Will She Be Mine Read Online Free Page B

house. In. His. House. Oh
Lord, he thought, closing his eyes and trying to remain calm. “Is she in
the front parlor?”
    “As I’ve said.”
    “Is Mrs. Wartle putting on the kettle? I’m sure she’d like
some tea.” Thaddeus thought for a moment, trusting that his henchman would know
that “she” meant Amelia and not the cook. “Do you think she’d like some
teacakes? Do we have any?”
    “Cook has it in hand, sir,” Angus promised. He brushed his
own handkerchief across the surface of the black shoes before setting his
master’s feet on the floor. “There ye are, sir. Off with ye, now.”
    “Yes. Yes, of course,” Thaddeus murmured. He rose so quickly
that he almost knocked Angus down. “Sorry.”
     
    “Maybe I shouldn’t have come,” Amelia said wretchedly to
Mrs. Edley, who sat poker-straight in a chair beside the door, her arms folded.
“What was I thinking?”
    “We can’t run off now, mum,” she pointed out sensibly.
“That’d look strange, it would.”
    Amelia stood up and took a turn about the comfortably shabby
parlor. Though spotlessly clean, a few frayed bits humbled the once handsome
sofa. The faded chintz curtains needed replacing and one of the ladder-back chairs
required re-caning.
    “I know,” Amelia murmured, pausing to rest her hand on the
dark marble mantel. The door opened at last and she stiffened. First her gaze
flew to meet her neighbor’s, then fell before his intensely pleased expression.
    “Am—” He stopped when he noticed Mrs. Edley. He nodded to
her and then continued, “Miss Horton, what a delightful surprise.” He came
toward her with a light, quick step as if he couldn’t wait to be beside her.
“Did all go well with your new man of business? Did you discharge the oddly
named Mr. Shufflebottom?”
    Amelia took the hand being held out to her and observed with
a stutter of her heart that he had handsome, long-fingered hands. They grasped
hers in a strong grip that unaccountably made her feel safe. She remembered the
kiss he had pressed to her hand just last evening and blushed shyly.
    “I came to thank you, sir, for all your help,” she managed
while accepting his assistance onto the sofa.
    “I’ll get you a cushion,” he murmured and collected two
comfortable ones and placed them behind her back. “There. That’s better, is it
not?”
    “Why, yes,” Amelia admitted, amazed. He was so
matter-of-fact, as though having a pregnant unmarried woman in his front parlor
was an everyday occurrence.
    “So, Farley came through for us, did he? I’m not surprised.
He is a man among men.”
    “Indeed. Mr. Smith appears confident and somewhat cunning. I
believe he will look after my interests admirably.”
     
    Thaddeus grinned and pulled a chair forward. Fortunately, he
noticed before he sat that it was the broken one. He looked at it for a moment,
then took it out of the room, encountering Angus in the corridor. His
manservant took the broken chair from him.
    “The village fête, sir.”
    “The fête?” Thaddeus felt foolishly blank.
    “Invite the wee lass, sir,” Angus advised in a soft voice.
He set down the chair. “‘Tis this Saturday.”
    “I know…I know… Do you think she might—?” Thaddeus paused,
stroking his waistcoat front in nervous thought.
    “Are ye ashamed to be seen with her?” Angus’ soft accusation
caused his employer to stiffen.
    “Certainly, not!”
    “Ye’ll become a hero in her eyes, sir,” Angus promised,
nodding toward the mostly closed door.
    Thaddeus followed his look and saw Mrs. Edley watching them
keenly, obviously overhearing every word. She nodded encouragement.
    A surprised flush skated through Thaddeus. “Do you really
think so?”
    “Oh, aye.”
    Thaddeus, aglow with anticipation, repeated in a numb
whisper, “Oh, aye.”
    “Off ye go, then,” Angus urged, shooing the younger man back
toward the parlor.
    Thaddeus, returning to Amelia with his mind awhirl with
possibilities, struggled to remember