The Lady of Fairhaven Read Online Free PDF Page A

deny her when put like that. “Your hands will feel more like work after they have had some salve and bandages applied. And certainly there are others who might be able to assist in your work. It is certain that your labors have saved the village.” She turned to the villeins standing around and announced. “I am certain some grateful individuals can lend Mr. Pratt a hand.”
    At the end of the day, Gillian sat in her room with Dog curled up in front of the roaring fire. Delivering supplies to the Pratt’s had taken several trips on foot, but she couldn’t risk anyone seeing a cart leave the castle. Unless she had cleared her mission of charity with her uncle, she would run the risk of his stern disapproval.
    The work of the day settled into the tired muscles of her arms and legs, but her heart soared with the thought that she had made a difference in another’s life. It had felt good to see Mr. Pratt’s neighbors share their meager belongings. The villeins were not so poor that they had naught to share. The land had been prosperous.
    Without the customary knock, the door to her chamber flew open and Oliver strode angrily over to where she sat. Four guards followed him. As of late, many of her father’s guards had left the service of the castle because of Oliver’s poor temper. It did not seem strange to find these men unfamiliar.
    “ What is that animal still doing in the manor?” Oliver bellowed.
    “ I am keeping him in my room where he does not offend you, Uncle,” Gillian replied.
    “ He offends me now. I do not want him inside. Do not defy me in this again, Gillian.”
    One swift wave of his hand set one guard in motion to remove Dog. Although wary, Dog made no attempt to fight the rope slipped around his neck. A gentle tug set him off for the pen.
    Something about losing the company of Dog unsettled Gillian. What did her Uncle intend by removing him from her presence? Before the door was shut behind the retreating animal, Oliver turned on his niece.
    “ What do you mean interfering with my business?” he shouted.
    “ I don’t know of what you are talking about, Uncle,” she squeaked.
    “ I’m talking about the supplies you carried into town for the smithy today,” he hissed.
    “ You see his hut burned down and he had nothing.”
    “ Enough! You think I don’t know what is happening in the village?” His voice rose to an angry squeak.
    “ I didn’t mean to imply that…”
    “ I know everything I need to know about in the village,” he interrupted. “We are not responsible for reparations for acts of God.”
    “ I wasn’t suggesting that. It has always been to our best advantage to see to the needs of our people. Their prosperity is ours. We had some surplus and since the smithy lends aid to the entire village, I believed…”
    Once again Oliver blurted in before she had completed her thought. “It is not for some silly chit to think. It is my responsibility to insure the prosperity of the castle. You are never to make decisions in this regard again.”
    “ I promise, Uncle. I will endeavor not to offend you in the future,” Gillian chirped. She had not made an outright pledge to never help anyone, just that she would attempt to keep her efforts a secret.
    “ I will insure that you follow my instructions. I am tired of your arguments and interference. What you need is a lesson in obedience. I will not have it said that some addle brained chit will interfere in my demesne.”
    “ It is my demesne and within my right to maintain…” she stopped in mid sentence. Clearly she had gone too far. Oliver’s eyes narrowed hatefully. Gillian stepped back. Her hazel eyes, wide with fear, reflected the golden red flames from the fire. She cautiously backed away from her uncle as the two large guards approached.
    Before her uncle struck her, no other person had ever laid a hand on her in anger. A terrible feeling was rushing through her, and she was powerless to stop it. The two big guards