The Governess Affair (16 page)
This is a teaser from near the beginning of Unraveled, in which our hero, Magistrate Smite Turner, has an appointment to meet Miss Miranda Darling outside his place of work…
Ah.
Here
was the reason Magistrate Turner wasn’t standing on the stairs.
He had squeezed in that small gap between the buildings. His face was set in grim concentration, as if he were listening to a prisoner’s speech. But he was sitting in judgment over a pair of cats—one small and orange, the other large and white.
One meowed again, and he broke off a piece from what appeared to be a meat pie, and tossed it to them.
He was dressed in sand-colored wool. Up until now, she’d only seen him in dark colors—black robes, navy jackets. The light color of his coat made his hair seem all the blacker. It brought out a warmth in his skin that she’d not seen before.
And when he looked up from the cats and met her gaze, she realized for the first time how intensely blue his eyes were—emphasis on
intense
. He seemed to see straight through her, right through her threadbare cloak and her nondescript dress, through her flesh, straight into her heart. That unruly organ thumped heavily in her chest.
She raised her hand to give him an awkward wave. Her pulse beat, and an unexpected thrill ran through her at the sight of him. The sensation spilled through her body in little shocks, like a harpist strumming out an arpeggio against her ribs.
Oh, drat. She
was
attracted to him.
“Magistrate Turner,” she said.
His eyes narrowed. “Turner,” he corrected her.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“You called me Magistrate.” His nostrils flared. “Magistrates decide cases and issue warrants for arrests. They don’t go on walks with intriguing women, no matter what the destination might be. I must make it clear that I’m helping you in my private capacity. If you call me Magistrate Turner again, I’ll turn around and walk away.”
He made it sound so grim, the prospect of taking a walk with her. It took her a moment to hear that word—
intriguing
. But he wasn’t smiling at her. That couldn’t be an attempt at flirtation, could it?
Miranda shook her head slowly. “Good heavens. That’s quite an act you put on.”
He drew himself up haughtily. “I beg your pardon.”
“An act,” Miranda repeated. “Stand as tall as you like, and frown at me all you wish. I saw you just now. You were feeding cats.”
“So I was. And do you make something of that?”
“You,” Miranda said daringly, “have a kind heart.”
He turned away from her, the tails of his greatcoat swirling about him. “Don’t enlarge too much upon the matter. The cats were hungry. I had food. This seemed to be a problem with a ready solution. It’s not kindness to solve problems; it’s efficiency.”
“I stand corrected. You have an efficient heart.”
Like this? Read the whole first chapter
here
, and buy it
here
.
Other Books by Courtney
The Brothers Sinister Series
The Governess Affair
The Duchess War
— summer 2012
The Heiress Effect
— late 2012
The Countess Conspiracy
— 2012/2013
The Turner Series (available now)
Acknowledgements
T
HERE ARE ALWAYS MORE
people to thank than I can remember. As always, Tessa Dare, Carey Baldwin, and Leigh LaValle provided emotional support and help in the writing of this novella. The Northwest Pixies (plus additional friends) helped shame me into making sure I met my word count goals, with special mentions to Rachel Grant (for the magic coffee mug), and Darcy Burke and Natasha Tate for talking me through some parts of the middle.
I’m always grateful for my amazing team: Robin Harders and Martha Trachtenberg for editing, and Christine Dixon and Tina Marie for proofreading, and to Kristin Nelson and Lori Bennett who are helping me reach even more readers.
And then there are all those who provided support in so many ways—my husband and family, my dog and cat (yes, even the cat); the Pixies; the Loop That Must Not be Named.
Most of all, thanks to all my readers. Your support and enthusiasm mean everything to me.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Courtney Milan.
Cover design © Courtney Milan.
Cover photographs © Speedfighter17 | Dreamstime.com.
Digital Edition 1.0
All rights reserved. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.
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