No Choice but Seduction (15 page)

Whatever schooling Grace had received in Danbury hadn’t included geography. She readily admitted she’d only stayed in school long enough to learn to read and write. Katey’s education had been much more extensive, and while her tutor had been diligent in teaching her about the world, she hadn’t had picture books that showed her what he was talking about, so it had been hard for her to imagine how different Europe and Africa were from America. Her tutor had only given her a taste of what was beyond the horizon, leaving her wanting to see it for herself. She knew from her tutor’s lectures that it would be more convenient to sail from country to country rather than traveling over land.

“It’s too bad we can’t rent a ship,” Katey had ended with a sigh.

Grace had chuckled. “That’s funny. Waiting for the next ship to leave for the port you want to go to is only a small inconvenience, a small price to pay for seeing the world.”

But Katey was definitely learning that patience wasn’t one of her strong points. “Well, what about a new wardrobe?” Grace prodded.

“Why do I need a new wardrobe? I’m already carrying around trunks of clothes I’m making no use of, so why on earth would I buy even more?”

“Because you have nothing but serviceable, everyday clothes that you used to wear at home in Gardener. You don’t have a single fancy dress or wrap. What if you’re invited to a nice dinner or—”

“Invited by
who
?” Katey chuckled. “We’re not exactly meeting people who give fancy dinners.”

“You could. You should at least be prepared. Or will you be declining invitations just because you don’t have anything appropriate to wear?”

Katey conceded that point. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have at least one special dress, would it? And I did want to get another comfortable traveling ensemble. There might be time for that if we find a seamstress today. Very well, tell the driver to turn around. I think I noticed some shops a few streets back.”

Grace spoke to the hack driver, but after resuming her seat she said, “Now that we’ve got that off our list of immediate business, are you going to visit the child, to make sure she got home all right?”

“I don’t know—actually, I think not. I wasn’t pleased with the end of that little adventure, so I’d just as soon forget it. She was a delightful girl, though. I’ll at least jot off a note to—”

“Coward.”

Katey stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me right. You’re afraid that if you go anywhere near a Malory house you’ll end up running into him again.”

“You’re quite wrong there. I would love to run into Boyd Anderson again so I can put that pistol I bought the other day to good use.”

Grace snorted. “You wouldn’t shoot him.”

“I hung him, didn’t I?”

Grace burst out laughing, but when she wound down, she said with a fond smile, “What you do in those little tales you create is just daydreaming out loud, Katey. Pure fantasy like that has no bearing on what you’d
really
do if given the chance. But that was funny, the way you hung him. It’s too bad that was only your imagination getting angry.”

“I don’t know why you keep thinking I’m incapable of anger, that you’re the only one who gets to experience that emotion. I was furious over that whole incident.”

“Maybe, but you’re avoiding the point.”

“Maybe because I don’t want to discuss him?” Katey was quick to reply.

“I meant about the child. Jotting off a note without expecting a reply isn’t going to tell you that she got safely home. What if it wasn’t really a relative who ran off with her that day? What if Anderson was one of the kidnappers and he took off with you just to get you out of the way so you wouldn’t suspect what was really going on? What if Judith never got home?”

Katey laughed now. “You’ve listened to too many of my tales!”

“I’m being serious.”

“Then pick a subject that isn’t so absurd.
The Oceanus
belonged to him. And during the crossing we heard it mentioned that it was just one of many ships that belong to the shipping company his family owns. That man is no pauper, Grace.”

“Neither are you, but that didn’t stop him from pointing a finger, did it?”

That statement had some validity. “Very well, I’ll make sure I get a confirmation when my note is delivered. I
have
been assuming that everything is fine in regard to Judith. But I don’t have to go by the Malory residence myself to do that.”

“Fair enough,” Grace said. “I just didn’t want to see you leaving any loose ends here—speaking of which, we’ve got time before we sail for another jaunt to Gloucestershire.”

“No,” Katey said immediately. “Actually, I was thinking about a nice drive along the southern coast, perhaps as far as Dover, or maybe all the way to Cornwall if we don’t dally. We didn’t get a chance to visit the southern shires before we left for Scotland.”

Grace crossed her arms, looking stubborn, before she said, “I wouldn’t be doing my duty if I didn’t mention that you may never get back to England once we leave here. You might get to Italy and decide that’s the country where you want to put down roots. You already said Scotland would be a nice place to live, so I know you’re going to be looking at all of these countries we visit with an eye toward where you plan to roost when you finish seeing the world.

“So think about it,” Grace continued. “You know you’ll end up regretting that you didn’t make a greater effort to meet your mother’s family, when we’re on the other side of the world.”

Chapter Sixteen

K
ATEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
that sending a note to Judith’s house would elicit more than a simple reply. When the hotel maid came to her door to tell her she had a visitor waiting for her in the lobby, she almost sent the maid back with the response that she was indisposed.

