Secret Brides [3] Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage (14 page)

“And this,” Annie Holloway said, “is my husband, the Earl of Ashbourne, or just Jordan.”

Kate curtsied. “Very nice to meet both of you. Please call me Kate.” She glanced up at the four of them. My, but these were good-looking people. The Marquis of Colton was tall, dark, and handsome, and his friend the Earl of Ashbourne had silver eyes that were positively breathtaking. But despite the attractive company, Kate’s entire being was riveted to the third equally good-looking man in the barn. James.

The other two men bowed to her while James remained leaning against the stall door. She didn’t look at him. She swallowed. Was he remembering their kiss the other night too? She hadn’t seen him since then. Hadn’t spoken to him. And now their being together was positively … awkward.

Annie winked at Lily. “Seeing these piglets, Lily, I know you’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking.”

Kate turned back to listen to the conversation.

“And that is?” Jordan Holloway asked his wife.

“That there are two of them. Lily and I could each take one.”

“I should have known that’s what you were going to say,” Jordan replied with a grin, smacking himself on the forehead.

“I am not about to take a pig into the house,” Devon said. “We’ve already got a raccoon.”

“And
we’ve
already got a fox,” Jordan added.

Kate shook her head. Surely they were jesting. And she had no idea what a raccoon was. But she couldn’t take her eyes off the cute little baby pigs.

“Not to mention, I doubt pigs make very good pets,” Devon continued.

Lily opened her mouth to speak but Kate interrupted. “Actually, they make excellent pets.”

All four of them turned to look at her.

“They do?” Annie asked.

Kate nodded. “Yes. The little runt there reminds me of the pig I had when I was a girl.”

“You had a pig?” James asked, pushing his shoulder off the stall door and walking toward her. She did her best to ignore the rush of heat his voice sent up her spine.

She nodded. “I did. A little pink one named Margaret.”

“See,” Annie said to her husband. “Kate’s had a pig and says they do make good pets.”

“Excellent pets. You can train them just like any dog, and they’re quite loyal.” Kate sighed. “I’d give absolutely anything to have a pig again.”

James gave her an inquiring look. Oh dear, what he must think of her. A duchess with a pet pig, what was next?

Annie lowered her voice. “Let’s let the mama feed her babies, and we’ll have breakfast. It should be all set up in the little cottage down the pasture.”

The group made its way out of the barn and across the fields, the brisk wind whipping along their hair and cheeks. Annie led them to the copse of trees on the edge of the forest where a small whitewashed cottage stood nestled among the evergreens. The cottage reminded Kate of the ones that had been sprinkled along the lands where her parents’ home had been. A wave of homesickness hit her. It was so nice of these people to bring her here. To give her this experience. How could she ever repay them?

Annie ran ahead and opened the door to reveal a fire burning in the fireplace, warm and cozy. A picnic lunch had been set out on a large tabletop, six mismatched wooden chairs sat around it. Their little group piled into the house, shed their cloaks, and quickly took their seats. Lily and Devon sat together, Jordan and Annie sat together, and in the space remaining, Kate and James managed to squeeze together at the end of the table.

Jordan poured wine into wooden cups for all. “It’s a bit early for spirits but perhaps this might serve to warm us up.” He grinned widely.

“Tell us, Kate,” Annie asked as she filled plates full of cheese, eggs, meats, and bread and passed them around to everyone. “What was it like living on a farm as a child?”

Kate smiled widely. “It was … magnificent. Always something to do, always something happening. But nothing as grand as the lives I’m sure you all led.” She held up the wood cup and gestured to the small room in which they sat. “Of course, I lived in my parents’ house which was a bit more formal, but I visited all the farmers constantly. This cottage is not more grand than the ones I used to frequent as a child.”

Lily waved a hand in the air. “We were raised at a grand estate, to be sure,” Lily replied. “But there was never any money for anything. My father gambled it all away. No doubt we would have been happier in a home like this.”

Kate bit her lip. She’d never considered such a thing. She’d always assumed all of the people who lived in large luxurious homes were wealthy. Lily’s words made her stop and think. Kate had had a happy life as a child and money hadn’t been what made it happy. Not at all.

