Courting the Countess by Jenny Frame

Author:Jenny Frame [Frame, Jenny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626397866
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2016-07-17T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Annie wondered for the thousandth time why she had come tonight. It was stupid. She felt bad for leaving Harry and nervous about walking into the pub alone. She dropped Riley off at Mrs. Peters’s house just down the road, and walked to the door of the Witch’s Tavern.

She was just about to turn around and leave when Quade came jogging towards her.

“Hi, Annie, sorry I’m late. You look beautiful.”

Annie looked down at her figure-hugging, knitted silver minidress and felt a bit self-conscious. If Harry had said that, she would have felt her skin grow hot. She chastised herself for comparing Quade to Harry. Harry was never going to be the person she needed, so she had to get her out of her head. Maybe a pleasant evening with Quade and the other villagers could do that.

“Thank you. You look nice too.” And she did. Quade was ruggedly handsome, just like the vicar had described her. The perfect date for a woman like her. Even if she wasn’t Harry.

“We better get a table before they’re all gone,” Quade said.

She ushered her in the door, and led her to a table. A number of the villagers she had met came over to say hello, and some new people were introduced to her.

Quade got them both drinks and registered them for the quiz night. They began to chat about their respective jobs and the village for a while, until Quade said, “Annie? Could I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Quade looked apprehensive as she prepared to ask her question. “Are you and Lady Axedale romantically involved?”

Annie nearly choked on her drink. “Of course not. She’s my employer. Why would you think that?”

“Well for one, when I dropped you off the other day, she gave me the look.”

Annie hadn’t the first idea what she was talking about. “The look? What’s that?”

Quade smiled and took a quick sip from her bottle of lager. “It’s the You’re stepping on my territory here, mate, back off look.”

“I have never heard of that in my life.”

“You’re not meant to. We learn it at butch school,” Quade joked.

Annie laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding? I know she was a bit rude but…”

“If it was only that, I wouldn’t have said anything, but since you got here tonight, she is all that you have talked about.”

Annie was taken aback. “That’s not true, is it?”

Quade nodded, and Annie apologized quickly. “I’m so sorry. There’s been a lot going on, and we’re really good friends. We’re attracted to one another but we’re not together.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I’m disappointed of course. You’re a beautiful woman, Annie. But I’d never tread on someone else’s toes.”

“There’s nothing going on,” Annie said.

“But you’d both like there to be, so why don’t we be friends and say no more about it?” Quade said.

There might not be anything going on but her attraction and care for Harry were clear, so she took the opportunity to keep things simple. “Thank you, Quade.”

Just as she finished speaking the pub fell silent.

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.