Lady X

“Then bid it and have done,” Jacob answered immediately. “Miss Radley is tired and wishes no more of us, I am sure.”

“Uh-ho, young Jacob. Tread warily when issuing orders in my direction.” His lordship’s voice was low and quiet.

Sir Jacob looked away and ignored this remark. He offered his hand to Exerilla and said quietly, “Miss Radley, I have a carriage and driver waiting to take you to Horwich House. I must apologize, for it is an open carriage. With any good luck the rain will hold off until you reach your destination. I don’t think it is more than a ten minute journey.”

His lordship was out of the coach and standing beside Exerilla. She felt him at her back, bending toward her ear, and touching a stray length of hair as he whispered, “Exerilla, lass…”

She turned to look at him and once again tried not to let his good looks get to her. She said softly, “I did not give you leave to use my given name, my lord.”

“Then do so love, for I mean to use it from now on. If ye must flash those green eyes of yers at me, do it. I would love to see their fire one more time this evening,” he answered on a husky note.

She knew this was daring for the time she was in. She had never heard a man from her time flirt so well. She arched a brow at him. “Hopefully, we shall not meet again and therefore the problem will not arise.”

“More a fool ye be, lass if ye think that,” he said with that forever playfulness in his voice.

Jacob took her elbow. “Never mind him. Miss Radley. Your carriage awaits and I do want to get you off before it rains.”

Exerilla looked up into the darkly overcast sky. She couldn’t make out any stars, although some moonlight peeped through as the dark clouds scudded by. Sighing, she turned toward the open carriage and hoped she wouldn’t get caught in the rain.

She slumped into place beside the short stout driver, who appeared a friendly but quiet older man. He handed her a blanket for her lap before clucking his horses forward. She wondered if she ever would see his lordships’s blue eyes again.

They hadn’t gone more than a few moments when the first drop fell.

This was just how her luck was going lately. There wasn’t anything she could do without using magic to help herself.

~ Seven ~

ANNE WAS THE Horwich housekeeper, though she often thought of herself as the Horwich slave.

It felt as though she was the only one forever being set at tasks that were not part of her job. She had been hired as a housekeeper, but because she was one of the few live-ins, she found herself being called on more than she thought was fair. She was fond of Mrs. Horwich and as of yet, had no wish to leave.

She had just finished the last of her daily chores. She was about to return to the kitchen and have spot of tea with the two lads who were finishing up the last of their evening meal when the front door knocker sounded loudly.

Rubbing her hands on her soiled apron, she rolled her eyes. She grumbled to herself about the quantity of work she was forever given and ambled down the dark corridor to the oversized front door.

She opened it a crack and then wider. What met her eyes was a young woman, whose small straw bonnet sagged beneath the weight of rain water, and dark hair hung in ragged wet lengths.

The young woman clutched a satchel in her hand. Anne saw and took note of the trunk on the marble stoop at the young woman’s side.

Anne was a soft-hearted woman whose age had been the subject of conjecture amongst her intimates, but whose motherly nature could not be questioned. She saw the expression of resignation on the young woman’s face and began making clucking sounds as she ushered her within the central hall.

“There, there, look at ye! Lord bless me. Ye must be the young lady they have been expecting all afternoon.” She went out onto the stoop and bent to grab the leather handle of the large trunk. The young woman at the other end was pushing it along and smiled to herself as she objected, “Ye don’t have to do that, I can get it, miss.”

“I am sure you can,” Exerilla said as she put a bit of muscle into it and got the heavy trunk inside.

Anne closed the door at their back and stretched backwards, “Whew, well now, I best be taking ye upstairs where ye can change out of yer wet clothes. Ye don’t want to catch a chill.” She stepped toward the wide staircase in the center of the sizeable central hall, and turned back to look at Exerilla who had hung back, “Well, then, come on.” She made a grumbling sound, “Don’t know why that lazy blackguard Jeremy Baker brought ye out here in an open carriage. He could have attached the surrey, but he is too blasted lazy.”

Ignoring this, Exerilla looked around and asked tentatively, “Do you think we should let the squire and Mrs. Horwich know I have arrived before I go up?”

“Whot and let them see ye like this?” Anne shook her head, “Oi’ll be taking ye to yer room first, oi will, and while ye dry yerself and manage yer hair, oi’ll let them know, ye are here and will be down shortly.”

Exerilla turned and looked at her trunk and then at the wide staircase and Anne laughed, to say, “No, we won’t be dragging that up a flight of stairs. I have two sturdy boys in the kitchen, taking their time over their dinner. Oi’ll fetch them to bring it up to ye.”

“Oh, thank you…er…”

“Anne,” she said simply.

Exerilla smiled warmly, “I’m Exerilla Radley.”