Page 70 of Sinful Persuasion of a Lady in the Making
Jenny felt the grin rise up her cheeks, and she stepped forward, hoping to find the warmth of his lips once more. She looked around, and Fanny was nowhere to be seen, and so she pressed her body against his, her face tilted up to him, her lips slightly parted.
“We can’t,” he said, his words warbled by his smile. “Fanny will return in barely a moment. She can’t have gone far. She knows how your brother would feel if he found out she left us alone. Again.”
“I know,” Jenny said, stepping back and shrugging. “I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.”
“Not too long, I hope,” Sebastian said. “Come, let us walk. That’s why we’re here, after all.”
Jenny jumped as a loud rustling came from the bush and, with surprising force, young Gulliver burst out, a twig in his mouth and a leaf stuck behind his ear.
“Oh, Gulliver,” Jenny said, laughing. “You really are the sweetest thing.”
“And it seems as though he knew we would be leaving. Clever boy.”
As the turned to walk down the path, they heard the backdoor slam and Fanny positively ran out.
“What is it?” Jenny asked, surprised at the urgency in the maid’s actions.
“Miss Jones,” she called, waving something in the air. “I’m sorry I was delayed, but a letter has arrived for you.”
“A letter?” Jenny asked, confused. “From whom?”
“I don’t know,” Fanny said, holding the rough-looking paper out to her. “It doesn’t say, and it was just an errand boy who dropped it off.”
“Oh, all right,” Jenny said, furrowing her brow in confusion.
“Shall we take a seat on the bench?”
Jenny didn’t answer, instead ripping the seal as fast as she could, her eyes running across the words in a mad dash. To receive a letter was peculiar enough, but to receive one with no sender was even stranger. And as she read, she realized that it was not even addressed to anyone.
But as she read the words upon the page, she realized it was aimed at her family—and it was far from pleasant. She felt her pulse beating in her throat, her mouth now dry with fear and dread. This was no normal correspondence, and the sender was no friend.
“Jenny?”
Sebastian’s voice sounded far away, distant, and furred by her fear and concern.
“Jenny,” he repeated, touching her arm, and she jumped, looking up at him.
“Y…yes,” she stammered, reaching out to steady herself on his arm. Then she looked at Fanny, straightened her expression, and smiled. “Fanny, why did you bring this to me and not to Mr. or Mrs. Jones?”
Fanny shrugged. “Mr. Jones don’t like to be disturbed, Miss, and Mrs. Jones was seeing to the babe. As there’s no name on it, I didn’t think it all that important. Maybe just a general notice or something. Did I do wrong?”
“No,” Jenny said, shaking her head and smiling weakly. “You’ve done the right thing. This,” she waved the letter in the air, clutching it to stop the shake in her hand, “is nothing.”
“Jenny, what’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, his voice low but soft and warn.
“Everything is all right, thank you, Fanny,” Jenny said, still looking only at the maid. “If you can give us a moment, please?”
“Of course,” Fanny said, bowing her head and stepping back to wait by a nearby tree, allowing them to talk privately but still chaperoning.
Jenny turned to Sebastian, wide eyed with worry.
“Can we sit down, please?”
“Of course,” Sebastian asked softly, leading her over to the bench. “What’s happened? Talk to me.”
She swallowed, looked briefly down at the letter, and then back at him.
“Perhaps you should read it yourself,” she said. He stared at her as he took it out of her hands, and then his eyes flicked down to the rough paper. She thought to read over his shoulder, but she could only focus on a few of the more threatening sentences.
