by Cora Lee
“Is your father about?” he asked.
“I fear he’s already retired for the night, but I will give him your regards in the morning.”
For a moment he thought she was going to ask him to leave, but then she surprised him by asking if he’d like tea. The house was quiet, peaceful even. Though he wasn’t sensing any discomfort from her, that did not mean she was innocent. It was entirely possible she was a very good actress.
She placed the tea service on a table and waved her hand to indicate he should serve himself. “So, Mr. Hoskins, how did you come to live in Romney Marsh?”
“I planned to farm sheep, and this seemed like the best place to do so.”
She nodded. “What did you do before you moved here?”
He narrowed his eyes. Her questions came across more like she was interrogating him than making polite conversation. “A great many things, but none of them compares to having a sheep farm.”
Her eyes widened. “I shudder to think what you must’ve been doing before then, Mr. Hoskins.”
He laughed--he couldn’t help it. “What’s wrong with sheep farming?”
“Nothing, it’s just that it’s hard work. Every time I turn around another lamb is escaping, and don’t even get me started on harvesting the wool. Papa can sheer ten sheep in the time it takes me to finish one, and he never cuts them.”
Hmm. Perhaps she really was just his daughter and not a threat if she was so familiar with sheep farming. “Is it just you and your father, Miss Pottinger, or do you have other siblings?”
She moved to the hearth to check on the lamb. “Two older sisters. Both married and living too far away to come visit us. At least that’s what they say in their letters.” She turned and met his eyes. “What about your family, Mr. Hoskins?”
“I don’t have any family”
“None at all? No parents, siblings, wives, children?”
He nearly choked on a mouthful of tea. “No. And I’m not certain I want even one wife, let alone two.”
She bit her lip in a rather appealing fashion, then smiled. “No, I don’t suppose it would be much of an advantage to have two wives. They’d constantly be fighting to win your attention. One would be more than enough.” With that, she commenced unwrapping the lamb.
“Miss Potter, have you had experience of a man with more than one wife?”
She shook her head. “Of course not, but I lived and worked at a school for girls. I also witnessed my father trying to keep both his mother and his wife happy, and it was definitely an uphill battle.”
“I should think so.” Normally he could judge a person’s character almost immediately, but he was having trouble with Miss Pottinger. She was an enigma, and one he needed to solve. Her knowledge of human interaction made him wonder if she had received training somewhere. She was very astute for someone of her experience and background.
With the lamb in her arms, she moved to leave the house. He retrieved his wet cloak from a hook near the door and opened it for her. “This is my cue to leave. I thank you for the tea, Miss Pottinger.”
“You’re quite welcome, Mr. Hoskins. Thank you for your help with the lamb.”
He whistled to Sampson and headed up the hill far enough that his dog went back to his station outside his stable. Once he was certain she couldn’t see him in the darkness, he circled back toward the house and sought the window to her father’s bedchamber. It was possible that she wasn’t his daughter at all. She might be a French operative who killed him and was masquerading as his daughter. This house would be the perfect place to plan and execute an invasion.
The first window he peered through was an empty bedchamber, and the second was a parlor. Thankfully the house wasn’t overly large and consisted of one story only. Snores sounded from the next chamber he came upon. A quick glance revealed the rather broad outline of Mr. Pottinger. He breathed a sigh of relief. There was still a chance that she really was his daughter and that she might be trustworthy.
He continued his circuit round the house so he could return home along a path that wasn’t visible to others. There was one more window. He ought not to look, but he couldn’t help himself. The fire burned brightly in the chamber, illuminating everything. Miss Pottinger reached over her shoulder to unfasten her gown, and he itched to offer his assistance. It was an arduous task for her, but would take him no time at all. Once she freed a few of the buttons, the gown slid down her slim figure. Her corset went next, though it was unlike any he had ever seen, and he had seen his fair share. Usually a lady could not remove her own corset without assistance, but she had modified it somehow to allow her to remove it on her own. Unfortunately, the shadows cast by the flickering fire obscured his view. That was, until she turned, showing off her full silhouette. The firelight highlighted all of her curves and hollows while she stood in nothing but her shift. He swallowed and sucked in a deep breath, trying to control his reactions. Good grief. He was the worst sort of Peeping Tom. He turned and stalked away before he lost the willpower to leave without finding out if she slept in the nude.
