. “Anne is the wife of Desmond Delaney, Dominic’s older brother. Desmond wanted a place of his own and Shamus built them a cabin across the San Pedro river and gave them enough cattle to start the Shamrock spread. Then when Desmond was killed in the war, Shamus sent Cort and Sean to run Shamrock and help Anne raise William.” She smiled grimly. “God knows she needs all the help she can get to tame that young hellion.”
“Then William is your cousin?” Elspeth’s brow wrinkled thoughtfully, trying to set the branches of the large family in place in her mind.
Silver hesitated, as her gaze locked with Malvina Delaney’s. Then she smiled slowly, her defiant eyes never leaving the older woman. “Yes, William is my cousin. You should have sent me to Shamrock to help with William, old woman. Who should know better how to handle a hellion than a savage?”
Malvina’s face betrayed no reaction to Silver’s challenge. She merely said, “Sean and Cort manage pretty well on their own.” She turned to Dominic. “Shamus is in the library. He’ll want to see you when you finish settling in.”
Dominic nodded as he walked to the back of the wagon. “I want to see him too.” He wrapped the blanket around Elspeth and picked her up in his arms.
??
?I can walk,” she protested even as her arms slid around his shoulders and her eyes met his. Her breath was suddenly shallow and she experienced the same melting heat she had known yesterday afternoon when he had told her he wanted her. No, that was not what he had said. He had told her he wanted a woman. All cats are gray in the dark. Then he had left her for Rina’s place and a woman to satisfy his lust. Still knowing that, she felt every muscle and bone in her body reacting to his touch. “I want to walk.”
His arms tightened around her. God, she mustn’t fight him now. Not now, when there were too many raw emotions tearing at his control, hovering just below the surface and waiting to break free. He turned toward the front door his mother had left ajar. “Just because you want to walk doesn’t mean it’s best for you to do so. Since I’ve met you, you haven’t shown many signs of having a well-developed sense of self-preservation. Don’t-worry, you won’t have to put up with me handling you for much longer.” Her eyes were wide and glistening with a breathless expectancy. Or was it fear? The answer seemed inconsequential to his body which responded as if she were stroking him. With an effort he pulled his gaze away from her, pushed open the door with his foot, then strode into the foyer.
Malvina gazed after them, her expression a mixture of triumph and satisfaction. “Patrick was right,” she murmured. “He wants her.”
“So?” Silver jumped down from the wagon, her eyes narrowed on Malvina’s face. “There is an entire whorehouse of women back in Hell’s Bluff who Dominic has wanted at one time or another.”
“Not like this.” Malvina didn’t take her gaze from the entrance through which Dominic had disappeared. “This one is different.” She added absently, “And, Silver, a good woman isn’t supposed to know about whorehouses, much less speak of them.”
Silver stared down at her in disbelief. She should have been accustomed to Malvina after all these years, but the old lady’s dual nature still managed to surprise her. The ruthless drive and practicality that made her a fitting match for Shamus should have been at odds with her facade of respectability. However, Malvina had managed to harness both her natural instincts and her ambitions so that they rode in tolerable, if not always comfortable, tandem. “But I am not a lady,” Silver said, softly taunting. “We all now what I am, don’t we, Malvina?”
Malvina’s gaze shifted to Silver’s face. For an instant Silver thought she saw a glimmer of compassion and the faintest trace of regret. Then her grandmother’s face was once again impassive. “Just because you’re a savage is no reason why you have to act like one. You’ve had a decent upbringing and Rising Star would be very displeased to hear you talking like a common guttersnipe.” Her lips tightened. “If you want to stay at Killara to take care of the girl, you’re going to have to watch your tongue. Brianne picks up enough bad language from her menfolks without you adding to it.”
Silver kept her expression totally free from any hint of pain. Why did she let the old lady’s words hurt her? She didn’t need the old man or his wife or any of the Delaneys. “I’ll say what I like. Do you think I care what you think of me? I wouldn’t be here if Elspeth didn’t need me, and the minute she is well, I will be gone.”
“Perhaps that would be wise. You’ve never been comfortable here.”
No, comfortable was certainly not the word for Silver’s feelings during her stays at Killara. Hunger, eagerness, resentfullness were far closer to the mark, but never had there been either security or comfort for her here. She raised her chin, her gray eyes glittering with defiance. “I did not choose to be here. I did not want you any more than you wanted me.” She started for the door, moving with grace and majestic pride. “And I do not want you now. I may say the word, but I am not a whore nor do I make others into whores to suit my ends as you do.”
“What do you mean?” Malvina’s brow was furrowed in a frown.
Silver looked over her shoulder. “You know what I mean. I saw your face when you realized Dominic wished to bed Elspeth. You think she may be used as a weapon to keep him here.”
“You’re speaking foolishness. I would do no—” She broke off as she met Silver’s contemptuous eyes and glared back at her with equal intensity. “Why not? He belongs here. Dominic hasn’t been back to Killara more than five times in the last ten years. Shamus and I have done without him long enough. If the girl can hold him, why shouldn’t he have her? He’s a fine man and there’s no reason why she should refuse him. She wants him between her legs as much as he wants to be there. You saw that as clearly as I did.”
