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“Why would you ask me that? I am no military strategist.”
“I would hear your opinion, even so.”
She considered, briefly, then, “It may, if you and Stephen lead by example.”
“Wise words, lady. I shall attempt tae be civil, then, despite the obvious provocation.”
“That would be welcome, my lord.” She finished her buttermilk. “It is late. We should be going.”
He made no move to rise. Instead, he regarded her with interest. “We have not yet concluded our discussion. I will ask again. Will ye be happy here, once my sister is married to your marquis?”
“He is not my marquis.”
“He could have been.”
Katherine lifted her gaze to meet that of this strange and rather too perceptive Scot. She shook her head. “It was not to be.”
“Why not?”
“We would not have suited.”
He shook his head. “Not true. It would have been an excellent match.”
“He did not love me, and I did not love him. We are…friends. And now that he has Flora…”
“Love?” His lip quirked. “You ask a lot of a marriage, Lady Katherine. What of children? Of security? Of being mistress of your own keep?”
“We cannot always have what we want in this life.”
“So, ye do want those things, then?”
“Of course. To run a household such as this is what I was trained for, and I am a good chatelaine. Perhaps I shall continue, in some manner. Doubtless, Flora will need—”
“My sister possesses the necessary skills in abundance. She managed my father’s household for many years, after our mother died. I am sure she will be more than equal tae the task here.”
The words were not uttered unkindly, but they were devastating even so. To hear her fate set out so starkly forced Katherine to look it in the eye. She was not yet ready to let go of her home.
Had she missed her chance, holding out for some girlish romantic fantasy? Had she imagined that she and Stephen might experience some sort of epiphany? That Stephen might come to love her? That she might love him in return? She drew in a sharp breath. Such imaginings were the stuff of children’s fairy tales.
Katherine gnawed on her lower lip. Usually a pragmatic woman, she had been a fool. The future this earl described was exactly as she had feared, but until now, she had preferred not to accept the truth. She would be rendered superfluous. Unnecessary. Stephen and Flora would never force her to leave Elborne, but how could she stay with no purpose, no role here?
She should have seized her opportunity as soon as Stephen arrived. If they had been wed, Stephen would never have looked twice at Flora.
Or would he?
As the earl had already pointed out, love and marriage were not necessarily connected. A man could be married to one woman and in love with another. It happened all the time.
But not to me. I could not live like that.
She met the earl’s gaze. “What is done is done. Please, do not trouble yourself over me. I shall manage. I always have.”
His smile was gentle. “I cannot exactly call Stephen of Elborne a fool. He is a man of some discernment since he clearly entertains more than a passing fondness for my sister. But it is his loss, even so. He let you slip away.”
Not for the first time this evening, Katherine was rendered speechless. At last, she managed a spluttering ‘thank you’ though she was by no means certain that was the correct response.
Robert set his mug down, then took hers from her nerveless fingers. “Shall we go, Kat? Best we do not let the servants find us here. I believe I can hear stirrings from the scullery.”
“My name is Katherine,” she whispered.