“You didn’t have brothers and sisters?” Annie asked. “That seems so sad. I don’t know what I’d do without Lily.” She reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand.

Kate smiled at the friendly gesture between the women. “No.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t lucky enough to have siblings. It was just my parents and I. But we had scores of animals to keep us company.”

“Like pigs?” Devon asked her, smiling.

“Precisely.” Kate nodded. “I talked my mother into letting me take in one of the pigs that was born on the farm.”

Jordan cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did you ever … that is to say … how exactly did you … become a duchess?”

Annie slapped her husband’s sleeve and gave him a warning look, but Kate laughed. “I don’t mind one bit,” she said, taking a sip of wine. She could feel James’s eyes upon her, watching her, waiting for her answer. “I met my husband at a country dance.”

Annie’s eyes were wide. “A country dance?”

“Yes.” Kate took another bracing sip of wine.

“And he just asked you to marry him?” Lily replied breathlessly, leaning forward.

Kate nodded. “Yes. It all happened very quickly.”

“Oh, how romantic,” Annie replied. She elbowed her husband playfully. “I wish our courtship had happened quickly.”

“No. You two took your time,” Devon replied with a laugh.

“Ironic,” Annie retorted. “Coming from the man who took five years to marry his wife.”

Devon lifted his wine glass playfully as if proposing a toast. “Better late than never.”

Lily raised her glass too. “I’ll drink to that.”

Annie sighed and turned her attention back to Kate. “I still say it’s romantic that you met the duke at a country ball, and he asked you to marry him.”

Kate nodded. “Yes, I … I thought I was very much in love.” She could still feel James’s eyes upon her, but she couldn’t look at him. He’d been so quiet. Barely spoken since they’d all arrived. Was he angry with her? Did he wish he were somewhere else? Was coming out to the country a silly waste of time for him when he could be doing things like planning his next pamphlet or attending to business in his study?

“You weren’t always in love?” Annie asked, and she quickly yelped when her sister elbowed her in the side. “Ouch. What?” Annie rubbed her side.

“Don’t ask Kate such a thing,” Lily replied. “You’ve put her in an impossible position. She cannot answer that.”

Kate shook her head. “No, no. I don’t mind. The truth is, I learned quickly after my marriage began that love wasn’t all that I thought it to be.”

Annie reached out a hand and covered Kate’s. “Oh, but love is the most wonderful feeling in the world.”

Kate smiled wanly. “I suppose. If it’s the kind of marriage that you and Lord Ashbourne have.” Ashbourne inclined his head. “Or you and Lord Colton, Lily.” Devon smiled at her.

“It’s all about finding the right person to marry,” Lily replied.

Annie shook her head sadly. “There are many people who marry for connections or to fulfill a duty.”

Kate nodded. “Yes, but my husband and I were supposed to be marrying for love. Sadly, we realized, it wasn’t love at all. We were completely incompatible.”

Lily reached out and put her hand over Kate’s this time and squeezed. “You were very young.”

“Yes,” Kate said.

“I do hope you still believe in love,” Annie added.

Kate glanced away. She wasn’t about to tell them, but love scared her more than almost anything in the world. The promise of love had kept her in an unhappy marriage for ten years and now had her facing a sentence of death. Oh, how her life would have been different if she’d found a husband like Lily’s or Annie’s. They were very lucky women indeed.

James spoke, his voice tight. “Love is a luxury many cannot afford,” he said in a clipped voice.

Lily nudged at James’s sleeve. “Present company notwithstanding, I hope you mean to say.”

“Of course.” He inclined his head and took a long draught from his cup.

Annie slapped her palm on the tabletop. “Oh, here we are, Kate, we promised you a grand time and we’re making you sad, bringing up the past. Let’s speak of happier things.”

*   *   *

By the time the morning was over, Kate was rosy from the two glasses of wine she’d had. No doubt her face was pink from the laughter she’d enjoyed, and her cheeks ached from all the smiling she’d done. She should be in mourning. She should be in prison. Oh, none of it made any sense, but she’d just had the most wonderful time in all the world. She’d gone back to a farm, if only for one day, and it would have to last her the rest of her life.

