Page 24 of The Art of Tempting a Marquess

‘I shan’t attend Lady Inverley’s garden party, in any case. ’Twas time I returned home.’

Alden looked genuinely disappointed. ‘To what end? To be hen-pecked by her ladyship, the dowager marchioness?’

James hid a wince. He was not looking forward to a reunion with his mother, who, in her mind, would no doubt have by now invented all manner of stories about his rakish scrapes in Berkshire. Lady Thorburn was nothing if not imaginative.

‘You shall have to entertain all of Lady Inverley’s guests without me, Alden,’ James said, nevertheless. ‘I am quite resolved to leave.’

Even as he said this, however, he felt a pang of longing. There was no guarantee, he reminded himself, that Lady Katherine would accept the invitation to the party, however. How well he could picture the expression on her face when Lord Inverley had insisted that she remain at his estate, when the truth first emerged about her origins. James suspected Lady Katherine had no wish to assume the role of an earl’s daughter at all.

I can’t say that I blame her, if I’m honest.

The life of a noble is certainly very different from anything to which she is accustomed.

He had plenty to do in London, truth be told. Friends at the club to play cards with. Dinners and balls to attend. And he might ride out to the canal in Wiltshire one of these days. If he happened to pass a certain farmhouse on his way, that was nothing extraordinary, after all. ’Twas only sensible to conclude his visit at Inverley tomorrow, before the party. With luck, that would prove to Alden once and for all that James had no special interest in Lady Katherine.

Kate

A carriage pulled into the farm’s courtyard the following morning, well before noon, and a prim-looking russette-haired lady, dressed tidily in a walking dress and light pelisse, emerged from the carriage. Her hair was tucked in a bonnet, without curls to adorn her face. Kate peered out of the window at her, quite at a loss as to understand who she was.

A footman who had ridden at the back of the carriage stood a step behind the lady, holding a rather large bag.

Has she come to visit? Who can she be?

Aunt Mary, who had insisted upon rising but now was winded and had taken a seat near the hearth, sensed Kate’s agitation and frowned at her. ‘What is the matter, my dear?’

Kate glanced at her, and then back out the window. ‘There’s someone come to call.’

Aunt Mary’s face took on an expression of alarm. ‘One of your relations?’

‘If she is, I do not know her.’

Aunt Mary stood with effort, pulling her shawl more tightly around her. ‘Well, Jenny shall show her in soon enough. Sit down and busy yourself with something.’

Kate bit her lip but hastened to comply, taking a seat on the sofa and pulling her darning into her lap.

‘A Miss Pascal to see you, Miss Norwood,’ Jenny, the maid-of-all-work, announced a moment later.

The brunette entered then, and Kate stood, setting aside the darning. She wrung her hands and then when she became aware of it thrust them behind her back.

‘Good morning, Miss Pascal,’ Aunt Mary greeted the lady. ‘Welcome to Norwood farm.’

Miss Pascal smiled warmly. ‘Mrs. Norwood, I presume? A pleasure to meet you.’

She had the faintest French accent, Kate noticed, which only increased her bewilderment.

‘And you must be Lady Katherine,’ Miss Pascal continued, turning to Kate.

Kate dropped a quick curtsey, then belated realized that this was probably not proper etiquette for an earl’s daughter faced with an untitled person. Her cheeks flamed.

‘I confess you have the advantage of me, Miss Pascal,’ she murmured. ‘You seem to know who I am, but I know not who you are.’

‘By heaven, Kate,’ breathed her aunt in disapproval.

Kate gave her a pleading look, but said no more. How could she avoid pointing out the problem, even if her aunt did think she was being rude? Was she to offer this lady tea with no idea of who she was or why she had come?

‘I take no offense at Lady Katherine’s words,’ Miss Pascal said with a smile. ‘Do not be troubled, Mrs. Norwood.’

Aunt Mary seemed placated, and she settled back into her seat.

‘I am here at Lady Inverley’s behest,’ Miss Pascal said.

I might have guessed that much, Kate thought, vexed.

‘I am a lady’s maid, most recently employed with Lady Barton, although I am aggrieved to say that lady has passed away.’

‘A lady’s maid?’ Aunt Mary muttered, blinking.

‘Indeed. I am here to prepare Lady Katherine for this afternoon’s garden party, and to return with her to Inverley in the landau.’

This declaration gave Kate’s stomach a turn.

The garden party? Is it truly this afternoon?

Ever since Frances had revealed her origins, she had felt for all the world like she was riding a bolting horse, unable to stop or dismount.

Aunt Mary looked at her. ‘Well, I suppose that was very thoughtful of Lady Inverley.’

Despite her disorientation, Kate had to agree, and recalling Lady Inverley’s unhappiness, wondered at the generosity she was showing.

Perhaps ’twas but a fleeting emotion, Kate thought. She was shocked, as we all were. But given a few days to recover, she has chosen to embrace me.

Kate hoped dearly that this was the case.

‘I do not wish to hurry you, my lady,’ Miss Pascal said to Kate, ‘but we haven’t a great deal of time if we are to return in time for the party.’

‘Oh, quite,’ Aunt Mary said, standing with some difficulty. ‘Make haste, Kate. You must not keep Lady Inverley waiting, after she has been so kind.’

Kate stood as well and, after casting one last worried look at her aunt—‘Don’t you fret about me, Kate, I shall do very well without you,’ the woman dismissed her—she took the lady’s maid with her to her bedchamber.

‘Have you everything in that bag, Miss Pascal?’ Kate asked as the footman followed and deposited the luggage he carried, then excused himself.

‘Quite,’ said the maid. ‘But you mustn’t refer to me as “Miss” Pascal, my lady. You must call me simply “Pascal.”’

Kate felt her cheeks flush again.

‘There is no need to feel any discomfort at the mistake,’ Pascal continued. ‘I have heard the whole story of your history, my lady. The countess herself informed me that an aspect of my role shall be to apprise you of matters of etiquette with which you may be unfamiliar, due to your upbringing.’

‘Lady Inverley truly has thought of everything,’ Kate said.

Pascal gave Kate a smile. ‘I have attempted to imagine myself in your position, my lady. I must say, I have been unsuccessful. But one cannot but think ’twould be most bewildering.’

Kate nodded. ‘That it is.’

‘Now, if you will allow me, I propose to give you a lesson each time I help you dress. I shall choose a situation, one you are likely to encounter, and speak on the expectations others of your rank will have of you.’

A feeling of relief lifted Kate’s heart. ‘Oh yes, pray, I would very much like to learn as much as I can.’

‘Capital,’ Pascal said heartily. She busied herself removing from the large bag a lovely dress of worked muslin, with lace sleeves, tied round the waist with a narrow blue satin ribbon, in a bow on the right side and long ends. Next came a high bonnet of white satin and lace, with a plaited front, edged with silver, along with white gloves and shoes.

Kate stared in awe at the ensemble, marveling that she was to wear such lovely, delicate things. As Pascal began to help her dress, she had to concentrate to listen as the lady’s maid began her first lesson, focusing on table manners. Kate desperately wanted to know what was expected of her, but it was all so astonishing and overwhelming.

‘I daresay you shan’t have too much difficulty with etiquette at the garden party. Although you haven’t had your debut so you mustn’t speak to anyone without one of your family members expressly addressing you first, you understand,’ Pascal said as she finished with Kate’s hair.

‘Yes,’ Kate managed, although her anxiety had risen again.

As Kate left her room, she was surprised to find Uncle John in the main parlour. Aunt Mary leaned on his arm, her eyes suspiciously misty.

‘Oh, by Jove,’ Uncle John said when he saw Kate. ‘Look at you, my dear. A bonny young lady you are.’

‘I thank you, Uncle,’ Kate replied.

Aunt Mary came to her then, and took both Kate’s hands in her own. ‘They shall ask you to remain there, I daresay,’ she said softly.

Kate opened her mouth to protest that she would not, but Aunt Mary shook her head.

‘We cannot behave as though nothing has changed, my dear Kate,’ she said.

Kate’s throat closed and tears pricked her eyes.

‘I know you are a bit frightened of this new life,’ Aunt Mary said softly. Her kind eyes regarded Kate with affection. ‘And I’ll wager it won’t be an easy adjustment. But ’tis where you belong now, and there’s no denying it.’

‘Oh, Aunt, I—I do not wish to leave the farm—’

‘Nonsense,’ Aunt Mary admonished her. ‘You’ve never been happy here. And you are of age to be married, my dear. Knowing what we do, how can we wish you to wed a farmer? Hm? No, that is not your lot.’

Kate thought instantly of Lord Thorburn, and her cheeks warmed.

‘’Twould seem a different path lies before you,’ Aunt Mary said knowingly. Kate’s blush spread.

‘We shall miss you a great deal, my dear,’ Uncle John said from over Aunt Mary’s shoulder.

‘And I shall miss you,’ Kate replied, feeling miserable and excited all at once.

Aunt Mary, still holding Kate’s hands in one palm, patted the tops of them with the other. ‘There, there, my dear Kate. You mustn’t fret. This will all turn out well in the end, you will see. I only ask that you write to me, from time to time.’

‘I shall write every day!’ Kate exclaimed.

Aunt Mary laughed. ‘What faradiddles! You shan’t have time. But that is just as well. I should like to know how you are doing, and you may give me as many details as you can, but once a week should be amply sufficient.’

With that, her aunt embraced her, and Kate gave her uncle a kiss on the cheek, and soon enough she was sitting across from Pascal in the carriage the maid had brought. Kate should have liked to sit quietly with her feelings and her thoughts, but Pascal continued to educate her all along the hours it took to travel from the Norwood farm to Inverley. By the halfway point, Kate despaired of remembering everything, but she only nodded and pretended to take it all in.

I know more than before, she told herself. And I suppose Pascal shall have to repeat herself for a good portion of it all. I do hope she shan’t mind.

When at last they arrived in Berkshire, Kate turned her attention to the window. The weather, she was pleased to see, was very fine.

They pulled into the drive at Inverley by early afternoon. Pascal’s lecturing had subsided, for which Kate was grateful. She felt her head was full to bursting with the information the maid had shared already.

As the carriage came to a stop, she looked out again and saw that several people had assembled to meet it. She recognized Lord and Lady Thorburn, as well as Lieutenant Alden, but there was also an adolescent girl with them she had never met.

Kate sucked in a deep breath, mustering her courage.

‘This is it,’ she whispered to herself.

The footman offered her his hand, and Kate took hold of her muslin skirt, stepping down from the landau and raising her eyes to look at the family that awaited her.

With trepidation, she readied herself to begin her new life.

Chapter 10

James

At Ascott, James stood beside Alden, watching as the horse he had put fifty pounds on lost.

‘Well, fancy that,’ Alden said, grinning at James, for his horse had taken second place, which under the rules of betting gave him a win.

‘Can’t win every time,’ James grumbled.

‘Indeed, but I must say you usually choose more judiciously. Almost as if you were distracted...’

James rolled his eyes and accompanied Alden to collect his winnings. The crowd was lively and the gentlemen were jostled as they went, but soon Alden was almost a hundred pounds richer and beaming from ear to ear.

‘’Twill be time to leave for Inverley,’ the lieutenant said.

Now that the moment had come, James felt himself powerfully drawn to return to the estate with Alden.

If I do, he shan't ever let me hear the end of it. He shall believe it proof of everything he has been insinuating and more.

And yet, is he truly misled in his insinuations?

I wish very much to see Lady Katherine again, I cannot deny it.

Yet ’tis only because I find her case so interesting. What is the harm in that?

Let Alden have his jests. I shan’t allow him to determine for me what I shall do with my time.

James straightened his shoulders at the thought and marveled a bit that Lady Katherine inspired him so. Usually, he avoided situations that led to unpleasant interactions, even with friends, but she had awakened a curiosity within him that made him feel more alive than he had in a very long time.

‘Upon consideration, I believe I shall attend the garden party,’ James announced.

‘Do you mean it, Thorburn?’ Alden said jovially. ‘What a lark!’

What Alden didn’t understand, James thought, was the nature of his interest. It was entirely platonic. He had no designs on Lady Katherine of a romantic nature. None in the least.

He clapped Alden on the shoulder with good cheer. ‘We’d best be on our way.’

‘Indeed. Lady Katherine no doubt awaits.’

James smirked.

Yes, let Alden have his jest. I know better.

Lady Henrietta

Lady Henrietta Winfrith, eldest daughter of the Earl of Astington, had attended many garden parties in the two years since she had been ‘out.’

With her stylishly curled pale blonde hair, very large brown eyes, and waifishly thin frame, she considered herself as graceful as a fawn, although if that was indeed true, she was also a wolf in deer’s clothing. Lady Henrietta was no innocent ingenue, unaware of the ways of high society. She was, instead, a master of the games the nobility played, be they the pleasant amusements of croquet or skittles, or the darker, secret strategies of the peerage’s chessboard.

In this vein, the surprising introduction of Lady Katherine Alden onto that board had interested Lady Henrietta as much as it had all of those who learned of it. Lady Katherine had not, of course, yet made her official debut, but Lady Henrietta was well aware that she had been invited to attend the garden party at Inverley, and ’twas only a matter of time before Lady Katherine became a true player.

‘Ah, and there’s the pretty little buccaneer now,’ Lady Henrietta said through her teeth.

Smiling at everyone, Lady Henrietta strolled arm in arm with her sister, Lady Agnes. Lady Henrietta particularly enjoyed her sister’s company for she was well aware that Agnes, with her heavier frame and sallow complexion, could only make her older sister more lovely by comparison.

She gazed at the newcomer, a rosy-cheeked girl with dark blonde hair that resisted being styled into tidy curls, as though it would betray the minx’s lowborn origins, even if she would have everyone believe she was a peer.

‘Why do you call her a buccaneer, Hetty?’ Agnes asked, displaying both her usual lack of wit and her constant fascination for every word that came from her sister’s mouth.

Lady Henrietta glanced about at the company, ascertaining that a chattering group of ladies by a hedge was too far to overhear, and a laughing pair of gentlemen standing near the skittles alley was too engrossed in their discussion to care for what anyone else was saying. She whispered to her sister, ‘Because she is an opportunist, dear Aggie. I do not believe she is truly the daughter of the earl and his first wife. She has merely convinced the earl that it is so. Quite an achievement, really.’

Lady Agnes nodded sagely, although Lady Henrietta suspected she did not fully understand what she had said. It mattered not. It pleased Henrietta to have someone discreet to listen when she spoke, and Agnes fulfilled the role adequately.

‘I heard that Lord Thorburn fancies her,’ Agnes said, sending sudden cracks through Lady Henrietta’s sense of equanimity.

‘You heard what?’ she hissed.

Agnes blinked at her, taken aback by the response. ‘Oh yes. Lieutenant Alden spoke of it yesterday at the picnic. When we were playing cards. Whist, you know.’

Henrietta closed her eyes for a moment, mustering patience. ‘I care not whether ’twas whist or piquet, Aggie. Tell me precisely what Alden said.’

‘Oh, I daresay I’ve forgotten what he said precisely,’ Agnes fretted. ‘Only something about Lord Thorburn being infatuated.’

‘Infatuated?’ Lady Henrietta cried. Agnes all but cowered.

‘I do not recall whether that was the precise word he used, Hetty!’

Henrietta scowled, then schooled her features to hide her displeasure, throwing a bright smile at Lord and Lady Thistledown as she passed them.

This will not do.

This will not do at all.

A buccaneer, indeed! Like a pirate, the horrid little minx meant to invade Henrietta’s world and make off with what was most valuable to her.

How complacent I have been, thinking her just an amusement to liven up the Season.

No, Lady Katherine Alden was far more of a threat than Lady Henrietta had initially evaluated her to be, if what Agnes said was true. Could it be true? Could Lord Thorburn actually be smitten with the wretched girl?

‘Lieutenant Alden must be mistaken,’ she murmured, more to herself than to Agnes. ‘Lord Thorburn is not so silly.’

And yet, as she cast a glance back at Lady Katherine, she saw beyond her a pair of riders arrive. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized them: Lieutenant Alden and Lord Thorburn himself. They dismounted, handing off their horses to a groom, and marched over directly to join the guests. Lady Henrietta held her breath, waiting to see whether Lord Thorburn would seek out the newest addition to the company.

He did.

Thoughtlessly, she raised a gloved hand to her mouth, biting a bit of the lace at the forefinger in distress.

Lord Thorburn’s face was alight with a joy she had never seen in it prior to this moment. ’Twas undeniable.

‘Confound it,’ she breathed. ‘He is infatuated with the dratted girl.’

And in that instant, through no action of her own, Lady Katherine gained a potent enemy.

Kate

Kate hardly knew where to look.

All the fine ladies, in their lovely fair weather dresses and bonnets, and all the handsome gentlemen, in their straw hats and light coats, seemed like so many angels to her, wonderful and terrifying in equal part. As she made her way through the crowd on Lord Inverley’s arm, she blushed and curtseyed but spoke directly to no one, allowing him to guide her.

She knew she was on display. She was grateful for the lovely muslin dress and pretty bonnet she wore. Soon, she would make her debut, and then there might be suitors coming to visit and court her. For now, she was merely an ornament on her newly discovered father’s arm, however. Everyone stared at her. None were so rude as to address her, but many guests spoke to Lord Inverley about her, as though she was not right there. ’Twas powerfully strange to be the center of so much attention.

Lord Thorburn arrived, and Kate felt her cheeks warm just to see him. To him she had already been introduced, and he might speak with her. She found the prospect most pleasing. Then he caught her eye and smiled at her. She had to lean on her father’s arm, she felt such a rush of elation.

Lord Thorburn came to them directly, her uncle, Lt. Alden, a few steps behind.

‘Inverley,’ Lord Thorburn said by way of greeting. ‘I’ve just come from the race. Capital affair.’

Lord Inverley grunted at him.

Feeling flustered at Lord Thorburn’s sudden proximity, Kate lowered her gaze, but she could feel his eyes upon her.

‘We must have a game of cricket,’ Thorburn said to Inverley.

Alden snorted. ‘Cricket? You, Thorburn?’

Kate risked a glance at the marquess’s face. He was grimacing slightly.

‘I like cricket,’ he said, his tone suggesting this was not altogether true.

Alden laughed, and her father gave the two young men a nod before leading her away.

Disappointment rushed through her: he had not addressed her, and neither had Lieutenant Alden. Suddenly she felt very alone, despite all the people.

They came around to where Lady Inverley stood, her daughter, Lady Beatrice Alden, by her side. Her spirits rallying, Kate studied the latter. Lady Beatrice was fifteen, with the same grey-blue eyes Kate had come to know to be distinctive of the Aldens; the soft, full cheeks of youth; and dark brown hair which framed her face in tight curls. Kate felt intense curiosity about her half-sister, but she had not yet had the opportunity to speak with her. Lady Beatrice was not yet out either, and Kate hoped that meant they might slip off to the side, soon enough, and become acquainted. The younger girl smiled as Kate approached, but lowered her gaze shyly.

A willowy blonde with unusually large and wide-set brown eyes glided up to Lady Inverley just as Kate and Lord Inverley arrived at his wife’s side. Another young woman accompanied her, but she seemed intent on remaining in the first lady’s shadow.

‘Lord Thorburn, Lady Thorburn, what a delightful party this is,’ the blonde said in cultured tones. Kate watched her with fascination. She was the picture of everything one imagined a noble woman to be: graceful, mannered, and charming. She glanced again at her companion, but the blonde commanded attention as she went on, ‘I insist that you introduce me to your protege at once. I shall be the first to meet her.’

Kate looked at her father and Lady Inverley to gauge their response to this, for as far as she knew, the request was out of the ordinary. Indeed, both of them seemed uneasy, but Lady Inverley gave a nod. ‘Lady Henrietta Winfrith, I present you Lady Katherine Alden.’

Lady Henrietta cocked her head to the side and reached for Kate’s hands, taking them in both of hers. ‘Well, let me look at you. Yes, you are just as I imagined. One can see the ruddy complexion of the farm upon your cheeks, can one not?’

Kate suppressed a flinch. She was well aware of her lack of refined pallor, but to have it mentioned in such a way was most disheartening.

But Lady Henrietta was not finished.

‘And just look at that thick hair. Your lady’s maid shall have a terrible time attempting to tame it, I daresay. No doubt a result of lack of proper care.’ At this Lady Henrietta affected a look of kindly pity. ‘I say, you poor child, how you’ve suffered, all these years, far from your true family and home. The consequences of your deprivation can be seen in every aspect of your person!’

Kate pulled her hands free of Lady Henrietta’s grip. ‘That is false,’ she said, distressed. ‘I have suffered no deprivation! My upbringing was more than adequate to my needs, I was shown a great deal of kindness and—’

A scoffing noise from Lord Inverley interrupted her.

Kate hesitated, but she could not countenance such disparaging of her aunt and uncle. ‘’Tis true, my lord, I assure you! The Norwoods raised me very well and took every care within their power—’

‘But that’s just the point, isn’t it,’ said Lady Inverley. She had her chin raised and was eyeing Kate as though evaluating a length of cloth.

Kate blinked, disconcerted. ‘The point?’

‘Indeed, the Norwoods may have attempted to—’ Lady Inverley made a vague gesture with her hand— ‘to care for you properly, but it was not within their power to do so, for you are a lady, not some coarse dairymaid. You have been badly neglected, it is apparent.’

Kate’s eyes darted from one face to the next. Only Lady Beatrice seemed chagrined at the turn of the conversation. Lord and Lady Inverley were almost sneering at her, and Lady Henrietta wore a faint smirk. The lady with her stared as if fascinated.

My father and his wife view me with contempt, and to Lady Henrietta and her companion I am some sort of amusement—like a court jester one ridicules.

Tears stung Kate’s eyes, and she turned away.

She heard Lady Inverley call her name as she began to walk, but she did not turn around.

I should never have left the farm.

What was I thinking? That I could become an earl’s daughter simply because I was born one?

Madness. I am Kate Norwood, not Lady Katherine Alden, and I shall never fit here, even if I never fit there. I am doomed to be miserable wherever I am.

But at least at the farm no one scorns me.

Kate looked about her, uncertain of where she was hurrying off to, but knowing there was only one place she wanted to go.

Home.

She would find her way home, if she had to steal a horse from the stables to do so.

Chapter 11

James

There was a flurry of talk, a sure sign that something of note had taken place.

James watched it move through the garden party: first a group of ladies by a hedge began whispering urgently amongst themselves. Then one left the group and found two ladies and gentleman and relayed whatever the news was to them.

The gentleman chuckled and left to find some other fellows, telling them about it, and one of the ladies of the second group also moved to speak with still more guests.

’Twas most entertaining to observe, James thought, until he realized the source of the gossip.

Lady Katherine.

Some of the chattering ladies turned in the direction of the stables and one waved that way with her reticule, drawing his gaze. It was then that he saw her, weeping and almost running.

His heart stopped. For an instant he thought to hasten to her side, but what a mistake that would be! Whatever had happened, if he were to go to Lady Katherine now before all of these witnesses, the matter would snowball into a story that would be repeated throughout London and Bath for weeks to come. Some upset distressed the newly recovered Lady Katherine and Lord Thorburn rushed to comfort her? And she, not even yet out in society? The speculation would be unending. As it was, she had provided all the worst busybodies with quite a morsel to enjoy. They would all have their theories about what had transpired to disturb her so, and an hour from now he was sure to hear at least three completely disparate versions. Then they would seize on the most scandalous and spread it about as the gospel truth.

How he hated them all in that moment.

And he despised himself, as well. Why should he care about the feelings of Lady Katherine Alden? Why should any of it matter to him? What had happened to his famed detachment, which had served him so well for years, inuring him from petty upsets such as these?

And yet here he was, most perturbed as he watched her lovely form retreat from the crowd, heading with determination to the stables.

What on earth was she doing? Did she mean to saddle a horse herself, perhaps?

The idea astonished him. And yet, he knew she must be capable. She had handled Merrylegs with aplomb, clearly no stranger to managing animals. And why shouldn’t she have some expertise in that area? She was no pampered, spoiled child of a peer. She had lived among farmers her whole life.

He knew that the realization should have been distasteful to him. ’Twas proof of her unsuitability as a proper lady. And yet it had quite the opposite effect. He found his fascination with her deepening.

At last James turned away from the sight of her leaving.

He could not manage his own feelings. He was most unsettled, and he could not abide it.

He would think of something else at once.

‘Alden, I insist that we have a game of nine pins,’ he announced.

Lieutenant Alden, who had remained happily oblivious to the drama playing out before him, gave James a startled look.

‘First cricket, now nine pins,’ he said in bewilderment. ‘Since when have you had such an appetite for games, Thorburn?’

‘Come along, Alden, I insist.’

With that, James turned his back on the stables, and the lady headed for them.

He would put her out of his mind. Once and for all.

Kate

Kate did indeed saddle her own horse.

She knew she had little time to make her escape.

The dress she wore was entirely wrong for riding, but she could not bear to wait. If she returned to the house and attempted to have Pascal help her change, the lady’s maid would no doubt try to stop her from leaving. Kate was determined to go home before anyone might attempt to delay her.

With a quick look about, she was able to avoid the eyes of groomsmen, most of whom were sitting in a group on one side of the stables, rolling dice. She hurried through the wide walkway of the building, peering into doorways until she saw the tackle room. She selected a bridle and a saddle with two pommels.

As a girl, she had often ridden astride. As she grew older, she no longer had many opportunities to ride, but she had experienced the challenges of a side-saddle on more than one occasion thanks to the efforts of her uncle to provide her with an appropriate mount when she did take out a horse for some errand or other. With the dress she wore now, a side-saddle was her only choice.

What a strange ambivalence she felt as she trotted out of the stables atop a dappled grey gelding. A sense of fierce satisfaction at claiming her freedom from these awful people mixed with desperate sadness and fear. An urgent need to avoid any confrontation pushed her to a canter, and soon she was leaving Inverley behind.

Kate intended never to return.

The ride to Wiltshire was several hours long, which gave her plenty of time to think. Nevertheless, she felt her confusion would resist all efforts to untangle it. By the time she reached the vicinity of Kelding, all she had resolved in her mind was that she would not subject herself to repeated humiliation at the hands of the likes of Lady Henrietta. If it meant she must marry a farmer and forego all dreams of a different life, so be it.

She only wished she might someday find a way to see the ocean.

And her mind returned unbidden, like a tongue worrying a sore tooth, to memories of Lord Thorburn.

But, she told herself firmly, that was so before all of this madness came about.

I thought of him for days after the incident at the marsh.

Perhaps ’tis my lot to dream of him with no hope of ever seeing him again.

Such thoughts made her sad, but she preferred sadness to the indignity of being found wanting by those who would claim to be her family and yet cared nothing for who she really was.

As she passed Kelding she neared Edmund Suggitt’s farm. Her spirits lifted, and she thought of paying him an unexpected call. ’Twas twilight, and he would be back from the herds.

She imagined the look of surprise on his face and urged the gelding on.

Yes, she thought. I shall visit Edmund, and give him to know that I would welcome his courting.

Yet as she turned a bend in the lane, she caught sight of figures standing under trees alongside the road up ahead. In the fading light, at first she could not make out their identities, but the gelding brought her nearer, she recognized Edmund and a girl from Kelding, Lizzie Brant. Lizzie was widely acknowledged to be one of the prettiest girls in Kelding. She was the daughter of a wagoner, and a fine choice for Edmund to take to wife.

Kate’s heart sank, but she could not help but notice a sense of relief within herself at the same time.

I never wanted to be Edmund’s wife.

Only now, I know not what else to do.

’Twas growing late, and she would not find an answer tonight, she feared, so she made her way down the road as night fell, looking to the lights of her uncle’s farmhouse.

As she approached, she noticed a gig in the courtyard.

Kate’s heart accelerated.

I know that gig.

As she guided the horse into the courtyard, her uncle emerged from the house.

‘There you are, Kate! By Jove, you gave us all a scare!’

Kate blinked at him and allowed him to assist her as she dismounted.

‘A scare, Uncle? What can you mean?’

‘Pon my soul, we’d not have worried a bit except for when the gentlemen arrived, asking for you. Lieutenant Alden told us you rushed away from Inverley on a stolen horse!’

His face was flushed and his eyes were a little wide, signs of his distress.

So the gig belongs to Alden, just as I thought.

He followed me, and somehow overtook me, I suppose.

‘I shouldn’t like to think anyone believes I stole the horse, Uncle...’ Kate murmured, although now that she thought of it, what else would anyone assume?

‘I reckoned not, my dear, but we must be sure to return the animal in the morning, first thing,’ Uncle John said as they made their way within.

‘That won’t be necessary.’

The person who spoke was not Lt. Alden at all, but Lord Thorburn.

Kate’s heart stopped and she caught her breath.

The marquess stood from the seat he had taken in the sitting room. Lt. Alden was beside him, standing as well. Aunt Mary rose to her feet from the sofa.

‘My lords,’ Kate managed, but she was quite unsure of what to say next.

‘There is no need to fret regarding the horse,’ Lord Thorburn said. ‘I apologise, Mr. Norwood, for not making it clear before. I purchased him, you understand. Shortly before we left.’

‘You purchased him...?’ Kate breathed, incredulous.

‘Quite so,’ said Lord Thorburn. ‘He shall be my gift to you.’

Kate stared at him, astonished.

‘His name is Dandy,’ Lord Thorburn added.

‘But...I cannot accept him,’ Kate said.

Lord Thorburn gave a shake of his head, his arched eyebrows raised. ‘Nonsense. Had the Aldens but known you all of these years, they should have held many celebrations, for Christmas and the like. As a frequent guest of the family, I suppose I should have had more than one occasion to give gifts. Dandy shall stand in for all of them.’

‘This is most extraordinary, my lord,’ Kate said.

‘Not at all,’ Lord Thorburn said, and then his expression changed to one of chagrin. ‘If I am honest, I do it also because I reproach myself. I saw some of what transpired when you left the garden party and did not intervene. I confess to a most disagreeable lack of nerve in the moment.’

‘I knew nothing of it until Thorburn informed me,’ Lt. Alden put in. ‘He began speaking of playing at nine pins and I knew something was amiss.’

‘Nine pins?’ echoed Uncle John.

Thorburn’s cheeks reddened. ‘An attempt to divert myself. I am not pleased with my reaction, as I said. I soon realized my error, and here we are.’

‘We should like to bring Lady Katherine back to Inverley, Mr. Norwood,’ Lt. Alden said. ‘If she is willing.’

Kate looked away, distressed. Aunt Mary noticed, and moved to her side with a significant look at her husband.

‘’Tis late, my lords,’ Uncle John said. ‘Too late for decisions. I invite you to dine with us and spend the night. We are humble hosts, but a good night’s rest is in order, I believe.’

The noblemen accepted.

