Puritan Bride (24 page)

She turned away from her companions for a moment to hide her intense reaction. She needed a little time to come to terms with this devastating development.

I
t promised to be the perfect spring day and Kate’s heart was light as she waited for West to saddle Goldfinch and roust Josh from his tasks in the depths of the stables. The ride in sparkling sunshine with the gentlest of breezes would be exhilarating and would lift her spirits. And she would see Marlbrooke. She longed to see him. Since that moment in the chilly saloon her thoughts had been full of him. He disturbed her sleep, robbed her of appetite, causing Gilliver to prod and pry with sly glances and obvious comments. How could her feelings towards the Viscount have undergone such a cataclysmic change in so short a time span? She did not know, shaking her head in disbelief, aware only of her need to see him, to feel the touch of his hand on her arm, to see the soft gleam of his eyes when he looked at her. A twist of guilt ate into
her happiness. Richard! What she had felt for him was not love. Her affection for him was so mild compared with the flames that engulfed her when she thought of Marlbrooke’s lips on hers. In her innocence she had not known. And Kate knew that she must put it right with Richard. But she did not know how. She had no wish to hurt him, but he would blame her—and rightly so. But for now she would ride to the Priory. And she would see Marlbrooke again. Her heart leapt.

But the day that promised so much rapidly became one of disastrous confrontations.

‘I would not criticise your actions, Kate, but it seems to me that you spend far too much time at the Priory.’ Richard had come to join her in the stable yard, soft-footed and amenable, and now requiring a reply that Kate did not feel able to make with any degree of equanimity. ‘I understand your wish to live there, of course, but it seems that perhaps you find the company of Lord Marlbrooke more than acceptable.’

‘I do not expect to see Marlbrooke,’ Kate replied with what she hoped was a casual shrug of her shoulders. ‘My mission is to take a new balm of Gilliver’s for Lady Elizabeth to try. It is a new one distilled from germander leaves and helps to relieve rheumatic pains. I shall not stay long.’

‘Then I will see you on your return.’ Richard helped her up into the saddle and handed her the reins. But he kept his hand on hers for a moment, compelling her to
meet his eyes. ‘I can understand that a young girl, innocent of the ways of the world, would decide that marriage to Viscount Marlbrooke would be an attractive prospect. He has considerable presence.’

‘Perhaps. But as you are aware, our marriage is purely political.’

‘I am aware of that.’ His face was stern but his voice gentle and uncritical, revealing no vestige of inner turmoil or the rampant jealousy that was a constant gnawing pain. ‘I would simply warn you of a man of his sophistication. Don’t put your trust in him. I have seen him in his dealings with you. He uses great charm—but he may court you now only to gain your compliance in this contract. When you are married and carrying his heir, he will have all he desires from you. Do not be surprised if his attention turns rapidly to neglect. He will assuredly wish to return to London and the Court. I would not wish to see you hurt, my dear cousin.’

Like a lightning bolt, Kate was struck by an image of Marlbrooke, standing as she had seen him in one of the magnificent reception rooms at Whitehall, backed by sumptuous damask hangings and Mortlake tapestries. In his hand was a glass of wine, his face alight with pleasure as he conversed with friends and acquaintances. Richly clothed, at ease, socially adept. A stab of anxiety pricked at her happiness.

‘I shall not be hurt.’ She managed to smile down at Richard and returned the pressure of his fingers. If he
had intended to kiss her, she was able to avoid it without a confrontation. ‘It is very kind of you to be concerned on my account, but there is no need. I expect nothing from Lord Marlbrooke.’

But she did! She could not deny it. Nor was she being totally honest with Richard, which distressed her. In the light of Richard’s warning and her own duplicity, the clear spring day suddenly seemed to have lost some of its brilliance.

