Page 144 of The Language of Love

Go tell Henry right now.

I’ll tell him if Richard makes any demands. He might just be here by coincidence.

The voice hooted uproariously at that.

Annis couldn’t blame it.

***

By four o’clock that afternoon, Annis had begun to hope that she might escape unscathed.

They had already dropped off twenty-nine baskets, had twenty-nine awkward visits, and politely turned down twenty-nine offers of tea.

“Only three more baskets to go,” Gordon said after climbing onto the gig seat beside her.

“Who is next?”

“Horace Brown. It shouldn’t take us more than ten minutes to get to his cottage.”

Annis forced herself to relax and enjoy the lovely day, even though her head was pounding. All morning and afternoon her eyes had darted constantly as she’d expected Leech to leap out from behind every bush and tree.

And then, just when she stopped expecting him, she saw him.

For a moment, she believed it was a mirage. But then Gordon said, “Oh, there is the visiting curate, Mr. Gates and his sister.”

So, it wasn’t a hallucination.

“Good afternoon, my lady,” Leech called out, waving at them.

“Shall I stop?” Gordon asked in an under voice.

Annis could hardly order him to run them down, so she nodded.

Before the gig had stopped, she said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Gates, Miss Gates. I’m afraid we don’t have much time to chat.”

Beside her, Gordon flinched at her rudeness.

Leech looked amused rather than offended. “We wouldn’t have interrupted your mission of mercy, but poor Laura has strained her ankle while clambering over the stile. Would it be too terribly inconvenient to get a ride back to the village?”

“Of course not,” she lied. “But I have several more deliveries to make first, so it might be quicker if you walked.”

Gordon stared at her; his mouth open.

“I don’t mind waiting in your gig,” Laura assured her. “Taking my weight off it will feel far better.”

Annis ground her teeth. “Fine. But you’ll have to sit in the back. Gordon will clear you a space.”

“Thank you, kind lady.” Richard smirked up at her before helping his sister into the back.

Soon they were trundling along again. Thankfully, the gig made too much noise to converse with their passengers. Not that Annis could have talked to either of the Gateses without snarling.

The next delivery was a scant few minutes down the road so Annis could escape the pair while she went to the little house. Gordon accompanied her, carrying the huge basket in both arms.

As usual, the lady of the house was overjoyed to see her and begged to give her refreshment.

Annis wanted to move in with the woman rather than go back to the gig.

Instead, she politely declined the tea and went back to suffer through the next hour.