Kate found she hadn’t the spirit to converse very much at dinner and left it to her uncle and aunt to entertain Lt. Alden and Lord Thorburn. She felt quite trapped in her thoughts, unable to determine which coarse to take.

After settling their guests in the spare room, Aunt Mary came to Kate in her bedchamber.

‘Now, what on earth happened at Inverley today?’ she asked Kate with obvious concern.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kate told her everything. Pascal’s overwhelming lessons, Kate’s joy at the beauty and finery on display at the garden party, and her disillusionment at Lady Henrietta’s cruelty and Lord and Lady Inverley’s apparent disdain.

Aunt Mary listened quietly, taking Kate’s hand in her own and squeezing it sympathetically. When Kate was at last done, she sighed.

‘’Tis a difficult road you have before you, my dear.’

‘But I cannot decide which road to take, Aunt,’ Kate protested. ‘Indeed, the road to Inverley and life as the daughter of an earl is difficult. But I thought to leave it and instead choose to become a farmer’s wife after all. Only, Edmund seems enamored of Lizzie Vann. Although I suppose he is not the only farmer in need of a wife...’

Aunt Mary gazed at her and shook her head. ‘That choice is an illusion, my dear. Could you turn your back on Inverley and marry beneath you? Yes. But only if you had no other choice. You are the earl’s daughter, whether you wish to be, or not.’

‘But I am not a proper lady, Aunt! I cannot learn to be one all at once. I cannot hope to avoid embarrassing Lord and Lady Inverley every time I am in society.’

Aunt Mary’s eyes were full of compassion. ‘Indeed, you shall have to weather many disagreeable moments, I daresay. But Kate, you are a lovely girl. And anyone with any intelligence will know that your missteps must be attributed to circumstances beyond your control. Look at Lieutenant Alden and Lord Thorburn. They understand, and they like you!’

‘I shan’t ever belong, Aunt Mary!’ Kate exclaimed, distressed.

Aunt Mary smiled. ‘To fit in, you may be told to change yourself, but in being true to yourself, you may discover who truly values you, Kate.’

Kate frowned. ‘You’ve always scolded me, Aunt. You’ve always fretted that I must change, to fit the life before me.’

With a sigh, Aunt Mary looked out into the distance. ‘I have worried a great deal about you, my dear. In doing so, I made the error of pushing you to adapt to our life. I see now that I was mistaken. You were never meant to be a farmer’s wife in Wiltshire, Kate. Will you be seen as different in the new circles you will frequent? Yes. You will, no doubt, be viewed as an eccentric. But you need not be lonely, for all that. I think you may end up in a happy life, indeed.’

Kate shook her head, her brow knitted with vexation. She could not imagine that her aunt was in the right. The Lady Henriettas of the world would never allow her to be happy in the world of the nobility.

But Edmund Suggitt was not meant to be her husband, whether Lizzie Vann liked him or not, Kate knew. And Lord Thorburn had ridden all the way here—fast enough to overtake her. Perhaps he had only come to accompany Lt. Alden...except that his gift of Dandy seemed to imply otherwise.

Perhaps it is not very foolish to think that he may like me.

Kate’s heart swelled with joy and hope at the thought.

‘So,’ said Aunt Mary. ‘Tell me, my dear. What shall you choose to do, tomorrow? Will you remain here with us, or return to Inverley with the young lords?’

Kate felt uncertain, but underneath that doubt, she knew the answer.

She must be brave, and face the future her aunt believed was meant for her.

‘To Inverley,’ she said.

Aunt Mary embraced her.

‘To Inverley, dear Kate. And godspeed.’

Chapter 12

James

‘A gift of a horse, and you wish me to believe your interest in her remains platonic?’ Alden said as they rose and dressed on the morning after their arrival at the Norwood farm.

James frowned at him. ‘Platonic...and familial. She is your niece. I see her in much the same light.’

Alden smiled and shook his head. ‘Very well, Thorburn, have it your way. I daresay I shall be vindicated in the end.’

James took on a similar jovial attitude. ‘You may well believe so, Alden, but when the day comes that she stands before the minister with some other fellow, we shall see who is indeed vindicated.’

Alden raised an eyebrow. ‘If she marries another, I shall owe you a bottle of claret.’

‘Very well, old boy, and if I marry her I shall owe you one.’

Internally, James was not as steady in his convictions as he made himself appear. In fact, one might have said he was experiencing a good deal of turmoil.

Gazing at Lady Katherine across the Norwoods’ simple dinner table the night before, James had found that his fascination for her only grew. She spoke little and seemed subdued, and rather than bore him, this change in her countenance provoked him, making him wish to draw her out. That night as he lay in the lumpy bed in their spare room—Alden has taken the aging chaise longue—he had found sleep elusive. ’Twas perhaps in part because of the uncomfortable nature of the mattress, but he could not put all the blame there. Truth be told he had been consumed with worry about whether she would refuse to return to Inverley, and what that might mean, in terms of her future, and whether there was anything he could do to change her mind.

None of which should be any of my concern, James thought helplessly. Why should I care if she never goes back? If she marries a shepherd and lives out her days shearing sheep in Wiltshire?

And yet, inexplicably, he did care.

So ’twas a great relief to him when she came out to breakfast in a riding habit and her uncle set down a trunk near the entryway.

‘You have decided to travel back to Inverley with us then, my lady?’ James asked in a mild tone at the table. He sipped some tea.

Lady Katherine gave a faint nod. ‘Indeed, I am most grateful for your assistance in this matter,’ she said. Then her eyes brightened and she looked from James to Alden and back. ‘Would—would it be very improper for me to ride Dandy?’

Alden raised his eyebrows and glanced at James. ‘I suppose not, particularly if one of us rides alongside you. Would you like to ride him?’

‘Oh yes,’ she said warmly.

James was unaccountably pleased. ’Twas clear she liked the horse he had given her, and her pleasure at his gift gave him a satisfaction deeper than he could recall experiencing in recent memory.

Extraordinary, James thought. Why does she affect me so?

He had no answer.

Instead, he finished breaking his fast, and then busied himself assisting with the loading of her trunk into the gig. Soon enough Alden was seated in it, the reins in his hand, and James and Lady Katherine were ready on their mounts.

Lady Katherine’s farewell to the Norwoods was teary, but she seemed resolute. He found he admired her courage. He was not in possession of all the facts pertaining to what had caused her such upset the day before, but he could very well guess, especially since he knew that viper, Lady Henrietta, was involved.

She is very brave, to face the uncertain future knowing now what she does about some of those who would see her humiliated if they could.

James had promised himself he would not allow the threat of gossip to stop him from coming to her assistance if it was once again in his power to do so.

I can be her friend, after all. She shall need friends.

And with this in mind, he led the way back to Inverley.

Kate

The ride to Inverley was a pleasant one, although it threatened rain. The threat never materialized and Kate delighted in Dandy. He was hers! She had never owned her own horse, and this was the first substantial sign of her change in circumstances, other than the clothes the day before. And she liked Dandy far more than pretty dresses.

Lt. Alden drove the gig and Lord Thorburn rode alongside her, sometimes urging Merrylegs—who Kate was pleased to see seemed to have fully recovered from the incident in the marsh—into a canter and pulling ahead. He never explained why, and Kate thought it rather odd. It always seemed to happen just as they were having an interesting exchange, almost as if he wanted to escape it.

This unsettled Kate. Perhaps Lord Thorburn did not like her after all. If he was fleeing conversation with her, he must find her terribly dull.

She refused to let such concerns ruin her enjoyment of the ride, however. She spoke to Lord Thorburn when he spoke to her first, but otherwise attempted to pay as little attention to him as she could. In this she was greatly frustrated. She found her eyes would seek him out, no matter what she had decided. He looked very grand, riding Merrylegs in a light grey coat and smart grey top hat. His ruddy hair curled about his ears in a most charming way, his green eyes flashing under the arched brows she so admired.

I cannot help but like him, Kate thought. After all, he has been most kind, and exceptionally generous. He gifted me Dandy, and I shan’t ever forget it.

He must not despise her, Kate reasoned, for who would give such a gift as a horse to a dull girl they despised? And yet again he rode off, leaving her alone, and she must own that he did it to avoid continuing their conversation. ’Twas most confusing, and she was no nearer to knowing what Lord Thorburn was thinking by the time they arrived at Inverley.

Lord Thorburn directed her to follow Lt. Aldens gig up the estate’s drive, so Lt. Alden arrived first and was in a position to call for groomsmen to take the two horses in addition to putting up the gig. Thus it was that Katherine approached the manor on the arm of her uncle, who smiled at her encouragingly.

‘You needn’t take on such an expression of wariness, Lady Katherine,’ Lt. Alden said with mirth in his blue eyes. ‘They shall no doubt be most relieved that we’ve managed to lure you back, you know.’

‘I don’t see why they should be,’ Kate demurred. ‘I shall be a constant embarrassment to them, I daresay.’

‘Perhaps you shall commit the occasional faux pas, my lady,’ Alden said as he guided her up the vast marble stairs to the front entrance of the manor house. Thorburn followed a few steps behind. ‘But despite his cold demeanor, I think my brother is deeply affected by your return. He is not a cheerful man, but that can be traced directly back to the moment when he lost the first Lady Inverley and his child. To have one of you back...well.’

Kate took in a long breath, gazing up at the imposing facade of Inverley Manor. ‘I hope you are in the right, Lieutenant. I have discovered that there is nothing I dislike more than feeling myself an unwelcome interloper.’

The butler, Mr. Greeves, showed the three of them all the way through the house and to the back garden, where the family had all gathered. The cloudy sky had not dissuaded them, Kate noted. Lady Inverley was some distance away, conversing with a servant who was probably a gardener as she pointed to some bushes. Lord Inverley was seated, smoking a pipe. And the young Lady Beatrice was playing with a dog, a pretty black and white setter, throwing a ball and tugging it from the canine’s mouth when the dog returned it to her.

’Twas Lady Beatrice who saw them first. ‘Oh!’ she cried, and hastened over to greet them.

‘Lady Beatrice,’ Thorburn said with a bow, and then he bowed to Lord Inverley. ‘Good afternoon.’

Alden followed suit and Kate curtseyed.

‘Oh, Lady Katherine, you have come back,’ Lady Beatrice exclaimed, and she promptly grabbed Kate’s arm and began to walk, steering her towards the pond.

‘I apologise for my abrupt departure,’ Kate began. ‘I fear I behaved most improperly...’

‘Oh, who can blame you!’ Lady Beatrice said. ‘That beastly Lady Henrietta! I’ve always found her dreadful. Mama told me what happened. She’s most distressed at her part in it, you know. Mama can be difficult...she never lets me rest about my looks and my manners, certainly, but she’s not an evil glass-gazing shrew.’

Kate snorted. ‘And I suppose Lady Henrietta is?’

‘Of the highest order!’ the girl declared. ‘I cannot abide her. She is vain and sly and always looking for a way to cut whoever she can.’

Kate smiled, looping her arm more comfortably through her half-sister’s. ‘’Tis kind of you to say so,’ she said. ‘I should like to have a friend here.’

‘A friend!’ Lady Beatrice exclaimed. ‘Heaven forfend.’

Startled by this response, Kate bit her lip. Had she misjudged the girl’s intentions?

‘No, no,’ Lady Beatrice said. ‘You are my sister, dear Lady Katherine. I cannot express to you my delight in learning of your existence. I have always longed for a sister.’

‘Oh,’ Kate said, her chest loosening. ‘Of course I am delighted as well.’

‘Wonderful! And you must call me Betty from now on.’

‘With pleasure. And you must call me Kate.’

‘Kate! How charming. A very strong-sounding name, I do admire it. I suppose “Betty” seems a bit silly by comparison.’

‘Not at all, I think it’s enchanting,’ Kate said.

Betty beamed at her. ‘We shall be the best of sisters, shall we not?’

Returning her bright smile, Kate nodded. ‘Yes, I am convinced of it.’

Betty grimaced and pulled Kate further alongside the pond as the dog ran alongside them. ‘What a joy it is to have someone to talk to at last! I cannot tell you how I have dreaded the prospect of my debut, and I can say nothing of my misgivings to Mama. She would not understand.’

‘You do not wish to be out?’

The girl gave a firm shake of her head, which sent her curls bouncing. ‘Indeed, I do not! I should like to spend my summer as I always have—reading novels and poetry books—out of doors if the weather allows—writing stories and poems.’

At this she sought out a small, blue, leather-bound book and opened it for Kate to see.

‘This is my journal. All the foolish thoughts of a young girl, you know,’ she laughed. ‘I like drawing and painting, as well. And taking Pepper for walks. Pepper’s my dog, you know.’

Kate thought that did sound very nice, and said so.

‘I haven’t the slightest desire to go to the Queen’s drawing room or attend a ball, and they shall have me do so no matter what I say,’ Betty continued dolefully. ‘Mama says I am not a child anymore, but I should like to remain one a little longer, I think.’

‘Perhaps you should say something to your mother.’

‘Oh, no, she would never listen. And I suppose I mightn’t mind it all very much if I knew for certain one particular gentleman might like to court me...’

Kate raised her eyebrows inquiringly and Betty’s cheeks became pink.

‘’Tis Felix Buckley. He’s the Viscount Harland, I suppose, although I’ve known him since we were both learning to walk, so I cannot bring myself to think of him that way.’

‘And you like him?’

Betty clasped her hands together with a wistful look. ‘I imagine that if he asked me to dance, I should be happy to accept.’

‘Perhaps he shall.’

‘Perhaps,’ Betty said with a shrug. ‘Although for years now he’s acted as though I am quite invisible to him. Instead, I must bear the attentions of a variety of odious old gundiguts and the likes of Mr. Vance.’

‘Odious old gundiguts? And who is Mr. Vance?’

‘Even though I am not out, I can see very well how those elderly widowers look at me,’ Betty said. ‘And Mr. Vance...well, he’s more a popinjay than a gundiguts, I daresay. So vain and always preening. But he seems to like me. Always coming to insinuate himself in conversations with Papa and Mama when I am with them. And he has said on more than one occasion that he anticipates signing my dance card.’

Betty picked up a stick and threw it for the dog.

‘My mother has repeated to me the importance of accepting all requests for dances, so long as the gentleman asking is above reproach. “If you refuse one dance, you must refuse them all, Beatrice.”’ The girl imitated her mother’s proud intonations with that statement.

Kate winced in sympathy. ‘I shall be in the same predicament, I think,’ she said. ‘I am already twenty, and have little time to waste. You are younger and may delay the inevitable for a season or two. I imagine I shall have to accept the first proposal I receive, or risk becoming a spinster.’

Both of the young women walked in a gloomy silence for a few minutes, and then Betty said, ‘’Tis the necessity to hide who one truly is that troubles me the most. Mama has said many times that I am not to prattle on about Coleridge or Wordsworth, or even Shakespeare! I should most assuredly weary any gentleman with my fascination for poetry. “You mustn’t give them to think that you are a bluestocking, Beatrice!” But I cannot help loving what I love, can I?’

‘They shall all find your interests riveting compared to my ignorance,’ Kate said. ‘I have never heard those first two names you mentioned. Shakespeare, I have, but I cannot say I know much about him.’

‘Merciful heavens, Kate, say that you jest!’ Betty exclaimed.

Smiling, Kate shook her head.

‘This cannot be allowed,’ Betty said. ‘You must agree to let me introduce you to them. Oh, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”...and “Christabel”! I daresay I should read to you from “Tintern Abbey.” I have a first edition of Lyrical Ballads, you know. We shall read it together every night, if you like!’

Kate’s heart warmed with happiness. Whatever else she might endure, she had found a true treasure in Betty. A sister, after all these years. How fortunate she was.

James

James watched as Lady Beatrice and Lady Katherine walked along the edge of the pond, chatting with their bonnets angled in towards each other. How his heart struggled—he knew he had been lying to himself about his attraction to Lady Katherine. He did desire her. But he could not allow it. Oh, how he had struggled all through the ride from the Norwood farm to Inverley. He found every word from her lips to be engaging, and indeed he would begin to sink into a kind of fascination with her as they spoke. Realizing his danger, he would ride ahead, under the pretext of checking for problems in the road, in the hopes of clearing his mind. It was not an effective solution in the least.

What is it about this lady that compels me so?

Lady Katherine was like no one he had ever encountered. Her easy, cheerful nature, her lack of artful duplicity...she was exactly who she presented herself to be, and it struck him as devastatingly courageous. The forthright gaze in her blue eyes disarmed him. The quick smile on her lovely, soft-looking lips tempted him. The thought of kissing those lips had intruded on his mind too many times to count. It was most vexing.

Taking a seat at a white-painted table with Alden and Lord and Lady Inverley, James paid little attention to their conversation as the tea was served. Instead, he indulged the continuation of his musings.

James had never wished to marry. He was aware that eventually he must, for the Thorburn name to carry on. But the prospect held no appeal. Instead, he had lived his life pursuing whatever entertained him. His mother thought him a rake, but he was not so malicious as that. He had never ruined any lady’s reputation or amassed a scandalous debt. But did he gamble? Yes. Was he fond of a nice whisky or imbibing several glasses of fine port, given the chance? Indeed. Did he enjoy a bit of muslin among the Incognitas of the Soho district? Certainly. And it had always been his intention never to change. One day, he told himself, he would select some quiet young lady to wed in the interests of the family line, but he would continue to live as he always had. Except two things that happened to derail this plan.

The first took place slowly, over several years time. He could not pinpoint when it began: the development of a sense of fatigue. A disillusionment. A loss of enjoyment for the temptations he had once prized.

The other was a much more abrupt event: meeting Katherine Norwood. Discovering that she was actually Lady Katherine Alden. She was everything he had never encountered before, among ladies of the nobility or ladies of easy virtue: fresh-faced, hearty, and straightforward.

Perhaps it is time to accept that it is nothing about my life that has changed. The games have not become dull, it is I who no longer find fulfillment in playing them.

James sipped his tea, watching the ladies who were now tossing sticks for the black and white dog to fetch from the water. Lady Katherine let out a peal of laughter as the setter shook droplets right beside her.

Perhaps I must stop attempting to deny my feelings for this lady. Is she unsuitable? My mother will say so, because of her unconventional history. And am I unfit to pursue her? Certainly she may deserve a gentleman with a less colorful past, as well. And yet I cannot stop thinking about her.

A footman approached bearing a tray. ‘I beg your pardon, my lords, my lady, but this just arrived for Lord Thorburn,’ the footman said, lowering the tray.

James plucked a letter from it with a nod at the servant, who retreated.

The others watched with interest as he opened the missive.

‘’Tis from my mother, Lady Thorburn,’ James said as he scanned her sharply penned lines.

Almost as though she knew what I was considering, and has roused herself to intervene before I act.

‘She summons me home to London, I fear,’ James said.

Alden made a soft sound of disappointment. James felt a pang in his own heart.

‘I shall leave first thing tomorrow.’

Chapter 13

Kate

The next two weeks were filled with a whirlwind of newness for Kate.

The first shock she received was on learning that Lord Inverley had bestowed a dowry on her of twenty thousand pounds, a sum greater than any she could imagine. Betty’s dowry was the same, and she seemed most easy with it, but Kate could hardly fathom such wealth.

There were dress fittings, and comportment lessons focused on preparing for the Alden daughters’ presentation to the Queen, and of course Pascal kept up her litany of lectures on general etiquette to Kate at every opportunity.

Lady Inverley also gave Kate instruction. From her, Kate learned to choose the correct fork, and how to properly sip soup, and to walk with a book on her head.

Lord Inverley remained distant, rarely addressing more than two words to Kate in a day. Lady Inverley still eyed her like she was an interloper, as well. But Kate became closer by the day to Betty, and that made up for the rest. They complained to each other about the seamstresses who stuck them with pins, and giggled at the horrendous hoops required for their court gowns. They commiserated about Lady Inverley’s often critical, sharp tongue, and mocked the royal comportment instructress in the privacy of their bedchambers. Kate helped Betty sneak books from the library, and Betty taught Kate how to draw.

One morning, on a particularly rainy spring day, Lady Inverley opened a letter at the breakfast table and arched her eyebrows, glancing at both young ladies.

‘What is it, Mama?’ Betty asked. ‘You have an air about you.’

Lady Inverley frowned at her daughter’s cheek. ‘’Tis a letter from the Lord Chamberlain,’ she replied. ‘He informs me that Her Majesty the Queen will hold her drawing room on April 30, at Saint James Palace.’

She read on for a moment and then added. ‘Nine ostrich feathers. Good heavens.’

‘In our headdresses,’ Betty whispered to Kate. ‘The Queen has very precise requirements.’

‘We shall resemble white peacocks,’ Kate whispered back, attempting to suppress a snort of laughter.

Betty snickered and her mother made an irritated tutting noise.

‘We are very fortunate that Her Majesty has deigned to receive us at all, you know,’ Lady Inverley said severely. ‘It has been two years since her last drawing room. Not only that, but a hint of scandal is enough to shut the doors of the Queen’s drawing room to any family.’

And my story may be considered scandalous by some.

‘I can only imagine Her Majesty is intrigued and wishes to see you for herself, Katherine,’ Lady Inverley said, confirming Kate’s assumption. ‘You very well could be the reason she has decided to hold a drawing room at all. We must take our good fortune where we find it, I daresay.’

Kate, who did not much enjoy being a curiosity, only nodded.

The days leading up to the 30th of April seemed to fly by. As the date approached, Kate felt less and less confident.

‘Mama says that Lord Osbourne shall hold a ball,’ Betty informed Kate as they stood side by side on stools, arms outstretched, enduring pins pricking them as the seamstresses worked on their court gowns.

Kate felt her stomach drop. Facing the Queen and navigating all the social hazards of a ball... ‘When?’

‘That night, after the drawing room. Mama has accepted his invitation.’

‘Are we to wear these monstrosities to it?’ Kate asked, looking down at the immense puff of the skirt of the gown. Queen Charlotte’s requirements demanded the bizarrely huge hooped skirts, which still rose to a high waist, making Kate and Betty look most unpleasantly bell-shaped.

‘Oh, I think not,’ Betty said, although she paled. ‘By Jove, I certainly hope not.’

‘Betty! You know your mama dislikes it when you use that phrase.’

Betty grimaced. ‘I daresay she would object to any strong expression of emphasis.’

‘That is no doubt true,’ Kate agreed, and bit her lip as the seamstress poked her in the waist with a pin. ‘What do you know of this Lord Osbourne?’

‘Oh, he’s an old blunderbuss. He’s so accustomed to speaking in the House of Lords that he shouts no matter where he is. Earl of Osbourne, you know. The ball must be his wife’s idea, I daresay,’ Betty said, warming to her topic. ‘Lady Osbourne is an inveterate gossip and she must hope to enjoy the most exclusive insights on the future of we ladies, having just debuted. Her ball will be the talk of the Season. Everyone will watch us all interact with the eligible peers.’

Kate felt her head swim with anxiety. ‘How delightful,’ she said faintly.

‘Chin up, my dear Kate,’ Betty said with a touch of irony beyond her years. ‘’Tis but one day of incessant ignominious scrutiny. After that we can expect only a half a dozen more similar events before the Season ends. Unless we fail to lure a suitor, then we can look forward to next Season.’

‘I have never hoped for a suitor more fervently than I do in this instant,’ Kate replied.

‘Oh, but if you do marry, you shall be presented to the Queen again, you know.’

‘Merciful heavens.’

‘The heavens may be merciful, but the ton is not,’ Betty said gloomily. ‘Nor is my dear mother. We have no hope of escape.’

‘Indeed,’ Kate said, exchanging a look of dread with Betty.

At least I am not to face these trials alone.

When the day of the drawing room came, however, Betty was in such a state of nervousness that she provided little comfort to Kate, who felt herself so distressed by the entire affair that had the sensation of floating above herself.

The preparation of the girls began hours before the event, and by the time they waited in the antechamber to be introduced, Kate wanted nothing more than for the entire ordeal to be over. No one had stuck her with any more pins, but she had been powdered, perfumed, cinched into her stays, her hair had been yanked and twisted, combs adorned the requisite nine ostrich feathers driven into her scalp, her feet shoe-horned into too-narrow slippers, and of course she now wore the hideous court gown.

Her only consolation was that she was not alone. Some three dozen young ladies were suffering similar indignities.

As she waited, Katherine gazed down at the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her forearm, contemplating how it could be possible that such a small thing—a mere detail of her person—could be responsible for bringing her to this moment. It seemed wholly impossible.

At last, the voice that had been calling out each name intoned, ‘Lord and Lady Inverley present the Lady Katherine Alden and the Lady Beatrice Alden.’

Kate and Betty entered the grand hall, walking with practiced solemnity down the middle aisle, chins up and heads tensely supporting the heavy, precariously balanced feathered headdresses they wore. They stopped at the appointed place and performed perfect curtseys.

Our comportment tutor would be most gratified.

Her Majesty, Queen Charlotte, dusky-skinned and royally arrayed, held a small, curly-haired white dog on her lap. As she leaned forward to peer at Katherine through a monocle on a stem, the dog leapt from her, causing a general outcry.

The queen’s attendants fell over themselves to capture the animal, but it was Katherine who scooped the mischievous canine into her arms.

The little beast commenced licking her face immediately.

‘My apologies, Your Majesty, ma’am,’ Kate stammered, trying and failing to contain the energy of the wriggling, kissy pup. ‘May I approach, ma’am?’

‘If you intend to return my dog to me, please do,’ the queen said, and Kate thought she heard a hint of amusement in the monarch’s tone.

Kate hastened to bring the dog to Her Majesty.

‘There, now, Phoebe, you’ve certainly amused yourself quite enough,’ the queen scolded the canine, who panted happily and settled back onto the queen’s lap as if nothing had happened.

Without delay Kate retreated to stand next to Betty again.

The queen eyed her. ‘I knew I should find you interesting, Lady Katherine. But now I must say you have made a lasting impression.’

Her cheeks aflame, Kate could think of nothing to do but curtsey again. ‘I only hope I have given no offense, ma’am.’

She risked a glance up at the monarch’s expression and saw that her mouth was quirked in a subtle smile.

‘Well, I suppose we mustn’t keep the rest of them waiting,’ Queen Charlotte said. She waved at Kate and Betty, who bowed and shuffled away as quickly as their overly-wide skirts would allow.

James

‘You say she did what?’ James said to Alden as the latter plucked a glass of port from a tray a footman offered.

They stood in the vast and crowded ballroom belonging to Lord Osbourne. Alden had come to find James as soon as he arrived, apprising him of the events in Queen Charlotte’s drawing room earlier that day.

‘Caught the silly creature and gave it back to Her Majesty,’ Alden repeated, sipping his drink. ‘I thought I might split my sides laughing, although I did try not to make any noise. I don’t think anyone noticed. They were far too entranced by the scene which played out before them.’

‘Extraordinary. And you say Her Majesty told Lady Katherine she made an impression?’

‘A lasting impression were her very words.’

‘By the Devil. Only Lady Katherine would inspire such insubordination in a royal pet, and then have the temerity to be the one to capture and return it!’

‘I shouldn’t call it temerity. She was very clever, if you ask me,’ said Alden.

James marveled at the thought of Lady Katherine giving the Queen’s dog back to Her Majesty. ‘And brave, I daresay. Where is she now?’

Alden straightened and looked over the crowd, then gestured. ‘Over there. She’s standing with Betty. They both look quite frightened.’

‘’Tis a very large ballroom, with very many people,’ James said. ‘I daresay ’twould be cause for alarm, especially for Lady Katherine, who has no knowledge of such events. Well, come to think of it, this is a first for Lady Beatrice as well, is it not?’

‘Indeed, tonight marks her debut, just as it marks Lady Katherine’s. Come along, we must rescue them, old chap, or they shall fade into the wallpaper and we shan’t ever see them again.’

And so it was that James made his way through the throngs of Lord Osbourne’s guests, and saw the two Alden ladies just as the crowd parted for him as he neared. He caught his breath.

Lady Beatrice looked well enough in a white and blue dress of fine organza, her hair tidily curled by her face. But ’twas when his eyes found Lady Katherine that he felt his heart skip a beat.

Her heavy, dark blonde hair was piled atop her head, held in place by a pearled band in the Grecian style. Her red and white gown was in a similar cut to her sister’s, but her more mature body filled it quite differently. Where the low-cut, square decollette’s ruffle of lace created a sense of modesty on Lady Beatrice, on Lady Katherine, it drew the eye to her far more ample bosom. A sudden rush of desire spread in with heat through James, and he licked his lips.

Well, that won’t do, Thorburn. Master your desires at once.

Alden moved ahead of him and walked up to the ladies, smiling. ‘Now, I shall have dances with both of you,’ he told them. ‘And I shall start with Betty, if you are amenable?’

Lady Beatrice blushed and took his arm, glancing back at Lady Katherine, her curls bobbing.

Attempting to look anywhere but at her enticing figure, James approached Lady Katherine. ‘May I have this dance, my lady?’ he asked, offering her his hand.

Lady Katherine blinked her large blue eyes at him with a look of mild panic.

She is uncertain of her brief dance training, I daresay.

His heart went out to her in compassion, an uncomfortably unfamiliar sensation.

‘You mustn’t fret, my lady,’ he said kindly. ‘We might wait for a waltz. ’Twould be far easier for me to lead you through the steps of a waltz than, say, an allemande.’

And a waltz would allow me to wrap my arms around her.

The way she looked at him then quite undid his composure. The vulnerability in her gaze, paired with a subtle sensuality...

‘Very well, my lord, I thank you for your thoughtfulness,’ Lady Katherine said.

James could not remain at her side. His eyes sought the tantalizing curves of the tops of her breasts. His hands itched to touch her. He would lose all semblance of manners if he stayed.

‘Capital,’ he said, with a ridiculous little bow. ‘I shall seek you out when they play a waltz, then. I salute you.’

With that he fled.

I salute you?

Have you given leave of your senses, man?

The lady has bewitched me into a blathering fool.

And yet when he glanced back at her, he redoubled his retreat at the sight of the lost look on her face, for he knew that if he remained with her, he would be compelled to kiss the pout from her lips.

This is a kind of madness.

I cannot allow it.

I must find a way to keep my head when I do seek her out for the waltz.

But James feared this was an impossible directive.

When he danced with Lady Katherine, he might very well lose all of his restraint.

Chapter 14

Lady Henrietta

Lord Osbourne’s ball was as ostentatious as the man himself. A cursory glance around the foyer and ballroom suggested he had no fewer than four hundred beeswax candles burning, Lady Henrietta noted. He had spared no expense, no doubt at the behest of his wife.

Lady Henrietta entered the ball, announced alongside her sister, Agnes. As usual she delighted in standing beside her less graceful sibling. Tonight, Lady Agnes wore a gown of bottle green satin. Lady Henrietta’s more subtly hued gown of taupe silk made Agnes look garish by comparison. ’Twas quite perfect.

