Free Border Storm by Amanda Scott Page A

so.”
    “Oh, I could not. I would never presume to read his letters, you see, and I was quite utterly devastated. For a fortnight, I was unable even to see people. My daughters live with their husbands in places quite distant from London, and—”
    “Surely, not so distant as Cumberland,” Hugh muttered.
    She had quick ears, for she said, “Oh, no, not so far as this! Still, they were unable to come to my support at once, you see, and although I did return to Southampton with my daughter Sarah, that situation did not prosper. I discovered that Brampton and I had been quite mistaken about her husband, who proved to be a frightfully quarrelsome man. I am not quarrelsome myself and simply cannot abide the quarreling of others, so I left and went to my younger daughter, Philadelphia. She lives in Cornwall.”
    “I see.”
    “Yes, but I did not find Cornwall appealing, either. So when I learned that your dear sister, Janet, had married a Scotsman—Really, my dear sir, I quite feel for you! For your sister to have married right out of her own country! But I shall say no more about that. I came to be a solace to you, so that is that.”
    Since it was clearly ineligible to tell her to go away again, Hugh said with an unfamiliar sense of creeping desperation, “But this household is bound to prove more distressing for you than any in Cornwall, madam. I would not have you sacrifice your comfort for my sake.”
    “’Tis a measure of your character that you can say that, my dear sir, but you need not concern yourself one whit with my comfort. The boot is on the other foot, as my dear Brampton was used to say.”
    Again at a loss to guess her meaning, he said weakly, “Is it?”
    “Yes, certainly, for I intend to concern myself solely with your comfort.”
    “Ah.”
    “As to maidservants, we need not consider them, for I have brought my own woman with me, of course, and Griselda will see to all that I require. You will find that I have no wish to turn everything upside down, either. Indeed, I shall be no trouble to you or your people, for I am quite accustomed to managing a large establishment.”
    “I believe you, madam, but truly—”
    “I’ll warrant that, by virtue of my many years of experience, I know a great deal more about it than our dear Janet did.” She smiled hopefully. “Speak frankly now, sir. Do you not miss a woman’s touch about the place?”
    “In truth, madam, I have been going on admirably for some time now without a female to run things,” Hugh said, forgetting how often he had cursed his sister’s absence. He wondered what unforgivable sin he had committed to bring such a penance upon himself.
    “I think that you will find you have not known comfort at all, sir. But where are my manners?” she exclaimed, springing up from the armchair and smoothing her wide skirts. “I promise you, I know my place, and it is not to be sitting in your chair when you are present. Do sit down, Sir Hugh. You have been in the saddle many hours today, for your people were kind enough to inform me that you had ridden out with Thomas Scrope’s army. I know something about that, you see, for I was at Carlisle yesterday when they rode away. A most impressive array it was, too. How colorful and soul stirring it was to see all those handsome men-at-arms with their banners waving! I trust the outcome was as his lordship hoped it would be.”
    “We prevailed, madam. An army of two thousand could hardly have failed in such a mission against unsuspecting citizens fast asleep in their beds.”
    “Those dreadful Scots deserved to be trounced in their beds,” Lady Marjory said. “Do not waste another moment’s thought on them, my dear sir. Think instead about the delicious haunch of beef that your people have been roasting over the kitchen fire for your supper. Can you not smell it?”
    He could, and he was hungry enough to eat the whole thing by himself.
    He said politely, “Since you have your woman with you, I will