The Engagement - Regency Brides 02 (17 page)

As she let herself into the church, she was assaulted by the sweet smell of the roses her mother had decorated with. On each pew end was a small bouquet, and in the very center of the altar was a huge one with both pink and white roses intertwined with the same colored ribbons.

Beside the bouquet, sitting on the front pew, she saw him.

Thomas was there, bent over slightly; his eyes seemed to be Focused straight ahead, staring at-nothing.

Her heart felt as though it were breaking as she slowly walked up to where he sat. The-floor creaked beneath her slippers, but he did not turn or make any movement of acknowledgment at her presence.

A few feet from him, she stopped. Taking a deep breath, she called softly, "Thomas."

He stood then and slowly -turned toward her, his face swathed with hurt and betrayal. Those blue eyes that had gazed lovingly into hers only a few days before now stared with stark coldness.

"Thomas, listen," she began, her voice shaking. "This was Theodora's doing. I tried to-"

"I can't believe I've been so gullible," he ground out bitterly, making a slashing movement with his hand. "I had a feeling all along you and your evil cousin were up to something. I never dreamed you would go to such elaborate lengths." He ran his hand through his already mussed hair. "Or perhaps I did but did not want to believe it," he added with a self-deprecating murmur.

"It's not like that, Thomas." She realized it was time to tell him the truth. ' You see, I did set out to hurt you, but I changed my mind After I met you. It's just that Theodora would not accept it. She locked me in the castle. I couldn't get out!"

"You mean you set out to convince me to marry you, all along knowing you would never go through with it?" he asked, focusing on her first sentence. He appeared confused.

Katherine hurried to explain.

"Yes, Thomas, but I changed my mind! Don't you understand?

I was hurt and bitter over what happened with your brother and how the
ton
turned against me. Theodora convinced me this was the only way to avenge myself. But I couldn't do it."

An appearance akin to revulsion spread across his face as he stared at her. "That you could even think of hurting an innocent man, a man who was falling in love with you, horrifies me, Katherine. You are not the person I thought I knew."

With one last look, he brushed past her. Katherine turned and ran After him. "Thomas, I've changed! I fell in love with you, too. I even asked God for forgiveness for the sin I had planned to commit! Please, believe me."

He kept walking, and she followed him outside, in the shaded courtyard of the abbey. She expected to see his coach waiting for him, but when she saw only a horse, she thought his family must have taken it back to Rosehaven. He stopped and turned toward her when he reached the animal. "You know; Katherine--l have waited weeks for you to tell me you love me, but you didn't. You can perhaps understand why I'm having trouble believing you now."

"Thomas'" she cried, tears pouring from her eyes as she watched him mount his horse and snap the reins to urge him forward. "But I do love you, Thomas. Believe me. Please, believe me."

Katherine realized her words were falling on deaf ears. As he galloped away, she fell to her knees, her wrinkled wedding gown spread about her as great sobs shook her body.

"My lady!" her coachman called, running to her.

' I've lost him," she muttered incoherently. "I canʼt believe I've lost him- "

"I'm sure 'tis not as bad as all that, my lady." He managed to lift her to her feet.

Katherine allowed him to lead her to the carriage and tuck her in safely. She lowered .her gaze to her gown and saw the dirt stains that now marred the once lovely satin material.

She wished with all her heart God could remove the stain in her heart as easily as her maid could remove the stains from her wedding dress.

----

"Are you all right, Thom?" Nicholas entered the sitting room where his brother was staring out the window.

"Have you come to say I told you so?" he asked bitterly, wishing everyone would go home.

Thomas heard Nicholas sigh and his footsteps come nearer to him. "I think you know better than that," he answered quietly, making Thomas feel shameful at his malevolent attitude.

"The vicar came by a minute ago, but I told him 'you weren't receiving anyone."

Thomas nodded, his eyes still fixed ahead, staring at nothing.

"I appreciate that."

The brothers lapsed into silence, then Thomas saw Nicholas move beside him on the other side of the wide picture window.

