Free His Lady Peregrine by Ruth J. Hartman

slimy tongue snaked its way into his mouth, he nearly
jumped.
    “ Oh Percy, you’ve made me
so happy.”
    Why did this have to be
happening?
    Wait…
    He leaned back and grabbed
her arms, holding her still. “ What did you just say?”
    Her gaze didn’t quite meet
his. “You’ve made me so… happy.”
    “ No.” He
sat back on his heels. “You addressed me as Percy. ”
    She shook her head. “No.
you’re mistaken.”
    He stood. “I know my own
name, madam.”
    She sat up quickly. “Why
are you calling me that? Come back and let’s—”
    He held out his hand as if
warding off something evil. But perhaps he was. “You know who I am.
Who I really am?”
    “ I don’t… that
is—”
    A brisk knock on the door
preceded Amelia and Conrad. Amelia glanced from Miriam to Percy.
“Forgive our intrusion, but we heard shouting. Is everything…” She
eyed her mother-in-law and then looked at Percy, her eyebrows
raised in question.
    Percy stepped toward the
couple and safely away from Miriam. “Your mother just addressed me
by my name. My real name.”
    “ What?” Conrad widened his
eyes. “Mother! Is this true?”
    She forced out a huff.
“I’m admitting nothing.”
    Amelia grabbed her
husband’s arm. “Conrad, it’s true. I’d guessed what she was up to
and confronted her.”
    “ Why didn’t you tell
me?”
    “ Because you were having
such feelings of guilt about it all. That perhaps—” Amelia glanced
at Miriam and shook her head. “But you needn’t feel bad any longer.
As you can see, your mother appears to be quite
healthy.”
    Percy switched his
attention to Miriam. It was true? She sat up straight, pressed a
wrinkle from her dress, and then reached up to smooth a wayward
lock of hair from her eyes. She seemed to care about her
appearance. When she’d been ill, pretended to be ill, she’d appeared
to not care about anything except her discomfort. And keeping Percy
near.
    “ Has this been a farce all
along, then?” Percy clenched his hands at his sides, longing to
pummel the woman.
    Miriam stood, her face
transforming from the teary-eyed lovelorn woman into a scowling
harridan. “All right. It’s true.”
    Shock rolled through
Percy. “But the physician. He said if I left, you might not
recover. Had you fooled him too?”
    With a shrug, Miriam waved a hand. “I simply
paid him enough and he went along.”
    “ But why? Why would you do
this? I barely know you. Was it only for your amusement? Have I
done something to offend you in some way that you felt you needed
to punish me?”
    She took a step closer,
reached out her hand, and then lowered it again. “It was…” She
glared at Conrad and Amelia as if wanting them to leave.
    Percy shook his head.
“They aren’t going anywhere. I’ll not be alone with you
again.”
    “ Fine. If I must say the
words in front of my son, so be it.”
    Percy crossed his arms and waited.
    “ When I saw you at your
family’s picnic, I was… intrigued.”
    He narrowed his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
    Miriam bit her lip and had
the decency to blush but didn’t answer.
    “ If I
may be so bold?” Amelia stepped forward. At Percy’s nod she
continued. “It seems Mother Croome saw you, desired you, and came
up with a way to… have you.”
    Conrad gasped and clasped his hand over his
mouth.
    Percy, suddenly unsteady,
plopped into the same chair he’d occupied before. Feeling deflated,
he slumped down. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
    “ No,”
said Amelia. “You would have been had she succeeded. Now, though, you are
free to pursue the woman you really want.”
    Miriam stomped her foot.
“That awful Lady Ollerton? She’s worthless.”
    Percy jumped up, rage
suddenly giving him strength. “You will not speak of her that way.
Ever. I happen to love her.” He pointed at Miriam his hand shaking.
“And if your scheme has ruined my chances with her, may God help
you, because I’ll—”
    Conrad took his mother by
the hand. “No need, Percy. I’m