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Authors: Diane T. Ashley
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who were vying for her attention and led her to a corner of the ballroom next to a large plant.
The next hour passed slowly. Jared partnered several young women, but they all seemed shallow and grasping in contrast to Amelia. He was relieved when Mr. Montgomery sent the orchestra on a break and announced it was time for his niece to receive her special birthday gift.
It took two servants to bring in the tall, sheet-draped gift. They put their burden on the floor at Ameliaâs feet.
She tugged the covering off to reveal a gilded birdcage hung from an ornate stand. A small tree had been wound around the bars of the cage on one side, its branches providing a perch for the small, black-tailed, gray bird inside.
âItâs a mockingbird,â explained Ameliaâs aunt. âWe thought you would enjoy hearing its songs. It is quite the mimic, you know, and should fill your room with the most delightful sounds.â
Jared watched Ameliaâs expression as she cooed to the frightened bird. Did she feel as sad as he did to see the poor thing trapped in a cage? She seemed satisfied with the gift. But maybe she was only being polite. He knew politeness was bred in young ladies from an early age. Amelia would never be ungracious about a gift.
Yes, he nodded to himself. That must be the explanation. A wonderful idea came to him. He would come to visit her tomorrow and offer to set the poor bird free for her. Together they could come up with an acceptable excuse to appease her aunt and uncle. He would ask her tonight about visiting and perhaps even hint at his plan. He would have to be careful, but Jared felt he could summon the requisite amount of delicacy and depend on Ameliaâs astuteness to grasp his intent.
Six
Amelia laughed, but the sound seemed brittle to her ears. The brightest spot in her evening had been meeting Jared Stuart once again. He was such a fascinating young man. She would like to know him better and wondered if he would come by to visit. Probably not. University students did not have much free time.
But even meeting the interesting Mr. Stuart could not completely turn her mind from the drama occurring in her relativesâ stable. She was worried about Tabitha and wondered if she could escape the party for a few minutes to check on her. But the orchestra was still playing, and she still had to dance with one callow boy after another.
Her current partner, Reginald something or other, reeked of pomade and citrus cologne. He had the beginnings of a mustache that unfortunately emphasized his overlong nose and did nothing to hide a mouthful of crooked teeth. He had asked her about the weather and was currently going into great detail about winter and his hopes for an early spring planting.
She wanted to pull away from the poor fellow and escape, especially when she saw Luke Talbot taking his leave of her aunt and uncle. She would have liked to spend more time with him and find out what heâd meant by calling Jared Stuart a midnight wanderer. But it looked as if even that would be denied her. As Reginald pulled her around the floor, she saw Lukeâs tall form exiting the ballroom. Finally, the dance came to an end, and she escaped her partner.
Aunt Laura was showing off Ameliaâs birthday gift to a couple of matrons while Uncle Francis bid good night to an older couple. A red-haired young man bearing down on her position at the edge of the dance floor had Amelia turning away quickly. She pretended to trip and faked a groan. She told the approaching suitor she had to repair her dress and hurried to the nearest exit, proud of her quick thinking.
The narrow hall leading to the back door was cool and quiet. The crisp air felt good for a few minutes in contrast to the overheated ballroom, but as she reached to open the door, Amelia wished sheâd brought her shawl with her. It was lying across the back of a chair in the ballroom, so she would have to do without it.
The back door
The next hour passed slowly. Jared partnered several young women, but they all seemed shallow and grasping in contrast to Amelia. He was relieved when Mr. Montgomery sent the orchestra on a break and announced it was time for his niece to receive her special birthday gift.
It took two servants to bring in the tall, sheet-draped gift. They put their burden on the floor at Ameliaâs feet.
She tugged the covering off to reveal a gilded birdcage hung from an ornate stand. A small tree had been wound around the bars of the cage on one side, its branches providing a perch for the small, black-tailed, gray bird inside.
âItâs a mockingbird,â explained Ameliaâs aunt. âWe thought you would enjoy hearing its songs. It is quite the mimic, you know, and should fill your room with the most delightful sounds.â
Jared watched Ameliaâs expression as she cooed to the frightened bird. Did she feel as sad as he did to see the poor thing trapped in a cage? She seemed satisfied with the gift. But maybe she was only being polite. He knew politeness was bred in young ladies from an early age. Amelia would never be ungracious about a gift.
Yes, he nodded to himself. That must be the explanation. A wonderful idea came to him. He would come to visit her tomorrow and offer to set the poor bird free for her. Together they could come up with an acceptable excuse to appease her aunt and uncle. He would ask her tonight about visiting and perhaps even hint at his plan. He would have to be careful, but Jared felt he could summon the requisite amount of delicacy and depend on Ameliaâs astuteness to grasp his intent.
Six
Amelia laughed, but the sound seemed brittle to her ears. The brightest spot in her evening had been meeting Jared Stuart once again. He was such a fascinating young man. She would like to know him better and wondered if he would come by to visit. Probably not. University students did not have much free time.
But even meeting the interesting Mr. Stuart could not completely turn her mind from the drama occurring in her relativesâ stable. She was worried about Tabitha and wondered if she could escape the party for a few minutes to check on her. But the orchestra was still playing, and she still had to dance with one callow boy after another.
Her current partner, Reginald something or other, reeked of pomade and citrus cologne. He had the beginnings of a mustache that unfortunately emphasized his overlong nose and did nothing to hide a mouthful of crooked teeth. He had asked her about the weather and was currently going into great detail about winter and his hopes for an early spring planting.
She wanted to pull away from the poor fellow and escape, especially when she saw Luke Talbot taking his leave of her aunt and uncle. She would have liked to spend more time with him and find out what heâd meant by calling Jared Stuart a midnight wanderer. But it looked as if even that would be denied her. As Reginald pulled her around the floor, she saw Lukeâs tall form exiting the ballroom. Finally, the dance came to an end, and she escaped her partner.
Aunt Laura was showing off Ameliaâs birthday gift to a couple of matrons while Uncle Francis bid good night to an older couple. A red-haired young man bearing down on her position at the edge of the dance floor had Amelia turning away quickly. She pretended to trip and faked a groan. She told the approaching suitor she had to repair her dress and hurried to the nearest exit, proud of her quick thinking.
The narrow hall leading to the back door was cool and quiet. The crisp air felt good for a few minutes in contrast to the overheated ballroom, but as she reached to open the door, Amelia wished sheâd brought her shawl with her. It was lying across the back of a chair in the ballroom, so she would have to do without it.
The back door
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