Miss Catherine

Margaret Thatcher woke suddenly, realizing with a start that her window was open. Pulling back the sheets and jumping to her feet, the freezing air swept over her. She hurried over to her window, closing it and latching it shut quickly. She rushed back to her bed, dove into it and pulled the sheets back up, wrapping them around her neck. She closed her eyes in the rediscovered warmth, trying to fall asleep yet again.

A knock on the door prevented her from achieving her hoped goal.

Climbing out of bed again into the freezing air, she wrapped her cloak around her as she went to the door. Her sister appeared in the doorway from the other room, shaking her head. Acknowledging her sister's presence silently, Margaret opened the door. Before her stood a fairly tall, well built man with elegantly brushed blonde hair standing before her. She sighed, "Hello, Richard."

"Good morning, Miss Margaret. Is Miss Thatcher in this morning?"

"I'm afraid she is not, Richard." She lied. "I'll be sure to let her know you stopped by."

"I don't suppose you could be so kind as to tell me where I might find her? It is terribly early--she should not be walking alone."

"I'm afraid I have only just awoken myself. I do not know where she is," Margaret lied through her teeth a second time.

"I will check the town. She could not have very well gone anywhere else."

Margaret smiled sweetly and shut the door. Pausing a moment for Richard to leave the building, she turned to her sister. "You know, Catherine, Richard is a very good man. You'd do very well to be with a man like him."

"Then you take him. Lord knows I don't want him. He's as thick as a brick," Catherine smirked.