Page 14 of Lady Tamsyn and the Pixie's Curse
Chapter3
The next morning,Tamsyn was still deep in thought. She’d been much affected by all that Gryff had said last night—she just wasn’t sure he’d got any of itright.
She waited impatiently for the maid to finish her hair. Marjorie would be sure to have insight into Gryff’s opinion, and if anyone knew Tamsyn, it was her next oldestsister.
But Marjorie was occupied with her friend Jane Hawkins. Jane was a sweet girl, a friend to them all, but closest with Marjorie. Tamsyn joined her sister in bolstering the girl’s confidence and in convincing her to wear a borrowed gown, and then trooped down to breakfast with herfamily.
Too caught up in her own musings, however, she couldn’t concentrate fully on the conversation. She felt like she’d reached a crossroads—been dragged to it, in fact, and not at her own choosing—and felt more than a little irateaboutit.
She felt like she had to choose between two versions of herself. Was Gryff right? Was she no more than a delicate doll, meant to be promenaded before theton, then pampered for the rest ofherlife?
Hogwash. She was a bruising rider, a tireless dancer. She’d seen a ghost yesterday and talked with it! And she thought she’d handled the sudden onset of this new, uncanny ability quite well. She hadn’t run screaming through thecastle—
Well, she’d run once, but she hadn’t screamed. Nor had she blurted the truth to everyone and got herself sent toBedlam.
Gryff was wrong about her.Wasn’the?
Yes, by heavens. He was. She was as stalwart and steady as he. As worthy of a life in Cornwallashe—
“Tamsyn?Tamsyn?”
Shelookedup.
Marjorie frowned at her. “Did you hear me? A group of us is going to walk into the village this morning. Would you care tojoinus?”
Blinking, she shook her head. “No, thank you. But I do hope you will all enjoyyourselves.”
She had serious matters to attend to. She was going to prove herself. And she was going to start by mastering her new . . . talent. Take control of it, rather than the other wayaround.
A footman cleared his throat and she realized that she was the last one at the table. Rising, she gathered her shawl about her and left the dining room—and found her father in the corridoroutside.
“Father, you look as distracted asIfeel.”
He started. “Oh, yes. Good morning,Tamsyn.”
Did he not realize that they’d just breakfasted together? “Woolgathering,Father?”
“What? No. No. I’m just thinking of all that I have to dotoday.”
And there it was—the truth coalescing above his head, a scene of what he’d really been thinking. It was a vision of him sitting and enjoying a cigar and a brandy, laughing with a tall, blonde gentleman. She sensed he’d enjoyed himself and looked forward to doing soagain.
“Tamsyn.” He reached out to grab her arm. “Later today I’d like to introduce you to someone. In fact, I’d like all of you girls to meet him, but you and Marjorie inparticular.”
The blonde man? “Yes, ofcourse.”
“Good. Good, then. Well, I’m off to find Hunt. I shall see you later,shallI?”
“Have a good morning,Father.”
She set out through the castle, intent on learning to adapt to her new . . . talent, hoping she would be able to put it to good use. Perhaps Gryff had been right about just this one thing. If this Second Sight was here to stay, she was going to have to learn to livewithit.
Although she was still going to hightail it in another direction if she encountered LuciendeRoye.
Her luck held, however, and she didn’t meet him. In fact, there were few guests around at all. She ran into a kind fellow as he left the billiards room, but nothing Mr. Lancaster said triggered a reaction. She found a young boy in the library. Toby Priske said he was looking for a lost poodle, but he also seemed to be strangely contemplating . . . pouring ink into agentleman’stea?
Tamsyn shook her head and pulled her shawl close. One thing she was learning from this experience—the male mind was a strange thing,indeed.
Unfortunately, her own mind kept drifting, focusing on a certain gentleman’s—as well as the stretch of his broad shoulders, the feel of his arms, and the heat of his kiss. Hoping to distract herself, she tried a different tactic, and began to search out theservants.
