High Stakes Chattel (12 page)

S
he wiped her face and reluctantly pulled away from John. The only thing she wanted to do now was get out of this disguise, climb into her bed, pull up her covers, and hibernate for a week.

“Thank you, again
, John. I must get inside now. Please come for a visit soon.”

He said he would and
turned away as Sam walked up to the house. Despite her small victory, she felt beaten in every possible way.

Three months later

Fatigue pulled at Samantha like a heavy weight. During the months since the Chattel contest, she’d done everything in her power to stretch her winnings, including taking over Mrs. Potter’s nighttime duties. As a result, she’d existed in a fugue of exhaustion, up nearly all night with her mother and working herself to the bone around the farm during the day.

Since Mrs. Potter wasn’t in the house at night, Samantha’s mother had gotten even more querulous and demanding. She woke Samantha up repeatedly for the simple
st tasks, lighting her bedside lamp or pulling up her covers, all things she could have easily done for herself. When Mrs. Potter had been with her she hadn’t done that, and Samantha knew she was trying to make her suffer for disrupting her routine.

Samantha found her mother’s behavior completely frustrating,
but she didn’t know how else to comfort her, so she had no choice other than to deal with the situation.

Sometimes, when she sat down with her mother for a simple dinner of vegetables, cheese and bread, she fantasized about the delectable meals she’d had with Lord Chattel. The savory meat pies flavored with herbs, the bread pudding dripping with syrup… Just thinking about it made her mouth drool. During that blissful month, she’d had no pressing responsibilities, nothing demanding her attention except the evening games of Chattel. She’d been free to sleep late, read all day, and go on long, invigorating rides over the rolling hills of Nico’s beautiful property.

With a sigh, she finished mucking out the stall in her small barn and wiped her arm across her brow. What she wouldn’t give for just five minutes of rest now.

Leaning against her rake, she took a deep breath and gazed down the road, letting her mind drift to Nico. She longed to see him again. Even if she’d had plenty of hours to spend in her bed, she probably wouldn’t have gotten much sleep, because her dreams were always filled with him.

She didn’t know what she missed more, the long conversations they’d shared over the Chattel table, or the times he’d taken her in his arms. She missed
the friendship she’d never expected to find, especially not with someone like him, someone so far above her reach.

A rider approached, and her heart leapt in her throat when she realized it was John. What was he doing here?

Tossing aside her rake, she hurried to meet him at the gate, trying to hide her excitement. Her days had been so long and filled with drudgery that she would have welcomed any distraction, but she was doubly thrilled at the idea that she might actually hear word of Nico.

“John,” she cried exuberantly.
“I'm so happy to see you. What brings you here?”

He gave her a wide smile and dismounted, tying his horse to the gate. “I was nearby, so I wanted to call on you and see how you were doing.” He hugged her and patted her on top of the head. “I like your hair like this. It suits you.”

“Thank you
.” She touched her shorn locks a bit self-consciously. Her hair had grown quite a bit in the past few months, but was still far too short to be stylish. She motioned him toward the house. “Please, come in. Have some tea.”

“That would be
nice,” he said, following her inside.

Samantha introduced him to her mother and Mrs. Potter, then led him into the kitchen where they could have a bit of privacy. As she put on some tea and scrounged up some scones she’d made yesterday, he kept up a running monologue about what he’d been doing since she’d seen him last.

“I’ve been working in the preserve,” he told her proudly. “Lord Chattel told me I could do the game hunting while he was gone, and I’m enjoying it. Since he returned, he assured me he doesn’t have the time, so he said I could continue.”

Once she’d made the tea, she prepared them both a cup and sat down at the table across from him. “How is Lord Chattel?” she
asked, striving to sound nonchalant.

“Oh, he’s fine,”
John assured her. “He just returned from Paris last week and has buried himself in his work again.” He rolled his eyes a bit with his words.

“Did he achieve what he hoped
to while he was in Paris?” she asked.

John shrugged. “I don’t rightly know about that. He doesn’t talk to me about his work. Probably knows I wouldn’t understand if he did.” He perked up. “He did purchase a few new horses a couple of days ago. Beautiful animals.”

“What would make him buy more horses?” she asked perplexed. During the time she’d spent with him, she hadn’t thought him the type to spend money just because he could, and he’d seemed well satisfied with the horses he had.

“I'm not sure, but it might have som
ething to do with the woman he’s courting,” John told her conspiratorially, taking a large bite of his scone.

Samantha
almost dropped her tea. She’d nearly forgotten about Lady Morgan and couldn’t believe how deeply John’s words pained her. “Is Lady Morgan back from Italy?”

“Ye
s, the Viscountess and Lord Chattel have been going to several parties together. Frankly, I'm surprised. In all the years I’ve known him, he’s never had much time for the ladies.” He winked at her. “I was beginning to wonder if he wasn’t a bit queer, if you know what I mean.”

Samantha wasn’t quite sure she did know what he meant, but his news made her feel as though she’d been kicked in the stomach. She felt exactly the same as she had when she’d lost the Chattel game. “What’s she like?” she asked dully.

