The Wicked Sister by Lancaster Mary

Author:Lancaster, Mary
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Regency
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2019-12-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

There was something about journeys, Maria thought, that caused both the past and future to fade from one’s thoughts and leave only the present. And the present was sweet. It felt almost like being somebody else in a life that wasn’t much related to the one she had come from or the one she was going to. There was only the steady motion of the horse beneath her, and the man so close behind her, his arms binding her on either side as he held the reins in his strong, grazed hands.

All she could think of was the way Michael had kissed her and the sheer pleasure of being with him in this way. Somehow, she had leaned back against his chest, and she could feel his breath on her cheek. The road was deserted, apart from one man sitting on the grass at the side, rubbing his ankle while blood trickled down the side of his face.

“Is that…?” Maria began.

“Yes,” Michael said.

They trotted around the bend and up the hill. The sea came into view with Blackhaven nestled below them, and the castle beyond on the next hill. It wasn’t a long journey home, something she couldn’t help regretting, which meant Michael had been very quick in rushing to her rescue.

“Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered. Part of her hoped he wouldn’t hear, but then his lips brushed her ear.

“I’ll always come when you need me.”

She closed her eyes. “Because we’re friends.” There was a pause. She didn’t know if she felt pain or pleasure. If he did.

“Yes,” he said. “Because we’re friends.”

“You know I will do the same.”

His arms tightened, and she wanted to turn into him, to feel again the wonder of his kiss. But he straightened, drawing away from her, and she saw that a smart carriage was driving toward them. She sat up straighter, making sure the cloak still covered everything it had to. Michael urged the horse into a canter and Blackhaven drew ever nearer.

“Mrs. Muir’s servants will never let me in like this,” Maria said suddenly.

“I’ll shield you while you whip off the noxious hat and cloak and slap the bonnet back on your head.”

She couldn’t help the sudden laughter that bubbled up. “What about the smell?”

“We’ll all have to live with the smell. I’m used to it already.”

They must have looked somewhat odd as they entered Blackhaven. Two men on the same horse, one respectably dressed but with no hat, the other in a floppy, greasy hat, bundled in a cloak. Maria guided them to the quieter streets until they came to a small park with no houses and no one close by.

With some difficulty, she dismounted, and let Michael take the saddle. She strode along in as manly a manner as she could while trying not to trip over the huge cloak. Holding the garment up from the inside, she struggled to hide her smart, feminine boots.

By the time they came to the Muirs’ respectable street, there was some distance between them and nothing very much to connect them.

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