Payton's Woman by Yarbrough Marilyn

Author:Yarbrough, Marilyn [Yarbrough, Marilyn]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Marilyn Yarbrough
Published: 2013-04-23T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Julia wiped at the tears with the sleeve of her nightgown before looking at her reflection in the tiny mirror. Her eyelids were puffy and swollen. She shook her head in disgust. This crying must stop. To busy herself, she picked up a brush and stroked the bristles through the tangles in her hair.

Once more, she called herself every kind of a fool for allowing Payton to work his way into her heart. She needed this she told herself in consolation. His departure would rip out what remained of her heart and leave her without any emotion. Then she could continue with her plan with nothing left to stop her.

His feelings for her were strong, but after he went to sea, those feelings would fade. Then perhaps he wouldn’t suffer too cruelly when he learned of her fate, for she’d never deceived herself about the possible outcome of her plan.

Her search for Lawrence Dunbar carried dangerous consequences. She wasn’t physically strong, nor was she skilled with weapons. If she ever came face-to-face with her brother’s murderer, she could end up being Dunbar’s next victim.

A single knock at the window startled her from the morbid thinking. The noise sounded like someone tapped on the pane, but she knew that couldn’t be possible. Her small room perched on the third floor of the house.

The rap came again—a light clinking against the glass. The dressing table set near the window. She stood and looked out, but the candlelight caused a glare and all she saw was her reflection.

She pulled back the curtains and lifted the sash. Cautiously, she peered out into the night.

The partial moon illuminated the yard below. Near the edge of the neatly trimmed lawn stood the shadowy figure of a man. The exposed front of his white shirt glowed in the moonlight. She couldn’t distinguish his features, but she recognized him.

“Julia,” Payton called out in a hushed voice. “Come down here. I need to talk to you.”

“Go away. I can’t talk now.” She didn’t want to see him now that she’d just convinced herself he’d be better off without her.

When she closed the window, he threw a tiny pebble against the pane. She opened it again and stuck out her head. “Stop that. You’re going to break the glass.”

“Come down.”

“I can’t.”

“Then I’ll come up.”

“That’s not possible. The house is locked.”

“This is your last chance.” He planted his fists on his hips. His feet spread apart in a defiant stance as he looked around at the back of the house. “Come down, or I’m coming up.”

He might be determined, but so was she. “I am not coming down.”

In an angry stride, he headed to the back of the house. He stripped away some of his clothing as he walked. His dinner jacket, vest, and tie lay scattered across the lawn where he tossed them.

When he reached the porch-covered back entrance, he put his foot on the top of the rail and climbed up. He lunged upward and grasped the edge of the roof with both hands.

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