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“Bite your tongue!” Lucy gasped, tapping a playful slap on Kate’s arm. “Whatever would I do with a respectable man like that?”
“Liven up his life, I’d say.”
“Well, he does need a bit of livening. All he ever does is work.”
“He’s very dedicated. That’s important in a man.”
“Mmm.” Lucy sighed and resumed her pose of a forlorn maid. “Well, you have Aidan in your bed and my beau is nowhere near mine.”
“He’s a beau then, is he?” Lucy’s blush wasn’t the least bit innocent. “I don’t want to disappoint you, Lucy, but he doesn’t seem the type to fall happily into an affair.” Lucy groaned in exaggerated misery, but Kate threw her a cheeky grin that held not a trace of sympathy. “But I, for one, think Lucy Penrose is a lovely name.”
“Ha! Can you imagine that? Me, a nice married woman?”
“Yes, and so can you. I can tell by the frighteningly devoted way you watch him.”
“Never say so!” Lucy laughed, jumping up from the stool. “Are you ready then?”
Kate drew a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
“You look so beautiful.”
Kate ran a shaky hand down the skirt of her new dress. The silk was a deep ruby red shot through with hints of black. She loved it so much and could not wait for Aidan to see it. But the thought of being surrounded by his family set off butterflies in h
er stomach. What would they think of her? Did they blame her for his unhappiness?
She was so glad she’d brought Lucy along as her guest. Since the moment they’d set foot in the York family home that afternoon, she’d done her best to distract Kate from her nervousness. But though Lucy kept up her chatter, Kate was still trembling as they descended the stairs. There were so many people to meet, and she felt like a lone warrior entering battle.
As soon as her feet touched the floor, Kate looked up and saw Aidan’s mother headed straight for her. Kate squeaked, but her squeak was smothered in Baroness York’s arms as the woman pulled her into a tight embrace.
Hoping she was being hugged and not strangled, Kate tentatively patted her back.
“You!” the baroness sobbed.
Kate stared wide-eyed at Aidan as he approached with a smile. “Lady York, I’m sorry if I’ve—”
“My darling girl, you are the best birthday gift I could ever receive!”
“Oh, I . . . Are you quite sure?” Kate made helpless eyes at Aidan, but he only crossed his arms and watched with a wide grin. Help me, she mouthed when his mother squeezed even tighter. Aidan shook his head.
“My dear, dear girl,” his mother sighed before finally leaning back to hold Kate at arm’s length. “Returned from the dead! Imagine that! I tell you, I fainted when I heard the news. I did!”
“Mother,” Aidan warned quietly.
“Oh, hush. I won’t tell a soul. Not a soul!”
Her voice carried clearly through the crowd, and Kate laughed at the way Aidan winced. They’d agreed it would be best if no one knew who Kate Gallow truly was. She was being introduced as a distant cousin from Hull, but his poor mother was fairly vibrating with the need to tell everyone the real story.
“And thank you,” the dowager baroness whispered loudly, “for bringing my son back. He has been ever so grumpy for years.”
Aidan sighed loudly, newly irritated again, it seemed.
“Oh, it’s true!” the baroness whispered, though her whisper carried as far as her normal voice. Aidan claimed she had practiced that for years. “He has been a trial, I tell you.”
Kate pressed a hand to her mouth to try to stifle her laugh. She thought she heard Aidan growl, but the tension was defused by a tiny elderly woman who shuffled over to the baroness’s side. She eyed Kate from behind wrinkles so deep that Kate wondered if she could see past them.
“Aunt Ophelia,” Aidan said with a small bow. “May I present Mrs. Gallow of Hull? Kate, this is my great-aunt, Mrs. Ophelia White.”
“It’s a pleasure,” Kate said, dipping into a low curtsy. The tiny woman looked so ancient that Kate had to fight the urge to reach out and support her.