Very little time passed before the talk of the evening became evident: when Lady Katherine was presented to Her Majesty the Queen, and captured the monarch’s wayward dog. Lady Henrietta bristled the first time she heard Lady Katherine’s name on the gossiping tongues of Lord Osbourne’s guests. Within a quarter of an hour she was heartily fed up with hearing the story of the young lady, the queen, and her dog. By the end of the first hour of the ball, Lady Henrietta was quite certain Lady Katherine had contrived the whole affair to ruin Henrietta’s enjoyment of the evening. Then she saw Lord Thorburn lead the offending young woman onto the dance floor. For a waltz.

‘Oh, Hetty! What a lark! Lord Osbourne will have German waltzing,’ Agnes exclaimed, clapping her hands like a child.

The dance was controversial, since it called for partners to remain together, dancing very near to each other in synchronized swaying.

‘How was it that Lord Byron described it?’ murmured Henrietta. ‘“The dancers are like two cockchafers spitted on the same bodkin.” Quite scandalous.’

‘Oh, do you really think it scandalous, Hetty?’ Agnes sulked. ‘I think it looks delightful. Why, see there, Lord Thorburn and Lady Katherine! Look how they stare into each other’s eyes as they whirl about! ’Tis entrancing to watch.’

Henrietta did see, and it made her blood boil.

This will not do at all.

Lord Thorburn was to be her betrothed, and this upstart hussy was under the mistaken impression she might interfere?

Not whilst I draw breath.

Henrietta cast a look over the room, then her eyes found their mark. He had fiery hair, blue eyes, and was very tall.

‘Come along, Agnes, ’tis time for us to speak with Mr. Vance.’

Kate

As Lord Thorburn whirled her around the dance floor, Kate struggled to believe she was not experiencing a very beautiful dream.

She gazed up at him through her lashes, shy and bewildered. She could not understand this man, who fled conversation with her but held her so firmly now, his eyes soft upon her, as they waltzed over the polished and chalked boards.

‘I daresay you must have looked at a marble of Aphrodite, for inspiration in your toilette this evening, my lady,’ Lord Thorburn said.

Kate searched his eyes for cruelty, some sign that he was toying with her, but they were clear.

‘I can take no credit for my toilette, my lord,’ Kate said honestly. ‘I know nothing of such matters and leave everything to Lady Inverley and my lady’s maid, Pascal.’

‘Then they are to be commended in their taste.’

Kate knew not how to answer, so she seized on another aspect of what he had said. ‘Are you fond of the Greeks, Lord Thorburn? Their tales of excess and venality?’

‘Excess and venality!’ Thorburn exclaimed, his eyes lighting with amusement. ‘Is that what you think of them?’

‘In all honesty, no,’ Kate owned. ‘’Tis what my uncle would say. I read The Iliad, and The Odyssey, and also several pamphlets discussing certain myths. I liked all of them very much.’

‘Did you?’ He seemed surprised. ‘And how did a young girl living on a farm acquire such literature?’

Kate felt her cheeks could not possibly grow any hotter. ‘I borrowed them from our minister. He wrote the pamphlets I mentioned, and allowed me to have his Homers for some weeks.’

‘Ah, a dabbler in the study of antiquity,’ Thorburn said, his eyes aglow. When he turned them back on her, she thought should like to bask in his regard forever.

Oh, but he was handsome, in his midnight blue velvet coat and cream silk brocade neckcloth. How fine his features were, with his arched brows, green eyes, full lips and square jaw. The arms which held her were steady and strong. His muscled legs led them over the floor with easy confidence. She had never felt so safe, and yet so agitated. Her heart palpitated within her breast. A dizzy joy swam in her head.

It has to be a dream.

But all too soon the music resolved, and the dream ended. Lord Thorburn seemed to hesitate, his eyes studying her, for a moment after the other dancers moved away, but then he gave her a sharp bow and disappeared into the crowd.

Perhaps he means to puzzle and vex me deliberately.

The idea held as much sense as any other she had devised to explain the marquess’s changeability. And yet she saw no mischief in his behavior—no teasing in his eyes.

Perhaps he is simply mad, Katherine thought with a note of pique.

She found Betty and linked arms with her. ‘Has the Viscount Harland asked you to dance?’ she whispered in her sister’s ear.

Betty gave her a forlorn look. ‘No. He does not see me, even when I make sure to stand near him. He behaves as though he does not know me.’

Kate felt a pang for Betty. ‘What a great clod he must be, my dear. He does not deserve such a lovely girl as yourself.’

‘Oh no,’ Betty protested. ‘He is no clod at all. You should see him when he rides. He is the picture of grace.’

‘I was referring to his mental capacities, for he would ignore you, and I shan’t forgive him lightly for such nonsense.’

Betty smiled at her then, which Kate counted as a victory. Then Betty’s eyes widened and she abruptly turned to face the dance floor.

‘What is it?’ Kate whispered.

‘Mr. Vance,’ Betty hissed. ‘He comes this way. Oh, Kate, he will insist that I dance with him and I see no way to refuse.’

‘Perhaps we may escape,’ Kate suggested, peering about her for an avenue through the crowd.

‘Who is that with him, not Lady Henrietta?’ Betty muttered. ‘Has every odious nick-ninny in the manor decided to come torment us?’

Kate glanced over Betty’s shoulder. Lady Henrietta was indeed on the arm of a red-haired man heading with determination in their direction. Mr. Vance might be a nick-ninny, as Betty said, but Kate had her doubts about Lady Henrietta. She had a sly cleverness in her eyes. The kind of gaze which put Aunt Mary off any vendor in a marketplace.

There was no escaping them now, they had both noticed Kate looking at them.

She lifted her chin and gave Betty’s arm a squeeze. ‘Courage, my dear. We shall be polite and if you must give Mr. Vance a spin on the floor, it shall be over soon enough.’

But when the disagreeable pair reached the ladies, and Lady Henrietta introduced them all, ’twas not Betty whom Mr. Vance petitioned for a turn.

‘Lady Katherine,’ he said, inclining his head although he had already bowed to her once. ‘I should be honored to have this dance, if you would be so kind as to accompany me.’

His air was stiff and formal, and Kate associated it to one much older than himself. He could not be more than thirty years, and yet he held himself in a stooped fashion like a man much his senior. ’Twas perhaps because of his height; he was very tall.

‘Ah, I thank you, sir, but I am not a very accomplished dancer,’ Kate demurred.

Lady Henrietta, who resembled an ancient marble statue in her taupe silk gown, gave a laugh behind her glove. ‘What an exquisite thing to say, Lady Katherine,’ she tittered. ‘As though you might in fact be accomplished in something else. Anything really!’

Kate’s mouth dropped at the direct insult, and she felt her cheeks burn.

‘Oh, now, now,’ Lady Henrietta laughed. ‘I say, Vance, look at her face. I’ve offended her. You mustn’t be distressed, Lady Katherine. Everyone knows your history and cannot fault you your lack of education, I’m sure.’

‘Oh,’ gasped Betty, but she said no more.

Kate could only stare at Lady Henrietta, her mind blank with mortification.

‘Perdition, Lady Henrietta, you are too severe,’ Mr. Vance said with a smile. ‘Everyone has heard that Lady Katherine showed great skill in assisting Lord Thorburn with his horse when he stumbled into a marsh near her home. Isn’t it true, Lady Katherine? The story goes that she was most expert at navigating the marsh’s perils.’

Kate swallowed, trying to recover a sense of balance. ‘I did assist Lord Thorburn,’ she managed.

‘There, you see,’ said Vance to Lady Henrietta. ‘I have a marsh near to my family’s estate, Lady Katherine. Perhaps one day you shall assist me in finding my way through it.’ He smiled at her but there was a hint of a sneer in the curve of his lips.

Kate knew not what to say. Was he mocking her?

‘In any case, I am convinced Lady Katherine should make a most delightful dance partner,’ Vance said. ‘Lady Katherine?’

He extended his arm to her.

She wanted nothing more in that moment than to flee the presence of Lady Henrietta, so she took it, and allowed him to lead her away. As she cast one glance back, she saw the look of surprise on Betty’s face, and some distance beyond, a cold look of vexation on the face of her mother, Lady Inverley.

Chapter 15

James

‘Giles Vance!’ James muttered with pique as he looked out over the dancefloor. ‘I only know him in connection with that scandal, two years ago. Was it the Chatwick girl?’

‘The second daughter, yes,’ Alden confirmed.

Alden followed his gaze, his mouth quirked in a faint smile.

‘Who is Vance, in any case? Is he even a peer?’

‘He’s the eldest son of Viscount Porthwick, unless I am mistaken,’ Alden said mildly.

James snorted with derision. ‘A nobody until his father dies.’

Alden raised his eyebrows at that. ‘I say, Thorburn, I never knew you to have such ideas of elitism. Can it be that you object to the fellow for some other reason you wish not to discuss?’

James glared at Alden and then turned his glower back to the offending gentleman, who was, even now, doing a very poor job of guiding Lady Katherine through the steps of a minuet. The lady looked miserable and no wonder. The oafish slouch hadn’t the wit to even gesture to her to help her choose the right direction to step.

Even in her distress she was lovely, the vulnerability of her stance enhanced by the embarrassment she surely felt. It provoked him, calling on him to swoop in a rescue her, which of course he could not do or make a scene.

I promised I would never abandon her again to avoid gossip.

The moment the dance finishes I shall intervene.

And he did. He cut directly through the crowd and stood before her, extending a hand. Vance blinked in astonishment, for to him Thorburn had appeared from nowhere.

‘Lady Katherine, I believe you promised I might take you down to supper.’

’Twas a blatant lie, and it went against custom. Supper was not for another quarter of an hour, and even if it had been the right time, ’twould have fallen to Vance to take her. James did not care.

Lady Katherine gave him a wide-eyed look and then glanced at her bewildered partner.

‘Indeed, I did, Lord Thorburn,’ she said at last, and James’s heart did a little leap. ‘Pardon me, Mr. Vance, for I am not accustomed to gatherings such as these.’

So she knows this is not what is expected of her, James deduced. She learns very quickly.

‘I should like to introduce you to someone on the way, my lady,’ James said by way of explaining his untimeliness. Vance simply blinked at him, perplexed.

‘Lead on, my lord,’ Lady Katherine said.

The moment they were no longer close enough for Vance to overhear, Lady Katherine turned to him with a look of such open gratitude, he thought his heart would break.

‘I cannot thank you enough, my lord,’ she said earnestly. ‘I feared he would ask for a second dance. I might not have had the courage to see it through to the end.’

‘’Twould have entertained the peerage had you abandoned him and fled the floor.’

‘Oh, of that I have no doubt, but ’tis my most fervent desire to make myself as uninteresting as possible to the ton.’

‘A worthy goal.’

James guided her as they spoke to French doors which opened on a balcony. The air was delightfully cool here compared to that within. Lady Katherine smiled as she noticed it, closing her eyes and pointing her face towards the full moon. The pale light of that body illuminated the planes of her face and the swells of her breasts.

Without warning James was overcome with desire. His mind’s eye was filled with images of ravishing her, touching her body in the most intimate ways, kissing her wildly.

For shame, man! What are these thoughts? Would you dishonor her so?

But ’twas no use, the visions would not abate.

She is a true innocent. You must not do this.

James shut his eyes, turning from her, and then once he felt reasonably certain he could express himself correctly, he faced her again. She was looking at him with wide eyes.

‘I do apologise,’ he said, but ’twas all he could manage, and he gave her a bow and fled.

Kate

Kate watched Lord Thorburn go with a mixture of dismay and frustration.

I can only think that he is mad, she thought, but her heart would not accept such an idea. Still, he seemed determined to make her mad with his vacillation between kindness and regard and agitation and avoidance.

She remained on the balcony for some time. The fresh air was delightful after the stuffy atmosphere of the ballroom, and she hoped to avoid any further attentions from gentlemen seeking dance partners. If the waltz with Lord Thorburn had been a dream, the minuet with Mr. Vance had been a nightmare. She had no wish to repeat the experience ever again, as long as she lived.

To feel the eyes of the ton upon her was bad enough when she was chatting with Betty or holding her father’s arm. But to know that they watched her stumble like a fool through the steps she had tried and failed to learn in the weeks preceding this event was more than she could countenance.

I shall not allow it. I shall learn to dance as though my very life depends on it, but in the meantime I shan’t accept another partner. I shall say I am unwell.

The trouble with that avenue was that it would interfere with any courtship a gentleman might wish to bring upon her. Kate wrapped her arms around herself, feeling for the first time a chill in the night air.

And what if I simply do not wish to be courted at all?

Lady Inverley already resents me for Mr. Vance’s attention. Let Betty find her beau and I shall embrace a future as a spinster.

After all, what fit wife of a peer would I make?

She had Season after Season to look forward to, if that was her choice. How detestable it seemed, for she should never escape humiliation at events such as these.

I am already twenty, she thought. How long will Lord and Lady Inverley attempt to force what must indeed be folly? I should think they mightn’t expect me to continue once I am five-and-twenty, perhaps. Or six-and-twenty.

So she must endure this life for five or six years?

Better to find some husband. Perhaps a second or third son, one without much ambition, who would be pleased to retreat to a country ministry or some such. Yes, she could envision a quiet life as a minister’s wife.

I shall find out from Betty which of those fellows in there is bound for the ministry, Kate thought with a new sense of determination. I shan’t sit idly by and be at the mercy of Lady Henrietta and Mr. Vance and every other horrid person who wishes to entertain themselves at my expense. I shall grasp the rudder of my own life and steer myself into a future I can accept.

With that decision made, Kate felt better. She spared a thought for Lord Thorburn, her heart twinging in longing, but if his behavior never ceased to confuse her, it made one thing amply clear: they had no future together.

No, I must put him from my mind and heart. I shall choose a good husband, and be glad of it. And that will be that.

Chapter 16

James

The following day, James and Alden took a ride in Greenwich Park. As they passed the old Celtic-Roman ruins of a temple, his mind went to Lady Katherine and their conversation of the night before. She liked Ancient Greek mythology. He wondered if she might be as interested in the age of antiquity in England...or even elsewhere in the world.

The thought of teaching her about Stonehenge, or showing her the things that fascinated him but that he had not pursued for years...

And I suppose you fancy yourself some sort of teacher to her?

That minister may very well have had more than an interest in educating her, James thought with a pang of jealousy.

What foolishness. Even if he did, he is not in a position to court her now. While I—

‘Penny for your thoughts, Thorburn?’ Alden said as they slowed the horses to walk side by side, still near enough to the ruins to look on them.

James glanced at his friend with a sense of having been caught in the midst of doing something questionable. This annoyed him.

‘If you must know, I’m thinking of writing a pamphlet about these ruins,’ he said, surprising himself.

‘A pamphlet?’ Alden echoed, taken aback.

‘Yes,’ said James, ruffled. ‘And I have long desired to do so with Stonehenge, and the Roman Amphitheatre at Chester.’

‘Have you really?’ Alden asked with an air of astonishment.

‘Yes,’ James said firmly. That within himself he felt an acute sense of discomfiture, he would endeavor to hide.

‘What on earth brought all this on?’ Alden inquired.

‘’Tis nothing new. I have always liked ruins. The only change is that I have decided to spend a bit of time researching several sites and writing about them.’

‘You’ll forgive me for saying so, old chap, but it hardly seems like you,’ Alden said.

‘Well, perhaps you do not know me as well as you think,’ James said crossly.

Alden gave a chuckle. ‘Easy there, Thorburn, no need to take umbrage. I haven’t any expertise when it comes to ruins, but if that interests you, why not pursue it?’

James frowned. ‘For years, any time I brought up the subject it was met with derision and ridicule, that’s why.’

‘You can’t be serious.’

‘I am. “’Tis the province of elderly gentlemen and university scholars.”’

‘Who said that?’

‘My father,’ James revealed. ‘He despised my academic interests. He thought I should be out hunting.’

‘You are a capable hunter,’ Alden observed.

‘Thanks in large part to him.’

Alden was silent for a moment, then he turned in his saddle to better look at James. ‘I must wonder, old boy, at the sudden emergence of this will to research and writing. Could it have something to do with a certain lady who has appeared in our lives of late?’

‘How on earth could it?’ James demanded too abruptly.

Alden smiled and shrugged. ‘Just a thought.’

Kate

‘Wait a moment,’ Betty said, frowning deeply at Kate. ‘You’ve decided to do what?’

They were throwing bits of bread to the ducks on the pond at Inverley. ’Twas a fine day, and while both of them felt fatigued from the long night at Lord Osbourne’s, they had agreed that a walk would be agreeable. They both wore straw bonnets and light muslin dresses, white trimmed in blue for Betty, white trimmed in green for Kate, and carried parasols Kate admired very much for their lace ruffles. Nevertheless, even the pretty parasols could not cheer her, and she spoke with a touch of bitterness when she replied to Betty’s inquiry.

‘Marry a vicar or some other minister. A second or third son, I imagine.’

‘Or fourth of fifth,’ mused Betty. ‘Although even among those, ’tis not a common choice for sons of peers, as it is with sons of the gentry. ’Tis far more likely for them to go to war, like Uncle Frederick.’

Kate felt her heart drop a little. ‘Surely you know of some who fit the description?’

Betty squinted out over the pond thoughtfully. ‘Bertram Crouch took orders, I think. I haven’t seen him in a few years, however. I daresay one may not invite a minister to a ball as easily as a military man.’

‘What is Bertram Crouch like?’ Kate asked, feeling rather desperate.

‘Peevish and spotty,’ Betty replied immediately. ‘And rather round.’

Kate pressed her eyes closed and told herself Bertram Crouch was not the only potential suitor who might like to court her.

‘Anyone else?’ she asked when she opened her eyes again.

‘I’m not certain what William Audley has decided to do. He’s the fourth son of the Earl of Cresswick. Perhaps you might convince him to become a vicar.’

‘Is he...pleasant?’

‘I am not well-acquainted with him, although I do recall watching a cricket match where he threw his bat in frustration when he could not hit the ball.’ At the sight of Kate’s face, Betty hastily added, ‘But he can’t have been older than thirteen years at the time.’

‘Oh,’ Kate said dismally, casting the rest of her breadcrumbs in at once.

Betty gazed at her fondly. ‘And what of Lord Thorburn? Surely this sudden desire for the life of a minister’s wife cannot be due to any incident with him?’

Kate scowled at the ducks and did not reply.

‘I must say I am surprised. He seemed happy enough to dance a waltz with you, and he whisked you away from Mr. Vance. I thought he must like you very much indeed.’

Kate grimaced and then sighed. ‘It would seem not. I cannot say what is in Lord Thorburn’s heart, but I must conclude from his...behavior...that he has no intention of courting me.’

Betty pouted. ‘What a dreary disappointment. Well, we shall be dreary together, my dear Kate. I shall pine for Viscount Harland, and you for Lord Thorburn.’

‘That is out of the question,’ Kate replied. Betty raised her eyebrows. ‘Indeed, we shall not pine for goose-brained lords who haven’t the sense to see our worth.’

‘Hence your scheme to set your cap for a minister,’ Betty said with a nod.

‘Quite,’ Kate confirmed. ‘And I advise you to set your cap for someone who shall appreciate you, as well, Betty. And in the meantime, I should like very much for you to resume teaching me how to draw with perspective. Might we try the watercolors today?’

With that, the topic of beaus was set aside, although both ladies continued to think of the problem.

James

The following day, after Alden informed him of the intention of Lady Inverley to take the ladies for a picnic on the estate, James surprised him by insisting that they both attend.

‘I thought you were resolved not to see Lady Katherine again until she was betrothed,’ Alden said as they rode to Inverley together from London early that morning. He referred to a conversation that had had the night of the ball, in which James had vowed to avoid Lady Katherine for the foreseeable future.

James frowned at him as he posted on Merrylegs. ‘I was too hasty. The excitement of the evening put me in an unusual state of agitation. I am quite recovered now.’

Alden raised his eyebrows and gave a short nod. ‘Very well, old chap, but I feel I must advise caution. If you truly do not mean to court my niece, ’twould be most unkind to give her false hope.’

James glanced at his friend in surprise. Alden, it seemed, no longer wished to tease him for his interest in Lady Katherine, and instead felt genuine concern regarding James’s behavior. This, more than any other response, took James aback.

Am I trifling with the young lady’s affections?

As he reviewed his actions of the past weeks he could only conclude that he must have at the very least caused confusion in Lady Katherine’s mind. Chagrin filled him, and he almost suggested that they turn back.

In his saddlebag he carried some drawings of Stonehenge and the ruins at Greenwich, and he very much wished to show them to Lady Katherine. The thought of foregoing the pleasure was inordinately painful to him.

Perhaps ’tis time I accepted that I do, indeed, wish to court her. I daresay, to wed her. Spend the rest of my life...with her.

The thought electrified him. Although he had toyed with the idea previously, ’twas the first time he had proposed it to himself in all seriousness. He found that rather than his usual sense of dread at the prospect of marriage, his heart lifted with joy at the idea of keeping Lady Katherine close to himself forever. For her to become his wife.

And why not?

I am a marquess. She can hardly think to find a better match, for questions of station.

And she seems happy to speak with me. Pleased to dance together. I believe ’tis not arrogance to say that she likes me well enough.

Excitement surged through his veins.

A new, unimagined future unfolded in his mind. He saw himself established at Thorburn, his much-neglected estate, with Lady Katherine as Lady Thorburn, redecorating, taking rides with him across the grounds, presiding over a ball...

Better yet, they would visit the ruined amphitheatre at Chester together. He would show her Hadrian’s Wall. And if the war ever abated, they might even travel abroad...to see Roman ruins in Italy, and Greek ruins in Greece...the possibilities entranced him.

‘I thank you for expressing your concern, Alden,’ he said at last. ‘But I have come to a decision, and I may therefore reassure you.’

‘A decision, you say?’

‘Without a doubt,’ James said. ‘I am quite resolute. I shall begin an official courtship of your niece directly.’

‘An...official courtship?’ Alden said in astonishment.

‘Precisely. My mind is made up. I wish to marry her.’

Chapter 17

Kate

‘As you can see, I spent some time with the shading,’ Lord Thorburn said to Kate as he showed her his sketch of Stonehenge. ‘I am rather pleased with the result.’

He sat beside her on one of the blankets laid out over the grass on a hill overlooking the woods. Although they were among almost ten guests picnicking together, Kate quite forgot the others, the sense of intimacy growing between her and the marquess in an extraordinary manner. Kate eyed him, wondering if in a moment he would flee her side again. ‘’Tis a most impressive representation, my lord,’ she said honestly. ‘I have seen the site once, and I recognize it very well.’

Lord Thorburn beamed at her with pleasure. ‘Would you like to see it again?’

Kate puzzled over the question, but since she could find no way to determine his intent in asking, she settled on answering with the truth. ‘I should like to, certainly.’

‘And would you find it diverting to see other sites of ruins? You must tell me if not, for I shouldn’t like for you to simply humour me, my lady. Many find such places uninteresting in the extreme.’

The earnest look in his green eyes disarmed her utterly. ‘Indeed, I am in disagreement with such folk, for I wish to learn of history and myth alike,’ she said.

‘Capital,’ he replied, his smile widening.

Kate could not help but add to the suggestions he made. ‘What I have always desired most to see, my lord, is the ocean. If I could choose a place to go first, I confess it would be the seashore.’

She braced herself for a dismissal akin to that given to her repeatedly by her aunt and uncle and others with whom she had been raised.

‘Why, there are the Hurlers, stone circles in Cornwall. Not far from the sea at all,’ Thorburn said thoughtfully. ‘And in the north, Glastonbury Abbey...did you know some medieval monks believed it was King Arthur’s Avalon?’

‘I should like to learn more of King Arthur,’ Kate said.

A snort interrupted the moment, reminded her unpleasantly that they were not alone. Kate glanced over to where Mr. Vance sat, regarding her with an air of amusement.

‘Did I say something droll, sir?’ she asked with a sharp sense of impatience.

‘’Tis only that stories of King Arthur are for children,’ Mr. Vance said with a smirk. ‘I daresay you might not realise it, my lady.’

Beside her she felt Lord Thorburn bristle.

‘Shall we have a game?’ Lady Henrietta suggested with sudden verve. ‘I suggest Blind Man’s Bluff. We may use my sash as a blindfold.’

‘Speaking of childish pursuits...’ muttered Lord Thorburn.

‘Oh, come now, my lord, a game is just the thing,’ Mr. Vance said. ‘Come along, everyone.’

There were nine of them: Kate, Lord Thorburn, Vance, Lady Henrietta, her sister Lady Agnes, Lt. Alden, Betty, and Lord and Lady Inverley. Lord and Lady Inverley refused to participate, leaving the seven of them to play.

‘I say Lady Katherine should bear the blindfold first,’ Lady Henrietta declared.

Kate stiffened but would not show her anxiety. She was no stranger to Blind Man’s Bluff; ’twas a game played by farm children as much as by wealthy noble children.

Lady Henrietta approached, holding her rosy silk sash in both hands. Kate met her gaze. ‘Do we play for elimination or does the one I touch first replace me?’ she asked.

Lady Henrietta arched an eyebrow. Her large, dark eyes glittered. ‘Oh, I think we must have encountered different versions of the game, Lady Katherine. Here, blinded one must touch the face of the one they have caught, and attempt to identify them.’

Kate swallowed. ’Twas a much more intimate interaction than any she had experienced in games before. Lifting her chin, she allowed Lady Henrietta to tie on the blindfold, unwilling to show her uncertainty.

I must endeavor to find Betty, she thought. Or, dare I hope...Lord Thorburn?

Her vision thoroughly obscured, and the start to the game called out by Lady Henrietta, Kate commenced stepping carefully over the somewhat uneven grass. SHe held out her hands, straining her ears to identify where the sounds of movement came from around her.

Too quickly her fingers encountered a sleeve.

Whoever this is made no attempt to elude me, Kate thought.

’Twas a masculine sleeve. Her hands crept up to the collar and neckcloth. How she hoped ’twas Lord Thorburn! Or if not he, then Lt. Alden.

But as she traced the long jaw and the aquiline nose, her heart sank.

‘Mr. Vance,’ Kate said, attempting to step back.

Hands gripped her elbows. ‘Careful now, my lady, you mustn’t take a misstep!’ Mr. Vance declared, pulling her closer to him.

Her face aflame, Kate hastily removed the blindfold and extricated herself from his grasp.

‘I thank you, sir, but I can see very well now,’ she said, looking away from him, flustered. ’Twas thus that she saw Lady Inverley’s scowl.

She dislikes Mr. Vance’s interest in me, for he was once fixated upon Betty.

If only she cared that Betty had no interest in him.

And that I do not, either, for that matter.

She glanced back at the gentleman, and found the way he looked at her most disconcerting.

‘’Tis your turn, sir,’ she said, thrusting the sash at him gracelessly.

His lips curled into a sly smile as he took it from her. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘We shall see who I capture and identify, my lady.’

Kate’s heart dropped and she silently vowed to elude him at all costs.

James

As he watched the game unfold, James became increasingly incensed.

’Twas bad enough when that popinjay, Vance, placed himself deliberately in Lady Katherine’s path in the first round. James was gratified to see her reaction upon discovering whom she had encountered, but then the clod himself seemed impervious to her obvious rejection. Instead he persisted in laughing softly and muttering her name as he stumbled about in the blindfold, making it clear to all who watched that he pursued only her. What made matters worse is that she fled him, but the scoundrel seemed to have an uncanny instinct for where she was, and kept to her trail like a hound.

At last James could bear to stand by no longer, and he stepped into Vance’s way. Vance collided with him heavily; ’twas only James’s strong stance that prevented them from tumbling to the ground. Vance raised a hand to James’s face, but the latter had had quite enough of the odious game, and he tore the sash roughly from the other man’s eyes.

‘Oh, I beg your pardon, my lord,’ Vance sputtered.

James only favored him with a glare and stalked off.

Everyone seemed to understand that the game was finished, and they dispersed, Lady Henrietta and Lady Agnes each taking one of Mr. Vance’s arms and leading him away for a ‘promenade,’ Lady Katherine and Lady Beatrice retreating behind a copse of bushes and bramble, and Alden seating himself back down beside Lady Inverley and helping himself to an almond cake.

Lord Inverley stood and met James’s eyes, giving his head a subtle jerk as an invitation to follow him.

James suppressed an urge to roll his eyes and did so. Lord Inverley walked only a short distance away, to the edge of the hill that provided the best view of the woods below. Unwilling to make an effort at polite conversation, James clasped his hands behind his back and cast his gaze over the trees, waiting.

Lord Inverley cleared his throat. ‘Thorburn,’ he said, and then paused.

James cut his eyes to the elder lord but made no reply.

‘’Tis apparent to me that you have an interest in my daughter, Lady Katherine.’

James squinted out that the view as he searched for words to address this statement, but Lord Inverley continued.

‘I feel it imperative that I speak with you on the matter at once, for I cannot allow it to persist.’

‘My lord?’ James said, astonished.

‘Your reputation precedes you, Thorburn. And though you may think me incapable of recognizing what has been unfolding before my very eyes, disabuse yourself of such a notion. I have watched as you toyed with her affections. I shan’t endure another moment of it.’

’Twas only with this pronouncement that James realized that Lord Inverley was in a rage. The earl, often cold and withdrawn, was flushed, his teeth gritted as he pushed out the words he spoke.

‘I assure you, my lord, it was never my intention to toy with Lady Katherine’s affections—’

‘Pray, dispense with any effort to change my mind, Lord Thorburn. I forbid you from any further courtship with my daughter. That is final.’

Chapter 18

Lady Henrietta

‘Oh, come now, Mr. Vance,’ Lady Henrietta said as she walked along the wooded path with her arm looped through his, her sister on her other side. ‘You cannot be in earnest.’

‘I most assuredly am,’ Vance said stiffly. His height added to his overall air of offended pride. ‘’Twas plain to everyone the lady wanted no part of me. Were I to continue to pursue her I should look like a jingle-brained fool.’

Lady Henrietta smiled, although what she would have done if she were expressing her true feelings might have been more akin to the behavior of an exasperated cat. As it was, she tightened her grip on the gentleman’s arm.

‘Now, now, sir, you are too hasty. Lady Katherine is a true ingenue. She is merely intimidated by you. You mustn’t misconstrue her natural timidity for dislike.’

‘I have told you, I prefer the young Lady Beatrice, in any case,’ Vance said peevishly. ‘Now that she is out there is nothing to prevent me from courting her in earnest aside from this...this caprice of yours, Lady Henrietta.’

‘Caprice! Oh, Mr. Vance, you forget yourself,’ Lady Henrietta said with an edge of sharpness. Even Agnes noticed, her eyes widening as she listened.

