Border Storm by Amanda Scott Page B

it.
    For a time, she busied herself by taking off her cap and brushing her hair while she gazed out her window and enjoyed the soft breeze that wafted gently in.
    The tall, narrow window provided no barrier to the elements, other than the thickness of the wall surrounding it, unless she closed its shutter, and she did that only on those rare occasions when a storm raged outside with such ferocity that it blew rain into the room.
    She liked to gaze at the view, which was far more interesting than her bedchamber even when the landscape began to turn golden brown toward the end of summer. The oak trees retained their dark green leaves into the autumn, and now the grass was still green and wildflowers spattered the land with vibrant colors.
    Her window faced west, so she could rest her elbows on the stone sill and watch the sun go down, and she was high enough to ignore activity in the bailey below. She would have liked to have a larger window with a cushioned seat like the one in the ladies’ parlor, but since that one faced south, the evening view from it was never as spectacular as hers could be.
    Lingering clouds began to turn color before the sun touched the horizon, and soon vivid hues of orange, red, pink, and purple streaked the sky. Dusk would linger after the sun departed, but sunrise would come early, and the dawn’s light always woke her. Therefore, when Bridget came at last to help her undress, Laurie did so quickly. And when Bridget had gone, she climbed into bed, leaving the bed curtains open as she always did, except in the dead of winter when leaving them open meant the risk of waking up to find oneself frozen into an icicle.
    She was soon asleep and had been sleeping for some time when a small hand touched her bare arm and startled her awake. Moonlight through the window cast a faint halo around Isabel’s slight figure and gilded her long hair where it fanned out from her little nightcap.
    Laurie sat up. “Isabel, what is it?”
    Bursting into tears, Isabel flung herself into Laurie’s arms. “Oh, Laurie, I don’t know what I should do!”
    “Hush now,” Laurie said, shifting a little and helping the child climb into her bed. Plumping pillows, she drew the coverlet over them both. “Here,” she said, “snuggle close and tell me what’s wrong. Did you have a bad dream?”
    “Nay, I have not slept at all.” Sniffling, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her bedgown. “Mama will be so angry!”
    “She will not be angry with you, love,” Laurie said, giving her a squeeze. “Come now, what can you have done that is so terrible?”
    “May is gone, and I did not tell.”
    “What?” Laurie sat up straighter. “You must be mistaken. May would not go anywhere after dark. She would be too frightened.”
    “Nay, but she did, and Bridget went with her. Mama told Bridget she could not go to her family till her usual day out, and she was crying and crying. Then May told her she could go to them if she would help May go out, too.”
    “But, why? May has no reason to slip out. Not only is it dangerous, but she usually takes more care to avoid trouble with your mother. Why would she go?”
    “Because she is in love,” Isabel said, heaving a deep sigh.
    “Don’t be daft, Isabel. May does not know any gentlemen other than our father’s friends and acquaintances. Where would she find one to fall in love with?”
    “She found him in Tarras Wood,” Isabel said. “His name is Sir John. I do not recall his surname, if she told me. She met him about a fortnight ago, and she has been able to think of nothing and no one else since.”
    “But how did she meet him?”
    “She was trying to follow you one day, to see where you went. It was all my fault,” Isabel added guiltily. “I told her that I thought you were brave to ride out alone as you do, and she said she was just as brave as you are. To prove it, she ordered her pony saddled and rode straight out the gate. No one stopped her. I think she must