Embrace the Day by Susan Wiggs Read Free Book Online Page B

whispered.
    He nodded. "There's nothing a man wants more than a child from his wife."

    "I think I'd like to start writing in my journal again," Prudence announced one day. "Genevieve, do you think you could find it in that bag under the bunk?"
    Genevieve was astounded at Prudence's rapid improvement, for she'd been so horribly weak. But Roarke's pleasure at the prospect of the baby seemed to give her strength. She searched for Prudence's little calf-bound volume, but it wasn't to be found.
    "Are you sure you brought it, Pru?" she asked.
    "Of course I did,—" Prudence's hand flew to her mouth. "Dear God, Genevieve, I left it in London! I remember now, I was hurrying so in my packing—"
    "Don't worry; you'll have another one in Virginia."
    "But you don't understand, Genevieve. That journal contains my innermost thoughts; it was my only outlet for the longest time. If anyone should read it—"
    Genevieve patted her hand. "Does it really matter, Pru? You'll never see any of those people again. I'm glad you left the journal; you don't want to drag old secrets into your new life with you."
    "You're right, Genevieve," Prudence admitted. "Ah, I'm lucky, aren't I, to have Roarke. He's been more gentle than ever since learning about the baby."
    "I'd best be going," Genevieve said suddenly. It never failed to bother her that Prudence had become complacent about Roarke, that she took all he offered her without a bit of guilt.
    With Prudence on the mend, Genevieve spent more time alone over the final two weeks of the voyage. She tried not to rise to Nell Wingfield's taunts or to fight with the women over cooking their meals on the smoky little fire-box in the galley. She found herself thinking more than ever about her new home in Virginia. She even began to wonder, as she never had before, about the husband who awaited her.

    Virginia's shores rose like a gray-green lump on the hazy horizon.
    "It won't be long now," Roarke said, coming to stand behind Genevieve at the rail.
    She looked around sharply. As he stood staring at her, she became suddenly aware of her unkempt state. It had been weeks since she'd looked in a mirror, but she knew she was at her worst. She refused to feel ashamed. She lifted her chin proudly and looked into the wind as Roarke Adair spoke.
    "You must be anxious to meet Culpeper," he ventured.
    "Perhaps."
    "It's not so bad, marrying a stranger. It worked out well for Prudence and me. Still, you mustn't expect too much, Gennie. I've been talking to Piggot, and he admits Culpeper is somewhat older than you and a bit loose with his money."
    Genevieve sniffed. "I hardly expected a prince."
    He smiled, the lines of his rugged face suddenly soft. "What an odd little bird you are, Gennie. Somehow I get the impression you don't think much of yourself."
    "Why should I? My life was spent in a house where I was treated no better than a dog. My future was gambled away for the price of a round of cards. That's hardly the way a person of any worth is treated. I have no overblown sense of my own value, Mr. Adair." She spoke matter-of-factly, without a hint of self-pity.
    Roarke smiled again. "You're hiding, Gennie."
    "What the hell—"
    "That's just what I mean. You're hiding behind the rough talk and bravado of a razor-tongued guttersnipe. But inside, I know there's a sensitive girl with a loving heart, as surely as I know that beneath the grime and ragged clothes is a woman of uncommon beauty. I saw it the first time I laid eyes on you."

Chapter Four

    The port of
Yorktown hummed with activity as the
Blessing
was brought to dock. Grand houses fronted the wide mouth of the river. Frame and brick buildings mingled along a few paved streets. Stores and warehouses were built with the river at one door, the street at another. Genevieve watched avidly, her attention arrested by the green palisades of the forest beyond the town, the wild, tall cedars and pines and the bushes that exploded with blossoms of a deep pink color.
    The