Free Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman Page B

quivering.
    Teach was no help, for he continued to retch by her side.
    At least he’d had the decency to turn himself slightly, so that
    she was no longer in the line of fire. The damage, however, was
    done.
    The two stood next to each other, each one caught up in
    their own misery. It would have been difficult to decide who
    appeared more upset at the moment.
    Shaking with suppressed laughter, Anne watched as Miss
    Patience eventually turned in the direction of the house, slightly bent at the waist. With mincing steps she disappeared through
    the archway back into the gardens, muttering beneath her
    breath the entire time.
    Only when the young master dropped to his knees was
    Anne brought up short. By now, dry heaves racked his body,
    but still he did not stop.
    Anne vacillated for a second more before sweeping the
    branches out of the way and going to him. Until now the stallion had stood quietly by his side, but he whinnied and approached
    as Anne bent over his owner.
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    Sweat soaked Teach’s brow as well as his shirt. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her.
    Reaching forward, Anne grabbed him under the arms and
    attempted to help him up, careful to stay out of range. After
    hesitating, he threw a heavy arm over her shoulders, leaning on
    her as she directed him back to the house. She picked up the
    reins, and the stallion followed behind.
    Their advancement was slow. He was at least a head taller
    than Anne, and she felt like a child next to him. He certainly
    resembled an old man at the moment, not the vibrant young
    man he was. By the time they reached the stable, the sun was
    low in the sky.
    The groom rushed out when he saw them, and Anne
    stepped to the side. “Here, Tom, take him to his room,” she
    said, for she could not have made it up the stairs under Teach’s weight. The two of them disappeared while Anne took the
    stallion back to the barn. Once she removed his saddle, she
    brushed him down and gave him fresh grain, before returning
    to the house.
    Mary and Sara rushed by her, each carrying a bucket of
    water.
    “Mr. Edward is sick,” Mary said over her shoulder.
    “Aye, he was sick all over Miss Patience,” Sara said, unable
    to hide the smile on her face. “You should have heard her when
    she came in. She swears like a sailor when she thinks no one
    is near.”
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    Margery came back down the stairs just then, carrying a dark blue dress. Even if Anne hadn’t recognized it, the smell
    alone would have been enough to tell her it was Miss Patience’s
    garment.
    Thrusting it into Anne’s arms, Margery said, “Here. Do
    what ye can with this. It’s new, and the missus doesn’t want to
    throw it away.”
    Anne retreated to the washing kitchen, grateful to be out
    of the chaos but resentful that she was left to clean up the
    mess. Miss Patience was nothing more than a spoiled child,
    and Anne was sick of everyone treating the girl as if she were
    a queen.
    Once the water in the large pot had boiled, Anne removed
    it from the fire and dunked the entire dress into it. It would
    need to soak for several hours, if not a few days.
    The mark was large, the color of burgundy, and despite the
    dark shade of the dress, Anne didn’t hold out much hope of
    ridding the garment of the stain. Anne had packed their picnic
    lunch.
    While salt and wine could get out a grease stain, she doubted
    that salt and grease would remove a wine stain. From the looks
    of it, the young master had had his fair share of the liquid that afternoon.
    With a stout stick she stirred the water, lifting the material
    out every once in a while to check its progress. It was indeed a beautiful gown, although on closer inspection she saw that the
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    material wasn’t as rich as she’d first thought, the workmanship not of the highest quality.
    Anne left the wash kitchen for a time to help Margery serve
    supper. Neither Teach nor Miss Patience was present during the
    evening meal, and the conversation was subdued. Lady