Taboo

Keywords: Mick, Dick, 31, Ch., the,

However, he was caught off guard when Eliza came sweeping through the dining room door just before he finished his meal. He scanned her briefly and noted that she looked fresh and pretty in a charming pink dress. She usually didn't make an appearance until nearly noon, and Trevor couldn't keep the amazement from his face. She ignored his obvious surprise and smiled at him with a calculating gleam in her brown eyes.

"Good morning, Trevor darling. I hope you don't mind if I join you for breakfast." She warbled the words as she carefully helped her plate from the sideboard, and it was clear from her tone that she didn't expect him to mind in the least.

Trevor kept his face carefully blank and concentrated on finishing his breakfast. "Of course you are welcome to eat whenever you like, Eliza."

She sat on his right side, just as usual, but she slid her chair over until her arm brushed against his. "Did you sleep well," she inquired sweetly, leaning far over to reach the butter and brushing her breasts against his arm in the process.

Trevor withdrew his arm from the table and gave her a frown. "Yes, I did," he stated flatly.

"I didn't sleep at all well," she sighed. "I really don't like sleeping alone." She flashed him a sultry smile.

Trevor dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter and pinned her with a cold stare. "What exactly is your game, Eliza? It should be clear to you that it is over between us. You closed the door to the possibility of us ever being together when you eloped with another man."

Eliza bit her lip and gave him a pleading look. "I know I hurt you, darling. It wasn't my intention, but I know that I did."

"What do you mean it wasn't your intention?" he sneered. "You came to me and gave yourself to me, mewling about how much you loved me, while all the time you were planning to wed another man the following day. How could you have possibly believed that it wouldn't hurt me?"

Eliza leaned toward him, reaching to grasp his hand and bring it to her bosom as she pleaded for his understanding. "Oh my darling! If you had any idea how my heart ached from leaving you! However, it was the only way to save my family and our plantation. We hadn't planned as carefully as your father. There was no stash of gold coins to use to pay the taxes and start over. John promised to pay the expenses necessary to rebuild, and I felt obligated to marry him."

As she spoke, Eliza caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye, and she glimpsed Leanna making her way down the stairs. Eliza was careful not to let on that she knew of Leanna's presence as she gave Trevor her best pleading look.

Trevor's back was to the door, and he was unaware of his wife's approach. He felt disgusted as he watched Eliza begging for his forgiveness. He would have sympathized with her, but he knew her reasons had been much more selfish than she was letting on.

"You could have at least been honest with me," he stated flatly. "I would have never made love to you, had I known that you didn't intend to marry me. You have no idea how many times I have regretted that night we spent together. I offered you everything, and you tossed me aside without a backward glance."

Eliza's eyes filled with tears, and she went down on her knees beside his chair. Her voice was very soft, as she reached up to touch his cheek. "Oh darling, I have never regretted that night. It was then that we made a baby together." She saw the shock register on his face, and she rushed on before he could respond. "You have a beautiful daughter, Trevor. I have loved her all these many years, just as I have loved you."

Trevor was shaking his head with disbelief as he stared at her, mouth agape. "I don't believe that she's my daughter and not your husband's."

Eliza gave him a secretive smile. "On our wedding night, John was called away on urgent business before we had a chance to consummate our vows. He was gone for several weeks, and by the time he returned, I had already missed my monthly time. I knew then I was carrying your child, but he never knew the baby wasn't his."

Trevor felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He hadn't imagined he had a daughter, and he froze for several moments, completely stunned by the news.

Knowing that Leanna was watching, Eliza wanted to make sure she would think the very worst. Eliza leaned over Trevor's legs, gripping his hands in her own and clutching them to her bosom as she looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Your daughter's name is Miranda. She is four years old, and she has your beautiful blue eyes."

Leanna stood just outside the dining room door, and she pressed a trembling hand over her mouth to stifle her shocked gasp. She couldn't resist a peek around the corner. Her stomach churned when she saw that Eliza was lying halfway across Trevor's lap, her bosom clearly on display for him and with his hand caressing her breast. Leanna jerked back out of sight, beginning to tremble with shock and suppressed tears.

