1795, Martinique

Angelique rose nude from the narrow bed and stretched happily. She gazed down at the handsome, sleeping face of Barnabas Collins and smiled. Oh, he was such a wonderful lover, the best she had ever had, fun, inventive, tireless--mon dieu, he had pleasured her three times already during this sultry night, and promised her more before morning! She knew he was enamored of Mademoiselle Josette, but, since he could not relieve his lust with the virginal daughter of Andre duPres, he had turned to Angelique, whose carnal appetite so matched his.

Angelique lifted a wooden toy model of a ship from her night stand and frowned. Unfortunately, she knew Mademoiselle Josette's ship was already enroute from Paris, and would arrive on Martinique's shores within a few days. Barnabas mumbled in his sleep and turned over. Angelique, taking shallow breaths so she wouldn't awaken him, stood up, and, the wooden ship in her hands, went over to the simple dresser that held her clothing. She took the ship and set it down on the porcelain tray that held her comb and brush, murmured a few words of incantation under her breath, and set the model aflame. Out on the ocean, the ship carrying Josette and Natalie duPres mysteriously burst into flames. The terrible conflagration claimed everyone onboard the ship within 10 minutes, and the ship itself sank without a trace into the calm sea.

Angelique, grinning, watched the wooden ship collapse into ashes on the tray. Back in her bed, Barnabas stirred, calling her name plaintively. True to his word, he had awakened ready to make love to her, and so he did, joyously, lengthily, the bed creaking the beats of their passion. When he tried to withdraw from her as he had every time before, Angelique protested and held him tightly pressed to her, and for the first time, he released inside her, groaning with pleasure.

Angelique settled back in bed, Barnabas resting his head on her breast. She was a very happy witch--and woman. Josette, her rival, was dead, and there was no doubt that she, Angelique, had just conceived Barnabas Collins' child.

A little witchcraft, a lot of womanly wiles, and this rich young man was going to be her husband! Angelique glanced at the ashes that used to be a ship and burst into laughter that would have chilled Barnabas, had he been awake to hear it.

Love, RobinV