Lady Anne's
Quest
By Susan Page
Davis
Lady Anne believes her
prayers are answered and she has at last found her long lost uncle. But she and
her friend Dan Adams are convinced the man introduced as her uncle is an
impostor. They decide to head into Oregon's mining country and continue the
search for the new Earl of Stoneford. But now the swindler is on their trail,
hoping to steal Uncle David's inheritance. Dan has his hands full trying to
protect Anne, but he finds he must guard his heart just as carefully. Even
though he's good at keeping her safe, he knows he'll never convince Anne to
become a farmer's wife in Oregon when she has her sights set on returning to her
home in England. But as Anne's quest becomes even more difficult—and
dangerous—she begins to see Dan differently. Will she soon be envisioning a new
life in America?
Oregon,
1857
Chapter
Two
Anne gulped. How could
this man be her uncle? Impossible.
She
sucked in a deep breath. Though he repelled her, she must use her manners and
greet him warmly. He was now her closest living relative. Or was he? Could there
possibly be two men named David Stone in the territory? Perhaps this was all a
mistake.
Her
stomach plummeted at the thought, but she pasted on a smile.
"Hello. I'm searching
for Mr. David Stone. Would you happen to know where he lives?"
He laughed, a big, noisy
guffaw. "Why, sweetheart, you're lookin' at him." He moved down onto the next
step, and Anne backed away, into the solid bulk of Dan Adams.
"Daniel," she
gasped.
Dan touched her back
only for an instant, and she took comfort from that reassuring pat. He stepped
around her, between her and the stranger.
"Howdy. Are you Mr.
Stone?"
"Yes, I am," the other
man said. He held out a meaty hand. "I'm this little gal's uncle. And who might
you be, mister?"
"My name is Daniel
Adams."
The man's eyes narrowed
to slits as they shook hands, as though he was trying to categorize his guest,
but Dan didn't offer more information.
Anne recovered at least
a portion of her poise and moved up next to Dan. "I'm sorry, but you're not at
all what I expected." She eyed the man. He was several inches taller than she
was, but not nearly as tall as Daniel. She gazed at his fleshy face, his flinty
eyes, and his slicked-back, badly barbered hair.
She longed to bring out
the miniature portrait in her handbag, but an inner restraint told her not to.
This man could not be the same one who posed for the portrait twenty years ago.
Or could he?
"You wrote that you
wanted to see me and give me some news," the man said. "Come on
in."
Anne looked at Dan. He
arched his eyebrows, seeking her opinion.
"Well, I. .
."
"Come on." The man
started up the steps again, beckoning with his beefy arm. "Millie's got supper
ready."
Anne swallowed hard and
looked to Dan again. He held out his crooked arm. She took it and walked with
him up the steps and into the little house.
Her eyes took a moment
to adjust to the dim interior. The house appeared to be divided into two rooms,
and they had entered the kitchen. A cook stove stood to the right, with a
stovepipe reaching up and bending to meet the chimney. A rough wooden table stood in the middle of the floor, and a woman
came past it with her hands extended in greeting.
"So you're little Anne."
She smiled broadly and seized both Anne's hands. "Oh, my, what a lovely young
woman you are." She threw the man a reproachful glance. "David, you should have
told me."
He shrugged. "Didn't
know. This here's Millie."
Anne found it hard to
rip her gaze away from him and appraise Millie. The woman's thick auburn hair
hung loose about her shoulders, and she wore lip rouge. Beyond that, the dim
lighting left her in mystery, but her gathered and flounced dress looked to be
of decent quality, unlike the man's clothing.
"Is this your husband?"
Millie asked.
"No," Anne said quickly.
"Dan is just a friend. He offered to ride down here with me, since I didn't want
to travel alone." She eyed the stocky man as she spoke, hoping to shame him at
least a little for not offering to go to Corvallis for her, but he only smiled
and nodded.
"Well, let's sit down,
folks. You must be hungry. Millie's been keeping a pot of stew simmering all
day. We thought you might get here this afternoon."
Millie hurried to a bank
of curtained shelves on the far wall and pushed the calico curtain aside. "I
only set up for three, but you're welcome to join us, Mr. Adams." She turned
with a tin plate and a thick china mug in her hands.
"Let me help you," Anne
said.
"Oh, no, that's all
right. Sit right down." Quickly Millie laid another place setting for Dan. "Just
grab that little bench by the window, Mr. Adams."
The four of them sat
down at the table, and Millie began ladling out portions of stew. No one
mentioned giving thanks for the food, which Anne found unsettling. The Stones
had always been God-fearing Anglicans. She glanced at Dan, and he gritted his
teeth then said, "Would you mind if I said grace?"
Their host stared
blankly at him, but Millie said, "Go right ahead."
Anne closed her eyes.
She'd never heard Dan pray before, but his quiet words soothed
her.
"Dear Lord, we thank you
for a safe journey and for the food we are about to receive.
Amen."
"Amen," Anne whispered.
She opened her eyes. Millie stood with the ladle in her hand, watching Dan as
though waiting for a cue to continue serving.
"So you had a good trip
down here from Corvallis?" the man asked.
"Well enough," Dan
said.
He looked at Anne. "And
did you come all the way across the country, or did you sail?"
"We came by wagon
train," she said.
"Is that right?" He
shook his head. His drying hair tumbled willy-nilly down his forehead. "Rough
trip. Isn't that right, Millie?"
"It's bad enough." She
handed him a bowl of stew. "Pass those biscuits around,
David."
The food was more
palatable than Anne had dared hope, and she ate two biscuits with apple butter
and a large bowl of beef stew.
"Your stew is
delicious," she said to Millie. "Thank you so much for feeding
us."
"Yes," Dan said. "Mighty
fine meal, ma'am."
"Oh, it's nothing." But
Millie's smile said it was something. "What was the family news you hinted at in
your letter to David, Miss Stone?"
Lady
Anne's Quest can be
purchased at Christian Book (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lady-annes-quest-susan-page-davis/1104273764?ean=9781607428206&itm=5&usri=susan+page+davis ),
Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Annes-Quest-ebook/dp/B006VO3S1C/ref=sr_1_22?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326201481&sr=1-22 ), and
fine bookstores everywhere.
Copyright
2012 Susan Page Davis. Do not reproduce without permission.
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