Veiled in Blue Read Online Free

tower.
    “That’s the village,” she said.
    He sighed, though whether from regret or hopeful anticipation she couldn’t tell. Probably the latter. The horse was certainly tired, its head drooping and its gait slower than ever.
    “Appleton.” He drew a breath, as if to say something else, but must have changed his mind.
    “It’s a sleepy little place,” she said.
    “Have you ever been anywhere else? Apart from Bath?”
    Some villagers had never even crossed the parish boundaries. “I’ve been to Wells. I haven’t visited London, although I would like to. Perhaps I can get work there.”
    “Perhaps,” he said, but he sounded guarded, as if he didn’t think she could do it.
    A spark of irritation flashed through her. “I’m a very good governess!”
    “I’m sure you are,” he answered, and this time his smooth tones sounded perfectly sure.
    This annoyed her more than his doubt.
    “Are you concealing your true feelings?”
    “In my position, I have to do so from time to time.”
    That didn’t exactly answer her question, but she would not press him further. He was a stranger, after all, although this ride into the village had made her better acquainted with his more personal assets.
    Her own arousal had settled into a simmering want, a vague sense of emptiness that she still had a great deal to experience in life. She would probably not have that pleasure, or otherwise, since she was in a limbo of respectability that demanded marriage and without the financial wherewithal to attract a suitor.
    Her situation left her as the perpetual spinster, of which England had a distressingly high number. She had accustomed herself to the notion, at least she told herself as much. Only in the dead of night did she allow herself to dream about finding a handsome, young, wealthy man who would adore her. In clear daylight, she knew how impossible that was.
    They rode over the rise and down to the village. Closing her eyes, Eve allowed herself a few moments of imagined pleasure. She snatched them from life, but she had to admit that being cradled in the arms of a handsome man was not something she would object to if circumstances were different.
    His warmth lulled her into a false sense of security, and it was a jolt when he spoke again.
    “Is that the inn?”
    When she opened her eyes, the glow of the building confronted her. “Yes, you should find a room there.”
    The inn blazed its welcome, torches shining brightly outside and lamps in the yard, as well as the lighting inside the main rooms. Upstairs a few lights flickered where guests must have been in their rooms.
    “Thank you. Where do you live?”
    “Oh, not far. I can manage from here, truly.”
    “I must escort you to your door. No, I would not hear of abandoning a respectable female to the night.”
    What would her mother say? However, short of leaping from the horse’s back, Eve had little option but to direct him to the other side of the green.
    In her house on her side of the green, the curtains were open. A light flickered in the window, but only one. “I live here,” she said.
    “Here?” He sounded surprised, his usual baritone rising.
    The house was perfectly respectable, if a little on the small side, but it was far from a rough cottage. Brick built with a good slate roof, the place lacked only space. Her mother had pointed that out when Eve had returned home after her brief sojourn as governess in Bath.
    It was almost fully night now. “I must have been mad to think I could get home before dark.”
    “You will not do that again.” He spoke with certainty, as if he had some say over her movements.
    He swung from the saddle and reached for her. The horse was too weary to take advantage of his lightened load and stood patiently while Mr. Vernon slid his hands around her waist and lifted her effortlessly to the ground. He did not release her immediately.
    Eve held the empty basket like a shield, the only protection she had against more intimate