Blackhearts (Blackhearts, #1)(21)

Teach’s company.

Anne had no talent for planning. If she had, she would have

stayed behind in the kitchen later that afternoon instead of

venturing outside the garden walls. The master and his guests

had just returned from a picnic and had gone upstairs to prepare for supper.

She took that moment to steal away, knowing that every—

thing was ready and waiting for the evening meal. Beneath the

shelter of the branches of her favorite tree, she rested against the trunk and closed her eyes. It felt good to get away from the flurry and commotion of the house, if only for a few moments.

She was so exhausted, she could hardly think straight. Despite

having lived here for more than five months, she still considered it a strange house and was constantly stressed and tense. These short breaks of solitude were what helped keep her going, and

she relished every second she could find.

Her rest was short-lived, for she heard the sound of a horse

and approaching voices.





7 3


“You should not have waited for me, Miss Patience,” a familiar voice called out. “I told you I would return momentarily.”

“But I wanted to have a word with you, Edward. In private.” Miss Patience’s voice was breathless.

Anne was not surprised Miss Patience used his Christian

name. It was obvious to all that they admired each other. As

Miss Patience neared, Anne could make out her shape through

the leaves. She was dressed in a handsome gown of deep blue.

The young master sat astride his stallion, still dressed in

his riding clothes. Anne had been under the impression that all

of the occupants of the house were either changing or resting.

Apparently she’d been mistaken.

Teach slid down from the saddle as Miss Patience walked

up to him. “And I told you, now is not the most opportune

time. Perhaps it could wait until later,” he said.

Anne froze. The trunk of the tree no longer seemed an ade—

quate hiding spot for her small money chest. She sent up a silent prayer that neither of them would notice her and that the shade of the willow branches was sufficient to conceal her presence.

“I don’t understand. It’s almost time for supper. Where did

you go?”

“To retrieve my book,” he said, his voice weary.

“Your book?”

“Yes, my book. I made the mistake of allowing William to

look at it while we were out this afternoon, and he misplaced it.

I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to recover it.”

74

Miss Patience laughed, obviously unsure if she’d heard him right. “You were prepared to miss supper because of a silly book?”

The lines of tension in Teach’s body were visible in the evening light. He had a faint growth of stubble, and his skin was

sallow.

“I have no appetite,” he said.

Miss Patience took another step forward. “Are you unwell?

Perhaps I can think of a way to make you feel better.” She gave

him a sly look, running her fingers up his arm. “If you’d like, we could stay out here and discuss Paradise Lost. William said it’s all about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since we were so rudely interrupted before, we could make this little spot our very own Eden.”

Anne did not imagine the shudder that ran through Teach.

He took Miss Patience’s wrist and removed it from his shoulder.

“I think it would be best if you went back inside. Your mother

would not like you being out here without a chaperone.”

“Do you think I care?” she asked.

“You should. It’s not prudent for you to be in a man’s presence without an escort.”

Anne rolled her eyes. No one ever worried about her safety when she went to the marketplace all by herself. Was it possible she had more freedom than Miss Patience?

“You weren’t concerned about that yesterday afternoon

when you agreed to meet me in the rose garden,” she said.





7 5


“I know. And I apologize for that.”

“What is there to apologize for? Nothing happened,” she said.

It was impossible for Anne to determine if Teach was disappointed or not. He gave no response.

“You used to enjoy our private conversations, Edward.

What has changed?”

Teach ran a hand through his hair. “Being gone for a year

has . . . changed me, as I’m sure it’s changed you. We should

spend some time reacquainting ourselves—”

“What nonsense is this? Reacquainting ourselves? You used to enjoy our kisses just as much as I did,” Patience purred, leaning closer, her body pressed against the length of his. “We need to discuss our engagement.”

“I’ve only just returned home. Surely there’s no rush.”

She took a step back, her bottom lip jutting forward. “Not

for you, perhaps. While you’ve been off enjoying your adventures, I’ve been forced to remain at home, searching for some

kind of entertainment. Now that you’re back, I no longer need