Read Online The Enchanted Land by Jude Deveraux - Free Book Online

would be pleasant to live with. But, of course, she never would leave Trahern House. What had made her think such a thing?
    She was just finishing dressing when Seth came to the room to change for dinner. He nodded toward the tub, still full of water. “I should have come up earlier.”
    Morgan smiled at him as she adjusted the tight knot of hair on her neck. Seth strode towards her, touched the knot, and said, “I like it better the other way. But at least this way you’re no temptation.”
    Morgan swung around to meet his eyes, “Good! Now maybe you’ll not embarrass me in front of your family.”
     
    After dinner, Seth disappeared to the library, and the rest of the family retired to the large drawing room. William read, smoking a large cigar. The three sisters asked Morgan if she’d like to help embroider Austine’s linens for her trousseau.
    “Eleanor’s wedding dress is a light blue silk and Austine’s is a pink satin,” Jennifer chattered. “They are going to be married together, this summer. I wish you could stay for the wedding.”
    “That would be nice, Morgan. You could be our matron of honor. It would be wonderful if you would stay. Do you think you could?” Austine looked at Morganexpectantly, but Morgan sat quietly, unresponding, absorbed in her stitching.
    “Morgan.” Nora’s voice was clear in the silence.
    Morgan immediately looked up and realized what had happened. “I’m sorry, I guess I was thinking of something else.”
    Nora turned to her husband. “William, do you know where Seth went?”
    “He’s in the library, reading those old journals of his.” Then, as if taking the hint from his wife, he said, “Why don’t you go join him, daughter? I’m sure he’d like to show them to you. When he was a little boy, he used to read those by the hour. And he’d read them to anyone who’d listen, too.”
    “I promised Austine and Eleanor I’d help with the linens.”
    “Don’t be silly, Morgan. This is your honeymoon. Go spend the evening with your husband.” Nora’s eyes were dancing. She knew that Morgan could hardly say no to her suggestion.
    “If I had just been married, I’d spend every minute with my husband.” Jennifer was always the romantic.
    Morgan left the room, went down the hall, and quietly opened the door of the library. Seth was sitting in a large leather chair behind a massive, carved walnut desk. He was smoking a large cigar and seemed totally engrossed in an enormous book. Thinking he hadn’t heard her come in, she moved noiselessly to his side. His voice startled her.
    “Look at this.” He pointed to a yellowed page with angular, faded handwriting.
     
    We have waited eight days for the flood waters to recede. The sun is merciless. There are no trees for shade. Ahead of us lies nothing but flat grassland. There is much tension among us because of the Indians we have seen.
    “Who wrote it?”
    “I don’t know. When I was very young, my grandfather bought it from a Frenchman he met in Louisville. This is only the center section of the journal. As far as I can guess, and I’ve read it several times, this was one of the earliest American parties to try to make it to Santa Fe.”
    “What happened to them?”
    “I don’t know that either. But as far as I can gather, before Santa Fe gained independence from Spain, all Americans in Santa Fe were either killed or imprisoned.”
    Morgan was quiet.
    “Morgan, what we have ahead of us is not pleasant. The journey takes about three months, and we go through some rugged country. Sit over here, and I’ll read to you.”
    They moved to a small leather couch beneath the shuttered window. A small fire burned in the fireplace to their left. Morgan curled up on one end of the couch and listened as Seth read. His deep voice was calming even as he read of the horrors of traveling on the Santa Fe Trail. He read of their joy at seeing the Cimarron Spring, of the lack of water in places, and of flooded rivers in others.