Aiden couldn’t stop his smile from growing. She wished to see him again too. “Very well.” He moved his fingers under the dog’s muzzle, scratching his chin. “I will be here, with my two dogs, tomorrow at eleven. If you can join us, we would be most honored.”
She drew a deep breath, a smile touching her lips. “And we shall both try not to fall into the brook again.”
He laughed. “We shall try.”
A shot of pain dug into his hand. He looked down to see Freddy clamping his jaw down on his thumb. Aiden drew his hand back fast.
Miss Kate gasped. “Freddy! How dare you bite your rescuer? How very naughty of you.” She tapped his nose in reprimand. She looked up at Aiden apologetically, but he laughed.
“It seems we have more warming up to do.”
She laughed, her lips twisting in a grin. “He does not take well to strangers. But he did seem to like you.”
Aiden chuckled. “He likes the taste of me, at least.”
Miss Kate fell into a bout of uncontrollable laughter, touching a hand to her waist as she gathered her bearings. Aiden felt he could listen to the sound the entire day, and never grow tired of it.
“I am very sorry,” she said as her laughter subsided. “You must think me a complete madwoman. First I fell in a brook and then I laughed in such a fashion.” She shook her head, bringing her palm to her forehead.
He studied her rueful expression, a smile still marking his own. “Do not be sorry.”
Her gaze darted to his before looking down at her dog. Shy again. “I should be on my way. The mistress will wonder what has kept me for so long.”
“You might tell her that you fell in a brook and nearly drowned. She would likely excuse you then.”
“Yes, but then she would question the wisdom of ever allowing me to walk Freddy.” She bit her lower lip. “I suppose I should… allow Freddy’s fur to dry before returning.” She took a fistful of his soaking fur, her eyes flicking upward. “The sun is warm today. It should not take long.” She searched the clearing for a ray of sunlight, moving to stand beneath it. The dog turned his nose up to the sky, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the warmth. Miss Kate did the same. With her face shrouded in light, she looked positively angelic.
Aiden couldn’t stop his feet from following her, moving to a place nearby with a similar amount of sunlight filtering through the trees. He sat down on a large rock, running his fingers through his short dark hair. He caught Miss Kate watching him, her expression curious and intent. She averted her gaze quickly, clutching her dog closer to her.
Aiden hadn’t paused to think of the consequences until now, if they were seen together in the middle of the woods. He was not truly a servant, even if he was treated as one. He was the son of a gentleman and the stepson of a marquess. If he was found alone with Miss Kate by anyone of consequence, things would not bode well for her. She could find herself trapped in a marriage with him. He questioned the wisdom of meeting her here again, but not by coincidence. Would it be too dangerous?
He eyed her from across the way, his heart skipping in his chest as she placed a kiss atop the dog’s head, smiling down at him lovingly. There was something about her that drew him, a certain genuine joy and wonder at the world. Her independence and resilience were admirable as well. And her willingness to laugh so heartily in the presence of a man she hardly knew… it was extraordinary. He hadn’t shared such laughter with another person in years as he just had with Miss Kate. He found it refreshing, and somewhat unsettling, for she reminded him of happier days that he had placed far behind him.
Her expression grew contemplative as she regarded Aiden. “In what household are you employed?”
He hesitated. Did he wish to continue the ruse? He had little choice. “Colborne Hall, the new residence of the Marquess of Aveley.”
She drew a quick breath, her expression forced. “They—they have recently arrived in Gravesend, haven’t they?”
He nodded. “Yes. Just one week has passed since we arrived.” He refrained from extending a warning to her that she might relay to her mistress, that Miles and Evan had their sights set on the heiress.
She pressed her lips together. “This may seem to be a strange question, and I will not pressure you to answer it… but do you have an opinion of the sons, Lord Orsett and Lord Evan Browning? My lady, she—well, she will soon become acquainted with them.”
