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.Her duties to the rank she would inherit meant that she must carefully consider any marital alliance.Even so,Elise knew she would be irrationally heartbroken if Jared took a second wife.Indeed, Elise knew herself to be vaguely jealousof Jared's first wife, a woman who had died years before in childbirth.It's all impossibly stupid! Elise told herself as she unstrung her bow, leaned it against the alley wall, and went out to meet thenew arrival.Ninette followed, a trace anxious.Normal and usual protocols fell apart when the people meeting were, effectively, comrades-in-arms, due to serve together again soon.What was a chaperon to do? Insist on keeping form or skip the fuss?Elise, knowing exactly what had drawn those worry lines on her companion's face, smiled reassuringly and was rewarded byseeing Ninette relax and offer, if somewhat tentatively, an answering smile.As the two young women rounded the side of the building, Doc was handing the reins of a rather nondescript grey riding horseto the groom.Sir Jared Surcliffe was a man of middle height and middle build.His black hair was drawn back into a queuefrom which a few wisps had escaped.His features, like those of his cousin Norvin Norwood, were aquiline rather thanhandsome, but unlike Norvin, whose grey eyes seemed to hold something of a raptor's fierceness, Jared's similar visage wasmild.Yet Doc was not a soft man, nor a cowardly one.He had earned his knighthood on the battlefield, and possessed more thanmost men's fair acquaintance with bloodshed and pain.These were his enemies, more so than for most.A talent for healing hadrepeatedly brought Sir Jared into conflict with death and suffering.Elise suspected that she was one of the few outside hiscircle of colleagues who realized how much using his gift for healing drained Jared.They had known each other since Elise was a girl, but then Jaredùsome eight years her seniorùhad seemed a distant, verygrownup figure.Later their paths had crossed and recrossed, for Earl Kestrel was a good patron to his cousin and frequentlymade him one of his party on visits to the capital.However, not until both had become friends of Firekeeper had they beenmuch thrown together.And even then I was betrothed to Jet Shield, Elise thought.Jared's has always been an impossible fondness.As they drew closer, Elise noted the saddlebags resting on the flagstones near Doc's feet.He himself was attired for travelrather than a social visit, no waistcoat over his shirt, his hat a worn, slouch-brimmed item of stained felt that had clearly seenmore than its share of weather, but if Doc felt at any loss he didn't show it."Lady Archer.Mistress Ninette," he said, bowing over each of their hands in turn while the groom led the grey off to thestables."I am delighted to see you both."He seemed to be, too.Elise saw none of her own fluttering feelings on Jared's composed features.aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBBr rThen again, he knew he was coming here and that when he arrived he would see me again.There is none of my being caughtunawares.She took some small comfort in the realization.The housekeeper had emerged by now and was calling for someone to comeand take the doctor's luggage."I believe I'm staying at the gatehouse," Doc said to the housekeeper, "but my horse was so tired I thought to relieve him of hisburdens."The housekeeper looked unconvinced.Elise suspected she thought Doc had been trying to thrust himself unwanted intoDuchess Kestrel's carefully arranged establishment.Meanwhile, Elise realized she'd done nothing but murmur some vagueresponse to Jared's greeting.Knowing the housekeeper would be scandalized if she invited Doc inside while he was still covered in road dust, Elise said,"Perhaps when you've had a chance to change your clothes, you would come up to the house and have some refreshments."Oh, no! she thought.I hope he doesn't think I'm condescending.Doc's smile was comfortingly casual."I'd like that," he said [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]