Kasey Michaels by What a Gentleman Desires

Author:What a Gentleman Desires
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

DAISY REMEMBERED LOOKING into the hand mirror that was all she had left of her mother, marveling at her own reflection. She had barely recognized herself. She’d always been the other sister, the plain one with the white skin and curly copper hair, too tall, too thin and gawky next to Rose’s petite but curvy frame. And definitely too bookish and serious.

She’d seen a softness about her now, around her eyes, her mouth, something she hadn’t quite understood but easily concluded had something to do with the way Valentine looked at her, as if she wasn’t only passable, but passably pretty.

If she’d thought about it, if she’d had the leisure of time to think about it, she would probably conclude he liked her, quite a lot. Perhaps almost as much as she liked him, because she did care for him, oh, so very much. Even in the midst of all this horror and ugliness, he had the power to stir her senses as well as her mind. She believed she might now have at least a small inkling of the joy Rose had found with her Walter. And in time, God willing, she would forget the rest of it, banishing evil and replacing it with good.

She’d wrapped the mirror in her extra petticoat, placed it in the very center of her tapestry bag before closing it and carefully dropping it out the window. She’d earlier done the same with Agnes’s few belongings, and now leaned out the open window far enough to assure herself both bags had landed safely behind the shrubbery.

Looking back, it all seemed to have happened so long ago.

Daisy had then gone downstairs to the nursery, where a willing Agnes waited, both her beloved charges dressed and eager for an adventure. Agnes was going to take them to a secret stream to catch real frogs, which only came out when the sun was going down. They had to be very quiet, though, or else one of the other servants might hear them, and they’d all be shooed back upstairs to the nursery.

Piffkin and a pair of outriders, as planned, already awaited them on the path through the trees. There, they would wait for Daisy to bring Lady Caroline along, and would then set off immediately for the out-of-the-way inn, Piffkin in charge. The outriders would remain, to watch over Daisy until Valentine was safely out of the house, mounted on Charfield’s horse and on his way. That had been her single request: to be allowed to wait for him before she and one outrider moved on to the inn, the other riding with Valentine. He’d seemed almost flattered, until she’d added that she wouldn’t trust him not to do something foolish if he didn’t know she was there, patiently waiting for him.

Daisy had kissed both children, given the nervous Agnes a bracing hug and watched as the trio headed for the servant stairs. She’d held her breath, watching from her attic window, until Piffkin had emerged from the trees, hustling them to cover.

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