South of Stavewood (Stavewood Saga Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

never imagined from your letters. And Timothy! You are a very lucky girl.” Emma studied her cousin’s face wistfully, tears welling in her eyes.
          “Emmy? Whatever is wrong?” Rebecca placed her hand on her shoulder and patted it softly. “Something is wrong. I knew it. Emma, I have never seen you so thin. What is it?”
          “I’ve been very ill. I’m much better now, you needn’t worry.” The endless hoard of stories and explanations Emma had concocted on her trip flashed through her mind. A dozen lies and scores of excuses all seemed so pointless at the moment. “Really, much better,” she reaffirmed, but she saw that her cousin knew her better than that.
          “You’ve been ill, how?” Rebecca asked firmly. Everything about Emma’s behavior spoke of deception and avoidance. “Tell me,” she stood her ground.
          Emma pushed her plate away in sudden distaste and began to relay her experience with the gypsy, the Laudanum, all of it. When she reached the story of her miscarriage Rebecca wrapped the taller woman in her arms and hushed her softly. Emma laid her head against her tiny cousin’s silky hair and cried out her pain.
          “Then it’s good you are here,” Rebecca announced after some time. “You stay here until you are well. I could use your help anyway. Louisa is a handful, and the gardens are always in need of a good weeding, I could use your help there. You are better in the garden than anyone I know. And soon, although not everyone knows, I’ll have another child. Family is just the thing to have around when a child is born.”
          “I won’t impose too much, I promise. In fact, Mr. Vancouver was saying yesterday he may need some help around his place, too. Another baby, that’s wonderful!” Now that Rebecca was asking her to stay, Emma felt she might be imposing.
          “Roland?” Rebecca looked surprised.
          “Yes, he mentioned it yesterday. Is there some reason I shouldn’t consider working for the man?”
          “No.” Rebecca furrowed her brow. “He’s had a very hard time since the accident. He is an unusual man, Emma. I imagine he could be difficult to please.” Rebecca liked and respected the man very much, but she had seen his dark moods in the last few months and wondered if her cousin was up to the task.
          “Can you imagine anyone too hard for me to please, Becky?” Emma felt challenged by her cousin’s hesitance.
          Rebecca had seen flashes of the man’s temper. She had seen how angry he was with himself over not having acted quickly enough to stop the mill blade. It was as if he blamed himself for all of it. He was often moody while recuperating, though never rude. She knew he ran Tim’s mill with an iron hand, a method that Timothy found wonderful, but she often wondered if it was too severe. Timothy would explain to her that it was a huge responsibility, perfect for Roland, but that did not necessarily make him a suitable employer for Emma. Her cousin looked thin and weak and was fighting a hard battle. Rebecca thought a tangle with Roland Vancouver could be too much.
          “He’ll be around. Let’s finish our breakfast and go upstairs. I have the most beautiful things to show you. I have a machine that sews. We can talk about Roland later.”      
          Rebecca enjoyed her tea while Emma savored her breakfast, and then the two women climbed the stairs, arm in arm.

 
     
    Chapter Six
     
     
          R ebecca babbled, feeling once again like a child, enjoying the company of her cousin. “It’s wonderful having you here! Isn’t Stavewood so beautiful? Oh, Emmy I had the most horrid trip here, and a terrible time, being kidnapped and afraid. No one knew I was mail-ordered. It was simply awful!”
          “I can tell,” Emma smirked.
          “No, it was. In the beginning it was dreadful. But, yes, it has all changed now. Timothy is