by Julia London
The sisters looked at Daria.
But they were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around them but forest.
Daria’s heart climbed right into her throat. “Pardon?” she croaked.
“Glenferness.” He walked away, and Daria could hear him unlashing her trunk.
Now Daria’s pulse began to pound. “Oh no—there must be some mistake.” She hastily climbed over the sisters’ legs and leapt out of the coach. “Mr. Brodie!”
He appeared from the back of the coach with her trunk on his shoulder, then dropped it like a bundle of hay at the side of the road. “Aye?”
“There is no house here,” Daria said, gesturing to the forest alongside the road.
“Aye, there is. Just a wee walk.”
Daria looked at the thick wall of trees. “A wee walk to where? I see nothing but forest.”
“There,” he said, and pointed.
Daria saw it then—a path no wider than a rabbit trail.
“You can’t possibly mean there is house on that path.”
“Ach, lass, walk up the road, then. Ye’ll find it well enough.” He reached for her smaller portmanteau and placed it on top of her trunk.
“But what of my things?” Daria asked, panicking now. “Is there no footman? No conveyance? Am I expected to walk through those woods in these shoes and carry my own things?”
“Brodie lads will come round and bring the trunk, miss. No time to dawdle, now—I’m to have the ladies to Piperhill Inn by nightfall, and we’re a wee bit behind schedule.” He walked to the head of the coach.
“Good day, Miss Babcock!” Mrs. Gant called, sticking her silver head out the coach door. “Our regards to your grandmother!”
“But . . .”
Mrs. Bretton gave her a cheery wave as they rolled away.
That was how Daria had come to be utterly alone on the side of the road, thinking unkind thoughts about Mr. Brodie and Scotland.
“Quite a deep pit of muck you’ve walked into, Daria,” she sniffed. She glanced at the rabbit trail that passed for a road here. She’d never believed herself one to wilt at the first sign of trouble, but she felt on the verge of doing just that. She reminded herself that if Mamie—elegant, sophisticated Mamie—had come to Scotland and managed, then so could she. She had only to decide whether she would remain seated on the road for marauders and murderers to come along or do as Mr. Brodie suggested and walk up that tiny, overgrown trail.
She stood up and looked at the dog. “Do you intend to accompany me? Or will you sleep the day away?”
The dog sat up, his tail wagging.
“Very well. But you must be responsible for yourself. I am not a nursemaid,” she warned him, and picked up her portmanteau. She took a deep breath, muttered a small prayer, and stepped onto the rabbit trail, almost toppling over when the dog rushed past her in order to be first on the path.
Also by Julia London
The Seduction of Lady X
The Revenge of Lord Eberlin
The Year of Living Scandalously
One Season of Sunshine
The Summer of Two Wishes
A Courtesan’s Scandal
Highland Scandal
Book of Scandal
The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount
The Perils of Pursuing a Prince
The Hazards of Hunting a Duke
Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Dinah Dinwiddie
This work was previously published in Snowy Night with a Stranger
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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition November 2012
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ISBN 978-1-4767-1456-1 (eBook)
