She would never forget the way he had kissed her. Not if she never-saw
him again, not if she lived to be a hundred and two.
He wouldn't ever let himself be run by a woman. That was what Monahah
had said. But if he came with her, he would feel he had been trapped
into doing it. He had been forced to say he would come with her to calm
down Clara.
But if he stayed. Then it might be worse, because if he stayed after he
had stated he would go, it would be because he had been ordered to
stay--because of Eliza.
He's torn between the two of us, Tess thought. And which one of us will
win?
They had come to the Casey house. Monahah opened her door and lit a
lantern for her, then looked around the small building.
'Seems clear,' he said.
'Why, Lieutenant, this is a cavalry outpost! What would I be afraid of
here?' 'Never can be too careful,' Monahah said cheerfully. 'We learn
that out here, ma'am.'
'Yes, I'm sure you do,' she said softly.
'Well, thank you. I do feel quite safe now.'
He told her good-night and left. Tess sat down on the foot of the bed
and slipped off her black leather dance slippers.
Then she paused, feeling as if something in the place wasn't quite
fight.
She stood up and looked around. She hadn't had much brought in from the
wagon, but one trunk was shifted away from the wall when she was certain
she had left it against the wall. Her brush, which she had set on the
small vanity, had fallen to the floor.
She picked up the brush and set it on the vanity. Then she walked over
to the trunk and opened it.
It wasn't in wild disarray, but she knew someone had been into it.
She always folded her clothing meticulously and kept it in defined
piles, her flatiron on the bottom of the chest, her heavy skirts next to
it, her light blouses and lingerie on top. Things had been moved.
She sat again. Maybe Monahah was fight. You never could be too careful.
There was no one in the little house now, but there had been. Who?
Eliza. Tess was certain of it. She smiled.
'Eliza,' she whispered softly.
'I've been dealing with the likes of yon Heusen. Fighting you is going
to be easy.'
She finished undressing, slipped on the borrowed nightgown and crawled
beneath the covers. Her eyes wouldn't close, though. She was ready to
deal with Eliza. But what if she had already lost the battle?
There was no way she could know until morning. It was a horrible night.
She pt feeling Jamie's kiss upon her lips again and again. And no matter
how she fought it, she k~pt imagining that kiss falling against her
throat, her palm. and Other places.
She slept very late. D~pite the bugles and the commotion of a company
heading out for a day's scouting, when Tess finally slept, she did so
deeply and well. It was nearly noon when she imagined she heard a sharp
