The Engagement - Regency Brides 02 (4 page)

“You are right, Papa, even though I had not thought of it that way,” she murmured as the excitement of her new idea took root.

“But you must, darling!” her mother chimed in, apparently fully recovered from her swoon without the aid of smelling salts. “Since the breakup of your engagement, it has been hard on all of us, especially me.” She fell back in her chair again, laying her hand over her forehead. “Being snubbed at every gathering can be quite vexing on my fragile health!”

Shaking her head and stopping short of rolling her eyes, Katherine retorted, “It is my aim in life, Mama, to put right every wrong in my life so that it might benefit your own.”

The sarcasm breezed right over her motherʼs flighty head.

“I appreciate that, dear. Truly I do.”

Katherine and her father shared a wry glance, then stood.

“If you both will excuse me, I had better freshen up before Mr. Thornton arrives.”

“Yes, do make yourself extra presentable, dear. We canʼt lose this one, you know. It might be quite some time before another comes to call!” her mother said, her voice shaky with false bravado. “If you happen to pass Lucinda in the hall, can you please tell her to rush with those salts, dear?”

“Yes, Mama,” she said in a singsong voice as she hurried from the room.

It was Theodoraʼs room she ran to, however, instead of her own. “Dora! I have just met with my parents, and Papa made the most excellent point!” Excitedly, she told her cousin what her father had said. “So you see, Dora, we do not have to carry out this plan to the bitter end! Just being seen with Mr. Thornton will boost my reputation.”

“No!” Theodora practically screamed at her as she stood and took Katherine by the arm. “You must see this plan through you must! Itʼs the only way we — I mean,
you
— can be fully vindicated!”

Katherine became alarmed at Theodoraʼs anxiety. She had not expected such a response. “But we do not have to ruin Thomas to be vindicated. Just getting my good name back would be…”

“Enough? Is that what you were going to say?” Theodora spat. “Enough for all the turmoil you have been through?

Enough for having your heart broken into a million pieces?”

Katherine knew the breakup of the engagement was more of a humiliation than a heartbreak, but her cousin seemed in no mood to hear that. She seemed quite vexed!

“Dora, I just think this would be so much simpler-“

“We will stick with the plan, Kate. We must if we are to see all made right! We must!”

Katherine backed away from her, pulling her arm out of her painful grasp, and walked to the window. Confusion crowded her mind and heart as she wrestled with the dilemma.

Two riders on horses appeared in her line of vision, and she focused to reveal their identity. The two handsome men were dressed for riding in their fine suits, both expertly handling their mounts as they rode up the path.

It
was Thomas and North, the Duke of Northing shire.

~

“Are you absolutely sure you want to pursue this?” North asked Thomas again for the third time as they rode toward Ravenhurst Castle. “Many other women would be glad to be your wife and the mother to your son.”

“Yes, but there is something about Katherine I must follow up on. There was such a strong connection between us that I cannot help but think God had something to do with our meeting again.”

And he was yearning to see her again.

“Three days, Dora! Three days have passed since I last saw Mr. Thornton! Not that his visit to Ravenhurst was very memorable, since he stayed for only a few moments!”

Katherine complained as she paced before Theodora. The cousins had been strolling in the park and had stopped to rest-at least one of them was resting. Katherine found she could not. “We have ridden or walked to this park not once but two times a day, and nothing!” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “I must have said something to put him off. Did I not make it clear I was interested in meeting him again?”

Theodora scanned the area around them and frowned with disapproval toward Katherine. “The whole village will know you are interested if you speak any louder.”

Katherine stopped and returned the glare with one of her own. “Do not scold me as if Iʼm a child, Dora. My nerves have been so on edge this week that I fear turning into my mother!” She flounced herself down in a most unladylike manner, not caring one whit whether Dora disapproved or not. “And, speaking of my parents, have you not heard for yourself their conversations of a wedding between Thomas and me that will never take place? Itʼs a terrible prospect to bear, Cousin, knowing I shall break their hearts when I refuse to marry him.”