Mr. Vance’s gait hesitated, and then he carried on walking. ‘Forgive me, my lady, I meant no disrespect.’

‘Of course not,’ Lady Henrietta said, still waspish. ‘I should hope you mightn’t like to offend me.’

‘Indeed not.’

Mollified, Henrietta returned to her cheerful tone. ‘Now, you simply must believe me when I tell you not to despair. Lady Katherine is your match, I guarantee. And I shan’t hear a word against it.’

Mr. Vance sniffed, but then gave a nod. ‘Quite so, my lady, I defer to your superior wisdom in affairs of the heart.’

‘As you should,’ Henrietta agreed.

‘Hetty knows better than anyone who belongs with whom,’ Agnes put in helpfully.

‘Of course,’ Vance said.

‘Now, I expect to see a valiant effort, Mr. Vance, and if I do I am certain your nuptials shall follow soon enough.’

A muscle jumped in Mr. Vance’s cheek, but he nodded again. ‘May it be as you say, Lady Henrietta. I pray it should be so.’

Lady Henrietta was pleased, and she squeezed his arm happily.

Her scheme was back on track, as it should be. Soon enough, Lady Katherine would no longer threaten her designs on Lord Thorburn, and everything would return to the way it should be.

Kate

When Kate and Betty returned to where Lord and Lady Inverley waited on the picnic blankets, there was no sign of either Lord Thorburn or Lt. Alden. Lady Henrietta, Lady Agnes, and Mr. Vance were on their way back as well, however.

Katherine and Betty sat down side by side and Betty gave Katherine a piece of bread with jam before making some for herself, but Katherine’s enjoyment was marred when Mr. Vance seated himself on her other side.

What must I do to send him on his way once and for all?

And where have my uncle and Lord Thorburn gone?

Kate smiled when she thought back to the conversation she had shared with Lord Thorburn—it had almost sounded as if he wished to travel with her to all the places he had mentioned—but she blushed when she recalled the way the game they played had ended.

‘I say, do tell me more about your years on the dairy farm, Lady Katherine,’ Mr. Vance said in his heavy way.

Betty glanced at her with a look of concern. Kate returned her look, wishing fervently that she had some way of escape.

‘Ah, well, Mr. Vance...I suppose ’twas not a life of very much excitement, particularly compared to the way the peerage lives,’ Kate said.

‘Nonsense,’ Mr. Vance said. ‘Describe a typical day.’

Kate felt her face begin to heat. Lady Henrietta was eyeing her with a look of pleased amusement. This was just the sort of thing for which that malicious lady would delight in mocking her.

However, everyone’s eyes were upon her, and Late knew not how to side-step his interrogation.

‘We rose early. My uncle left at dawn to tend the cattle, and I assisted my aunt in many tasks,’ Kate said slowly.

‘Such as? I imagine ’twas delightful to see. A true dairymaid at work,’ Mr. Vance said beaming.

Lady Henrietta giggled. ‘Oh yes, a true dairymaid.’

‘Do tell me, Lady Katherine. What tasks did you perform?’ Vance pressed her.

Kate knew her face was turning crimson. ‘I fed the chickens,’ she breathed.

Lady Henrietta let out a peal of laughter and her sister Lady Agnes joined her.

‘Chickens!’ Lady Agnes exclaimed. ‘Cluck cluck cluck!’

‘I fail to see what is so amusing,’ Betty put in, vexed. ‘Lady Katherine only performed the duties required of a girl in her situation. ’Tis not as though she knew she was the daughter of an earl!’

Somehow this only made Kate feel worse.

And then she noticed Lady Inverley’s expression. She was glowering at Kate again, her eyes darting from her to Mr. Vance with obvious pique.

Oh, merciful heavens! She cannot reproach me his attentions even now!

The entire situation was insufferable.

‘You’ve had your jest at my expense, Mr. Vance,’ Kate said sharply. ‘I pray you turn your attentions elsewhere now!’

Mr. Vance’s face blanked and then his eyebrows shot to his ginger hairline. ‘Lady Katherine, you wound me! I never intended to have any jest at your expense!’

Kate closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Opening them again she met his gaze. ‘And yet, as you see, much mirth was to be had.’

Mr. Vance sputtered, but could not deny that Lady Henrietta and Lady Agnes were still laughing.

Much to Kate’s relief, this seemed to do the trick, and he ceased troubling her for the rest of the picnic, but she noticed he seemed to be in a dark mood, and she wondered at it.

I can only hope he understands now, his energies are best directed elsewhere, Kate mused as they all headed home.

However, this was not to be.

James

‘This is precisely the thing I told you I feared, Thorburn!’ Alden exclaimed.

They stood in the Inverley stables. James waited as a groom saw to his horse.

‘That girl is an innocent, Thorburn. You’ve toyed with her affections most disgracefully.’

James bristled. ‘’Twas never my intention.’

‘Then you have been reckless and thoughtless,’ Alden said acidly.

James was taken aback, but the predominant emotion he felt was of a sorrowful loss. He faced his friend now. ‘Pray, listen to me, old boy. I had every intention of courting her in earnest. But your brother spoke with me, and I daresay he is in the right.’

This brought Alden up short, and he blinked at James in confusion. ‘My brother?’

‘The earl impressed upon me the unlikelihood of his ever giving the union his blessing. ’Tis due to my past, you know. My reputation. And indeed, ’twould seem I must bear the consequences of years of frivolity and irresponsibility. One reaps what one sows.’

Alden opened his mouth and then shut it. He seemed at a loss.

‘Know that I am most chagrined at any suffering I may have caused your niece,’ James said. ‘I have seen the error of my ways and I shan’t risk hurting her again, I promise you.’

With that, he took Merrylegs’s reins from the groomsman and mounted, and with a nod at his friend, he rode off, intending not to return until Lady Katherine was safely wed.

Chapter 19

Kate

The family returned to London later that week, for Lady Inverley was persistent in her goal to have the two young ladies out in society and married by the Season’s end. Lord Thorburn had disappeared from the picnic without a word to Kate, and she felt rather low and out of spirits, with little desire to play aristocratic games of either the acknowledged sort or the hidden kind preferred by the likes of Lady Henrietta and her ilk. Nevertheless, Lady Inverley would not be dissuaded and paid little head to pleas of headaches or other illness.

The third night after their return to Town they accepted an invitation to dinner.

Kate wore a dress of pale pink silk with a floral design made of rouleaux, little rolled strips of the same fabric. Betty’s dress was similar, but light blue. They entered the foyer of their host, the Viscount of Cheswick, side by side. As they were announced and entered the large drawing room where the other guests waited, Kate immediately felt eyes on her. ’Twas not a new sensation, but it remained an unpleasant one.

She glanced around the room, hoping without acknowledging it to herself that she might see the Marquess of Thorburn among the guests. To no avail, although Lady Henrietta met her eyes with a cat-like smirk and Kate also spied Mr. Vance standing with several other gentlemen, speaking animatedly.

Betty tugged her arm and they walked closer to the group of men, for the Viscount Harland was among them. Kate dearly wished she might think of some ruse to bring the young lord’s attention on her sister, but he glanced their way and then went on speaking to an older man with a curling mustache.

‘I tell you Madison is a lout and a vulgarian,’ Harland said to the man. ‘An embargo! The gall!’

‘’Tis a nuisance, to be sure, but do not make the mistake of underestimating the American’s wit,’ the other replied.

‘Politics,’ breathed Betty with pique.

Kate knew Betty might in fact have an opinion on the matter being discussed, although she herself did not have any understanding of international affairs. But Betty knew that none of the gentlemen present would welcome the ideas of a lady in their midst.

‘Three months of it!’ Mr. Vance exclaimed. ‘Preposterous, I tell you.’

‘Come, dearest, we shall find the pianoforte and you must play a tune,’ Kate said to Betty, taking her arm.

They had not walked more than four paces, however, when Lady Henrietta stepped in their path, a pair of ladies with her whom Kate had never met.

‘And here she is,’ Lady Henrietta said, her large, wide eyes bright with malice. She made a gesture with her fingers as if she was a merchant showing off wares, indicating Kate to the two ladies with her.

‘Kate, this is the Lady Esther Primley and the Lady Georgina Bain,’ Betty put in. ‘My ladies, may I introduce my sister, the Lady Katherine Alden.’

‘Oh, they know who she is,’ Lady Henrietta tittered. ‘Tisn’t every day one meets our very own Wild Girl of Champagne. What was her name, Esther?’

‘Marie-Angélique Memmie Le Blanc,’ said Lady Esther, gazing at Kate with narrowed eyes. Kate felt herself flushing.

‘She was a feral child,’ Lady Henrietta went on. ‘Lost at the age of nine, they say, and she lived like an animal for years and years in some French forest.’

‘I have a pamphlet,’ Lady Esther said.

‘She showed it to us,’ Lady Georgina said.

Kate blinked at each of them, at a loss for what to say.

‘You—you cannot truly intend to compare Lady Katherine to this—this—’ sputtered Betty.

‘This wild girl? And why not? I should imagine Miss Le Blanc’s sense of bewilderment was as great when the villagers captured her and brought her to civilization again,’ Lady Henrietta said with a look of great innocence on her face.

‘What fustian nonsense!’ Betty exploded. ‘Lady Katherine has nothing in common with such a wretch—’

‘Oh, come now, Lady Beatrice, one mustn’t lack in hope,’ Lady Henrietta chastised her. ‘They say Miss Le Blanc learned to read and write, so that shows there is hope for Lady Katherine to acquire the manners of polite society eventually.’

Kate could bear no more. She tightened her grip on her sister’s arm and pulled her away without a word.

‘That beastly cow,’ whispered Betty, but Kate felt hot and short of breath, and wanted nothing more than to forget what had happened.

Mr. Vance had split from the group still debating politics, and Kate could think of no better solution than to approach him.

‘Good evening, Mr. Vance,’ she said with a curtsey, knowing she might regret what he would see as encouragement, but unable to find any other way to redirect Betty’s attention and avoid another encounter with Lady Henrietta at the same time.

Mr. Vance bowed and then focused his attention directly on Betty. ‘Lady Beatrice, that color is extraordinarily suited to you, I must say. I think it is the precise shade of your eyes.’

Kate could almost feel Betty puff up with pride beside her.

‘Why thank you, sir,’ her sister said. ‘’Tis always pleasant to receive such a kind and thoughtful compliment.’

‘I only endeavor to be a keen observer of the feminine arts,’ Mr. Vance said. ‘’Tis apparent that you have exquisite taste, my lady. I would be remiss if I did not notice it.’

The conversation continued thus, with Mr. Vance paying Betty compliments, Betty replying with flustered pleasure, and both of them leaving Kate quite to the side. Although she was certain Betty never intended to slight her, Kate suspected that Mr. Vance did so deliberately.

I do hope this evening passes quickly, Kate thought dismally.

Of course, no matter how sincerely she wished it, the opposite was true. Time crawled. Dinner itself would not be served for another hour, no doubt, and then one must survive it—what if she was seated near enough to Lady Henrietta to have to endure her horrid barbs?

‘The Most Honorable, the Marquess of Thorburn,’ the footman announced.

Kate caught her breath. Murmurs travelled through the crowd: he was late, but that mattered not to Kate in the least. He was here.

The time to line up and descend to dinner was now very near. There was no doubt in Kate’s mind on which arm she wished to be. She moved away from Betty and Mr. Vance, attempting to bridge the distance between Lord Thorburn and herself without drawing attention to the act.

Before she could catch the marquess’s eye, however, Lady Henrietta glided between Kate and Thorburn. Kate watched in dismay as the lady laughed and leaned close to the marquess, indubitably applying every ounce of charm she possessed to the interaction.

Dinner was announced, and Lady Henrietta took Lord Thorburn’s arm. Kate was left with the attentions of an older gentleman to whom she had been introduced, although she had forgotten his name. She curtseyed and reluctantly took his arm, allowing him to lead her as he prattled to her about the difficulties of managing his estate.

Dinner was dreadful. She was seated next to the same older fellow, and he continued to drone on about hiring a new steward and draining fields. She had some knowledge of the latter, but she held her tongue, for she was certain he would not like it if she shared it. Instead she forced herself to make eye contact and nod, attempting to refrain from glancing down the table at Lord Thorburn, who was seated next to Lady Henrietta.

Kate felt certain that the evening would prove to be an irredeemable loss, but then, after dinner, the guests rolled back the carpet, and one lady was pressed into playing the pianoforte, and they all prepared to dance.

James

James thought that he should like it very much if the earth were to open up and swallow Lady Henrietta whole. That she had been present came as no great surprise, unlike when he realized that Lady Katherine was among the guests. She walked through the crowd, quite unaware of her own charm, resplendent as an angel among common men. When he did discover the latter, he was frozen in shock—long enough for Lady Henrietta to swoop in and monopolize his attention. Had she not, James was uncertain what he would have done. Feigned an illness and left, perhaps. But she took him so off-balance that the moment for such a scheme passed him by, and the next thing he knew he had accompanied the blonde nuisance to dinner and was shackled to her at the table, as well.

He spent the meal pretending to mind what Lady Henrietta said whilst secretly glancing at Lady Katherine, who was attending to the aging baron beside her. Upon more studied scrutiny, he found that she looked pale and dull, her small smiles insufficient to dispel the evident disinterest she had in the fellow’s conversation. The urge to rescue her, as he had on occasion done before, once again filled him, but he knew he could not act upon it, even without the societal obstacles to such a thing at a dinner. He must remain aloof from her, for her sake.

Nevertheless, after the meal as the guests rolled back the carpet and began to dance, he felt the drive to intervene on Lady Katherine’s behalf only grow, for the baron seemed to have decided not to leave her side under any circumstances. James might even have welcomed it if Mr. Vance had shown some interest in the lady, but he did not, preferring, this evening, to entertain her sister.

Stiff with unhappiness, James watched as the baron invited Lady Katherine to dance twice in a row. When James observed the expression on the fellow’s face as he leaned in to ask for a scandalous third dance, he could bear it no longer. He abandoned his corner of the room, where he had hung like a shadow to avoid the longing looks of Lady Henrietta and the rest of the ladies seeking partners, and crossed directly to where Lady Katherine stood, with panicked wide eyes, as the baron’s mouth opened to deliver the third invitation.

‘Lady Katherine, would you do me the honor of a dance?’ he asked with a bow.

The baron made a small choking noise and straightened.

Lady Katherine turned her blue eyes on James, and he felt his heart burst into flame.

By the devil, she is lovely.

‘I should like that very much, Lord Thorburn,’ the lady replied, taking his hand.

And so they faced each other as the pianist played a country reel. James noticed as Lady Katherine’s shoulders eased, and soon they stepped lightly in a circle around each other, following the intricacies of the dance.

‘I was most bewildered, my lord, at your sudden departure, the other day,’ Lady Katherine blurted after a few moments of silence.

’Twas most bold of her to speak of it so plainly, but he supposed he had come to expect nothing less of her.

‘Yes,’ he said hesitantly. ‘I imagine it was...unpleasant. I apologise for it, but it could not be helped.’

‘Of course,’ she said, bowing her head. Her cheeks were rosy—she was lovely in her discomfort, and yet it pained him to see her so. He wished he might explain himself to her, but to what end? The result was the same, and she might find it easier to forget him if he made no such effort.

They whirled around each other, the music merry, and switched partners as the dance required. After a time they were reunited again, however, and she met his eyes, her own imploring. ‘My lord—that is, I—’

She stopped herself from finishing the statement, and he frowned. ‘What is it?’

‘’Tis only that I—it is so very hot, and I feel unwell—’

She stumbled and he surged forward to catch her under the arm, supporting the small of her back. The sensation of her pressed against him made his heart throb with longing.

The devil take it, Thorburn. You mustn’t yearn for her so!

And yet how could he not?

‘My lady, allow me to guide you to the balcony for some air,’ he said solicitously.

As he did, he spied Lady Henrietta, who watched with the venom of a viper as they passed.

Would that some lordling might wed that harpy, James thought. The sooner the better.

As the cooler night air surrounded them, James regarded Lady Katherine, concern outweighing all other thought. She leaned on the railing, pressing a gloved hand to her forehead.

‘I thank you, my lord,’ she said softly. ‘I fear I am not well suited to London dinners and balls. Perhaps, had I been raised in the earl’s household...but I was not.’

‘Oh, you mustn’t reproach yourself, my lady. These affairs are tiresome even for the most habituated participants.’

She gave him a small smile. ‘Is it the same, when one goes to Brighton? Or other beachside locations?’

James felt a pang, recalling their conversation at the picnic. She had expressed her desire to see the shore, and he had thought, at the time, of fulfilling that desire at the first opportunity. But now...

‘I daresay they have dinners and balls in Brighton, as well.’

She turned fully to face him, then. Her mouth was curved into a slight pout, and her eyes were sad. The longing to take her hand, to kiss her soft lips, welled up within him. It would take so little. A step closer. His hand under her chin. He need only caress her cheek, and she could be his.

This will not do, Thorburn. You know it!

James grit his teeth and took a step back. Lady Katherine’s brow knit as she noticed.

‘Unless you need further assistance...’ James muttered.

She only blinked at him, and his yearning for her flared, and he could not remain alone with her thus.

He fled.

Chapter 20

Kate

‘What can you mean, you shan’t rise today?’ Pascal, Kate’s lady’s maid, exclaimed as she stood beside Kate’s bed the morning after the wretched dinner.

‘I am unwell,’ Kate claimed, burrowing deeper into her covers. ‘My head aches and I am dreadfully weak, Pascal. Give my apologies to the household.’

It was not, Kate reasoned, entirely a lie. She had slept very poorly, troubled as she was by the events of the evening before.

He could not bear to remain at my side. He hates me!

’Twas enough to turn her stomach.

Pascal pressed a palm to Kate’s forehead briskly. ‘You’ve not even a spot of fever, my lady. What is the matter? Did you suffer a disappointment last night?’

If you would describe the continued capricious behavior of the Marquess of Thorburn as a disappointment to me, then yes.

‘Nonsense,’ Kate said aloud. ‘I tell you I am ill.’

Pascal crossed her arms. ‘Lady Inverley shall be vexed. She has decided that you and Lady Beatrice are to accompany her for a ride in the barouche through Hyde Park this morning, and she expects several gentlemen callers later today.’

Oh, a carriage ride with Lady Inverley, to show us off like prized chickens to likely buyers? How can I possibly resist?

‘I am aggrieved to vex Lady Inverley,’ Kate said, ‘however I see no way to avoid such an outcome, for as I have told you, I am unwell.’

Pascal sighed. ‘Very well, I shall relay your apologies.’

‘Thank you, Pascal.’

’Twas a small rebellion, this pretense that she was ill, but Kate relished it. She would remain in bed all day. Perhaps tomorrow, as well. Let Betty entertain any suitors. Kate had no desire to see anyone.

For an hour she dozed, and then a knock came on the door.

‘Kate, ’tis Betty.’

‘Come in,’ Kate called, sitting up with a guilty jolt.

Betty hastened to her bedside, where she sat, taking Kate’s hand in hers. ‘Oh, are you very ill, dear Kate?’ she asked, and Kate’s guilt increased.

‘Not very ill,’ Kate said. ‘Only fatigued, and I have a headache. Nothing a day of rest won’t cure, I’m certain.’

Betty smiled, squeezing the hand she held. ‘I have news. We have been invited to the Duke of Averill’s annual masquerade ball!’

Kate furrowed her brow. Betty seemed unaccountably delighted by this development, and yet she usually joined Kate in her dislike of balls.

‘How...marvelous?’ Kate said.

‘Oh, Kate, this ball is legendary! ’Tis a rare honor to be invited. Only the most elite peers are included, and there shall be members of the royal family. Mama says she heard that the Queen intends to bring several of her foreign nephews. Princes, Kate!’

Kate rubbed her forehead with her free hand. ‘Oh, Betty,’ she murmured. ‘I am pleased for you, if you wish to attend such an event, but I—I should be most fearfully lost in such a company. I must beg your Mama to excuse me from it.’

‘Excuse you?’ Betty gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. ‘Oh, heaven forfend, Kate! You mustn’t allow yourself to be intimidated. ’Tis the opportunity of a lifetime. You might catch the eye of a prince, Kate! Imagine!’

Another knock came at the door, and then it opened and Lady Inverley entered.

‘Katherine,’ she said in her severe way. ‘Pascal has spoken with me and says you are unwell?’

‘Mama!’ exclaimed Betty. ‘Oh, you simply must convince her, Mama! She says she does not wish to attend his Grace’s masquerade ball!’

Kate felt her cheeks warm. ‘’Tis true, my lady. I would be a coarse, inelegant goose beside Betty’s swan, I daresay.’

‘Nonsense!’ Betty cried. ‘You cannot abandon me so, Kate. Mama, do tell her that she must come with us!’

‘Of course she shall,’ Lady Inverley said, her spine stiff. ‘I shan’t hear another word on the matter. Your absence would be unthinkable, Katherine.’

Because I am the reason we have been invited, Kate realized with a sinking heart. The Duke of Averill wishes to ogle the Wild Girl of Inverley. I am like a fool sent to entertain the peerage, nothing more.

‘Now, I shall brook no further malingering,’ Lady Inverley said, frowning at Kate. ‘You must rise and Pascal shall see to you. We leave for Hyde Park in an hour’s time.’

James

James sat, pretending to write a letter, in the drawing room of his London townhouse. His mother was settled a few feet away, on a sofa, embroidering.

His mind was full of thoughts of Lady Katherine, as was the unrelenting case of late.

Her father will not give his blessing. There can be no marriage to Lady Katherine. If I act on my feelings I will only ruin her chances of a good match with another.

But no matter how often he repeated the thoughts, they seemed never to penetrate the yearning in his heart.

He wrote a line on the paper before him but he was so distracted the ink made a blot.

Thorburn, you must stop this madness. She is nothing but a girl like any other—’tis foolish to spend so much time imagining a future with her that can never be!

‘Have you accepted the Duke’s invitation, James?’

His mother’s question wrenched his attention away from the turmoil of his thoughts most jarringly. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Averill,’ the dowager marchioness said, as if that explained everything.

‘What of him?’

She let out a sharp sigh. ‘Really, James. His masquerade ball! The invitation came hours ago. Have you not yet replied?’

James could think of nothing more wearisome in that moment than attending a masquerade ball. ‘I shall decline,’ he said.

‘Horse feathers.’

He raised his eyebrows at her, and she met his gaze with an undisguised scowl.

‘Moping about like a mooncalf—did you hope I had not noticed? ’Tis that daughter of Inverley’s? The peasant?’

James was so shocked that he could think of nothing to reply.

‘It comes as no surprise at all that you should become ensnared by one so unsuitable, James. ’Tis entirely typical of you.’

‘I—I cannot—’ But James could formulate nothing coherent in response to this accusation. At last he fixed on one thing she had said that he could counter: ‘She is not a peasant!’

‘She might as well be.’

‘She is the lawful daughter of Lord Inverley and his first wife, and none of the scandal of her disappearance was of her making!’

‘If this is your attempt to convince me of your indifference to her, my dear, I must say you are failing dramatically.’

‘I—’ he began, and then stopped. In that moment he knew without a doubt that there existed within his heart not even a sliver of desire to deny his feelings for Lady Katherine.

There’s nothing for it. I cannot pretend I do not love her. And I cannot face another day of denying myself the only thing that promises a future of true happiness.

‘Mother, I owe you my thanks,’ he said, standing.

She gave him an alarmed look. ‘Whatever can you mean by that?’

‘Your misguided scolding has had a most unexpected illuminating effect on my mind.’

‘Illuminating?’

‘Yes, quite. I see now that I cannot go on as I have been. I must take action at once.’

‘Action? Of what nature?’

‘Oh, Mother, you must have guessed, you who claims to have such insight into my character.’

James inhaled deeply, squaring his shoulders as he gazed at the dowager marchioness.

‘I must hasten at once to Lord Inverley’s townhouse. There isn’t a moment to lose.’

‘What can you mean by this, James?’ his mother asked with increasing agitation.

‘Why, I shall ask for her hand, of course. And I shan’t take no for an answer.’

Chapter 21

Kate

Upon their return from the ride through Hyde Park, in which they crossed paths with several other open carriages full of young ladies as well as many noblemen on horseback, Kate, Betty, and Lady Inverley had a light repast and then arranged themselves in the large drawing room, preparing to receive gentleman callers. Lady Inverley forbade them to paint, for fear of there ensuing some spill or other misadventure, so Kate chose a book of poetry from the shelf and Betty took up the reticule she was netting. Lady Inverley sat at the writing desk and busied herself with letters.

Seeking more light, Kate moved to an armchair next to the window, and soon found herself more drawn to watching the people passing underneath on the London street than to the stilted verse in the book she held. ’Twas thus that she saw the first two gentlemen callers long before they were announced. Neither had very serious intentions, as far as Kate could tell, for they did not linger long with the Inverley ladies. After their departure Kate again took her position at the window, and what she saw made her catch her breath.

Lord Thorburn riding up the street?

It was he, though she could scarcely believe her eyes. She told herself that surely he would make his way past and disappear, but instead, he stopped and dismounted.

Can he truly be here to call on us?

Kate’s confusion grew as she watched him walk up to the front door, disappearing from her view as he did so.

‘The Most Honorable, the Marquess of Thorburn,’ intoned the butler.

Kate was on her feet, clutching her hands together, before her sister or step-mother had a chance to react.

Thorburn strode in, removing his hat as he bowed. The sunlight streaming in through the tall windows caught the fiery highlights of his ruddy hair. His eyes flashed around the room and lit on Kate. His arched brows were lowered in an expression of determination.

‘Good afternoon, Lord Thorburn,’ said Lady Inverley, her tone conveying surprise. ‘If you seek my brother-in-law, Lieutenant Alden is not at home, I fear.’

Thorburn gave her a curt nod. ‘I thank you but I am not in search of Alden. I had hoped to have a moment to speak with Lady Katherine. In private.’

Lady Inverley’s eyes widened and she stepped to Betty’s side, taking her arm. ‘Come, my dear,’ she said, hastening with her daughter from the room.

Kate found herself alone, facing Lord Thorburn, who crossed to her in three strides.

Then as he stopped, a sense of hesitation came into his gaze. He grimaced slightly.

‘I cannot imagine what you must think of me, Lady Katherine,’ he said with unease. ‘That I am an inconstant friend, I daresay. Fickle and faithless.’

Kate bit her lip, bereft of any charming retort which might have served to flatter him, rather than chide him as she felt would be more truthful.

‘I can only beg you to forgive me. My habits of many years first prevented me from appreciating you as you deserve, and then it was...other obstacles. But I am wholly resolved to overcome any hurdles cast in my path now.’

Kate frowned, quite uncertain as to what he could be referring to. Hurdles? What can he mean? What is the meaning of this visit, this private interview? ‘I beg your pardon, my lord, but I am at a loss as to how to respond.’

‘Of course you are,’ he said, looking away and running a hand into his hair in a gesture of exasperation. ‘I babble much as a madman might. For I am mad, Lady Katherine. I have never known myself to be so distracted.’

Kate watched him with growing disquiet. What could he mean by all of this?

‘And I shan’t fault you for it,’ he continued. ‘’Tis none of your doing—or at least, none of your intent. I know that.’

Does he reproach me something? How have I offended him?

‘My lord?’ she said, her voice creaking with anxiety.

He turned back to her then, gazing at her with intensity. ‘All the way here, I knew precisely what I would say to you. But I never considered for a moment that you might not want what I want. I was a fool, and now...’ His voice trailed off.

He speaks of being mad but ’tis I who shall go mad if he does not tell me what all of this is about.

‘My lord, I beg you, I do not understand...’

Thorburn let out a short laugh. ‘I do beg your pardon, Lady Katherine,’ he said. Then, more to himself: ‘I never thought I was such a coward, until I met you. And I have proven to bear a lack of spine on too many occasions already. I shan’t flee now, even if I risk humiliation.’

Kate suppressed the urge to chew on her lips in agitation.

Then he stepped closer and took her hand in his.

Can he like me, after all? Can this be...what I know I desire most in my deepest heart?

Tears pricked her eyes unexpectedly, and in that moment Kate realized how very unhappy she had been until now. Hope, blossoming because of the marquess’s strange behavior, served to contrast with the despair she had carried with her without acknowledging it.

‘Dearest Lady Katherine,’ Lord Thorburn said, his green eyes soft upon her, ‘if you should find it within your good nature to forgive me my past mistakes, I should like very much to discuss a future we might share together.’

‘A future, my lord?’ she asked, her throat tightening.

‘Indeed,’ he said. ‘If...if you would like it,’ he said, his expression vulnerable and uneasy. ‘I came here today to—to ask for your hand. I have come to the realization that despite a previous prejudice against the thought of matrimony...I cannot abide the thought of a future without you at my side, as my wife.’

Kate could not speak.

‘I should endeavor to make your life happy,’ he said. ‘We would go to the seashore as soon as you like, and if you were interested, perhaps we might even one day travel to Greece? For there are many ruins there...’ He tightened his hold on her hand, looked into her eyes, and said, ‘And thus I ask of you, Lady Katherine...will you marry me?’

Something burst inside her chest, and a great dizziness swept through her head, and she clung to his hand with hers for balance.

‘Pray, have mercy upon me, my lady,’ he murmured. ‘I wait with a pounding heart for your reply. If it is no, put my poor heart out of its misery with one strike, I beg you.’

At last Kate drew a breath, and found her voice. ‘Merciful heavens, my lord, how could I refuse? Nothing would make me happier than to accept.’

He blinked. ‘Truly?’

She smiled, and a laugh escaped her. ‘Truly! Oh, my lord, say that you are in earnest. That you shan’t change your mind and disappear again!’

Lord Thorburn’s cheeks reddened, and he pressed her fingers to his lips in a kiss. ‘My lady, I do not fault you for this entreaty. ’Tis my own fault you have such fears. But I shan’t fail you, I vow.’

With that, he took her in his arms and kissed her lips, tenderly at first, but with growing passion. Kate felt everything fall away. She was floating in his arms, her heart beating hard, awash in sensuous pleasure.

Betrothed. Betrothed to Lord Thorburn. Soon to be his wife!

Joy filled her as he kissed her again, and ’twas evident to Kate that he too felt the same joy.

He pulled away, beaming at her, taking both of her hands in his. ‘I am the happiest man alive.’

She laughed again. ‘And I the happiest woman.’

‘What is the meaning of this!?’

Kate gasped and whirled to face the doorway. Lord Inverley, her father, stood there, his face apoplectic with rage. Lord Thorburn took a step back from her, but then turned to face the earl, thrusting back his shoulders with an air of defiance.

‘I have asked Lady Katherine to marry me,’ Lord Thorburn informed Lord Inverley, ‘and she has accepted.’