Felicity, dressed with her usual drab propriety in dark satin, met Kate on the flagged terrace as she made her way from stables to house. Kate was more than a little surprised to see a smile lighten the lady’s thin features. Relations between the two ladies had not improved, Kate remaining ever polite but wary, unwilling to be the source of any further friction between Lady Elizabeth and her companion, Felicity for the most part silent, but with no mistaking her suspicion and hostility towards the newcomer.

‘Mistress Kate.’ Felicity addressed her with surprising warmth. ‘Lady Elizabeth is sitting in the sunken garden. I will walk with you if you permit.’

‘Of course.’ Kate returned the smile with a lifting of her heart. Perhaps she had been wrong in thinking that Felicity would never accept her. Perhaps it was true that time would heal some of the wounds. They turned their steps to walk together.

‘It must be a satisfaction for you to have returned to your family home at last.’

‘Yes. It is a beautiful house. And the gardens. I have enjoyed exploring it.’

‘Then marriage to my lord Marlbrooke will be a definite advantage for you.’

‘Yes, of course.’ Kate raised her eyebrows a little and glanced at Felicity, not quite following the gist of this. But perhaps Felicity merely wished to make conversation.

‘I expect that you will not object to living here alone—when my lord and dear Elizabeth return to London.’

‘I did not know that Viscount Marlbrooke was planning to leave the Priory in the near future.’ Kate felt a cold hand close around her heart. ‘He has said nothing to me.’

‘Not immediately, of course, but soon enough.’ Felicity’s smile widened, but Kate could not ignore the lack of warmth in her eyes. ‘Once you are wed he will return to Court. I understand that his Majesty enjoys my lord’s company. And of course my lord enjoys Court life, as you are aware—he would not wish to absent himself for long. It would not be politically wise to do so, as I am sure you will agree. Now that he has secured the estate, there is no need to spend much time in the depths of the country, and certainly not when the weather can be so inclement. Life in London is so much more comfortable, do you not think? Of course, dear Elizabeth does not enjoy country
life. She has so many friends in town who miss her and look for her permanent return rather than a brief visit.’

‘I see.’ What else could she say? The words echoed Richard’s warning, turning her heart to ice.

‘Did you think to accompany him again?’

‘I had not thought. But, yes, I can see no reason why I should not.’

‘Perhaps you will. But once you are breeding, Marlbrooke will assuredly wish for you to remain here in peace and comfort.’ She laughed in shrill tones at Kate’s stricken look. ‘Do you expect my lord to dance attendance on you once he has secured the succession? You do not think that, surely. Once he has an Oxenden heir he will have achieved what he wanted from the marriage. Or did you expect him to love you? He has such excellent manners, does he not? No one would ever believe that his emotions were not engaged. But the wounds of war are far too deep. It is my opinion that he will find it impossible to ever forgive the supporters of Parliament for the devastation of his home and family. My lord’s father was destroyed by the war, you understand.’ Felicity’s conversational tones, dripping with malice, went on and on, coating Kate’s emotions with deadly despair. Would she never stop? ‘He went into a steady decline, you realise, into premature old age. Which also hurt dear Elizabeth, causing her great distress from which she has not recovered, or ever will, I suspect.’ She turned to face Kate and touched her arm with an apparently
sympathetic hand. ‘He will never love you, you know. It will be better for you if you accept it. I have seen you look at him—it would be foolish of you to open yourself to casual and painful rejection.’

