Caught by Surprise by Jen Turano

Author:Jen Turano
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Christian fiction;Love stories;FIC042030;FIC042040;FIC027050
ISBN: 9781493414772
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2018-05-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Seventeen

Grinning as the unexpected thought struck that taking to the stage might be her next great adventure, given the enjoyment she was experiencing over the dramatic scene she’d just enacted, Temperance pushed up from the ground. Her grin slipped right off her face, though, when she saw Gilbert charging across the courtyard with his ever-handy pistol held at the ready. Unfortunately, that pistol was aimed directly at Eugene, who was frozen in place, holding one of the paperboard knives she’d created that was, regrettably, dripping with what looked exactly like blood.

“Don’t shoot him, Gilbert,” she yelled, jumping to her feet and holding up a hand to stop Miss Edwina Sinclair, Pinkerton detective-in-the-making, who’d abandoned the painting she’d been working on and was aiming her pistol at Gilbert’s back. “Don’t shoot him, Edwina,” she yelled. “It’s Gilbert.”

Time seemed to slow as Edwina lowered her weapon. Gilbert stopped running, lowered his pistol, then turned around, his gaze immediately settling on her, or rather, the red-stained shirt she was wearing over her gown.

“Explain” was all he said as he shoved his pistol out of sight.

She summoned up a smile. “I think the scene speaks for itself.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t, so try again.”

She kept her smile firmly in place. “While I realize you’re not one to embrace an active imagination, Gilbert, surely you must see that I’m simply in the middle of a lesson regarding how best to fend off an attacker wielding a knife. I’m also attempting to learn how to use a knife as well.”

“You have Pinkerton agents guarding you who will be more than happy to fend off any attackers who might come at you with knives.”

“And speaking of those Pinkerton agents,” Edwina said, stepping forward as she tucked her pistol discreetly back into the pocket of an apron she was wearing. “I can hardly be expected to keep my true reason for accompanying Temperance everywhere a secret if you spring on us unexpectedly with your gun drawn. You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you, Gilbert, which would have put a rapid end to my desire to become a full-fledged Pinkerton agent, a situation that would have left me cross with you forever.”

Gilbert shook himself ever so slightly, quite as if he’d forgotten there was someone else in the courtyard, then smiled at Edwina. Walking over to where she was standing, he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, even though Edwina seemed to be trying to pull her hand away from him.

“You’re not supposed to kiss the hand of a detective, Gilbert,” she all but hissed.

“But since, if I’m surmising correctly, you’re supposed to be undercover, it would look peculiar if I didn’t kiss your hand since you’re the sister of my very good friend Harrison,” Gilbert countered, holding Edwina’s hand, if Temperance wasn’t mistaken, longer than necessary, probably because he knew it was annoying Edwina.

Temperance’s lips began to curve, until she remembered that she really couldn’t afford to allow herself to be charmed by him, although

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