Flirting with His Forbidden Lady--A Regency Family is Reunited Laura Martin (bill gates best books .TXT) 📖

at the high window with a frown. It was the type of window that was hinged at the top, allowing it to swing out and rest on a metal prop. It was half open now and likely had been for years.

‘You’ll never get up there.’ It was high, above shoulder height even for Josh. The window was big enough to squeeze through if you could get up there, but would leave you with your clothes ruffled and dirty.

‘You will. If I lift you.’

‘I’m not going through the window.’

‘It’ll be the work of a few minutes.’

‘Why wouldn’t I just go and find the key?’

‘Do you know where it is?’

She had absolutely no idea. There were hundreds of places a key like this could be kept and she doubted any of the servants would know. By the grimy state of the padlock it had been put on years before, probably when they’d still had a gardener. The old man might even have taken the key with him when he’d left.

‘Perhaps we could play something else.’

‘Are you scared, Lady Elizabeth?’

‘Stop it. We’re not children and I will not respond to your jibing.’

He smiled, flashing her his white teeth, and she felt some of his good humour flow her way.

‘Just try. I’ll boost you up and you can slip inside and pass out the shuttlecock and rackets.’

‘Then how do I get out?’

‘A good shed always has something to climb on. Just pull it to under the window and climb up. I’ll be out here to help you out.’

Beth knew she shouldn’t. As a child she’d loved to climb, scaling the trees on the estate and propping herself up in their high branches. There was a freedom to being up in the air and she’d enjoyed the unparalleled view from her position above the ground. Still, she wasn’t eight any more and it was completely undignified for a well-bred young lady to be climbing through the window of a dirty shed.

Glancing over her shoulder, she considered. No one else was coming and they were hidden from the view of the rest of the guests by the side of the house. If she was quick she could be in and out of the shed in two minutes.

She stepped closer to Josh, waiting for him to make a cup out of his hands for her to put her foot on. He boosted her without any effort at all, lifting her so her torso was level with the window.

‘What if I get stuck inside?’

‘You’ll have a peaceful few days.’ He laughed at her expression before continuing. ‘Then I promise to rescue you.’

‘There will be spiders in there.’

‘Probably one or two. But remember they’re more scared of you than you are of them.’

Beth doubted it. She hated spiders.

Gripping hold of the narrow ledge below the window, Beth manoeuvred herself through the gap, only realising when she was halfway through and completely committed that she was heading into the shed head first. Squirming, she managed to somehow turn herself round so she was able to grip onto the window on the inside and lower herself down.

When her feet hit the floor she took a moment to catch her breath, panting hard from the exertion. It was dark in the shed, with only the light from the single window above her and a little where it came through near the hinges of the locked door. She looked around, wrinkling her nose at the number of cobwebs, trying to make herself smaller so she didn’t touch anything. She loathed spiders, hated the way they moved and especially hated the ones with hairy black legs.

‘See what we need?’ Josh shouted in, his face appearing at the window. He must have pulled himself up from the ground and Beth was momentarily distracted by the thought of how it had felt to be held in those strong arms of his.

‘There’s so much junk in here.’ She looked around, unsure where to start. Vaguely she recollected the garden games equipment being stored in the back right corner of the shed and started to rummage through things, checking carefully for any signs of spiders first. ‘Here.’ She gripped the handle of one of the shuttlecock rackets in triumph, pulling it out. In her excitement she forgot to look at it before she began brandishing it, waving it around in front of her face.

As if time had slowed she saw the huge black spider sitting on the strings as the racket passed her face. Her arm jerked and immediately she knew that instinctive reaction had been the wrong thing to do. The spider flew through the air, dislodged from the racket, hitting her squarely in the chest. Beth screamed, feeling the fat legs begin to writhe against her. Frantically she tried to brush it off but only succeeded in knocking the arachnid down the front of her dress.

‘Get it out. Get it out,’ she cried, starting to rip at the material of her dress.

All of a sudden she felt a presence beside her as Josh levered himself through the window and landed with a thump on the floor of the shed. Unceremoniously he pulled out the front of her dress and peered down into her cleavage. Beth knew she should feel self-conscious although nothing but the thought of the spider crawling over her skin was being allowed in her mind. She saw him grimace, then spin her round and begin to unfasten the sash that held the dress tight, and within a few seconds he tugged at the material and pulled it down, lifting her out of it as it fell around her ankles. Watching in horror, she saw him pick up the dress and shake it gently, and she shuddered as the fat black spider fell out of the material and skittered away into the shadows.

Her skin felt itchy with every nerve ending on edge and Beth had to give in to the impulse to smooth the cotton of her chemise and petticoats to check there were