The air was crisp and clear as the four rode back to their accommodation. James laughed at Mathew talking nonstop about how lucky he was to have met the girl of his dreams.

Samuel rode behind them thinking about Shay. Her green eyes had been with him for almost three and a half years. He thought about the first time he had met her. An emancipated child, whose eyes were too large for her face. Why had they come to him when he was nothing but an animal? Was it because she had been beaten and starved, so he had connected with her because of similar treatment?

"Samuel," Omar said in hushed tones. "The girl?"

"Yes. She is on my mind, my friend." Samuel smiled. "She disappeared very quickly tonight." He lifted his hand and let his fingers spread. "Poof. Just like that." He chuckled. "The magic of my fingers, Omar. How to make a girl disappear in less than a second."

"What will you do now? It seems Allah has put her before you for a reason."

"Allah, God. The devil more like, Omar, for isn't it he who puts ghosts in our heads?"

"This girl is not a ghost, Samuel."

"No. She isn't." Samuel kicked Cole into a canter. He needed time on his own to think about the beautiful girl, with clear porcelain skin, and large green eyes. The girl he had held against him and wanted to hold again. Samuel smiled. The girl who had haunted him for three years.

"Shay!" Thomas gave her a rough shake.

She jerked awake, and sat up instantly not knowing where she was.

"What are you doing out here? We have been looking for you all night." Thomas climbed into the carriage, and then held his hand out to Rebecca and Julia. "Well?" he said when the carriage started to move. "You disappeared without a trace, and you promised me you would make yourself available to meet the duke if he came. Then as soon as he made an appearance, you disappeared."

"I'm sorry, Papa. I..."

"Hid." Julia giggled. "Shay you should have stayed. They were much nicer than they first appeared. I met his cousin. The one with the lovely brown eyes."

"What do you mean by, than they first appeared?" Thomas peered at Julia, and then focused on Shay. "What is going on? I need answers and they better start coming right now."

"Papa, oh." Julia covered her mouth and looked at her sister. "I'm sorry, Shay."

"Julia?" Thomas looked from one girl to the other. His baritone deepened, "Shay? One of you speak. Now."

"It's true, Papa. I hid." Shay thought it best to get it over and done with. "We met them on the road yesterday. Barclay took off and we all followed. Four horsemen nearly ran over Izzy on the Ludgershall Road. By the time I got there, one of them was being very abusive."

"Yes. He was, Papa." Julia nodded profusely thinking she was being helpful.

"So..." Shay paused. "I was less than ladylike with my retort."

"Shay..." Thomas groaned and ran his hand over his head.

"The duke laughed, Papa." Julia beamed thinking this comment was going to better things. "Then he took Shay by the arm and said something to her in that strange language. His friend translated, and said that the duke thought Shay was beautiful, but it was a shame she had an unpleasant tongue."

"Shay!" Each time Thomas said her name his voice got louder.

"Papa, he laughed." Shay held out her hands. "What was I supposed to do? His cousin was very brutish to Izzy, and then he laughed, so I told him to join the circus if he found the situation funny." She sighed. "I didn't know he was a duke. They were all wearing strange cloaks. How was I to know who they were?"

"So, you hid." Thomas shook his head in disgust.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but he was very..." Melissa's word came to Shay's mind. "Scary."

"How are we going to fix this?" Thomas looked at Rebecca. She had her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh. "Rebecca!"

"Oh, sorry dear." She feigned tiredness. "I'm trying to hold my yawn."

Thomas huffed and focused back on Shay. "There is only one way to fix this, and that is for you to apologise."

Shay bolted upright in her seat. "I won't, Papa."

"Yes. You. Will."

Oh dear.  Thomas is not impressed.

Do you think Shay will apologise, or even need to?

I honestly don't think Samuel expects an apology.  I wonder what he will do next?  Join me next week to find out. xo

Top photo taken from 123RF

2nd photo taken from Scroll.in