"He did say, however, that he saw you talking to Katherine outside the church." Nicholas cleared his throat as he cut his -gaze over to his brother. "Well, no --that is not exactly what he said. I believe he told me you were yelling, and she was crying, running after you." Nicholas turned to stare fully at his brother; "What happened? Why didn't she come?"

Thomas made himself face his brother. "You were, indeed, right when you said it seemed an odd coincidence she happened to turn her attentions to me. She was conspiring with her cousin, Theodora Vine, to get me to the altar so she could call it all off; thus vindicating the hurt you caused her. In other words, she was using me to hurt you."

Nicholas shook his head, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious!

I thought she'd turned to you because you were the only man available to her, not because she had a malicious agenda!"

Thomas closed his eyes briefly and tried to block the sharp pangs of hurt and disappointment that pierced his heart and soul. Instead, he tried to focus on the emotion that was easier to express-his anger. "I cannot believe I have been so foolishly misled," he spat out, talking more to himself than to Nicholas. "I knew something was amiss; yet I kept pursuing her and trying to make it work."

Nicholas gripped his arm. "Thomas, you are not a fool! You simply loved her, and you cannot be faulted for that!"

"I even prayed I could be the right man for her, Nick. In my stupidity, I assumed God had put us together and she would be the perfect mother for Tyler and all our children to come." He swallowed hard, trying to chase away the bitterness that seemed to clog his chest and throat. "She seemed to love Tyler, Nick. How could I have misunderstood?"

"God can work this out, Thomas. What did she say to you?

Why, if her plan was to abandon you at the altar, did she show up later? Surely by staying around she would have to bear the chastisement of her father and mother.”

Thomas had a picture of Katherine's tear-stained face as she pleaded with him to forgive her. "She said she had tried to make it to the wedding because she had fallen in love with me and had changed her mind about her plan." He let out a snort of disbelief. "She had the audacity to blame her absence on Theodora locking her in a room. Why wouldn't the servants let her out then?" he asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

Nicholas frowned thoughtfully. "But, Thomas, what if it's the truth? Katherine is not an evil person by nature. I could quite believe bitterness made her concoct the plan, but guilt and love for you would not let her go through with it."

Thomas was not ready to hear reason. He turned his heated gaze to his brother. "She purposely tried to get me to fall in love with her, and I" -his voice cracked, and he paused a second before continuing, his voice more solemn--"and I did, Nick. I love her still, and one day soon I will forgive her misdeeds against this family and me. But I will never allow her back into my life again."

Nicholas slammed his hand down on the white, wooden window seat, startling his brother. "Don't do this, Thorn," he growled at him. "Remember what bitterness did to me?

Dwelling on bitterness and anger separates you from everyone you love, and most important it will separate you from God." He took Thomas's shoulders in his hands and shook him gently. "And living a life without God's love is the coldest, most miserable world you could possibly live in."

Thomas shook off Nicholas's grasp. "First you warn me against her, and now that she's shown herself to be conniving and untrustworthy, you want me to give· her another chance.

What do you want me to do, Nicholas?" he asked, feeling the desperation of his situation closing in on him.

' You must do whatever you feel God needs you to do,"

Nicholas answered, his eyes and voice intense. "Push away the hurt and emotions, then do what your heart is urging you to do."

Thomas did not have to look deep within himself to know what he should do. He loved Katherine with all his heart and soul. Nicholas did not realize how tremendously he wanted to believe her, wanted to be assured she truly loved him.

But he could not go to her. Perhaps it was pride or some other strong force that kept hardening his heart toward believing her, but it was there.

"I can't do anything right now, Nick." He finally spoke the only truth he knew at that moment.

Nicholas sighed and put his arm around his brother for a brief hug. "I will pray you do it soon, then."

"Please, give my apologies to your wife and North that I cannot entertain them tonight. I fear I need to be alone,"

Thomas said once they stepped apart.

Nicholas nodded. "We had all planned to leave in the morning."

He walked to the door but turned to give his brother a look of concern. "I will come' if you need me. North wanted me to convey the same message to you."

