Johanna Lindsey - Captive Bride

"He didn't mean to shoot me."

"I know! It was me he was aiming at. Did it occur to you, madam, that I might want to press charges?"

"I wish you wouldn't, Philip," Christina said quietly. "Tommy regrets what he did. He asked me to apologize to you. He—"

"You've talked to him already?" Philip interrupted.

"Yes. He came to see me this morning."

"And now you're pleading with me for his freedom." Philip leaned back in the chair as if a heavy weight pressed him against it. "You must really love him."

"I grew up with Tommy. We were close friends until he decided he loved me. But I didn't love him in the same way."

"But you were going to be wed?"

"He asked me to marry him the first day I came home and every day after that until I couldn't stand it anymore. I told him no, but he wouldn't give up. I went to Victory to get away from Tommy, but he started all over again when I returned home. I asked John to make Tommy leave me alone, but he took Tommy's side. I never expected to see you again, so I gave up. I agreed to marry Tommy because everyone wanted me to. We were friends and I loved him as a friend—I still do. When he came to say good-bye this morning, he was like his old self again."

"Good-bye?"

"Yes, he's gone to join the army. I'll miss him. When I broke off our engagement he went crazy from jealousy, but he's all right now. Do you still wish to press charges against him?"

"No. If he's gone, I wish him luck. So you only thought of him as a close friend?"

"Yes."

Philip laughed boisterously. He leaned forward in the chair.

"I'm going to tell you what I should have told you a long time ago. I love you, Tina, I always have. My life isn't worth living without you. I want to take you home with me—to Victory. I will understand if you say no, but I have to ask you. And if you agree, I won't press you for anything. I know you hate me for the misery I've caused you, but I can live with your hatred as long as I can live with you."

Christina started crying. She couldn't believe it.

"You don't have to give me an answer now, Tina."

She flew off the bed and knelt before him. Her arms circled his waist as if she would never let go. Philip lifted her face to his and stroked her hair gently, his eyes soft and searching.

"Does this mean you will come with me?"

"Philip, how could you think otherwise? How can you believe I hated you? I love you with all my being. I guess I have from the beginning, but I didn't realize it until Ali Hejaz stole me away from you. I would have stayed with you in Egypt forever if you hadn't sent me away. And when you did, I went through all the anguish of hell until I learned I was carrying your child. Philip Junior gave me a reason to go on living."

"Please, Tina, don't lie to me. I didn't send you away. You left mel"

"But I'm not lying, Philip. I still have the note Rashid gave me after you left for Yamaid Alhabbal's camp. I didn't believe it at first. But when Rashid told me that you wanted to marry Nura, I gave up and went with him."

"I left you no note, Tina. I went to Yamaid's camp to invite his tribe to our wedding. When I came back—"

"Our wedding!"

"Yes—I had begun to think you really cared for me. I wanted to marry you to make sure that I would never lose you. I planned our wedding as a surprise. But when I came back, I found you gone, and— Let me see that note."

Christina reluctantly let go of him and went to her dresser. From the top drawer she took out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Rashid!" Philip bellowed after reading the note. "I should have known! If it's the last thing I do, I'll go back to Egypt and kill that bastard."

"I don't understand."

"Rashid wrote this note! He left me one signed with your name asking me not to follow you. I thought you had tricked me that last month. I thought you'd only pretended to be happy so I'd trust you alone and you could make your escape."

"How could you believe that, Philip? I was never more happy in my life than I was that last month with you. I couldn't have pretendedthat kindof happiness."She smiled lovingly and caressed the back of his neck. "But why would Rashid do such a thing?"

"He must have hoped I would follow you back to England and not return. Rashid has always hated me because I was our father's favorite and because I became leader of the tribe. Being sheik meant more to him than anything. I understood this, and I let him have his way in many things. But he went too far to gain what he wanted. He planned your abduction and my death at Sheik Ali's hands. When I learned the truth from Amine's brother, I searched for Rashid everywhere, but he was not to be found. I finally gave up. I just couldn't stand living in that land anymore with your memory haunting me everywhere I looked. But Rashid cannot be forgiven. He made us waste a whole year of loving each other."

"It would have been pretty difficult during part of that year," Christina laughed. "But it doesn't matter—as long as we have each other now, and forever." She paused. "But what about Estelle? You told her you desired her."

Philip laughed. "Only because I knew you were listening, my sweet. Why do you think I left the door open?"

Philip stood up and pulled Christina into his arms. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and Christina thought she would faint with ecstasy. Philip held her face between his hands and kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her lips.

"Will you marry me, Tina? Will you live with me and share my lif e and love me always?"

"Oh, yes, my love, forever. And I will never hide my feelings from you again."

"Nor I from you."

"But something still puzzles me, Philip. Why have you treated me so coldly from the first moment you came here?"

"Because, my sweet, I came here to marry you, but walked in to hear you accepting a proposal from another man. I was so filled with rage that I couldn't see straight."

"You were jealous?" she asked merrily, running her finger along his cheek.