Aiden exhaled through his nostrils, struggling to formulate a response. He searched his mind for one word, one blasted word he could say that would be both honest and positive about his stepbrothers, but he could find nothing. He rubbed his forehead, regarding her solemnly. “I’m afraid I do not know them well enough to make a proper estimation for you, Miss Kate. I keep to my work and prefer not to interfere with the family.”
She nodded with understanding, disappointment in her eyes again.
“You seem to care a great deal for the happiness of Lady Katherine,” Aiden said, hoping to lighten the weight in her eyes. “She is very fortunate to have you.”
She still appeared troubled, even more so when he smiled at her.
She retreated back several steps, leaving the ray of sun and entering the shade of a tree. “Perhaps we might dry quicker by the fire,” she said to Freddy. She glanced at Aiden one more time before giving a quick nod. “Good day, sir. Thank you again for rescuing my—my mistress’s dog.” Her tone had taken on a more serious note, her cheeks flushing.
Aiden stood. “I am honored to have helped.”
She gave the faintest smile. “Good day, Mr. Notley.”
He wished she would stay a little longer. He didn’t care that he would have a lecture awaiting him when he returned to Colborne Hall. He didn’t care that their time alone together put both of them at risk of discovery. “Good day, Miss Kate.”
At the mere mention of her name, her cheeks colored with a blush. Her eyes filled with curiosity as she turned away from him, tucking Freddy under her arm as she walked back into the thicket. He wished he could walk her home, to ensure she arrived safely.
When she was out of sight, he dropped himself back onto his seat, his legs feeling weaker than usual. His pulse thrummed with energy and strength, brought to life by his new acquaintance. Kate. He smiled at the thought of her determination to rescue the dog. Though she treasured the gown her mistress had given her, she didn’t value it more than a life, even a life as small as Freddy’s. She was a rare sort of woman. He hoped he would have the privilege of discovering more about her.
Standing, he brushed off the back of his breeches before setting off toward Colborne Hall. Rather than emptiness occupying his thoughts while he worked, he now had a much lovelier alternative.
CHAPTER 4
K ate stumbled over her wet skirts as she walked through the back door of her new residence, ruining her planned quiet entrance. She crashed against a nearby decorative table, knocking a dusty vase to the ground. It shattered, echoing through the wide and empty hall. She clutched Freddy to her chest as she tiptoed across the marble floors of Timberwell toward her bedchamber.
Her cheeks still felt warm as she walked carefully up the staircase to her room, gripping the bell pull to summon her maid.
Her real maid.
She sat down on her bed, resting her chin on her hands. Why had she thought it wise to pretend to be a lady’s maid? She squeezed her eyes shut as regret poured through her stomach. Even so, a smile sneaked its way onto her lips, filling her with a giddy elation that froze her breath in her lungs. Mr. Aiden Notley.
Her smile was quickly banished from her face, however, when she remembered a very important detail. He was a servant. If there were ever a match her parents would disapprove of, it was that. Do not even entertain the thought, she scolded herself. But how could she not? In the brief time she spent with Mr. Notley in the woods she had felt a connection to him. A desire to come to know his character more. She could not remember the last time she had met a man that seemed so genuine. So kind and honorab
le. Did that not matter more than a title or fortune?
Oh, why had she pretended to be a maid? She had lied to him. There were times she wished she did not have her dowry and her inheritance—times she wished that she were as ordinary as a maid. Then she could choose to marry a man that was as good and kind as Mr. Notley, and not be forced to give attention to men that only sought her holdings.
She thought of his dark, mussed hair, his sun-darkened skin, and his deep brown eyes. She had never seen a smile like his—the sincerity of it, the lack of reservation. She fell back on her pillows, not caring that the wetness of her hair would soak into them. Why must he be a servant? Setting Freddy down beside her, she watched as he curled into a little wet ball, nestling his head on her stomach.
“Did you find him as charming as I did?” she asked Freddy, turning him over to scratch his belly. “No, of course not. You attempted to bite off his finger.” She laughed, the sound turning into a sigh. The fact that Mr. Notley had found Freddy endearing only made him more endearing. Good heavens. What was she thinking? A servant!
