does terrible things to men, even honorable ones.”
“Should I include you in that assessment?”
Tristan’s face darkened. “I don’t care about such things.”
“Neither do I. I want my freedom. The chance to live a normal life. I’d wager you and the others wouldn’t last a minute in my position, yet you expect me to endure and to thank you for the restrictions. Where’s the fairness in that?”
“Who said life was fair?”
Heath spoke through his teeth. “A decent man would let me go.”
“I hope you know an insult isn’t going to sway me.”
“I’ll beg if I have to. Do you want me on my knees?”
Tristan growled. “Of course not.” He rubbed his forehead. “I can’t give you an immediate answer. I have to think about this.”
Heath threw up his hands. “How long will that take? Please don’t tell me years. I won’t last that long.”
“Has an island woman shown interest in you? If so, I want her name.”
“Why? Do you intend to lecture her?”
“No. Until Diana can speak fluent French, I’ll have to ask Gavra or Simone to keep the women in line when it comes to Englishmen, including you and your shipmates.” Irritation flashed across Tristan’s face. “Bloody hell. Have they been having the same problem as you?”
“I have no idea. They work in the fields or with the animals. We don’t converse now any more than we did on the ship. I only met them through Bishop.”
“Never mention that swine again.” Tristan paced the opulent room. Marble abounded along with silk coverings on the bed. “It isn’t bad enough I have no end of trouble with the crops, animals, and Peter, now I have your problems to consider.” He stopped and looked over. “You’ve yet to give me a name.”
“There is none.”
Tristan laughed. “Liar. I see the truth on your face. It’s Veronique, isn’t it?”
“I have no idea who that is. If she or the other women have shown interest, I wouldn’t know. On Royce’s orders, I’m not to look at or speak to the females here.”
“He’s a good man. You should follow his lead.”
“By wedding an island woman and getting her with child?”
Tristan planted his hands on his hips. “You bloody well know what I mean. Keep away from the women while I sort this out.”
“I want to leave with the islanders who come to trade. They should be here in weeks, surely no more than a few months. They have to travel before the cyclone season begins. To get rid of me even faster, Royce and the men here could take me to Mozambique in the Lady Lark or to the other natives’ isle as they did Bishop’s crew. Blindfold me. Keep me in the hold so I don’t know the route. Bishop never told me. I wasn’t his captain or quartermaster. Without the knowledge, I could never repeat it to another soul. Not that I would anyway. I give you my word.”
“Which counts for nothing if pirates waylay the ship and beat what information you do know out of you or scuttle the sloop and everyone drowns. At that point, I’d have Simone’s and the other women’s grief to contend with, plus worrying about a possible attack on these shores. No thank you. Why didn’t you consider this before you agreed to stay here?”
Heath could barely contain his outrage. He squeezed his fists to keep from shaking. “What choice did you allow me? It was either give you my allegiance as a free man, or be a slave for life to the other islanders, the same as Canela and the pirate everyone calls Yellow Scarf. No one said I’d never lie with a woman for the rest of my days. If they had, I would have spared you this trouble and shot myself.”
Tristan’s mouth jerked again.
Heath clenched his jaw. “This isn’t funny.”
“No one is laughing. Nor do I wish you ill. You have proved repeatedly you can be a good man, but that doesn’t give you license to behave as an islander. This is their land, not mine. We must respect their people, in particular, the women. If we don’t, they could revolt, then where would we be? There are no habitable islands around here, save this one. I expect you to remember that while I speak with James and Royce to determine the best course. I’m sorry for the suffering you have to endure, but these things can’t be rushed. You’ll simply have to understand and behave yourself. That above all.” He left the room.
Heath sagged against the wall, no further now than he’d been days before. Tristan could drag this out for months, clear to the storm season when the weather trapped everyone here. After that, he could conveniently forget the problem. By then, Diana would most likely carry a second child. So would Simone and Gavra and countless other women. Peter could be wed. Aimee too. And Netta, despite her hand. They’d have children. They might expect him to care for the babes until he died from loneliness or old age.
He tore into the courtyard.
The women looked up from their looms, the wash, and the potter’s wheels.
Heath raced to the wall.
Gavra shouted, “Where are you going?”
Heath had no idea. He dashed into the forest. Bushes and trees rushed past. The cliff came up sharply. He veered before he shot over the side, bolted the way he’d come then back once more. A futile race to nowhere that he couldn’t stop until his calves ached, feet hurt, and lungs burned.
He sank to the ground and could have cried. Despite his fatigue and pain, the clean, sweet air reminded him of Netta and Aimee. Their lips on him. Hands searching, arousing, comforting.
Everything he could never have.
Chapter 4
The morning dawned brighter than any other, the sky clear, breeze warm. A good omen Aimee wasn’t about to waste. She hurried to the basin in her and Netta’s mud house, washed, combed her hair, and rubbed fragrant petals over herself.
Netta tied a yellow cloth around her hips. “If you take all my flowers, what will I use?”
Aimee snatched two silk sacks and tossed the bright red one to Netta. “We can pick more.”
“Before we eat?”
Excitement chased away Aimee’s hunger. Yesterday, she’d learned where Heath would be this morning. “We can bring food with us and eat as we work. Diana wants berries for her bread. In the loaf, I think. If what Gavra makes tastes good, we can have as much as we want.”
“If Diana chooses the right words in French. Many times, she still doesn’t. Gavra’s berry bread could end up feeding the birds. We best stuff our bellies before we gather anything.”
“I can see to what Gavra needs. You should pick leaves and petals for Simone’s potions.”
Netta sagged. “They look the same no matter what she says. What if I choose poisonous ones rather than those
