The Pirate's Lady (Spies of London #1)

Chapter 19

Hi! Its been so long! :) Hope you guys are well!

This one here is for my friends samth00 and Anaa ! Thanks for the votes and comments both of you! :P

Also for oceanbluebeach, franclub11, ravenmyth who prodded me to update! ;) Keep it up guys!

Okay, m not quite sure how this one’s gonna be, but I’ll try to make it good!

TPL Chapter 19!

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James alighted from the phaeton swiftly, turning around and holding out his hands for Olivia to take. Their ride had been silent and mostly consisting of a frosty countenance on Olivia’s part, and he was now worried about what he would have to do to make her forgive him.

Kissing her was the first thing that came to mind, but he quickly erased that thought from his mind, albeit with some difficulty. He was sure that she would not be amenable to  that idea, since a proper countess of the ton (he winced at his own words) would never indulge in such a public display of affection, even with her husband.

Cursing himself for a fool, James decided that he could start by giving her an upper hand with the villagers.

When she descended from the phaeton - descended was the only way to describe it, as she held her head high and trod softly, with nary a hair out of place, features cool and composed like a queen, James thought- and took his proffered hand, they walked towards the crowd of people standing in a circle.

The women were either round and red-faced or thin and graceful. The older men had gruff features, the years of hard work taking a toll on how often they smiled. The younger men were more jolly, flirting with the young maidens, who blushed prettily. The children had been told to stand still in a group to wait till the Lord an’ his new Lady wife bid them otherwise. Still, pigtails were being pulled and bodies pushed, suppressed excitement making the tiny people restless.

It was this restlessness that first caught Olivia’s attention. The second was the old couple approaching them, the woman was smiling widely in her plump face, while her husband’s hand was around her shoulders, though he wasn’t smiling.

“Welcome back, my Lord, and our best wishes on your marriage.”, the man was the first  to speak, and Olivia was surprised to see a hint of pride in his gaze. He was proud of James? The thought gave Olivia pause. But before she could think further, James himself spoke.

“You know that you needn’t refer to me that way, sir.”

“You will always be our Jamie, son. But here, in front of so many of your tenants-“

“That is inconsequential. Please, don’t argue on this point, sir, I beseech you. You are like my father in all ways except by blood. Call me James.”

The man sighed.”Alright, James.”

“Don’t remember me, do ye now, lad? All grown up are we, the womenfolk to small to take notice of now?”

James turned a bemused gaze to Margaret, or Maggie as he had called her when she had been his nursemaid so many years before.

“How could I forget you Ma’am? After all that ear pinching you did, you were permanently imprinted on my brain, or should I say my poor ears?” So saying, James leaned in and kissed her cheek, making the old woman shoo him with her hands, her eyes sparkling with an emotion akin to a mother’s love.

“Off with you, lad! You deserve every pinch I gave your ‘poor’ ears! A terror is what you were, and how your mother fretted for you, only I know!” At the sudden rigidity in James posture, however, the woman changed the subject quickly, latching on to a more pressing matter.