"Jealous! I've never been jealous!" He walked away and locked her bedroom doors. He pulled her roughly against him again. "If I ever catch you looking sideways at another man, I will beat the daylights out of you!"

"Will you really?" She looked surprised.

"No," he murmured. His eyes were dancing with devilry as he slid the black robe off her shoulders. "You won't be out of bed long enough to give me reason."

THEY had been married six months, six blissful months. Christina still found it hard to believe Philip was hers. She wanted to be near him every minute, to touch him, to hear his sweet words of love filling her heart with happiness.

"Have you forgotten the wager I made you last night?" Philip asked when she came into their bedroom carrying a breakfast tray. "I believe the stakes were a morning spent leisurely in bed—and I won."

"I haven't forgotten, my love, but you were still sleeping when I awoke. I thought you might like something to tide you over until lunch."

"More likely you wanted something to tide you over. The way you've been eating lately, I'm beginning to think you care more for food than for me," he teased. He took the tray from her hands and set it on the black-marble table in front of the couch.

"That's not true, and you know it," Christina said, pretending to pout.

"Well, you shouldn't have carried the tray up yourself. In the future, let the servants earn their wages."

"You know very well, my lord, that the servants are not allowed to come near your bedroom when the door is closed. You gave the order yourself, the second day of our honeymoon. A maid came in to change the linens and found us still abed. Your rage scared the wits out of the poor girl."

"And with good reason," Philip chuckled. "But what kept you so long? I've been up for almost an hour and was about to come after you. When I win a wager, I expect to collect in full, not just half measure."

"Every time we've played poker these last months, I’ve lost. I'm beginning to think you let me win intentionally when you taught me the game back in Egypt."

"You wouldn't wager with me then, if you'll remember. But now that the stakes are well worth winning, I prefer to win. Then again, perhaps you prefer to lose."

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" she teased, reclining on the velvet couch.

"Isn't it so?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"My love, you don't need a deck of cards and a game of chance to get me to spend the morning in bed with you —or the entire day, for that matter. You should know that by now."

"I spent so many months thinking you hated me, Tina, that now it's hard to believe our happiness is real," Philip said.

He took her face in his hands and looked at her with glowing warmth in his eyes. "No man has the right to be as happy as you've made me by giving me your love. I can't believe you are really mine."

Christina came into Philip's arms, clinging to him tightly.

"We must forget about the eleven months we were separated," she whispered, "forget about the doubt we once shared. We were both fools not to speak of our love then. But I know now that you love me as I do you. I will never, never leave you."

She leaned back and looked at him, a spark suddenly coming to her eyes. "And if another woman should ever capture your fancy, let me inform you now, Philip Caxton, that I would fight for you! You told me once that nobody takes what is yours. Well, no woman will ever take what is mine!"

"Such a spitfire I have married," he chuckled. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be a jealous and possessive wife?"

"Are you sorry you married me?" she asked.

"You know the answer to that. Now tell me what kept you so long downstairs. You're not trying to avoid my bed, are you, my sweet?"

"That I will never do. I just stopped for a few minutes to see Philip Junior. He was trying to walk again without holding onto anything. He's so cute when he does that. Emma also gave me a letter—from Kareen."

"And I suppose you want to read it right now? Go ahead," he said.

She smiled and quickly opened the letter. After she had read it silently for a few minutes, she started to laugh. "Well, it's about time."

"What is?" Philip asked.

"Kareen is going to have a baby. John must be so happy, and I imagine Johnsy is, too. She was so upset when we left taking away her baby, as she called Philip Junior. She'll be glad to have another one in the house."

"That's good news, and I'm happy for them. But it's about time we enlarged our own little family." Philip grinned devilishly. "And we can start working on it right now."

He picked her up and carried her to their big four-postered bed still tousled from the night's sleep. He kissed her tenderly, his lips soft, pliant, moving ever so slowly over hers. He kissed her throat, her shoulder, and lowered her onto the bed.

His smoldering green eyes were alight with anticipation. He slipped out of his velvet robe and helped Christina take off her dress. She opened her arms to him, and their bodies entwined closely. He kissed her again, with the fiery temper of love.

Suddenly he raised himself on one elbow and smiled lazily at her.

"I rather like the idea of having a big family," he said. "You won't mind having another child so soon, will you?"

"You should have asked me that question a month ago. I have no choice in the matter now. In eight months there will be an addition to our family," Christina grinned.

"But why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked joyfully.

"I was waiting for the right moment. I hope we have a girl this time."

"No, that won't do. We'll have three or four boys first— then you can have the girl you want."

"But why?"

"Because if our daughter looks anything like you, my sweet, she's going to need all the protection she can get."

"Well, let's just wait and see. I'm afraid we won't have much say in the matter."

"I suppose this is why you've been eating so much lately," he said. "Well, this time I'll be around to watch you bloom with motherhood."

Christina frowned slightly, remembering how big she'd grown with Philip Junior. But Philip smiled.

"It's our child that will grow within you. And in my eyes you will be more beautiful than you are now—if that is possible. I love you, Tina."