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Katherine widened her eyes. “Isn’t it better to know what to beware of? I mean” She stopped to reassure herself they were far from being overheard but, as it was not yet the fashionable hour of the day for promenading and the avenue was empty but for them, went on in a rush, “When I was kissing Jack I noticed that I felt like it was not enough. That there was something more. And Jack was definitely affected…in unexpected ways.” She blushed hotly. “I may be an innocent, Aunt, and I know Mama and Papa have taken every care to ensure I’m sheltered, but I’m not stupid. What about the farmyard animals? Of course, I know what stallions do to mares to produce a foal. Only, when I mentioned it to one of my governesses, she said animals and human beings are entirely different.”
“So they are.” Antoinette smiled. She paused to take her niece’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “And now I’m going to tell you everything your mother is so terrified of you knowing because, right now, I believe your understandable curiosity is more important than her unfounded—in my opinion—fears.”
Relieved, Katherine looked enquiringly up at her aunt as she halted in the middle of the gravel walkway. “So, my future husband will want to do more than just kiss me?”
“If you choose the right husband, you’ll want to do those things, too.”
Katherine thought of the way her heart had skittered all about her chest when Jack had kissed her. She’d wanted him to touch her all over. Even the thought of their brief tryst in the passage made her breathless.
Her aunt sent her a knowing smile. “I won’t go into details—for the sake of my promise to my sister—but suffice to say that it’s only when a certain…nakedness…is achieved, that the marriage act is consummated. Very coy, I know, but I trust you’ll use your imagination.”
Katherine looked about to make sure that not another living person was in sight before she asked, “What does consummation involve?” She tried to recall her history lessons in the school room. “I’ve heard it used in a way where I thought it was a legal term and nothing about being in love.”
Her aunt laughed. “You might say that the physical act where the husband lies on top of his wife, just as the stallion does the mare, is the legal side of consummation, whereas any love and pleasure that goes with it is just good fortune. You, my dear, are in the very happy position of having a substantial dowry, which means you can choose a suitably connected husband who makes your heart do all the right things. In other words, you can marry for love.”
Katherine nodded and pressed her lips together, glad she was talking about this to her aunt and not her mama. “I think I understand. I remember learning about King Henry VIII who tried to have his marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled so he was free to marry Anne Boleyn in order to have a son. Miss Matterson wasn’t very good at answering my questions because of course I knew King Henry and Katherine of Aragon already had a daughter. But you’ve explained it much better. So, I understand that a marriage needs to be consummated in order to have a child.” She bit her lip as she reasoned it out, adding, “Which, of course, means you’ve consummated the marriage act twice, and so has Mama because both of you have two children each.”
“Stop! No, there’s something missing.” Aunt Antoinette, looking flustered, put her hand to her bonnet as a gust of wind threatened to blow it away. “Goodness, Katherine, I’ve never considered myself the slightest bit prudish, but we live in less…liberal times, now, perhaps. And it certainly is no easy task talking about this to an innocent, particularly when that innocent is the gently reared child of my sister, who is adamant your delicate ears aren’t sullied by my crude talk.” She drew in a deep breath, then said, “There is enormous pleasure in the marriage act though, ideally, a child only results when it is desired. Otherwise, my nursery would be overflowing,” she added with a smile. “So, suffice to say that you must choose a husband who makes your little heart want to shoot to the stars—and if you want to minimise your nursery, you can talk to me about that later.”
She said this under her breath but Katherine, thoroughly excited by her candour, tugged at the lace of her aunt’s modish mauve silk gown and asked, “Please tell me now. I…I’m not sure I want to start my nursery the day I marry. Truly, I had great reason to consider this when I stayed at my friend, Miss Larson, at the vicarage in Tunley. Her mother had nine children, and when I heard her bemoan the fact she was soon to have a tenth, I wondered why she didn’t do anything about it.”
“Poor woman. Such ignorance! But as few prospective brides are given the slightest bit of useful information before marriage, it’s hardly surprising. Well, Katherine, suffice to say there are ways to minimise the number of children brought into the world, but we’ll talk about that when you’re about to walk down the aisle. Now, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, I do believe I see young Jack up ahead. I know he was in Oxford Street outfitting himself for his departure to the West Indies next Monday.”
Chapter 7
Jack was surprised he hadn’t noticed Katherine before her aunt hailed him. He was usually extremely conscious of Katherine if she was anywhere in the vicinity.
At the very moment his attention had been caught by Lady Quamby’s elegant wave, he’d been walking quite quickly through Hyde Park, deep in thought. How many trunks should he transport and what, exactly, should he put in them? Disconcertingly, he was experiencing a sudden and unexpected lack of faith in his ability to fulfill the ambitions of his mother and uncle, and everyone else who believed that he could be an effective overseer for such a large enterprise as the tea plantation to which he was destined.
“You look like the birds of paradise I’m told I’ll see during my travels,” he told them, doffing his hat upon a gallant bow. “And let me say how much I admire your bonnet, Katherine. If I’d come much closer without knowing it was you, I’d have imagined myself walking towards a rose bush.”
He liked the coquettish way Katherine patted the profusion of blooms nestled beneath the brim of her elaborately trimmed straw hat and said, as he offered her his arm, “Allow me to escort you to the gates before I return to the duties that lie heavily upon my shoulders.”
Katherine rested her hand lightly upon his forearm. “I trust you’re comin
g to the ball tonight because I told George he couldn’t escort me as I’d already promised you.”
Jack felt a ridiculous jolt of pleasure. “I wasn’t intending to go with so much still to organise, but as I’d hate to see you complicit in unladylike lies, then I’ll look in, if only for an hour or so.”
“If only all gentlemen were so gallant,” sighed Lady Quamby, turning as an acquaintance hailed her. And as this particular acquaintance was in possession of a pair of fine muscular shoulders padding out his superfine coat, and intense dark eyes above a wolfish smile, Jack was not surprised when she made her excuses, telling him that he’d now have to see Katherine home as she “hadn’t seen Mr Montgomery in a full two months”, inferring there was a great deal for them to catch up on.
“My aunt is very popular with the gentlemen,” Katherine remarked, as she and Jack strolled beneath the trees.
“And you appear to be so, too, if the three evenings I’ve observed you holding court like a butterfly queen is anything to go by.”
“Oh, Jack, that was remarkably poetic. I do like it when you say things like that to me!” She squeezed his arm then sighed, so of course Jack needed to find out what was troubling her.
“But you’re enjoying yourself? You seem to be.”
She gave him a wicked smile which he returned, because of course she was silently alluding to their kiss which, if truth be told, he couldn’t stop thinking about, which was most inconvenient when there were so many more important matters he ought to be attending to.
“Yes, but the choices, Jack! There are so many men who have just the right address, whom I know I could marry, and who’ve shown a decided interest in my company and”
“Here comes one now. Lord Derry, I believe?”
Jack assessed the gentleman once they’d been introduced and Katherine was merrily prattling away to his lordship. She was the cleverest coquette, he decided, and Lord Derry was clearly smitten. Jack had no doubt that Katherine could have her pick of any of London’s finest once she’d made up her mind. He should be pleased for her, but he had to admit to just the slightest twinge of jealousy. And disappointment that he’d not be around to observe her final brilliant coup d’etat. Or rather coup de matrimony. He’d have to satisfy himself with hearing about it from his mama when she wrote to him at his far-distant posting across the seas.
“So, what do you think of Lord Derry?” Katherine quizzed him when they were alone once more.
