It was midmorning before Olivia, dressed in jeans and sneakers, rode down the worn path that led away from the river. She was assured that the mare she rode was gentle and would give her no cause for alarm. She bounced along jauntily, feeling the wind in her hair and thinking about nothing in particular.
Suddenly, without warning, her mount reared on its hind legs and bolted across the meadow. Olivia clung to the animal with every ounce of strength she possessed, fearing she would be thrown. Her heart was pounding with fear when the supposedly gentle mare became uncontrollable.
Jade was an excellent horsewoman and she allowed her gelding a free rein. They raced across the meadow, past the ripening corn and into the valley beyond. The sun felt good against her face and the wind had torn the ribbon from her hair, allowing it to blow free.
Her gelding picked its way down the incline to the stream, where she allowed it to drink from the clear water.
Jade could not have said at what moment she realized that she was no longer alone. It was not a sound that alerted her, but more a feeling of being watched. Slowly, she turned, her stomach knotted like a tight fist.
Tall and erect, Raige stood poised against the trunk of an oak tree. The sunlight shimmering through the branches glistened on his thick black hair, and his golden eyes flamed with the fire of life. He was magnificent.
Raige casually propped a booted foot against a wide tree root while his horse grazed nearby.
"You seem surprised to see me, Jade."
She quivered as his dark eyes raked hers.
"How long have you been here?" she demanded.
"For over an hour. But I know your habits and I knew you would come if I waited long enough."
"You shouldn't have troubled yourself."
He grinned. "It was no trouble, I assure you."
Jade held herself stiffly as he walked toward her with lithe movements.
"I was in New Orleans this morning and met your mother and father at the Exchange," Raige told her. "They said they wouldn't be home until tomorrow. Do you know what that means?"
She pushed her tumbled hair away from her face, wishing she hadn't lost the ribbon. "Non, I don't."
He drew in a tolerant breath. "It means, Jade, that we can spend the day together."
"I was on my way to visit a friend." She wasn't, but she was afraid that if she remained, he would surely discover that she loved him.
His strong hands circled her waist, and before she could protest, Raige lifted her from the saddle. Instead of setting her on her feet, he held her close.
"Do not play coy with me, Jade. You know how I feel about you." She saw his nostrils flare and wanted to run away, but he still held her close.
At last he set her on her feet, and she had to crane her neck to look up at him.
"You don't really have anywhere to go, do you, Jade?"
"I… I do later in the afternoon."
Without a word, he swept her into his arms, and his lips descended to kiss her mouth.
It was torture, it was bliss, as her hair entwined around his fingers. He pressed her tightly against him and she could feel the bulging outline of his manly body. Wave after wave of emotions tangled her mind, and she pressed tighter against him, needing to feel his very essence.
Suddenly, in a moment of sanity, she tore her mouth from his and took several retreating steps.
Raige merely smiled and held his hand out to her. "Come here, Jade."
She hesitated, trembling with emotions she did not understand. "Non. This is not right."
He took two long strides that brought him to her. "There is nothing more right in this world than you in my arms. We were created to be together. You belong to me; do you not know that by now, Jade?''
Her eyes searched his, and in mat moment, he saw agony.
"But you went away and left me." It was a cry from her heart.
"I had to."
"Why?"
"To allow you time to grow up."
She looked puzzled. "That is no reason. I would have grown up even had you stayed. Do not say things to me that you don't mean, Raige."
"I will never lie to you, Jade. I want us to have a marriage based on complete honesty. That's why I want you to tell me this moment that you love me."
Her admission came out in a rush that surprised her. "I thought I would die when you left. I counted the days until you would return." She had to look away from the brilliance in his eyes. "And then you came back, and you seemed to ignore me."
Gathering her close, he kissed her earlobe and nuzzled her neck. "There was not one day in that long year that I did not think of you. But, you see, I am a patient man, Jade. I always knew you would one day belong to me. I told you this that night in the rose arbor. Did you doubt me?"
She looked into his eyes. "I thought you were just… there have been women-"
His grip tightened on her shoulders. "Let there be no misunderstandings between us, Jade. I have been with other women, but I have never spoken to them of love. Whether you allow it or not, I will love you until the day I die."
Such a beautiful declaration melted her heart, but caution made her afraid to believe him. He could have any woman-why her? "Are you sure you love me?"
His laughter was warm and his eyes held a light of triumph-he was a man who had just won the woman he loved.
"Shall I tell you the first day I knew I loved you?" he asked, trying not to think of the soft young body that enticed him.
Jade looked at him eagerly. "Oui, please, tell me."
Olivia felt rain on her face and sat up in a daze. The sun was gone, and Raige was gone. She looked about in bewilderment. The horse had thrown her. Slowly coming to her feet, she tested her legs and arms to see if they were broken-they weren't, but she was going to ache for several days.
Looking about her, she took in the stream and the oak tree where Raige had been waiting for her. Everything was the same as she had envisioned it. Raige had been about to tell her when he had first realized he loved her. Why, oh why, did she keep getting pulled away from him?
The mare was grazing along the riverbank and did not move as she approached. Carefully Olivia mounted and turned in the direction of the house. She had ridden up the hill before she realized she was riding like one born to the saddle.
This, like her newfound ability to draw and her changed eyesight, was another gift from Jade.
Olivia was delighted when Betty suggested that she accompany her into New Orleans for a day of shopping. They climbed into the late-model van, and on the long drive, the two of them talked about their favorite subject-the legend of Bridal Veil.
"Is there nothing more you can tell me about the friendship between Jade and Tyrone Dunois?" Olivia asked.
"Not too much. However, Jade's friend Charlene, who eventually married Tyrone, kept a written account of her own life. According to her, Tyrone's mother pushed him forward and made him believe he could win Jade. He wasn't a bad sort, but his one weakness was his love for Jade. In the end, it destroyed three lives, four if you count Charlene."
"There is such a quagmire surrounding the truth. I wonder why," Olivia speculated. Many things were becoming clear to her, as she became more entangled in Jade's life. Of course, she knew details she could share with no one, not even Betty.
"After Jade's death," Betty continued, "Tyrone quarreled bitterly with his mother. Until the day he died, he never spoke to her again. In later years, he was so eaten up with hate and bitterness that he became something of a recluse."