Lady of the Rose Read Online Free PDF Page B

look on his face. His eyes twinkled in
blatant amusement, clearly enjoying the fact that he had caught her
off-guard. She coughed slightly and asked, more to cover her
embarrassment than out of an actual desire to know, “Are you on
your way somewhere?”
    “Actually, I was coming to meet
you.”
    Harriet's eyebrows shot up. “Meet
me? Why?”
    “There is something I would like to
show you, if you have the time.”
    Though the sky was filled with
clouds, Harriet knew the hour was not so late that she would be
missed at the Hall. “I suppose I could spare an hour. What did you
want me to see?”
    “It is a bit of a ride. Do you think
you can manage?”
    Harriet, who was an excellent
horsewoman, bristled slightly at this, and her tone was colder than
she intended when she answered. “I will manage. Which
way?”
    They rode in silence for several
minutes before either of them spoke. Finally George broke the
silence, “Who was that at the Hall earlier?”
    Harriet thought she sensed a strain
in his tone of voice. Remembering her behavior in the front walk of
the Hall when she first saw Lucas, she blushed once more. She
rushed to explain, “That was my brother, Lucas. I have not seen him
for many months, as he has been living in Oxford. It was quite a
shock to see him standing there.”
    George's face lit up in recognition,
“Yes, I should have recognized him from the first! I wish I had
realized. We used to play together a bit as boys.”
    Harriet smiled, “I
remember.”
    The clouds, which had before been
grey but not threatening, were steadily becoming darker as they
rode farther into the woods. Harriet began to feel nervous that the
storm would break before they reached their destination.
    “Is it much farther?” she
asked.
    “No, it is just there, near the
river.” He pointed to a small cottage in the distance, partially
blocked by an outcropping of trees. Harriet could only see part of
the roof and one wall, but she noted that there was no smoke rising
from the chimney. She didn't have time to consider this, however,
since at that moment the skies opened and water started coming down
on them in sheets. She was soaked to the skin within
seconds.
    Pushing his horse faster, George led
the way to the cottage. The rain was so thick that Harriet could
hardly see where she was going, and she did not resist when George
opened the door, without so much as knocking, and pushed her
inside.
    She stood, dripping a puddle onto
the rough wooden floor, in a small room containing a table and
chair, a small cot on an iron frame with a wooden chest at the
foot, and the fireplace. Other than the door they had come through,
there seemed to be only the one window, luckily tacked over with an
oiled skin that was keeping out the rain, and another door at the
back of the room.
    George moved quickly, kneeling
before the fire to check for kindling and wood. He had the blaze
going in moments, and Harriet sighed as heat filled the room. He
must have noticed her shivering because she felt a weight settle
itself across her shoulders. She pulled the quilt closer and hugged
her arms against her body, willing some of the cold from her
body.
    “Sit here,” George said, his voice
wavering slightly, and he pulled her towards the fire, where he had
placed the single wooden chair.
    “I'm all right,” she assured him.
“Just a bit damp.”
    He laughed softly but still made her
sit in front of the fire. After a few moments, she was still wet,
but she was warm, and steam was rising from her clothes. It was
only then that she noticed that George was still dripping, and his
lips had started to turn slightly blue around the edges.
    She jumped out of the chair, “What
do you think you are doing?” she demanded.
    He looked startled and moved away
from her. “Letting you warm yourself.”
    “By allowing your own self to freeze
half to death. Sit down.” Her tone was sharp and commanding, and he
sat without comment. By rooting around in the chest