Montgomery Family 03 - Turned Around By Love

by Vikki Vaught

  The fourteenth day arrived, and it was a beautiful fall day. He hoped it was a good omen, and that Kathryn would say yes. The last two weeks had certainly been the longest fortnight of his life. When he arrived at Kathryn’s, the duchess’s butler showed him into the drawing room. Kathryn wasn’t there, so he went and stood by the window and looked out at the street. His emotions were all in turmoil. He offered up one last prayer while he waited for Kathryn to arrive.

  Jonathan heard a noise and turned around…there stood Kathryn. She looked like an angel with all that fiery red hair floating around her face. His heart thundered in his chest and his hands were shaking. She had a soft welcoming look on her face, and he was encouraged.

  Oh, please Lord, let her say yes!

  He went to her and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “Good afternoon. It’s so good to see you again. I hope you’re feeling well. You certainly look as if you are. You look lovely today, as always. We’ve all missed you terribly, and you know why I’m here. Have you reached your decision yet, or do you need more time?”

  What an idiotic thing to say. He wanted his answer now, not at a later date!

  “Good afternoon. I hope your trip went well and the children are doing all right. How are you dealing with everything? You look well rested.”

  Jonathan tried to conceal his impatience as he answered, “The trip went well, and the children are doing as well as can be expected. They miss their parents dreadfully. I’m dealing with everything, but I miss Roderick terribly. It’s hard to imagine that he and Allison are gone. Now, have you reached a decision? Please, will you marry me?”

  Kathryn looked at him in her serene, calm way and gave him an encouraging smile. “I’ve given careful thought to your proposal and all that you offered. I worry that accepting your proposal will be unfair to you. You deserve to have a woman who doesn’t have the problems that I have. I truly don’t believe I’ll ever be able to be your wife in anything but name.”

  Jonathan interrupted. “I don’t want any other woman. If you don’t marry me, then I’ll never marry. I would rather have you as my wife in name only than to not have you at all. You’ve become my best friend, and as I said before, I think friendship is the best reason to marry. While I do desire you, that isn’t the reason I want you to marry me. I need you in my life, and if friendship is all you can ever give me, I’ll be content. Please, say you’ll be my wife!”

  Kathryn looked directly into his eyes. “As long as you understand that friendship is all that I’m able to give…then yes, I’ll marry you.”

  “Thank God! I promise you’ll never regret marrying me. When can we have the ceremony? I don’t want to rush you, but I would like to be married as soon as possible. The children are constantly asking about you. They need you. I need you. Please say that it can be soon!”

  “We can have the banns read over the next three Sundays, then we can be married the following Saturday. That will give my mother enough time to plan. I want to be married in Bath Abbey where I’ve been attending church services. My mother didn’t get to plan an elaborate affair for either my brother or my sister, and I want her to be able to do this for us. Personally, I would be happier having a small wedding, but I know this will mean so much to her. I hope you understand.”

  Jonathan was so relieved that she’d said yes that he was willing to go along with whatever she wanted. It was so like Kathryn to put her mother’s wants and desires ahead of her own. “Whatever you want is fine with me, as long as you marry me. I’ll go talk to the vicar when I leave here and set the date. This will be the longest four weeks of my life, but I’ll manage some way. I would like it if you and your mother came for tea tomorrow. I want to show you your new home.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be able to come. I haven’t said anything to Mother, but I know that she’s going to be thrilled that I’m marrying you. Oh, as a courtesy, you’ll need to write to my brother and ask his permission. But don’t worry; he’ll be overjoyed that I’ve changed my mind about marriage. Let me go get my mother and we can tell her together. I’ll be right back.” Kathryn left the room, and Jonathan let out a sigh of relief.

  Thank God, she was going to marry him!

  He wasn’t good enough for her, but he would protect her with his life. He hoped that, after time, she would fall in love with him and change her mind about intimacy, but even if she didn’t, he would bear it. He loved her so much that he would do whatever she wanted.

