Read Online To Tempt A Rogue by Adrienne Basso - Free Book Online Page A

place with a minimum amount of fuss, deliberately facing forward. Towards her future. Amid shouts of farewell and good luck, the coach lunged forward.
    â€œThough I am glad to be of service on this journey, Miss Harriet, I fear I will be feeling quite homesick,” a female voice declared.
    Harriet heaved a deep sigh and tried to shut out the soft sniffles of the maid who accompanied her on the journey. Her own emotions were just below the surface, threatening to overtake her. Yet as the carriage turned the corner and headed down the road Harriet made no sound.
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    â€œDid you see that imposing looking bear, Kate?” Harriet asked. “He was drinking from the stream, but stood his ground boldly even though the carriage passed within a few feet of him as we clattered over the wooden bridge. He must be very brave, for the noise did not seem to even startle him.”
    Kate lifted her head and gave a cursory, uninterested glance out the window. “The mangy creature must have just finished his last meal,” the maid stated with a sniff. “If he was hungry, he’d come slinking along beside us and then attack.”
    â€œUs?” Harriet asked with disbelieved amusement. “Do bears often attack people?”
    â€œOh, no, Miss Harriet. Not you and me. He’d go right for the horses. They’re the easy target. I imagine a bear that fierce could tear a horse to pieces within minutes. He’d go directly for the throat, I’d wager.”
    â€œI thought he seemed majestic and bold,” Harriet muttered as she turned her head to catch a final glimpse of the animal.
    â€œHe’s a killer,” Kate declared with a knowing nod.
    Harriet took a deep sigh and pressed her fingertips to her brow. Unfortunately Kate had turned out to be a rather trying traveling companion. Harriet had not spent much time in the maid’s company prior to this journey and was therefore surprised to discover the older woman had a somewhat gloomy, bloodthirsty outlook on life. An outlook that she was more than willing to share.
    She also had an uncanny knack for taking any situation and seeing only the negative aspects of it. Given the distance of their trip, the time of year and weather conditions, there had been a great deal for Kate to expound upon.
    Fortunately the maid would be returning to Harrowby and Griffin’s household soon after they reached Mr. Wainwright’s home, Hillsdale Castle. Harriet had agreed to allow Kate on the journey because her brother had insisted an unmarried gentlewoman could not travel such a great distance completely on her own, even if she was taking up a position as a governess.
    Harriet privately speculated she would most likely be the first governess to arrive at her post with a maid in tow, but hoped her employer would find this an amusement or just accept it as an eccentricity of the nobility.
    â€œWill we be stopping for luncheon soon, Miss Harriet?” Kate asked. “That meager breakfast of cheese and stale bread would hardly keep a mouse alive.”
    â€œI’m sure John Coachman will pull in to the first appropriate establishment we find,” Harriet replied. “As always.”
    Though some of the meals they had eaten over the past few weeks were hardly memorable, they at least offered a break from the road. Harriet could understand Kate’s boredom. Even if the light were sufficient, the constant sway of the coach made reading or light sewing an impossible task.
    At first both women had been more than content to watch the ever-changing countryside roll by out the carriage window. When that novelty wore off, they tried to engage in conversation. It seemed to help pass the time for Kate, but it gave Harriet a headache.
    However, once they crossed the border into Scotland, the view changed to snow capped hills and Harriet’s interest in the surrounding landscape was renewed. She was soon in awe of the unexpected majesty, and