What a Gentleman Desires by Kasey Michaels

Author:Kasey Michaels [Michaels, Kasey]
Language: eng
Format: 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 under-

stood 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.

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kasEy michaEls

217

She’d wrapped the mirror in her extra petticoat,

placed it in the very center of her tapestry bag be-

fore 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, al-

ready awaited them on the path through the trees.

There, they would wait for Daisy to bring Lady Car-

oline 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

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what a gEntlEman dEsirEs

218

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.

Everything had been going exactly according to

plan.

All that had been left was for her to return to

Lady Caroline’s chamber, as the woman had insisted

on packing at least one small bag, and they also

would be safely away.

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