‘Hell and the Devil confound it, Thorburn! I made myself perfectly clear on this matter!’ Inverley barked.

Clear? What can he mean?

Thorburn stood fast. ‘You did. Would that you felt differently, my lord, but I have sought the only assent that matters in the end: Lady Katherine’s. She wishes to wed me, and I her. Nothing prevents us. I beg you, see your way to giving us your blessing.’

‘I shall do no such thing!’ Lord Inverley bellowed. ‘How dare you attempt to circumvent my will!’

Kate bit her lip, wringing her hands. Everything had been so perfect, for one brief moment, and now it was slipping away.

‘My lord—’ Thorburn said.

‘Not another word! You are a scoundrel, Thorburn! Far worse than I ever suspected,’ Inverley declared.

‘Lord Inverley—’

‘Get out!’ the earl shouted. ‘Get out at once! You are not welcome here!’

Kate watched in growing horror as Thorburn glared at Inverley as though searching for some way to counter this demand. But as seconds passed, she knew with growing dread that he could find no way to do so.

Turning for one last look at her, Lord Thorburn left.

Chapter 22

James

That night, after several hours of pacing across the floorboards of his bedchamber, James sat at the small secretary in the corner of his room and dipped his quill in a pot of ink.

My dearest Lady Katherine, he began. He eyed the opening. Too bold, to refer to her thus? But she had accepted his proposal, and returned his kiss most ardently. He let the opening stand.

I write to you by moonlight to confess the turmoil of my heart. Within it, triumph wars with despair. When I recall your gracious acceptance of my most cherished proposal, my heart soars with delight. And when I think of what followed, I am filled with remorse and sorrow. Your father’s rejection of our betrothal troubles me greatly.

James stopped for a moment. What he most dearly wished was to ask her to elope with him. ’Twas not unheard of, of course, but how would she react? She liked him. She liked him enough to agree to spend the rest of her life with him. But did she like him enough to brave the stares and whispers that would inevitably come if they eloped against her father’s wishes?

I had imagined that with your assent, I might have convinced your father to bless our union. ’Twould seem I underestimated his opposition to the match. For that, I am filled with self-recriminations, not simply because I thoughtlessly exposed you to such a scene, but because it is the choices of my past which have so prejudiced the earl against me.

James pondered what to say next. Still, the elopement hovered in his thoughts, but he dared not go as far as to name it openly.

I have not given up hope, dearest. I still imagine that we shall visit Cornwall and Glastonbury someday, and perhaps Italy and Greece. Why not? Many places promise fascinating study, and I have decided to write a monograph. I shall show you some older drawings I made of Hadrian’s Wall—’twould please me greatly were we to go and visit it together. I have a particular interest in the Roman arch and its uses across cultures, and I shall tell you more of it when I see you, if you are amenable.

Speaking of travel seemed close enough to a hint of elopement, James decided. Lady Katherine was likely too innocent to perceive it, but he hoped it might plant a seed, regardless. He would bring the matter up more directly in time.

I shall entrust this note to a boy whose loyalty is not in doubt. If you wish to reply, be sure to give any letter directly into his hands.

With wistful longing,

Thorburn

Lady Henrietta

‘Lord Thorburn’s boy, Madam,’ a footman said, having led the young servant into the morning room where Lady Henrietta sat with Lady Agnes.

Lady Henrietta eyed the youth and then held out her hand. The boy hastened forward and placed a folded note into it. ‘Pay him and have him wait in the kitchen,’ Lady Henrietta said to the footman, and away they both went.

Lady Agnes gazed with curiosity at her sister as the latter unfolded the note.

‘What does it say?’ Agnes asked.

Lady Henrietta’s expression became stormier the more she read. ‘That wretched lady-bird!’ she exclaimed. ‘She’s had a proposal from him!’

‘Of whom do you speak, Hetty?’

‘Why, of Lady Katherine Alden, of course! That light-skirt! The marquess asked for her hand, and she accepted!’

‘Oh? Are they betrothed?’

‘Fortunately, ’twould appear that Lord Inverley objected most fiercely to the match. What a remarkable jest,’ Lady Henrietta said with a bitter note in her voice.

‘A jest, Hetty?’

‘Of course! That Lord Inverley should object to Lord Thorburn—as if a marquess was not far above the likes of that bit of muslin!’

‘The earl objects to Lord Thorburn?’

‘To his reputation, yes, which I can tell you is most assuredly overblown. Lord Thorburn has gambled somewhat and perhaps he has enjoyed the company of a bird of paradise from time to time, Agnes, but so have most men of the peerage, and you shan’t convince me otherwise.’

‘No, certainly I shouldn’t imagine I might.’

‘’Tis only his misfortune that his mother had complained so loudly of his transgressions,’ Henrietta said.

‘Whose mother?’ Agnes asked in her dull way.

‘Why Lord Thorburn’s, of course! The dowager marchioness!’ Henrietta exclaimed impatiently. ‘If he is known as a rake ’tis her own doing!’

‘Oh,’ said Agnes, who did not, in fact, follow Henrietta’s reasoning.

‘Why, Lord Inverley should be overcome with gratitude that a lord of Thorburn’s quality should have deigned to ask for that Katherine’s hand. Though I shan’t complain, you understand.’

‘Indeed,’ said Agnes, who did not.

‘This gives me time.’

‘Time, Hetty?’

‘Yes. Time to pursue my scheme. I must speak with Mr. Vance directly. Before the Duke’s ball.’

‘Ah, yes, of course,’ said Agnes. ‘And what of the boy who waits in the kitchen?’

Ordinarily, Lady Henrietta would have returned the note to him so he might deliver it as if it had never been intercepted. But Henrietta saw the hints of elopement in between the lines of Lord Thorburn’s scrawling script as though they had been written in ink. She glared at the missive in her hand, and then tossed it into the fire.

‘I’m afraid he shall leave empty-handed,’ she said.

Kate

As Pascal made the finishing touches to Kate’s fancy dress, the young lady gazed at herself in the mirror with a troubled expression. She opened her mouth to speak her doubts just as the door to her chamber opened and Betty entered with her mother.

‘Oh, you look lovely, Kate,’ Betty exclaimed.

Betty looked very well herself, Kate thought, dressed as a Turkish princess in red, gold, and yellow silks. But despite Betty’s enthusiasm, Kate could not feel at ease in her costume.

‘I thank you,’ she said to Betty. ‘But I fear it shall only excite wagging tongues.’

Wearing a blue cloak known as a domino and carrying a Venetian mask on a stem, Lady Inverley tutted at Kate reprovingly. ‘You have not yet learned,’ she said to Kate, ‘that one must confront the gossips and busybodies directly. They refer to you as a dairymaid in whispers. So you shall be a dairymaid in fact.’

Kate eyed her dress. ’Twas expertly constructed of fine velvets and silks, but it was no princess’s gown. Instead, it was the facsimile of what a dairymaid might wear in a fairytale, lovely and colorful and not at all worn or dirtied by work. The skirt was wine-red and the bodice was slate-blue. There was a cream silk apron and ruffles of the same fabric along the square-cut décolletté. Her hair was tucked up into a lacy bonnet. She was to hold a basket of flowers on one arm, which made Kate wonder what they all thought dairymaids did throughout the day, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

She no longer put up any resistance to the prospect of attending the ball. Ever since Lord Thorburn’s proposal, she had thought of little else than to have the opportunity to see him again. She had heard nothing from him, and she feared there was no hope of their having a future together, but she could not accept such an outcome without speaking to him first.

The Duke of Averill’s estate was not far from London, and the ball was to be held there. They tied on their masks on the way. Betty’s was an ornate red and yellow full-faced mask embellished with feathers. Kate’s was a half-face divided with lines crossing over the bridge of the nose so that one quarter was blue, matching her bodice, the opposite was dark red, matching her skirt, and the rest was cream-white.

They arrived at the ball at ten at night, and as they walked up to the towering front doors of the manor house, Kate took in the other guests with a mixture of awe and curiosity. Most of them wore masks. She saw sultans and pirates, orange girls and shepherdesses, chimney sweeps and gypsies. For Kate, this was an entirely new experience. No one in Kelding had ever attended a masquerade ball. She was filled with excitement and more than a little fear. It felt as though anything was possible.

The interior of the manor made Kate gasp. The Duke had outdone any decor she had ever seen in the few balls and soirees she had so far attended. Silken drapes of a variety of colors hung everywhere, some pinned up to make graceful sweeping pleats, others simply hanging, which created a maze of the otherwise vast halls. There were candles in sparkling crystal girandoles, dozens and dozens of mirrors reflecting their light as well as multiplying the strangely costumed crowd, and fragrant bouquets of flowers.

‘This place is a palace,’ Kate gasped.

Betty nodded. ‘His Grace, the Duke of Averill, is known for his immense wealth,’ she said. ‘He has made a fortune in the war as well as with investments in the Orient.’

They passed from the immense foyer into a gallery with sculptures—Kate pressed a hand to her mouth in shock when she realized that the were not, as she had first thought, made of marble. They were living statues. People, dressed in draping robes and painted white, who remained frozen for a time and then abruptly moved to a new position, which they then held.

In the next hall a dais had been constructed at its center and two more in the northeast and southwestren corner. Acrobats performed on the middle stages whilst musicians played gaily on the other two platforms. Towering French doors had been thrown open along the east wall, leading out into a well-lit terrace where jesters cavorted and jugglers entertained on-lookers.

As they walked outside to observe, a jester pretended to steal a flower from Kate’s basket. When she shied away, he feigned a tumble. She laughed. ‘Betty, I understand better now why you wished to attend this ball.’

‘Isn’t it wonderful? I have only ever heard speak of it,’ Betty said. ‘But everything I ever heard made me yearn to experience it for myself. How delightful to finally get my wish!’

After a tour around the terrace they returned within, making their way to the ballroom, where the musicians were not yet playing. It was larger than any Kate had seen, although she imagined the royal ballrooms likely rivaled it. Like the other halls it was decorated with curtains above, girandoles along the walls paired with mirrors, and flowers in hanging baskets above as well as in vases.

‘’Tis beautiful,’ Kate marveled.

At that moment a very tall Spaniard in a midnight blue and red uniform covered in gilded ornamentation, topped with a feathered hat stepped in Betty’s path and bowed. When he removed his hat to do so, the wig he wore came off with it for an instant, and Kate spotted Mr. Vance’s distinctive fiery hair.

‘Hola, mi estimada noble dama. Espero que se encuentre bien esta noche. ¿Me haría el honor de permitirme reservar un baile?’ he said with a flourish of the feathered hat.

Dropping a quick curtsey, Betty burst into giggles. ‘Oh my heavens. I haven’t the slightest idea of what you said, sir.’

Affecting a thick accent, Mr. Vance said, ‘I asked if you, my lady, would do me the honor of allowing me to reserve a dance.’ His eyes, which had a line of black kohl around the lids, flicked to Kate. ‘And you, as well, Lady Katherine? Might I sign your dance card?’

‘With pleasure,’ Kate said insincerely. She would have preferred to refuse, but she hoped that behind one of the myriad masks might be Lord Thorburn, and if so, she must be available to dance. Refusing one fellow meant refusing them all.

Mr. Vance returned his attention to Betty. ‘Such a lovely sultana,’ he said, still pretending to have an accent.

‘But how on earth did you recognize us, señor?’ asked Betty, giggling again coquettishly. Kate narrowed her eyes at her sister. She’s beginning to like the attention Mr. Vance pays her. ’Twas an unwelcome realization. Kate felt that Betty was changing. Slipping away from her.

I might bring her back somewhat if I reminded her of Viscount Harland, perhaps.

‘Your most esteemed father has no mask, sultana,’ Mr. Vance replied to Betty.

Kate endeavored to ascertain whether Betty’s young viscount was present, and after a quarter of an hour noticed a group of noblemen laughing. Two of them were pretending to sword-fight, one dressed as a captain in the commedia dell'arte style, the other no doubt as a character from some play by Shakespeare, given the doublet and hose. The latter’s mask came loose as they fenced, and Kate recognized Harland.

She pulled Betty with her in an attempt to move closer, and was gratified when Harland visibly took notice of them as he finished up the contest with the captain. He adjusted his mask and approached a moment later.

Kate pretended to be entirely unaware of who he was.

‘My lady sultana,’ he said to Betty as he bowed. ‘And a lovely milk-maid. How delightful!’

The sisters curtseyed, but to Kate’s dismay Betty seemed distracted, looking over her shoulder.

‘And you are Romeo, sir?’ Kate inquired.

‘Macbeth,’ he said.

‘Oh, such an ill-fated hero,’ Kate said, giving Betty’s elbow a subtle tug.

Betty turned back to face Harland and forced a smile. ‘Indeed, I never liked Shakespeare’s tragedies.’

‘What a pity,’ Harland said. His eye-mask did not hide the genuine smile he gave her.

This is it, Betty! He at last has noticed and likes you! Kate thought with a burst of triumph.

But Betty looked away again.

‘I shall have to endeavor to give the poor Scot a better end tonight,’ Harland said jovially.

‘Hmm?’ Betty replied, dragging her eyes back to meet his.

‘I was only saying...’ Harland’s voice trailed off.

‘I beg your pardon, sir, my mother calls me to her,’ Betty said, and pulled Kate with her as she left.

‘Betty!’ Kate exclaimed as soon as they were far enough away from the viscount not to be overheard. ‘You were most impolite!’

‘Was I, dearest? I do apologise.’

‘Not to me! To the Viscount Harland.’

‘Is that who that was? Macbeth? How drole.’

She doesn’t care!

‘And what nonsense is this about your mama? She was not calling you.’

‘Oh, Kate, ’tis only that the music seems ont he verge of starting, and I wished to move closer to Mr. Vance.’

Kate's heart sank. She does like him now.

Imagining Betty wed to Mr. Vance made Kate’s stomach clench. But what was there left to do? She had managed to attract the attention of the elusive Viscount Harland, which should have enchanted Betty thoroughly. Instead, it had had no effect.

I cannot stop her from this course, if she has set her mind to it.

But I shan’t enjoy having Mr. Vance as a brother, I daresay.

Grimacing, Kate looked about her, wondering if this evening, which had had such promise, might result in disappointment after all. As Betty took Mr. Vance’s hand and made her way with him to the dance floor, Kate dug her nails into the handle of her flower basket. There was no sign of Lord Thorburn anywhere.

How dreadful, to watch Betty throw herself away and know that I am doomed to a dreary future as well.

Hope, it seemed, was dwindling.

Chapter 23

James

When his mother had first informed him of the Duke of Averill’s invitation, James had no intention of accepting. But that was before his ill-fated proposal to Lady Katherine.

He had received no response to his secret note, and this troubled him. As the days passed, he struggled with himself. The urge to send another note grew, but a fear was taking root which prevented him from doing so: perhaps his missive had been unwelcome. Perhaps Lady Katherine thought him too bold. Perhaps she wanted nothing more to do with him.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. She appeared to him as a Grecian goddess, her hair piled on a crown, her grey-blue eyes sparkling. The graceful line of her shoulder transfixed his mind’s eye. The swan-like neck. Her easy gestures, devoid of artifice. How he longed to spend the rest of his days at her side. Why, he would spend every moment considering how best to make her happy. He could think of no better use for his life.

He needed to speak with her, to find out once and for all whether she desired him as he desired her. But under no circumstances might he approach her either at her family’s townhouse or even in public when she promenaded with her sister and Lady Inverley in the Park, or in any other such circumstance.

It was thus that Averill’s ball became the only possible solution to his problem. Where else might he approach her without provoking Lord Inverley’s ire? Where else might they have a private interview, and leave none the wiser? He must don a disguise and approach her there, and settle the questions in his mind forever.

James dressed as Harlequin, the clown-servant of traditional comedies. His tight-fitting clothes were covered in bright red, green, and white diamond-shaped checks, criss-crossed in black piping. He wore a wide, crescent-shaped black hat, and a mask that covered almost his full face, checkered to match his costume.

As he had hoped, upon his arrival at the ball he blended easily into the crowd, drawing no attention. No one greeted him, which he took as a sign of the effectiveness of his disguise. He began immediately to search for Lady Katherine.

He did not immediately find her, for she wore a mask, as well. But when he realized she was dressed as a dairymaid, he smiled. He could not be certain, but he suspected she had chosen the character as a particular hint to him.

Keeping his eyes on her, he made his way carefully through the crowd. He wished to remain unnoticed, and Lord Inverley was watching from where he stood near the wall. Lady Katherine was closer to the dance floor, gazing at the couples as they whirled about.

James considered asking her to dance, but rejected the idea. Lord Inverley would not fail to notice, and he would guess that the Harlequin was James soon enough. No, James needed to speak with Lady Katherine alone. This was not a night for dancing.

Casting a look towards the earl, James moved to Lady Katherine on a meandering diagonal, dodging a Cleopatra here, a Highland lad there. At last he reached her, and leaned to bring his mouth close to her ear.

‘Lady Katherine, meet me on the terrace.’

Her whole frame stiffened, and his heart pounded with anxiety. Did she despise him? But he could not risk lingering where her father might recognize him. He hurried off to the French doors.

When she emerged a few minutes later he swept through the guests to her and grasped her hand, pulling her with him into the far darker alleys of the Duke’s garden.

‘Lord Thorburn?’ she gasped.

At last, they were alone. The air was fresh and the shadows cast by the tall hedges all around them gave a comforting sense of privacy. James removed his mask.

‘Lady Katherine,’ he breathed. ‘I thank you most sincerely for meeting with me.’

She still wore her mask, but her large grey-blue eyes were unmistakable as they studied his face. ‘I have wondered whether we should ever have another opportunity to speak,’ she said.

James resisted the impulse to take her into his arms and crush his mouth to hers. How the passion he felt for her only grew with each day that passed! But now was not the time for such abandon. He must know her heart.

‘My lady,’ he said. ‘When I received no answer to my note, I feared you might no longer wish to speak with me.’

‘Your note?’

James frowned. ‘The boy told me he delivered it.’

‘I received no note.’

A chill passed through him. Could the idiot have given it to the wrong person? Surely Lady Beatrice would have given it into Lady Katherine’s hands, if he gave it to her. Could he have turned it over to Lady Inverley? The simpleton!

‘You—you wrote me a note, my lord?’

James took her hands in his. ‘I did,’ he said. ‘I have not ceased thinking of you, and of our interview, night and day since we parted. I am dreadfully aggrieved that matters fell out as they did. But I still wish to marry you, dearest Lady Katherine.’

She breathed in as though surprised.

‘Tell me, my lady,’ he implored her, ‘have your feelings changed? Would you prefer to forget me?’

‘Forget you? My lord, I never could,’ she said. The intensity of her gaze filled him with joy. ‘My answer has not wavered. If you would have me as your wife, nothing would make me happier.’

’Twas more than he could resist. He took her in his arms and kissed her mouth, the edge of her mask pressing his upper lip. Her body melted against him as she returned the kiss ardently.

‘Lord Thorburn...’ she whispered as he at last loosened his embrace.

‘You must call me James,’ he said.

‘And you must call me Kate,’ she said. ‘If you please.’

Kate

‘Kate,’ he said softly, and kissed her again.

The heat which filled her was excruciating and marvelous in equal parts. Never had she felt the like. Every inch of her that touched him was aflame, and the rest burned for him.

He kissed her throat, and his mouth moved lower, over her collarbone and to the swells of her breasts.

‘Ah,’ she gasped, leaning back to offer herself to him.

‘Kate,’ he murmured against her, his hands finding the curves of her breasts and filling themselves with them.

Kate was not as innocent as many of her noble peers, having lived among the animals on her uncle’s farm, but she had never experienced anything like this. This was no mere coupling of animals...it was passion. The pleasure of feeling his touch swept her away.

Her own fingers began to move, first over his strong shoulders, the ridges of the patterned velvet delightful texture under their tips. Then she gave in to the desire to touch his skin, smoothing her hands around his neck and into his hair.

Meanwhile his soft lips caressed her cleavage and she felt the thrill of the dart of a tongue. She gasped, her fingers curling into his locks as a tremor of yearning passed through her, making her legs weak.

‘I shall marry you, dearest,’ he said, burying his face in her hair by her ear. ‘Then you shall be mine, and mine alone. No one shall interfere in our happiness then.’

It sounded like heaven. Kate looked into his green eyes, dark in the night, feeling hopeful and afraid at once. ‘Do you really think we might manage it, still?’

His brow furrowed. ‘It shan’t be easy,’ he said. ‘I might lie and give you promises and false hopes, my dear Kate. But I shan’t ever deceive you.’

Love welled up within her at his words. ’Twas the first time she thought of the word, love, but it fit. She loved him for this assurance. This commitment to truthfulness.

The marquess continued, ‘I shall have to plead my case to your father again, of course. I shan’t let his initial refusal ruin our future.’

He looked deeply into her eyes then, and cupped her face in his hands.

‘For you, I would move mountains,’ he said, and kissed her once more.

Lady Henrietta

An hour before her arrival at the ball, Lady Henrietta received a footman to her parlour. He was not one of her own footmen, but employed instead by the Thorburn estate.

‘A harlequin? You are quite certain?’ Lady Henrietta said to him, her eyes wide and piercing.

The footman, although he was accustomed to temperamental nobles, shuffled his feet uncomfortably under her gaze.

‘Yes, Madam,’ he said. ‘A harlequin. I saw the costume myself. Red, green, white, and black, primarily. With a black crescent-shaped hat, and mask matching the clothing.’

‘Very good,’ Lady Henrietta said, and dismissed him.

Dressed as Queen Elizabeth, maskless, with her platinum hair pulled under a wig of fiery curls topped with a crown, her throat wreathed in a vast ruff of stiff lace, and a farthingale under her gilded skirt, Lady Henrietta arrived at the Duke’s estate and began immediately to search the crowd for harlequins. There were several, but at first none matched the colours the footman gave. There was a black and white, a yellow, red and blue, and a green and violet. ’Twas not until she had been there for an hour, Agnes chattering away at her like a magpie, that Henrietta spied a harlequin matching the description.

She might have known him even without the footman’s testimony. His ruddy hair was unmistakable.

It was her plan to go to his side and never leave it the whole night long, but as she moved through the crowd, Agnes trailing behind, she was distressed to see him approach a dairymaid with a distinctive butterfly-shaped birthmark on her bare forearm. None other than Lady Katherine Alden.

The horrid little minx.

But Henrietta’s venom against Lady Katherine was somewhat muted in the knowledge that a scheme she had set in motion would soon capture her rival in a net she would not soon escape.

The anxiety she felt now lay in whether her trap would be sprung in time.

The conversation between the harlequin and the dairymaid lasted only a moment. The harlequin moved away, through the French doors towards the terrace. A few minutes later, the dairymaid followed.

Henrietta took hold of Agnes’s arm. ‘Find me Lady Inverley at once.’

Agnes, who wore an eye-mask and the costume of a lady in waiting to Henrietta’s queen, opened and closed her mouth like a fish, remaining where she stood.

‘Well?’ Henrietta snapped.

‘Hetty, ’tis only that I—well...how am I to know her?’

‘Look there,’ Henrietta pointed, keeping her hand drawn in for subtlety. ‘The lady in the blue domino. ’Tis her.’

She had recognized her the moment she knew Lady Katherine as the dairymaid.

‘Oh, how very observant you are, Hetty. But if you have found her, you shan’t need me to do so.’

Henrietta, who had meant for Agnes to fetch Lady Inverley, let out a long exhalation and then nodded. ‘Certainly not,’ she said with resignation, and made her way over to the countess herself.

Lady Inverley held a mask on a stem, and as Henrietta approached she lowered it, giving Henrietta an appraising look. ‘Your Majesty,’ she said with a small smile and a short bow. ‘What a simply ravishing gown.’

‘You are too kind, Lady Inverley,’ Henrietta said with a curtsey.

‘Royalty suits you,’ Lady Inverley said.

This pleased Henrietta, who preened. Then, remembering her mission, she gave Lady Inverley a smile. ‘And where are your lovely daughters, my lady?’

Lady Inverley gazed out at the dance floor. ‘There is Beatrice, as a Turkish princess.’

‘Oh, how beautiful she is.’

‘Mr. Vance appears to think so,’ Lady Inverley said.

Henrietta’s brow furrowed for an instant, and then she resumed smiling. ‘Indeed. And what of Lady Katherine?’

Lady Inverley’s eyes passed over the crowd. ‘How odd. She was nearby a moment ago. And I do not see her on the floor.’

‘What was she wearing, pray?’ Henrietta asked innocently.

‘The costume of a milk-maid,’ Lady Inverley replied absently.

‘Truly? Then I believe I saw her. She was in the company of a harlequin. I...well, I shouldn’t speculate.’

Lady Inverley’s sharp eyes darted to her. ‘Speculate as to what?’

‘’Tis only that they seemed to be seeking...somewhere private. They went outside.’ Lady Henrietta gestured lightly towards the French doors.

Lady Inverley’s eyes widened in alarm. Without another word she took hold of her skirts and moved with alacrity through the crowd towards the terrace.

Lady Henrietta smiled.

Chapter 24

James

Kissing Kate was like eating sweet cream with a spoon, James thought, as he covered her jaw and throat with more kisses. How he revelled in the sensation of her body held close to his. He never wanted this moment to end.

Her mouth met his hungrily now. At first, she had hesitated, timid and unsure, but as their passion mounted, her inhibitions faded away. He wanted her. He wanted to possess her in every way. Here, in the darkness of the garden, the cool night air did nothing to soothe his ardor.

‘Merciful heavens! Katherine!’

A woman’s voice. James pulled himself away from Kate, looking round to identify the source.

‘Lady Inverley,’ gasped Kate.

Sure enough, the countess stood, unmasked, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.

‘You wanton trollop!’ Lady Inverley cried, grabbing Kate by the arm and dragging her away from him. ‘Come. We leave at once.’

‘Lady Inverley, I beg of you,’ James intervened. ‘Lady Katherine and I have an understanding! We are all but betrothed—’

‘Betrothed to this slattern? You, Lord Thorburn? I think not,’ Lady Inverley said with frosty detachment. At that, she pulled Kate away with her.

All James could do was watch them go.

Kate

The ride back in the carriage was silent.

Kate sat next to Betty, who gave her questioning looks for the first quarter of an hour before subsiding when Kate made no attempt to whisper an explanation to her. Lady Inverley glared at Kate without cease for the entire duration. Lord Inverley, who had not been apprised of the reason they were leaving early, seemed content not to ask questions. Kate suspected he had not wished to attend in the first place, and it suited him well enough to go home.

When they reached the London townhouse Lady Inverley confronted Kate as they entered the foyer.

‘I shall require you to come to Lord Inverley’s study first thing tomorrow morning. It is then that we shall discuss what happened tonight.’

Kate made no response, only lowered her eyes. She felt most unsettled by everything that had happened. Her flesh still ached for Lord Thorburn’s touch, even as her heart sank with dread in anticipation of the morrow.

Surely there is no hope for us now. Unless...will my transgression be reason enough for Lord Inverley to agree to the marriage? After all, if Lady Inverley thinks me compromised, she may decide ’tis better to have me wed Lord Thorburn before I bring scandal on the Inverley name.

Hope warred with fear in Kate’s breast. As Pascal helped her ready herself for bed, she could not bring herself to listen to anything the lady’s maid said. She was entirely tangled in the emotions within her. Desire raged and despair threatened. ’Twas too much, and she hardly slept.

The following morning, she selected a gown with a high neck and long sleeves, hoping that presenting herself thus would mitigate Lady Inverley’s ire. As soon as she was ready, she made her way to Lord Inverley’s study. He was already there.

Kate entered. He was standing at the fireplace and did not look up when she came in. Her heart sank.

Lady Inverley had not yet arrived, and Kate hovered uncertainly. The study was not a room in which she felt particularly welcome. She wrung her hands and went to stand near a bookcase, casting her gaze on it unseeing.

After what felt like a very long ten minutes, Lady Inverley entered. The three of them looked at each other for a moment.

At last, Lord Inverley spoke. ‘Katherine, Lady Inverley has informed me of the scene upon which she stumbled last night in the Averill gardens. She was most distressed.’

Kate said nothing, twisting her fingers together.

‘I have told her that I do not lay the blame at your feet,’ he continued. ‘Not only have you had the disadvantage of your upbringing, but Lord Thorburn is a known rake. I am certain this incident was his doing.’

Kate opened her mouth then, but Lord Inverley held up a palm.

‘You must understand, my girl, that the expectations of polite society differ greatly from what may be considered acceptable among the youth of the agricultural class. No doubt the morals of such people may be looser. We cannot apply such standards here, however.’

Kate felt her face growing hot. Lord Inverley, like most of those she had encountered in the peerage, made dreadful assumptions about her upbringing, and the people she had known all her life. And in addition, his opinion of Lord Thorburn struck her as entirely unfair.

‘Lord Thorburn has made you his quarry no doubt due to this...weakness in your education,’ Inverley continued. ‘He sees you as easy prey.’

‘He has asked me to marry him, my lord,’ Kate said.

‘A lie easily uttered to convince you of his honorable intent,’ Inverley said with a sneer.

‘As evidenced by the shameful scene upon which I stumbled,’ added his wife.

Kate lowered her eyes. She could not deny that she had quite forgotten herself, wrapped in Lord Thorburn’s arms the night before.

‘We must thank Providence Lady Inverley arrived in time to prevent your ruin,’ Lord Inverley said. ‘And I forbid you any further contact with Lord Thorburn. Is that understood?’

Kate was on the verge of protesting when the door of the study burst open.

‘I beg your pardon, my lord, they would not wait!’ cried the butler from behind the two people who marched into the room.

A wave of dizziness swept over Kate as she saw who they were. Her stays were too tight. She could not breathe.

‘Lady Henrietta, what is the meaning of this?’ Lady Inverley demanded.

Lady Henrietta shot Kate a venomous look and then smiled at the lord and lady. She gestured to the man who stood at her side, wringing his hat between rough, calloused hands.

‘I deemed this a matter most urgent, Lady Inverley,’ she said without preamble. ‘I felt it necessary to forego propriety as a result.’

‘Who is this fellow?’ Lord Inverley demanded. ‘Why have you brought him here?’

‘This, my lord, is Mr. Edmund Suggitt,’ Lady Henrietta said. Her voice was light with glee.

Kate regarded Edmund with a searching look. What in heaven’s name was he doing here? He did not meet her eyes.

‘Mr. Suggitt is known to Lady Katherine,’ Lady Henrietta said. ‘Indeed, they are betrothed.’

Kate’s mouth dropped open and the color drained from Lord Inverley’s face. Lady Inverley put a hand to her mouth in shock.

‘That is not true!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘Edmund, how can you stand there and allow her to lie? We were never betrothed!’

Edmund looked up then, and his eyes studied her with an avaricious gleam.

