Margarita by Joan Wolf

Author:Joan Wolf [Wolf, Joan]
Language: por
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

—John Keats

It was October. Catherine Alnwick had gone to London for a few weeks, and Nicholas refrained

from riding into Chelmarsh to visit another widow-friend of his. He was apprehensive about being away

from home and definitely felt guilty about pursuing his own illicit pleasure at such a time.

He took out a gun one particularly fine day, and when he returned home he discovered that Marga-

rita had also gone out. Nicholas frowned in displeasure. He did not want her driving around by herself.

She had been gone two hours. Nicholas sent to the stable for his horse and set out to look for her.

He did not have far to go. He was two miles from home, on what he knew to be one of her favorite

paths, when he saw her coming toward him—on foot and leading the horse. He cantered toward her.

“What the devil do you think you are doing?” he asked, fright making his voice sound harsh.

“The wheel of the phaeton hit a stone in the road and broke,” she answered. Her voice sounded a

little strange, and he looked at her intently.

“Are you all right?’

“I’ve started having pains,” she admitted.

He swore. “Where did you leave the carriage?”

“About two miles back. It can’t be used, Nicholas. The wheel is badly broken.”

“You weren’t thrown?” he asked sharply.

She shook her head., “I was coming home because I had started to get pains in my back. I suppose I

was not watching the road as closely as I should have, but nothing serious happened, as I was going very

slowly. I unhitched Hero and started to walk.” She stopped and, he saw the muscles around her mouth

tighten. He swore again.

“I never thought to take the other phaeton.” He looked at his own horse. “Can I put you up on Cora,

Margarita?’

“Nor She sounded breathless. “I will walk back.”

So with two sets of reins in one hand and with his other arm supporting his wife, Nicholas undertook

what he was certain was the longest two miles of his entire life. Margarita was obviously in pain, although

she was making, a gallant effort to hide it They were spotted as they reached the bottom of the long

drive, and servants came running to take the horses from Nicholas. He dispatched someone for the

doctor and, ignoring her protests, picked Marga—

rita up and atrried her up the drive and into the house.

The woman whom they had hired as a baby nurse took over in Margarita’s bedroom and Nicholas

was banished. Margarita begged him to fetch Mrs. Frost, and after the doctor arrived, Nicholas did

indeed drive his phaeton over to Whitethorn. Mn. Frost was alone in the kitchen. “Of course I’ll come,”

she said readily to Nithill2s’s question. “I promised your lady I wouldn’t fail her and I shan’t. Poor little

thing, with no mother or sister or aunt to hold her hand and help her at a time when she most needs it.”

The farmer’s wife took off her apron and disappeared upstairs for a few minutes. When she returned she

had on her hat. “I’m ready, my lord.

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