“She’s very beautiful, but pretty flighty. One minute she wants to go riding, the next she has changed her mind and wants to take the carriage into the village. She’s as silly as he is serious.”

John lowered his head toward Samantha and
said, “I think she even flirted with me, but I would never tell Lord Chattel that.”

Samantha knew she had absolutely no right to feel proprietary about Lord Chattel, but for some reason she did.
She hated to think of him saddled with some silly woman who wanted to be taken shopping and to parties. She wondered why he’d be attracted to such a person. He’d seemed the type to want a woman who offered him more than just beauty.

“I came here to make you an offer
,” John said, leaning back in her chair and giving her a probing look. He seemed not to see her distress over the conversation.

“
I’m looking for an assistant groom to help me. Lord Chattel authorized me to hire someone. It’s mostly helping to care for the horses and equipment while I continue to do the game hunting. The wages are extremely generous. It pays six pounds a month plus room and board. I thought perhaps you might know someone interested.” He leaned in closer and whispered, “Perhaps your cousin, Sam Taylor. The one who played in the tournament.”

Samantha look
ed at him in shock, while it dawned on her what he was suggesting. “Me?” she whispered. “I would love that work. You know how much I love caring for horses. And the pay is far more than our costs are here, so it would help me greatly. But wouldn't Lord Chattel be furious? Why would you risk his wrath and hire a woman?”

“
He wouldn't be furious as long as you could do the job. And I know you need help from somewhere. Look at you.” He gestured to her obvious weight loss. Samantha’s cheeks reddened as she looked down at her dingy clothing that now hung off of her slight frame.

John continued talking, not noticing her embarrassment.
“I think he would be happy with the solution. He has asked me to check up on you from time to time and he was happy about your second-place win in the tournament.” He finished his scone, excitement building in his tone. “Maybe if you come to work at Bentley Park you can learn more Chattel and win first place next time.”

“Would I work in costume?”
Samantha doubted the practicality of this position.

“I guess you'd have to,” he said pensively.
“At least some of the time, when guests arrive.”  He paused to think. “I don’t know. Maybe it won’t work.”

Samantha frowned, sad to see the opportunity slip away.

“What if we give it a try?” John asked with a boyish smile. “You could come next week and we’ll see how it goes and what Lord Chattel thinks of it.”

Samantha
beamed at the chance to be close to Nico again and to bring Mrs. Potter back on full time. Would John’s crazy idea really work? Or would she be thrown out on her arse?

John
grabbed his hat and shoved to his feet. “Think about the position, Sam, and send word if you decide you want to do it.”

“Thank you,” she told him, standing up and hugging him impulsively. “I will think about it, and I really appreciate you thinking of me.”

She walked him out to the gate and then leaned against it, watching him ride away. If she accepted the post, it would give her the money she needed to pay Mrs. Potter and pay for household expenses. She could also give a bit to Tom for lending a hand.

John’s offer would help her stay afloat, but she wasn’t sure how she
could handle it emotionally, being so close to Nico and watching him with another woman. She imagined a beautiful woman giggling at Nico’s every word and fawning over him. How could she bear it?

***

Nico entered his barn, harried and in a rush, noticing a young, red-haired lad in the stall with his sorrel. He had been anxious about one of the new horses that had been injured the previous day. “Are you the new groom?” he asked impatiently, closing the gap between them.

The lad turned around, guilt on…her…lovely face.

“Samantha,” he said, startled, and stopped mid-stride to stare at her.

She was dressed in the same britches he’d seen her in before, a white shirt and a deer skin vest. It looked like she had lost a bit of weight. Her hair was much shorter and fell just below her ears, giving her the look of a pixy.

Nico felt torn between wanting to embrace her and trying to look controlled. Was it obvious on his face that he had thought about her every day for the last three months?

“What are you doing here?” he ask
ed.

“John offered me the job of the assistant groom.
What do you think?” she asked sheepishly, obviously hoping he wouldn’t toss her out.

“I think you will be great at the job. I’m just surprised.” He wiped the hair out of his eyes
, drinking in the sight of her.

“You're going to go around in costume every day?” His brow arched up.

“It is fine. I rather like the
britches, as you know.”

He smiled and considered commenting on her britches but rejected the idea. Instead he
welcomed her to the position and told her a little about the horse’s injury he was concerned about. They examined him together and Samantha gently rubbed a numbing ointment on his leg.

“I’ll make sure to rub more salve on his leg
throughout the day. Not to worry, he should heal up shortly.” Samantha seemed grateful to have a temporary distraction.

“I heard your trip was successful,” she
said, fishing for more details.

“Yes
, it was. I learned a great deal and hopefully helped them.” Nico turned serious as he spoke about the institute..

“
I’m glad you’re back safely.” Samantha returned her gaze on the horse. “John tells me that you're escorting Lady Morgan to a lot of parties.” The words hung in the air uncomfortably.

“
Yes,” he said, feeling guilty.

“Since when do you like parties?”

“Since I need political connections in order to bring my discoveries into the English hospitals. Lady Morgan has a way of bringing people together for a cause and right now I am the cause.”