by Vikki Vaught
Once Jonathan entered his rooms, he sent Hatton off to bed. Just as soon as he left, he pulled out the bottle of scotch whiskey, poured himself a large glass, and drank it down. As soon as he felt the warmth of the whiskey hit his body, he let out a sigh of relief, and his hands stopped shaking. He sat down in his chair with the bottle and continued to drink long into the night until he eventually passed out.
The next morning, Hatton found Jonathan asleep in the chair and the empty bottle of whiskey lying on the floor beside him. When Jonathan woke up, his head was splitting, and he felt great waves of nausea roll over him. Hatton didn’t say a word, he just shook his head as he handed him a morning glass of the obnoxious concoction he always mixed for him. Jonathan was glad Hatton kept his opinion to himself. Once his stomach settled down, he allowed Hatton to dress and shave him.
After Hatton left, he looked in the mirror and knew that he looked awful. He was bleary-eyed, and the bags under his eyes looked terrible. He took a deep steadying breath, but it didn’t help. His hands were trembling and his palms were sweaty. He wanted a drink, but he resisted the temptation and left his room.
After church, even though it was muddy from last night’s rain, Jonathan still took Roderick and Frankford to the lake so they could go fishing. Frankford was full of energy, but overall he was a good boy. He asked a million questions and never seemed to stop talking. They didn’t catch any fish, but they still had a good time. Jonathan was content because he knew Frankford would make a good marquess someday.
Chapter 3
Jonathan and his party left for Bath at nine o’clock the next morning. It took them about an hour to get to the Pump Room, which was over the ancient Roman Baths. When the Romans occupied the area, they built a temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva over the hot mineral spring located there. The hot mineral spring had become such a phenomena, that the city of Bath had been a premier spa resort in England since the last century. The older members of the ton flocked to visit each year, just to drink the healing waters.
As they made their way around the room, Allison spied her aunt, Lady Milsom, and they went over to her. Allison hugged her aunt. “Hello, Aunt Harriet. It’s so good to see you here. I’m visiting my brother-in-law, so I’ll be in the area for a few days. Are you here to take the waters?”
Allison’s aunt returned her hug and kissed her cheek. “My dear, it’s a pleasure to see you, as always. You’ll have to come for tea so we can catch up. My doctor told me that he thought the mineral water would help my aching joints. Please, let me introduce you to my friend.” Lady Milsom turned to the woman on her right. “Your Grace, this is my niece Lady Roderick and her husband, Lord St. John, and this is the Marquess of Sutherland and his sister, Lady Elaine.”
Allison and Elaine curtsied to the duchess as Allison said, “I’m pleased to meet you, Your Grace. My aunt has mentioned to me several times that you’re now living in Bath and that you’re one of her dear friends.”
The duchess barely acknowledged Allison, but turned all her attention toward Jonathan. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lord. Let me introduce you to my daughter. Here she comes now.”
Jonathan looked up and saw a young lady approaching. This woman had the most incredibly thick red hair he’d ever seen. With the sunlight radiating through the window, it was as if a halo of fire floated around her head. As he met her gaze, he noticed that her eyes were such a deep blue that they were almost more violet than blue.
As she approached, she brushed something from the bodice of her deep lavender muslin day dress, which molded her tall, slender figure to perfection. She was truly lovely, but since she was obviously a lady, he’d never be able to have her, even though one look at her had aroused his desire in a way that took him entirely by surprise.
The duchess motioned for her to come over to them. “My lord, this is my daughter, Lady Kathryn Montgomery.”
Kathryn met his gaze and curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lord.”
Jonathan took her delicate white hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed her long, slender fingers as he continued to gaze into her eyes. “I’m pleased to meet you, Lady Kathryn. Let me introduce you to my sister, brother, and his wife.” He turned to them. “Lady Kathryn, this is my brother, Lord Roderick St. John, and his wife, Lady Roderick. And this is my sister, Lady Elaine.”