They rode horses, played in the snow, watched the sheep roam the fields, and played with the baby piglets once they were awake from their nap and their mama was otherwise occupied with her lunch.

And thankfully, James became less distant. He helped her build a snowman, raced her across the fields during their ride, and scooped up the tiniest piglet, handing it to her to allow her to hold the little thing. Kate smiled at him shyly but not before glancing over and noticing that Lily and Annie had taken note of the solicitous way James was treating her. It made her cheeks heat, but she couldn’t help but beam at him. Being in his company made her heart race. She cuddled the baby pig and cooed to her. “If you were mine, I would name you Margaret the Second,” she whispered.

“An illustrious name.” James grinned at her, before gently taking the piglet and laying her back in the hay next to her brother and her mama.

All too soon, their party prepared to return to London. The three ladies walked arm in arm back toward the coaches that had been brought around. They stood together in the barren snow-covered meadow. This time, Annie led them to James’s coach and Kate entered first. Lily stuck her head in.

“Remember to keep the windows closed,” Lily warned, pulling at the curtains from her vantage point.

“And keep your hood up when you get out of the coach,” Annie added, from outside.

Kate shook her head. “Aren’t you coming with me?”

“No, we thought we’d all ride back to my house together and let you and Medford share the coach to his,” Lily said.

Kate gulped.

CHAPTER 18

Minutes later, James and Kate waved good-bye to their friends and soon the coach was in motion back to London.

James watched her carefully from across the seat. It was dark in the coach with the shades still drawn.

Kate’s neck worked as she swallowed convulsively. “Surely we can keep the shades open while we’re in the country like this,” she said, pulling back one of the curtains. “There’s no one to see us here.”

He shrugged. Was she suddenly shy to be alone with him? Had her hand trembled earlier when he touched her? All he could think about was how beautiful and vulnerable she looked today and how lovely she’d been when she laughed. He was glad she was able to laugh. This trip to the countryside had been a good idea. He desperately wanted to make her laugh again. He’d started the day attempting to keep his distance, remembering their kiss at the ball. He’d been tortured by it for the last two days. He’d decided it would be much better for both of them if they remained apart, and he’d meant to do so, honestly. But when the coach had arrived this morning to take them to the country, he hadn’t been able to refuse to go. So he’d decided to ride in a different coach on the way there, assuming it would make things easier. And once they’d arrived, he’d watched her, surreptitiously, unable to keep his eyes from her. And then they’d had a wonderful morning, laughing, riding, playing in the snow. He couldn’t remember having had fun like that even when he was a child. And it was so easy with Kate. He couldn’t keep from smiling and laughing around her. He knew Annie and Lily had been watching him closely, but it didn’t matter. He’d promised Kate fun while she wrote the pamphlet for him and, by God, he intended to keep that promise. He smiled to himself thinking about her reaction to the piglet.

“Tell me something,” he said. “Did you really have a pig when you were a child?”

Success. She laughed, and it was a musical sound. “I did.”

“As a pet?” he continued.

“Yes, she lived in the house and everything. She was a very small pig,” Kate clarified. “But a pig just the same.”

James couldn’t help but smile at that. He tried to picture a young Kate chasing a pig around the house. But he couldn’t picture her as a child. He couldn’t picture her any way other than the lovely woman she was, sitting across from him, self-consciously pushing a lock of shimmery golden-red hair behind her ear and glancing up at him from behind velvety black lashes.

“Please tell me something,” she said in a saucy tone to which James was immediately drawn.

He nodded. “As you wish.”

“What exactly is a raccoon?”

His laughter shook the coach. “It’s a furry little animal that’s sort of black, gray, and white with a long striped tail. Looks as though it’s wearing a mask. Quite common in the Americas or so I’ve heard.”

“Do Lily and Annie really have a fox and a raccoon?”

He grinned at her. “Yes and no.”

At her questioning look he continued. “Annie has a fox all right, but the raccoon is really just a dog that looks like a raccoon. Her name is Bandit.”

Kate laughed. “Oh, I see. And here I thought I was being improper with my pet pig.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re in excellent company actually.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” She paused for a moment, biting her lip. “James, may I ask you something else?”