The Spinster & The Coquette by Caylen McQueen Read Free Book Online

nearly as old as your sister, I believe.”
    “I… I’m afraid I do not know what to say…” Hester’s gaze dropped to the ground. She wanted to empathize with him, but nothing so terrible had ever happened to her. “My heart aches at the thought of it.”
    “Even after so much time has passed, I think of them every day. And every day, my heart heals a bit more.” As he studied Hester’s profile, Mr. Hargrave’s lips twitched into a strained smile. “Life can surprise you. If you’re lucky, you find a new reason to wake up each morning.”
    “And have you found a new reason, Mr. Hargrave?”
    “Yes…” His gaze never wavered from her face. She was younger than him— much younger—but he thought he saw promise in Hester’s gentle eyes. “I believe I have.”

Chapter Six

    “I’m so very bored ,” Cordelia moaned. She persistently tapped the same three keys on the pianoforte, over and over, as if she was composing the simplest of symphonies. Hester was knitting, and Frank was reading, as he often did. Only Cordelia found the day’s ennui to be unbearable. “So very, very bored. Where is Mr. Snowley? Why has he not come today?”
    “He was here yesterday, Cordelia. Perhaps he does not want to seem too eager?” her sister tried to reassure her.
    “Perhaps… but I would welcome his company. This day is interminably dull!” She pounded the same sharp note several times, which earned her a sneer from Frank. “What is it? Why do you look so disgusted?”
    “Your musical talent leaves something to be desired.” Frank sighed as he turned a page in his book. Not only was her music sour, it was also a bit distracting.
    “I really can play,” Cordelia assured him, “but it is not worth the effort. I needn’t exert myself when there is no one to impress.”
    “You could try to impress me ,” Frank suggested with a frown.
    “True. But I daresay you are already impressed by me!” Cordelia winked at him from across the room. Frank’s tendre for her was as obvious as the nose on his face.
    Before he could protest or confirm her accusation, they were interrupted by an unwelcome guest. Shuffling into the room was Hyacinth’s scraggly dog Nomad, who was dragging something rather large within his teeth. When Hester caught sight of the dog’s loot, she gasped.
    “My slipper!” she exclaimed. “The dog has my slipper!”
    Hester threw down her knitting needles and raced toward Nomad, who hastened his pace in an attempt to abscond with her shoe. Despite having the tiniest legs imaginable, Nomad was much faster than he looked. He ran in circles, ducking and darting away from Hester’s grabbing hands. When she heard Cordelia chuckling, Hester threw an irritated glance in her sister’s direction. “Oh, you find this amusing, do you?”
    “I do,” Cordelia admitted. “I most certainly do!”
    When she saw Nomad chewing on the sole of her slipper, Hester shrilled wildly. She made another attempt to catch the thief, who eventually relinquished his treasure as he leapt onto the sofa. Hester reclaimed her slippers, which were unfortunately moistened by dog spittle. Then she seized the thief, plucked him from the sofa, and lowered him to the ground. “What a rascal!” Hester exclaimed. “Has Hyacinth never disciplined the beast?”
    “Never,” Frank affirmed. “He commits every kind of offense without any fear of retribution. Once, he found his way into my bedchamber and ruined my favorite breeches.”
    “I suppose even a small dog can wreak all sorts of havoc.” Hester studied her tattered slipper and frowned. She could see where Nomad’s teeth had been. There were tiny bite marks peppering her shoe. “Sometimes, I think small dogs are even more mischievous.”
    “I’m not sure I agree. Before Nomad entered our lives, Hyacinth had a mastiff named Tash. He was a great big brute of a dog, always stealing my food and ravaging the garden. He was a creature entirely without scruples.”
    “I love