“I’ll get permission for you and me to go on a long walk and a picnic, a day-long adventure. No horses. In return, I’ll agree to go riding with Mr. Moyer again on Saturday.” Last Saturday had been tolerable. During the afternoon on Ebony, testing the horse’s stride and inhaling freedom, she’d stayed as far aheadof the man as possible, keeping the chatter to a minimum, and later excused herself from dinner due to a headache.
“A walk? No horses?” Lucy shifted the treadle and sailed the shuttle through again. “You plan on walking to Alleyton? Ain’t that near fifteen miles?”
“My uncle won’t let me ride unless I’m accompanied by Mr. Moyer or himself. But I figure George can take Ebony along when he goes to the outer pasture that morning. Then he can leave her at a pre-arranged spot for me. Along with a set of clothes.”
“You must be out of your head, girl. There’s an awful lot of pieces in this puzzle. Just one of them gets out of place, and we’re all in trouble. Liable to be whipped.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure it goes as planned.” Morning Fawn threaded the sinew through the first hole, joining the sole to the top of the moccasin. “If we get caught, I’ll tell them I ordered you to do it.”
“That won’t save us none. They’ll figure we should have better sense than to listen to you.”
“Well, forget it, then.” Morning Fawn cast the moccasin pieces into her basket and stood. “I’ll sneak out of my room before dawn. You come to get me dressed like always and tell them I’m sick in bed having a hard time with my monthly and want to be left alone. That’ll scare them all away.” She crossed the rough-hewn planks to the loom. “But I’ll still need the set of clothes. Men’s clothes. George’s or someone else’s. I could steal Devon’s, for that matter. Those would fit me better anyhow.”
“Men’s clothes? What the devil for?” Lucy gaped at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You’re going to get yourself locked in the attic and laudenumed.”
“I’ll take my chances. I’ve had enough sitting around here while my uncle and Nick Moyer plan out my life and the man I care about gallivants off to Alleyton every chance he gets. I want them to get their sticky fingers off my life, and I wantDevon Reynolds to look me in the eye and tell the truth about what he’s up to.”
“You got a lot of wants.”
Morning Fawn threw her arms open wide. “If I had any sense, I’d grabbed one of those horses in the stable some night and ride out of here and never come back.”
“But you ain’t going to do that.” Lucy’s voice dipped. “You’re going to stay here and win that man of yours.”
“I’m done with sitting around parlors. I’m going to sneak into Alleyton, dressed as a man, and spy on him.”
“You’re what?”
“You heard me.”
“So you’re determined to get yourself in trouble?”
“My uncle won’t be back for a few days.”
“You don’t think your aunt and Thea will tattle?”
Morning Fawn lifted her chin. “Sometimes trouble is worth the cost. But if everything goes well, no one will know. Only you, me, and George.””
Lucy sputtered and pumped away at the treadles, ramming the beater bar after every shot of the shuttle.
Aunt Mamie’s singing voice carried in from the shed.
Morning Fawn rubbed her hands over her arms. “I understand if your answer’s no.”
Lucy blew out a breath. “You is risking yourself for me and Ned. I reckon I can do the same for you.”
Morning Fawn touched her shoulder. “Only, we should do it the second way, with you pretending I’m in my room in bed.”
“And what if you’re discovered missing…or get dragged back here by the sheriff or somebody?”
“You can tell them I was there the first time you looked, but the other times, you figured I was sleeping under the covers, and you didn’t want to disturb me.”
Lucy mumbled and halted her work. “No, we’ll do it the first way.” She swatted at a fly. “We’ll go on the picnic. I’ll act likes Iwas all innocent. That you ordered me to stay with the food while you went on a walk alone. And I waited and waited ’cause I do what I’m told. And I had no idea you had done sneaked yourself a horse during the night and left it there with plans to ride off to Alleyton to visit Mr. Moyer. I’ll say ‘Mr. Moyer’ ’cause that’ll make them more pleased.”
“Bravo.” Morning Fawn clapped.
Lucy jabbed her hand to her hip. “If yous get yourself laudanumed, it ain’t my fault. Just make sure you’re allowed out of the attic in time to help with my weddin’ on Christmas Eve.”
Morning Fawn gave her a quick hug, then jumped back as footsteps sounded outside the door.
