“What’s put George in such high dudgeon?” Lady Fenton asked her as George slunk away.
“He wants me to wait until he’s old enough to ask me to marry him,” Katherine said, “but of course he’s got on his high ropes and now is cross with me because I mocked the idea.”
Aunt Antoinette took a dainty bite of a sweetmeat which she washed down with champagne, and said with something between a giggle and a hiccup, “I am fond of my son but I like you far too much to wish him upon you as a husband.” Her spirits appeared to have returned, and Katherine had noticed she’d spent a good deal of the evening in a secluded corner with one of the young gentlemen who’d been paying Katherine so much attention earlier. It was interesting to note that the men who were ten years older than Katherine and, therefore, ten years younger than her aunt, appeared to be equally complimentary to both ladies. In fact, Katherine had been taking careful notes about the way her aunt behaved. Her mother had expressly counselled her to do so if only to know how not to behave, but Katherine had learned a great deal of valuable information from the exercise. Like just what angle she should tilt her head for the most alluring effect in charm. And how to use her fan to the greatest effect. Yes, observing her Aunt Antoinette over these last seven days had been a lesson in coquetry—something the gentlemen very much appreciated.
“Well, I hope he won’t be cross with me for long,” sighed Katherine, picking up a macaron from a festive tray of them. “I’m sorry to say it, Aunt Antoinette, but George is very trying when he’s out of sorts.”
“You don’t need to persuade me of that. Ah, but here is Jack, and we all know that nothing puts Jack out of humour. In fact, Jack, you were a great restorer of spirits when you were a regular visitor to us, and your mama has told us the same thing, since. You can’t know how it will break her heart to see you sail away on Monday.”
“But it’s a great opportunity,” Katherine’s mama said, smiling. “It will make a man of you, Jack, and with your fine qualities, I predict you’ll not only make your mama and uncle proud, but you’ll return a man of great wealth and substance because you’re not afraid of hard work.”
Katherine was interested to see Jack blush at the praise. “That’s kind of you, Lady Fenton.”
“And then you can have your pick of any bride you wish,” interjected Aunt Antoinette, waving to catch the attention of a footman who was carrying a bottle of champagne. “You’ll no longer be the foundling boy who was given a home by generous benefactors, but rather a man of wealth and standing in your own right. That is what I predict.”
“A man of wealth and standing,” Katherine giggled when she and Jack found themselves alone after their elders had been claimed by their respective husbands. “Doesn’t that sound grand?”
Jack stared at the table of half-eaten food. “I’ve a long way to go before that will happen,” he said ruefully. “I have employment to go to where I’ll be offered a roof over my head, but other than the belongings I can fit in a couple of trunks, the clothes on my back, and the money I have in my pocket, I’ll be penniless.”
“But your parents are rich.” Katherine patted his arm.
“They are my adoptive parents with many natural children of their own. I don’t want to be a further drain on their resources when they’ve already been so good to me.”
“I’m sure you’ll find great success, whatever you do, Jack. And when you return, you’ll be considered a great catch and will have your choice of bride,” she said brightly.
The long, level look Jack sent her made her heart plummet to her feet and her insides go very wobbly. “Ah, but you’ll be long married, Katherine,” he murmured.
Of course, she had to make light of it, waving her hand carelessly as she said, “Indeed I will. I’m looking for a titled husband at this very moment. One who is both rich and handsome. Lord Derry is the most eligible contender, but Mr Marwick is in line to inherit a viscountcy and I did enjoy kissing him, so perhaps I’ll be Lady Marples when you return.”
“Lady Marples,” he repeated, his former air of gravitas dispelled by a return of his usual pleasant spirits. “I shall await news of your marital conquest with interest. Oh, and I haven’t forgotten your earring. Indeed, I consider that my evening’s most important mission. If Mr Marwick does not have it on his person, I shall personally go to wherever he does, and bring it back here.”
