High Stakes Chattel Read Online Free PDF

can do is show you a few pointers and practice them with you. I still don’t think you can win.”
    “ You’re wrong. That is all I need. And it will be enough, you’ll see.” She flashed him a confident smile.
    He stared at her, completely transfixed. What an amazing creature she was. “You can stop mucking out the stalls now. I never really expected you to last this long. I just wanted to teach you a lesson.” With a shake of his head, he took the rake from her. “Mrs. Blake… promise me you’ll never lie to me again?”
    She swallowed and then nodded. “Yes, of course , my Lord.”
    “I will see you tomorrow then.” With that, he turned away before he did something even more ridiculous, like tumble her into the fresh straw and kiss her until neither of them could breathe.  

 
     
     

     
    After Lord Chattel walked away, Samantha spread fresh straw in the chestnut’s stall, then went to lead the horse back in. As she was finishing up, John returned to take her home.
    “I’m sorry,” she said as he approached. “You were meant to have the afternoon off.”
    He laughed good-naturedly. “Lord Chattel never expected you to clean the whole barn. I just ran up to the house for a while and snagged some of Mrs. Lotte’s fresh cinnamon bread. I was going to come and relieve you shortly.”
    She smiled at him as she closed the stall door. “Neither of you had any faith in my ability to do hard work?”
    “I had no doubt myself. I know a hard worker when I see one.” As he spoke, he led out one of the carriage horses.
    Samantha stared at the fancy coach with Lord Chattel’s crest on the side, biting her lip. Now that she’d agreed to this wild p lan, she had to find a way to minimize the consequences. “Is there another coach we could take? Something a bit less fancy? Something no one would connect to Lord Chattel?”
    Evening was fast approaching, and too many people would be out on the roads. If anyone saw her in Lord Chattel’s coach, she’d never survive it. She truly would be a pariah if anyone thought she’d taken such a powerful lover less than a year after Henry’s death.
    John gave her a sympathetic look. “Of course. It’s not very well sprung, but if that’s what you want, I can definitely hitch up the old coach. It will take me just a bit longer though, it’s out back.”
    “Thank you,” she said, relief washing through her as she followed him outside and saw the coach he’d referred to. It was plain and black, with curtained windows. No one would know she was inside, and even if someone saw it parked in front of her house, it wasn’t fancy enough to raise any eyebrows.
    Half an hour later, they were on their way . She felt strange riding in the back of the carriage and wished she could have sat up front with John, though she supposed that would have defeated the whole point. She quite liked Lord Chattel’s young groom and would have liked to have been able to pick his mind a bit more about Lord Chattel, especially now that she was going to be sharing his home. What were his habits? Why was he considered eccentric? Was that only because of the science work? Was he always so demanding and bossy or did he have a softer side?
    Samantha’s misgivings about this rash decision hadn’t faded. If anything, they’d grown stronger. Was it really possible for her to stay with Lord Chattel for an entire month without anyone finding out? And even if no one did, could she remain in that man’s house for such an extended period of time without finding herself completely compromised?
    By the time they reached her farm, she’d gotten herself worked up with worry. Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. Her mother had always been able to pick up on any sign of distress, even in her reduced state, and Samantha didn’t want to agitate her.
    John helped her down, but she asked him to remain outside while she gathered her things . It would be too difficult to explain his