Joan Smith by Valerie

Author:Valerie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

I was anxious to escape my French suitor in the morning. To this end, I asked Pinny to bring me breakfast to my room, and tell Pierre, if he inquired, that I was sleeping in late. When she brought the tray up, there was a very satisfying note on it from Welland. “Dear Heart: A thousand apologies for last night. I must see you as soon as possible, alone. Meet me in the feather room when you can evade our French cousin. I prefer to search for secret passages in English, and while Loo is composing. May I please have my gun and keys back? I promise to behave, if you don’t tempt me past resisting.” It was signed, “the Parasite,” I was happy to see my jibe had not run off his back, as I feared.

Any self-respecting man must be ashamed of laying himself open to such a charge. I had high hopes he would discover some other career than marrying Mary Milne. Half a dozen had already occurred to me on his behalf.

When I glanced up from reading, Pinny was squinting in horror at the pistol that had been left overnight on the dresser. “Oh, miss, what in the world are you doing with this wicked thing?” she gasped.

“Shooting birds, Pinny. Give it to me, please, and those keys.”

“You got to bed awful late last night, miss,” she admonished gently, handing me the things. “You should have woke me up. I just dozed off, but I meant to do for you, as usual.”

“That is all right. You got my bronze gown?”

“I did, miss, and it smells of the stables. Washing crepe is next to impossible, but I’ll hang it in the sun.”

“Wash it. You have to press it with a flannel cloth on top.”

“I know that, miss,” she said, offended. “It hasn’t got no marks, just the smell.”

“Is Welland—Mr. Sinclair downstairs now?”

“Yes, talking to Mr. St. Clair. He’s trying to convince him that nag he lent him needs exercise. I fancy he don’t know it got exercise last night.” This was a hint to discover if I had been out with Pierre the night before. I failed to recognize it, or at least to acknowledge it.

“Let me know at once if St. Clair leaves, will you?”

“Yes, miss. Will there be an answer to the note?”

“That won’t be necessary. Come back in ten minutes and help me with my hair, Pinny. I want to look especially well today.”

“You always look grand, miss. Like a queen. I don’t mean poor old Queen Charlotte either, the quiz. Isn’t it a wonder how the likes of her ever got her body on to a throne?”

“Yes, and our next promises to be even worse, but we must remember we have a farmer for a king, and he would not want too stylish a lady.”

I sipped my chocolate, devoured two eggs and gammon, demolished the couple of bits of toast and was satisfied. Pinny came in just as I finished. “He’s gone, Mr. St.

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