Free His Little Courtesan by Breanna Hayse Page B

then you and I are going to have a very
long talk when I return. And, if I don't see a marked improvement in your
disposition, you will also be spending some very serious time across my lap. It
would do you well to think about that. Am I understood?"
    "It is unfair of you—"
    "Am I understood?" Philip asked firmly.
    Jane winced. It had been a while since she had seen
that look on his face. "Yes, Papa," she whispered, looking at the
floor.
    "Good girl. Behave yourself," he said,
kissing her forehead before gathering his satchel. He waved as he left and
disappeared down the path to the dock.
    Jane glared at his back with her arms crossed, and
then stamped her foot.
    "Missus?" The servant came up behind her.
"The cook wishes to know what you desire for your morning meal."
    Jane turned to look at him. "I'm not hungry. I
would, however, like a basket packed. I am going to spend the day in the
garden."
    "Missus, please forgive, but the master said that
you are to stay in your room."
    "I don't care. I am going to walk in the garden
and explore the grounds."
    "Please, Miss—"
    "You know where I'll be if I'm needed," Jane
said, walking back up to her room to dress in something more comfortable for
her 'explorations'. With the old sense of rebellion returning, she donned a
pair of Philip's 'pyjamas' , which
consisted of loose, linen trousers with a drawstring around the waist, and a
long tunic. After putting her hair in a single braid over her shoulder, she
padded on bare feet across the soft rugs to leave.
    The door was locked!
    "Unlock this door immediately!" she shouted,
pounding on the heavy wood. "Let me out of here." No response. She
kicked the door and growled, using every profane word she could recall, and
then stepped back to look around.
    A little smile crept across her face as she looked out
of the window. Memories of her frequent escapes from the manor in England
flooded her mind, as she easily lifted her leg over the sill. The dense jungle
vines provided much better support than the trellis of her past escapes, and
she was on the ground within seconds. Peering around for witnesses, and seeing
none, she slipped into the dark shadows of the old, bent trees.
    Choosing the path covered with smooth pebbles, Jane
stepped carefully in her bare feet and picked her way through the heavy veils
of flowering vines that mingled with giant sweeping leaves and delicately
twisted tree trunks. Colorful birds squawked for attention in the branches
above, joined with the hooting of monkeys and the occasional buzz of a flying
insect. Plucking a giant red hibiscus and tucking it behind her ear, she
continued her venture deeper into the gardens until the cottage was no longer
visible.
    At a three-way fork, she paused to wipe the dampness
off her brow with the back of her arm. Each walkway looked identical, so she
closed her eyes and turned around three times with her finger pointed.
    Go right! With a grin, Jane headed deeper into the
jungle. Another fork, another turn, and soon she was hopelessly lost in a
thicket in which every tree, every branch, and every flower looked identical to
the others.
    Calming herself in the knowledge that the servants
would come to her room to bring her food and discover her absence, she resolved
to enjoy the quiet tranquility and beauty surrounding her, and make an attempt
to dispel the anger and humiliation that her 'restriction' had brought upon
her. Stumbling upon an old temple that held a sparkling pool bubbling under a
marble fountain, she drank heartily from the falling rivulet while closing her
eyes to savor the cool, refreshing sweetness. Trees laden with fruit satisfied
her hunger as she sat on the pool's edge and dangled her tender feet in the
rippling, clear water. She looked up into the dense canopy as rain began to
fall gently through the leaves. It was so different to back in England, where
the icy cold drops and sharp winds cut one through to the joints, and left her
feeling chilled to the depths