Page 12 of Once Tempted

The woodshed would provide shelter and hide her from the sight of anybody foolish enough to venture out onto the estate grounds on such an unpleasant day.

The woodshed had a layer of snow over it, but there was room enough for one to sit and squeeze into a narrow gap between the piles. She pulled her garments tight around her and put her head in her hands.

Then, because she was sure no one would hear her, she covered her mouth and vented her frustration out loud. The sound did not make her feel better, so she screamed out loud again.

Humphrey was wrong. She wasn’t hideous. She was pretty enough to captivate any man she wanted if she had the opportunity to try. She was smart, well-read and eager to prove herself…not that she’d ever get a chance now.

She’d just never met anyone she really wanted to win over yet. Now she never would…unless she got away from Humphrey.

That gave her a thought. Perhaps going to the Cornwall estate wouldn’t be so bad. She would have the place to herself, could do as she pleased, and there had been several family homes not far away if she remembered correctly. She could make some new friends, and perhaps she might even meet a potential beau there. Someone Humphrey couldn’t scare off. Her birthday was not far away, and at five and twenty, she could make a marriage without his permission.

She brightened a little. Perhaps Cornwall could be good for her future. Yes, it could, if she thought of it as an adventure and not a punishment.

Snow crunched somewhere above her head, and she looked up and around quickly, wondering about the sound. But there was nothing at first…until a feline face peered at her from under the stack of logs beside her legs, its tiny nose feathered by snow and twitching.

All the rage inside Minnie evaporated at the sight of the poor, cold little kitten. “Oh, you poor darling. You must be freezing! Come here, sweetheart,” she urged, stretching out her hand toward it.

The kitten hissed and spat at her.

“Now, now. Don’t be rude. I’d never hurt someone as pretty as you,” she said, keeping as still as possible. “I can help you get warm, too, if you come and curl up in my lap.”

It took ten minutes, but eventually she and the kitten were well on the way to becoming better acquainted. The animal was fully out in the open on the ground and appeared to be considering whether to make the leap into her lap or not.

At least until he found her, that was. Then the animal took cover in the most unexpected place.