That was doubtlessly true.The children at Caldwell Manor were well fed and uncommonly well educated.Not every lady’s maid spent her spare hours reading books—indeed, most maids couldn’t read at all.Colin was unsurprised to find that Margaret was loyal to Kendra.
However, loyalty went only so far.“Ten pounds?”
“Ten pounds?Lud…” She set her book on the dressing table as she plopped to sit on the stool there.“I…I couldn’t.”
He could see her weakening.“Twenty pounds, then.”It was a pittance to him, but four years’ wages for a servant.“And that’s my final offer.”
At first she shook her head slowly.But when a tiny, rueful smile emerged along with an even tinier shrug, he knew he had won.
HALF ANhour later, Colin returned to where the family was still playing games.
“What took you so long?”Jason asked.
“I went to my chamber to fetch this”—Colin held up a thick book—“and saw a mouse.”
“A mouse?”Amy squealed.
He’d known she would squeal.Amy hated mice with an illogical passion.
Almost as much as she hated horses.
“There’s no need to worry, love.I went and found some traps and set up a few in our chamber.That’s what took me so long—finding the mousetraps, mostly.I had to locate some servants to help me find them.”He looked to Kendra.“Your maid—what is her name?”
“Margaret.”
“Right.She’s setting some traps in your room, too, and other servants are busy covering the rest of the cottage.You won’t see any mice.”
Violet looked horrified.“I’m so sorry you saw a mouse.”
“I had no idea there were mice in the cottage,” Ford added with a frown.
“How could you know?”Colin sent his brother an understanding smile.“I presume you haven’t stayed in the cottage yourself.In any case, it’s all taken care of and no harm done.”He waved a hand in dismissal.“Here, love,” he added, handing Amy the book.“Here’s the early Christmas gift I promised.”
It was bound in tan leather with a gold-stamped design on the front.“The History of the Worldby Sir Walter Raleigh!”she exclaimed in delight.“How did you know I wanted this?”
He hadn’t known, precisely—but since Amy happily devoured nearly every book she managed to get her hands on, it had been a safe bet.
“I have a copy of that book in a quite similar binding,” Violet marveled.Most books didn’t come bound—owners typically purchased the pages and had covers made to their preferences.“How astonishing!”
“Hmm, isn’t it?”Colin murmured, although of course it wasn’t astonishing at all, considering he’d found the book in Violet’s own library.
Unfortunately, he’d had no choice but to take it.
After enlisting Margaret’s help with setting up his prank, he’d gone in search of a surprise for Amy and hit dead ends at every turn.
First he’d looked in the room he and Amy had been assigned, but found nothing he could give her besides the Christmas gift he’d brought, which he couldn’t give to her now—he had to save it for Christmas Eve.Nothing else in his luggage seemed at all appropriate, and though the room itself was fresh and pretty (and mouse-free), it had offered nothing in the way of last-minute gifts.He’d found naught in the rest of the building, either.Recently remodeled, it was pristine and had yet to accumulate any clutter.
Flowers, he’d decided as he’d left the cottage.She’d doubtless love some flowers.But he’d gone outdoors and all around the house and found no flowers.Of course, it was late December.Although it wasn’t snowing now, a layer of snow covered everything.And it was cold.Apparently too cold for flowers.
Next he’d sneaked in the side entrance of the main house and stolen upstairs, where again he’d found nothing appropriate.Nothing in any of the bedrooms, nothing in Ford and Violet’s dressing room.Ford’s laboratory had been locked, but Colin figured Amy wouldn’t want a beaker, thermometer, or microscope anyway.
No, what Amy liked was books, he’d finally realized…
Which was how he’d ended up in Violet’s library.He’d had to go back outside and all the way around the house to the front entrance in order to get into the library undetected.But it had been worth the cold and the trouble, because there, among a plethora of philosophy tomes, he’d foundThe History of the World.
Amy loved all books, but she loved history books best, so it had seemed a good choice.
Judging by Amy’s excitement, it had been a grand choice indeed.He would simply replace Violet’s copy before she noticed it was missing.He’d found the book on a bottom shelf—surely Violet rarely looked there—and made note of the publisher on a piece of paper he’d snitched from her desk and now had in his pocket.
