Lavender Lies (Historical Romance) by Constance O'Banyon Read Free Book Online Page B

now on, because she was needed.
    A light tap on the bedroom door brought Lavender up sharp. Crossing the room on tiptoes, she opened the door to find Nicodemus waiting in the hall.
    "Word's come down, miss, you are needed at the hospital."
    Her eyes locked with the little man's. "Did they say how long I would be needed?" she whispered.
    "They didn't tell me."
    "I'll be right down, Nicodemus. Give me a moment to instruct Phoebe on Aunt Amelia's medication and make sure she will stay with my aunt until I return."
    "I'll be waiting for you below. I was told that you should hurry."
    All of a sudden Lavender felt bone-weary. What would her assignment be this time? she wondered. How long could she play at this double life before she was caught and forced to stand before the executioner? To the British, what she was doing was called treason, and her being a woman would not stop them from demanding her death!
    What was the matter with her today? Lavender chided herself for that moment of weakness. Her father had given his life for freedom—could she do any less?
     
    The stable behind the Public Hospital was deserted when Lavender slipped in by a side door. Cautiously she made her way back to the third stall, where a secret door was concealed beneath a pile of hay. Going down a ladder, she closed the door behind her. Already a candle had been lit, so Lavender knew Nicodemus had been here before her. This was where she kept the many disguises she used when she became the Swallow, and where she was able to change quickly and slip out of town.
    She hastily slipped into her black britches and fastened a rapier about her slender waist.
    As her hand touched the ivory handle of her rapier, Lavender's mind drifted back to the happy times in her childhood when she had first taken up the sword.
    The year Lavender and her brother had turned ten, their father had engaged a renowned Italian master to instruct Chandler in the art of swordsmanship. At first, Lavender had only been allowed to watch while Chandler had his lessons. But, after each session, Chandler would get a foil for himself and one for Lavender, and the two of them would escape to a deserted cove down by the river. For hours on end he would instruct her in whatever he had learned that day. It soon became apparent to Chandler that his sister displayed a quick wit and a strong wrist. Ultimately, when they crossed blades, she would often force him to yield. In no time at all she had gone beyond anything that he could teach her about fencing.
    When Chandler had recounted Lavender's mastery of the sword to their father, and after the elder Daymond had seen this for himself, Lavender had been allowed to have lessons with her brother, much to her mother's dismay. Lavender conquered the rudiments of the manly art and earned her instructor's high praise.
    Since Lavender had become the Swallow, she had been compelled to hide her accomplishment. Fencing was not an accepted pastime for a young lady, and if anyone became aware of her talent, they might conclude that she was the Swallow. Since coming to live with her aunt, she was forced to practice in her bedroom at those times when her aunt thought she was napping. Whenever possible, she practiced each day.
    Forcing her mind back to the present, Lavender pulled on her boots. She then twisted her hair atop her head and concealed it beneath a wide-brimmed black hat with a crimson feather.  Later, when she and Nicodemus were safely away from Williamsburg, she would tie the crimson mask about her face.
    As silently as possible, she slipped out the door and found Nicodemus on his horse waiting for her. Without fanfare, she hoisted herself into the saddle and nodded that she was ready. As far as Lavender was concerned, this was just another mission she had been sent on, and, as always, she knew there was the possibility that she might not come back alive.
    Down the back road they raced, finally disappearing into the woods like phantom