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WHOA, THERE, EDWARD murmured to the bay. He held its head and patiently waited as
the horse stomped and mouthed the bit. The bay was often fractious in the morning, and
he d saddled the horse earlier than usual. The sky was only just beginning to brighten to
the east.
Whoa, you old bastard, he whispered. For the first time, it occurred to him that the
horse he was talking to had no name. How long had he owned the bay? A half dozen
years now, at least, and he d never bothered to name him. Anna Wren would scold if she
knew.
Edward winced as he finally mounted. That was exactly why he was making this trip: to
drive thoughts of the widow from his mind. He d chosen to work off some of the
restlessness both of body and of mind by riding to London. His luggage and valet
would follow behind in the carriage. But as if to mock that plan, the newly named Jock
bounded up as soon as the bay clattered out of the stables. The dog raced out the door
ahead of him; he had been missing the last half hour. Now his hindquarters were covered
with malodorous mud.
Edward reined his horse around and sighed. He planned to visit his fiancée and her family
this trip and finalize the engagement negotiations. An overlarge, smelly mongrel would
not help his cause with the Gerard family.
Stay, Jock.
The dog sat and regarded him with big, brown, only slightly bloodshot eyes. His tail
swept the cobblestone behind him.
I m sorry, old man. Edward leaned down to ruffle the canine s ears. The nervous
gelding sidled back a couple of steps, breaking the contact. You ll have to stay here this
time.
The dog cocked his head.
Edward felt a wash of unwelcome wistfulness. The dog didn t belong in his life and
neither did the lady.
Guard, Jock. Watch her for me, boy. He half smiled, half grimaced at his own whimsy.
Jock was hardly a trained guard dog. And Anna Wren wasn t his to guard in any case.
Shaking the thoughts away, he wheeled the bay and cantered down the drive.
AFTER SOME CONSIDERATION, Anna told Mother Wren that she would be traveling to
London with Pearl and Coral to buy material for new gowns.
I m so glad we can finally afford material, but are you sure? Mother Wren responded.
Her cheeks were a rose pink, and she continued in a lower voice, They re very nice, of
course, but they are, after all, courtesans.
Anna had difficulty meeting her eyes. Coral is very grateful for the care we extended to
Pearl. They re really quite close, you know.
Yes, but
And she has offered me the use of her carriage both to take me to London and to ride
back again.
Mother Wren s brows knit uncertainly.
It s a most generous offer, Anna said softly. It ll save us the cost of a stagecoach ride,
besides being more comfortable. I ll be able to buy additional fabric with the money we
would ve spent on the stage.
Mother Wren visibly wavered.
Wouldn t you like a new gown? she wheedled.
Well, I do worry about your comfort, dear, Mother Wren finally said. If you are happy
with this arrangement, then so am I.
Thank you. Anna kissed her on the cheek and ran up the stairs to finish packing.
The horses were already stomping outside when Anna came down again. She hurriedly
said her good-byes and climbed in the carriage, where the Smythe sisters waited. Anna
waved out the window as they drove away, much to the amusement of Coral. She was
about to draw her head back in when she caught sight of Felicity Clearwater standing
down the street. Anna hesitated, her eyes meeting the other woman s. Then the carriage
swept past, and she sat back in the seat. She bit her bottom lip. Felicity could not possibly
know why she traveled to London, but seeing her still made Anna uneasy.
Across from her, Coral raised an eyebrow.
Anna grabbed the strap over her head as the carriage turned a corner, bouncing the
women inside. She lifted her chin.
Coral smiled slightly and nodded.
They made a stop at Ravenhill Abbey so Anna could inform Mr. Hopple that she d be
absent from her work for a few days. The carriage waited at the end of the drive, out of
sight, while she walked to the Abbey and back. It was not until she was almost returned
to the carriage that she realized Jock was shadowing her.
She turned to face the dog. Go back, Jock.
Jock sat down in the middle of the drive and regarded her calmly.
Now, sir. Go home, Jock! Anna pointed to the Abbey.
Jock turned his head to look in the direction of her finger, but didn t move.
Fine, then, she huffed, feeling silly arguing with a dog. I ll just ignore you.
Anna walked the rest of the way determinedly not paying attention to the enormous dog
following her. But when she rounded the gates of the Abbey and saw the carriage, she
knew she had a problem. The footman had caught sight of her and had opened the
vehicle s door in anticipation of her entering it. There was a blur and a scrabble of claws
on gravel as Jock dashed past her and leapt inside the carriage.
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