Bittersweet Endeavors (19 page)

“Until then
,
” he bowed.  “A
nd don’t
forget,” he
sternly
added.  “Make sure you bring your maid
,
Myra
, with you
…
to make it proper.”

“Of course, anything you wish.

After
Mister
Frederickson made his exit, Margaret grabbed
Myra
by the arm
and led her outside
where
Seth wait
ed
impatiently. 

“
We’re going on a picnic today at Parker’s Lake
,
Myra
,” she informed her.  “
Surely they can hold off from needing you in the kitchens for one afternoon.” 

“
Myra
has duties
that need
tend
ed
,” Seth interrupted.  “
Going
off alone for a picnic
is
n’t
wise.  You know
there have been sightings
of In
juns
near Parker’s Lake. 
Tis
not safe
for either of you to be out there alone
.
”

“Oh, don't spoil my
pleasure
, Seth!” 
Margaret pouted.

Myra
watched as Margaret tapped her foot on the ground
,
and a frown
—
childlike and exaggerated
—
creased her finely carved
thin
lips. 
An incredibly
spoiled girl
, b
ut
Seth wo
uld agree
with
whatever she want
ed
, no doubt
.

A heavy sigh
wisped
through Seth’s mouth.  “If you persist on pouting that way
, then I must insist I take you.
”

Aye
, very spoiled,
Myra
deduced.

Margaret swallowed hard and
nervously
fidgeted with her fingers
.
Myra
didn’t think she looked
half as pleased as
she should.  In fact, she look
ed
outright
put out
by the offer
.
  But of course she
would be
,
Myra
thought.  A
clandestine
meeting
was
n’t near as
pleasurable
if spoiled by an older brother
chaperoning
.

“That doesn't please you?” he laughed.  “I thought you
were excited about going
on a picnic today. 
Tis no
t that the impression you received, too,
Myra
?”
  Something caught his eye, and he digressed. 
“I shall
return
shortly,” Seth interrupted
, and
he looked
down the road
.  “There’s Mister Smith,” he
said, and
pointed toward the blacksmith’s shack.  “
I have business
with him
before we return home
.
”

The
moment
Seth moved
out of earshot
range
, Margaret pulled
Myra
close.  “
I beseech you.  Y
ou must help me. 
Seth cannot
go.”

“What is wrong, Margaret?  Why
can’t
Seth
take you
?”

“Well,
tis a secret
, but I am meeting a certain gentleman there.”

“Oh,”
Myra
replied
.  She knew the reason why, of course, but she couldn’t
reveal that she
eavesdropped
on her entire conversation.
I
f she could, she
’d
ask her where she learned the i
nformation about her past and about
her true identity. 
A
t least
Margaret
waver
ed
on the facts
and believe
d
the statements
false, and for that, she was
thankful
.

“Please,
Myra
, help me keep Seth at home.”

“Seth is right. 
G
oing
out there alone isn
’
t safe, Margaret.”

“But Mister Frederickson
,” she confessed.  “
He’ll
keep us safe
.  In fact, he wa
s once an important general to
our former king
,
or so rumor
says
.”  She ra
ised a fine lined eyebrow. 
“May
hap
you know him
?”

“Oh, I know
naught
of royalty or their kind,” she lied. 
Although careful,
Myra
figure
d
someone o
verheard her and Lucia speaking about
her
past
or perhaps Seth repeated what he had heard
. 
Lucia wouldn’t
have
betray
ed
her. 
Fortunately, with Seth’s help
,
most
wouldn’t
believe
the
chatter
.  Most believe
d
her
nothing more than
a
storyteller
,
with the exception of Margaret
who was
yet undecided about her past
.
And that only
because of
her being
a naive child
who easily took
a whimsy to fairytales
.

“Is that so?”  She hummed out the words and
Myra
knew
she didn’t believe her
. 

“So,” Seth said
when
he returned.  “Shall we have that picnic
, Margaret?
”

“Oh, very well, Seth,” she stammered out.  “But I must tell you
true
.”  She sighed in resignation.  “You must promise not to tell
f
ather, though.”

“Not tell father, what?” 
Seth
narrowed his eyes
and looked
down
at
her
.
 

“Oh, it is
naught
of great import, Seth, just something
slight
,” Margaret assured.  “No need to give such looks of despair!”

“And what would this secret be?” 

“Mister Frederickson
shall
be joining us,” she said reluctantly.

“
Nay
.”
  Seth started
walking
away, and Margaret gave
Myra
a pleading look. 

“
W
hat
shall
it
hurt
, Seth
?”
Myra
defended
, although
it was
against her better judgment
to interfere
.

“You don’t know that man,
Myra
.  He is
a
scoundrel
, and if rumor is true, he is worse.”

“Then
‘twould
be best if you were there
and
chaperone
d
, would it not?  If you refuse her th
is,
she may go off and meet him alone the next time.”
 
H
e couldn’t argue that
, and after he pierced her with a dark stare, he forced a smile.

“
Agreed
, but if that man looks at
Margaret, or you,
in any way that
is inappropriate,” he growled, and left his threat hanging. 
She reached out and
touched
his arm,
but
realiz
ed
the impropriety
of the gesture
and
let go.

“Oh, thank you so much, Seth,” Margaret
screeched
as she embraced
him.

“This
shall
also afford us the time together
,” he
added to Myra,
after
Margaret
walked away
and stepped up
into the
wagon.
“You do want that, don’t you?”

Myra
turned her head
and didn’t answer
. 
Her feeling
s
for Seth Preston couldn’t surface
.
  She’d not allow it.
   He took a step toward her
.  H
is face
was
close and intimate
as he stared down at her.  She
thought he may do the unthinkable and kiss her. 

She stepped back. 

An ornery grin appeared and a twinkle lit
within
his blue eyes.
 
Myra
cleare
d her throat and hoped
it might
shed
her uneasiness. 
She yearned for his lips next to hers, and her heart raced at the thought,
but
she could
n’t
ever let that happen
.
  They
equally
ha
d
too much
to
lose
.  Aside
from
that, they
both
ha
d
separate paths
for
t
heir future
s
.  Her
s was
England
and his
was
in the
colonies
with Cassandra.

“Tis
settled,” Seth
called up at
Margaret. “Let’s get back so you can make that bask
et
.”

*                    *                    *

Try as she might, she couldn’t keep her stare from him
.  S
prawled out
on the blanket
, he
looked
equally masculine
insomuch
as boyish.  With outstretched arms, the
br
oad
expanse
of his forearms
supported his neck.  Thick, blond
lashes cover
ed his eyes and his breathing
came slow and paced. 
Myra
looked around
and wondered
if
Zachary and Margaret
saw
her watching him
.
She
heard
them
in the distance
;
Margaret
’s
incessant
prattling
a
bout nothing of import
still met her ears
.  She had been blathering on for the past hour, not giving poor Mister Frederickson a moment of peace. 
S
he almost felt
sorr
y
for
him.
 
She
m
oved closer to
ward
Seth
after she believed they were too distracted to view her
. 
Looking at him, s
he thought
he was
a very
fine, ha
ndsome man.  If
her life
hadn’t taken the
drastic
course it did, and her status was still intact, she
believe she
and Seth
could
find true happiness with one another. 
Yet, as
a servant, he’d never truly accept her.