the linen tablecloth.
Grimacing, he picked up the missive from his ex-mistress and laid it atop his other correspondence. On the way from the room, he carelessly tossed the lot on the hall table. His secretary could deal with them when he arrived. Micah wanted nothing more to do with Collette. Her histrionics and frequently outrageous demands on him were done. He only wished he’d known her true nature before taking her as his mistress.
Shaking his head determinedly, he strode into his estate room, shutting the door with a satisfying bang.
Seven
“No. No way, Mrs. K. I am not his lordship’s best chance at love and he sure as hell…um, sorry.” Jamie rolled her shoulders, the stays digging into the undersides of her breasts with the movement. “What I mean to say is that I can’t stand him. He’s a…an apple. A rotten, wormy, grumpy apple. And his countess is in another castle. I don’t have any intention of tying myself to him. Ever . So you might as well have your sister send me back. Like, today.”
The housekeeper smiled at the crystal she was cleaning. “I am sorry, Miss Jamie, but I cannot do that. Now, you must not fret. Wilhelmina is never wrong. You simply must give him a chance. You will see in time.”
“Time? In time, I will commit murder. Seriously. Don’t you have any way to contact her now? Like a crystal ball or newt’s blood or something?”
Mrs. K shook her head.
Jamie slumped her shoulders as she leaned forward in defeat. If Mrs. K wouldn’t get her sister the witch to send Jamie home, she had nowhere to go. So much for her grand breakfast exit. “I’m not cut out for this.”
“Do not fret, Miss Jamie. We will soon put your worries to rest. Run along now. I must finish the crystal before we can resume our lessons.”
Jamie groaned. “Really? More lessons? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me now?”
“Shoo.” The housekeeper winked at Jamie. “I won’t be a moment, and then we will begin lessons in deportment.”
“Deportment? I’d like to be deported to America, circa the twenty-first century,” Jamie grumbled under her breath as she left the room. She wandered around the first floor aimlessly, not really sure what to do with herself. If she were at home, she’d have logged on an hour ago. She’d be happily questing through Mount Ujlek, racking up badges to turn in for her new helm. She liked that new helm. It was spiky and had some powers that Killaz could really use. It would also match her purple hair nicely. Jamie sighed. It was no use even thinking about what she was missing at home. She was here for the time being, and she’d have to make the best of it.
As she rounded a corner of the hallway, a sheet of parchment caught her notice. It slumped against the baseboard like a bum against a public building. As she stooped to pick it up, she recognized it. The letter Mike was reading at the table earlier.
The paper was thick, its texture weird. Unable to resist the impulse to snoop, she unfolded it. Oddly curling handwriting met her gaze, and she had to squint kind of hard to make sense of it.
Micah,
I cannot help but assume that your lack of response bodes ill. Have you not received my missives? It is insupportable that you would continue to ignore me in this ill-bred fashion. I will not remain so patient with you forever.
Waites tells me that you are to propose soon to Miss Lyons. I must speak with you, dearest Micah, before this event occurs. It would be the gravest of errors on your part to propose to that young lady.
We are meant to be together. I care not a fig for position or wealth or any of that nonsense. But I must have you, my dearest one. If I do not, there is no hope for me. I shall die of a broken heart. The only death I wish is with you, my love. You must visit me as soon as you are able. We shall put this nonsense behind us and be happy as we once were.
I remain yours eternally,
Collette
With a stunned shake of her head, Jamie laid the
Grimacing, he picked up the missive from his ex-mistress and laid it atop his other correspondence. On the way from the room, he carelessly tossed the lot on the hall table. His secretary could deal with them when he arrived. Micah wanted nothing more to do with Collette. Her histrionics and frequently outrageous demands on him were done. He only wished he’d known her true nature before taking her as his mistress.
Shaking his head determinedly, he strode into his estate room, shutting the door with a satisfying bang.
Seven
“No. No way, Mrs. K. I am not his lordship’s best chance at love and he sure as hell…um, sorry.” Jamie rolled her shoulders, the stays digging into the undersides of her breasts with the movement. “What I mean to say is that I can’t stand him. He’s a…an apple. A rotten, wormy, grumpy apple. And his countess is in another castle. I don’t have any intention of tying myself to him. Ever . So you might as well have your sister send me back. Like, today.”
The housekeeper smiled at the crystal she was cleaning. “I am sorry, Miss Jamie, but I cannot do that. Now, you must not fret. Wilhelmina is never wrong. You simply must give him a chance. You will see in time.”
“Time? In time, I will commit murder. Seriously. Don’t you have any way to contact her now? Like a crystal ball or newt’s blood or something?”
Mrs. K shook her head.
Jamie slumped her shoulders as she leaned forward in defeat. If Mrs. K wouldn’t get her sister the witch to send Jamie home, she had nowhere to go. So much for her grand breakfast exit. “I’m not cut out for this.”
“Do not fret, Miss Jamie. We will soon put your worries to rest. Run along now. I must finish the crystal before we can resume our lessons.”
Jamie groaned. “Really? More lessons? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me now?”
“Shoo.” The housekeeper winked at Jamie. “I won’t be a moment, and then we will begin lessons in deportment.”
“Deportment? I’d like to be deported to America, circa the twenty-first century,” Jamie grumbled under her breath as she left the room. She wandered around the first floor aimlessly, not really sure what to do with herself. If she were at home, she’d have logged on an hour ago. She’d be happily questing through Mount Ujlek, racking up badges to turn in for her new helm. She liked that new helm. It was spiky and had some powers that Killaz could really use. It would also match her purple hair nicely. Jamie sighed. It was no use even thinking about what she was missing at home. She was here for the time being, and she’d have to make the best of it.
As she rounded a corner of the hallway, a sheet of parchment caught her notice. It slumped against the baseboard like a bum against a public building. As she stooped to pick it up, she recognized it. The letter Mike was reading at the table earlier.
The paper was thick, its texture weird. Unable to resist the impulse to snoop, she unfolded it. Oddly curling handwriting met her gaze, and she had to squint kind of hard to make sense of it.
Micah,
I cannot help but assume that your lack of response bodes ill. Have you not received my missives? It is insupportable that you would continue to ignore me in this ill-bred fashion. I will not remain so patient with you forever.
Waites tells me that you are to propose soon to Miss Lyons. I must speak with you, dearest Micah, before this event occurs. It would be the gravest of errors on your part to propose to that young lady.
We are meant to be together. I care not a fig for position or wealth or any of that nonsense. But I must have you, my dearest one. If I do not, there is no hope for me. I shall die of a broken heart. The only death I wish is with you, my love. You must visit me as soon as you are able. We shall put this nonsense behind us and be happy as we once were.
I remain yours eternally,
Collette
With a stunned shake of her head, Jamie laid the
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