The Female Charm Read Online Free PDF Page A

was going to
Scotland, she could only assume it was a coincidence.
    With her ticket in
hand, Amelia scanned over the train departure screen, looking for
the Birmingham train. She would switch there to one going to
Carlisle, even if she got off before. The train was officially
meant to leave at nine past six, but for some reason it said
seventeen instead.
    Amelia sighed but
decided to wait out the delay on the platform. Hopefully, it
wouldn't annoy Myron too much if the train was late. It wasn't
something under her control but she wouldn't put it past the Holmes
brother to be disgruntled. She doubted he'd take his temper out on
her but the atmosphere would be decidedly less pleasant.
    When she noticed
the signs on the platform, she raised her eyebrows. Both of those
said the train was on time and the next expected to arrive. If
she'd had time, she'd have gone back to the ticket office and
re-checked it, but she didn't and would have to file away the
anomaly as an unexplained event, something never satisfying to
do.
    Only a few minutes
later, Amelia was on the train and in her seat. She had four hours
before seeing Myron again and found herself already feeling a small
flutter in her stomach. It always felt like the beginning of an
adventure every time he summoned her. The last one had resulted in
her stealing a USB stick from terrorists, while she and the Holmes
brothers were being held prisoner. Whatever happened today, she
doubted it would be dull.
    For a few minutes,
Amelia tried to focus on the people around her in the carriage,
wondering if this might be a lesson of some kind, but her interest
soon waned, and she realised she was looking over the same people
again and coming up with nothing. Instead, she decided to write
until she reached another stop. There were few on the journey, and
the little she might need to notice was likely to happen in between
them.
    As she suspected,
the journey to Birmingham was uneventful, and her only moment of
panic was when the first train arrived in Birmingham so delayed she
had to run to get on her connecting train to Lancaster. This train
was busier, and she found it difficult to get a seat, but as the
few stops passed by, and the commuters came and went, she soon
found herself almost alone in her carriage.
    Not long before
ten, she tucked away her belongings and took a glance at her
appearance in her compact mirror. She smoothed some stray strands
of hair and made sure her jacket was straight. This might not be a
date, but, given the day, she still wanted to make a good
impression. Until Myron made it very clear he wasn't interested,
she wouldn't give up trying to entice him.
    A few minutes
before the train was due to arrive at Lancaster, a young chap,
dressed in a suit and carrying a bunch of roses, came walking down
the carriage, glancing at the passengers more intently than a
normal person would. He stopped right by her and pulled one of the
fresh, long-stemmed roses out of the bunch.
    “For you, my fair
lady. Happy Valentine's,” he said with a dramatic bow as he
presented it to her. She laughed and took it, amused by the
Shakespearian antics.
    “Thank you, kind
sir, but may I ask as to the reason? We're strangers to each
other.”
    “It's a sad tale,
I'm afraid. I had seventeen of them, meant for my true love, but
alas, it seems I am not hers. She made her distaste for my
affections quite clear.”
    “I'm so sorry;
that is a sad tale.” Amelia pulled her most sympathetic unhappy
face.
    “I have decided to
bestow one on the next seventeen beautiful women I see.”
    “Then I shall
treasure it. I hope your day ends better than it started.” Amelia
gave the man a smile as he backed off and then grabbed her handbag.
While they were talking, the train had pulled into the station, and
as sweet as the man had been, she could spare him no more thought.
She hurried to the door and got there just as the last people were
getting on the train. As soon as they were clear, she