Read Online Blackstone's Bride by Teresa Southwick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Teresa Southwick
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smiled thinly. “We’d like that. Right everyone?”
There was a chorus of weak assent. Then Bea looked at Katie. “But I think there are some things we should straighten out first. Dear, you said you didn’t like me. Have you changed your mind?”
The little girl thought for a minute, glanced over her shoulder at Lily, who shook her head slightly, then looked back. “No’m.”
These children had made up their minds before meeting her. Why?
“You’re honest, child. I like that.” Katie beamed. “But what is it you don’t like? Perhaps if we talk about it, we can—”
A loud croaking noise interrupted her at the same time she felt something wiggle around in the pocket of her skirt. Aha, she thought, the dandelions were a decoy, a way to get close to the real objective. The children glanced at each other expectantly.
If they wanted screaming and carrying on, they were barking up the wrong tree, Bea thought. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medium-sized frog. She held him up, letting his legs and webbed feet dangle as she looked him over carefully, then pronounced, “He’s a fine fellow. Thank you, Tom. I like him better than the dandelions.”
The boy’s gray eyes widened with something close to admiration. “You do—”
“Did you know that frogs eat insects? He’ll have a feast this year. After all the rain, there will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes and flies. And aren’t you glad he’ll be around to do that? He will certainly make our life more comfortable. Don’t you think?”
Bea stroked her finger along the frog’s back, and thechildren’s jaws dropped. Oliver’s thumb fell out of his mouth.
She extended the frog. “Katie, would you like to hold him?”
The little girl squealed and jumped away. “No’m. I don’t even like bedbugs. Does he bite? Uncle Jarrod says bedbugs don’t, it’s just a ‘spression. But I don’t wanna find out. And I don’t wanna hold him,” she said, jamming her hands behind her back.
“Oliver?”
He shook his head. “Gotta go,” he said, and raced from the room.
“Anyone else?” she asked the others.
Lily and Tom shook their heads. Bea put the frog on her palm and he croaked loudly. Without warning, he leapt from her hand and Lily and Katie squealed. Tom laughed. The animal poised in the middle of the wool carpet, seeming almost at home on the patterned rug done in shades of white, goldenrod, and bright emerald-green. Only the bubble beneath the frog’s chin puffing in and out at an alarming rate told Bea he was nervous and frightened.
“Tom,” she said, spearing the older boy with a stern look. “Catch the poor creature before he hurts himself and take him outside where he belongs. Put him back where you got him. And don’t harm him. Do you understand?”
He nodded. “Yes’m.”
“Good.” When he was gone, she looked at the two girls. “Would either of you young ladies care to explain to me what’s going on?”
“Not me,” Katie said. “I was just s’posed to ask questions. That’s what I do best,” she said proudly. “Right, Lily?”
When Lily turned the shade of a sun-ripened tomato, Bea’s suspicions were confirmed. A conspiracy was definitely afoot.
Lily looked down, then reluctantly lifted her gaze. “It’s not you, Miss Peters. We’ve been planning this for anyone Abby brought.”
“But why, child? Your uncle obviously wants and needs help.”
“We know that. But we decided we want him to hire Abby as our housekeeper.”
“Why not come right out and ask your uncle to do that?”
Lily shook her head. “He already did and she said no.”
“How do you know?”
“We overheard them talking.”
“Did anyone ever tell you eavesdropping is underhanded and not a very nice thing to do?”
“Yes’m,” Lily said. “But when Mama was alive, she always told us things were fine, to protect us. We knew different. We felt it was better to know what was going on, so we started listening in.”
“I
There was a chorus of weak assent. Then Bea looked at Katie. “But I think there are some things we should straighten out first. Dear, you said you didn’t like me. Have you changed your mind?”
The little girl thought for a minute, glanced over her shoulder at Lily, who shook her head slightly, then looked back. “No’m.”
These children had made up their minds before meeting her. Why?
“You’re honest, child. I like that.” Katie beamed. “But what is it you don’t like? Perhaps if we talk about it, we can—”
A loud croaking noise interrupted her at the same time she felt something wiggle around in the pocket of her skirt. Aha, she thought, the dandelions were a decoy, a way to get close to the real objective. The children glanced at each other expectantly.
If they wanted screaming and carrying on, they were barking up the wrong tree, Bea thought. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medium-sized frog. She held him up, letting his legs and webbed feet dangle as she looked him over carefully, then pronounced, “He’s a fine fellow. Thank you, Tom. I like him better than the dandelions.”
The boy’s gray eyes widened with something close to admiration. “You do—”
“Did you know that frogs eat insects? He’ll have a feast this year. After all the rain, there will be a bumper crop of mosquitoes and flies. And aren’t you glad he’ll be around to do that? He will certainly make our life more comfortable. Don’t you think?”
Bea stroked her finger along the frog’s back, and thechildren’s jaws dropped. Oliver’s thumb fell out of his mouth.
She extended the frog. “Katie, would you like to hold him?”
The little girl squealed and jumped away. “No’m. I don’t even like bedbugs. Does he bite? Uncle Jarrod says bedbugs don’t, it’s just a ‘spression. But I don’t wanna find out. And I don’t wanna hold him,” she said, jamming her hands behind her back.
“Oliver?”
He shook his head. “Gotta go,” he said, and raced from the room.
“Anyone else?” she asked the others.
Lily and Tom shook their heads. Bea put the frog on her palm and he croaked loudly. Without warning, he leapt from her hand and Lily and Katie squealed. Tom laughed. The animal poised in the middle of the wool carpet, seeming almost at home on the patterned rug done in shades of white, goldenrod, and bright emerald-green. Only the bubble beneath the frog’s chin puffing in and out at an alarming rate told Bea he was nervous and frightened.
“Tom,” she said, spearing the older boy with a stern look. “Catch the poor creature before he hurts himself and take him outside where he belongs. Put him back where you got him. And don’t harm him. Do you understand?”
He nodded. “Yes’m.”
“Good.” When he was gone, she looked at the two girls. “Would either of you young ladies care to explain to me what’s going on?”
“Not me,” Katie said. “I was just s’posed to ask questions. That’s what I do best,” she said proudly. “Right, Lily?”
When Lily turned the shade of a sun-ripened tomato, Bea’s suspicions were confirmed. A conspiracy was definitely afoot.
Lily looked down, then reluctantly lifted her gaze. “It’s not you, Miss Peters. We’ve been planning this for anyone Abby brought.”
“But why, child? Your uncle obviously wants and needs help.”
“We know that. But we decided we want him to hire Abby as our housekeeper.”
“Why not come right out and ask your uncle to do that?”
Lily shook her head. “He already did and she said no.”
“How do you know?”
“We overheard them talking.”
“Did anyone ever tell you eavesdropping is underhanded and not a very nice thing to do?”
“Yes’m,” Lily said. “But when Mama was alive, she always told us things were fine, to protect us. We knew different. We felt it was better to know what was going on, so we started listening in.”
“I
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