Dora reached over and gave her hand a brief pat. Katherine knew even this little show of affection was a stretch for her rather cool cousin. “Weʼll cross that bridge when we arrive at it, Kate. We need to focus our concern now on Mr. Thornton 33

and how we can get his attention.”

Katherine stood again, too jittery to sit still. “Oh, why can we not forget about this stupid plan? I know I was all for it when we first spoke of it, but I did not realize how taxing it would be on all concerned.”

Katherine was watching a lady enter the park pushing a baby carriage when she heard Theodoraʼs sigh. “When it is over and you have been vindicated, you will thank me,” she claimed, just as she always did when Katherine began to have doubts.

Katherine thought of something else. “But what of my parents?

They are ecstatic I am being sought by Thomas! They will disown me when I deliberately do not show for my own wedding!”

“Then you must plant doubts about his character in their minds,” Theodora reasoned.

“What about his character could I say? He has shown to be a gentleman in all things.”

“He has not called on you in three days, Katherine. Start with that. Say he often neglects you and, if nothing else, lie.”

Katherine got a sick feeling in her stomach. “Iʼm not very good at lying,” she said quietly as she turned and looked back across the park.

“Then learn,” was Theodoraʼs harsh reply. “You can do this, Kate. You
must
do this.”

“I donʼt know,” she murmured, her attention becoming more drawn to the woman who had stopped the carriage and was taking the toddler into her arms.

“What donʼt you know?” Theodora demanded as she got up from her seat and came to stand by her.

“Dora, who is that lady?”

Theodora barely glanced over, clearly disinterested. “I have no idea, Katherine, but can we—“

“Heʼs such a beautiful child, isnʼt he? And those dark brown curls are precious! I must go and have a closer look!” She started across the park, but her cousin grabbed her arm.

“What can you be thinking, Katherine? We donʼt even know who she is! What if she is from a family that is beneath our attention?”

Katherine pulled her arm away from Theodoraʼs grasp and shot her a pointed expression. “I did not realize you had become such a snob, Dora. I will only be a minute. You do not have to accompany me.”

“And I shanʼt!” her cousin called after her.

Katherine walked across the small park to where the lady was now watching the child play with a ball while sitting on the grass.

“Hello,” Katherine greeted her. Now that she was closer, she saw the lady was dressed in conservative black like that of a nanny or governess. “I couldnʼt help but admire the child and had to come over for a closer look. “

The woman peered up at Katherine, and her eyes grew big with recognition. She stood at once and bobbed a curtsy. “My lady! It is a stupendous honor to make your stupendous acquaintance. Just stupendous!”

Katherine was momentarily nonplussed, but she recovered.

“Well-I see you know who I am. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

She was presented with another of the womanʼs incredibly big smiles. “Indeed, my lady. I am Mrs. Sanborne, employed as a nanny for the young Master Tyler Thornton.”

Katherine was glad the woman chose that moment to bend down and pick up the child because, for an instant, she could not speak-so shocked was she from that bit of news.

“Would his father perchance be Mr. Thomas Thornton, rnaʼ am?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yes, he is, my lady.” She hugged the smiling child to her, and for the first time, Katherine got a good look at the boy.

Of course, he was Thomasʼs child. There was no mistaking his

“Thornton” blue eyes.

“I know Mr. Thornton, but this is the first time Iʼve met his son,” she told the lady, still gazing upon the sweet child.

Every maternal feeling in her body reached out to the boy who was now motherless in this world with only his father and nanny to care for him.

You could be his mother,
a voice whispered in her head, and for a moment, she let herself think about how it would be.

How lovely it would be.

“May I hold him, do you think?” she asked impulsively.

Mrs. Sanborne was taken aback briefly. “Of course, my lady.

But watch those pretty pearls you are wearing. Heʼs broken a necklace or two of my own!” .

ʻʼYou wouldnʼt break my necklace, would you, dear boy? Oh, my, you are a handsome young man!” she crooned and was startled when Ty did reach out to grab her necklace. She caught him just in time. “Why, you are a little scamp!” She kissed his soft curls. ʻʼAnd you are so much like your father,” she added.

