Thunder and Roses Read Online Free PDF

he promised? You have naught but his word, and for all his title, the man is no more than a lying Gypsy.”
     
    “To him the fate of the village is a game—but he is a man who takes games very seriously,” Clare said. “I think, in his way, he is honorable.”
     
    Edith snorted. “He’s not to be trusted. As a boy, he was wild as a hawk, and we all know what happened four years ago.”
     
    Jamie Harkin, who had been a soldier until he lost his leg, said in his slow, calm fashion, “We don’t really know what happened then. Plenty of rumors, but no charges were ever placed against him. I remember Nicholas when he was a boy, and he was a decent lad.” He shook his head. “Still, I don’t like the idea of our Clare staying at the big house. We know her too well to think she’d stray, but others will talk and condemn. It could go hard with you, lass.”
     
    Marged looked at her husband, who worked in the mine as a hewer. He was fortunate to have work, but she never forgot that it was hard and dangerous. “It would be wonderful if Clare could convince Lord Aberdare to improve conditions at the pit.”
     
    “That it would,” said Hugh Lloyd, a young man who also worked in the mine. “The owner and the manager don’t give a damn …” He colored. “Scuse me, sisters. What I meant is that they don’t care what happens to us colliers. Cheaper to replace us than to install new equipment.”
     
    “Too true,” Owen said somberly . “In your heart, do you truly believe this is right, Clare? You’re brave to be willing to risk your good name, but no one would expect a woman to do something so offensive to natural modesty.”
     
    Once more, Clare’s gaze went around the room, touching each member in turn. Knowing herself inadequate, she had refused to become a class leader, and she would never have dreamed of preaching. But she was a teacher, and she knew how to command the attention of a roomful of people. “In the days when members of our society were persecuted, my father risked his life to preach the Word. Twice he was almost killed by mobs, and he bore the scars of those assaults until the day he died. If he was willing to risk his life, how can I balk at risking something as trivial as worldly reputation?”
     
    By their expressions, her friends were touched by her words, but still doubtful. Needing to feel that they supported her, she said persuasively, “Lord Aberdare made no secret of the fact that his proposal was not a result of … of illicit lust, but simply a way to get rid of me. In effect, he made a wager about how I would react, and lost.” She swallowed hard, then bent the truth until it was in danger of fracturing. “My guess is that when he has me under his roof, he will decide to put me to work as a housekeeper, or perhaps a secretary.”
     
    Relief showed on the concerned faces around her.
     
    A housekeeper—that was innocent enough. Only Edith muttered, “Being a housekeeper won’t save you if his lordship gets ideas. It’s not for nothing they call him the Demon Earl.”
     
    Suppressing a twinge of guilt over the fact that she had offered her friends a guess that might prove completely wrong, Clare said, “Why should he have ideas about me? Surely he has his choice of immoral society women and”—she searched for a term—”what do they call them—bits of muslin?”
     
    “Clare!” Edith exclaimed, scandalized.
     
    Jamie Harkin chuckled. “We all know such women exist. Some of them have even found the Lord and become good Methodists. Why be mealymouthed talking about ‘ em ?”
     
    Edith gave the old soldier a scowling glance. They had clashed before; though the class members were bound by shared beliefs and mutual affection, they came from different ranks of society and didn’t always agree about worldly matters. “What are you going to do about the school, Clare? You won’t have time for teaching. Even if you did, most people in the village would be