Free How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes

fun.
    Claire’s eyes grew big when she saw that they were now three against her, except she suddenly heard Beatrice screech. Emily had joined her side, she realized with relief. They were now evenly numbered, though Francis still counted for two in terms of sheer strength.
    Beatrice screamed again as Emily squeezed her sides in a rough tickle. Using her as a shield between themselves and Francis, Claire and Emily both half-hid behind their elder sister, holding on to her firmly so she couldn’t attack them. Their breath came raggedly as they peered out to find Francis coming toward them with a vengeful grin painted upon his face.
    “We’ll have mercy on you if you join our alliance,” Emily whispered in Beatrice’s ear.
    “And if I don’t?”
    “We’ll tickle you until you’re blue in the face.”
    Beatrice gulped as if truly frightened by the prospect, and then nodded her head definitively. “You have a deal.”
    Seeing Beatrice released and the same smug grin on all three faces, Francis halted in his tracks. He began backing away. “Treachery!” he called out as he fled, putting the toffee-colored sofa between them. “Beatrice,” he stammered in an exaggerated tone of disappointment. “How could you? I trusted you!”
    “They made me an offer that I simply couldn’t refuse,” she said with a smirk.
    As Emily and Claire made their way around each side of the sofa, Beatrice guarded any escape route that Francis might contemplate taking.
    “OK,” he said, feigning desperation. “I surrender.”
    “Oh no, you don’t,” Emily chided him, with a playful twist to her mouth. “You’re not getting off that easily this time.”
    “Oh?” He didn’t smile, but his eyes held a warmth that she had long since forgotten he had in him.
    And then they were upon him, grabbing him by the arms and tackling him to the floor. He probably could have fought them off easily, had he tried, but why ruin the moment for them?
    “Don’t think we don’t remember where your weakness lies, Francis,” Beatrice giggled as she reached for his feet. His eyes grew wary, then truly worried.
    Oh no . . . not my feet .
    He tried to kick them away but it was futile. They’d managed to gain the upper hand.
    Pinning him down, the sisters wasted no time in removing his shoes. Then, showing no mercy whatsoever, they proceeded to tickle him.
    Within seconds Francis was roaring with laughter as tears welled in his eyes. “Do you surrender?” Emily demanded.
    Francis coughed, attempting to stifle yet another laugh, and managed a choked “yes.”
    Helping him to his feet, they handed him back his shoes. He lowered himself onto the sofa, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand as he straightened his jacket and began putting his shoes back on. “Remind me never to take the three of you on again,” he said. “At least not singlehandedly. You’re stronger than I remember.”
    Claire looked most triumphant. “We’re not little girls anymore,” she smirked.
    “I know,” he muttered with a frown. And just like that, all the amusement was unwillingly gone. They had gotten carried away and acted completely inappropriately. He was a grown man and they were women to whom he wasn’t even related. What had he been thinking?
    When he glanced back up, he caught Emily looking at him with a bemused expression, a trace of mischief still in her eyes. She had seen him let down his guard and show that he was capable of something other than a stern glare. And yet, the very fact that she now appeared to see right through him set his forehead in deep furrows. She looked away, but not before he noticed that the glimmer behind her eyes had dulled. Only a hopeless sadness remained.
    “So?” He heard a voice ask. It was Claire. “What’s the big secret?”
    “What big secret?” Francis asked with a grin.
    Claire rolled her eyes as she sighed with exasperation. “Do I need to tickle you again, Francis? Or is it enough if I remind you that