Kate felt as if all her dreams lay in dust at her feet. She might, of course, have simply rejected Felicity’s warning out of hand as a malicious attempt to sow discord, to destroy any chance of happiness. But the lady’s words merely confirmed her own deeply buried fears. She had seen for herself the lure of the Court. What a fool she had been. She realised with sudden clarity that she must never forget her position here. Never be seduced by Marlbrooke’s attentions, his kind words, his apparent care and concern for her welfare. It all meant nothing. Even his declaration of love. Perhaps at Court fashionable people were willing to say such things without any depth of feeling and she was too innocent and without the worldly wisdom to realise it. Perhaps he had said the exact same words, an avowal of love, to Alicia Lovell in a brief moment of flirtatious charm, with no intention of proclaiming a serious commitment. And presumably Mistress Lovell had accepted those words in a similar superficial light. Kate closed her eyes momentarily against the blinding truth. It was surely time that she realised that she was merely a legal necessity and the woman on whom he would get lawful children to ensure the continuity of his family name. How could she have been so naïve as to believe that she saw anything other in his laughing eyes
when they rested on her or sense any other motive than possession in the drift of his hands over her body? And had not Richard only that morning warned her of hoping for too much, for being misled by his sophisticated manners? Yes, he was kind. But that was all. And she was a fool!

She turned to face Felicity squarely, drawing on her pride to hide her humiliation and shattered emotions.

‘Of course, Mistress Felicity. You are perfectly correct in your reading of the situation. I expect nothing from this marriage other than the legal terms agreed between my lord Marlbrooke and my uncle.’ She kept her voice flat, her expression closed. ‘But, yes—I will enjoy living at the Priory—under any circumstances. It is my home.’ But the ownership, once so desirable, was suddenly as ashes against her tongue.

She met Marlbrooke later in the day on the long corridor at the top of the main staircase. ‘My lord.’ She curtsied, eyes downcast. ‘I would ask you—have you decided with my uncle on the date of our marriage?’

‘Next month. I do not know what you will need to do, but women always seem to need more time than they have. Will that allow you sufficient time to prepare? If not, it can be changed to suit your convenience.’ He smiled at her, an appreciative glint in his eye, unaware of her inner turmoil, unable to see her expression in the shadowy upper reaches of the house.

‘I am surprised that you care to wait so long, my lord.’

Now he picked up the strained quality of her voice and gave her a quizzical look. Where had that hint of anger come from?

‘The sooner you wed me,’ Kate continued in the same strained tone, ‘the sooner you will be able to return to London.’

‘But I have no plans to return to London as yet.’ He simply stood, wary, waiting for enlightenment.

‘No, but when I am breeding there will be no reason to stay here. And I believe that your mother would wish to return.’

‘Has she told you so?’ He frowned a little at her directness.

‘Not as such. But I doubt that either of you would wish to stay here permanently once the inheritance is secure.’

‘So you think it is my intent to get a child on you and then leave you here in seclusion.’ She should have heard the warning in the quiet voice, but was too wrapped in her own distress.

‘Why not? I am willing to remain here, of course. It will be an arrangement that will suit us both. You can return to Court—and your previous life. I know that you find it far more entertaining than life here at the Priory, now that I have experienced it for myself. Indeed, I am surprised that you have seen fit to remain here as long as you have.’

Marlbrooke covered the ground between them in two
long strides. ‘Who have you been speaking to? Who has put these ideas into your head?’ He gripped her shoulders in a painful grasp as fury flooded through him. Why should she suddenly doubt his intentions enough to accuse him of such a blatant lack of sensitivity? What had he done to deserve this? Whenever he seemed to make some progress towards winning her troubled heart, she struck at him for some unforeseen slight or insult. And on this occasion with no foundation for her accusation.

‘Why, no one, my lord. Surely it is perfectly obvious and understandable. Please release me.’ She winced a little as his fingers dug into her shoulders. ‘It is my intention to return to Widemarsh before noon.’

If anything, he tightened his grip.

‘Let me go, my lord.’

‘No. Not until this matter is clear between us. You cannot make such unfounded accusations and then run away. You are no coward, Kate. I have no intention of returning to London as yet. When I do, you will accompany me—if it is your wish. As for getting a child on you—I would desire it, but we are both young and it is not a matter of immediacy.’

‘Really, my lord?’

‘Really. So rid yourself of the Puritanical notion that marriage is merely for the procreation of children. It has other benefits, as I had hoped you were coming to appreciate. It would seem that I was wrong.’