She could not go to the woods to meet him tomorrow. The mere suggestion had been ridiculous. How improper it would be. Simply because her family moved to Gravesend did not mean she could take on a new identity.
She rolled to her side with a groan. Her door creaked open, the sound quickly followed by a sharp gasp.
“Me lady, what ‘as ‘appened to you?” Peggy, her maid, rushed to her side. Her eyes rounded like saucers when she saw Kate’s torn and dirty gown, and wet, matted hair.
Kate hadn’t dared look in the mirror. She sat up, brushing bits of drying twigs from her lap. “I attempted to rescue Freddy from the brook in the woods, and fell in the water.” She hesitated to finish. “A man that was passing through rescued him for me.”
Peggy’s eyebrows raised. She always loved a bit of gossip. Kate didn’t dare tell her any further details.
“A man?”
“Yes, a servant. He was quite helpful.” Kate stood up, happy to see that her skirts were no longer dripping onto the ground. “If you would be so kind as to assist me in cleaning up for dinner, I would be most grateful.”
Peggy gave a curtsy, guiding Kate by the arm to her chair in front of the looking glass. Kate cringed at the mud that smeared all over her cheeks and jaw, and the hair that hung drab and heavy over her face. “Oh, dear.”
Peggy smiled, searching Kate’s curls for buried pins. “I hope you didn’t tell this servant of your identity. He’ll be spreadin’ all kinds of gossip ‘bout you fallin’ in the water.”
She shook her head, disrupting Peggy’s search for pins. “I did not tell him. Even if I had, I am certain he would not do such a thing.”
Peggy met her eyes in the mirror, a look of curiosity burning there. She remained silent, pulling a comb through Kate’s tangled hair. “You best not be tellin’ the master about your walk today. He might not let you go again.”
Although it wasn’t her place to give advice, Kate enjoyed hearing her maid’s opinion on matters. She always had a strong one.
“I will not tell him.” Kate looked at her reflection, at the smile that still tugged at her lips. How could she ever tell her father that she had found a servant of Lord Aveley’s to be intriguing and charming? She could never. It would remain her secret. Hers and Freddy’s.
When Peggy finished styling her hair, Kate stood and changed into a clean white dress, smoothing her hands over the soft muslin. She cringed as the tiny cuts on her palms rubbed against the threads. She touched the tiny abrasions, not even upset by them. She never wanted to forget today, as embarrassing as it was to fall into the brook and climb her way out in front of a man. Yet he had not belittled her or censured her. She was certain he had enjoyed her company too.
Peggy went outside the bedchamber, returning with a card in her hand. “From the master.” She extended Kate’s father’s card, where a quick message was scrawled. Please come to my study at once.
She took the card from Peggy’s outstretched hand and tucked it into her shoe before walking out the door. What could her father want with her? Had he somehow discovered her excursion today? She hoped all remnants of mud and scrapes had been hidden. She would have to make certain not to show her father her scratched palms.
When she reached the ground level, she turned in the direction of the study. She was still memorizing the interior of Timberwell, and it was more difficult than she thought it would be. It was smaller than Silverbard, but still very expansive. She had found several intriguing rooms on the upper levels, the sort of rooms she had always imagined would contain secret passages.
She knocked lightly on the door of the study before her father’s voice came through. “Enter.”
Kate took a slow step beyond the threshold, meeting her father’s eyes with a smile.
“Ah, Kate, come sit.” He motioned at the chair across from him, his eyes twinkling. She swept her skirts beneath her as she sat, tucking her hands in her lap to hide them. She had also forgotten to clean the mud from her fingernails.
“Good afternoon, Papa. How may I be of assistance?” She looked across to him expectantly.
He straightened a stack of papers in front of him. Kate’s stomach turned as it always did when she saw his abundance of papers. If she was truly to own an estate like Silverbard one day, she would have much to learn about managing it. She hoped her father’s health would hold for many more years, for more reasons than one.