Nodding in acknowledgement of the introduction, Katherine said, “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”
Allison gave her a welcoming smile. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. We live in Bristol, and we’ve come to town for a visit.”
The dowager duchess spoke up as she looked over at Jonathan. “My daughter is visiting me for the rest of the summer. She just graduated from the Art Institute in London, and she’s painting my portrait. She’s actually quite a gifted artist. She’s done quite a few portraits of my son and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Sanderford, and their children.”
Jonathan looked over at Lady Kathryn. “I’m sure you’re very talented if you attended the Art Institute. I’ve never known them to accept female students before. It sounds as if you enjoy painting portraits. Do you also paint landscapes?”
Kathryn smiled enthusiastically. “I do enjoy painting some landscapes, but I prefer painting portraits. I find it more challenging to paint people. I’m going to be doing the Marquess and Marchioness of Ralston’s family portrait, once I’ve finished visiting my mother this fall. It will be my first commission since I graduated, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“So are you planning to take on other commissions?” Jonathan asked. “If you would be interested, I haven’t had my formal portrait done since I inherited my title, and I would be interested in seeing some of your work. If you’re that good, I would like you to do mine.”
“I’d love to paint your portrait. I have several miniatures I’ve done of my nieces and nephews at my mother’s house, and I’d be happy to show you my mother’s portrait. It’s almost finished.” She turned to her mother and asked, “Mother, could we have them come for tea this afternoon so I can show Lord Sutherland my work?”
“Certainly, we would be delighted to have Lord Sutherland. Of course, the rest of his family can come as well.” Turning to Jonathan, the duchess asked, “Would four o’clock be convenient for you?”
Jonathan looked at his brother, sister, and sister-in-law, and they nodded in agreement. “We would be pleased to come for tea, and four o’clock would be convenient, Your Grace. Where do you live?”
“We live at number three Royal Crescent. We look forward to your arrival.” The duchess turned to Lady Milsom and asked, “Lady Milsom, would you like to come for tea also?”
“I would enjoy that very much. It will give me a chance to spend some time with my niece, Lady Roderick. Oh, gracious, look at the time. I’ll see all of you later. I have an appointment with Madame Bovary, so I need to leave right away.” As Lady Milsom hurried away, the others took their leave, agreeing to meet again for tea that afternoon.
Jonathan and his party continued to stroll around the room to where the waters were. Jonathan drank a glass, hoping it would relieve some of his pain. Of course, the water tasted so vile he wasn’t sure that it would be worth it. He’d have to feel considerably better after his first taste to even consider drinking it again. Since it was approaching luncheon, they went across the street to the White Hart Inn.
Once everyone sat down to eat, Roderick turned to Jonathan. “Since when did you decide to have your portrait done? I’ve never heard you mention a thing about it. It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Lady Kathryn is young and attractive, would it?”
“I haven’t had my formal portrait done, as you well know. I’m at the age when most of our ancestors had theirs done. Since she’s so conveniently located, it just made sense to me to have her do it, if she’s any good, which she probably is since she graduated from the Art Institute. I’m astonished they accepted her. She has to be very gifted. She’
s a very attractive young woman, but that’s irrelevant. She’s off limits to me anyway. I’m not interested in marriage, as we’ve already discussed numerous times.” Jonathan took a sip of his ale as he looked over at Roderick in disgust.
Elaine spoke up. “Well, I think she’s quite nice, and pretty. I don’t understand why you’re so opposed to marriage. I wish you would tell me so I can understand. None of you ever want to tell me anything, and it’s just not fair!”
Jonathan, with a supercilious expression on his face, replied, “I agree she did seem very nice. I’ll explain to you why I’m opposed to marriage when you get a little older. I know you hate to hear that, but for now, you’ll just have to accept that I have some very good reasons. Now, here’s our food. May we please relax and enjoy our luncheon?”
