Texas Tiger TH3 by Patricia Rice Page A

mother was on the verge of a "spell." She resisted now, but not without pangs of guilt. When her mother retreated to her room and pulled the shades, her father was desolate, and Georgina always carried the knowledge that it was all her fault.
    And it was going to be her fault again this time, but her shoulders were wider now. If her parents wanted to dump the blame on her, let them. She had other things to do, and saving her future was one of them.
    Gently, she kissed her mother's paper-thin cheek. "I shall sleep in the carriage, Mama, and I will be back in plenty of time for you to help me find the right gown. Peter will be there this evening, and I shall want to look my best."
    Her mother looked only slightly mollified, but she raised no other objection as Georgina hurried off. Dolly Hanover never raised real objections, never protested, never got angry. She simply accepted whatever came her way and retired to her room when she could no longer deal with it. Georgina supposed she ought to feel sorry for her mother. Mostly, she felt fury. That wasn't the kind of life she meant to lead.
    She was humming and bouncing in the seat by the time Blucher let her out near the Presbyterian church where he thought he was taking her. Georgina couldn't see Mr. Martin yet, but she knew he was here. He was as eager as she to see this story in print. She still glowed with the praise he had heaped on her when she had given him her notes on Mulloney's Department Store. People had always praised her gowns and her hair and her smile, but no one had ever cared whether or not there was anything behind them. And since no one had ever cared, she had never tried to be anything else but what she was. That was going to change.
    She was going to change, and the world around her was going to change. She wouldn't be her mama, or anybody else's mama. She would be herself, and she was going to make a difference in this world. Daniel had promised her that the newspaper story would make a difference, and she believed him, even if he'd lied about his name. As soon as people saw how mistreated these clerks were, they would insist that things change. The people of Cutlerville were proud, upstanding citizens, and they would raise a clamor at such slavery in their midst. After all, hadn't they sent a battalion to fight slavery during the Civil War?
    As the carriage and Blucher disappeared around the corner, Pecos Daniel ran down the church steps and caught the camera case in Georgina's hand.
    "I didn't really think you would come. I feel like I'm eighteen again and sneaking around behind my sister's back. I guess I'll have to invest in a carriage so I can pick you up at the door personally."
    He shouldered the case and hurried down the street faster than Georgina could walk in her tight skirt. She wasn't certain if it was his ebullient energy that carried him or some kind of anger at himself, or maybe even her. Mr. Martin grew more mysterious with time instead of less. But she wasn't about to let him leave her behind.
    Pulling her skirt above her ankles, she hobbled after him as fast as she could. "Mr. Martin, if you can't wait for me, give me back my camera. I don't mind making a spectacle of myself on my terms, but I'll not do it on yours."
    He turned in surprise, glanced down at her exposed ankle boots, then up at her irate expression, and grinned. "What kind of spectacle and what terms do you ask?"
    Georgina was quite certain his thoughts weren't polite and that he was probably laughing at her, but she was too eager for this new assignment to allow him to ruin the moment. "Mr. Martin, you are rude, crude, and uncouth, and if you do not behave yourself, I'll take back my camera. How far away are we?"
    Since there was no anger in her tone, he ignored the insult and extended his elbow for her use. "A few blocks. You really have to find better clothes for walking in."
    "I just came from church, Mr. Martin. I don't expect you to understand the need for proper