Thomas nodded and watched him leave. After that, he did not know how long he stood and stared out the window, replaying the day over and over in his mind, reliving each and every horrible minute of it.

His thoughts were interrupted when Mrs. Sanbome hesitantly entered the room, asking if he'd like to tuck his son into bed as he did every night.

He almost declined, but suddenly he had an urge to hug his son, to tell him he loved him no matter who did or did not come into their lives.

The scene that followed the next day was not a pleasant one. Katherine had finally admitted to her father her and Theodora's plan. She also told him she could not go through with it. She explained that her cousin had locked her in the room, but because the room had been unlocked, he had not believed the last part.

That did not mean he would allow Theodora to get away with what she'd done.

He summoned Theodora into his meeting with Katherine, and she knew the older woman had some idea of what it was about by the speculative gleam in her eyes as she entered the study.

Katherine prayed that whatever excuse her cousin gave, it would not be more convincing than the truth she'd already told her father.

"Theodora," Montbatten began, his tone hard and serious as he looked up at her from his desk chair. "Sit down, please.
I
have something I need to discuss with you."

The usually collected woman appeared very nervous as her gaze darted from Katherine back to Montbatten. "Your grace, if it is about the wedding, I tried to bring Katherine with me, but she-"

"Theodora!" he thundered, causing her to cease her prattle.

"Do as I have asked and sit down!"

With pinched lips, the older woman did as he ordered and sat on the edge of the leather chair across from him.

The Duke of Ravenhurst minced no words. "Because of your dire situation two years ago, I allowed you to come live with us and be my daughter's companion. And though I knew about all the trouble you had caused the late Earl of Kenswick, I had your promise you would behave in a ladylike manner, helping my daughter through her difficult time."

"Yes, your grace. I fully appreciated your generosity-"

"You do not appreciate' anything, Theodora Vine. I believe you actually resent the post you have been given here," he inserted forcibly.

Theodora's face held an innocent expression Katherine knew all too well was faked. "But, your grace, I-"

"Because of this latest scheme you and my daughter have conspired, I can no longer allow you to stay and influence any more members of this family."

All manner of pretense left Theodora's face, and a look of pure hatred masked her features. "How easy it is for you to throwaway an unwanted, poor relative. You sit in your many homes and castles and presume to cast judgment on all you deem undesirable." She stood, her fists balled tightly at her sides. "What about your own daughter? She has obviously planted all sorts of lies in your mind against me. Did she also tell you of her own deceit?"

"Theodora, I told him everything," Katherine answered. "I am taking no fault away from myself in the plan. I only wanted him to know I had decided not to go along with it. I told him the truth."

Theodora threw back her head and let out a crazed laugh.

"Your truth, Katherine. That does not mean it is the real truth!"

"Enough!" Montbatten roared. "I do not know what is going on here, but I only know I will not tolerate this any longer!"

"I will not allow you to throw me out, sir. I will leave on my own accord. You do not have all power over me, you know!"

Theodora declared in a triumphant sneer as she spun around and started out of the room.

"I am afraid I cannot allow you simply to walk out of here when you can easily come back to harm either Katherine or anyone else in the family."

Katherine turned to her father in surprise and saw Theodora also looked very confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"I have arranged for you to leave here with my sister and travel with her to France. She is a widow, as you know, and needs help with her eight children. I told her you would be available."

Theodora was not cowed by his arrangement. "You cannot make me go with her! I will simply refuse! Do not think I am completely without friends or resources. I will go elsewhere."

Montbatten leaned forward as he narrowed his sharp gaze on his cousin. "You either go with her or I shall tell the authorities to renew the charges against you because you have conspired to bring ruin to a member of the
ton. "

Katherine suspected Theodora knew she had no recourse.

The older woman marched out of the room but not before she stopped where Katherine was sitting and smiled at her coldly. "Welcome to the world of spinsterhood, where you are at the mercy of self-serving relatives who care nothing for you except what you can do for---"