with cleaning the tack—until the stable door flew open. The giddy shrieks and giggles of girls blew in with the wet wind. He straightened up abruptly, hung the bridle on the wall, and stepped out of the tack room to have a look. There, backs pressed against the stable door they had just pushed shut—as though it took a great effort to keep it there—were two very wet girls, shivering and shaking with laughter. The taller redhead took a deep breath, then looked over at the other girl, whose long, dripping locks hung over her entire face like the head of a mop, and shrieked again with uncontrollable laughter.
“I think my dress is actually melted,” the mop-headed girl heaved between giddy near-sobs.
At the sound of her voice, Lightning barked and Venture stopped mid-breath. Jade flipped her head down and then back, shaking the tangled web of sopping hair over her shoulders. She raked the remaining strands off her face with her fingers. Her eyes danced out over the bales of hay, and came to rest on him.
“Venture!” Jade clapped one hand to her chest, the other over her gaping mouth.
“Hello, Miss.” He gave her a little bow, and surprised himself by having the presence of mind to give another to the other young lady.
“Jade, who’s this?” the redhead asked, a little calmer, but giggling still.
“Venture Delving, Miss. I’m a servant in this house.” Though he dared not step nearer, with his pants stained and his boots caked with manure, he introduced himself, for Jade seemed unable to speak.
Lightning nudged at Jade’s skirt, and Jade patted her head distractedly, but her eyes never left Venture.
“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” The other girl eyed him with interest.
“No, Miss, I’ve just been away for a while.”
“I’m Jade’s cousin, Tempest. Visiting from Mossy Knoll.”
Venture remembered her now, though she seemed not to remember him. She’d visited twice before, once when he was about six, and again when he was ten. She was about a year older than Jade, if he remembered right.
“Pleased to meet you Miss,” Venture said politely, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off Jade.
Her fine, tailored gown, in its wetness, clung all the more tightly to her body. Drenched as it was, she was right; it did seem to be practically melting into her figure—a figure he found familiar, but at the same time strikingly, captivatingly new. She was still slender, but her once skinny parts were now rounded, firmer, stronger.
He knew he had to stop staring at her, so he turned his back to the girls. “I’ll go get you ladies some towels or something. Maybe some dry cloaks?”
“No, wait.”
Jade reached out for his arm, and he had no choice but to face her. The imploring of her eyes and the spark of her touch dove into him, rousing once again that brand of recklessness only she seemed able to incite.
“Don’t do that. Just stay here.”
“Yes, if you go after our cloaks we’ll be found out!” said Tempest.
“Found out?”
“We’re on the run. From an incredibly boring party.”
“We’re supposed to be at the Fords’,” Jade said sheepishly.
“We told Herald it was canceled, and sent him to town on an errand instead,” Tempest snickered.
“Grandmother will kill us when she finds out we didn’t go. She’s in the house, fighting a cold.”
Tempest rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. What can she really do to us?”
“It’s not that,” Jade said softly. She didn’t bother to continue. Tempest wasn’t listening anyway.
Venture caught Jade’s eye. I know , he told her with his look. As much as she wanted to rebel against her role as a young lady of Society, she loved her father and her grandmother, Rose, who’d done her best to fill in when Jade’s mother passed away. Such a bold, public defiance of their wishes was very unlike Jade.
Jade’s already flushed cheeks blushed pinker below her lowered eyes, so Venture turned to Tempest.
“Where
“I think my dress is actually melted,” the mop-headed girl heaved between giddy near-sobs.
At the sound of her voice, Lightning barked and Venture stopped mid-breath. Jade flipped her head down and then back, shaking the tangled web of sopping hair over her shoulders. She raked the remaining strands off her face with her fingers. Her eyes danced out over the bales of hay, and came to rest on him.
“Venture!” Jade clapped one hand to her chest, the other over her gaping mouth.
“Hello, Miss.” He gave her a little bow, and surprised himself by having the presence of mind to give another to the other young lady.
“Jade, who’s this?” the redhead asked, a little calmer, but giggling still.
“Venture Delving, Miss. I’m a servant in this house.” Though he dared not step nearer, with his pants stained and his boots caked with manure, he introduced himself, for Jade seemed unable to speak.
Lightning nudged at Jade’s skirt, and Jade patted her head distractedly, but her eyes never left Venture.
“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” The other girl eyed him with interest.
“No, Miss, I’ve just been away for a while.”
“I’m Jade’s cousin, Tempest. Visiting from Mossy Knoll.”
Venture remembered her now, though she seemed not to remember him. She’d visited twice before, once when he was about six, and again when he was ten. She was about a year older than Jade, if he remembered right.
“Pleased to meet you Miss,” Venture said politely, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off Jade.
Her fine, tailored gown, in its wetness, clung all the more tightly to her body. Drenched as it was, she was right; it did seem to be practically melting into her figure—a figure he found familiar, but at the same time strikingly, captivatingly new. She was still slender, but her once skinny parts were now rounded, firmer, stronger.
He knew he had to stop staring at her, so he turned his back to the girls. “I’ll go get you ladies some towels or something. Maybe some dry cloaks?”
“No, wait.”
Jade reached out for his arm, and he had no choice but to face her. The imploring of her eyes and the spark of her touch dove into him, rousing once again that brand of recklessness only she seemed able to incite.
“Don’t do that. Just stay here.”
“Yes, if you go after our cloaks we’ll be found out!” said Tempest.
“Found out?”
“We’re on the run. From an incredibly boring party.”
“We’re supposed to be at the Fords’,” Jade said sheepishly.
“We told Herald it was canceled, and sent him to town on an errand instead,” Tempest snickered.
“Grandmother will kill us when she finds out we didn’t go. She’s in the house, fighting a cold.”
Tempest rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. What can she really do to us?”
“It’s not that,” Jade said softly. She didn’t bother to continue. Tempest wasn’t listening anyway.
Venture caught Jade’s eye. I know , he told her with his look. As much as she wanted to rebel against her role as a young lady of Society, she loved her father and her grandmother, Rose, who’d done her best to fill in when Jade’s mother passed away. Such a bold, public defiance of their wishes was very unlike Jade.
Jade’s already flushed cheeks blushed pinker below her lowered eyes, so Venture turned to Tempest.
“Where
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