“I have called you here to discuss a few of your upcoming social invitations here in Gravesend,” he said.
Kate’s face fell. Oh, how she despised sociality among men that knew of her fortune. She had forgotten her plight since meeting Mr. Notley in the woods. “Social invitations?”
“Yes, there have been several.”
Of course there have been. Kate’s posture stiffened as she listened to her father warily.
“First, as I indicated before, Lord Aveley and his sons, Lord Orsett and Lord Evan Browning would like to receive us in three weeks in their new residence of Colborne Hall. They have informed me that their servants are hard at work preparing the estate for guests, so it will be some time before they will receive us, but they assured me they are quite eager to make your acquaintance.” He smiled. “I would advise you most strongly to consider Lord Orsett above all other suitors at this time. He will be a marquess, and from what I have heard, he is a very agreeable young man.”
At the mention of Colborne Hall and servants, all Kate could think of was Mr. Notley, busy dusting and pruning and scraping grime from the floors. Perhaps Lord Orsett was just as pleasant as Mr. Notley, she tried to assure herself. But she could not bring herself to believe it.
Her father raised one thick eyebrow, creasing his forehead with three deep wrinkles. “Well? Are you looking forward to it?”
“Yes,” she stammered, her voice coming off dull. “Very much.”
He let out a long sigh, apparently sensing her discontent. “My dear. I seek to match you with Lord Orsett because I desire a respectable position for you in society. I desire your happiness and comfort through all of your life. If you marry Lord Orsett, with his inheritance of Colborne Hall and your inheritance of Silverbard, you will own the most land in the county. Do you realize the significance of this?”
She gave a slow nod, her stomach sinking still. “But Papa… perchance I do not like Lord Orsett at all?”
He chewed his bottom lip, his brows drawing together. He never did appreciate when she looked at him the way she currently was, with her eyes wide with concern and her lips pouting. “Oh, Kate.” He drew a deep breath. “Will you assure me that you will at least try to like him? Marriages are, at their core—much to the universal dismay of young women—a business agreement.”
“Yes, I know.” She sighed. “I will try to like him.” All foolish hope she had entertained of becoming further acquainted with Mr. Notley was quickly fleeing, fading into the books that rested on the shelves of her f
ather’s study. How could she simply leave him with his dogs in the woods tomorrow, waiting for her? Perhaps she could see him one more time before avoiding him forever. After all, she was not seeing him as Lady Katherine, she was seeing him as Miss Kate. There was a great difference between the two. Lady Katherine was refined and wealthy and resigned to court who her father chose, and Miss Kate was happy, somewhat unrefined, and free to court who she chose. Even a servant.
Her father stared at her with his stern brow for several seconds before giving a nod. “Very well. There is another matter I wish to discuss with you. Since we are new to this area, I would like to introduce our family to the town by way of a ball. Timberwell has a very spacious ballroom. We would like to host this ball on your behalf, as a way to introduce you to the people of Gravesend and the surrounding towns. We want to ensure it is known that you are out in society and entirely marriageable. I have searched extensively to find all the men of this area that are eligible and that I would approve of marrying you.”
He plucked a sheet of foolscap out from the pile in front of him, sliding it across the desk so Kate could read it. “This is a list of all the men I find worthy by way of holdings and property to make a match with you. They and their families will all receive invitations to the ball. I intend to hold this ball in two weeks. It will allow you to make Lord Orsett’s acquaintance prior to accepting their dinner invitation.”
Kate’s dread only intensified. How could she choose a husband out of a short list of approximately ten gentlemen? There were thousands in England, and she could only make her selection from ten? She calmed her anxiety. At least she would not be forced to only consider Lord Orsett.
“Well? Did you hear me?” Kate’s father’s voice cut through her thoughts, light and filled with amusement. How could he find her distress amusing?
“Yes. I was simply thinking of what I might wear.”
The Midnight Heiress (Once Upon a Regency Book 2) Page 4