The Dangers for Spies by M.A. Lee

Author:M.A. Lee [Lee, M.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-09T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 9 ~ Thursday, 12 March 1812 ~ Little Houghton

Just as Toby’s mouth covered Melly’s, raindrops plopped onto them.

She jerked back with a squeal. “Hurry! No, Toby.” She batted his hands away and began scooping the remains of their picnic into the basket.

“We’ll be soaked before we reach any kind of shelter.” He offered what he considered reasonable logic for a spring-time picnic on the edge of the moors.

“No. I refuse to accept that. Jenny’s cottage is nearby. We can shelter there. Didn’t I point it out to you on the way here?”

“I wasn’t listening to you talk about your female friends.” He shook out the cloth used for their table and wadded it up.

“You mean you ignored me.”

He glanced at her. She didn’t sounded perturbed. As she snatched the cloth from him and stuffed it into the basket, she didn’t look perturbed, only anxious. She watched the sky. The heavy cloud that had kissed them with rain was rolling past. Other clouds crowded behind it, but bright blue peeked through.

“The rain’s stopped.”

“Not for long. Oh, this was a stupid picnic. I should never have let you persuade me.”

“You wanted to come.”

She stopped hurrying and gave him her attention. “I wanted to spend some time with you alone. A picnic sounded like a good idea. Yorkshire, however, is not a place for picnics in March. We will be freezing before we make it back home.”

“And your friend’s cottage is where? Along to the twisted tree then across the rise to the path, and it’s tucked against a stand of trees.”

“Toby! You were listening to me!” She linked her arm with his. “I wanted to see Jenny anyway. I understand that Col. Audley visited her, and then she went over to his house, and now she has visited him twice this week.”

“That seems a little convoluted.”

“It does, doesn’t it? I think Col. Audley will make a run for Jenny.”

As they reached the cart, the rain started up again. Ice pellets struck them as they climbed into the cart. The horse shook itself and tossed its head when Toby snapped the reins, but it set off at a good pace. Toby worried about the ice, but it soon changed to rain. By the time they reached the path, the moisture had shifted to a fine mist that still soaked everything it could.

Once on the path, Toby risked letting the horse have its head and shrugged out of his coat. He wrapped it around Melly. She clutched it with shaking fingers. “Thank you. I am freezing.”

The rise to climb the hill seemed minor compared to the upswell of the moor. The wind hit them when they crested the hill, adding to their misery. Beyond the hill, sheltered by a stand of trees stood a greystone cottage with a few outbuildings scattered behind it. Lights in the cottage windows beckoned. The wind swept smoke away from the two chimneys on either end of the roof.

Toby glanced at Melly. Like a miserably wet cat, she huddled in his coat.

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