Amanda Scott Read Online Free PDF Page B

tonight!”
    Vexford smiled. “One reason my luck does not desert me, Tommy, is that I don’t push it when it’s been strained. Considering what I’ve won the past two nights, I’d doubtless be wise to take to my bed now and get some sleep. However, you needn’t fret, for I don’t intend to be wise, only to meet with my trainer. I shall return after I’ve spoken with him.”
    The vicar rose and shook his hand. “I daresay you are staying at the Rutland Arms, Nicholas. I shall have taken to my bed before you return, but I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. I shall put my money on your horses to win, too,” he added with a smile. “Then, perhaps, next time I’ll also be able to afford the Rutland Arms.”
    Melissa’s room at the Rutland Arms Inn was small but well appointed and tidy. However, although she recognized the inn as a first-class hostelry, she was anything but comfortable. The past three days had been one long exercise in self-discipline, and she was exhausted from what seemed to be an unceasing need to gauge Sir Geoffrey’s unpredictable and often dangerous moods, and to adjust her demeanor accordingly.
    Mag had provided some relief, but not as much as might have been expected, for she had not the least notion of the true situation, and her hearty cheerfulness and frequently expressed delight in things she saw along the road irritated Sir Geoffrey. At one point, he had demanded that she ride up front with the driver, leaving Melissa alone to try to assuage his bad humor.
    Even now, Melissa found his outrageous plan nearly unbelievable. However, when she had dared suggest that he had no right to marry her off to a stranger merely to repay his gaming debts, he had slapped her, a reaction that had reminded her instantly of how dangerous it was to cross him. After that, she had not even dared to ask for more information about Lord Yarborne, nor had she met with the least opportunity for escape. And although she had considered enlisting Mag’s assistance, she soon realized that the girl was neither clever enough nor discreet enough to trust with such a confidence. Moreover, Mag was utterly in awe of Sir Geoffrey, and Melissa did not think she would entertain for a moment the notion of defying his orders.
    Not until now, in fact, had Melissa managed to have more than a brief few moments of solitude, for Mag had slept in the same bedchamber with her at each inn, and Sir Geoffrey had scarcely let the pair of them out of his sight at any other time. But shortly after sunset, he had set out in search of Yarborne, ordering Melissa to remain in her room until his return. An hour later, when Mag had suggested ordering supper served to them there, Melissa quickly pleaded a headache and begged her to take her meal below in the coffee room. Mag, as anxious for freedom as Melissa herself, had made no objection, and so it was that Melissa had found herself alone at last.
    Shuddering at the thought of what her father would do if he caught her, she waited only moments after the sound of Mag’s footsteps faded away to silence before she snatched up her cloak and threw it round her shoulders. Then, drawing on her gloves, she hurried down to the torchlit inn yard, taking care to avoid the coffee room.
    Pausing on his way back through the gaming room to exchange a few brief words and another drink with friends, Nick made his way to the exit at last, stepped outside into Kingston Passage, and shouted for his horse.
    Though darkness had fallen, a half moon perched high above, making it unnecessary for him to request a boy to light his way. The Rutland Arms, located on Newmarket High Street halfway between the town center and the Heath, was a popular inn for the racing set. Since Nick had stayed there from the time of his first visit to Newmarket, he thought that even on a darker night, his horse would know the way, and that was just as well, for the fresh air made it clear that he had taken more wine than he usually did. A