trouble even with plans that have been thought out well in advance and examined. Apparently, yours was thrown together at the last minute.”
She eyed him gratefully. “Yes, thank you, you do understand.”
He repressed his amusement, for she looked so damned serious, and said, “Well, as to that, I may, but I do feel that some more thought should now be put into the matter. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh, yes, but we are in a bit of a muddle, and I am not sure just what is to be done,” she answered, looking as though she might cry.
He reached over and touched her fingers. “There, there. You aren’t alone, you and your young gallant. We shall come about.”
“How?” she almost wailed.
“Scott shall recover from his wound, and by then we shall have it all managed right and tight,” he answered, attempting to bolster her spirits.
“Yes,” she said, brightening at once. “You are too kind, but, yes, Scott will recover, and we will push on, but still … we have a few obstacles.” She chewed her lip as she obviously tried to think this out.
“So the two of you decided to head for London. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Scott has an aunt. She is not always disagreeable and might in fact, Scott says, take to the notion of showing us about town and perhaps even presenting me. Scott was sure she would fund the project and I could pay her back when I get control of my trust fund. It isn’t so far off that I will come of age and be in charge of my inheritance, you see, and my guardian will not be able to tell me what I can or cannot do.”
She spoke with such vehemence combined with yearning that he did not have the heart to point out all the problems she and Scott might yet have to face. Instead, he chuckled, leaned forward once again, and tweaked her chin.
“Well, for now, my lovely, let us attend to our dinner,” he said, wanting her not to think about the matter. She needed time to recover from the night’s events. He looked towards the serving girl who had just appeared in the doorway laden with a tray of food and smiled to add, “It smells delicious, does it not?”
“Oh, yes,” Felicia agreed, popping yet another piece of her roll into her mouth.
~ Seven ~
FELICIA PUSHED AWAY her dish of apple pie and groaned. “I can’t eat another bite.” She eyed Ashton comically and added, “Even though I want to. Because it ’tis absolutely delicious.” She got up and walked towards the wide window.
Ashton chuckled and asked, “What are you doing now?”
She looked over her shoulder and told him, “I was just thinking, I should take a stroll outdoors.”
“At this hour? No, no you should not ,” he said. He was in a quandary as to what he should do to manage his own affairs while attending to this sprite of a woman in breeches. Obviously his plans to attend his sister at Easton had been shot to smithereens. Now here he was with the most enticing chit, who captivated him with her bewitching smile and her saucy manners. But it was more than that. He couldn’t leave the two, Scott and Felicia, to fend for themselves. It was unthinkable. Daffy would do just fine until he could manage to attend her. He was sure his sister would not easily forgive him for this, his latest what she was sure to call ‘wickedness’ in leaving her to take care of his ward. He did know her, though, and once she heard about the plight of the young man abovestairs and this wayward young woman, she was sure to relent. What else could he do? He simply had to help them.
There was nothing for it, because that lad abovestairs would surely have bled to death had he not happened along. Daffy would, in the end, understand, and while she was in charge of his ward he was confident that all would go along beautifully well in that matter.
As he looked at Felicia’s provocative figure in her tightly fitted breeches, with her high boots all dusty, as was her linen blouse, he realized he was more than a little
She eyed him gratefully. “Yes, thank you, you do understand.”
He repressed his amusement, for she looked so damned serious, and said, “Well, as to that, I may, but I do feel that some more thought should now be put into the matter. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh, yes, but we are in a bit of a muddle, and I am not sure just what is to be done,” she answered, looking as though she might cry.
He reached over and touched her fingers. “There, there. You aren’t alone, you and your young gallant. We shall come about.”
“How?” she almost wailed.
“Scott shall recover from his wound, and by then we shall have it all managed right and tight,” he answered, attempting to bolster her spirits.
“Yes,” she said, brightening at once. “You are too kind, but, yes, Scott will recover, and we will push on, but still … we have a few obstacles.” She chewed her lip as she obviously tried to think this out.
“So the two of you decided to head for London. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Scott has an aunt. She is not always disagreeable and might in fact, Scott says, take to the notion of showing us about town and perhaps even presenting me. Scott was sure she would fund the project and I could pay her back when I get control of my trust fund. It isn’t so far off that I will come of age and be in charge of my inheritance, you see, and my guardian will not be able to tell me what I can or cannot do.”
She spoke with such vehemence combined with yearning that he did not have the heart to point out all the problems she and Scott might yet have to face. Instead, he chuckled, leaned forward once again, and tweaked her chin.
“Well, for now, my lovely, let us attend to our dinner,” he said, wanting her not to think about the matter. She needed time to recover from the night’s events. He looked towards the serving girl who had just appeared in the doorway laden with a tray of food and smiled to add, “It smells delicious, does it not?”
“Oh, yes,” Felicia agreed, popping yet another piece of her roll into her mouth.
~ Seven ~
FELICIA PUSHED AWAY her dish of apple pie and groaned. “I can’t eat another bite.” She eyed Ashton comically and added, “Even though I want to. Because it ’tis absolutely delicious.” She got up and walked towards the wide window.
Ashton chuckled and asked, “What are you doing now?”
She looked over her shoulder and told him, “I was just thinking, I should take a stroll outdoors.”
“At this hour? No, no you should not ,” he said. He was in a quandary as to what he should do to manage his own affairs while attending to this sprite of a woman in breeches. Obviously his plans to attend his sister at Easton had been shot to smithereens. Now here he was with the most enticing chit, who captivated him with her bewitching smile and her saucy manners. But it was more than that. He couldn’t leave the two, Scott and Felicia, to fend for themselves. It was unthinkable. Daffy would do just fine until he could manage to attend her. He was sure his sister would not easily forgive him for this, his latest what she was sure to call ‘wickedness’ in leaving her to take care of his ward. He did know her, though, and once she heard about the plight of the young man abovestairs and this wayward young woman, she was sure to relent. What else could he do? He simply had to help them.
There was nothing for it, because that lad abovestairs would surely have bled to death had he not happened along. Daffy would, in the end, understand, and while she was in charge of his ward he was confident that all would go along beautifully well in that matter.
As he looked at Felicia’s provocative figure in her tightly fitted breeches, with her high boots all dusty, as was her linen blouse, he realized he was more than a little
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