“Oh, Jack, you are my true hero,” Katherine told him. And she meant it.
Chapter 9
It was two o’clock in the morning when Katherine was taken, forcibly, by her mama, and led to bed.
“Tonight has been a great success, darling,” said Lady Fenton, hooking her arm in her daughter’s and walking her towards the double doors of the salon, which opened to admit them to the passageway and then the elegant sweeping staircase. “You have garnered a great deal of interest, and it appears you have not been averse to that shown you. Why, there was Lord Derry and Mr Marwick, and then, I could not help but notice Lord Minnow and Mr Sage seemed equally taken.”
“You are observant, Mama!” Katherine laughed. “I shall have to be careful.”
Her mother patted her cheek. “You behaved with the utmost decorum, I’m glad to say. Not a whisper of scandal to taint your chances, and that’s made me very proud.”
Chatting companionably, Lady Fenton accompanied Katherine into her daughter’s bedchamber so she could help her out of her clothes, as Mary, the maid, had been given the evening off.
“What was your first season like, Mama?” Katherine asked. “Aunt Antoinette has told me often enough you had two.”
“No doubt she phrased it somewhat differently. I presume she told you that it took me two seasons to find your darling papa, whereas she was fired off during her first—and to an earl, to boot.”
Katherine smiled as Lady Fenton undid the buttons at the back of her dress. She liked it when her mama was more relaxed, and, therefore, honest with her—like Aunt Antoinette, though her mama would never tell her all the details Katherine wanted to know and that Aunt Antoinette thought fit to give her.
“Yes, I rather thought that was the case.” Her mother turned Katherine around and smiled at her. “But now, tell me about you and what’s in your heart, my lovely girl. It’s all very well to garner a lot of attention, but you mustn’t rush headlong into a romance that doesn’t have all the right ingredients so necessary to see you happy twenty years from now. And I’m speaking from experience.”
Katherine sighed. “I really want to be happy like you and Papa, but I wish I knew what I should feel right here.” She touched her chest, now clad in the new style of corset which her mother began to unlace.
“You’ll know, my darling.”
“How will I know? I mean, I like Mr Marwick as much as I like Lord Derry. And now I think I like Lord Mace and Mr Alexander just as much as both the other two gentlemen. Should I just throw all their names into a hat and choose one?”
Her mother took her hand and sat her on the bed next to her. “You don’t have to choose in the first week, darling. You have plenty of time. You’re very young. You can wait until next year if you’re not sure.”
Katherine nodded, not very heartened. She’d wanted to marry in her first season, not be considered a failure amongst the young ladies of her acquaintance who’d found husbands in their first season. She wanted to establish her own household and be revered by her husband as an object of…Well, the way George claimed he would revere her, except the last man she’d ever consider as her husband was George.
“You have the entire rest of the season before you need to suffer any sleepless nights,” her mother told her from the door after she’d tucked Katherine in, just as she used to when Katherine was a little girl. She was just leaving when, on second thoughts, she stepped back into the room saying, “Oh, and my pearl earring. Where did you say you’d put it, Katherine? I plan to wear those earrings with my dove-grey tomorrow night.”
Katherine was glad of the dark to
hide her guilty jerk. Adopting a sleepy tone, she said, “They’re somewhere in my jewellery box, Mama. I’ll give them to you tomorrow.”
After waiting a good five minutes to ensure her mama was definitely well away from the wing that housed Katherine’s bedroom, Katherine leapt out of bed, threw a shawl over her nightgown, and slipped into the passage.
She was quite confident Jack wouldn’t fail her, but she needed her earrings now if she was to sleep a wink.
When there was no answer to her knock, she opened the door and slipped into Jack’s room. It was empty and there was nothing under his pillow, so she raised her candle for a quick search, running her gaze over the tallboy and washstand without luck.
Disappointed, she went back to her own room again where she remained awake until, about half an hour later, she heard Jack and George in the passage on their way to their respective bedchambers.