My dowry. The twenty thousand pounds.

‘To be perfectly honest, my lord,’ Edmund said, ‘we have been betrothed since March of this year.’

The next words out of his mouth struck Kate like a blow.

‘And on account of that, you might say we’ve already...consummated our union.’

‘Oh!’ cried Lady Inverley.

‘Hell and damnation,’ barked Lord Inverley. ‘Damn. Damn it all.’ He turned away, pressing a hand to his forehead in distress.

‘You’re lying! You horrid oafish buzzard!’ Kate shrieked, throwing herself on Edmund with flailing fists. She landed a hard blow to his nose before he caught hold of her wrists, and blood spurted down his shirt.

‘Katherine!’ Lady Inverley protested, grabbing at her.

‘What a scene,’ Lady Henrietta said with evident pleasure.

Edmund produced an unclean handkerchief and pressed it to his nose as Lady Inverley pulled Kate away from him. He eyed Kate malevolently and then turned back to her father.

‘So you see, my lord, ’twould be best if we made short work of the nuptials,’ Edmund said, sniffling. ‘We’ve waited too long already, I daresay.’

‘You beastly lying blackguard!’ Kate sobbed, losing all semblance of composure.

‘I’m aggrieved to have to cry rope on you, Kate,’ Edmund said, sounding not the least bit aggrieved, as a matter of fact. ‘But some secrets mustn’t be kept.’

‘Indeed not,’ said Lord Inverley. He sounded very weary. ‘Very well. What’s done is done.’

Kate stared at him in horror. He believed these falsehoods?

Lord Inverley met her gaze implacably. ‘The wedding shall take place tomorrow.’

Chapter 25

James

James was greatly troubled by Lady Inverley’s discovery of his assignation with Lady Katherine.

This is precisely what I should have avoided. Lord Inverley thinks me a rake, and this will prove him right.

There was only one remedy, he decided as he lay awake for most of the night after his return to the Thorburn townhouse. He must present himself at the townhouse of the Inverley family first thing in the morning and demand that the earl grant him permission to wed Kate.

He imagined it: he would greet the earl perhaps in his drawing room, or more likely, at that unusual hour for a visit, in his study. The earl might be surprised, if his wife had not apprised him of the situation, or he might be cold and aloof, if she had. James composed what he would say.

‘Lord Inverley, I must apologise for my lack of restraint last night—’

No, he must not emphasize his misstep in such a way.

‘My Lord, I come to ask that you reconsider your refusal with regards to my courtship—’

Too roundabout. He must come to the point precisely.

‘Lord Inverley, Lady Katherine is my only love. I shall not rest until I have wed her.’

James fretted. Was a romantic approach the best way to move Lord Inverley? He could not be certain. He spent most of the rest of the night on the problem, sleeping little.

He rose early and hurried his valet to dress him with all speed. A stop in the morning room for a cup of tea was all he intended to allow himself. It was, of course, most unseemly to call on someone at such an early hour, but James could not bear to wait until the afternoon. He judged that the situation must be distressing to all parties, after all, and they might forgive his untimeliness if he relieved them of their concerns about his intentions towards Kate.

When he entered the morning room he was surprised to find his mother there already.

‘Good morning, James,’ she said as he took a seat.

‘Good morning, Mother,’ he replied, feeling as tightly wound as a hemp rope.

As she poured him a cup she eyed him with suspicion. ‘What is the matter, James?’ she asked.

‘Nothing in the least,’ he said, taking the cup. ‘I have plans to go for a ride in the Park and am anxious to be on my way.’

The dowager marchioness was no fool. ‘A ride in the Park?’

James sipped his tea and did not answer.

‘You’ve some scheme in mind,’ she said, peering at him through narrowed eyes. ‘Involving that Inverley minx, I daresay. Confess, James. This nonsense cannot continue.’

‘Nonsense, Mother? Weren’t you the one who insisted I should marry as soon as possible?’

Her eyes widened in dismay. ‘Marry? You cannot mean it.’

‘I go to her father directly,’ he said. ‘I shan’t rest until we are wed.’

Lady Thorburn scoffed. ‘You’ve lost your senses. She’s led you completely astray. Not that you were ever a picture of honor and piety, James, but this—’

‘I beg you, Mother, your objections have been noted and I—’

‘Horse feathers! You never listen to a word I say! Well, you shall live to regret it this time, mark my words.’

With that, she stood and exited. ’Twas such an abrupt display of outrage James blinked after her in surprise. His mother’s usual condemnations took the form of long, drawn-out lectures. This was something else entirely.

She shall see soon enough that her fears have no basis, he thought. And she shall be comforted once I am safely wed. ’Tis what she has wanted for years.

It would be quite a change to do something which pleased his mother, after all this time.

With this happy thought in mind, James finished his tea and set out for the Inverley townhouse.

When he arrived, a lady was just leaving, coming out through the front door and heading down the stairs to the street. James approached and recognized Lady Henrietta.

‘Why, Lord Thorburn, what a pleasant surprise,’ she said, curtseying as he bowed.

‘Good morning, Lady Henrietta,’ he said, feeling confused.

Lady Henrietta saw his expression and gestured to the townhouse. ‘This morning has been most eventful, my lord.’

James furrowed his brow. ‘Oh?’

‘Indeed,’ she said with the air of one imparting a confidence. ‘Such shocking developments.’

‘Shocking...?’ James echoed, wondering if word of his compromising scene with Lady Katherine had become fodder for rumor.

‘Oh yes,’ said Lady Henrietta. ‘It seems Lady Katherine has been secretly betrothed to a farmer for months.’

James blinked, certain he had misunderstood her.

‘She wished to forget it, I daresay, but he has come for her now. And he has sadi that they have already consummated the union! Can you imagine? The scandal shall be spoken of for years to come!’

James stared at her. Could it be true?

‘I suppose ’tis just as well that Lady Katherine shall have to marry him tomorrow, and leave for his farm. Better for her not to be present when word gets out.’

‘Tomorrow,’ James breathed.

‘Indeed. Lord Inverley is unwilling to wait, and I cannot blame him.’

Lady Henrietta’s smug manner was more than he could bear. James wiped a hand over his mouth, staring up at the door of the townhouse with a sensation of acute pain peircing his heart.

‘It cannot be,’ he murmured.

‘Oh, I assure you, ’tis all true. I witnessed the entire scene myself.’

He glanced at her, a fleeting question passing through his mind pertaining to how she had come to be there at this precise, unlikely time, but he was too distressed to voice it.

Mother was right, after all.

The thought shattered his heart. His mother’s mistrust of Kate had irked him, but he had never considered she might be correct in her odious assumptions.

The pain in his chest expanded unbearably, and he made a choked noise.

Lady Henrietta put her gloved hand on his forearm. ‘Dear Lord Thorburn, are you unwell?’ she asked with concern.

He could not bear it a moment longer. Without a word, he turned on his heel and fled.

Kate

Tomorrow, Kate thought in despair as she slipped from the study at last. She could not imagine a worse outcome—wed to Edmund Suggitt after all? And now that he had shown himself to be a lying, grasping villain?

Tears stung her eyes, and she cast about in the corridor for a direction to go. She felt lost and rudderless.

Betty. I must tell Betty what has happened.

If she spoke of it with her sister, perhaps she could think of some solution. A way out.

Kate hastened towards Betty’s room, thinking she must not yet have risen. But when she arrived, she found the room empty.

Despair swept over her. She knew Betty was likely simply having breakfast, but the thought of making her way through the house again, with the possibility of encountering Lady Inverley or her father or heaven forbid, Edmund, as she did, was more than she could face.

She sank onto the bed, rocking forward and covering her face with her hands as she wept.

It is hateful. All of it is hateful. I despise Edmund and Lady Henrietta and all of those odious peers who whisper about me behind their hands. They shall have plenty more to whisper about now.

’Twas dreadful, knowing the scandal which would ensue. And she would be forced to retreat from it, the wife of a dishonest farmer who wanted her dowry so much he lied and defiled her honor. That she must spend the rest of her days with him was a torturous punishment.

Oh, James, I shan’t ever see you again.

This realization struck her like a physical blow, and she gasped. All of their dreams...he wanted to show her Hadrian’s Wall, and that place in Glastonbury...she would have seen the seashore at last. They might even have taken a voyage someday, over the ocean, to see ancient ruins that so fascinated him. Nothing would have pleased her better.

Only hours ago she had believed such a future was possible. She knew they would have to fight for it, but she trusted James. He would do whatever was necessary, and they would be wed, and their lives together would be wonderful. Now, that dream was gone.

She wept inconsolably, her fury draining away, a sense of weakness and dullness gradually taking the place of the passionate anger and panic she had felt.

All hope is lost, she thought, and mustered her strength enough to stand. She would hide in her own room in earnest this time. Nothing would make her come out, she vowed. They would have to break down the door to force her to wed Edmund Suggitt.

And so she went and locked herself in.

James

When James returned to the Thorburn townhouse his mother was waiting. She was pale, her mouth in a thin line of anxiety. He wished to avoid speaking to her about what he had learned, but she walked out into the foyer as he arrived and seemed intent on following him and haranguing him with questions.

‘Well? Did you speak with Lord Inverley? James, tell me at once.’

He had no choice, other than to ignore her, and that would never do, for she would never forget it. Clenching his jaw, he turned to her. ‘I did not speak with him.’

She released a short breath and her expression eased. ‘He was not at home?’

‘I do not know,’ he said. ‘I never called.’

This caused her evident relief, as well. ‘Thank heaven. You have seen the error of your plan!’

He could think of nothing to say to this. Had he indeed seen the error of his plan? ’Twould seem so, and yet he could not bring himself to accept it.

In his embrace, Kate had shown herself to be full of passion. When he held her and kissed her in the darkened garden, he had thought her ardor bewitching. Now, he recalled it in a new light. Could it truly be that she was not an innocent at all? Did her amorousness indicate a familiarity with carnal encounters unbecoming of a lady?

I should like to speak to Alden about it. He has a level head, he shall tell me whether he believes this business concerning the farmer.

‘James, you shall see, this is the wisest course. Marrying Katherine Alden would be a grave mistake.’

A pang of sorrow stabbed his heart at her words. No matter what he might think of Kate’s behavior—whether it meant that she had known another man or not—he loved her. He could not imagine a life without her.

What shall I do? I cannot wed her if she marries another tomorrow.

James gave his hat and coat to a footman and went into the nearest parlour, uncertain of what he would do there but unwilling to remain aimlessly in the foyer. His mother followed him.

‘Now that you have considered marriage with one lady,’ she was saying, ‘tis time you proceeded with another. We shall review the likeliest candidates, James, and select the one you like the most.’

‘Mother, not now,’ he said, sitting at the window.

The footman entered with a tray and offered it to him. Letters. He gathered them and gave the footman a nod by way of dismissal.

‘What better time? You have put it off for far too long. Now, there are the daughters of the Marquess of Porthing...’

James ignored her and sorted through the letters in his hands. He stopped when he saw that he had received one from Alden—just the fellow he had desired to see in this time of uncertainty.

But why does he write to me? James wondered. Surely he would not be so formal if he wished to extend some sort of invitation.

In fact it was not an invitation. James’s heart, already heavy with sorrow, sank lower as he read the few scrawled lines.

The war. He has gone back—so soon? They must have cut his leave short for some reason.

‘...and Lady Henrietta Winfrith, of course, and her sister, although I daresay she’s a bit of a simpleton and you would not do well with a dull wife, James...’

Gone. With no knowledge of when he shall return.

James felt bereft. He had not realized how much he longed to speak with his friend of his troubles until this moment.

‘Are you listening? A dinner, I say. We might invite several of them for you to have the opportunity to speak with each.’

James blinked. ‘What a dreadful idea,’ he said.

His mother reared back in her seat. He did not recall when she had taken it, but she had chosen a chair near to him.

‘Dreadful? How can you say such a thing?’ she demanded.

‘You wish to trap me in a dinner with a bevy of unwed ladies each with a mother more rapacious than the last? Whatever have I done to deserve such a torment?’

‘James, I beg you, be sensible!’

It was all too much. The news of Kate’s wedding on the morrow, the loss of Alden, and now his mother’s unreasonable demands...

James exploded, rising to his feet. ‘You are the one who will not be sensible!’

Lady Thorburn gasped in surprise.

‘I found a lady I wished to wed—at last! After all these years! But she would not do for you, Lady Thorburn! No, she was unsuitable. And now I have lost her, and you wish to foist some preening, vapid chit on me as if she could ever compare to Lady Katherine!’

The intensity of his rage shocked his mother to such an extent that for once, she was struck silent.

‘I say I shall not agree to your schemes, Mother! Not today, and not in the future. I have had quite enough of your opinions, and henceforth, you shall keep them to yourself! Is that clear?’

The lady made no reply, but her face was white as porcelain and her lips trembled with emotion. This was enough for James, who stormed from the parlour without any idea of where he was going—only that he would find solitude once he was there.

Chapter 26

Lady Henrietta

‘A farmer, you say? Tell us again his name,’ Lady Lydia Porpont said gleefully, sitting on the sofa in Lady Henrietta’s parlour, having come to call on Henrietta’s insistence.

‘Oh, yes, ’twas something marvelous, I believe,’ said Lady Harriet Stilton, another caller taking tea.

‘Suggitt,’ Lady Henrietta said, relishing the vulgar sound of the name. ‘And to be sure, our Lady Katherine Alden shall soon bear it.’

The ladies, along with Agnes and two more visitors, tittered with mirth.

‘How very clever of you to have located him, Hetty,’ Agnes said, dropping several spoonfuls of sugar into her cup. ‘However did you do so?’

‘I hired a man,’ Henrietta confided. ‘He was most thorough in his investigation, but he said ’twas no great challenge to find out about Mr. Suggitt. The whole area knew of their betrothal.’

The man had not, in fact, referred to it as a betrothal, but a friendship. And he had encountered some who suggested that, whilst there might have at one time been a promise between Katherine and Suggitt, any such understanding was at an end, for Suggitt was now courting some other girl. But that had done nothing to dissuade Henrietta. She was very pleased with herself, for her instinct with regards to Mr. Suggitt and his appreciation for Katherine Alden’s dowry had proved correct. The man might be coarse but he knew which side his bread was buttered.

‘What a story, I must say!’ Lady Lydia declared. ‘First she turns up, claiming she’s the lost daughter of the earl, and did anyone truly believe it?’

‘The earl must have,’ Lady Harriet said.

The ladies giggled.

‘And then she made a spectacle of herself—how many times, would you say?’ Lady Lydia asked.

‘She stole Baron Garett’s horse!’ Lady Harriet exclaimed.

‘She was incapable of playing Blind Man’s Bluff without tears,’ said Henrietta.

‘And she made a scene with Her Majesty’s dog!’ said Agnes. The others looked pinched; Lady Katherine had impressed the queen favorably then, and they did not like to be reminded of her victory.

‘She had the most odious table manners,’ noted another lady.

‘And she was dreadfully rude to Mr. Vance,’ Agnes added.

‘Lord Thorburn liked her,’ Lydia said knowingly.

Henrietta pressed her lips closed in a thin line. Mr. Vance had proven a disappointment to her, and Thorburn’s involvement with Lady Katherine was the source of Henrietta’s intervention with Suggitt, of course. Neither truths were particularly pleasant to contemplate. But now, she knew, she had taken measures to ensure that everything would return to normal. Vance could do as he liked, which he seemed wont to do despite her best efforts, and Thorburn would no longer be distracted by that indelicate commoner. ’Twas only a matter of time before he recognized what a gem he had in Henrietta, and would make her his wife, and the entire affair with Katherine Aldne would pass into an agreeably distant memory.

‘I think we are well quit of her,’ Henrietta said with a smile.

‘Oh my heavens, indeed we are,’ Lady Lydia agreed, with murmurs of assent all around.

Henrietta beamed at her guests. Yes, she was very satisfied with the work she had done. Quite satisfied, indeed.

Kate

After only an hour locked up in her room, Kate could no longer bear it. She had paced the entire time, and found that a brimming, disagreeable energy had replaced the dull feeling of weariness and sorrow which had overcome her. Wringing her hands, she knew not what to do with herself, but remaining locked up in her bedchamber was unthinkable.

I must find Betty. I shall beg her to take the air. A walk shall do me good.

Betty’s room was still empty, unsurprisingly, but when Kate went downstairs she did not find her. Lord Inverley was shut up in his study, and Lady Inverley was practicing scales on the pianoforte in the drawing room. But Betty was nowhere in the townhouse.

Kate was loathe to approach Lady Inverley, but she pushed herself to overcome her misgivings for the sake of locating her sister.

‘I beg your pardon, my lady. I was wondering where Betty is.’

Lady Inverley paused in her practice and regarded Kate coldly. ‘As I recall, she had plans to visit with the daughters of Lord Flanders.’

Kate frowned. ‘You did not speak with her, before she left?’

Lady Inverley’s expression was severe. ‘I was otherwise engaged.’

Kate suppressed a flinch. Otherwise engaged berating me.

‘I see,’ she said, and left.

I shall simply have to take a walk by myself, she thought. For a moment the idea pleased her, and then she recalled the strictures of the society in which she now dwelt. A young, unmarried lady walking by herself was unthinkable.

Pascal must come with me, she realized with a sigh.

The lady’s maid appeared shortly after Kate ran for her, and assented without protest to taking the air. There was a central garden in the middle of the square where the townhouse was located, and they traversed the busy avenue to have their promenade there.

‘I suppose you must have heard by now,’ Kate said after a few moments of silence.

Pascal gave her a steady look. ‘About Mr. Suggitt? For whom a room has been made up, but only for a day?’

Kate winced. ‘Only a day. Well, I suppose that is to be expected. They shan’t like us remaining here after we are wed.’

Pascal gave a nod.

Kate glanced at her hesitantly. ‘Tisn’t true, you know,’ she said. ‘What he says. We weren’t betrothed and I never—’

Pascal gave a curt nod. ‘I believe you, my lady. I have come to know you well, I would assert, over these months. Better than most, save for Lady Beatrice, I daresay. The story I heard is entirely out of character for you.’

Tears stung Kate’s eyes as a wave of gratitude swelled within her. ’Twas strangely awful and equally wonderful to be believed, and to be known so well.

Pascal eyed her from the side. ‘This a great shame, if you ask me, that Lord Inverley has proven so credulous. ’Tis because the tale appeals to his worst fears, I wager.’

‘He fears my up-bringing ruined me.’

Pascal nodded.

‘Why do they all think such things? My uncle and aunt are kind and pious, they have done everything they might to see to my education and well-being...’

‘The peerage lives in a tower and looks down on all those below. They tell each other faradiddles to justify their lofty position,’ Pascal said knowingly. ‘In any case, there’s nothing to be done about it now, my lady, more’s the pity.’

Kate knew she was right, and it stabbed her heart. ‘Lord Thorburn asked for my hand,’ she said quietly, for no other reason than simply to say aloud, one more time.

Pascal did not reply for a time, and then she said, ‘He always struck me as different than most nobles. I think you would have done well together.’

The statement comforted Kate even as she mourned the loss of her potential future with James. Pascal was right again, she knew. They would have done well together, because both of them were different than most nobles. They would have lived a life that sought happiness and fulfillment, far from the machinations and petty betrayals of the ton.

That future is gone now, however, Kate thought with grief. As Pascal says, there is nothing to be done about it.

I must accept it; all hope is lost.

Chapter 27

Kate

Early the following morning Pascal came to Kate’s room for the last time, to help her prepare for her wedding day. She carried a tray of tea and small almond pies. Kate would remain in her room until it was time to leave for Saint Pancras, a small medieval church Lord Inverley had selected for a quiet wedding. After that, she and Edmund would return to his farm in Wiltshire.

Kate had spent much of the night weeping, and Pascal tutted over her swollen eyes and blotchy skin, applying vinegar-soaked compresses in an effort to counteract the disfigurement. Kate could not find the will to mind any of it—swelling or vinegar—and allowed herself to be fussed over listlessly.

After some time, however, she roused herself. ‘I should like for Betty to join us,’ she said to Pascal. Please bring her here.’

She had not yet seen her sister since the awful events of the day before, nor had she apprised Betty of the scene with James at the ball. Kate could not imagine leaving London without telling Betty everything, and expressing her great sorrow at the way everything had turned out.But when Pascal returned, she was alone.

‘I beg your pardon, my lady, but Lady Beatrice is not at home.’

‘Not at home?’ Kate echoed.

After a pause full of confused thoughts, she asked, ‘Might her parents have forbidden me to see her?’

Pascal gave a shake of her head. There was something in her eyes that alarmed Kate.

‘What is it, Pascal? Pray, tell me everything.’

Letting out a long breath, Pascal took a seat on the edge of the bed, an entirely uncharacteristic liberty which pushed Kate’s alarm closer to panic.

‘’Tis only that—I spoke with Ridley, Lady Beatrice’s lady’s maid. She has not seen her since yesterday morning!’

Kate’s heart dropped. ‘But surely her parents would be distressed by her disappearance?’

‘Ridley says they believe her to be staying with Flanders family because of the rain yesterday,’ Pascal said. She leaned forward, fixing Kate with an intense look. ‘But Ridley thinks not. She says Lady Beatrice had a most unusual comportment yesterday. She asked to be dressed for traveling, not visiting!’

‘Traveling?’ Kate murmured.

Pascal nodded, her lips pressed together tightly.

Kate was still in her underclothes, and she gestured to the wardrobe. ‘I must hasten to Betty’s bedchamber, Pascal. She keeps a journal. By heaven, I do hope she left it behind.’

‘And that she wrote what her plans were,’ Pascal agreed. They set about pulling a practical muslin dress over Kate’s head, Pascal rapidly drawing tight the back lacing.

Soon they let themselves into Betty’s room, and both searched for the blue journal she had shown Kate early in their acquaintance. Kate searched the drawers in the bedside tables and the secretary in the corner, but Pascal lifted the mattress resolutely.

‘Is this it?’ Pascal asked, holding up the leather-bound book.

‘Yes! Well done!’

Kate took the book from Pascal and flipped through quickly, coming to the last page on which Betty had written. On the top a water stain had smudged the letters, but the rest of the writing told a story which made Kate’s blood run cold.

...to elope is so very romantic, of course. My dearest Mr. Vance could not be dissuaded, and my only regret is that I promised not to say a word to Kate. She shall wonder, I daresay, at my disappearance. How soon before my father learns of it? Will he be very vexed, I wonder? I suppose he shall have to accept it all, once done is done.

Kate turned back a page, but the previous entry must have been set down some time before, and held no more information.

She looked up, meeting her maid’s eyes.

‘Oh, Pascal, whatever shall we do? She has eloped with Mr. Vance.’

James

‘Today is the day,’ James breathed as his valet tied his neckcloth.

‘My lord?’

‘The day all hope dies.’

‘I beg your pardon, my lord?’

‘Never mind.’

Freed from his valet’s ministrations, James stalked out of the townhouse. Little time remained, but he must press his suit one final time, before resigning himself forever.

He rode directly to the Inverley townhouse. Lord Inverley was in his study, and the butler showed James there.

‘I bid you good morning, Lord Inverley,’ James said, stiff with nerves.

The earl rose slowly to his feet, scowling coldly at James. ‘To what do I owe this visit, My Lord Marquess?’

James pressed his lips together, inhaling sharply as he mustered himself. ‘My lord, I have come to petition you to put a stop to this farcical marriage between Lady Katherine and—and the farmer.’

Lord Inverley’s eyes, already a stormy grey, darkened. ‘The matter is not open to discussion.’

‘My lord, if you please, consider: your concern is that Lady Katherine is ruined, but why must a union with the farmer be the solution? I wish with all my heart to marry her. Think of Lady Beatrice. Her prospects dim considerably if Lady Katherine weds beneath her station, whilst an alliance with me can only improve her sister’s chances to make an advantageous match.’

‘It is entirely out of the question!’ Lord Inverley exploded.

James took an involuntary step backwards.

Lord Inverley’s mouth worked, and at last he began to speak. ‘Have you given any thought—any thought at all—to what my daughter has had to endure? Her mother died in childbirth. She was abducted by a half-mad chambermaid. Raised among those not her people. Torn from them and forced into a society wholly foreign to her. And now you wish her shackled to a man known as a rake, who will drink himself sick, gamble away the family’s fortune, and trifle with trollops and Haymarket ware.’

James’s mouth gaped open. Could it be that Lord Inverley thought marriage to the farmer was what was best for Kate?

‘There is no solution which promises her happiness,’ Lord Inverley said tightly. ‘But I have come to understand that bringing her here was a mistake. I seek to return her to some semblance of the life to which she is accustomed. Giving her over to you would be the very antithesis of such an effort.’

‘Forgive me, my lord, but that is untrue,’ James protested. ‘I would give her the life of which she dreams.’

‘The life of a marchioness? Scrutinized by the peerage, the inspiration of countless petty rumours, required to attend Court functions and all of the high society events? She would be miserable.’

‘I would renounce it all,’ James said desperately. ‘I would cast aside my title if I could, but barring that, I would purchase a cottage in the country for her. We would live there, far from London, far from Court and the ton. I swear it.’

Lord inverley barked a laugh. The reaction startled James, and his heart sank. ‘You? Forswear the life of the peerage? You must think me the greatest fool who ever lived.’

‘I assure you, Lord Inverley, your impression of my character is most erroneous. I desire only a life of peace with Lady Katherine. We have similar interests. Together we would pursue them and never pine for London or any of the trappings of high society.’

‘I have heard quite enough of these falsehoods, Lord Thorburn. I can only imagine you are the sort of man who cannot abide being denied what he has set his mind to acquiring. In this instance, however, you must resign yourself to disappointment.’

James stared at him, racking his brain for some argument he had forgotten, some evidence he could produce to convince the earl, but nothing came.

‘I ask that you kindly go on your way. There is much to do in our household today, as you may imagine. Good day, sir.’

He was dismissed.

His last attempt to change his fate and Kate’s had been in vain.

Chapter 28

Kate

Pascal frowned at Kate. ‘Eloped with Mr. Vance?’ she echoed. ‘Well, perhaps ’tis no great calamity, if they love each other. Can it be that she heard of your situation, and wished to secure her own union before the scandal hit?’

Wringing her hands, Kate attempted to think dispassionately about the development. Pascal was correct to presume that Kate’s marriage to Edmund would hurt Betty’s prospects. Mr. Vance would someday inherit the title of Viscount—a step down for Betty now, perhaps, but not in light of the impact of Kate’s low match.

’Twas not in Mr. Vance’s station that Kate found fault. It was in his character. She disliked him intensely. But what if Betty truly did not? What if Betty loved him, and he her? Was an elopement such a dire outcome?

Kate thought of Baron Harland. He was no more attractive a suitor than Vance for pure rank, but Betty had desired him so.

Feelings change. A lady’s admiration for one beau may wane, whilst it waxes for another.

Kate flipped back through the journal. She found pages and pages of writing about Harland. Only a few pages, in contrast, mentioning Vance.

This may be a sign of her infatuation, Kate argued. It may be that she was so taken with Vance she felt she had no time for her journal.

This idea did not sit well with Kate, however. Betty would have had any number of evenings for writing. Any number of mornings, as well. No, she was not as enamored of Vance as she had been of Harland.

Calf-love may burn brighter but fade faster, she reasoned.

At last, she sighed. ‘I do not know what to think, Pascal. But I cannot stay idle knowing she may be in danger. I do not trust Mr. Vance to act honorably. I must see for myself that all is well.’

Pascal gave her a nod of approval.

‘Please fetch my pellise. I leave for Mr. Vance’s home immediately.’

However, as Kate burst into the foyer, on the verge of rushing from the townhouse with Pascal in tow, she encountered none other than James. She froze with shock, and he looked up and met her eyes. For a moment, all was still.

James

When James met Kate’s eyes across the foyer of her townhouse, his heart stopped in his chest.

Blinking, he took her in. Her hair was mussed as though she had not taken enough time to have it coiffed properly. She wore a brown pelisse which she had been hastily buttoning. She had never been more beautiful.

Recovering himself enough to bow, he said, ‘Lady Katherine, what a pleasure it is to encounter you here. All is well, I trust?’

When he looked up again, she had a hand pressed to her mouth and her eyes were wide with distress.

‘Jove’s beard, my lady, has something happened? Are you unwell?’ he demanded, alarmed.

Suddenly she looked over her shoulder at the maid who followed her, then cast her eyes about the room as if in a panic. She hastened to his side and took his arm, leading him out of the townhouse with alacrity.

‘Kate,’ he said quietly as she guided him down the stairs to the street, ‘what has happened? Do tell me at once.’

Was she fleeing the Inverley household in an attempt to escape the wedding? If so, he was prepared to assist her immediately.

‘’Tis Betty,’ she said in a whisper. ‘She has eloped with Mr. Vance.’

James’s mind blanked and spun, thrown by this new information. ‘Mr. Vance?’

‘Indeed. She has been missing since yesterday, and we found her journal.’

At last catching up with the news, James frowned deeply. ‘Are you certain she said Vance?’

Kate nodded sharply. ‘’Tis the reason I fear for her. I do not like him. But she may have truly fallen in love, and he with her. ’Tis only that—I must see for myself.’

James was shaking his head. ‘You are right to distrust him, Kate. He is known to have ruined one girl already with promises of marriage which he never honored.’

The color drained from Kate’s cheeks. ‘No,’ she murmured. ‘Oh, Betty.’ She grasped his sleeve. ‘We must go there directly! Perhaps ’tis not yet too late to prevent her ruin.’

James grimaced. ‘I daresay they are not in London anymore. He would want her far from family and friends.’

‘But where?’ Kate asked, dismayed.

With a frown, James peered into the distance. ‘The incident with the Chadwick girl was two years ago, and I do not remember the details. But I know one who will recall everything very well.’

‘Who?’

‘The Chadwick girl herself, of course. I cannot guarantee that Vance took Lady Beatrice to the same place where he ran off with her, but I suspect ’twould be the best place to look.’

‘Then we must speak with her at once. Can you take me to her?’ Kate appealed to him.

‘Of course. We should leave at once.’

Chapter 29

Kate

They hired a hackney, and Kate sat next to Pascal, across from James. How she longed to tell him her feelings. Her hands yearned to touch him. The memory of his mouth on hers drove all other thoughts from her mind. Only the presence of her lady’s maid prevented a scene of passion from developing, she knew, for the way his eyes rested on her, she felt the intensity of his desire as well.

The drive, as a result, was tense. Kate tried and failed to push thoughts of kisses and embraces from her mind, telling herself instead to think of Betty and her peril. But as there was nothing she could do this very moment for Betty, other than to go and visit Mr. Vance’s previous victim, as she was engaging in doing, the longing for James resisted all attempts she made to squash it.

