Page 48 of Lady Audacious
Sarah paused when she reached the stream. She hadn’t given any thought about the best way to ford it. It wasn’t deep but she would have to wet the soft green kid of her new fashionably buckled and tasselled walking shoes which she now regretted wearing. It wasn’t as if Miss Aspen would see them and envy Sarah’s footwear. She wouldn’t admit it for the world but she herself momentarily envied Miss Aspen’s choice of attire, which was so much more practical even if it was shockingly inappropriate.
At the last minute, Sarah noticed partially submerged stepping stones which would keep her feet dry. Sighing with relief, she lifted her skirts and negotiated them until she reached the halfway point and her foot slipped into the stream. Cold water trickled over her shoe, soaking her foot, and she howled in fury.
‘Damnation!’ she muttered, thinking that her ruinously expensive footwear would be…well, ruined.
She emerged on Fox’s Reach land in a foul temper, with sodden feet and a dripping hem to show for her efforts, wondering if it had been such a good idea to come. Anger and possessiveness had propelled her, but she had not stopped to consider what she would say to the ambitious Miss Aspen.
She glanced up when she heard a rumbling growl and inwardly groaned. Miss Aspen, dressed in her boys’ attire, had been industriously weeding what appeared to be a herb garden. The puppy that Reuben had given to her had noticed Sarah’s approach and growled a warning.
‘What are you doing here?’ Miss Aspen asked most impolitely, straightening up and shading her eyes with her hand as she watched Sarah negotiate the winding path from the stream. Sarah couldn’t be absolutely sure, but she thought the audacious female allowed herself the suggestion of a smile when she noticed Sarah’s snagged skirts and damp hem. Her reaction served to bolster Sarah’s determination to remind Miss Aspen of her place.
‘I have come to see you and to deliver a warning.’
‘Really.’ The impertinent young woman rubbed her hands on the side of her breeches and sent Sarah an inquisitive look. ‘In what respect?’ The puppy stuck by her side but continued to growl.
‘I should have thought that would be obvious.’
‘If it was then I would not ask.’
‘Very well then, have it your way.’ She paused to choose her words with care, belatedly recalling Nellie’s warning in that anything she said would get back to Reuben,ifthis sorry excuse for a lady was as intimately acquainted with him as Sarah feared might be the case. ‘Word of your excursion with Lord Amberley has reached his mother’s ears. She is most distraught about it, since she sets a great deal of stock by the family’s reputation.’
‘I see.’ Miss Aspen paused, her eyes glimmering with amusement. ‘In that case, one assumes Lady Amberley will discuss the matter with his lordship. Frankly, I fail to see what business it is of yours.’
Her impudence made Sarah forget all about caution. Her vision blurred by blistering anger and the dreaded red mist, she struck out verbally, wishing she could do so physically also. ‘It is my business since Lord Amberley and I have an understanding.’
‘You are his mistress?’ Miss Aspen widened her eyes, being deliberately obtuse, Sarah was absolutely convinced of it.
‘Of course not!’
‘Oh, excuse me. You must make allowances for my lack of experience but I always assumed that an understanding between a lady and gentleman implied precisely that.’
Damn it, it did! ‘What I should have said is that we will soon announce our engagement.’
‘Really?’ Miss Aspen seemed lazily amused rather than alarmed at the prospect. ‘In that case, you and his lordship will have no secrets from one another and he will have told you where he took me this morning and why. I don’t mind your knowing, given that you and he are so intimate, and I am sure that I can depend upon your discretion. What did you make of our discoveries? Presumably he told you all about them.’
‘Well, I…’ Sarah could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment and saw that Miss Aspen was thoroughly enjoying the sight. She had handled this all wrong and the wretched woman had won hands down. Worse yet, she would tell Reuben that Sarah had warned her off, and there would be hell to pay.
‘Consider his position, Miss Aspen,’ she said, turning on her heel, ready to withdraw before she made matters even worse, if that was remotely possible. ‘And leave him alone before you do something you might live to regret.’
Chapter Fourteen
Odile watched Miss Farquhar leave, smiling when she reached the stream and paused with her skirts held high above shoes that were ridiculously inadequate for the rough terrain she had been obliged to negotiate. Odile didn’t ordinarily harbour uncharitable thoughts about others but was willing to make an exception in this vindictive woman’s case. Feeling disgruntled by the manner in which Miss Farquhar had talked down to her, Odile called to Willow and together they returned to the house.
‘What did she want?’ Mrs Blaine asked when Odile and Willow entered the kitchen.
Odile threw up her hands. ‘I wish I knew.’
She sat at the table and a cup of tea magically appeared before her, along with biscuits fresh from the oven. The aroma made her stomach rumble and she did both the tea and the delicious biscuits justice. Mrs Blaine, who in a few short days had become a confidante and friend, sat across from Odile and grinned. Never having had a friend of any age before, Odile relished the intimacy of the moment.
‘I could hazard a guess,’ she said. ‘The spiteful little madam heard that the earl took you up in his carriage this morning, she is blind with envy and wants to know where you went and why.’
‘She told me that she and the earl are on the point of announcing their engagement.’
Mrs Blaine shrugged. ‘I’m sure that’s what she wants to believe.’
‘She warned me that I would ruin his good name.’
‘Ha! That’s for him to decide. Besides, the only person doing any ruining is that ambitious little madam. She’s jealous, lamb. Don’t pay her any mind.’
