“Relax, it’s me,” Kingsbury’s voice rumbled in her ear.
Adeline rolled her eyes; she was being such a ninny. She leaned back against Kingsbury’s chest. The rumble of his chuckle of amusement at her expense strangely soothed her instead of embarrassing her. She was safe.
“Here is your ticket for Speedy Sally. I chose Petunia’s Revenge.” He pointed at a sizeable pig in lane five. “She looks motivated to win.”
A loud voice boomed over the noise of the spectators. “Gentlemen, get ready, get set, go!”
The cage doors flew open, and the pigs meandered out. A very inconspicuous start to the race. But then whistling and cajoling erupted from the finish line. Men at the end of each lane called out to the pigs with scraps of food in their outstretched hands, trying to catch the attention of the racers. The whistling and shouting seemed to work, and several started to walk toward the finish line, including Malcolm’s pig, Petunia.
Adeline was beginning to despair when Speedy Sally looked up and seemed to decide she did wish to race today. She began running down the track. Adeline bounced on her toes. “Go, Sally! That’s it!”
Speedy Sally lived up to her name and raced past all the other pigs toward the finish line. Three others appeared to get into the spirit and started to follow her. Adeline looked over her shoulder at Malcolm. “Look! She’s going to win.”
And indeed, Sally made her way speedily down the course to the waiting arms of her owner, who hugged the pig and fed her a shiny red apple. Adeline turned and beamed up at Kingsbury. “My pig won!”
“Indeed.” He bent and lifted her off her feet in a swift hug. “The odds on Speedy Sally were two to one. So, you have doubled your money.”
Adeline couldn’t stop grinning. She had bet on her first-ever race and won. What an exhilarating five minutes it had been. Malcolm guided her back to the bookie, and they collected her two pounds. As they returned to the main festival area, Malcolm stopped at a table selling nuts. The smell of roasted peanuts filled the air, making her stomach grumble even though she’d eaten not an hour ago. When he came back with the small bag, she reached in and snagged a few.
“You little thief. I demand payment for those nuts.”
Adeline laughed. “Are you angling for my two pounds?”
“No, I am angling for a kiss.”
“What here? In public?” Adeline flushed.
“All right, I will take my payment later.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“You’re incorrigible.” She snatched another small handful of peanuts. “I owe you two now.”
They walked again in companionable silence, munching on roasted peanuts.
Malcolm came to a sudden stop. “Look, a fortune-teller. Let’s go have our future told.” He tugged her by the hand across the aisle to a striped tent.
A striking woman with dark hair and even darker eyes sat behind a table covered in an intricately embroidered tablecloth of greens and blues. The woman had a similarly embroidered shawl around her shoulders.
Adeline frowned. “Kingsbury, fortune-tellers are charlatans,” she whispered.
“I assure you I am no charlatan,” the woman piped up from behind her. “Palmistry is quite an accurate way to gain insight into the past and the future. Come inside and allow me to show you.”
“It will be fun. I’ll go first.” He turned and gave the fortune-teller a wide grin. “Good afternoon, ma’am. How much?”
“One shilling” She held out a jar and accepted Malcolm’s payment. “Please sit. Lay your right hand on the table.”
Malcolm did what he was told. Adeline edged a little closer, curious despite herself. The fortune-teller ran a fingertip over his palm while she murmured under her breath.
After she studied it for a minute, she looked up, her dark eyes piercing. “So much death and sadness. See these deep lines here and here. You have experienced more than your share of loss in this life. But…” She held a finger up. “See here, this is your heartline. Look how long it is. You will live a long, healthy life. And this line represents your connection to others. See how it has many small branches. You will not be lonely. And here, these lines under your pinky finger show how many children you will be blessed with. I count five…no six.”
She slapped his hand and pulled her fingers across it slowly, never breaking eye contact with him. “I sense you have plenty of determination to go after what you want. Strength of conviction, but do not let doubt deter you. You are indeed on the right path to love and building that family.” Her eyes flicked briefly to Adeline. “All done.”
“Thank you.” Malcolm got up and smiled at Adeline. “Your turn.”
“No, thank you,” she replied.
He guided her by the shoulders to the chair. “I have already paid for you. Try something new, Adeline.”
Adeline sat down with a slight huff. She gave the fortune-teller her best polite smile. She didn’t want to be rude. But this was all poppycock.