  Kathryn wasn’t gone long before she returned with her mother. As they entered the drawing room, Jonathan smiled at the duchess. Bowing low over her hand, he said, “Thank you for coming to talk to me. Your Grace, I’ve grown terribly fond of your daughter over the last two months, and I believe she’s fond of me. She and I have something we would like to tell you.” He looked over at Kathryn and asked, “Do you want to tell her, or do you want me to tell her?”

  Kathryn smiled at her mother. “Mother, Jonathan has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes.”

  The duchess looked dumbfounded as she looked from Kathryn to Jonathan, and then smiling, she said, “Oh my, congratulations! Kathryn, you’ve made me very happy.” She turned to Jonathan and added, “My lord, you’ll make a fine husband for my daughter. Welcome to the family. Now, when do you want to get married? Of course you’ll want to have the wedding at St. George’s in London next June. Oh, I’m finally going to get to plan a wedding!”

  “Mother, we want to get married in four weeks. Bath Abbey is where I want to hold the wedding. You can invite whomever you want, but remember we only have a month to plan everything. Jonathan needs me to help him with the children, so that’s why we’re marrying so quickly. I’m counting on you to make all the wedding plans, because I know you’ll do it beautifully. Can we count on you?”

  The duchess looked ready to explode, but then she pulled herself together and said, “Well, Bath Abbey is beautiful. Four weeks doesn’t give me much time, but I’m so thrilled that you’ve changed your mind about marriage, I’ll do it. We need to get planning immediately.”

  Relieved that the duchess was being so accommodating, Jonathan said, “Well, I’ll leave you to your planning while I go speak to the vicar and secure the date for our wedding. I’ll return just as soon as I’ve made the arrangements.” He turned to Kathryn. “You’ve made me the happiest of men. I’ll see you soon, my dear.” Then with that said, he bowed to both of them and left the room.

  After Jonathan left them to their planning, he went to see the vicar. He was able to secure the date for their wedding, and he sent a message to Kathryn letting her know. He sent a letter to her brother by express immediately. Jonathan would have rather gotten married by special license, but he knew that it meant so much to Kathryn to have this wedding. He was so overjoyed that she’d said yes, he would agree to anything, just to have her as his wife.

  When he arrived home, he found Elaine at the stables. “Elaine, I just came back from seeing Kathryn. She’s accepted my proposal, and we’re getting married in four weeks.”

  Rushing over to him, Elaine threw herself into his arms. “Oh Jonathan, that’s wonderful news. I know you’ll be so happy together, and the children are going to be elated. Both of them already love her, and so do I. Where are you getting married?”

  Jonathan smiled jubilantly, joy filling his heart. “Kathryn wants to marry at Bath Abbey. I’ve already talked with the vicar and secured the date, so we’ll be getting married in four weeks.”

  “Oh, I love Bath Abbey. It’s so beautiful. Do you think Kathryn will ask me to be in the wedding?”

  “I’m sure she’ll want you. After all, once she and I are married, you’ll be sisters. Kathryn and her mother are coming for tea tomorrow, and she’ll probably ask you then. Now, why don’t we take a ride? We haven’t done that in a while.” Jonathan made a mental note to himself to ask Kathryn about Elaine, but he was sure that Kathryn would want her as an attendant.

  When Kathryn arrived the ne
xt day for tea, he greeted her and her mother and helped them out of their carriage. He watched for Kathryn’s expression as she gazed at his home for the first time, hoping Kathryn would love it as much as he did.

  He could see delight in her eyes as she said, “Oh Jonathan, your home is beautiful. I’m sure I’ll be very happy here. I hope you’ll give me a tour of the inside while I’m here today.”

  “Of course, my dear, whatever you want. All you have to do is ask. Let me escort you and your mother into the house.” Jonathan turned to her mother and said, “Welcome to my home, Your Grace. Did you and Kathryn get everything planned for the wedding after I left yesterday?”

  As they walked into the drawing room, Her Grace answered, “We have all the important details agreed upon, now we just have to execute our plans. We will be extremely busy over the next four weeks. I would have liked more time to plan, but I know that you’re anxious to marry, and I will manage.”

