The Critchfield Locket (8 page)

Rose motioned for Kate to take a seat on the settee, and then sat herself down right next to her. After a brief moment, Kate was able to collect her thoughts.

“I had a new dream last night. This time, I had embraced the same man from my nightmares, the one who appears to be dead. I called him James…”

“Oh dear!”

“I thought that this is something I should tell
Nicholas about, however…”

“However?”

“Last night, as Nicholas was telling me goodnight, there was a brief moment where I believed…”

“Yes?”

“Well, it seemed as though he was about to kiss me.”

“Oh my!”

“Rose, what should I do?”

Kate
was holding tightly to Rose’s hand, and nodding her head.

“Now don’t you worry, we will figure all of this out. We should start by addressing each item separately. First, do you have feelings for
Nicholas?”

“I, I am not sure of my feelings. He
is
a very kind man, and I do so enjoy the time I spend with him.”

“I see.
Now for the second issue. What sort of embrace would you say you had with James?”

“I know it was a dream, but it seemed more like a memory. Our embrace
was loving, yet not like that of lovers.”

“I see… I think you should tell
Nicholas what you think you know regarding James, as it may be important in helping you regain your memories. As for what nearly happened between you and Nicholas last night, I say to think on it no more. You were both tired, so perhaps it was just an involuntary reflex.”

“Yes, I believe you are right on both accounts. That leads me to my last dilemma.
Nicholas has been very kind to take me in, but I feel I should be doing more to support myself. I cannot go on living with Nicholas indefinitely, depending upon his generosity to get by. After all, he is not responsible for me just because I was found on his doorstep.”

“True as that may be, I know
Nicholas does feel a sense of responsibility where your welfare is concerned. You should discuss this matter with him. If you do not, you may hurt his
manly
pride.”

“I did not even think of that…”

“Perhaps if you came to assist me in my work, you would have more to occupy your days with while at the same time, you would earn a small wage, freeing you from being totally dependent on Nicholas.”

“Are you sure about that Rose? What if I am slow to learn and frustrate you beyond belief?”

Rose pondered that thought for a moment then threw her head back in laughter.

“My dear, I have every confidence in your abilities and I have two children who have taught me the meaning of patience.”

Kate felt herself finally relaxing.
Everything will work out fine.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nicholas went about his morning as usual. Even still, he found himself replaying the events from the night before, over and over in his head. Was he drawn to Miss Dornacher? He hardly knew her, yet when he was around her it seemed perfectly natural, as if they had known each other for years.

Shortly before lunch, there was a light knock on the open library door. He moved his gaze from the papers on his desk to the doorway where
Kate was standing. He thought she looked lovely in her new dress, that the blue color suited her well. He motioned for her to come inside as he got up from his seat. As she slowly approached his desk, Nicholas noticed she was biting her lower lip.

“Mr. Bennett, I need to speak with you…”

“Katherine, you
are
speaking to me, and I thought we were beyond such formalities.”

“Yes… you are correct on both points…
Nicholas.” Kate felt a slight heat creep across her cheeks when she spoke his name. “I had another dream last night. In this one, I am with the man that has plagued my nightmares, but this time he was alive and I called him James.”

“I see. What else can you remember about
this
dream?”

Kate
fidgeted with her hands for a moment.
Why was she so uncomfortable all of a sudden?

“We, that is,
James and I, had embraced then he mentioned how much I had grown. It was all done in a humorous manner.” Kate looked pointedly at Nicholas. His face was again expressionless, the same as the first time she saw him. “There was nothing improper in our embrace. It was reminiscent of one you might share with a family member or close friend, nothing more.”

“I see. I will add this to the information I have my men looking into on your behalf.”
Nicholas stood from the desk, intent of escorting her to the breakfast room.

“There is something else.”

He cocked his head and raised his left eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Rose has offered me a position as her assistant. I am ever so grateful for all you have done for me, but I cannot expect for you to provide for me indefinitely.”
Kate realized her words were rushed, that she was nearly breathless when she finished.

“I see, is that all?”

“Well, yes.”
Can he say more than just “I see”?

Nicholas
proceeded around the desk and offered his arm to her. Kate took it, but with a slight uneasiness that she had not felt with him before. His replies had been stilted, his expression had been masked. Was he upset or relieved? How she wished he would say more. He kept up his stoicism through lunch. When he did speak it was only in regards to their meal, the weather and other general topics.

When the meal was over,
Nicholas invited Kate to take a stroll through the garden with him. She gladly accepted. She hoped that the walk would help to lighten his spirit – or at least get him to talk more. She once again took his proffered arm as they made their way beyond the spring gardens, taking a turn towards the east. They walked in silence through a light forest of trees that soon opened up to a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a small man-made pond. On the side nearest them stood a stone bench that looked as though it pre-dated the manor. On the opposite side, yellow, pink and purple wildflowers lined the bank. Kate found the sight so serene, so peaceful.

“Oh
Nicholas, have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” As Kate turned to face him, her face was glowing. Her voice had become soft and he was feeling the same way he had the night before. Only this time, he did not stop himself from acting upon his impulses. He took his free hand, gently cupped her chin, and then lowered his lips to hers. Dash it all, but she was sweet! Her lips were as smooth as silk. He was glad they had both forgone wearing gloves, and hats so he could feel her skin with no impediments and it was so soft to his touch.

