Captive Bride

Chapter Thirty-three

CHRISTINA awoke to her son's loud crying. She grabbed her robe and ran into the nursery. She glanced about the room to make sure Philip wasn't there, then walked to the bassinet. Philip Junior stopped crying when he saw her, but still thrashed his arms and legs. She had been blessed with a son who slept through the night. But when morning came, he would not be kept waiting any longer, and he made sure she knew it.

She changed him, then sat down in the rocker to satisfy his hunger. While he suckled, Christina thought again of what Philip had called him. Our son. It had such a natural ring to it. She had always thought of Philip Junior as her son, or as Philip's son.

She put Philip Junior back in his bassinet and moved it into the sunlight streaming through the window. She gave him a few toys to keep him happy until it was time for his bath, and went into her own room to prepare for her confrontation with Tommy.

The small clock on the mantel showed ten after seven, but Christina had no doubt that Tommy would be downstairs any second. She chose a low-cut, deep-violet satin dress with long, tight-fitting sleeves. Hardly a dress for morning wear, but she hoped it would distract Tommy from his anger.

Christina decided on her ruby-studded pins to hold her curls in place, and her long, dangling earrings of small rubies. She didn't wear the matching necklace for fear it would hide what she wanted Tommy to see. With a last turn before her full-length mirror, Christina was satisfied with her appearance.

Christina went downstairs and was glad to find that Tommy hadn't arrived yet. At least she would be able to have breakfast in peace. She went directly to the counter filled with covered serving dishes in the dining room, and filled a plate. From the half-emptied dishes she judged that John and Philip had already eaten, and had probably left the house.

After Christina finished her meal, she got up to pour another cup of tea. When she turned around again, Tommy was standing in the doorway. He was handsomely dressed in a suede riding outfit and held a crop in his right band. As she'd hoped, his brown eyes were drawn straight to the low neckline barely concealing her full, rounded breasts.

She smiled warmly. "I didn't hear you come in, Tommy, but never mind. Come and join me for a cup of tea."

"What?" He finally looked up to meet her eyes.

"I said, come and have a cup of tea."

"Yes." He came over to her, gazing hungrily at her breasts. "Christina, how can you wear such a dress in the morning? It's—"

"Don't you like my dress, Tommy?" She smiled beguilingly. "I wore it just for you."

Tommy melted. He pulled her into an embrace. His lips searched hers, yet she felt no deep trembling of excitement. She didn't feel the fires that surfaced every time Philip kissed her.

"It is a beautiful dress, Crissy." He held her at arms' length and studied her from head to foot. "I don't mind your wearing it now Caxton is gone."

•Tommy."

"God, Crissy, you don't know what I've been going through since that man came. It's been hell! I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I couldn't do a damn thing. I could only think that he'd been your lover."

"Tommy."

"But everything is going to be just fine now. Tell me, did John kick him out last night, or did he leave this morning?"

Christina sighed wearily. "Philip isn't leaving, Tommy."

He looked as if he'd been slapped unexpectedly across the face, but she went on quickly.

"John believed me when I told him that nothing happened last night It was all perfectly innocent, Tommy— nothing did happen. Philip Caxton doesn't want me anymore— You've seen how he acts with Estelle. There's no reason for you to be upset."

"No reason!" Tommy stormed. "He was in your room, and you were—you were undressed! Do you call that nothing? I won't have him here any longer, Christina. I won't have it!"

"Now, Tommy, stop it! Philip has a right to stay here. His son is here."

"I'll talk to John about this! That man is not going to remain in this house with you!"

'This is my house as much as it is John's!" Christina yelled. "And I say Philip can stay here."

"Damn it!" He slammed the riding crop down on the table.

"Tommy," she said, "Philip is here only because of his son—not because of me. Can't you understand that?"

"Then why in God's name don't you give him his son?"

"You can't be serious," Christina laughed.

"If all Caxton wants is his son, give him to the man. I never wanted the brat, anyway," Tommy said bitterly. "We'll have sons of our own, Christina, just as soon as we're married. My sons!"

Slowly Christina said, "I'm thankful you told me how you feel about Philip Junior before we were married. Now there will be no marriage. If you don't want my son, I can't possibly marry you, Tommy."

"Christina!"

"You don't understand how I feel about my child, do you? He is my baby, Tommy, and I love him with all my heart. Nothing on this earth could make me give him up."

"You never intended to marry me, did you?" Tommy screamed, bis face contorted. A cold chill went down Christina's spine. "You've loved that man all along! Well, you won't have him, Christina. Mark my words! Philip Caxton will regret the day he ever came into this house. And so will you!"

"Tommy!" she screamed. But he ran from the house, slamming the entrance door behind him.

Christina started to shake uncontrollably. What was she going to do? What was Tommy going to do? She had to find Philip and warn him, but she had no idea where he was.

Christina ran up the stairs two at a time. She went straight into Philip's room and closed the door. She would wait for him here. Oh, Philip—please hurry! Tommy was like a madman!

Twenty minutes passed while Christina paced the floor in Philip's room. They seemed like hours. She kept going over what Tommy had said, wondering what he had meant When she heard footsteps in the corridor, she held her breath, praying it was Philip. When the door opened, she almost fainted with relief.

