The Willows Read Online Free PDF Page A

have time for
games, my lady,” he said, his tone training a marked lack of
patience. “Do you want the bag or not?”
    She spun, noticing for the first time
what he held in his hands. It was her bag; she recognized her blue
wool gown, spilling out the half open side. “Those are my things.
How dare you-“
    “ I did not steal anything,”
he interrupted. “You left this bag on the dock.”
    “ I never meant to
imply-“
    “ Didn’t you?” He stared at
her so intently, she fought the urge to squirm. They both knew the
accusation had been on the tip of her tone.
    “ I didn’t come here to fight
with you,” he said with forced patients. “Here, take the damn
thing, and I’ll be happy to leave you alone.”
    She moved towards him slowly, eyeing
the blue wool with suspicion. “What have you done to
it.?”
    Looking down at the bag, he said with a
shrug, “The children, they were curious.”
    She snatched it from his hands. “You
let those… Those little rats pillage through my things?” She asked,
voice rising as she inspected the contents of the bag.
    “ No one pillaged. They
merely wish to see what was inside. It’s a rare child who can
resist peeking at another’s belongings, especially children who
aren’t custom to such finery.”
    “ My locket is missing.” To
her dismay, she heard a voice rise even higher. “Those wretched
rights, they’ve stolen my locket.
    “ You should take more care
with your items,” he said calmly. “As you can see, no one took a
thing.”
    He dangled the locket from his hand,
holding it out to talk her. As much as Gwen wanted to reach out and
snatches away, she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing
how important it was to her.
    Something in her face must have
betrayed her, for he went from studying her features to
contemplating the locket. As he clicked open the clasp, as sharp,
spelling features softened. “Ah, see why you were upset. You
wouldn’t want to lose a likeness of your mother.”
    “ You knew my mother?” When
blurted out, surprised.
    “ Everyone knew Amanda. Now
there was a lady.”
    “ Are you implying that I’m
not?”
    He looked up, pinning her with gaze.
“Your mother would never fling out accusations without proof. Even
if by some rare chance she did, she’d apologize the instant she
realized her mistake.”
    “ How dare you lecture me.”
The fact that he was right merely fueled her resentment. “You
probably came here hoping for a reward.” She looked him up and
down, returning his contempt in full measure. “As much as you
clearly need the payment, sir, I shall have to disappoint you. Your
rude behavior leaves me no choice but demand that you give me my
things and go.”
    Her out stretched arms could not have
been invisible, all the attention he paid it. Looking from her
mother’s likeness to Gwen, snapped the locket shut with a loud
click. “You’ve got a long way to go, my lady, “he said, setting it
in her hand, “before you can hope to live up to her mother’s
standards.”
    Dropping the back at her feet, he
turned to go.
    “ How dare you,” Gwen
sputtered at his back, “How dare you say such things to me,
you-you”
    She broke off, partly because she could
think of nothing vile enough to call him, but primarily because she
realized he wouldn’t listen, even if he wasn’t already out the
earshot. It was a novel experience, having a man ignore her, and
she found she did not like it one bit.
    Nor did she enjoy the memories he’d
invoked. Glancing down at the locket in her hands, she squirmed
inside. All these years, working so hard, and she still failed to
live up to her mother’s expectations.
    “ Mother,” thought out loud
as she clicked open the locket. “Will I ever manage to please
you?”
    It hurt, remembering. Shutting the
locket and tucking it back into her bag, she decided it was far
more comfortable to put all those memories away where they cannot
touch her.
    “ Gwen, sweetie, is that
you?”
    She