The Secret of Stavewood (Stavewood Saga Book 4) by Nanette Kinslow

shoulder. “I’ve got a horse up the trail there. What are you doing up here?”
          “I’m researching my book. My mother’s story has its start around this area and I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what happened. But now a few things aren’t making sense.”
          “Well, Sherlock, you’ll figure it out. You’re a mystery writer, right?”
          Louisa scowled. “Not this time. This story is more of a biography. More serious than a mystery.”
          “Well, you know a mystery can get pretty serious,” he said.
          “This is different.”
          He looked rugged and healthy in the sunlight of the clearing and he kept smiling at her as if he knew her far better than he did.
          “How long are you going to be mapping this area?” she asked.
          “As long as it takes, I suppose.” He smiled again.
          “So, should I expect to run into you again while I’m up here working?” His obvious interest made her fidget.
          “I suppose so,” he said. “Tomorrow you can find me fishing out at Fawn Lake if you’re up early enough.”
          Louisa wasn’t sure if she was running into him or if it was the other way around.
          “You fish?” she asked.
          “Every chance I get,” he said, looking up at the sky. “It looks like clouds might start rolling in later. Tomorrow morning could be misty. It might even rain. And if I can’t see any distance it won’t be a good day for mapping. Be a perfect day for fishing though.” He turned and looked at her again. “Do you fish?”
          Louisa laughed. “No, no. Fishing is for the men.”
          “I’ve known women who fished. Some of them were rather good at it actually. You should try it sometime.”
          Louisa thought back to all the times that her father and Mark had gone out to enjoy the sport and how she had been required to stay home. It was not an activity for young ladies, her mother would say. It had frustrated her then, but now there was nothing to stop her. She was an adult and could do as she pleased.
          “Tomorrow?” she asked. Louisa squared her shoulders. “Alright I’ll come with you then.”
          Luc cleared his throat. “You’re serious?”
          “Why not?” Louisa replied resolutely. “Should I ride out to the lake? What time should I be there? What should I bring? You’ll teach me, right?”
          “Oh, uh, sure. No. I’ll pick you up. At Stavewood, right? Just before sunrise. I’ll bring the poles. I’ll bring everything.”
          “Perfect!” Louisa exclaimed. “I’ll see you then.” She mounted her horse and rode several paces away, then turned to face Luc who stood in the clearing, a bit confused. Louisa smiled at him, turned Romeo, kicked him to a run and rode off towards the cabin.
          Luc Almquist stood in silence for several minutes. He wondered why one minute she had been a bit uncomfortable with him and the next she had invited herself fishing.

 
     
    Eleven
     

          L ouisa tossed and turned, restless in her bed frustrated by her nightgown twisting around her legs. She threw herself onto her back and straightened the exasperating gown. The weight of the down quilt was far more than she had grown accustomed to and she pushed all the bedding, with the exception of the sheets, to the foot of the bed.
          Stavewood was quiet. The woodland was sleeping. Everyone in the household was snug in bed and not even the hoot of an owl echoed from the tall pines outside the open window.
          Louisa was excited about fishing. She thought about Talbot’s blue eyes looking deep into her own and she missed him. But had he joined her there at Stavewood there would certainly be no fishing trip in the morning and Louisa did not want to miss the opportunity.
     
          “Fishing?” Louisa’s mother had looked up from her plate at dinner. “Why