face a mask of brotherly outrage.
“Humph. I am almost six years older than you, Daniel. Stop treating me like a child. I am a grown woman.”
“An unmarried woman of advanced age. I begin to despair for you, Rhe.”
She gritted her teeth and tried to hold on to her temper. Marriage was not for her. Her father had taught her that in this world of unreliable men, a wise woman dared depend only upon herself.
She wouldn’t allow this argument with Daniel tonight. She needed him to leave as soon as possible if she was to get the horses over to Hastingleigh, mate them with Caesar, and have them back home before dawn. This was not the time for an argument about her lack of matrimonial prospects.
She sighed. “Just go and have a good time.”
“She’s not interested in me anyway,” Daniel sulked. “It’s Lord Strathmore she’s after. Why else would she come all the way to Deal?”
Why indeed. With a pain in the vicinity of her chest, Rheda acknowledged it was the barrel Lord Strathmore had been interested in all along. He’d hardly need a dalliance with a lowly maid when he could sample Lady Umbridge’s delights. She thumped her pillow. Lady Umbridge could have him; all Rheda needed was his stallion.
Daniel halted at the door. “I’d best alert Cook to the fact we’ll have a visitor tomorrow. You know Lady Hale will call once she hears you are unwell. She still has hopes you’ll marry Christopher. She thinks you and her son are well matched. Considering your lack of dowry and your advanced years, it is a fine offer and one you should be grateful for.” Daniel shook his head. “I’ll never understand why you won’t.” Without waiting for her usual reply, he simply closed the door.
Rheda waited until Daniel left the house before throwing back the covers and racing for her wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of Daniel’s old trousers; they fitted perfectly around her waist, although they were still a little long in the leg. She bent and rolled the legs up. Next, she slid a shirt over her chemise. She left off her corset, horrible thing, and finally added Daniel’s old jacket. She tied her hair up in a knot at the back of her head and donned one of Daniel’s caps. Having a younger brother was, on occasion, very convenient.
Within fifteen breathless minutes she was at the stables. Jamieson, the one man she could not do without, was waiting for her with the two mares saddled. He had been her mother’s head gardener and now was Daniel’s butler, valet, and right-hand man. The estate would have fallen to pieces without Jamieson and his wife, Penny. They’d remained at Tumsbury Manor when things had become precarious and helped her set up “Dark Shadow” to keep them afloat. He was the one man she trusted.
“Is everything ready?”
Jamieson cocked his head conspiratorially. “It could not have gone any smoother. I gave two casks of our finest brandy stock to Ted, Lord Hale’s head groom. Ted told Lord Strathmore he’d have to corral Caesar in the back paddock because there was a mare in heat in the stables. Caesar will be far enough away from the house so no one should hear the noise. We won’t be disturbed.”
The night was clear and the gibbous moon shone brightly. They’d have plenty of light to enact their plan. Rheda refused to acknowledge the pangs of guilt knotting her stomach. What the arrogant viscount didn’t know, well ... It was his fault for being so casual with his prize stallion. She planned to “borrow” his stallion for the evening, and as many evenings as she could over the next week, to ensure her mares were impregnated. Caesar could well be the resurrection of her dreams, if not her family’s reputation, and support the women and children of Deal. With the stallion’s offspring, she could begin building her horse stud. The money she’d make off two foals of Caesar’s lineage would allow her to buy further stud fees and more mares.
Desperate times call for desperate
“Humph. I am almost six years older than you, Daniel. Stop treating me like a child. I am a grown woman.”
“An unmarried woman of advanced age. I begin to despair for you, Rhe.”
She gritted her teeth and tried to hold on to her temper. Marriage was not for her. Her father had taught her that in this world of unreliable men, a wise woman dared depend only upon herself.
She wouldn’t allow this argument with Daniel tonight. She needed him to leave as soon as possible if she was to get the horses over to Hastingleigh, mate them with Caesar, and have them back home before dawn. This was not the time for an argument about her lack of matrimonial prospects.
She sighed. “Just go and have a good time.”
“She’s not interested in me anyway,” Daniel sulked. “It’s Lord Strathmore she’s after. Why else would she come all the way to Deal?”
Why indeed. With a pain in the vicinity of her chest, Rheda acknowledged it was the barrel Lord Strathmore had been interested in all along. He’d hardly need a dalliance with a lowly maid when he could sample Lady Umbridge’s delights. She thumped her pillow. Lady Umbridge could have him; all Rheda needed was his stallion.
Daniel halted at the door. “I’d best alert Cook to the fact we’ll have a visitor tomorrow. You know Lady Hale will call once she hears you are unwell. She still has hopes you’ll marry Christopher. She thinks you and her son are well matched. Considering your lack of dowry and your advanced years, it is a fine offer and one you should be grateful for.” Daniel shook his head. “I’ll never understand why you won’t.” Without waiting for her usual reply, he simply closed the door.
Rheda waited until Daniel left the house before throwing back the covers and racing for her wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of Daniel’s old trousers; they fitted perfectly around her waist, although they were still a little long in the leg. She bent and rolled the legs up. Next, she slid a shirt over her chemise. She left off her corset, horrible thing, and finally added Daniel’s old jacket. She tied her hair up in a knot at the back of her head and donned one of Daniel’s caps. Having a younger brother was, on occasion, very convenient.
Within fifteen breathless minutes she was at the stables. Jamieson, the one man she could not do without, was waiting for her with the two mares saddled. He had been her mother’s head gardener and now was Daniel’s butler, valet, and right-hand man. The estate would have fallen to pieces without Jamieson and his wife, Penny. They’d remained at Tumsbury Manor when things had become precarious and helped her set up “Dark Shadow” to keep them afloat. He was the one man she trusted.
“Is everything ready?”
Jamieson cocked his head conspiratorially. “It could not have gone any smoother. I gave two casks of our finest brandy stock to Ted, Lord Hale’s head groom. Ted told Lord Strathmore he’d have to corral Caesar in the back paddock because there was a mare in heat in the stables. Caesar will be far enough away from the house so no one should hear the noise. We won’t be disturbed.”
The night was clear and the gibbous moon shone brightly. They’d have plenty of light to enact their plan. Rheda refused to acknowledge the pangs of guilt knotting her stomach. What the arrogant viscount didn’t know, well ... It was his fault for being so casual with his prize stallion. She planned to “borrow” his stallion for the evening, and as many evenings as she could over the next week, to ensure her mares were impregnated. Caesar could well be the resurrection of her dreams, if not her family’s reputation, and support the women and children of Deal. With the stallion’s offspring, she could begin building her horse stud. The money she’d make off two foals of Caesar’s lineage would allow her to buy further stud fees and more mares.
Desperate times call for desperate
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