She was afraid it was Boyd. He could have been at the Malory house when her messenger arrived and followed the man back to her hotel. She didn’t want to see him again. Ever. Not even to witness his groveling on his knees now that he’d discovered just how wrong he’d been. But she followed the maid downstairs anyway, refusing to believe that the anticipation she was experiencing had anything to do with excitement at the thought of seeing him again.

She didn’t have a chance to feel either relief or disappointment when she saw that her visitor wasn’t Boyd Anderson. She was too surprised by the man standing there waiting for her. He was incredibly handsome, and it had nothing to do with the warm smile he was giving her. Extremely tall with a lean, strapping physique that went perfectly with his height, he was the kind of man a tailor would love. He was elegantly clad in a dark brown frock coat with buff breeches, his cravat neatly tied, not too extravagant. His clothes were the height of fashion, yet understated. No dandy here. His coal black hair fell in waves to just below his ears, his eyes had a slight exotic slant to them and were the most beautiful cobalt blue…Judith Malory’s eyes, she realized!

He had to be a relative, and while she hadn’t gotten a good look at Jeremy Malory before he’d hied off with Judith that day, she realized this could be him. The resemblance was too close from what she remembered, though she could have sworn he was younger. Not that this man was old. Late thirties or early forties would be her guess.

“Miss Tyler? I’m Anthony Malory, Judith’s father.” He took her extended hand and squeezed it warmly.

Well, she hadn’t expected that! This was the man Boyd had tried to frighten her with? How absurd!

She returned his smile. “Call me Katey. I hope Judith has recovered from that nasty business?”

“Thanks to you, yes. You cannot begin to understand how grateful my wife and I are for your assistance. You’re a remarkable young woman, Katey.”

She couldn’t help but blush. “I just did what anyone else would have done.”

“You’re wrong there. Most people would have minded their own business. You saw a little girl in need and rescued her. You quite charmed my daughter, you know. She’s done nothing but talk about you since she got home.”

Katey grinned. “I was rather taken with her myself. She’s so smart for her age, I found myself treating her like an adult!”

He chuckled. “She has that effect on all of us! And she’s looking forward to seeing you again. My wife, Roslynn, is having a small family dinner tonight and we’d like you to join us.”

Katey almost laughed, remembering her conversation with Grace that morning. She would never have dreamed that she would be forced to say, “But I don’t have anything to wear!” that very day. But she had to say it. The Malorys were English nobility. They probably went to bed looking elegant!

“I’m going to have to decline. I don’t have anything appropriate to wear to a London dinner party.”

Anthony laughed and said, “Your presence is desired, not your wardrobe. And Judy will be crushed if you don’t come.” Then he added drolly, “Wear a sack if you must, I promise you my family won’t care. So no excuses. I’ll send a coach for you in a few hours.”

And how could Katey refuse now? Anthony Malory was a stubborn man, but very nice for all that, and she
would
like to see Judith again, so she shyly agreed. Grace, of course, had to tell her at least three times, “I told you so,” as they dug out the nicest dress Katey owned. Far from being a sack, it was a simple pink frock with mother-of-pearl buttons. When Katey put it on and Grace arranged her hair in a loose braid that draped over her shoulder, she felt more at ease about attending the Malorys’ dinner. And before long she was on her way to the fashionable town house on Piccadilly.

That was another surprise. From the street, the Malory town house looked so narrow, but inside it was huge. It was probably three times the size of her home in Gardener. And so grand looking! Gilt frames, crystal chandeliers, shiny marble on the foyer floor. Everywhere she looked she saw elegant details. Katey felt quite out of her element. These people were rich aristocrats—what the devil was she doing there?

But that thought didn’t last long. Anthony Malory’s idea of “small” seemed rather large to Katey as a butler ushered her into a room full of people who were all saying thank-you to her. Even the butler thanked her!

Katey noticed that Roslynn Malory wasn’t dressed as elegantly as the other women in the room. Sir Anthony had probably told her about the silly issue of “clothes” he’d had to deal with when he’d invited Katey to dinner, so she had merely dressed in a skirt and blouse. That extra effort alone made Katey feel welcome, but the hug Roslynn gave her relaxed her completely.

Anthony greeted her warmly, but Roslynn pulled her back into the foyer for a private moment. “I’m so glad Tony convinced you to join us this evening. He said you put up a good fight.” Katey blushed, but Roslynn laughed and assured her, “I’m joking, m’dear. I just want you to feel welcome here. I’m hoping you will agree to accept our hospitality for longer than this evening, but we can talk about that later. Before Judy comes down, I thought you might like to know more about this unfortunate incident, as we now understand it. My cousin Geordie Cameron has always coveted my fortune, you see.”

“So it really was your cousin that your husband pummeled?”