‘I was most dismayed to learn of your impending nuptials,’ James said, interrupting her turmoil.

Surprised at his directness, Kate raised her eyebrows. ‘As was I.’

James licked his lips. ‘Lady Henrietta informed me of the news.’

Kate suppressed a flinch. ‘I am certain she was most delighted to do so.’

‘I—that is to say, she—well, she spoke of the gentleman in question—’

Kate realized what the source of his discomfort was and a flash of irritation cleared her mind of amorous thoughts. ‘You wish to know whether ’tis true, that we were betrothed? And perhaps whether we really took a turn among the cabbages?’

James made a choking noise and Pascal bristled.

Kate was too stung by his curiosity to care, however. ‘Well, I assure you the answer is ‘no’ on both accounts, but since you felt the need to ask, I fear you’ve revealed you think a good deal less of me than I imagined.’

James opened his mouth and then shut it again. For a moment he remained silent, and then at last he voiced another question, which did little to soothe her. ‘From whence comes the accusation, then? Why would this fellow come all the way to London, if ’tis nothing but faradiddles?’

Kate glared at him hotly. ‘Oh, I can hardly imagine! I suppose my dowry of twenty thousand pounds had nothing to do with it! And Lady Henrietta had a hand in it as well, I daresay, although I lack the details of her involvement.’

James’s face smoothed with understanding. ‘The dowry,’ he breathed.

‘Yes,’ Kate said acidly. ‘Twenty thousand is an unimaginable sum to a man like Edmund Suggitt. I never thought him to be a shamming bounder, but he has proven my good opinion of him entirely unfounded.’

James gave a slow nod. ‘I see.’ Then his face lit up with a smile and he beamed at her openly.

Kate scowled back, in no mood to enjoy his evident relief at learning the rumours were false.

He should have known. He should never have had to ask.

She crossed her arms and glared out of the window.

Although I daresay my behavior at Averill’s ball might have given him the wrong impression.

Kate sucked in her lower lip, nibbling it.

Nonsense. He should have seen that that was exceptional—a result of my overwhelming feelings for him, and him alone.

Nevertheless, she felt most uneasy now. James had formed a questionable opinion of her because of that night, she reasoned. When he heard the story of her betrothal and dishonor with Edmund he had believed it, as a result. The knowledge vexed her most unpleasantly.

She neither addressed nor looked at him the rest of the way there.

James

A disagreeable mix of emotions clouded James’s spirit. He was euphorically happy to be in a carriage sitting across from Kate. His relief at learning that the story of her betrothal and dishonor was a lie was substantial, although he had decided not to mind it even had it been true. But ’twas evident that Kate had taken offense at his questioning, and now she was pointedly ignoring him. This turn of events was dreadful. He must find a way to soothe her, but he could think of nothing immediate.

I shall endeavor to reunite her safely with Lady Beatrice, and perhaps then she might forgive me.

At last the coach halted. James exited and paid the driver, then assisted Kate and her maid to descend.

‘What is this place?’ Kate asked, looking up at the somber building before them. The neighborhood was not a slum, but of a lower economic character without a doubt. Working people moved through it, going about their days.

‘A school. Miss Chadwick, as she is now known, became a teacher here.’

They knocked and after a short pause the door was opened by a young maid-of-all-work. Kate’s brow was furrowed with concern as they entered the building. Within, the foyer was dim, without candles or gaslights burning. James suspected there was a good deal of dust in the corners, and he noted that the walls were in want of white-washing.

‘We wish to call on Miss Chadwick,’ he told the maid who had greeted them.

They were made to wait for a time, and ’twas evident that Kate’s impatience grew with each passing minute. James willed the unfortunate Miss Chadwick to hurry. When at last she came, appearing at the top of the staircase, Kate gasped.

‘Why, she is the very image of Betty.’

James frowned and studied the lady as she descended. She had dark brown hair tidily arranged in a simple chignon. Her eyes were a very lovely blue. Both qualities did indeed resemble Lady Beatrice’s features, but the characteristic which was most like Kate’s sister was Miss Chadwick’s plump, round face and body.

‘Miss Chadwick,’ he said with a bow as Kate and her lady’s maid curtseyed. ‘Allow me to express my gratitude for your willingness to meet with us.’

Miss Chadwick looked from him to Kate and back again, her eyes assessing. ‘My lord, I hope you will forgive me, but I do not recognize you. Are you parents of one of our students?’

‘No,’ James said. ‘We have no business with the school. We have come for your assistance.’

Miss Chadwick frowned and then gestured to the right-hand door. ‘Pray come and sit.’

They followed her into a small, drab parlour. Everyone took seats in the armchairs.

James noted that she did not offer to ring for tea, but then he would have declined had she done so.

‘What seems to be the matter?’ Miss Chadwick asked.

‘My sister,’ Kate burst out, graceless with anxiety.

Miss Chadwick’s frown deepened. ‘Your sister, my lady?’

Kate nodded, pressing a hand to her mouth in distress. James feared she might reveal too much. The best outcome they could hope for was to recover Lady Beatrice before the elopement became known. They must proceed with great caution, and avoid breaking the secret themselves.

‘We have an acquaintance in common,’ he said, attempting to steer the conversation. ‘Mr. Vance?’

Miss Chadwick’s eyes widened and she turned her face away. Her cheeks reddened.

‘My apologies for any pain hearing the name causes you, Madam. We seek to know where he might travel, if he wished to be discrete.’

The lady’s eyes narrowed then and she peered at Kate out of their corners. ‘I see,’ she said. ‘If, perhaps, he were to entice some foolish young lady to run off with him?’

James grit his teeth.

‘Yes,’ said Kate miserably.

Miss Chadwick sighed and looked to heaven. ‘What an odious scoundrel that wretched man is.’ Then she met Kate’s eyes directly. ‘He has a little house in the Cotswolds. No one knows of it. He took me there. ’Tis very near Cirencester, in Gloucestershire. Just south of the town.’

‘Circencester,’ James said. ‘That would be at least three days’ ride.’

Miss Chadwick nodded. ‘Yes, when we traveled there we had to stop for two nights along the way. ’Twas then that he...well. I was young and foolish. Your sister shall learn from her mistakes, as I did.’

Kate held her hand against her mouth, allowing a tiny whimper to escape.

‘There is no time to lose,’ James said to her. ‘We shall drive to my townhouse and take the Thorburn landau. We leave at once.’

Chapter 30

Kate

The road to Cirencester crossed through Berkshire and Wiltshire.

Kate was silent as they traveled through the former, but as they passed into the latter, she noticed that Pascal had fallen asleep.

They were arranged similarly to how they had been in the hackney: she and Pascal on the forward bench, James across from them, facing the rear. The landau was far more pleasant than the hackney, however, in which she had felt every bump and dip in the road. The benches were softer, with much thicker cushions, and the landau’s rumbling was a good deal smoother in general, superior in absorbing the road’s shocks. Kate was not surprised to see that Pascal had been lulled to sleep by it.

‘Do you think we are already too late?’ she asked James quietly.

He had been gazing out of the window and his green eyes darted to her at once. How she admired the arch of his brow and the intensity it gave his expression.

‘She has been missing for a day and a night, has she not?’ he asked.

Kate nodded, looking down at her lap.

James exhaled slowly. ‘In all likelihood, he has taken her innocence.’

Tears sprang to Kate’s eyes.

‘However, all may not be lost.’

‘You mean to force him to marry her.’ She still studied her white muslin skirt.

‘Perhaps. ’Tis the most direct remedy, of course,’ he said. ‘Although I admit I find the thought to consigning her to a lifetime of his villainy quite distasteful.’

Kate glanced up then. ‘What else is there to do?’

‘I am uncertain there is anything else,’ he said in a low voice.

Kate’s heart sank, and she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve to dab her eyes. ‘If she made this choice because of the scandal I am embroiled in—’

‘No part of that scandal was of your making, Kate,’ he said gently. Leaning forward, he put a hand over hers. ‘You are not to blame.’

Meeting his green eyes, she smiled although her throat ached with sorrow. ‘You are kind to say so.’

James brought the hand he held to his lips, pressing the gloved fingers with a kiss. The gesture warmed Kate to her core.

‘Would that it were under happier circumstances,’ he said quietly, ‘but I cannot deny how glad I am to be here with you.’

‘I fear for Betty,’ Kate said, ‘but I have fled the wedding my father would have imposed on me, and I am in your company, James. I should like to be nowhere else.’

He gazed into her eyes and her heart fluttered. ‘Oh, Kate. How delightful it is to hear my name from your lips.’

She felt her cheeks warm.

He kissed her hand again. ‘How I have despaired, these last days, when I thought you would marry that—that farmer—and be lost to me forever.’

‘I despaired as well.’

‘I daresay ’tis an inopportune moment to ask, given our current mission,’ he said. ‘But I cannot live another moment wondering whether my future shall include you or not, dearest Kate.’

Kate’s brow knitted as she regarded him, waiting to hear his request.

‘Kate, I must wed you. I cannot face life without you. Once we have restored Lady Beatrice to her family, who can say what shall come to pass.’

‘No doubt my father shall be livid that I disappeared on my wedding day.’

‘And he shall insist that you go through with the nuptials.’

‘Yes.’

‘Such is my deepest fear, Kate. To have reunited with you now, only to lose you again.’

She squeezed his hand. ’Twas her fear, as well.

‘And so I must ask, Kate. Will you agree to elope with me, when all of this is done?’

James

James held his breath as Kate took in what he had said, her eyes wide with shock at the request he had made.

‘I care nothing for the opinions of the ton. I would leave behind my estate, my townhouse, for a simple home with you, Kate. We can live in the countryside, in a pretty little house far from the peerage and their cuts and sneering.’

‘But you have a life among the peerage. How can you give it up?’

‘A life I had grown weary of long before I met you, dearest,’ he said honestly. ‘What a dull, miserable fellow I was. I never enjoyed anything, never looked forward to anything. I despise almost everyone I spent time with, you know, save for Alden.’

She watched him, blue eyes wide.

‘But now, my dearest,’ he continued. ‘Now, how different everything is. I feel as though I was very ill, and I am now well. Such energy animates my limbs. The joy you have brought into my life is irreplaceable. How I long to spend the rest of my days by your side, Kate. Say that you will run away with me.’

‘Of course,’ she said softly.

A gasp of relief escaped him and he leaned forward, taking her face in his hands and kissing her. She returned the kiss, her own gloved hands touching his jaw lightly. How his blood rushed and his body thrilled at her nearness. He was transported, in a paradise of elation. She would be his, at last.

‘James, how shall we proceed?’ she asked as their foreheads rested against each other.

‘We must find Lady Beatrice first, of course, and attempt to remedy her circumstances. We shall take her home, and see what can be done.’

Kate nodded, her face still close to his.

‘Then once we have done what we can—and I do hope we can find an answer, dear Kate—then we shall have to plan a secret meeting, I suppose. And we shall run away.’

‘I daresay my father shan’t make that easy,’ Kate said.

‘No, I imagine not.’

‘But I shall endeavor to find a way.’

He smiled at her. His heart was full of hope, but there was fear beneath it. She had agreed, yes, but their future was not yet won.

A shout from the driver pulled his attention away, and James put his head out of the window to ascertain what was the matter.

‘What is it, Gerry?’ he called.

‘There’s been an accident ahead,’ Gerard, the coachman, replied. ‘I’d best stop, my lord, with your permission. See if anyone’s hurt.’

James winced, but could not argue. ‘Very well.’

The carriage came to a halt and Pascal, the lady’s maid, awakened abruptly, blinking at both of them owlishly.

‘What’s happened?’ Kate asked.

‘An accident on the road,’ James said.

Kate’s eyes widened. ‘You don’t think—’

She did not finish her sentence, but hurriedly opened the door and scrambled out without any assistance. Surprised and flustered, James followed her, and Pascal came behind.

‘Kate!’ James called. ‘I say, Lady Katherine!’

But she did not slow her pace, hastening past their carriage to where a gig was on its side. The horse stood some distance away, and James noted that one of its leads was tied to a tree. There seemed to be no one about. Then he saw the family crest on the side of the open carriage.

‘By the Devil, you were right, Kate!’ he exclaimed. ‘This gig belongs to Mr. Vance!’

Chapter 31

Kate

Beyond the side of the road lay a large marsh. Although they were in Wiltshire, ’twas not the same marsh near her uncle’s farm. Nevertheless, the vegetation and relief was much the same. Kate stared at it, feeling uneasy. Then a figure appeared in the distance, walking through it.

‘Is—it cannot be,’ she said, noting the hatless head covered in fiery hair. ‘Is that Mr. Vance?’

‘Perdition, it is!’ James agreed.

He made as if to go to him and Kate caught his sleeve. ‘Have a care, dearest. This ground is not safe.’

James looked about him then, and pressed a tentative tip of his boot to ground that swelched in response. ‘Hell and damnation. A bog, again?’

‘’Twould seem so,’ Kate said.

Even as she urged him back, the figure of Mr. Vance dropped and disappeared.

‘Oh!’ Kate exclaimed. With care, she stepped off the road into the marsh. Picking her way carefully, she recognized more solid ground for it resembled that in the marsh she had known all of her life. James followed, and soon they reached Mr. Vance, who had sunk to his chest in a bog and was clinging to a bunch of weeds that would soon be uprooted.

‘Good heavens, man!’ James exclaimed. In an instant he had removed his coat and he threw it to Vance, retaining one sleeve. With effort they pulled Vance free of the bog.

‘By Jove, well met,’ Vance panted, looking pale and exhausted. ‘I should have drowned without your intervention.’

‘What on earth happened to you?’ James demanded.

Vance shook his head.

James glared at him and took him by the shoulders, administering a hard shake. ‘Lady Beatrice! Where is she?’

Vance’s face, already haggard, blanched further. ‘You know—?’

‘Of course we know,’ James snapped. ‘Did you imagine we were out for a country drive?’

‘Please, Mr. Vance, where is she?’ Kate asked in a pleading tone.

Mr. Vance ran a hand over his hair wearily. ‘The silly peagoose ran into the marsh.’

Kate stared at him in horror. ‘When? How long has she been gone?’

‘Hours,’ Vance said miserably. ‘We—we had a disagreement. The gig—there was an accident. And she ran away. I tried to seek her out—I walked everywhere—’

Kate’s hand flew to her mouth in dismay. Betty! She had quarreled with Vance—had that led to the gig overturning? How awful! And then she wanted to escape him, never realizing that she fled into mortal danger.

‘I must find her!’ Kate said, meeting James’s green eyes.

Alarm filled them, but his mouth made a firm line, and he nodded. ‘You must take great care, my lady,’ he said. ‘Promise me.’

‘I shall,’ she said, and squeezed his hand.

Then she turned her back, and made her way into the marsh.

The land was uneven, more watery and treacherous in the lower spots, and ’twas not hard to imagine she might see Betty every time she crested a hill, but she did not.

‘Betty!’ she called. ‘Oh, Betty, please!’

Yet to no avail. She reached a copse of trees and peered into them, hopeful, but was once again disappointed. As she left her foot slipped and her leg plunged to the knee in muddy water. As her heart pounded she freed herself, taking more care than before as she continued.

‘Betty! Betty!’

A faint call seemed to answer.

Kate whirled in the direction of the sound. ‘Betty! Betty, are you there?’

‘Help!’

Kate nearly stepped into another treacherous spot, but pulled up short just in time. Forcing herself to inhale and exhale deeply, she walked gingerly, not allowing herself to run as she dearly wished to.

As she crested a particularly reedy slope, she looked down and saw, to her mingled joy and dismay, a head and one arm, covered in mud, protruding from the low area on the other side.

‘Betty!’ she shouted, and made her way down, picking her steps as quickly as she could.

‘Oh, Kate! Is it really you?’

‘Dearest! I’ll get you out!’

Kate thought of James and Mr. Vance, and pulled off her pelisse, throwing the hem at Betty’s visible hand. The girl caught hold of it.

‘Can you bring up your other hand?’ Kate asked.

‘Yes, I can now. I was holding a root, but now that you’re here...’

Kate thought Betty sounded most fatigued, and she felt a desperate desire to free her from the trap in which she lay.

‘Very well, Betty, hold tight,’ she said. As soon as she thought her sister ready, she pulled.

But the pelisse came free of Betty’s grip and Kate stumbled back. Betty yelped and began to thrash her arms.

‘Oh, no, Betty! You shall sink all the faster!’

Dropping to her knees, Kate crawled closer, fearful of falling in as well and uncertain of where the edges of the bog lay.

‘Kate!’ cried Betty in terror. ‘Oh, Kate!’

‘Betty, you must catch hold again!’ Kate said, throwing the end of the pelisse at her once more.

But the girl was too panicked. She swiped at the pelisse and missed, then sank lower, mud sloshing up over her mouth and cheeks.

‘Betty!’ Kate shrieked, and tried once again with the pelisse.

This time, Betty’s hands clawed the fabric, grabbing hold.

Moving more slowly this time, Kate pulled. Betty was unthinkably heavy—her body was larger than Kate’s, in any case, and her clothes were entirely soaked with bog water.

Gritting her teeth and emitting a groan of effort, Kate pulled. Betty held tight. She moved closer. Kate caught her breath, and pulled again. Betty’s torso cleared the edge of the mire. Kate threw her arms around her and hauled her out the rest of the way. They collapsed together on solid ground, panting wordlessly.

After a moment, Betty began to sob.

Kate rolled on her side and stroked Betty’s shoulder and arm. ‘There, there, dearest Betty. You are safe now, my dear. You are safe.’

‘Oh, Kate. Oh, ’twas too horrible. Even before—Mr. Vance—’

Kate winced and gazed at Betty with compassion as the mud-covered girl wept, smearing her face with her hand.

‘He was beastly. At the inn, he tried—oh, Kate, it was dreadful.’

Kate said nothing, continuing to stroke Betty’s arm in an effort to soothe her.

‘And he told me he wouldn’t take me home!’ she cried. ‘I demanded he take me home, but he said I must come to the Cotswolds! Oh, I could not bear it. And I struck him, Kate!’

At this Betty opened her eyes and met Kate’s, her expression shocked and fearful.

‘He took hold of my throat, Kate!’ she said.

‘The villain!’ Kate gasped.

‘We struggled, and the gig went up the embankment and then it overturned!’

Kate gazed at her in consternation, wiping at the mud to clear the worst of it from her face.

‘I fled! I was so afraid!’

‘Anyone would have been, dearest,’ Kate said.

‘But this place—oh, how dreadful it is,’ Betty wept. ‘I fell in twice but freed myself. And then this time—oh, I thought I would surely drown.’

‘You are safe now, dearest.’

Betty wept for a little while longer, and then they both got to their feet.

Then, Betty looked at Kate asif noticing her for the first time. ‘Kate, how on earth did you come to be here?’

‘I discovered your journal,’ Kate revealed. ‘Lord Thorburn and Pascal came with me to find you. ’Twas not an easy task, but here I am.’

James

When Kate returned with her sister, they were both covered from head to foot in muck, although the latter was significantly worse for the wear. Lady Beatrice’s eyes widened when she saw Vance and she clutched at Kate’s arm. Kate steered her forward gently. Pascal hastened to take her arm on the other side, giving her another buffer.

‘Lady Beatrice, what a great relief it is to see you are well,’ James said, casting a pointed eye at Vance, who was sensible enough to look ashamed of himself.

‘We shall have you home in no time,’ Kate said. Then she turned to Vance. ‘Although I should like an explanation, sir. You seemed determined to win my esteem for a time. Was it because I rebuffed you that you concocted this scheme to ruin my sister?’

Vance shook his head with a heavy weariness. ‘No, quite the contrary. I genuinely like Lady Beatrice.’

Kate’s eyebrows arched. ‘Am I to infer that you do not genuinely like me, then?’

Vance sighed. ‘Indeed, I never did.’

James scoffed. ‘Explain yourself, you odious blunderbuss.’

‘I beg your pardon, Lady Katherine, ’twas not my intention to insult you,’ Vance said. ‘’Tis only that I am very fatigued. This entire summer has been a series of aggravations, I confess.’

Aggravations? Is that what he calls the abduction of a lady which nearly led to her untimely death?

James glared at the man but held his tongue.

‘’Twas Lady Henrietta’s idea, my courting you, Lady Katherine,’ Vance said. ‘I liked Lady Beatrice long before she was even out. But no sooner had she made her debut than Lady Henrietta appeared, making demands.’

‘Demands?’ echoed Kate.

‘And how, pray tell us, might Lady Henrietta hold any sway over which lady you chose to court?’

Vance raised his eyes to heaven in a miserable look of appeal. ‘She blackmailed me.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ James exclaimed.

‘Indeed, ’tis the truth,’ Vance said. ‘I have made...miscalculations. Somehow Lady Henrietta intercepted correspondence I sent to a...light o’ love.’

‘You had a mistress? A married woman, I presume?’ James said.

Vance gave him a single nod. ‘The wife of a very powerful individual, in fact. ’Twas never supposed to come to light. My mistake was writing. I should have left it as it was instead of pining after her by way of love sonnets.’

‘Lady Henrietta threatened to expose your secret to the powerful gentleman in question?’ James asked.

‘Quite. I daresay ’twould not have gone well for me, so I did as she asked.’

‘And she asked you to court me?’ said Kate incredulously.

‘Of course. And I should have married you had you encouraged me in any way,’ Vance said. ‘But you wanted nothing to do with me, that was plain enough.’

‘But why?’ Kate demanded.

‘Surely it must be obvious?’ Vance said. ‘Lady Henrietta wishes to wed Lord Thorburn. His interest in you was plain for everyone to see. She wanted you out of the way.’

‘Why, that horrid glumping shrew!’ Kate exploded. ‘That’s why she went and dug up Edmund Suggitt as well, I’ve no doubt! Meddling witch!’

Everyone looked uneasy at these outbursts, but James admired her spirit, nevertheless.

‘You were saying,’ James prompted Vance after a moment. ‘Lady Katherine would not have you...’

‘Yes,’ Vance agreed. ‘And even Lady Henrietta could not fault me for my efforts. So she let me be, and I was free to follow my heart.’

He gave Lady Beatrice a mooning look at that.

‘I’ll thank you to keep your eyes from Lady Beatrice’s countenance,’ James snapped.

Vance cast his gaze down at the ground.

‘Have you any proof of the blackmail?’ Kate asked after a tense pause.

Vance raised his eyes and met hers. ‘Indeed. I carry her letters with me always.’

At this he produced a small packet of notes tied with a dingy white ribbon.

‘May I?’ Kate asked.

Vance handed it to her. ‘Keep them. I had them in case...I thought I might bring them forth against her, if she made good on her threats, you know. But now, ’twould seem I’ve made a dreadful mull of things all on my own.’

‘Indeed you have, sir,’ James agreed. ‘I should have you before a magistrate. Abduction and attempted ravishment, leading to the mortal endangerment of a daughter of the Earl of Inverley. A dreadful mull, indeed.’

Vance rubbed his hand over his mouth. ‘Surely we might come to terms?’

James seized on this offer. ‘My terms are these: this never happened. You never saw Lady Beatrice. You know nothing of where she was these last two days.’

Vance’s eyes widened and a light came into them. ‘The very thing! Why, I feel my memory fading already!’

‘Capital. See that it remains so. If I hear even a whisper of a rumour...’

‘You shan’t, my lord, you have my most solemn word.’

‘I do not know whether your word is worth very much,’ James said. ‘But I shall hold you to it, all the same, and if need be, I shall see to your punishment for these crimes myself.’

‘That shall be entirely unnecessary, my lord, I assure you.’

‘Very well.’ James regarded the three ladies. ‘I must swear you all to secrecy, as well.’

‘I shan’t breathe a word to anyone,’ said Kate.

‘You have my word, my lord, I shan’t speak of it to a soul,’ Pascal said.

‘But why?’ asked Lady Beatrice, looking confused and miserable.

‘Because this way you shan’t be ruined, dearest,’ Kate said gently. ‘But what do you propose to say happened?’ she asked James.

‘Well, I do have an idea.’

Kate

James assisted Mr. Vance in setting his gig to rights, and the scoundrel rode away. When James rejoined the ladies, he gave Kate a private grimace. She knew he was ambivalent about letting Vance go unpunished, but she saw the wisdom in it. Betty could not be ruined if no crime had been committed against her.

The Norwoods’ farm was close by, and they drove to it, Betty huddled against Kate despite how wet they both were, or perhaps because of it.

Kate scanned the letters Mr. Vance had given her. The handwriting slanted and curled in a most feminine hand and the signature on the bottom was that of Lady Henrietta, but she had not addressed the letters to anyone.

One letter read:

‘My Dear Sir,

Need I remind you of our most recent conversation? ’Tis as though you have already forgotten. I shall watch you at the ball next week, and know that should you lack for motivation, you shall surely come to regret it.

Henrietta Winfrith’

Another read:

‘My Dear Sir,

Secret meetings are all very well, but the dishonor shall be great if a union does not follow. You have sworn not to disappoint me, do not forget it.

Henrietta Winfrith’

And yet another:

‘My Dear Sir,

Your efforts at the picnic were obvious, but ineffectual. I am most unhappy with the results. Consider our arrangement at an end.

Henrietta Winfrith’

None of them spoe in specifics, or made the matter of the blackmail plain. Kate sighed and folded up the letters, tying them up again. She had hoped to perhaps use them against Lady Henrietta somehow, but she did not see that they could be of any use.

I shall simply endeavor to avoid the horrid lady, once we return to London, until James and I can escape. Then it shan’t matter what Lady Henrietta does at all anymore.

With that in mind, she rested her cheek on her sister’s head and dozed.

When Aunt Mary saw the young ladies she cried out and hurried them inside, heating water for the baths they would take and setting about finding replacement dresses, for theirs were thoroughly ruined. Pascal made herself useful in both endeavors and James was left to sit in the main room sipping tea. Uncle John returned from his work to find him there, much to his surprise.

Aunt Mary made a hearty dinner of steak and kidney pie, and everyone felt much restored.

‘Of course, you must stay the night,’ she insisted, Uncle John nodding in agreement. ‘’Tis far too late to take the road now.’

And so they did, and the following morning at breakfast, James revealed that this very much dovetailed with the scheme he had concocted to explain why Betty was missing.

‘We shall say that the pair of you came here to visit your aunt and uncle,’ James said to Kate as she poured his tea.

‘But I was not missing,’ she said.

‘No, but you were also shut up in your room, were you not?’ James argued.

Kate nodded. ‘True enough. I saw no one.’

‘There,’ James replied. ‘We shall put it about that you were exceedingly distressed by the entire hobble with Mr. Suggitt. Lady Beatrice accompanied you to visit your uncle and aunt—a retreat from the hum.’

‘Capital,’ said Kate resolutely. ‘And if the tongue must wag, may they wag on my account, not hers.’

‘I thought you might say as much,’ James said, and gave her a tender look.

Aunt Mary came in carrying a tray of rolls.

‘Aunt Mary, if anyone were to stop by and question you, perhaps, about whether Betty and I visited these last two days...’ Kate began.

Aunt Mary cast a shrewd eye her way. ‘’Twas a delight to have you two fine young ladies as guests,’ she said without hesitation. Kate smiled. She had explained Betty’s misadventure to Aunt Mary, and her role in rescuing her sister, and Aunt Mary understood the stakes very well.

Betty joined them shortly after, and they apprised her of the story. She blinked, looking startled and uncertain. ‘I had myself quite convinced the best possible outcome was to be forced to wed that blackguard,’ she said, referring to Vance. ‘And to think I may reap no dire consequences at all! Oh, Kate, I was so dreadfully foolish!’

‘And you have learned your lesson, I daresay,’ Kate said.

After breakfast the four climbed into James’s carriage and headed back to London. ’Twas a long journey, and Betty fell asleep with her head on Kate’s shoulder, whilst Pascal remained awake, so there was little opportunity for private conversation with James. They had to content themselves with gazing at each other affectionately.

Kate gave a good deal of thought to the elopement, as well. She disliked it. It seemed cowardly, fleeing together, marrying in secret, and living as outcasts. Not that she would miss the high society of London or even Inverley. But she did not like to think they had succeeded in chasing her away. Still, she could see no other avenue.

They arrived at Lord Inverley’s London townhouse in the early afternoon. As they entered the foyer, Lady Inverley burst in.

‘I saw you from the window! Where have you been?’ she demanded.

Betty burst into tears.

Kate bit her lip, then stepped close to her stepmother and rested a gentle hand on her arm. The lady was staring at her daughter in alarm.

‘My lady,’ Kate said softly. ‘Betty has been visiting with me at the Norwood farm.’

Lady Inverley met Kate’s eyes then, and a knowing look came into the older woman’s gaze. She gave Kate one slow nod, then pulled away and wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, guiding her away up the stairs. Kate had no doubt that Betty would tell her mother everything. So long as the story they put about in public was the one they had made up, all would be well, Kate hoped.

Kate turned back to James who waited closer to the front door. Pascal still hovered nearby, guaranteeing the honorable nature of the presence of the marquess.

‘I am most gratified to see Lady Beatrice returned to the safety of her home,’ James said, inclining his head towards Kate.

‘Indeed, at this time yesterday I feared we might not find her.’

‘We must speak of such fears no more, dear lady,’ James said.

Kate nodded. He was right; they mustn’t risk anyone overhearing. ‘A visit to my uncle’s farm was just what I needed,’ she said instead.

James smiled, but then a footman appeared from the main corridor.

‘Lady Katherine, a visitor awaits in the parlour,’ he said.

Kate remembered then that Edmund Suggitt must still reside within these walls. Did the footman refer to him? It seemed a strange way of phrasing things, if he spoke of someone staying as a guest.

She glanced at James.

‘I shall accompany you, if you will allow it,’ he said.

‘I should like that,’ Kate agreed.

As Kate slipped her hand through the crook of his arm, they followed the footman who announced them when they reached the parlour. Lady Henrietta awaited there, and Edmund was with her.

Kate tensed. She had not prepared herself for this.

Chapter 32

Kate

‘And here is the wayward lady now,’ Lady Henrietta said, standing.

‘Where were you?’ Edmund demanded, stepping forward. ‘No one would tell me anything! I had nearly departed for the church before I was given to understand you had disappeared!’

He was flushed and wore a mulish expression. Kate scowled at him, wondering why she had ever been happy to see him as he came down the road.

‘I called on my uncle and aunt.’

Edmund’s face turned a deeper red. ‘The Norwoods?’ he scoffed.

Leaving James’s side to advance on Edmund, Kate glared at the farmer. ‘Indeed, and I shall ask you to consider your tone. Mr. John Norwood is as honorable a fellow as you should ever have the good fortune to meet and you had best never forget it.’

Edmund’s face took on a pinched expression of shock. Kate considered continuing to chastise him but Lady Henrietta intervened.

