Chapter Five

At was a cloudless day and a slight haze covered the land. Olivia had taken a walk to clear her head. The shadowy world that was on the edge of her mind was so absorbing that it was becoming difficult to concentrate, and at times the past and present seemed to merge into one.

She had to force herself to remember who she was, especially after the night she had spent cradled in Raige's arms.

Olivia knew that Jade was definitely growing stronger and would soon take over completely, until there was nothing left of Olivia Heartford.

Sadly, Olivia had come to love Raige with her whole being, and when she was not the embodiment of Jade, she still longed to see him.

She pondered her situation. She had never really had a life, not a happy one anyway. She had belonged to no one, and no one belonged to her. Oh, she'd had men friends, but none of them had left a lasting impression on her. There was little to go back to in Boston.

On the other hand, as Jade, she had a family and she was going to marry the man she loved-or would she? She thought of the tragic way Jade had died and realized that it would probably happen again. And then where would she be?

Olivia feared there was no way to change history-or so the experts said. Popular belief was that if one could travel back in time, and if so much as a tiny grain of sand was disturbed, it would have a domino effect on the future and bode disaster.

There had to be a way she could change the past without disturbing the future; otherwise, why was she here?

Olivia had come to believe that God had given Jade a second chance, and she was to make certain that Jade did not make the same mistakes again.

Lizette ran to the garden, with petticoats flying and her cheeks flushed with excitement. She threw her arms about Jade, hugging her tightly. "Something wonderful yet quite disturbing is happening!"

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked, planting a kiss on the young girl's cheek. "Tell me quickly, before you burst."

"It's just that I am going to miss you much more than I realized. I always knew this would happen, but not just yet."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

"Oui, you will be. I heard Papa and Mama talking to Raige, and they gave their consent for you to marry him."

Jade clasped her hands, her face flushed with joy. "So, he has asked them at last. I feared this day would never come."

"I listened outside the door," Lizette boasted. "Raige told Mama that he loved you-did you know about that?"

Jade laughed down into the precocious little face. "I did, you imp."

"All the men love you, Jade, but I'm glad you chose Raige. I like him better than most."

Jade clasped her sister's hand and they walked down the path. "So do I."

As the two girls entered the house, Gideon, the butler, approached them. "Your papa wanted me to send you to the library the minute you came in, Miss Jade." He beamed, apparently aware that Raige had offered for her hand.

Jade quickly patted her hair into place and winked at her sister before she walked purposefully to the study door and knocked softly. On entering the room, she saw that her father was deep in conversation with Raige, and her mother had a pleased expression on her face.

"Jade, my dear," her father said in a jovial voice, "we have something to discuss with you-come in, come in."

"Oui, Papa," she said demurely, trying not to look at Raige.

"Greet our guest, daughter, and then be seated beside your mother."

Shyly Jade raised her head to look at the man she loved, but she could not bring herself to look at his face, focusing instead on the whiteness of the cravat mat lay in neat layers beneath his strong chin.

"Good morning, Raige. It's always nice to see you."

"And it always brings me pleasure to see you, Jade," he said, as circumspect as she.

She slipped onto the sofa beside her mother and received a reassuring pat on the hand.

"Jade," her father began, "Raige was just reminding me that his mother has been dead these last five years, rest her soul, and Tanglewood Plantation has had no mistress in all that time. And since his father died some time back, that leaves Raige with something of a dilemma."

Jade raised her face to her father. "What kind of dilemma, Papa?"

"He has been telling your mother and me how difficult it is without a woman to manage the household."

Now she glanced at Raige. He stood near the window, looking magnificent with the sunlight shimmering off his ebony windswept hair. He wore tight leggings and Hessian boots and a pleated white shirt and short-waisted tailcoat.

"I can see where that might be difficult," she said at last, feeling foolish because she could think of nothing clever to reply.

"Jade," her father continued, "your mother and I have always agreed that you and your sister would not be married against your wishes. Raige has asked for your hand in marriage. Is this agreeable to you?"

Again she looked at Raige, and he smiled slightly.

"Oui, Papa, I find it agreeable."

Her father looked pleased and her mother clasped Jade's hands joyfully, then hugged her. "I can think of no more suitable match. What a happy day this is for us all," Emmaline said.

Jade's father took her hands and pulled her to her feet, hugging her tightly. "Know this, Raige: When you take our Jade, you take one of our most precious jewels. We will expect you to treat her as such."

"Have no concern on that score, Monsieur St. Clair. She will be my greatest treasure."

Jade's father nodded in satisfaction. "That is how it should be. Now, I believe it would be within reason for the two of you to take a stroll in the garden. There must be many things you will want to discuss."

"Thank you, monsieur," Raige said, holding his hand out to Jade. His clasp was warm and stilled her trembling hand.

As they moved out the door, Emmaline St. Clair looked at her husband with an expression of elation. "Imagine our daughter as mistress of Tanglewood!" Her happiness suddenly turned to concern. "He will be good to her, will he not?"

"Have no worry on that, my dear," her husband assured her. "I have always said that you can tell a lot about a man's character by the way he treats his animals. No one keeps a tidier kennel for his hunting hounds than Raige. And he is against using a whip on his horses, nor does he allow anyone else to. Our daughter should be fine in his care."

She laughed at her husband's analogy. "Have you no shame that you would compare our daughter to a horse or hound?"

He was quiet for a moment, and then he spoke with feeling. "I have lately been concerned that Jade might one day marry Tyrone Dunois. His hounds are underfed, their ribs showing through, and I have seen him whip a horse until it bled."

Emmaline shivered. "I have seen this too, and it has been a concern of mine as well."

When they reached the garden, Raige took Jade's hand, turned it over, and planted a warm kiss on the palm. His eyes were so intense, she had to lower hers.

"You have made me a very happy man today, Jade."

She smiled at him, thrilled by his admission. "When you were acting so distant in front of my parents, I realized, Raige, that although I have known you all my life, I do not really know you."

“I thought that during the night by the stream when we shared such intimacy we became quite well acquainted."

She could feel her face burn and he laughed softly.

"What do you want to know about me, Jade?"

"Everything."

His eyes swept over her beautiful upturned face, and a feeling of ownership took possession of him. "I'd say, my dearest love, that will take just about a lifetime to tell- and a lifetime is what we will have together."