AnchorandStorm by Kate Poole

had indeed married for love, not riches. He had to apologize to her, but would she allow him to? Would she even listen?
     
    He finally lay down, but sleep eluded him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the look on her face and his heart began to hurt again.
     
    Dawn was still a few hours away when he gave up and went into the stable, hoping work would take his mind off Em.
     
    He was surprised to find that he was not alone. It was all he could do not to laugh when the woman backed into him.
     
    “May I help ye, Lady Stockdale?”
     
    She gave a screech and scampered away from him, bumping into Tar’s stall. The big stallion swung his head toward her and bared his teeth. She screamed again and jumped away from the stall. Angus moved to catch the lamp before she dropped it in the dry straw at the edges of the aisle.
     
    He again had to stifle a laugh. She looked for all the world like a billiard ball bouncing from one side of the table to the other. “Ye’re out and about verra early, milady.”
     
    “Yes, um, yes,” the woman stuttered. “I could not sleep, you know, what with all the excitement last evening.”
     
    “Aye, of course.” He remembered her husband saying that she was afraid of horses and wondered what she was doing here in the stable. He decided to egg her on. “Would ye like me to saddle a horse for ye?” he asked. “We have a fine sidesaddle ye can use.”
     
    “ No! ” she blurted, her eyes as big as saucers. One hand covered her heart, as if it threatened to pop out of her chest. She held the other hand stiffly by her side, within the folds of her skirt. Angus had a strange feeling that she was hiding something, but he couldn’t see anything.
     
    “No,” she repeated, seeming to have gained back some of her composure. “I just wanted to see this stallion everyone was talking about.”
     
    “Well, ye’ve seen him and rather closely,” Angus said, nodding at the big dark head that still peered over the stall door.
     
    “I understand he threw my husband yesterday.”
     
    “Aye, that he did.”
     
    She had a slight smile on her face now, which appeared to be one of satisfaction. Then, she turned to him and her expression changed. As she eyed him up and down, she looked like a cat that had just lapped up the cream. He was surprised when she completed that impression by licking her lips.
     
    “Or perhaps I came to see you.”
     
    A shock ran through him. Surely, she could not mean what he suspected she meant. Did she think he was an amenity provided by the estate, along with her meals and clean sheets?
     
    “The horses are available for riding, milady. I am not.”
     
    She gasped. “ How dare you suggest such a thing?” She raised her hand to slap him, but he caught it in mid-air, his fingers tightening around her wrist.
     
    “An ye’ll excuse me, milady, I have work to do.” He handed her back the lamp and turned away. He heard her spluttering behind him for a moment, then the sound of her footsteps receded in the direction of the house.
     
    * * * * *
     
     
    Fen labored up the stairs, burdened by an armful of Lady Stockdale’s petticoats that Mrs. Lamond had just finished pressing. She dreaded having to take the clothing to the lady, she frightened Fen so. She was mean and Fen wasn’t used to mean people. No one on milord’s estate treated her meanly, neither her mother, nor Angus, nor any of the other servants would allow it.
     
    As she neared the door to the guest bedrooms, she heard loud voices and stopped in the hallway, afraid to knock.
     
    “What have you done, Caroline?” she heard the man say.
     
    That nasty woman replied, “You had the right idea, Raymond, but with your usual incompetence, you chose the wrong target. But don’t worry, I have taken care of it myself.”
     
    The man said again, “What have you done, Caroline?”
     
    And the woman said, “Let’s just say that she will get a surprise the next time she goes