High Stakes Chattel by Andie Blue

Samantha’s mother had gotten even more querulous and demanding. She woke Samantha up repeatedly for the simple st tasks, lighting her bedside lamp or pulling up her covers, all things she could have easily done for herself. When Mrs. Potter had been with her she hadn’t done that, and Samantha knew she was trying to make her suffer for disrupting her routine.
    Samantha found her mother’s behavior completely frustrating, but she didn’t know how else to comfort her, so she had no choice other than to deal with the situation.
    Sometimes, when she sat down with her mother for a simple dinner of vegetables, cheese and bread, she fantasized about the delectable meals she’d had with Lord Chattel. The savory meat pies flavored with herbs, the bread pudding dripping with syrup… Just thinking about it made her mouth drool. During that blissful month, she’d had no pressing responsibilities, nothing demanding her attention except the evening games of Chattel. She’d been free to sleep late, read all day, and go on long, invigorating rides over the rolling hills of Nico’s beautiful property.
    With a sigh, she finished mucking out the stall in her small barn and wiped her arm across her brow. What she wouldn’t give for just five minutes of rest now.
    Leaning against her rake, she took a deep breath and gazed down the road, letting her mind drift to Nico. She longed to see him again. Even if she’d had plenty of hours to spend in her bed, she probably wouldn’t have gotten much sleep, because her dreams were always filled with him.
    She didn’t know what she missed more, the long conversations they’d shared over the Chattel table, or the times he’d taken her in his arms. She missed the friendship she’d never expected to find, especially not with someone like him, someone so far above her reach.
    A rider approached, and her heart leapt in her throat when she realized it was John. What was he doing here?
    Tossing aside her rake, she hurried to meet him at the gate, trying to hide her excitement. Her days had been so long and filled with drudgery that she would have welcomed any distraction, but she was doubly thrilled at the idea that she might actually hear word of Nico.
    “John,” she cried exuberantly. “I'm so happy to see you. What brings you here?”
    He gave her a wide smile and dismounted, tying his horse to the gate. “I was nearby, so I wanted to call on you and see how you were doing.” He hugged her and patted her on top of the head. “I like your hair like this. It suits you.”
    “Thank you .” She touched her shorn locks a bit self-consciously. Her hair had grown quite a bit in the past few months, but was still far too short to be stylish. She motioned him toward the house. “Please, come in. Have some tea.”
    “That would be nice,” he said, following her inside.
    Samantha introduced him to her mother and Mrs. Potter, then led him into the kitchen where they could have a bit of privacy. As she put on some tea and scrounged up some scones she’d made yesterday, he kept up a running monologue about what he’d been doing since she’d seen him last.
    “I’ve been working in the preserve,” he told her proudly. “Lord Chattel told me I could do the game hunting while he was gone, and I’m enjoying it. Since he returned, he assured me he doesn’t have the time, so he said I could continue.”
    Once she’d made the tea, she prepared them both a cup and sat down at the table across from him. “How is Lord Chattel?” she asked, striving to sound nonchalant.
    “Oh, he’s fine,” John assured her. “He just returned from Paris last week and has buried himself in his work again.” He rolled his eyes a bit with his words.
    “Did he achieve what he hoped to while he was in Paris?” she asked.
    John shrugged. “I don’t rightly know about that. He doesn’t talk to me about his work. Probably knows I wouldn’t understand if he did.” He perked up. “He did purchase a few new