Lady in Red Read Online Free Page A

month?”
    Olivia cleared her throat impressively. “As Ned would say, we’re seaworthy, but taking on water fast.”
    Portia smacked her forehead, sending a wave of bounce through her dark brown hair. “Oh for the love of—”
    “Portia, please!” Cassandra placed her embroidery hoop on her knees. As gentle as she was beautiful, she was forever attempting to keep the peace among her more active brothers and sisters. “Olivia, we understand that things are ill, but how ill?”
    Olivia sighed heavily, and then said in a voice of long suffering, “We’re floundering and will end in the deep blue if the wind doesn’t change.”
    Seven-year-old George looked up from where he was trying to put his frog into the Dresden soup tureen that rested on the sideboard. “Damnation, Olivia! Can’t you speak English?”
    “Georgie!” Cassandra protested, her violet eyes wide. “Where did you hear that word?”
    George looked at Honoria:
    Honoria’s cheeks heated. “What? I did no such thing!”
    “Honoria,” Cassandra said in a disappointed voice.
    Olivia grinned. “And to think you banned poor Ned from saying ‘bloody’ when he was here.”
    Honoria ignored her. “George, when did I ever say such a horrid word?”
    “Last week. When you hit your thumb with the hammer while hanging the picture in the front room. You said ‘Damnation’ and then you said—”
    “I remember,” she said hastily,“ catching the censure in Cassandra’s gentle gaze. ”George, do not say that word— either of them—again.“ Honoria quickly turned her attention back to Olivia. ”Are you saying we have no money?“
    “Exactly.”
    “But I thought that so long as we stayed in budget—”
    “Which no one did. Our expenses this week included seven pounds over our expected expenses.”
    “Seven?” Honoria’s chest ached, and for a moment she wished Ned hadn’t had to join Father. It would be nice to have him here now, smiling reassuringly at her across the room. “But how did that happen? We figured every expense.”
    “No, we didn’t,” Olivia said bluntly. “For example, the price of coal rose and cost us two pounds six shillings more this month than last. Then George had a cold and we kept the sitting room a bit warmer for him.”
    Oh yes. George, for all his robust appearance, was prone to catching every case of ague that went about, some of which went into his ears and produced the most wretched pain and frightfully high fevers. What was worse, though, was that George never complained about the pain, even when it was at its worse. They had Ned to thank for that; unbeknownst to Honoria, before his departure Ned had taken George aside and gravely informed him that he was now the man of the house. Honoria was certain Ned only thought to get George to behave, but instead it had given the poor child an overburdened sense of responsibility, a weighty thing for a not-quite-eight-year-old.
    Honoria sighed. “I had forgotten about George’s ague.”
    “I’m not sick now,” George said, his face fierce.
    “Of course not,” Honoria said. “You’re healthy as a horse.”
    “And Honoria doesn’t even like horses,” Portia chimed in.
    Which was sadly true. And all because Father’s old mare had loved nothing more than to snap at anyone who wandered within sight. Honoria rubbed her arm where a scar lingered still. “That’s neither here nor there. What other expenses were there?”
    “The wheel on the carriage broke. That cost an additional pound and four shillings.” Olivia consulted her paper. “Then Juliet took nine shillings on account.”
    Honoria tried to swallow her sigh.
    Face slightly pink, Juliet shook out her sewing, and Honoria could see that the design was of a black stallion atop a hill, his mane blowing in the wind. Beneath it was transcribed the words Run free and fast. Juliet caught Honoria’s glance and said in a defensive tone, “The money wasn’t for me. It was for Hercules.”
    The