Master of Blackmoor by Julie Shelton

Author:Julie Shelton [Shelton, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-23T05:00:00+00:00

* * * *

“Why did you go away?” Geoffrey’s plaintive words were muffled against her neck. “You promised you never would do.”

“And I’ve kept that promise,” Danielle replied reasonably. “As you can plainly see, I am right here. I haven’t gone anywhere.”

“I didn’t see you all day,” he whined, refusing to be comforted.

“But you had a good time with Nancy, didn’t you? Playing with the kittens and swinging on your swing? And playing with Edward and Fanshawe?”

“No.” He shook his head stubbornly.

Danielle laughed and tickled his ribs playfully until he squirmed and laughed despite himself. “You big fibber,” she accused. “You did so too have a good time. I heard you laughing. You can’t trick me.”

They engaged in a mutual tickling session that ended in a prolonged, tight hug. Then, taking him by the shoulders, she pushed him back and looked at him solemnly. “I won’t have time to be with you very much for the next week or so. I’m going to be busy doing some important work for your Papa. But Nancy is here, and she’ll take very good care of you. So, I want you to show her what a good boy you are. Will you do that for me?

Geoffrey nodded earnestly and she gave him another hug.

To further assuage her feelings of guilt, she dismissed Nancy right after supper. Then she and Geoffrey spent the evening playing naughts and crosses before she tucked him into bed.

Again, for the second night in a row she suddenly found herself inexplicably awake. Immediately jumping out of bed, she ran across the hall and stood over Geoffrey’s bed.

As had happened last night, he had kicked his covers off and knocked one of his pillows onto the floor, but otherwise everything appeared perfectly normal. Despite this, however, after she’d replaced the bedclothes and given him a kiss on the forehead, she found herself tiptoeing out into the schoolroom and searching the shadows for anything out of place.

There was nothing there that shouldn’t have been there. But she could not rid herself of a nagging sense of disquiet. It followed her back to bed. And it stayed with her as she tossed and turned for several hours before finally falling into a fitful sleep.

After breakfast the next morning, she reminded Geoffrey to be a good boy for Nancy and she went down to the Cathay bedroom. The green gown was finished. So, Bertha, and Danielle carried it across the hall to the late Duchess’s bedroom door,

Danielle waited impatiently as Bertha fumbled the key into the lock. There was a loud scrape of metal as the bolt turned. The two women looked at each other, then, as one, they depressed the latch and pushed the door open,

They were greeted by total darkness. For a moment, there was a stunned silence, then Bertha gave a nervous little laugh. “Oh. The shutters. I’d forgotten.” She turned to Danielle. “’Is Grace ordered ’em shut after—ye know, to keep the rugs and drapes from fadin’. Just wait ’ere, I’ll go let in some light.

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