“Yankee,” Maggie finished for him. Underneath her ire there was a certain relief that she would not have to be beholden to Mr. Duncan Kirk for a fancy bedroom and a new wardrobe of clothes. She would miss the boys, Jeremy and Tad, however; she’d liked them both, even if Tad had called her stupid.

“Why the sad look?” Mr. McKenna demanded, frowning. “Have you already formed an affection for our Mr. Kirk?”

“Actually, no,” Maggie replied honestly, “but I do like his boys. I feel terrible about deserting them this way.”

Mr. McKenna looked distinctly uncomfortable, and it came to Maggie that he had the same weakness she did: children. “They’re looking forward to having a teacher, are they?”

Maggie nodded. “I think so.”

Reeve let out a long sigh and Maggie was reminded once again of the dreams she’d had the night before. She wondered if men really did those piercingly pleasant things to women. To her utter surprise, Mr. McKenna handed back the document.

“You’re free, Maggie. I may hate Duncan Kirk, but I’ve nothing against those lads of his.”

Maggie stared at him, unable to believe that she’d just been handed three full years of her life as easily as that. She might have thanked Reeve McKenna, but he leaned toward her and shook an index finger in her face before she got the chance.

“You’ve got to promise me one thing, Maggie,” he warned, looking dour.

There seemed to be something caught in Maggie’s throat, so her voice came out as a squeak. “What?”

“That if you have any trouble with Kirk, any trouble at all, you’ll come to me. And don’t buy anything on that list but what a governess would wear.”

Maggie couldn’t resist a smile. “That’s two things, but I promise anyway. Thank you, Mr. McKenna.”

“My name is Reeve,” he replied, at the same time thumping on the carriage wall with his knuckles. The elegant vehicle came to an immediate stop. “And you’re welcome.”

Maggie was out of the carriage and standing on the sidewalk in a wink. She was free. It was all she could do not to leap for joy. “Thank you again!” she called, jumping so that she could look into the carriage. “Thank you so much!”

“No nightdresses and no evening gowns!” Reeve yelled in response, and then the carriage was moving away.

For a moment, just the fleetest, maddest moment, Maggie considered running after it, brazenly calling out to the driver to stop. But her freedom was too precious and for that reason she simply stood on the sidewalk, staring dumbfoundedly at the disappearing carriage.

After almost a minute Maggie looked around her and realized that she’d been set down in a welter of shops and stores, any one of which would grant unlimited credit on Mr. Duncan Kirk’s name.