"What the devil are you doing here? Are you trying to pay me back for last night?" Philip asked coldly. He came into the room taking off his heavy riding jacket.

Christina was stung by his harshness, but she remembered why she was here.

"Philip, I came here to warn you. Tommy made a threat against you, and he was acting so oddly that I—"

"Don't be absurd, Christina!" Philip cut her off. "You asked me to leave your room last night, and now I am asking you to leave mine. Your brother has made it quite clear that he doesn't want us alone again."

"Did he say that?"

"Not exactly, but it amounted to the same thing," he returned.

"But Philip, Tommy said he would make you regret ever coming here. He—"

"Do you actually imagine that I give a damn what Huntington says? I assure you, madam, I can take care of myself." He turned away from her, leaving her in a state of confusion. "If your young lover attempts anything, I will try not to hurt him. Now kindly get out of my room!" " Christina grabbed Philip's arm and turned him back to face her, her stormy blue eyes clashing with his angry green ones.

"I think he means to kill you! Can't you get that through your thick head, damn it?"

"Quite right, Christina, that is exactly what I intend to do," said Tommy.

Christina felt suddenly sick, and she felt the muscles tense in Philip's arm. She turned slowly to look at Tommy standing in the doorway. He held two pistols pointed directly at Philip.

"I knew I'd find you two together. Well, your warning was a little too late, Christina. Nothing is going to save your lover now." He laughed shortly.

She forced herself to speak despite the feeling that she would faint at any moment. 'Tommy, you can't do this! It's—it's murder 1 You are throwing your own life away."

"Do you think I give a damn about my life anymore? I don't care what happens to me as long as he dies. And he is going to die, Christina—right before your eyes. Do you think I don't know you have been sleeping with him all the time we were engaged? Do you think I'm that much of a fool?"

"It's not true, Tommy!" Christina cried. She edged around in front of Philip, but he pushed her aside forcefully and she fell back against the bed.

"Just stay out of the way, Christina. This is between Huntington and myself," Philip said harshly.

"Very touching," Tommy laughed. "But I don't intend to shoot Christina."

'Tommy, listen to me!" Christina pleaded. She had to stop him! She pushed herself off the bed and faced Tommy, her breasts heaving. "I'll go away with you, Tommy. I'll marry you today. Only please, please, put the pistols down."

"You're lying. You've always lied to me!"

"I'm not lying, Tommy. This is insane! You have no reason to be jealous of Philip. I don't love him, Tommy. He doesn't want me and I don't want him. How could I want him after what he did to me? Please—you've got to listen to reason! I'll leave with you today, and we'll never mention this again. Tommy, please!"

"That's enough, Christina! You're playing me for a fool again, and I won't have it. You have always wanted him, so don't try to tell me otherwise!" Tommy raged, the muscles twitching in his cheek. "All the time we were engaged you wouldn't even let me touch you, but you've let him put his hands on you, haven't you? Well, no more! You won't have him, Christina—nor his son." Tommy laughed again when he heard her gasp, but he kept a steady eye on the motionless Philip. "Did you think I would leave that brat alive to remind you of him? No, Christina—they will both die! I have two bullets, one for each of them."

"You will have to use them both on me, Huntington. And even then I will tear you apart." Philip's voice was calm but deadly.

"I doubt that, Caxton—I am an excellent shot. My first bullet will find your heart, and that will leave me one to kill that bastard son of yours. She will have nothing left of you." He paused and stared blankly at the floor. "You were all I ever wanted, Crissy, but they took you away from me." He looked up at Philip, and the madness returned to his eyes.

Tommy raised one of the pistols and aimed straight at Philip's heart. A bloodcurdling scream escaped Christina, and she plunged forward just as Tommy fired. Philip had stepped aside to avoid the bullet, but he was able to catch Christina in his arms as she collapsed, blood pouring from a head wound.

Christina felt that she was falling, falling in slow motion and spinning around and around. Everything flashed red before her eyes—and then blackness engulfed her.

"Oh my God. What have I done? I've killed her!" " Tommy cried. The color drained from his face, and with a sickening cry he turned and ran down the stairs. But before he'd reached the front door, John came tearing through the dining room, with Kareen and Johnsy right behind him.

"Tommy!" John yelled, halting him at the door. Tommy turned slowly around, and John paled at the sight of the two pistols in his hands. "My God! What have you done?" Tommy dropped the weapons instantly, as if they burned his hands. But one pistol was still loaded, and it exploded with a horrible sound when it hit the floor. An anguished scream echoed from upstairs. Tommy fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"She's come to haunt me already!" Tommy cried. "Oh, God, Crissy, I didn't mean to hurt you. I loved you."

"Stay where you are, Tommy," John commanded in a choked voice before he ran up the stairs, the women right behind him.

"Where will I go?" Tommy mumbled to himself in the empty hall. "Why doesn't Caxton come after me? Justice must be done! Oh, God, how could I have been so blind as not to see how much she loved him—so much that she would run into my line of fire to protect him? I can't live with what I've done—I want to diel"