When all was silent again, Katherine slipped out of bed and crept into the passageway, shielding her candle until she reached Jack’s room.
For the second time that night, she knocked quietly but, receiving no response, she flung open the door and hurried inside, closing it behind her, before looking up with a gasp.
“Good God, Katherine, don’t you ever knock?” Jack exclaimed, reaching for a strip of linen to cover his nakedness.
“I did but there was no answer.” Katherine blinked, curious rather than shocked.
“That was probably because I was washing my face and didn’t hear you.”
She took a few steps forward and put the candle down on the washstand. She’d never seen a man without his clothes and, without embarrassment, she stared at Jack’s feet, long and broad, before her gaze travelled up his legs, past his flanks which he’d modestly covered, to his chest, lightly dusted with sandy hair. It was a nice chest, she decided, whether or not it was covered in a well-cut coat. Katherine had enjoyed being pressed against his chest and breathing in the scent of him.
“What are you looking at?”
“You, of course. I don’t have any brothers, so I’ve never seen a man like this.” She bit her lip as she seated herself on the edge of his bed. “You look very nice.”
“Nice?” He frowned, poised by the wash stand, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Why, Jack. You’re not embarrassed are you?” she laughed. “You’re never embarrassed about anything. It’s only me, you know.”
“Yes, and that makes it worse.” He glanced away, tossing his wet face cloth onto the stab of marble then taking a few steps into the centre of the room. Away from her. “I don’t want you to judge and find me wanting.”
“Really?” She liked the fact that he was concerned about her opinion. “I certainly don’t find you wanting. I really enjoyed it when you kissed me the other day, in case you didn’t know it.” She straightened. The dim light in the room, combined with the fact he looked so vulnerable and appealing, suddenly made the idea of kissing him again even more desirable.
“Katherine, what are you doing?”
Even Katherine wasn’t sure what she was doing. She just knew she wanted to wrap her arms about his waist and press her cheek against his chest.
Which was what she was doing.
“You said you’d get me Mama’s pearl earring.” She was fascinated by the sound of his heart beating loudly in his chest as she burrowed her face into his warm skin.
“And I was true to my word. I have it in the pocket of my coat.” He sounded slightly strangled as he tried to push her away with just a touch of pressure.
But to no avail. Katherine wasn’t about to relinquish what she was enjoying too much. “That’s good. That’s why I’m here, of course. But Jack.” She tipped her head up to look at him. His expression was anxious, one light brown curl flopped over his brow, and he appeared, to her mind, quite adorable.
“What? Katherine, you really should leave.”
“Can’t I stay and chat awhile? We used to talk all the time when we were children.”
“But we’re not children anymore. And being together like this…might be misconstrued.”
“Misconstrued? You mean, if someone thought we were together…kissing…for example?” she asked. She wanted to kiss him again. In fact, the urge to do so was almost overwhelming. She tipped her face, closed her eyes and offered him her lips, expecting to feel the tender brush of his against hers like the last time.
When nothing happened, she opened her eyes and found to her indignation that he was looking with a great deal of desperation at the door.
“I’ll lock it,” she offered, gliding across the room to turn the key. “There, now you needn’t worry.”
“Oh yes, I have every need to worry. Katherine, you don’t know what trouble you’re courting. You say you want me to kiss you again, but do you know what you’re asking of me? How difficult—” He broke off.
“Difficult? What’s difficult about kissing me? You seemed to enjoy it the last two times we did it.”
He made a noise of frustration and knotted the piece of linen more firmly about his waist. “You are an innocent, Katherine. The truth is, so am I, but I just happen to know more than you. And what I do know is that for a start, if we were discovered alone in my bedchamber, with me all but naked, your marital chances would be severely compromised.”
