Lady Vixen Read Online Free PDF

she was either unaware of
or ignored all the obvious obstacles in her path. First, her fancy alighted
upon becoming a barmaid at an unknown posting house far away, where the kindly
owner and his wife would take her to their bosom. Next, she decided that instead
she would run away to London and offer her services as a parlormaid... or
perhaps a companion to some old charming woman... or was she too young? Or
best, she would disguise herself as a boy and have an adventurous life in the
Army—or, better yet, the Royal Navy— hadn't Giles planned to be a naval
officer, hadn't Admiral Nelson been her hero as well as Giles's? And when she
was informed laughingly by her father that she couldn't follow her brother to
sea, hadn't the twins planned to smuggle her aboard her brother's ship, where
they would have a jolly time fighting the French! The more she thought of it,
the more the almost-forgotten plan appealed to her. She gave a great sigh,
wishing suddenly and forlornly for Giles's comforting presence.
    The
sound of someone's noisy approach to the pavilion scattered her thoughts and
warily she peeked down from her attic hiding place, breathing a sigh of relief
when she recognized Sally's slightly plump figure.
    Sally's
father had been the head groom at Ashland before William, in another economy
mood, had fired him, and Nicole and Sally had known each other all their lives.
Sally Brown was older than Nicole, soon to reach her sixteenth birthday, and of
late the friendship had begun to suffer because of Sally's increasing interest
in the opposite sex—something that at the moment bored Nicole intolerably.
    "Nicky
are you up there?" Sally called once she had walked to the middle of the
pavilion.
    And
with a groan Nicole answered grudgingly, "Yes, I am. What do you
want?"
    "Well,
come down here you silly goose and I'll tell you!"
    Nicole
made a face, certain that Sally was about to regale her with some silly tale
about the Squire's son's supposed amorous interest in Sally's ripening body.
But still Nicole was almost pleased to see Sally today, for Sally was a
pleasant jolly sort and her foolish chatter would take Nicole's mind off the
Markham family and the impending departure of Mrs. Eggleston.
    Her
eyes dreamy, Sally breathed, "Oh, Nicky, you should see the gorgeous
creature that is putting up at the inn. He just arrived but Peg says he'll only
be staying tonight. Oh, how I wish I worked at the inn! Peg gets to meet the
most handsome coves and gets paid for it too!"
    Nicole
grimaced and returned in a bored tone, "So what! I thought you had
something interesting to tell me."
    "But
it is! You ought to see him—tall, with hair so dark it really is blue-black,
and his eyes reminded me of a lion's, gold and"—Sally gave a delicious
shiver—"just as dangerous."
    "How
do you know that? Have you seen him?" Nicole demanded, interested in spite
of herself.
    "Oh,
yes! Peg let me serve him lunch, and I can tell you I could hardly keep myself
from touching him—he is so unlike everyone here. His name is Captain Saber,
he's an American, and Peg says that he had stopped here to visit one night with
friends and then tomorrow is leaving for London. Just think, he has a ship all
his own! According to Peg he's been in England buying cargo for sale in
America, but she heard him say he wouldn't mind if one or two of our Surrey
lads wanted to sign up with him." Sally giggled. "Can you imagine,
Jem or even Tim going away to sea? If Captain Saber only knew—Beddington's
Corner is no place to find seamen!"
    An
arrested expression in the topaz eyes, Nicole stared at her friend.
"Seamen? You say this man is after seamen?"
    "Well,
I guess so, at least that's what he told Peg when she asked, ever so politely,
you know, what brought him here." As if to excuse her sister's curiosity,
Sally added, "It isn't often that we get strangers here and Peg just
wondered what a gentrycove like him was doing in Beddington's Corner."
    Nicole,
her mind already busy