  After tea, Jonathan took them on a tour of the house. “Feel free to change anything that you would like. My stepmother decorated it shortly before her death fifteen years ago. I did redecorate the music room and the master suite five years ago, but the rest of the house I left alone.”

  “Jonathan, your home’s beautifully decorated. Your music room is delightful, and I look forward to spending time with you there, listening to you play.” Kathryn looked over at her mother and commented, “Jonathan is a marvelous pianist. He’s as gifted as Mary is. Once we get settled, we’ll have you over so you can hear him play.” She turned back to Jonathan and added, “Mother loves music, and she’ll enjoy hearing you as much as I do.”

  After they finished the tour, he escorted them to their carriage, and they departed. Kathryn and Jonathan agreed to go and meet with the vicar on Wednesday as Jonathan had arranged. Jonathan watched as the carriage carried Kathryn back to town. She seemed at peace with her decision to marry him, and that relieved his mind. If he thought the last two weeks were long, they would be nothing compared to the next four.

  On Wednesday morning, Jonathan picked Kathryn up at nine o’clock so they could meet with the vicar. The meeting went well, and they finalized all the details of the ceremony. They both agreed that they wanted the full mass as part of the service.

  After they left the vicar, with Kathryn’s maid in attendance, they visited the Pump Room so that Jonathan could drink the water. He had gained relief from drinking it, so now he tried to go there at least a couple of times a week. The water tasted awful, but it did seem to help his knee.

  While they were at the Pump Room, Kathryn and Jonathan ran into Lord and Lady Shelton. After shaking hands, Lord Shelton said, “Good morning, Sutherland. It’s good to see you again. Are you here for the water? My wife likes to drink it, so we come almost every day.” Turning to Lady Kathryn, he added, “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well, Lady Kathryn. We’re looking forward to you starting our portrait. Are you still able to start in two weeks as you planned?”

  Jonathan spoke up. “Shelton, congratulations are in order. Lady Kathryn has agreed to marry me. We’ll be married in four weeks. She’s going to be very busy…” then realizing that Kathryn would decide if she had time the do the portrait, he quickly added, “but, of course, she’ll decide when she can start your portrait.”

  Lord Shelton clapped Jonathan’s shoulder and said, “Congratulations! I’m very happy for both of you. We’ll understand if you need to put the portrait off for a while. Just let us know when is convenient for you.”

  Kathryn, the consummate professional, said, “I would like to go ahead and at least get the preliminary sketches done. Would you be free to come tomorrow morning at nine o’clock? I need to go ahead and get your portrait done because I have to be in Devonshire by the first part of November. While I’m sure I’ll be busy, my mother is taking care of most of the wedding plans, so I’ll be fine.”

  Lord and Lady Shelton looked at each other, then nodded. “We’ll be happy to be there in the morning. We appreciate your willingness to go ahead and start. We’ll make sure that we’re available whenever you can fit us in.”

  “Good, then I’ll see you in the morning. I look forward to working with both of you. When you come tomorrow, we’ll work out a schedule for the next few weeks.”

  Jonathan asked, “Shelton, would you stand up with me at my wedding? Since I lost my brother, I would really appreciate it.”

  A look of shock came over his face as Lord Shelton exclaimed, “Oh, my God! What happened? I’m so sorry about your brother—I didn’t know. Please accept our condolences on your loss. I can only imagine how painful this must be. I know how close you were to St. John. Of course, I’ll stand up with you. How is his wife handling it?”

  Jonathan swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed. “Roderick and Allison both passed together. They had taken out their yacht and were caught in a storm. The yacht capsized and Roderick and Allison drowned. I’m now guardian to their two children. It has indeed been very difficult.”

  “What a terrible tragedy. If there is anything you need at all, don’t hesitate to ask. You know I respected and admired St. John tremendously.” Lord Shelton turned to Lady Kathryn and asked, “Are you sure that you can start our portrait? We’ll understand if you can’t do it.”

  Kathryn shook her head. “Actually, it will take my mind off everything, so please come tomorrow as arranged.”

