Free The Road to Gretna by Carola Dunn Page B

sitting with her fruit knife poised, unmoving. He took it from her. “Allow me to finish slicing that for you.”
    Quickly and neatly he prepared the pear. She thanked him with a weary smile and ate the sweet fruit while he cut up another for Henrietta. Crotchety as a tired child, she took one nibble and decided she’d rather have some damsons, so Jason stoned a few of the small purple plums for her.
    Penny had to admire his patience when Henrietta declared that the damsons were sour and their skins too tough and she wanted a pear after all, but not that one because it was already turning brown.
    When the second pear was pushed away half-eaten, Penny stood up. "Bedtime," she said firmly, as if Henrietta were indeed the child her behaviour suggested. “You are burned to the socket, and I shall never make it up the stairs if I delay any longer.”
    Taking the cue, Jason rose and ruthlessly pulled out Henrietta’s chair. “Sweet dreams, my dear,” he said, kissing her hand.
    Before she could protest, Penny swept her out of the room and up the stairs to their chamber. Cora appeared at once, doubtless warned by one of the inn servants and eager for her own bed. She had already laid out her mistress’s lace-bedecked nightgown and a blue velvet wrapper.
    “I cou’n’t find your night rail, Miss Bryant,” she said apologetically, starting to undo Henrietta’s buttons.
    “There was no room in my bag so I didn’t bring one. I shall sleep in my chemise.” Penny struggled with her own buttons. Her fingers seemed to be all thumbs.
    “Sleep in your chemise!” said Henrietta, shocked. “You cannot do that. You must borrow my spare nightgown.”
    “I’d split the seams, my dear. I shall be quite comfortable, I promise you, and I did bring extra chemises to change into.”
    However irritating she could be, Henrietta’s generosity was undeniable, Penny thought as a chambermaid came in wielding a warming pan. A few minutes later she slipped between the warmed sheets, and she fell asleep while Henrietta, her hair in curling papers, was trying to decide what to wear in the morning.
    She woke to see Cora’s candle-lit face above her. The rest of the room was in darkness.
    “Time to get up, miss,” the abigail whispered, sniffing.
    “There was no need for you to rise so early,” Penny whispered back.
    “It’s not that early, not like what you wanted. The chambermaid said as they don’t have stages stopping here and most people don’t get up that early, she’s not used to it and she overslept.”
    “Drat! What time is it?”
    “Past six, miss. I don’t know, ‘xactly. The girl came to wake Mrs. Ratchett, and I didn’t want her to wake Miss Henrietta by mistake so I brung your hot water. I’ll help you dress, miss, then go back to bed.” She made an extraordinary noise that Penny took for a swallowed sneeze.
    “Are you ill, Cora?” she asked, shivering as she sat up and swung her feet out from under the covers.
    “I must of caught cold, miss, when I got wet fishing that dratted cat out of the pond. I’ll be awright.”
    “I’ll ask Dr. Knox to leave some medicine for you if he has anything suitable. Go back to bed now, and get your rest. I can manage.”
    “Bless you, miss.” She set down the candle and departed through the connecting door, snuffling into a handkerchief.
    In the quiet, Penny heard dripping water. She went to the window and pulled aside the heavy curtain. Grey daylight revealed falling rain, a steady drizzle which looked to be set in for the day. Dismayed, she hurried to wash and dress. The rain was bound to slow them still further, and even the prospect of spending a wet day trapped with Mrs. Ratchett in a rickety chariot did not abate her sense of urgency.
    When Penny reached the parlour it was in darkness. She was drawing back the curtains when Angus came in.
    “‘Tis a pity the chambermaid overslept,” he said, “but I gave our breakfast orders last night so as not to waste