Free His Michaelmas Mistress by Marly Mathews

it, and losing her nerve would be a shame.
    Ruby looked a little nervous. “I actually think I’d rather stay here. I…I don’t think I’d be much help to you anyway, Lady Julia.”
    “You need to start calling me just Julia, at some point, Ruby. As for not being much help, I think you shall help me immensely.”
    Ruby still looked uncertain. She almost seemed afraid to leave. “Uncle Thomas, I suddenly feel quite lightheaded.”
    “Rubbish,” he snorted. “Your Mama might try to keep you from having fun, Ruby, but you shall find no such hindrance here. While she enjoys herself in my Brighton townhouse, you will go out and have some fun with young people closer to your age.”
    “Yes, Uncle,” Ruby said obediently. She stood up, and started walking toward the curricle.
    A groom helped Ruby up into it, and then, Julia climbed up unassisted. She took the reins and looked over at the diminutive little woman. If anyone was her complete and utter opposite, it was Ruby. She was a wallflower, and that was something Julia had never been.
    “I…” Ruby looked more than just a little nervous. “I don’t know if I’m dressed nicely enough to be presented to a duke.”
    Julia looked at Ruby. She wore a bright yellow spencer and a muslin dress with yellow daisies on it. Either Ruby was fond of the colour or someone who bought her wardrobe was fond of it.
    “I shouldn’t worry, Ruby. The Duke is an old friend of mine, and he isn’t at all stuck up. He’s a genuinely nice man. Some around here don’t care for him because he attempted to steal Rose away from Micah, but there isn’t anything wrong with him.”
    “Oh, I understand. They quite rightly sided with Micah, because he was their mate from the Wars.”
    “I see someone has been telling you some tall tales.”
    “Simon filled me in on a few things, and if he left anything blank, Violet and Lily filled those spaces for me. I think it’s wonderfully romantic,” Ruby sighed dreamily.
    Ruby was a wallflower and a romantic at heart. Mayhap, she wasn’t such a bad soul after all.
    “I was once a romantic as well, Ruby,” she said wistfully.
    Simon cantered up to them on his horse. “Are you two ladies ready to depart?” he asked, gallantly tipping his hat to them.
    “Oh, you do look fine atop your steed, Simon,” Julia said with admiration.
    Simon coloured up a little. “I give you my thanks, Julia.” He smiled at her, and then cleared his throat nervously. “Come on, ladies. We have to go and pay a call to the Dodgy Duke.”
    “Don’t call him that to his face, Simon,” Julia gasped.
    “I shan’t. Besides, I wasn’t the one who came up with that nickname for him, was I?”
    “No…I confess I had a hand in that one,” Julia laughed. “Simon, would you like to race?”
    Ruby looked a little panicked, and gripped the side of the curricle.
    “I don’t think Ruby is keen on that idea,” he said. “But the last one there is a rotten egg.” He urged his horse forward.
    “Don’t worry, dear. I’m a grand driver,” she said, looking out of the corner of her eye at Ruby. The woman looked scared to death. She had to loosen up a bit…she had to learn how to enjoy life!
    *****
    Freddie, Felix and Lucky had been stalking the poacher or poachers for a couple of hours now. Whomever was behind it was fast, but by the way the ground had been disturbed, they were still somehow on the Estate. He wouldn’t be surprised if they’d been bold enough to set up a tent somewhere.
    “These bloody blighters are bold as brass, aren’t they, Freddie?” Lucky asked, as they set off tracking their latest trail.
    “Oh, aye,” Freddie agreed. He wanted to be done with this soon, and go and do some trap shooting or go and hunt some grouse.
    “If we do some trap shooting today, I won’t be the one that releases the pigeons. Not with that look of thunder in your eyes, Mouse,” Felix said shuddering. “I’m likely to get my arse shot off!”
    He chuckled.