girl’s head bobbed up and down. “Oh, yes, I know and guess what? I know why it’s wicked. But never mind all that. You’ll know soon enough if you run off with this man. I’ll ride into town and see him for you. What should I tell him…ask him?”
“I’m not sure…if I should do this.”
Tyra tapped a foot. “Oh, for goodness sake. You are impossible. Do you want me to do this or not?”
“Of course.” Wilda fetched the note from her desk, held a finger to her lips a moment and asked, “Why?”
“Why what?” Tyra asked, reaching for the paper.
“Oh, you know. Why is riding astride a sin?” She folded the note twice but kept a grip on it, waiting.
“It makes a lady feel quite delicious.”
“Delicious?”
“Yes, you know. Down there.” Tyra gestured vaguely toward her lap.
Wilda grew quite hot and fanned herself twice with the note, then held it out. “You should watch that young mouth.”
Tyra shrugged and grinned wickedly. “You asked. You going to give me that?”
“Of course. Delicious?”
“Give me that. You’ll know soon enough.”
The time for hesitation was past, and she handed her note to Tyra. “Be careful not to be seen by anyone, not even your groom. Take this to…uh, Joshua at the blacksmith shop. Make sure he gets it and no one else. And don’t get caught. Can you do that?”
Tyra arched a fine brow. “Of course.” She grabbed the folded slip of paper and hugged Wilda. “Oh, isn’t this the most exciting thing?”
“If you dare tell anyone, it will be my undoing, and yours and Rowena’s as well. Do you understand? No one.”
A nod that dislodged hay strands from her curls. “Can I read the note?”
“May I. You will anyway.”
Tyra offered her alluring crooked grin and opened the folded paper. Her eyes widened as she read. “You’ve met him before? In the barn? Are you really going to do it? I mean, right out ask him to kidnap you? I thought perhaps you’d meet with him a few times, smooth the way.”
“No use of that. Besides, meeting might make it easier for us to get caught. All the same, I’m not certain he will agree.”
“Oh, he will. Look at you. He’d be a fool not to. You have him enamored of you already. Are you frightened?”
“Stop asking so many questions. Of course, I am, but not so much as I am terrified of Prescott. But you’re wrong. He isn’t enamored of me. We have barely spoken, so I doubt very seriously that he will agree to such a thing. Now, we must get you cleaned up and hurry back downstairs before His Lordship becomes suspicious and sends someone after us.”
Even as she brushed her cousin’s hair and rearranged it, she had second thoughts. Suppose this Calder Raines was worse than Prescott? Suppose he decided to really kidnap her, really ravage her? There would be nothing she could do about it. Oh, dear, was she only making matters worse?
Her mother must have felt many of the same doubts when she and her sister, Tyra’s mother, eloped with the brothers who would become their fathers.
If her mother had that sort of courage, then so could she. And she could hardly make things much worse.
“I have an idea,” Tyra said when the hair brushing had finished.
“Oh, what might that be?”
“Well, perhaps if you offered to pay this man, then he would be more willing to do what you ask.” She paused and grinned impishly. “I mean since you sure don’t want to…well, you know, do the—”
“Watch your mouth, child. Besides, I have nothing with which to pay him.”
“You could steal something.”
“Tyra, shame on you.” She regarded her cousin. “Like what?”
“Oh, yes.” She clapped her hands. “Silver from the kitchen perhaps.”
“What a dreadful little imp you are, child. Just take the note and we’ll see where this goes from there.”
“But it would be so much fun.”
“Fun? To steal?”
“Well, to get away with it.”
She paddled the child playfully. “I'll tell Lord Prescott you're
“I’m not sure…if I should do this.”
Tyra tapped a foot. “Oh, for goodness sake. You are impossible. Do you want me to do this or not?”
“Of course.” Wilda fetched the note from her desk, held a finger to her lips a moment and asked, “Why?”
“Why what?” Tyra asked, reaching for the paper.
“Oh, you know. Why is riding astride a sin?” She folded the note twice but kept a grip on it, waiting.
“It makes a lady feel quite delicious.”
“Delicious?”
“Yes, you know. Down there.” Tyra gestured vaguely toward her lap.
Wilda grew quite hot and fanned herself twice with the note, then held it out. “You should watch that young mouth.”
Tyra shrugged and grinned wickedly. “You asked. You going to give me that?”
“Of course. Delicious?”
“Give me that. You’ll know soon enough.”
The time for hesitation was past, and she handed her note to Tyra. “Be careful not to be seen by anyone, not even your groom. Take this to…uh, Joshua at the blacksmith shop. Make sure he gets it and no one else. And don’t get caught. Can you do that?”
Tyra arched a fine brow. “Of course.” She grabbed the folded slip of paper and hugged Wilda. “Oh, isn’t this the most exciting thing?”
“If you dare tell anyone, it will be my undoing, and yours and Rowena’s as well. Do you understand? No one.”
A nod that dislodged hay strands from her curls. “Can I read the note?”
“May I. You will anyway.”
Tyra offered her alluring crooked grin and opened the folded paper. Her eyes widened as she read. “You’ve met him before? In the barn? Are you really going to do it? I mean, right out ask him to kidnap you? I thought perhaps you’d meet with him a few times, smooth the way.”
“No use of that. Besides, meeting might make it easier for us to get caught. All the same, I’m not certain he will agree.”
“Oh, he will. Look at you. He’d be a fool not to. You have him enamored of you already. Are you frightened?”
“Stop asking so many questions. Of course, I am, but not so much as I am terrified of Prescott. But you’re wrong. He isn’t enamored of me. We have barely spoken, so I doubt very seriously that he will agree to such a thing. Now, we must get you cleaned up and hurry back downstairs before His Lordship becomes suspicious and sends someone after us.”
Even as she brushed her cousin’s hair and rearranged it, she had second thoughts. Suppose this Calder Raines was worse than Prescott? Suppose he decided to really kidnap her, really ravage her? There would be nothing she could do about it. Oh, dear, was she only making matters worse?
Her mother must have felt many of the same doubts when she and her sister, Tyra’s mother, eloped with the brothers who would become their fathers.
If her mother had that sort of courage, then so could she. And she could hardly make things much worse.
“I have an idea,” Tyra said when the hair brushing had finished.
“Oh, what might that be?”
“Well, perhaps if you offered to pay this man, then he would be more willing to do what you ask.” She paused and grinned impishly. “I mean since you sure don’t want to…well, you know, do the—”
“Watch your mouth, child. Besides, I have nothing with which to pay him.”
“You could steal something.”
“Tyra, shame on you.” She regarded her cousin. “Like what?”
“Oh, yes.” She clapped her hands. “Silver from the kitchen perhaps.”
“What a dreadful little imp you are, child. Just take the note and we’ll see where this goes from there.”
“But it would be so much fun.”
“Fun? To steal?”
“Well, to get away with it.”
She paddled the child playfully. “I'll tell Lord Prescott you're
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