Lady Midnight Read Online Free PDF Page B

mind."
    Christina opened her mouth, then snapped it closed again. Obviously, this was something she hadn't thought of. "Really? Hm. Maybe she would know of Italian plants I haven't heard of."
    "You'll never know if you don't give her a chance," he said cajolingly. "Come, Tina. She will be here at Thorn Hill anyway. You could just give her the opportunity to help you. If you don't like her—well, then we can discuss it further."
    Christina considered this, worrying at her lower lip with her teeth. Finally, she nodded. "Very well. I will talk to this Mrs. Brown when she arrives and determine if she has a brain in her head."
    "That is all I ask. Now you should run along and change your gown. Mother will be waiting for you to go to the church with her, and I have work to do."
    Christina groaned. "The church! With Mother and Lady Ross. Oh, don't remind me!" She spun around and hurried to the door, her hair already springing free of the confining ribbon. But she turned back before leaving, her brow furrowed in sudden worry. "Michael, if your leg is truly paining you, perhaps you shouldn't ride out today."
    Michael gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry, Tina. All is well here."
    "I do try not to worry. But—well, sometimes I just cannot help it! Be careful today."
    "And you. The petals of the lilies at church can be quite dangerous when threatened, I hear."
    "So I understand. But not half as dangerous as the staring eyes of the curate!"

Chapter 2

    You wanted to be as far from Venice as you could get. Well, here you are. The ends of the world, Katerina, now called Kate, thought, leaning forward to peer through the post chaise window.
    From her chamber in her mother's palazzo, Kate had been able to see the wide space of the canal, crowded with gondolas and people, rich with laughter, shouts, chatter, and the teeming, sweet-sick smell of the water. She could see close-packed houses of pastel pinks and yellows and oranges, with window boxes planted with brilliant red geraniums. Even the view from the tiny room she had inhabited in London was full of life, street vendors hawking roasted almonds and hot cider, people arguing and shouting, children and dogs running about.
    Here, at the end of the world, she saw—gray. Gray sky, a pale pearl hanging low and menacing over a gray landscape. Kate had never seen such a landscape before, never even imagined it. It rolled endlessly to either side of the road, a rough expanse of a strange greenish gray. There were very few trees, especially after the rich vegetation of the south. It appeared flat, but as Kate peered closer she saw the texture of scrubby growth. In the distance, shrouded in a fog of yet more gray, loomed menacing hills.
    The moor. That was what the lady at the agency had called this place. "It's a lonely spot, no doubt about it," she had said as she studied the paper listing Kate's scant qualifications. "This has been a difficult position to fill, even though the family is willing to pay a very generous salary. If you're certain you want the place, Mrs. Brown, you must go and see what you can make of it."
    Kate's coins were few by then, and even a tiny room and a diet of bread and tea cost something. She had found no luck thus far in her search for employment—she had no letters of reference. And long afternoons of sitting alone in her meager lodgings, reading and studying, would get her nowhere.
    So that was how she found herself in this jolting post chaise, barreling down a lonely, empty road. She was alone now—all the other passengers had disembarked at Leeds. Alone with the gray and her thoughts.
    Thoughts of how this windswept place would be a perfect spot to hide in.
    And of how she was becoming rather gray herself. Kate laughed as she peered down at her attire. Her new gown and pelisse were pale gray, much like the sky, and constructed of sturdy, unadorned lightweight wool. Her paisley shawl and plain bonnet were dark blue trimmed with gray ribbons, but