She was saved from answering when William opened a door
farther down the row of stalls. “Teach, there you are, old chap.
I’ve been looking all over for you. When is breakfast—” He
broke off when he saw Anne standing there, a sly grin lighting
his face. “Ah. I’m sorry. Was I interrupting something?”
Teach did a poor job of masking his displeasure. “Forgive
me, William. I needed some exercise and was about to take an
early ride. Would you care to join me?”
71
William dragged his eyes away from Anne. “Before breakfast? You know how I feel about my tea and crumpets in the morning.”
Teach snorted. “How could I forget? Though, instead of
reaching for a cheesecake, I suggest you get out and enjoy the
morning air.”
William reached defensively for his waist and attempted a
laugh. It sounded forced. “You always were an early riser. Now
I understand the appeal.”
“You would have earned better marks in school if you’d
decided to give it a try.”
“Well, I’d like to try now,” William said, casting a meaningful
look in Anne’s direction. “You always beat me to the punch, don’t you, Teach?” There was a hint of bitterness behind his words.
“You may leave us, Anne,” Teach said.
Shuddering, Anne slipped through the door closest to her.
William was a most disagreeable fellow.
And he was Teach’s closest friend. Her mother had often
told her that good clothes did not make an evil man more kind,
and in William’s case it was true.
She needed to remember to keep her thoughts to herself.
Ever since Teach had arrived, she’d been far more outspoken
than her position allowed. Her father had enjoyed her outspokenness and had even encouraged her to express herself openly,
but Anne doubted anyone in this household appreciated it.
Teach and his guests would be gone soon. Only two more
7 2
days here at the Drummond estate, and then they would journey to the countryside, to the Herveys’, where Teach could continue to woo his future bride and his old school chum could annoy their maids for the next fortnight.
Until they left, she planned to keep a civil tongue, avoid
Miss Patience’s feet, and make sure she was never left alone in
Teach’s company.
Anne had no talent for planning. If she had, she would have
stayed behind in the kitchen later that afternoon instead of
venturing outside the garden walls. The master and his guests
had just returned from a picnic and had gone upstairs to prepare for supper.
She took that moment to steal away, knowing that every—
thing was ready and waiting for the evening meal. Beneath the
shelter of the branches of her favorite tree, she rested against the trunk and closed her eyes. It felt good to get away from the flurry and commotion of the house, if only for a few moments.
She was so exhausted, she could hardly think straight. Despite
having lived here for more than five months, she still considered it a strange house and was constantly stressed and tense. These short breaks of solitude were what helped keep her going, and
she relished every second she could find.
Her rest was short-lived, for she heard the sound of a horse
and approaching voices.
7 3
“You should not have waited for me, Miss Patience,” a familiar voice called out. “I told you I would return momentarily.”
“But I wanted to have a word with you, Edward. In private.” Miss Patience’s voice was breathless.
Anne was not surprised Miss Patience used his Christian
name. It was obvious to all that they admired each other. As
Miss Patience neared, Anne could make out her shape through
the leaves. She was dressed in a handsome gown of deep blue.
The young master sat astride his stallion, still dressed in
his riding clothes. Anne had been under the impression that all
of the occupants of the house were either changing or resting.
Apparently she’d been mistaken.
Teach slid down from the saddle as Miss Patience walked
up to him. “And I told you, now is not the most opportune
time. Perhaps it could wait until later,” he said.
Anne froze. The trunk of the tree no longer seemed an ade—
quate hiding spot for her small money chest. She sent up a silent prayer that neither of them would notice her and that the shade of the willow branches was sufficient to conceal her presence.
“I don’t understand. It’s almost time for supper. Where did
you go?”
“To retrieve my book,” he said, his voice weary.
“Your book?”
“Yes, my book. I made the mistake of allowing William to
look at it while we were out this afternoon, and he misplaced it.
I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to recover it.”
74
Miss Patience laughed, obviously unsure if she’d heard him right. “You were prepared to miss supper because of a silly book?”
The lines of tension in Teach’s body were visible in the evening light. He had a faint growth of stubble, and his skin was
sallow.
“I have no appetite,” he said.