Prudence by Elizabeth Bailey

Author:Elizabeth Bailey [Bailey, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2002-12-27T13:00:00+00:00

From an upstairs window above the front portico, Julius watched the game of battledore and shuttlecock taking place out in the April sunshine. Every so often, a streak of orange and brown shot across the improvised court, causing the younger combatants to shriek imprecations at it, for the elder’s attention was inevitably drawn from the game.

Unable to drag himself away, Julius had remained throughout two bouts in which Miss Hursley was soundly beaten by each of the twins. What held him there was the thrust of enthusiasm with which the governess struggled to keep up. Several times he saw her stop and lean over, holding one hand to her side where her breath evidently laboured.

His nieces—drat the little beasts!—gave no thought to the discomfort of their preceptress. All they could think of was to crow at her in triumph, berating ‘Miss Prue’ for being slow. Readily could he have banged their heads together!

He could have stopped it, merely by opening the window and leaning out with a word of command. He was loath to enquire too closely into his reasons for refraining. Miss Hursley could take care of herself. The more fool her if she allowed the brats to run rings round her in this fashion. It was all of a piece!

Unaccountably irritated, he turned away from the window, and resumed his progress down the stairs and thence to the library. His plans were behind, and he must complete the design for the furtherance of the Rockery, where he was planning to extend the layout to include a central maze.

But to his annoyance, as he set himself to the work, his pencil doodled idly and his mind dwelt irresistibly on the excessively distracting conduct of Miss Prudence Hursley.

What had she against him? Since that ridiculous episode of the disastrous tadpole collecting expedition a little more than a week ago, he had scarcely exchanged two words with the wench. Why? Because she was studiously avoiding him! That certainty could no longer be ignored.

Not that he had sought her company. What had he to do with the governess? But prior to the tadpole event, upon those few occasions when he had encountered her, there had been an agreeable exchange of badinage. At least, he had amused himself with goading her into retort. And Miss Hursley had obliged him by succumbing. So readily indeed that her present demeanour was frustrating beyond endurance!

There had been that occasion the other day, when he had come upon her seated in the sunshine in one of the cosy nooks in the gardens, reading to the twins. Their attention seemed to be divided between her voice and a desultory game with Folly, where he chased after a berry on a twig dragged playfully across the ground.

Julius had listened in astonishment as he realised that Miss Hursley had selected the gruesome story of ‘Blue Beard’ from an edition of Perrault’s Histories, or Tales of Past Times. Was this one of the books she had chosen to be brought from

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.