He led the goat down the
lane trusting his horse to follow.
***
"Enough!" Catherine shouted. "Quiet." The dog
at least obeyed. Her youngest brother, Randy, skidded to a halt and
glanced at her sheepishly while he shouted, "Behind you, Freddy.
There's one behind you!"
"Frederick, stop this instant and look at
me."
The older of her two siblings stopped his
gleeful pursuit reluctantly and turned to look at his sister.
"But the pigs, Cath, I—gore!" Freddy
exclaimed. His eyes widened, fixated on a sight past Catherine's
shoulder. "That's a fine beast."
Catherine spun on her heels and gasped. A
man—and a fine specimen indeed—stood not ten feet away. Tall and
broad shouldered, the man exuded the unmistakable confidence of the
upper classes. Sunshine did interesting things with the lights in
his soft brown hair and his eyes… She found herself momentarily at
a loss.
"This animal belongs to you, I presume?" the
man asked. His deep rich voice rumbled through Catherine's bemused
distraction. She looked up at the huge bay stallion following the
man as meekly as a lamb, opened her mouth to deny it, but caught
sight of the ragged rope in his hands. He had dragged her irritable
goat home.
"Yes. Rosalinda. Thank you." Catherine
stumbled over the words.
Randy rushed forward to take the rope.
"Thank you ever so much, sir. So frightened
she was, I might have had to chase her clear to the road. If she
went onto His Grace's land again, the steward said he'd roast her
for dinner." The boy chattered while he tied the animal to the
broken gate of the pigsty. "As it is, the mother hog is probably
halfway to Wheatton by now."
Warm brown eyes held Catherine's. She found
herself unable to speak.
"I say, sir. That horse is a beauty, Mr.—"
Freddy began.
"Chadbourn. At your service."
Chadbourn? The earl? Catherine looked in
chagrin at her third-best work dress with its patched hem and faded
colors. The one time someone from that family appeared on their
doorstep, and he found her looking bedraggled.
"Chadbourn?" Freddy echoed. "You can't be.
They never come here."
The earl looked confused.
"Frederick!" Catherine snapped, coming
sharply to attention. "Mind your manners."
Freddy remained unrepentant as always.
"Sorry, Cath, but they don't." He looked at the earl. "May I pet
him?" He didn't wait for permission, and the horse seemed willing
enough.
"Gently, now," Chadbourn told him.
The sound of the geese faded as the birds ran
through the barn. It reminded her that the earl also found Songbird
Cottage in confusion. He ought at least to know they possessed
manners. She looked to her own manners and began introductions.
"Thank you for your assistance, my lord.
I—"
"Your vegetables!" the earl exclaimed.
Vegetables?
He strode past Catherine. She turned around
to see that the piglets had settled down to root happily among the
last of the unharvested potatoes and turnips, just beyond the
kitchen door.
Freddy started to run toward them. The earl
put out a hand.
"Steady on. Let them think they've outwitted
us, and we'll take them by surprise."
Freddy grinned up at the man and mimicked his
stealthy moves until they were almost upon the little beasties. In
short order, the boys, the earl, and Catherine held seven piglets
by their rear legs and deposited them back in their sty, Randy
holding the gate so Freddy could tie it shut.
"Th-thank you for your help, my lord,"
Catherine stammered, wiping her hands on her skirt and to avoid
looking at him. Must he watch me so intently? "We would have
managed, but thank you, all the same."
"That pen will require mending."
She nodded. "Our man-of-all-work will see to
it. Frederick and Randolph, you two may spend the rest of the day
restoring the hay to the loft. You've undone two days' work."
"But, Cath! We needed a safe landing place,"
Freddy insisted.
"Nonsense! Get on with it," she said.
"Safe landing place?" the earl asked.
Randy launched into a breathless description
of plans he and
lane trusting his horse to follow.
***
"Enough!" Catherine shouted. "Quiet." The dog
at least obeyed. Her youngest brother, Randy, skidded to a halt and
glanced at her sheepishly while he shouted, "Behind you, Freddy.
There's one behind you!"
"Frederick, stop this instant and look at
me."
The older of her two siblings stopped his
gleeful pursuit reluctantly and turned to look at his sister.
"But the pigs, Cath, I—gore!" Freddy
exclaimed. His eyes widened, fixated on a sight past Catherine's
shoulder. "That's a fine beast."
Catherine spun on her heels and gasped. A
man—and a fine specimen indeed—stood not ten feet away. Tall and
broad shouldered, the man exuded the unmistakable confidence of the
upper classes. Sunshine did interesting things with the lights in
his soft brown hair and his eyes… She found herself momentarily at
a loss.
"This animal belongs to you, I presume?" the
man asked. His deep rich voice rumbled through Catherine's bemused
distraction. She looked up at the huge bay stallion following the
man as meekly as a lamb, opened her mouth to deny it, but caught
sight of the ragged rope in his hands. He had dragged her irritable
goat home.
"Yes. Rosalinda. Thank you." Catherine
stumbled over the words.
Randy rushed forward to take the rope.
"Thank you ever so much, sir. So frightened
she was, I might have had to chase her clear to the road. If she
went onto His Grace's land again, the steward said he'd roast her
for dinner." The boy chattered while he tied the animal to the
broken gate of the pigsty. "As it is, the mother hog is probably
halfway to Wheatton by now."
Warm brown eyes held Catherine's. She found
herself unable to speak.
"I say, sir. That horse is a beauty, Mr.—"
Freddy began.
"Chadbourn. At your service."
Chadbourn? The earl? Catherine looked in
chagrin at her third-best work dress with its patched hem and faded
colors. The one time someone from that family appeared on their
doorstep, and he found her looking bedraggled.
"Chadbourn?" Freddy echoed. "You can't be.
They never come here."
The earl looked confused.
"Frederick!" Catherine snapped, coming
sharply to attention. "Mind your manners."
Freddy remained unrepentant as always.
"Sorry, Cath, but they don't." He looked at the earl. "May I pet
him?" He didn't wait for permission, and the horse seemed willing
enough.
"Gently, now," Chadbourn told him.
The sound of the geese faded as the birds ran
through the barn. It reminded her that the earl also found Songbird
Cottage in confusion. He ought at least to know they possessed
manners. She looked to her own manners and began introductions.
"Thank you for your assistance, my lord.
I—"
"Your vegetables!" the earl exclaimed.
Vegetables?
He strode past Catherine. She turned around
to see that the piglets had settled down to root happily among the
last of the unharvested potatoes and turnips, just beyond the
kitchen door.
Freddy started to run toward them. The earl
put out a hand.
"Steady on. Let them think they've outwitted
us, and we'll take them by surprise."
Freddy grinned up at the man and mimicked his
stealthy moves until they were almost upon the little beasties. In
short order, the boys, the earl, and Catherine held seven piglets
by their rear legs and deposited them back in their sty, Randy
holding the gate so Freddy could tie it shut.
"Th-thank you for your help, my lord,"
Catherine stammered, wiping her hands on her skirt and to avoid
looking at him. Must he watch me so intently? "We would have
managed, but thank you, all the same."
"That pen will require mending."
She nodded. "Our man-of-all-work will see to
it. Frederick and Randolph, you two may spend the rest of the day
restoring the hay to the loft. You've undone two days' work."
"But, Cath! We needed a safe landing place,"
Freddy insisted.
"Nonsense! Get on with it," she said.
"Safe landing place?" the earl asked.
Randy launched into a breathless description
of plans he and
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