Augusta and Madge

This is from Bedroom Eyes, Book 2: Song of Love. Augusta “Gus” Rudhall will be ordered to London for the Season despite wanting nothing more than to stay in the country with her beloved pig, Madge.

Gus’s heart lived outside her body in the form of Rudhall Grange. Part of her would wither to ashes, the way a cold burnt log falls apart when struck, when the estate passed to the hated cousin, the usurper heir, Roger.

The next morning, Augusta skipped practice and took the straightest path to the pig barns. Her sister talked to the bees as much as she talked to the pigs.

She had a favorite tree, a gnarled old apple tree that spread its branches over the pig barns. A large branch provided a cozy spot for pig viewing. Madge was one of two sows, her favorite and secret-keeper. Augusta visited to share her woes.

Every spring, Madge gave birth to an enormous litter of piglets. Gus delighted in monitoring them as they grew and explored their world. When first born, they were tiny compared to their mother. Each piglet was no larger than the length of her forearm. But Mama Madge fattened them up. She would grunt and call, and the piglets eagerly lined up at the bar. Most often, the piglets were white with black spots. Sometimes, the father was a different boar than old Nemo, and the mother sow had golden chestnut babies with black spots. Augusta adored all of them.

The current batch was about a month old, had doubled in size, and were seized with curiosity. Gus climbed into the pen to scratch their backs and bellies before she complained to Madge about how Roger was taking everything away from her, even if he was only fifteen.

“And I have to go back to London to try, again, to find a husband. And I don’t want to leave!”

She had three particular favorite piglets that followed her. Scratching their backs helped to soothe her ruffled soul. When she rose to go, she noticed a shifted board on the stream side of the pen. A fence kept Madge and her babies safe from the stream that ran through the copse.

She rushed to the gap. The big piglet with two black spots Ophelia called ‘Black Butt’ snuffled near the stream’s edge. Gus tweaked the board back into place and scrambled over the fence.

The rip of fabric didn’t detour her. However, running towards the piglet only made him lift his head, squeal, and scurry away on swift piggie feet along muddy rocks. Black Butt led her on a merry chase along the bank before deciding to wade in. The cold water made him stop. She swooped him up, cradling his wriggling form, and plunked him back home. Then she found a large stone to block the board. When she looked up, she found her sister staring back.

“Augusta!” Ophelia appeared dressed for tea.

Muscles in her chest tightened. “You don’t come here much. You say it smells.”

“Mother wants to speak to you.” Her sister folded her hands and stared. But she didn’t look at her as their eyes didn’t meet. Gus suddenly had the idea that Ophelia stared through her to Madge’s barn, having the ability to see through the stone walls.

Ice chilled her veins. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure. She said she wanted to reiterate her instructions about London.”

BUY HERE: https://buy.bookfunnel.com/vv4ee4uvf8

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

#romancebooks
#historicalromancenovel
#NeurodivergentHeroines #DiverseHeroines #ArrangedMarriageTales #InclusiveFiction #EmpoweringCharacters #DifferentNotLess