Swept Away Read Online Free PDF Page A

interests now, but when I was young, I dearly loved the sea.”
    “Why, what do you mean?” Eden exclaimed, sincerely surprised by his remark. “You are a young man still.”
    Alex laughed heartily, pleased that she would think so. “In years perhaps, but there are other ways to measure age.”
    “By what you have suffered, you mean?” Eden inquired sympathetically, for she had not forgotten that he was a widower. “That I can easily understand. Just three years ago I was like every other girl in Richmond: interested only in the latest fashions and which men knew the steps of the most popular new dance. That all seems so frivolous to me now. I’m ashamed that I didn’t realize how precious that time was, and make better use of it.”
    Alex was again wearing gloves, and so was Eden, but he could still feel the lively warmth of her hand as it lay in his. He was surprised she had grasped his meaning so quickly. She was very bright, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not feel threatened by her intelligence. “Yes, the concerns of youth are frivolous, but that’s only natural and nothing about which to be ashamed. No one grows up so rapidly that they do not spend some of their days foolishly. Besides, every young woman should have pretty clothes and handsome dancing partners. There’s nothing wrong in that.”
    “I know it isn’t wrong,” Eden agreed with a slight frown. “It’s just, well, so trivial a concern when compared to the numbers of men who have lost their lives defending our beliefs.”
    Raven knew slavery had been only one of the issues that had caused the Southern states to secede from the Union and he was convinced Eden Sinclair would vigorously debate them all if given the opportunity. He had never enjoyed argument for its own sake, however, and did not challenge her to defend her cause. He had overheard a whisper or two about her mother and, growing curious, decided to ask Alex about her family when they returned home.
    For now he was content to merely watch the blonde with the luminous topaz eyes, and he found it a more fascinating pastime than he had imagined possible. She was dressed in apricot-colored muslin that day, a splendid shade that complimented her fair coloring while the demure lines of the fashionable outfit were every bit as flattering to her superb figure as her low-cut evening gown had been. The fullness of the sleeves accented the grace of her gestures, which he was amused to see she made constantly as though she considered no sentence complete without that additional emphasis.
    The depth of her emotions was so easy to read in her expression, unlike the talkative young woman at his side whom Raven doubted possessed the capacity to feel anything deeply. As their ride continued, he was soon convinced that, for such a brief acquaintance, Eden and Alex had formed an amazing rapport. That worried Raven, for there was no point in the attractive young woman lavishing her affection on a man with no future.
    Despite the cleverness of his plans, Alex found himself so captivated by Eden Sinclair’s insightful conversation he quite forgot that the purpose of the afternoon’s ride was for Raven to become enamored of Stephanie. He was dimly aware of the steady hum of Stephanie’s voice, but unlike her more considerate cousin, she did not frequently provide an opportunity for Raven to offer a comment of his own. Alex thought it odd she did not know how greatly most men enjoyed talking about themselves. Not that Raven had such a flaw, but even if he had, he would have had scant opportunity to express himself when Stephanie seldom paused, and even then only long enough to draw a breath.
    “Tell me more about Jamaica,” Eden encouraged, determined not to make everyone else’s mood as gloomy as her own by dwelling on the Civil War. She could easily imagine Alex riding about the plantation as he began to describe it. He explained that he raised sugarcane, ginger, and allspice and