The White Hart Inn was well known for their excellent food, and they weren’t disappointed. Once everyone had dined sufficiently, they left to go shopping. After all, that was one of the reasons Allison wanted to come to town. Since both Allison and Elaine needed to freshen up their wardrobes, they went to Madame Bovary’s, as she always had the latest styles, and she did such exquisite work. Roderick and Jonathan told them they were leaving, but would return in two hours.
When Jonathan and Roderick returned to pick up the ladies, Allison and Elaine were raving about all the new clothes Elaine had ordered. Elaine, in her enthusiasm, almost fell when she tripped on the sidewalk in front of the carriage. “Oh, dear. I need to be more careful. Jonathan, thank you so much for allowing me to order some new gowns.” Then turning to Allison, she said, “I really appreciate your help. That fashion plate you found of the gown with the rosettes embroidered on the bodice and at the hem is going to look wonderful in that yellow silk we picked out.”
“Elaine, I enjoyed helping you. I also think that new emerald green riding habit will look excellent on you.” Looking over at Jonathan, Allison asked, “Would it be all right, since it’s only three o’clock, if we strolled along the delightful streets of Bath until it’s time to go to the duchess’s house?”
“Certainly, my dear. I’ll just follow along in the carriage. You’ll enjoy seeing the Abbey Church courtyard and the Roman Baths. I’ll pick you up at Queen Square.”
Once they passed the park, they joined Jonathan in the carriage and went on to Royal Crescent.
By the time Jonathan and his party arrived at the duchess’s house it was almost four o’clock. Jonathan knocked on the door, and a tall, distinguished-looking man opened the door and showed them into the drawing room where the duchess and Lady Kathryn were sitting. Shortly after they arrived, Lady Milsom entered the drawing room, and the duchess served tea.
Once everyone finished their tea, Lady Kathryn asked, “Would you like to go up to my studio so you can view some of my work? If you’re ready, please follow me.”
Everyone enthusiastically agreed, and they followed Lady Kathryn upstairs. They entered a large, well-lit room with mullioned windows along the wall. In the center of the room was an easel with the duchess’s portrait displayed on it. Jonathan made his way over to the easel and could immediately see an astonishing likeness to the duchess. Lady Kathryn had captured her arrogant expression perfectly. The duchess’s startling blue eyes glowed with life. It was as if she were standing right in front of them.
“Lady Kathryn, this is a marvelous portrait of your mother. I can see that you’re a talented artist, and I would like you to paint my formal portrait. When would you be able to start?”
“But don’t you want to see these miniatures first, before you decide? Here’s one that I did of my nieces and my nephews, and here is another one of my brother.”
After Jonathan perused the miniatures, he said, “These are all exquisite. Now when can you start my portrait?”
Kathryn’s lovely violet eyes were glowing with enthusiasm. “I get the best light in my studio in the morning, so that’s the best time for me. Would nine o’clock work for you? I’ll be finished with my mother’s portrait by the end of the week, so I could start yours this coming Saturday, if that is convenient for you.”
“Saturday will work well for me. My brother and his family are leaving very early that morning, so I would easily be able to be here by nine.”
Once Kathryn and Jonathan agreed upon everything, they went back downstairs to the drawing room and joined the duchess. Shortly after that, Jonathan said, “Your Grace, thank you for having us for tea. We’ll be attending the assembly rooms on Wednesday, so hopefully we’ll see you then. It grows late, so we’ll take our leave now.”
The duchess smiled graciously over at him. “It’s been a pleasure, Lord Sutherland, and we will definitely be attending the assembly rooms on Wednesday evening. We will see you then.”
When everyone was back in the carriage, Allison said, “Lady Kathryn is probably the most gifted artist I’ve ever seen. Did you notice how she caught the duchess’s arrogance perfectly? It was as if she were standing right in front of us. Roderick, I’d love for her to do our children’s portrait. Once she’s through with Jonathan’s, we should commission her to do them, don’t you agree?”
