How to Treat a Lady by Karen Hawkins

Author:Karen Hawkins [Hawkins, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
ISBN: 9780060514051
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2003-11-25T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

If I could have one wish, it would be to become fantastically

wealthy. If I could have two wishes, it would

be to become fantastically wealthy and stay that way.

Viscount Rose to Mr. Giles Standish as the two glumly watch

Viscount Rose’s prize bays go up for auction in a last-ditch attempt to settle his debts

Sheep, Chase decided on the third day of his incarceration (for he refused to think of it as else), were not the mild-mannered animals one might have been led to believe from nursery-rhyme lore.

Oh no. Despite their large brown eyes and soft woolen exteriors, they were imminently capable of capricious behavior that could only be described as malicious, malevolent, and mean.

Something as simple as herding the stupid creatures from one field into the next was tantamount to climbing the icy summits of Mt. Olympus and fighting off an army of Cyclopses while wearing a tattered loincloth and carrying no weapons other than a rock and a very small slingshot.

He’d been working with the Wards and their two hired helpers for three whole, endless days, each one longer than the previous. And now, on the dawn of the fourth day, he could barely move, his entire body was a mass of bruises, aches, sunburn, and blisters.

The sad thing was that the shearing hadn’t even begun. All they had done so far was move the sheep to the field beside the barn and repair some fencing along the way.

Of course, that had taken plenty of time, energy, and fortitude since the sheep seemed determined to thwart them every step of the way. They attempted to break free at the first sign of weakness, the largest rams taking every opportunity to run down any unsuspecting worker who might make the error of turning his back. Sheep were vicious, vindictive creatures and Chase had the lumps and bruises to prove it.

He leaned against the wagon, watching the sun rise over the gentle hills. To his surprise, he found he rather liked this time of day—the hour after dawn when everything looked clean and fresh, a covering of creamy dew gilding the grass and trees. He lifted his head and took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders. It was so easy to lose oneself in London. But here, everything seemed… easier. Simpler.

“Captain?” Stephen’s voice intruded.

Chase straightened, then groaned.

Stephen quirked a brow. “Does your back hurt?”

“My entire body hurts. Even my hair.”

Stephen managed a faint smile. “Could you and Jem get the new gate built today?”

Chase looked at the boy, noting the circles beneath his eyes. Gone was the cheery voice that had awoken Chase on the first day. Stephen had barely smiled since then. “I’m sure Jem and I can build the gate.”

“Good. Derrick and I will go with Harriet to see to the gap we found in the fence in the south pasture. The others are going to clean out the barn.”

“Work, work, work.”

“It’s not usually like this. Once the shearing is done, things will settle back to normal.

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