Later that morning as she made her way to the main estate’s orchard, she let her mind roam. But once again, she came up blank. Empty, as once again, no solution came to her. Leaving her sick with a tired feeling hanging on her shoulders.
There was no work she could do. Not really. Perhaps a governess. But that would mean leaving both Lydia and Isabelle, a thought that sent a cold chill through her entire body. Besides, she doubted she could ever find an employer. There was nothing else she was qualified for.
Sighing, she swung her basket and decided to try and not worry about it for the moment. The day was too perfect to let such sad thoughts occupy her mind. A high blue sky without a wisp of clouds hung over her. A soft breeze with a hint of the coming winter picked at her dress.
As she approached the orchard, she was careful to make sure that no one was about. Once she was positive that she was alone, she made her way to the tree tucked out of the way. Where all the other fruit trees were lined up in long rows, this one sat to the side, up against the natural forest.
She wondered briefly if it had been planted at the same time, or if it was an offshoot, sprouting years later.
Approaching the tree, her heart fell. Someone had taken all the low hanging fruit. A brief anger filled her. How dare they. Someone had stolen the apples before she could steal them.
She looked up at the higher branches and sighed heavily. The tree was laden with rich red fruit. All of it far out of her reach. Once again, the anger returned. It wasn’t fair. She and her sisters had counted on this tree.
A fierce determination filled her. She wasn’t going to be denied. Setting her basket down she hiked her dress and started to climb. It was only an apple tree, not some giant oak, she thought.
Slowly, from branch to branch, she pulled herself higher. As she started to near the fruit, she looked down and was surprised at how high she had climbed. It had seemed a lot closer from down on the ground.
She set aside the fear that tickled her insides and focused on her goal. Edging out on a branch, she started to pick the fruit only to realize she had no way to hold them.
No, she thought. She would not be denied. Pulling up the hem of her dress she made a quick pocket and started dropping in fruit. As she cleared an area, she scooted out a little further only to realize she hadn’t thought things through.
She couldn’t climb down and still hold her gains. Glancing down to judge the distance, her heart jumped. There, beneath the tree stood a handsome man Looking up at her with a quizzical stare.
Her heart fluttered as she realized just how handsome he was and that she had exposed her petty coats.
“Who are you?” she demanded as she scowled down at him. The man was dressed in workman’s clothes. Wool pants, a soft cap, and a linen shirt open at the throat. Once again, her stomach fluttered. He had wide shoulders, dark hair, and eyes that looked like they could pierce her very soul.
He continued to stare up at her with a frown, “Who are you?” he asked.
The mocking tone of his voice sent a burst of anger through her. She knew everyone at the main estate and this man was not one of them.
“Go away,” she said, as she shifted on the branch so that he would not see her petticoats.
He laughed and said, “No. The view is just too much to ignore.”
Her insides squeezed tight as she felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.
“You sir, are no gentleman. Please leave,” she begged.
He slowly shook his head. “Do you need help getting down?” he asked, ignoring her treaty.
She grimaced. What could she do? To climb down she would surely expose even more of herself. She could well imagine him grinning to himself as he watched her rear end the entire time she was descending down the tree.
For some reason, the thought troubled her in a strange new way.
“Please,” she begged again. “You don’t belong here.”
He continued to look up her as a smile slowly crossed his face. Once again, her stomach fluttered. The man really should smile more often, it made him appear even more dangerous and therefore enticing.
As she shifted, she heard a slight crack at the other end of the branch. Her insides squealed as she froze in place, afraid to move.
“You should come down from there before you get hurt,” the stranger said with a concerned look that made her feel special.
“I will be perfectly all right,” she said just as the branch once again cracked, then let go.
Ann found herself hanging in mid-air for a moment then she squealed as the world fell out from beneath her.
As she fell. A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind. What she would never experience. A man’s love. A child of her own. None of this would be hers for surely she was about to die.
The ground rushed towards her as branches and leaves slapped at her, pretending to slow her fall. Just as she tightened every muscle in her body in anticipation of pain and death, two massive arms snatched her from the air as if she were a bird on the wing.
“Umph,” he grunted as he took her weight and pulled her close.
Ann froze with confusion as she tried to understand how she had survived. Then she looked up into his dark eyes and her heart melted. The strange man looked down at her, his eyes holding her in place as his arms held her next to his chest.
Then he smirked slightly, and she knew she was lost.
The stranger continued to hold her as if she were nothing more than an afterthought. Her body grew warm as she realized she was alone with a strange man. In his arms in fact.
“Put me down,” she said, she struggled to get away. Suddenly, the most important thing in her world was to get away before she became lost forever.
He smirked again and slowly let her feet down. Then he stood up and stared down at her, his eyes scanning her face, as if memorizing everything about her. Their eyes locked and Ann forgot everything else except the man standing before her.
Finally, her brain settled enough for her to remember her manners.
“Thank you, sir,” she said as she continued to look up at him.
He smiled slightly. “My pleasure Miss?”
Ann took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Ann, Ann Stafford.”
He smiled again and bowed as he tipped his cap, “Daniel, Daniel Marlow. At your service.”
‘Duke in Disguise’
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A Rake's Redemption Page 75