By the time he made his way up the hill, Sampson had settled into his place in front of the closed doors of the stable. Try as he might, he could not get the animal to consent to stay in the stable with the livestock. Every time he tried, the dog barked incessantly until he freed him. Granted, with his double layered coat he never seemed to be cold outside regardless of the weather, but it still didn’t sit well with him to leave an animal exposed to the elements. For now, he was glad the dog would be on watch until he figured out whether Miss Pottinger was a threat. To that end, he entered the house and went straight to his study where he poured himself a very large amount of brandy and sat down to write a request to Captain Grant Alexander to send him as much information as he could find about Miss Pottinger and Madame Delacroix’s School for Girls.
*** End of excerpt The Archer’s Paradox (The Heart of a Hero Series) by Ally Broadfield ***
About the Author
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a major in history, Cora is the 2014 winner of the Royal Ascot contest for best unpublished Regency romance. She went on a twelve year expedition through the blackboard jungle as a high school math teacher before publishing Save the Last Dance for Me, the first book in the Maitland Maidens series.
When she’s not walking Rotten Row at the fashionable hour or attending the entertainments of the Season, you might find her participating in Historical Novel Society and Romance Writers of America events, wading through her towering TBR pile, or eagerly awaiting the next Marvel movie release. If you’d like to find out more about Cora or her books you can visit her website, sign up for her newsletter, or connect with her on Facebook or Goodreads.
Other Books By Cora Lee
Save the Last Dance for Me (Maitland Maidens, Book 1)
Mr. Benedict Grey is the only heir to a long-standing title, and he knows his duty: find a suitable girl, get married, secure the succession beyond himself. But if a gentleman could be called a wallflower, Benedict would fit the description perfectly. And for the past six years, he’s been out of Society more than he’s been in it. How will he find a woman to wed and bed when he can barely converse with the ladies of the ton?
Lady Honoria Maitland has promised her dying father that, before he breathes his last, she would find a husband to take care of her. But she wants a gentleman that loves her, not her dowry or her name. When she reunites with her old friend Benedict, she proposes a plan that will help them both: a faux courtship and betrothal. She can teach him how to woo a woman and simultaneously ease her father’s last days. But Honoria’s clever plan failed to account for Benedict’s heart...or her own. Is she strong enough to bear the loss of her father and her friend?
No Rest for the Wicked (The Heart of a Hero, Book 1)
If one person can change a city...
Michael Devlin is a man of great learning but little means, living in one of the poorest sections of Dublin. By day, he practices law a
t the Four Courts and gives reading lessons to the local children. By night he’s the man in the mask, prowling the streets of The Liberties defending the people—his people—from those who would prey upon them. But when his estranged wife appears on his doorstep with a summons from Sir Arthur Wellesley, both of Michael’s worlds are turned upside down. What will happen to The Liberties if he obeys Sir Arthur’s command to meet in Cork? Can he even trust the woman who married then left him five years ago?
...eleven can change the world.
As a spy for Sir Arthur Wellesley, Joanna Pearson Devlin has executed this same mission flawlessly many times before: locate the subject, transport him safely, and present him to her employer. When Sir Arthur sends her out one more time to bring in her estranged husband, Joanna knows this mission will be anything except flawless. But Napoleon’s agents are everywhere, and Michael is an important part of the team Sir Arthur is assembling to stop them. For the sake of her country, Joanna heads to Dublin even as her discomfort grows. Will she be able to put aside her uncertainties and convince her husband to join the fight? Can they learn to work together again if he agrees?