Katherine shrugged. “I don’t see how that’s even a concern. For a start, the door’s bolted so no one is going to know we’re in your bedchamber together. And second, you didn’t seem the least bit concerned the last time you kissed me.” Leisurely, she took a step towards him and put her arms about his waist again, pressing her nose into his chest and breathing in. “You smell very nice, Jack. Comforting. And manly. Not at all like Lord Derry who smells of cigarillos. He makes me want to sneeze. So, are you going to kiss me? And if you then feel like doing all those other things you’re so worried people will think we’re doing, I give you complete liberty to go right ahead and do them.”
He unclasped her hands that were laced about his stomach as if stung. “Good God, Katherine; I don’t think you even know what you’re saying.”
Although the look she sent him was knowing and self-contained, the beginnings of a great excitement were now churning in her chest and belly. “I know exactly what I’m saying. I felt some of it when you kissed me, Jack. So I asked Aunt Antoinette, and…she told me everything. It’s not only because of Mama’s pearl earring that I’m here.”
Jack had turned away and was now at the foot of the bed where he’d laid his coat. After fishing in the pocket, he turned, brandishing the earring. “Here you have it. Mr Marwick was not too happy to relinquish it, but I can be a persuasive fellow when I need to be. And now I need to persuade you of what’s good for you, which is to leave my bedchamber right this moment and go back to your own bed. Before any damage is done,” he added.
But Katherine was not to be dissuaded.
She took the earring with a smile; her eyes fixed level with his chest. “Thank you, Jack.” Experimentally, she touched his right nipple and felt it harden. She gave a soft gasp and raised her eyes, gripping his wrist and forcing his hand to cup her breast. “I had the same reaction. Oh, please kiss me, Jack?” she asked urgently. “Please. If I’m to be married, I want to know what to expect, and you’re the dearest person in my life. I feel safe with you. And Aunt Antoinette knows everything to make it all right—whatever that means. I just want to know what being married feels like so I can make an informed decision when the time comes. Kiss me, Jack.” Again, she tipped up her head. “Just start with one little kiss. Please.”
He looked as if he might resist, but when Katherine closed her eyes, it was only a second before Jack’s lips were on hers, and she was twining her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her.
Her heart began to race, and blood heated the surface of her skin. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts and, barely breaking the kiss, she dragged him to the bed, scrambling onto the counterpane where he joined her a mom
ent later.
“Katherine.” She stopped whatever he was about to say with another kiss, kneeling by his side and bending over him.
His arms reached for her, and he pulled her down so that she was against his side. The candle flickered, then suddenly went out, and they were plunged into darkness with only the feel of their bodies to guide them.
“Katherine, we mustn’t do this.”
“We must. Aunt Antoinette told me it’s an important part of choosing one’s future husband.”
“But that’s not me, Katherine, much as I would like—”
“You would?” she asked, delighted.
“Yes, but I’m going away, and I can’t take a wife, and you’re in London to choose a husband befitting your station in life. We both know that.”
She stroked his cheek, thinking. “But you’d help me if I ever needed help and you could provide it, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would.”
“So that’s what I want you to do now. Offer me your help. You’re kind and safe and gentle, and I’m asking you to show me what to expect and what to feel so that I’m prepared when I make the hugely important decision regarding my future husband.”
“But it won’t feel the same, Katherine, so it’s not a good enough excuse to do what I would love nothing more than to do with you, but which could ruin you.”
“It won’t ruin me. Nobody will know.”
“There might be…consequences. It’s too dangerous.”
Jack sounded like he was determined to find an excuse for everything but Katherine was more determined to have her way. Jack had been the most marvellous kisser. That had been very helpful to discover. Now she needed to know about that other, more intimate aspect of marriage and what to expect. How terrible if she didn’t like it. She really had to know before she committed herself to a lifetime of it.
“Aunt Antoinette said she knew how to ensure there weren’t consequences, so it’s not dangerous. Oh, please, Jack. I do love you, you know.”
The Accidental Elopement (Scandalous Miss Brightwells Book 4) Page 6