“Are you saying I am a scamp also, my lady?” A deep, teasing voice sounded behind them, and she turned to find Thomas standing there, dressed handsomely in brown and light beige, his feet shod with his black shining Hessians.

With both the piercing eyes and his brilliant smile focused solely on Katherine, she found it very hard to answer without stumbling over her words. “I think you can be a scamp on occasion, Mr. Thornton,” she said slowly, thankful she was holding on to her composure.

Thomas threw his head back and laughed. “If you ask my brother, he will agree with you!”

His words were like a shower of cold water suddenly thrown on them. Only young Ty seemed not to be disturbed by it as he laughed at his father, clapping his little chubby hands together.

Thomas reached out and fluffed his sonʼs hair affectionately.

“I did not mean-“ he began.

“No, please,” she interrupted. “I do not want you to feel as if you cannot mention him when we are together. I am quite over our breakup, I assure you,” she lied, all the while wishing her words were the truth.

He smiled, but his eyes told her he wasnʼt quite convinced.

“Well, I see you have become acquainted with my son,” he said, changing the subject. “What do you think of him?”

Katherine smiled down at the little boy, who was once again trying to reach the pearls around her neck. “I think heʼs quite the little gentleman.” She paused for effect while glancing up at Thomas. “Despite having a father who loves to tease defenseless women!”

Thomas put a finger to his lips. “Shh-he thinks Iʼm the perfect father. Wouldnʼt want to spoil the illusion, you know,”

he added with a wink.

Ty suddenly wanted his father and, giving a disgruntled cry, held out his chubby arms to Thomas. Katherine was startled when Thomas plucked the toddler out of her arms and swung him up in the air making “da-da” noises, causing his son to laugh with glee.

She had never seen a gentleman carry on like that with a baby. Not even her own father. Most left the rearing to the mother or nannies until the child was of age to learn, and then it meant hunting or schooling.

She was ... enchanted …

Thomas found himself intrigued with the elusive Katherine.

When heʼd come up and seen her holding his son with that much affection, heʼd hardly been able to bear it.

It had been his main worry—whether Katherine would accept his son. Heʼd even worried she might not care for children.

But all those fears had dissipated the moment heʼd walked up and found her holding Ty as if he were her own.

Thomas had missed her in the three days they had been apart, but heʼd been so confused at her odd behavior. He wanted to pursue her but sensed a strong pull inside him urging him to be careful.

Heʼd been praying lately about the course he should take and where God was leading him. It was the reason heʼd stayed home at Rosehaven. Until he knew what God wanted him to

-do, he did not want to chance meeting Katherine, letting his attraction to her override Godʼs will.

The more he sought Godʼs council, however, the more he felt God had brought Katherine into his life and he should try to discern her true feelings for him.

So, with the latter thought in mind, heʼd finally ventured out and journeyed into town on the sincere hope of seeing Katherine there.

His hopes had soon become a reality.

There, under the cover of the large elms, she stood out like a glistening gem in her pale green dress and her hair swirled up in curls with some falling about her face. He knew the moment she looked up at him with her mysterious golden eyes that heʼd fallen in love with her.

It stunned and humbled him all at once.

He hardly knew her. Heʼd known her only as his brotherʼs fiancée, then the few moments heʼd spent with her at the ball and at her parentsʼ home.

But he so much ʻwanted to know her better.

If only she werenʼt so ... elusive! If only she were consistent with her actions and outward emotions, then he might not hesitate to ask for her hand, even at this early stage.

It wasnʼt uncommon, even for those couples who had met only once, to enter into an agreement of marriage. Heʼd done it himself with his first wife.

But he wanted this marriage to be different. He knew he loved Katherine and would do all he could to show his love to her, but he couldnʼt be sure of her feelings. He wouldnʼt enter another marriage where love was only one-sided, as his first marriage had been. It wouldnʼt be fair to either of them.

After Thomas had taken Ty from Katherineʼs arms and had him settled onto his side, he noticed she was smiling at him in wonder.

“What?” he asked curiously.

She shook her head. “Iʼm just amazed at your freedom of expression with your son.”