Free His Lady Peregrine by Ruth J. Hartman Page A

taking Mother home. This
instant.”
     

Chapter Twelve
    Georgiana sat on her favorite bench at the Bird Sanctuary. She’d
not had any desire to leave her house, but somehow had let Mary
persuade her into coming here. Perhaps her maid had grown so weary
of hearing Georgiana weep that she couldn’t stand it anymore and
for once showed her temper.
    Georgiana had been so
taken aback that she’d agreed simply so Mary would calm herself. If
the maid had suffered an apoplexy on Georgiana’s account, the guilt
would have done her it.
    Guilt.
    Hadn’t Percy mentioned
that as a large reason for his staying with the dowager? Had
Georgiana been too hard on him? She’d brushed aside his words, but…
She glanced over at Mary, who was feeding bread crumbs to some
ducks. Guilt certainly could be a strong motivator to do things one
would rather not.
    He’d told her to examine
her heart for the truth. She remembered his kisses and embraces.
The way he’d touched her skin and whispered endearments. She had
felt an instant connection with him the first time they met.
Georgiana was sure, sure that he’d felt it too. Not just by what he said
or did, but by how he seemed when with her. She couldn’t even quite
explain it to herself, but the two of them… it was as if they’d
been made for each other.
    They simply fit
together.
    Did any of that really
matter? Even if he forgave her for tossing him from her home, if
his story was true, then he was stuck. Stuck in his home with that
awful woman. And who knew how long it might take for her to recover
her right mind?
    What if she never did?
    She watched Mary for a few
more minutes as she fed the ducks. Would Georgiana’s short leave
from the house to visit the sanctuary appease her angry
maid?
    Mary tensed as if
something startled her and glanced toward a grove of trees on the
other side of the pond. Had she seen some animal that frightened
her? Though the ones Georgiana usually saw were quite small.
Rabbits, squirrels, and of course birds. Mary poured out the
contents of her bag and without a backward glance at her employer,
took off walking at a fast clip in the opposite
direction.
    How odd.
    She had no desire to run
after Mary and retrieve her so they could return home. No, ever
since all of the unpleasantness had begun with Percy and the
dowager, Georgiana had felt as if all her strength had flowed out
through her toes, leaving her listless.
    In that case, I’ll just
wait here. She can’t walk around the sanctuary all day.
    She sat and listened to
the warbler sing in a tree right above the bench. Georgiana closed
her eyes. The bird’s sweet song lulled her into a near sleep. How
pleasant to just sit. If she was lucky, maybe she’d fall asleep and
dream of Percy.
    The sound of footsteps
registered somewhere in her mind, but she cared not enough to open
her eyes. Whoever it was would surely—
    “ Ah… It seems I’ve
discovered a lovely maiden in the middle of a nap.”
    Percy?
    Georgiana’s eyes flew open
and she gasped. It was true! “Why are you here?”
    He sat down, uninvited,
and angled around so that he partially faced her. “It seemed a
lovely day for a visit to my favorite spot. And of course to visit
with my favorite lady.”
    She lowered her eyebrows.
“How did you know I would be here today?”
    “ Your maid.”
    “ But—”
    “ If one offers enough
incentive, it often spurs people to do one’s bidding.”
    “ You
paid my maid? Again?”
    “ Well, yes.”
    Georgiana fumed. Of all
the nerve! Thinking he could force the issue with her to try to
worm his way back into her heart. But wait… How could he even be
here? Be away from his house and the dowager? “But why are you… I
mean, how could you leave home?”
    “ There’s where the story
gets interesting, Lady Peregrine.”
    “ I told you not to
call—”
    He grabbed her hand, not
giving her a chance to pull away. “If you would please just listen
to what I have to say?”
    She struggled in