Silver nodded. “I saw it. But she does not know that she wants him. Her head is full of clouds and dreams of lost cities.” She smiled icily. “And, until she does know she wants him, you are not going to push Dominic into bed with her, old woman. I’ll be here to see to that.”
“Will you?” Malvina smiled with a confidence that was not without a touch of pity. “Dominic has to be made to realize he has to stay here on Killara. It’s the only place he’ll be safe from Durbin, so don’t get in my way, Silver. I can’t afford to be kind.”
“Kind?” Silver laughed shakily. “I do not remember you ever being kind to me.”
“Don’t you?” Malvina’s smile faded and she suddenly looked old and terribly weary. “Perhaps you’re right. I think I tried to be kind at one time, but you were always a difficult child and the situation was … complicated.”
“Yes, I can see how ‘complicated’ it would be for you.” Silver turned away. “It was lucky I never needed your kindness. I did not care, you know.” She walked swiftly toward the door, carefully keeping her voice from betraying anything but scorn. “I never cared for any of you or your precious family. Not for a minute.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
“Your home is very grand,” Elspeth said breathlessly. She looked up at a black wrought-iron chandelier gracing the ceiling of the foyer. “I don’t see how you can bear to live away from this house. It looks very Latin.”
“Mexican.” Dominic was climbing the curving staircase, the heels of his boots clipping loudly on the polished mahogany steps. “It would be strange if it didn’t look Mexican. It was built by the vaqueros on the ranch, and their idea of a palace was their patron’s rancho back home in San Felipe. When Da told them he wanted a palace fit for a queen, this is what they built for him.
“A palace,” Elspeth repeated with an uncertain laugh. “Your father was obviously a very ambitious man. Did he want a kingdom to match his palace?”
He looked down at her in surprise. “Of course; he never intended anything else. That’s why he left Ireland and came to America. There he could remain only what he was, a reiver and a smuggler and my mother only a housemaid in a lord’s house. When Da married her, he promised he would give her a palace someday and that they would rule a land as wide and rich as all Ireland.”
“And she believed him?”
“You haven’t met Da yet. He’s not a man who makes a promise lightly. Killara isn’t quite as large as Ireland yet.” His lips tightened. “The first thing we have to do is get back the land Da sold last year and then branch out. I’ve been thinking that maybe we should start acquiring land in Texas. There’s not a hell of a lot of land in this territory that can support the herds we’re going to be running once the railroad comes in. Our herds are smaller than they could be, and the cattle lose too much of their fat on the trail drives to market.” His brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Maybe when one of my claims hits, I’ll be able to—” He broke off and looked down at her. “Why are you laughing?”
“I was just thinking that your father isn’t the only one with dreams of vast kingdoms,” she said. “I think you have a few aspirations in that direction yourself.”
The eagerness faded from Dominic’s expression. “Perhaps you’re right. I guess I like the idea of running a kingdom as much as he does. My father and I are cut from the same cloth. The only difference is that he’s a builder and I’m a destroyer.”
“What do you mean?” S
he had never seen him like this. They had reached a certain level of intimacy in these last few weeks, yet she realized now she didn’t really know him at all. She had never seen the eagerness or excitement that had illuminated him when he had spoken of his plans for Killara, nor had she seen the pain and bitterness that was on his face now.
He shrugged. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” He was walking swiftly down the corridor, passing a number of polished wood doors. “I think you’ll be comfortable in Brianne’s room. She was the first girl born in the family and we all kind of spoil her. If Killara is a kingdom, then Brianne is our princess.”
“She’s very lucky. It must be wonderful to be a member of such a large and close-knit family.” Elspeth tried to keep the wistfulness from her voice. “I hope she won’t mind me ousting her from her bedchamber.”
“Not Brianne. She doesn’t mind anything but being bored. To her, any change has to be for the better. It wouldn’t surprise me if she talks Da into letting her spend the night with some of her friends in the Mexican village.”
There was warm affection in his tone. It appeared Dominic was as fond of the Delaney “princess” as he was of her twin brother, Patrick. “Village? I didn’t see a village on the way here.”
Dominic paused in front of a door at the end of the hall and shifted his hold on her to open it. “It’s over the hill, beyond the family cemetery. Da wanted it close enough so that a shot could bring the vaqueros running when they were needed but far enough away to give us privacy.” He was striding toward a canopy bed whose rosewood headboard towered a startling nine feet and was crowned in the center with the carved head of a deer. The canopy and coverlet gracing the large bed were a rich bottle-green velvet. Plump, cozy pink roses patterned the thick beige carpet on the floor, and graceful green vines curved in feathery trails on cream-colored wallpaper. A black lacquer vanity and full-length oval mirror were luxuries a true princess would have envied, Elspeth mused. It was difficult not to compare this magnificent chamber with her own starkly ascetic room in her home in Edinburgh.