Page 20 of A Second Chance for Love

Her head whipped up.

“What?” he said.

“It’s just—well, I’m surprised. The woman at the employment agency didn’t believe me.” It had been worse than disbelief: it had been scorn.

Juss snorted. “Come, come, Oona—we were both servants together.” He scorched a trail of heat across her with his hot eyes “I know what it is like for servants—especially female servants—and their masters.”

The words hung between them and he held her captive with the intensity of his gaze, his expression . . . knowing.

The question was, just what did he know?

∞∞∞

Juss left the matter of masters and female servants alone for the moment, afraid he’d not be able to keep a civil tongue on the matter. So they rode in silence, both of them consumed by their own thoughts.

It was perhaps a half hour later when the vaults of heaven opened and the scene outside the window became a solid white.

“My goodness,” she said softly.

“Indeed.”

Beekman opened the vent. “I can’t see a thing, sir.”

“That was Anston a ways back, wasn’t it?”

“Aye.”

“Then we can’t be far from Falk Hill.”

“We may ‘ave just passed it—should I turn around?”

“That would be a bloody trick right now, wouldn’t it,” Juss demanded. “Even if we could manage it, what if somebody else came barreling along while we were stretched across the road?”

“All right, all right, guv. What then?”

“Keep on, but more slowly. Stop if you see anything decent, even a farmhouse.”

“Aye, sir.” The vent slid shut.

Blast and damn and bloody hell!

Juss looked up to find the woman staring at him, her expression. . .

“You’re enjoying this,” he said in amazement.

Her delicate pink lips curved into a grin. “Well, it is rather exciting to be traveling in a blizzard.”

He snorted. “Let’s hope you find it exciting when we are freezing to death in a snow drift.”

“It is one of the oldest roads in Britain, surely we’ll have no trouble finding shelter.”

But forty-five minutes later, when the carriage had slowed to a crawl and the last of the daylight had drained away, she did not look so excited. Instead her smile had disappeared and her smooth brow was deeply furrowed. Juss felt like a brute for what he’d said earlier.

“Oona?”

She wrenched her worried gaze away from the window.

“Don’t panic yet,” he teased gently. “Somebody once told me this is one of the most ancient roads in Britain.”