At first
, Kate was in a state of surprised shock, but it soon gave way to the emotions that were engulfing her. Her breathing quickened along with her heartbeat. When they paused for a brief moment, she looked into his eyes. She thought she might lose herself in their depths. She was barely aware that she had released his arm, that her hands were wrapping around his neck, and that her fingers were entwining his hair. She was, however, very aware of his one hand as it stroked her face, and of his other hand as it pressed into the small of her back.

Nicholas
was internally chiding himself for taking such liberties with her; a woman entrusted to his care. But he was overcome and she
was not
protesting. Quite the contrary. He soon felt a heated stirring and pulled back from her. Hopefully she had not noticed – how terrible that would be! When he looked at her, he saw how flushed her face was, how dark her eyes had grown, and how full her lips had become. At that moment he could not remember ever seeing anything more beautiful. His breathing sounded labored as he spoke.

“Forgive me. I should never have done that. It was not my intention to compromise you when I suggested this walk.”

“I should hope not. I suppose I should ask your forgiveness as well, for I did nothing to stop you.”

“Be that as it may, this was totally
inappropriate, and you have my assurance that it will never happen again.” As he began to walk away, he suddenly stopped, but did not fully turn back around. “I approve of your working with Rose. It will be good for you to have someone other than myself to spend your days with. I am, after all, a very busy man.” With that, he hurriedly walked off, leaving Kate stunned in his wake.

One moment she was flying higher than she had ever been
, and the next moment she felt as though she had been slapped in the face. All this within the space of a few minutes and delivered by the same man. Kate remained in the garden, taking a seat on the old stone bench. She would not let anyone see her cry this time. In that moment, she felt so alone, abandoned and afraid. When Kate had finished crying, she ran her hands through the cool pond water and washed her face.

As she entered the manor, she made sure to keep her head down should she encounter anyone on her way to her room.

Kate had been so lost in her writings that she did not notice Mrs. Thompson had entered her room. She was barely able to suppress a squeal of surprise upon hearing Mrs. Thompson’s voice.

"Ms. Dornacher, I have been asked to inform you that Mr. Bennett will be away from the manor for a week, perhaps longer. Should you need any assistance, I am at your service."

“Oh? Did Mr. Bennett say where he would be?”

Mrs. Thompson narrowed her eyes in response to such a question. Her voice grew even
colder.

“He has business to attend to.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you for informing me.”

Mrs. Thompson nodded her head in recognition,
and then left the room as quickly as she came in.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kate spent most of her days assisting Rose with a large wedding order she was trying to complete. At any other time, the work might have seemed tedious, but thankfully, Rose shared many stories about her life growing up. A little over a week after Nicholas had left, Rose’s house keeper came into the work room followed by Mr. Baxter.

“Begging your pardon, mum,
Mr. Baxter is here to speak with Ms. Dornacher.”

Kate looked over at Rose who nodded her head, then carefully placed the piece she was working aside. “Yes, Mr. Baxter, how may I help you?”

“I have been instructed to escort you back to the manor.”

Kate’s eyebrows furrowed as she listened. “What do you mean instructed?
By whom?”

“Mr. Bennett has returned home and has asked that I escort you there at once.”

Kate tried to not let the knot in her stomach show.
He probably found out that I’m some sort of low life, and he’s going to throw me to the wolves.

Sensing the uneasiness in her friend, Rose laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Try not to worry. Perhaps he has some good news for you.”

“Let us hope so.”

The wom
en briefly embraced before Kate left with Mr. Baxter. Once outside, Kate noticed two more gentlemen. She recognized Mr. Thompson, the groundskeeper and Mrs. Thompson’s husband, but the other one, she did not know. Mr. Baxter ushered her inside the carriage where they were joined by Mr. Thompson. A light tap to the carriage roof and they began to move along the way. When they arrived at the manor, she was quickly escorted inside.

Mrs. Thompson was waiting for them. “Ms. Dornacher, Mr. Bennett wishes to see you in the library.”

Kate nodded in response. At this point, she still had no idea what was going on and could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. When she entered the library she found Nicholas sitting at his desk reading a document. He didn’t even look up when he began to speak.

“Ms. Dornacher, I am sure you are wondering why I asked you here so I will get to the point.” He sat the document down and finally looked at her. She thought she could see a hint of something in his eyes but she wasn’t sure. “
I went to Loganville under the guise of purchasing land. I was able to access the property information of the local homes. I also made inquiries regarding the Dornacher family.” He took a deep breath and sighed it out before continuing. “In short, I could not find any family by that name, or any information about a person with that name.”

Kate’s head was starting to ache as her mind tried to reason out what he was saying. “What if Dornacher is not my real name
, or what if I’m not really from Loganville?”

“Those are both possibilities that have occurred to me.”

Kate eyed him suspiciously. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“You’re keeping something from me. Please, just tell me.”

Nicholas
took another deep breath before proceeding. “I stopped by the livery and spoke to a stable boy. I asked him if anything strange had happened in the last month. The boy got wide-eyed then leaned in close in order to whisper. He told me that a finely dressed man and woman had arrived late one night. They paid him a large sum of money for a new pair of horses which he quickly hitched to their carriage. He also provided them with some food and water while they waited. The man told the stable boy they were on their way to a wedding, but the weather had slowed their progress, and he worried they would not make it in time. However, a day later, the man had been found by a local hunter. He was lying near the carriage which had been damaged and turned on its side. When the hunter checked the man for life, he realized the man was dead.”