(1990) Surrender by Amanda Quick

Author:Amanda Quick [Quick, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780553285949
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1990-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

11

The following afternoon Victoria sought relief from the tension of the ever-so-civilized, now-silent battle raging between herself and Lucas by fleeing into the nearby woods with her sketchbook.

She walked for some time before coming to a halt. Eventually she chose a comfortable spot on a hill beneath some trees where she could sit gazing out over the uninspiring view of the depressed farming community. From here she could see the cottages that needed patching, the rutted lanes that needed repair, and the nearly empty fields. Lucas was out there somewhere in one of those fields, she knew. He’d made plans to ride out on an inspection tour with his steward this afternoon.

There was certainly much to be done here, Victoria was forced to acknowledge. Whatever else one could say about her husband, at least he apparently intended to put her money to good use. There was no evidence yet that he was going to pour it into wine, women, and song.

But, then, Lucas was not a frivolous man, in spite of his reputation as an accomplished gamester.

Frowning at her uneasy, chaotic thoughts, she bent her attention to the small plants and grasses around her. With a practiced eye she picked out several familiar species. But then she spotted a rather unusual cluster of mushrooms and her interest was immediately piqued in spite of her mood. She opened her sketchbook.

This was what she needed, she thought. She wanted the temporary peace of mind her sketching and painting could bring her.

Victoria spent a long time detailing the delicate mushrooms, losing herself in her work. Time passed quickly and the pressures of her new marriage faded, at least for the moment.

When she was finished with the mushrooms, she went on to draw several interesting dead leaves that had fallen nearby in a graceful heap. After the leaves she discovered a quite fascinating puffball. Puffballs always presented a serious challenge. It was difficult to get just the right airy appearance without sacrificing the tiny details. Botanical drawing was an exhilarating combination of art and science. Victoria loved it.

Two hours later she finally closed the sketchbook and leaned back against the tree trunk. She discovered she was feeling much better. Calmer and more steadied. The warm afternoon sun felt good and somehow the fields and farms below did not look quite so bleak. There was hope for Stonevale, she thought suddenly. Lucas would be able to salvage these lands. If any man could do it, Lucas could.

With her money, of course.

But even that thought was not as irritating as it had been earlier. An insidious notion occurred to her. Perhaps Lucas had had a point last night at dinner. What had she ever done that was so terribly useful with her money in the past?

Nevertheless, it was her money. Victoria scowled at that notion and got to her feet, brushing leaves from her walking dress. She must remember that she was the innocent victim in this situation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.