‘Nevertheless, ’twas most ill-bred of you to vanish when you were expected at a your own wedding, Lady Katherine.’

‘Ill-bred?’ James said. ‘And what precisely do you imply by this choice of words, Lady Henrietta?’

The willowy blonde blinked prettily at him. ‘Nothing of import, Lord Thorburn. Only that my lady has yet to learn the manners of her station.’

Kate noticed a muscle jump in James’s cheek. She wished she might place a hand on his arm to soothe him, but there was no way to do so discreetly.

‘Why have you come to call?’ Kate asked Lady Henrietta.

The blonde arched an eyebrow. ‘So bold. If you must know, I received a missive of distress from your betrothed.’

‘He is not my betrothed,’ Kate snapped.

‘And yet you were scheduled to marry yesterday!’ Lady Henrietta said with an affected air of astonishment.

‘I never agreed to it.’

At this Lady Henrietta rolled her eyes. ‘Such impertinence. Really, my dear lady, you simply must apply yourself to learning at least some manners. You shall give an impression of vulgar boorishness if such behavior persists.’

‘And you give the impression of scheming, clever wickedness,’ Kate replied acidly.

Lady Henrietta gasped as if appalled. Kate believed none of it; she had never known anyone so prone to play-acting. The real Henrietta must be very horrid indeed, for the lady to put so much effort into hiding her true feelings.

Meanwhile, Edmund had been eyeing the two ladies, a look of shrewd calculation on his face. ‘We are betrothed, my lady, for we spent many days alone together, and have consummated our union.’

‘Lies!’ Kate said, and she saw James tense. ‘You slander me, sir. I never spent a moment alone with you, save for on the road in front of my house, in full view of my aunt within.’

Edmund’s eyes shifted slyly.

‘Shame on you, Edmund Suggitt!’ Kate exclaimed. ‘Fouling my good name for money! How dare you?’

At this a look of hesitation came into his eyes.

‘I suppose when I explain everything that transpired to your mother, she shall think it all very well?’ Kate demanded.

Edmund blanched. ‘Explain—? I say, explain what? There is nothing to explain—she knows we fancied each other—’

‘Oh, and I suppose she won’t wonder why you discarded Lizzie Brant!’ Kate said.

Edmund became even more flustered. ‘Discarded? Why, that’s preposterous, I never courted Lizzie Brant in all my days!’

‘Piffle!’ Kate persisted. ‘I saw you walking with her!’

Edmund ran a hand over his hair. He seemed to have run out of protests.

‘You’ve spent considerably more time alone with Lizzie Brant than you ever did with me, Edmund Suggitt, and you know it! Confess it!’

‘Is this true?’

Kate whirled around. ’Twas her father, Lord Inverley.

Lady Henrietta

Lady Henrietta watched with growing irritation as Mr. Suggitt’s determination eroded and collapsed under Lady Katherine’s beratement of him. However, when Lord Inverley appeared in the doorway, her heart began to pound with anxiety. ’Twas one thing for the farmer to lose his nerve with only Lord Thorburn and her as witnesses. She counted on Lord Inverley to enforce the marriage, regardless, and if he began to doubt Suggitt’s story all would be lost.

‘Of course tisn’t true, not a word of it!’ Lady Henrietta burst out. Lord Inverley turned a surprised look her way. ‘Why, Lady Katherine confided in me herself, not a month since, about the entire matter!’

Lady Katherine’s eyes widened and her face flushed red. ‘What a bouncer!’ she cried. ‘You are an odious liar, Lady Henrietta!’

Lord Thorburn frowned, looking from one lady to the other with consternation.

Then Lady Katherine froze, as though she had thought of something. Lady Henrietta’s skin crawled with the realization. What idea had come into that nick-ninny’s head?

‘I understand it all now,’ Lady Katherine said with an air of relief and calm.

Lord Thorburn, who had watched wordlessly for sometime, peered at her with interest. ‘What is it that you understand, my lady?’ he asked encouragingly.

‘I know why Lady Henrietta is doing all of this.’

Lady Henrietta bristled, but she did not know what Lady Katherine intended to say.

Lady Katherine pulled something from her reticule: a folded note.

‘She accuses me of that which she herself is guilty,’ Lady Katherine exclaimed. ‘Oh, how I wondered at her acquaintance with Mr. Suggitt! I do not know how she came to meet him. But ’twas she who confided in me a month ago, although she spoke so mysteriously I could not make out of whom she spoke.’

‘Fustian nonsense!’ Henrietta exclaimed, her stays feeling too tight.

‘Lady Katherine, I am afraid I do not follow,’ Lord Thorburn said carefully. ‘Please explain what you mean.’

‘Well, ’tis only now that I understand, for I picked this up when it fell from Mr. Suggitt’s pocket,’ Lady Katherine said, holding up the note. ‘Shall I read it, Lady Henrietta?’

Mystified, Lady Henrietta made no reply.

‘My Dear Sir,’ Lady Katherine read as she opened the letter. ‘Secret meetings are all very well, but the dishonor shall be great if a union does not follow—’

Henrietta cried out in horror, but Lady Katherine did not stop.

‘You have sworn not to disappoint me, do not forget it. Henrietta Winfrith.’

‘May I look at that?’ Lord Inverley requested. Lady Katherine handed over the missive. ‘And you say that it fell from Mr. Suggitt’s pocket?’

‘Indeed,’ Lady Katherine said.

‘You lie!’ Lady Henrietta exclaimed.

‘I do not,’ her rival replied.

Lady Henrietta felt a cold wash of panic fill her. The roguish trollop meant to trap her!

‘Compare the handwriting to any of Lady Henrietta’s letters,’ Lady Katherine said confidently. ‘You shall see that ’tis a match.’

‘I do not know how you came by it,’ Lady Henrietta sputtered, ‘but I never sent that note to Mr. Suggitt!’

‘Didn’t you?’ Lady Katherine said. Then she turned a calculating gaze on the farmer, meeting his eyes. ‘What say you, Edmund? Was the note addressed to you, in fact?’

Lady Henrietta felt the floor dropping out from under her as the light of avarice sparked in the commoner’s eyes.

‘Why, yes, in fact. ’Twas one of several letters she sent me, when we...were hiding our affair,’ he said.

Kate

‘But why claim you were betrothed to Lady Katherine?’ demanded Lord Inverley. ‘’Twould seem from this letter that Lady Henrietta wished you to marry her!’

Kate opened her mouth, but stopped herself. Edmund’s sly countenance reassured her—he had thought of an answer already.

‘She lost her nerve, my lord,’ he said. ‘Changed her mind, like. And I weren’t too happy about it. I was gonna pursue her, I was, and come out with the truth, like. Kate—that is, Lady Katherine—she thought she spied me with a girl from Kelding, Lizzie Brant. Only ’twasn’t Lizzie Brant at all, ’twas Lady Henrietta.’

‘How did you come to meet Lady Henrietta in the first place?’ James asked. Kate glanced at him, wishing he might not ask questions that could lead to the story unraveling, but once again, Edmund delivered.

‘Best as I can tell, she’d come to Wiltshire to have a look at Lady Katherine’s childhood home,’ Edmund said. ‘And then one of the horses pulling her carriage threw a shoe, and I stopped to help, and ’twas love at first sight, my lord.’

‘This is an outrage!’ Lady Henrietta shrieked.

‘Oy, she’s a fiery one, isn’t she?’ Edmund said, warming to the story. ‘I’ve always admired it about her. But when she changed her mind, like, I was fair put out, you know. And I was gonna pursue it, my lords. But she convinced me to come after Kate—that is, Lady Katherine. And I did know Lady Katherine as a girl. We were friends.’

‘And the twenty thousand pound dowry certainly eased the transition as well, I daresay,’ James muttered.

Edmund had the temerity to shrug.

‘I see,’ said Lord Inverley. ‘Well, all of this has been most enlightening.’ He turned to Lady Henrietta, who was leaning heavily on the back of an armchair, white as porcelain. ‘I shall have a word with your father the earl, my lady. I daresay you shall have your wish after all. ’Tis a pity you changed your mind regarding it. But what is done is done, as they say.’

Chapter 33

Kate

As Kate watched in triumph, Lady Henrietta burst into tears and fled from the parlour.

‘I do believe that is the first time I have ever seen that lady express a genuine emotion,’ James said with a tone of wonder.

‘Oh, I daresay you might have seen it if you’d ever been alone with her ladyship,’ Edmund said knowingly.

Lord Inverley’s lip curled in a sneer of disgust and James looked away.

‘While I am grateful that you chose to at last give us the truth, Mr. Suggitt, I am afraid I shan’t soon forget your brazen attempt to force my daughter into marrying you,’ Lord Inverley said. ‘I must aver that your welcome here is at an end.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Edmund said, hunching a bit and stepping towards the door. He stopped, however, turning back to the earl. ‘I do hope you intend to follow through on what you said, regarding Lady Henrietta’s father, and seeing that he learns the truth.’

‘I always do as I say I shall,’ Lord Inverley stated coldly.

‘Quite right, quite right,’ said Edmund, and with that, he left.

Kate felt an enormous weight lift from her chest. She could breathe again, and she smiled at her father. ‘Good riddance,’ she said.

‘I—I apologise, my dear,’ her father startled her by saying, his tone far warmer than it had ever been before. ‘I should have listened to your protests. I allowed my personal fears to cloud my judgment.’

Kate stepped to him and reached for his hand. When she touched it, he stiffened, but then relaxed and smiled back at her. In that moment she felt she knew him for the first time.

‘I am grateful to you for everything you have done for me, Father,’ she said.

‘I hesitated to ask it, but...might you call me ‘Papa,’ as Betty does?’ he requested.

‘Certainly, Papa. And you must call me Kate.’

With that matter settled, she turned to James, thinking that it might be possible to avoid the extreme of an elopement. He moved a bit closer, inclining his head at her to show he understood, and then meeting the earl’s eyes. ‘Lord Inverley,’ he said, ‘I must petition you again to reverse your earlier decision to deny your blessing on my union with Lady Katherine. I love her, and cannot bear to face a future without her. She has told me that she feels the same.’

Lord Inverley’s expression hardened. ‘My opinion of you, Lord Thorburn, has not altered. I shall never consent to wed my daughter to a rake such as yourself.’

‘Oh, Papa, please!’ Kate exclaimed, scowling. ‘Why will you not listen now? Oh, if only I could explain to you—there has been a great evolution within my mind. Until recently I believed that I must change myself in order to find a place where I might belong. I grew up out of place, and believing that ’twas some fault of my own. Then the truth emerged, but coming here was no better. I scrambled to learn the proper manners and all the expectations—certain once again that ’twas I that must change in order to fit.’

‘And now?’ her father inquired.

‘I have realized that my belief was false. Lord Thorburn truly loves me, Papa. He loves me for me, as I am, not as I could be. He is willing to give up everything to be with me. I should find no better husband than that, I daresay. With him I shan’t mind the opinions of London ladies and the like. I shall be my true self, always.’

‘If I may, I should like to give my opinion.’

’Twas Lady Inverley, entering the parlour now.

‘My dear lady,’ said the earl. ‘Of course you may speak.’

Lady Inverley glanced at James and then at Kate. ‘It is my understanding that these two went to great lengths to help our younger daughter, my lord. They worked together in pursuit of her, and rescued her from great peril, bringing her safely home. They even found a way to shield her from censure.’

Lord Inverley’s eyes widened at these revelations. ‘What can you mean by this, my lady?’

‘I shall explain it all to you, my lord,’ she replied, ‘but only when we are entirely alone. You will see the necessity at that time.’

The earl wore a mystified expression.

‘In any case, believe me when I say that Betty has never had two more stalwart and loyal allies, who have saved her honor and her life. That they should wish to wed and spend the rest of their days together seems only sensible to me.’

‘How extraordinary,’ said the earl.

Kate gazed at him hopefully. ‘Well, then, Papa. Will you give your consent?’

Lord Inverley blinked slowly, looking from his wife to his daughter, and then glancing at James. ‘Very well,’ he said at last. ‘’Twould seem I have been mistaken once more. I have been mistaken about a great many things! By Jove, I suppose ’tis good to be humbled, from time to time. So I shall own it, Thorburn. You have apparently behaved most honorably towards my daughters both. Well. Then I must give it. You have my blessing.’

Kate let our a little squeal of delight and ran to her father, kissing him on the cheek. Then she crossed to James and took his hands, beaming at him wordlessly. He smiled back broadly. They said nothing of the elopement, which would now be discarded. There would be no need for it. Instead, they would marry in the light of day, before all the eyes of the ton, and they cared nothing for what anyone had to say about it.

Chapter 34

James

James raised his chin as his valet tied the brocade neckcloth he would wear to the church. Today was his wedding day. He felt giddy and strange—could it truly be real? He, James Rhodes, Marquess of Thorburn, marrying for love?

A light knock came on his door. He called out and when it opened, he was surprised to see his mother enter his bedchamber, something he could not recall her ever having done in the past.

‘Mother,’ he said, wondering whether she had come to make one final attempt to dissuade him from marrying Kate.

‘James,’ she replied, and smiled.

They said nothing for a moment, the silence weighing on James.

‘I see you are close to ready,’ the marchioness said.

‘Indeed, I am.’

‘Well,’ she said thoughtfully, ‘I should like to say a thing or two to you, my son.’

James braced himself. The valet hastily found something to do next door.

‘By all means,’ James said to her.

‘As you know, I had a great many doubts about this union, James,’ she began. He tensed his jaw, biting back a retort.

Let her have her say. She cannot change today’s outcome, in any case.

‘Lady Katherine is very pretty, in a...wind-swept sort of way,’ she continued, ‘but I feared she should find the life of a marchioness entirely unsuited to her, and that you should find your marriage lacking, as a result.’

James tugged on his sleeves to have an excuse to look down.

‘But ever since Lord Inverley gave you his blessing, you have been transformed, James.’

His eyes flicked up to meet hers.

‘Gone are your sulks, your cynicism and sneering wit. You are noticeably lighter. You speak of ruins and ancient architecture with an energy I would never have attributed to you. Your plans to take Lady Katherine on holidays to see them...to write a monograph...I am most bewildered. That is to say, in a favorable way.’

She gazed at him with large eyes, and he allowed himself to speak. ‘She allows me to be my true self, Mother, as no one ever has.’

The lady nodded. ‘I believe that’s true. And so I must admit that I was mistaken. This union is the best you could possibly make. I am very happy for you, James.’

Abruptly, tears stung James’s eyes and he had to blink them away. The emotion he felt was entirely unexpected. He met her gaze and gave a brief nod, unable to speak. She bowed and left him to finish readying himself for the wedding.

Kate

‘Oh! Aunt Mary!’ Kate exclaimed, pulling free of Pascal’s ministrations when her aunt entered her room. ‘You came! Oh I am delighted!’

‘Indeed, my dear, I shouldn’t have missed this for the world! My Kate, marrying a marquess! Lud, what a lark! I should never have imagined it!’

The older woman embraced the younger, and then they pulled apart, still holding hands, beaming at each other.

Betty followed Aunt Mary in, and she rushed up to Kate, laughing with joy. ‘What a lovely day it is, Kate! Look at the sunshine! Your wedding shall be marvelous.’

‘And my heavens, that gown!’ Aunt Mary exclaimed, standing back to admire it.

The gown was pale rosy silk overlaid with fine lace covered in tiny pink pearls. Pascal had been threading small roses into Kate’s hair, and the bride returned to allow her to continue.

‘You look lovely,’ Aunt Mary said. ‘Are you happy, my dear?’

Kate smiled at her in the mirror. ‘Words cannot express how happy I am!’

Betty clapped her hands. ‘What a perfectly wonderful outcome, after all our anxiety and disappointments, Kate! Oh, I do hope I shall one day find a gentleman who gives me as much joy as Lord Thorburn gives you.’

‘I’m certain you shall, dearest Betty.’

‘Mama says I must stop eating sweets,’ Betty said forlornly. ‘And that I may not speak of politics, despite the war with America! Can you imagine?’

‘I daresay the gentlemen you meet shall enjoy giving you all sorts of opinions on the matter,’ Aunt Mary said. ‘But ’tis true they shan’t be so keen to hear yours.’

‘’Tis vexing, indeed,’ Betty complained. ‘Felix never minded my opinions, you know.’ She sighed. ‘But I am afraid my chance to win his heart passed me by when I was distracted by Mr. Vance. Serves me right, I suppose.’

‘The Season isn’t over, my dear,’ Kate said sympathetically.

‘Never mind,’ Betty said. ‘I am a ninny, speaking of my woes when it is your wedding day, Kate! Oh, Pascal, may I move this rose a bit higher?’

And with that the focus returned solely to Kate, and the ladies all helped prepare her for the ceremony to come.

James

James stood waiting at the altar in Saint Paul’s Cathedral, which had been lavishly decorated with ribbons and flowers for the occasion. He wore a rich coat of garnet-colored velvet over cream trousers, the burgundy brocade neckcloth tied expertly by his valet at his throat. He cast his gaze over the guests who sat in the pews regarding him and suppressed a laugh at the thought that at one time, he had cared what any of them thought. They would no doubt have plenty to say about this wedding, the busybodies. Let them talk all they want. He was the victor in this epic: he was marrying the love of his life.

And then she appeared. James quite lost his breath, staring at her in shock and admiration. She was a goddess, crowned in roses and sparkling as the light caught the pearls in her gown. She carried a bouquet of roses, peonies, and lilies with dill mixed in. She came down the aisle towards him, and with each step closer his heart rose more.

My wife. She shall be my wife!

She joined him at the altar, standing by his side. He could hardly tear his eyes away from her to attend to the priest, who began to speak.

Surely I am the most fortunate fellow to ever walk the earth. I hardly deserve it, but here we are.

Kate gave him a shy smile, and he returned it. The priest droned on, but James hardly heard him. His heart was beating too loud, the blood rushing through his body a storm of joy and eagerness to at last be united with Kate forever.

Kate

James had never been so handsome. The dark red of his coat brought out the green of his eyes. His arched brows and straight nose gave him a raptor-like sharpness that entranced and excited her. She gazed at him with longing as the service progressed, looking forward with great joy to when they might at last be alone.

‘A passage from John, chapter 4,’ said the priest. And he read:

‘And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.’

Kate looked out over the audience, and saw first Betty sitting with Lord and Lady Inverley, smiling with delight as her parents watched with more moderate expressions of pleasure.

‘Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.’

Uncle John and Aunt Mary sat one row behind. Aunt Mary pressed a handkerchief to her mouth, her eyes squinting with tears. When she saw Kate looking, she waved the kerchief a little. Uncle John beamed at her with obvious pride.

Kate turned her attention back to the priest as he read,

‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.’

With a sigh, she reflected on how true the words were. She had feared much, before loving James. Now that they would be made one, she had nothing left to fear. All her fear was cast out. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes, and she met James’s again. He smiled at her tenderly.

At last the service came to its conclusion. James leaned forward and kissed Kate with a good deal of restraint. She looked up at him playfully biting her lower lip and she saw the desire flash in his eyes.

Soon, she thought, we shall at last be alone.

Chapter 35

Kate

’Twas hours, however, before they finally were able to retire to the bedchamber they would share in the Thorburn townhouse. Kate clasped her hands before her in delight when she saw how the room was fairly covered in peonies and lilies. Beeswax candles burned in silver candlesticks here and there, and a warm fire smouldered in the hearth, giving the whole room a golden glow.

James grabbed her by the waist and whirled her in a circle. Kate laughed.

‘We shall dance very waltz, my dearest,’ he said.

‘Oh, I do hope so,’ Kate agreed.

‘And see every ruin in England!’

‘And Scotland and Wales, of course,’ Kate said.

‘We shall live at Thorburn most of the year?’ he asked.

‘I do prefer the country.’

James’s smile widened. ‘And sail to Greece at the first opportunity.’

‘I have had a letter from my uncle, Frederick. He thinks Napoleon’s invasion of Russia shall be his doom. I suppose it might be safe to travel once the war is ended.’

‘Capital,’ James said, and whirled her around again, to her great amusement.

Then when he came to a stop he pulled her closer, kissing her lips with tender passion. Kate melted against him, reveling in the sensation of his strong body against hers.

My husband, she thought with heady astonishment. He is my husband, and no one may part us. We are united forever.

A thrill of glee passed through her and she kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck, relishing the broad chest and muscular shoulders she leaned against.

James

James ran his hands down her back. They came to rest on her bottom and she giggled.

Regarding her with undisguised love in his eyes, he caressed her cheek.

‘Are you ready for your wedding night, my dearest?’ he inquired.

‘Oh, yes,’ she replied without hesitation.

‘You are not afraid?’

‘Not in the least, James. You mustn’t forget my up-bringing. I am no noble, artless girl without any understanding of these matters. I was raised on a farm. I know well enough what to expect.’ She grinned at him devilishly.

‘You minx,’ he murmured in delight.

She turned her back to him without warning. ‘I should like to remove this gown now, James,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘Will you undo the buttons? ’Tis so very fragile, and I am loath to risk damaging it in any way.’

Anticipation mounted within him as he did what she asked, passing each small, pearl button out of its loop with care. The smooth skin of her back was revealed in part, but her stays and a shift beneath the gown still prevented his seeing her body. As soon as the gown was removed, he attacked the stays and freed her from them, then pulled up the shift, passing it over her head, so that at last she stood nude but for the roses in her hair.

‘A goddess indeed,’ he breathed, admiring her with desire so intense all thought left him.

She lifted her chin, standing proudly as he devoured her with his eyes. He reached out and touched her collarbone, then ran his fingers lightly down it, descending the valley between her lovely breasts.

Kate

She shuddered as his fingers swerved, tickling the underside of one breast. She felt a blossoming sensation in her core, and a growing heat that moistened her most private region.

Standing still, she closed her eyes and leaned towards him as he caressed her hard, pert nipple. Then a sensation of warmth made her eyes fly open. He had taken the nipple into his mouth.

The hand he had used to touch her breast smoothed round to support her back and his other hand came to rest on her hip. Her knees weakened at his touch. His mouth explored her breasts as she sagged in his arms, pleasure rippling through her.

Of their own accord her hands stroked his hair, the fingers delving into the locks as she forgot herself in the waves of desire he provoked within her. She lost all notion of standing; he held her in his arms and ravished her with his mouth now, suckling first one breast, then the other. To her surprise she felt his hand slip between her thighs, his fingers finding her wet, hot folds. The sensation was delectable. She sighed and gasped as he moved, probing deeper.

As two fingers slipped inside he nipped her aureola. She cried out at the thrill it gave her. The next thing she knew, he had carried her to the bed and lay her down, spreading her legs.

She had thought herself knowledgeable in matters of coupling, but what he did next utterly astonished her. He put his mouth on her mound, and began to lick, running his tongue in the folds, and touching it to the hard, aching nub within. She began to pant, feeling dazed with pleasure. Kate had never known this could happen, and a small part of her protested at it—his mouth there?—but she was quite incapable of resisting, the rapture she felt was building too quickly. He began to touch the opening at the same time as he ran his tongue around the nub, and she whimpered with ecstasy.

Then, his hand still stroking, he moved over her. She saw with a distant sense of bewilderment that he had shed his clothes. She had not noticed when it had happened. He was gazing at her with that same look of adoration. A pressing sensation replaced the touch of his fingers. Something large pushed into her, spreading her with a thickness she had never before experienced. It was on the verge of painful, but not quite, and with every second that passed, she enjoyed the feeling more. She began to writhe as he buried himself in her, relishing the way he filled her, and she cried out with ecstasy as he began a rhythmic thrusting.

One of his hands cupped and squeezed her breast. The other pushed on her hip, encouraging her to rotate them as the two of them rocked together.

He was gasping now, lost as she was in the rapture they shared. The urgency between them increased with each second. She wrapped her legs around him, wanting him deeper. He drove into her, passion overcoming his efforts to be gentle.

As her pleasure peaked, suddenly she felt she was shattering. Everything fell away, and she was made of light. Her arms held him with all her strength as her body climaxed, her love engulfing him and spreading wide as though it might envelope him.

‘Kate, Kate, my darling,’ he whispered in her ear as he spilled within her.

Their rapturous struggle subsided and the warmth of love and pleasant contentment remained. With a few movements of adjustment, she soon found herself cradled in his arms, her back pressed to his warm body.

A few thoughts floated through her mind, but she was too agreeably exhausted to speak them. Soon, they slept.

Epilogue

Kate

For the next six months, James and Kate toured England, visiting Glastonbury, Hadrian’s Wall, and many other sites of interest to both of them. They spent three weeks in Brighton, where James hired a schooner to sail them to the Isle of Wight, and there they visited the ancient Carisbrooke Castle. Kate delighted in at last acquainting herself with the sea.

Upon their return to London, just before Christmas, they received an invitation to a masquerade ball, not hosted by the Duke of Averill, who only did so in the spring, but this time by Viscount Harland and his mother, the Dowager Viscountess. Lord and Lady Inverley as well as Betty were invited as well, much to Kate’s delight, for she had not seen any of them in many months. She and Betty had corresponded many times, however, and did so even now, confiding in each other their plans for their costumes.

James and Kate would attend as Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the Faerie Realm in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Their costumes were lovely and elaborate, with silk flowers and leaves as adornments, but no masks. Lord and Lady Inverley preferred their dominoes and plain stemmed masks, but Betty chose to risk scandal by dressing as Pierrot, the Italian clown. ’Twas intended for a male, but Betty would not be dissuaded.

When the evening of the ball arrived, Kate soon found her in the crowd, wearing a ruffled white tunic and very loose trousers, with her face painted white, red lips, and one tear in black on her cheek. Her hair was tucked under a black cap.

‘Papa was vexed, but I told him I shan’t shy from gossips any longer,’ Betty told Kate with a nervous laugh.

‘I think you look wonderful,’ Kate said, taking her arm. ‘Shall we walk about and have a look at all the costumes?’

They did so, laughing at the antics of two pirates who saw each other and immediately began a mock sword-fight, admiring the lovely gown of a medieval princess, watching chimney sweeps dance with sultanas, and a highlander flirt with a flower girl.

When they returned to where James stood chatting with Lord and Lady Inverley, a lilac-robed magician with a full mask approached and asked Betty to dance.

‘I daresay no one has taken very much interest in Betty’s attire after all,’ Kate said with some relief to the others.

‘I saw a lady dressed as Nelson,’ James said. ‘Seems such ideas are more commonplace this year.’

As Kate cast her eyes over the crowd in amusement, she spied a familiar face in a gray domino without a mask.

‘Oh, look, ’tis Lady Agnes Winfrith,’ she said.

The others followed her gaze.

‘Yes,’ said Lady Inverley, ‘one sees her at such events. She is rather a sad figure, I must own. Lost without her sister, I surmise.’

Kate glanced at James. ‘We have been away so many months. Whatever became of Lady Henrietta?’

‘You had not heard?’ her father said. ‘She is wed to Mr. Suggitt, after all. I often wonder what she makes of farm life.’

The thought of Lady Henrietta feeding chickens and picking burs from wool gave Kate quite a turn. ‘How extraordinary,’ she murmured.

‘She had a sizeable dowry, I doubt she has fewer than two dozen servants to assist her,’ Lady Inverley put in. ‘Still, I imagine she cannot like her loss in station.’

‘And Mr. Vance?’ asked Kate. ‘Whatever became of him?’

‘Oh, the dreadful rake very nearly ruined Lady Lydia Porpont,’ said Lady Inverley.

‘Her brother challenged him to a duel,’ Lord Inverley said.

‘No!’ Kate cried in surprise.

‘Indeed, and on the morning it was to happen, constables arrived and meant to arrest them both,’ Lady Inverley said with a tone of satisfaction. ‘Porpont escaped, and I gather he paid something to remain free. Mr. Vance, however, was tried and sent to South Wales.’

‘The penal colony?’ James said.

‘The very same,’ Lord Inverley replied.

‘For dueling?’ James said incredulously. ‘When he did not kill his opponent?’

‘’Tis possible the magistrate received a letter which informed him of other crimes Mr. Vance had lately committed. Particularly against several young women,’ Lord Inverley said cryptically.

‘A letter?’ echoed Kate.

‘Indeed, and someone arranged to have a certain Miss Chadwick call on the magistrate as well,’ Lady Inverley said with arched eyebrows.

Kate stared at them both, astonished. ‘You swayed the magistrate! You influenced him to sentence Mr. Vance to the penal colony!’

Lord Inverley smiled. ‘Perhaps. Perhaps ’twas someone else. Whoever did it, they had the well-being of London’s gently born females of tender years at heart.’

‘Indeed,’ James said appreciatively. Then he turned with intent to Kate. ‘Now, I should like very much, my queen, to have the next dance.’

‘Is it a waltz?’ Kate asked, arching an eyebrow.

‘Of course,’ James replied, offering her his hand.

She smirked and took it. He guided her to the floor, and soon they whirled through the crowd, lost in their own bubble of joy.

‘Such news,’ Kate said after the first few minutes.

‘Of Lady Henrietta and Mr. Vance?’ James said. ‘Yes, ’tis gratifying to learn of the consequences they have both earned by their actions.’

‘I must say, I was quite taken aback. I had no idea. ’Twas all very surprising.’

James furrowed his brow. ‘Vance’s end, I will grant you, was unexpected, but surely you were not so very shocked to hear of Lady Henrietta’s marriage to Suggitt?’

Kate smiled. ‘No. I suppose there are more surprising bits of news one might encounter.’

‘Yes.’

‘In fact, I may have such a morsel for you, my lord.’

‘Do you? Pray, tell me.’

She gave him a mischievous smirk. ‘’Tis only that we should expect something new in the coming months.’

‘Something new?’

‘Yes, well. Someone.’

James frowned in bemusement. ‘Someone?’

Unable to hide her glee any longer, Kate pressed his hand to her lips in a kiss. ‘My dear, you are soon to become a father.’

James missed the next steps and very nearly collided with another couple.

‘Kate? Do you speak truly?’

She laughed and nodded.

‘You—can you mean you are with child?’

‘Most assuredly.’

James let out a whoop and swung her wildly around, causing her skirt to billow out and a pair of shepherdesses to scramble out of the way.

‘You delightful minx! You goddess! When?’

‘The doctor says some seven months hence.’

James whooped again and swept her up into his arms, spinning them around until she was dizzy.

‘I must insist that you set me down now, James!’ she laughed. ‘We shall careen into some unfortunate guests and cause an uproar!’

‘Let the uproar come! We are soon to be mother and father, Kate!’

‘You are happy then, my dearest?’

‘Happy! I am in rapture.’

She smiled and he pulled her close and kissed her, caring not whether it caused a scandal. She kissed him back, as inured as he.

They were together, and their love was growing with each passing day, soon to take the form of a child for them to raise together.

She could think of nothing better.

THE END

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