“She truly is an extraordinary artist, and I agree wholeheartedly that she should do a portrait of our children. I think we should get her to do one of our entire family.” Roderick turned to Jonathan. “I’m sure she’ll do a superb job on your portrait. Just imagine spending hours with such a lovely young woman. I would think you’ll get to know each other quite well while she does your portrait.”
Jonathan glanced over at his brother, frustrated with his brother’s attempts at matchmaking. Roderick just wouldn’t leave him alone on this issue. “I look forward to her painting my portrait, and I’m sure that we’ll get to know each other, just not in the way you mean, Brother.”
Since it was close to dinner when they arrived back at St. John’s Wood, they all went up to their rooms to get ready. Jonathan could tell that Elaine was thrilled that she would be able to dine with the rest of the family, instead of her governess, Miss Tilton. Part of him wanted to keep her a child, but he knew Elaine was indeed growing up. He would have to let her have some additional freedoms, now that she was going to be sixteen soon.
When Jonathan entered his rooms, Hatton was there to apply the liniment and cold compresses to Jonathan’s knee. After being on it for so long, Jonathan was in quite a bit of pain. Hatton tried to get him to take some laudanum, but he again refused. Besides, he knew several men who had become addicted to it. He didn’t want to have that happen to him. Jonathan had Hatton pour him a glass of brandy instead. He decided he would try to stay away from the whiskey, even if he did like the way it made him feel.
While relaxing in his comfortable chair, Jonathan thought about Lady Kathryn and knew he was very attracted to her. He certainly hoped there would by a chaperone in the room with them while she was painting him. Jonathan had never felt such an instant attraction to such an innocent young woman. Most of the time he never even noticed them at all. She had such glorious red hair and the most gorgeous violet eyes he’d ever seen. Her figure was actually quite spectacular too. Her curves were in all the right places, and her legs had to be incredibly long. He could just imagine them wrapped around his hips.
Oh, this wasn’t a good sign at all.
He couldn’t allow himself to feel this level of attraction for her if they were going to be spending so much time together.
Well, there was no use thinking about it right now.
He needed to finish getting ready for dinner.
On Wednesday evening, Jonathan, Roderick, and Allison went back to Bath to the assembly rooms. Jonathan didn’t usually attend functions like this, but since Allison wanted to go, he felt it would be rude if he didn’t come along. When they arrived, he was surprised at how crowded the rooms were. Since the season wasn’t over in London yet, he hadn’t thought there would be this many people. He hated functions like this because everyone was dancing, and, of course, he no longer danced. He used to
enjoy dancing quite a bit, and that was just one more thing he could no longer do because of the battle.
As Jonathan stood over by a potted plant, he scanned the room, looking for anyone he might know. His eyes caught sight of Kathryn, and he was stunned once more by her incredible beauty. Her fabulous red hair was in a top knot on the crown of her head with curls cascading down around her shoulders. He could just imagine pulling out her hairpins and all those fiery curls tumbling down her back. Her gown was a soft shade of silvery blue, and it draped her figure to perfection. It had a low décolletage, which showed her breasts off magnificently. For such a slender woman, she filled out the top of her gown enticingly well.
Jonathan was by no means a short man, but he knew she would probably come up to his nose. He had always been attracted to tall women with deliciously long legs that could wrap around his hips as he sank deeply inside her tight sheath.
God, he had to quit thinking about her like this.
Jonathan felt his trousers tighten against his loins as he became aroused.
This was getting ridiculous!
It was a good thing he was standing partially behind this potted plant. He had to think of something else or people would notice his condition. Immediately, he imagined himself taking a cold bath, and then he was back to normal.
Slowly, Jonathan made his way around the room to where his brother and Allison were standing. They were talking to Lady Milsom when he approached. Allison looked over at Jonathan. “There you are, Jonathan. We were wondering where you were. Have you seen anyone here that you know? We’re surprised that there are so many people here, since the season isn’t over yet. Thank you for bringing us tonight. I know this can’t be much fun for you, and I’m sure it’s difficult to watch all the dancing. I remember how much you enjoyed it before your injury.”