crook
of Noah’s arm. Lam was walking on Ariel’s right.
“Noah likes her,” Sam said to Miranda, offering her his own arm. She rested her hand on the proffered spot.
“Yes, I know,” Miranda said. “And she likes him quite a lot. If she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t have fought him so hard.
She would have tried to please him and make him want her.”
“Oh, God,” he said. “Girls! Always doing the opposite of what they really want.”
She laughed and tilted her head back. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” He looked down at her, catching her eye, liking the new cock of her head. “Do you always do exactly what you want?”
“Whenever I can.”
“How about your sister? Does she, for instance, really want to marry that fellow from Virginia she’s engaged to?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Lam told us all about you before you came.”
“He told Ariel he hadn’t done that,” she said. “He told her that so that she’d think she had the freedom to chase after one
or the other of us.”
“And you were willing to go along with the game?”
“I’m happy where I am now. And I think Noah is not unhappy, either.”
“Not one of you three is a gentleman.”
“On the contrary, we have done the perfect gentlemanly thing. We’ve let ourselves be graciously blind to the pretenses and
untruths that a lady has chosen to clothe herself with.”
“You sound like Uncle Ashbel,” she said.
“From what little I’ve seen of him, I think that is a compliment.”
“It is a compliment.”
“Well, then, I thank you.”
“But I’m still curious about you.”
“In what way?” His eyes were hooded, she noticed.
She was just about to answer him with, “In every way,” when Miranda spotted an opening that led away from the trail. It was
a narrow path, and for some reason it sparked her curiosity enough to leave her momentarily silent. The path was positively
inviting not only because the woods that way looked lovely and dark, but more importantly because Miranda at that moment wanted
more than anything else to be alone with Sam Houston Hawken.
She paused and stared down through the trees. “Where does this path lead?” she asked.
“Through the woods and along the heights above the river,” he said, stopping alongside her. “Eventually it rejoins this trail.”
“It’s so inviting,” she said. “Will you take me on it?”
He reflected on that. “It’s very steep,” he said after a moment. “And there are the others to consider….”
“All the better!” she said, smiling.
She could tell he was thinking that they would be alone and unescorted, so her smile grew wider. “I’m just a child,” she said
innocently. “I’m only fifteen.”
“I should be getting back to the hotel. There’s dinner and…”
But she did not hear him. Or more likely, he thought, she was ignoring him. For by then she was already moving briskly, well
along the path. “Come on, Sam,” she cried, “or I’ll be alone.”
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” he muttered. But then he called out, “Lamar? Noah? Can you still hear me?”
“Sam?” a distant voice called.
“We’ll be joining you a little later,” Sam yelled.
“Where are you going?” Ariel called out. But Miranda was not listening. After a moment, Ariel’s voice came again: “You shouldn’t
go off by yourself like that!” But Miranda still did not bother to hear her. “Don’t you be late, Miranda,” Ariel called out,
finally admitting defeat, but only Sam heard her.
He had to hurry to catch up with her, and by the time he did, she had gone a considerable way.
“Well,” he said when he was near enough to her to talk normally, “you handled that maneuver with considerable skill.”
“Handled which maneuver?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder; the path was too narrow for both of them to walk abreast.
“Splitting me off from the others.”
“Oh,
now,”
she
of Noah’s arm. Lam was walking on Ariel’s right.
“Noah likes her,” Sam said to Miranda, offering her his own arm. She rested her hand on the proffered spot.
“Yes, I know,” Miranda said. “And she likes him quite a lot. If she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t have fought him so hard.
She would have tried to please him and make him want her.”
“Oh, God,” he said. “Girls! Always doing the opposite of what they really want.”
She laughed and tilted her head back. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” He looked down at her, catching her eye, liking the new cock of her head. “Do you always do exactly what you want?”
“Whenever I can.”
“How about your sister? Does she, for instance, really want to marry that fellow from Virginia she’s engaged to?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Lam told us all about you before you came.”
“He told Ariel he hadn’t done that,” she said. “He told her that so that she’d think she had the freedom to chase after one
or the other of us.”
“And you were willing to go along with the game?”
“I’m happy where I am now. And I think Noah is not unhappy, either.”
“Not one of you three is a gentleman.”
“On the contrary, we have done the perfect gentlemanly thing. We’ve let ourselves be graciously blind to the pretenses and
untruths that a lady has chosen to clothe herself with.”
“You sound like Uncle Ashbel,” she said.
“From what little I’ve seen of him, I think that is a compliment.”
“It is a compliment.”
“Well, then, I thank you.”
“But I’m still curious about you.”
“In what way?” His eyes were hooded, she noticed.
She was just about to answer him with, “In every way,” when Miranda spotted an opening that led away from the trail. It was
a narrow path, and for some reason it sparked her curiosity enough to leave her momentarily silent. The path was positively
inviting not only because the woods that way looked lovely and dark, but more importantly because Miranda at that moment wanted
more than anything else to be alone with Sam Houston Hawken.
She paused and stared down through the trees. “Where does this path lead?” she asked.
“Through the woods and along the heights above the river,” he said, stopping alongside her. “Eventually it rejoins this trail.”
“It’s so inviting,” she said. “Will you take me on it?”
He reflected on that. “It’s very steep,” he said after a moment. “And there are the others to consider….”
“All the better!” she said, smiling.
She could tell he was thinking that they would be alone and unescorted, so her smile grew wider. “I’m just a child,” she said
innocently. “I’m only fifteen.”
“I should be getting back to the hotel. There’s dinner and…”
But she did not hear him. Or more likely, he thought, she was ignoring him. For by then she was already moving briskly, well
along the path. “Come on, Sam,” she cried, “or I’ll be alone.”
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” he muttered. But then he called out, “Lamar? Noah? Can you still hear me?”
“Sam?” a distant voice called.
“We’ll be joining you a little later,” Sam yelled.
“Where are you going?” Ariel called out. But Miranda was not listening. After a moment, Ariel’s voice came again: “You shouldn’t
go off by yourself like that!” But Miranda still did not bother to hear her. “Don’t you be late, Miranda,” Ariel called out,
finally admitting defeat, but only Sam heard her.
He had to hurry to catch up with her, and by the time he did, she had gone a considerable way.
“Well,” he said when he was near enough to her to talk normally, “you handled that maneuver with considerable skill.”
“Handled which maneuver?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder; the path was too narrow for both of them to walk abreast.
“Splitting me off from the others.”
“Oh,
now,”
she
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