Leanna felt as if her heart was breaking. She had never dreamed that the two of them had been intimate, much less that Trevor already had a daughter by the other woman! Suddenly, Leanna felt as if her world was crashing down around her ears. Eliza was literally throwing herself at Trevor, and he wasn't rejecting her. Even if he stayed with Leanna, how could she ever be confident in her position as his wife after this? She quickly retreated on silent feet, praying that they wouldn't see her leaving.

Trevor sat stunned for several long moments simply too surprised to react, before he realized that Eliza was lying across his lap, with his hand clutched to her bosom. He snatched his hand back as if he had been burned and stood up, brushing her roughly off his lap. He crossed to the window to look out over his fields, raking a hand through his thick, wavy locks. Eliza came to stand beside him and tried to wrap her arms around his waist, but he firmly held her away from him and glared down at her with a black frown.

"Don't touch me," he growled. "You gave up the right to do that when you married another man." He ignored her gasp of surprise and continued in a deadly calm voice. Only the muscles working in his cheek betrayed the degree of his displeasure. "I will remind you once again, I'm married to Leanna. Your revelation changes nothing."

"How can you say that? Don't you want to be part of your daughter's life? She needs you! She needs her father."

Trevor eyed her coldly. "If you wanted me to be her father, you should have asked your husband for an annulment of your vows once you realized you were carrying my child!"

Eliza began to cry, tears rolling down her lovely cheeks as she pleaded with him. "Trevor, don't you understand? I was terrified that you wouldn't have wanted me. By then, I knew I was pregnant, and I was too afraid to come back, begging you to take me. I wish with all my heart that I had done that, because I'm sure we belong together! We could still be happy together."

Trevor watched her with disgust. He couldn't say whether he would have rejected her all those years ago, but it was pointless to speculate at this point in time. "Eliza, we will never know whether we would have been happy together or not. As for now, I already have a wife, and I have no intention of abandoning her to resume a life with you. I love Leanna." He blinked, wondering why it had been so easy to blurt the words to Eliza when he couldn't seem to tell Leanna.

Eliza clung to his arm and shook her head in vehement denial. "But you don't love her! I know that you are still in love with me, just as I have never loved anyone except you! Oh, my darling, don't you see? We were meant for each other!"

Trevor withdrew his arm from her grasp and shook his head. "No, Eliza, you are wrong. I love my wife very much. In fact, I didn't realize just how much I love her until this moment. Your coming here was the best thing that could have happened, because facing you has finally helped me bury the past. My future is with Leanna, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to make her happy."

Eliza took a step back as if she had been struck, and her face registered clear horror. "No," she mewled, shaking her head in denial of his statement. "I'll never believe that you are in love with her. I'm the only woman for you! I can make you happy!" Her eyes took on a wild, slightly crazed look as she backed away from him. "I just have to be patient until you see that I'm right. I have to make you see that we belong together!" With that, she turned and fled from the room, climbing the stairs with all the dignity she could muster.

Trevor watched her go with a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He knew that she wouldn't let go of her notion of a reconciliation between them easily, and he was worried about the effect her interference might have in his marriage. His relationship with Leanna was still new and fragile, especially given the fact that he hadn't told his wife that he loved her.

He stared out the window for a long time, before he finally released a deep sigh. There wasn't anything to be done this morning. He had pressing duties to attend, and Leanna was still asleep. He would speak with her when he returned tomorrow evening.

He made his way to the stables and saddled Stygian, his favorite stallion. The two of them seemed to be of one mind, as they raced across the fields, letting the crisp January air clear the cobwebs from his brain, until his thoughts coalesced into rational thoughts. When he returned home after this trip, he would tell Leanna everything. It was far better if she heard the news from him than from Eliza. He could only hope that if he confirmed his own feelings for her, Leanna would be willing to stand by him while he dealt with Eliza.

***********

Leanna sat alone in their bedroom, stunned by what she had overheard.

Keywords: Mick, Dick, 31, Ch., the,