  “Well, as long as you’re sure. We’ll see you tomorrow at nine o’clock,” Lord Shelton said.

  As they walked away, Jonathan said, “Are you sure you should be doing this?”

  “I want to go ahead and get started. Based on how often Lord and Lady Shelton can come for a sitting, I could possibly get it done before the wedding. Mother is really doing all the planning. All I have to do is go for sittings with Madame Bovary for my wedding gown, and those appointments are in the afternoon. I can’t afford to wait, because I need to be in Devonshire by the first part of November. Remember when I told you that nothing will come before my art? Well this is just an example of what I meant.”

  Jonathan gently took her hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed her fingers. “Whatever you think is best. I just worry that you’ll wear yourself out, and then you’ll get sick. I understand how important your art is to you, and I shan’t stand in your way.”

  “Well, good. Now, I need to get back home so I can get my studio ready for tomorrow. You’re easy. Now I have to deal with my mother. She’ll not be nearly as understanding as you are!”

  Jonathan dropped Kathryn off at her home and headed back to St. John’s Wood. He worried that she was taking on too much, but he knew he couldn’t interfere. Kathryn was very stubborn when it came to her art. At this point, he would go along with anything to keep her happy, because he didn’t want her to regret her decision to marry him.

  He would just have to hope she would be all right. His feelings were growing stronger every time they were together. He hoped as she grew more comfortable with him that she would change her mind about being intimate with him. If he could get her to fall in love with him, then he was sure he could overcome her fears.

  After Jonathan dropped her off, Kathryn hurried into the house and up to her studio. She knew that she was taking on quite a bit, but she didn’t want to wait to do the Sheltons’ portrait. Her mother loved planning events, and Kathryn’s wedding would be no different. Kathryn was shocked that she had decided to marry Jonathan, but she trusted him to keep his word about the marriage being in name only.

  Kathryn had promised him she would help him with the children, and being married was the only way she could fulfill that promise. Poor Jonathan didn’t need to go through this alone. He had loved his brother so much, and she worried that things were happening so fast that he wasn’t having the chance to mourn for his brother and Allison. She was determined to help him with his grief. While she could never be his wife completely, she would be a good and loyal companion.

  Well, this wasn’t getting h
er ready for her afternoon. She needed to go to her room and freshen up. She had her first fitting with Madame Bovary at two o’clock, and it was noon already.

  After luncheon, Kathryn broke the news to her mother. “I ran into Lord and Lady Shelton, and I’ve moved up their portrait. In fact, they’ll be coming every day for a sitting so I can get their portrait done before my wedding.”

  The duchess grew quite still, and a tense silence filled the room before she furiously said, “Kathryn, how could you do this? You’re getting married in less than four weeks. This is most inconsiderate of you. We have far too much to do for you to do a painting at this time. You’ll just have to tell them you cannot do their portrait until after the wedding.”

  Kathryn met her mother’s fury without batting an eye. “I will not be telling them I can’t do their portrait. Nothing…absolutely nothing…comes before my art. Jonathan already knows about this, and he supports my decision. Besides, you love planning events, and I give you full control over any and all decisions in regards to my wedding.”

  “But Kathryn, we have so much to do, and such a short period of time to get everything planned.”

  “I’ll still have my afternoons free, and you’ll just have to schedule things that you need me for in that time frame. I have complete confidence in you, and I know I’ll have a magnificent wedding. With you in charge, it will be the most talked about wedding of the year. Now, I need to go upstairs before we leave for Madame Bovary’s Salon, so I’ll see you in fifteen minutes. By the way, Mother, thank you for doing this for me. I know we don’t say this often, but I do love you.” With that being said, Kathryn walked out of the room.

  Kathryn made it to Madame Bovary’s by two, and soon her mother was pouring over the design fashion plates. Kathryn decided on a cream satin with Italian lace overlay on the bodice and skirt of the gown, gold ribbon under the bodice, and seed pearls sown on top of the lace. Her mother was in raptures over the gown. Madame Bovary took her measurements, just to make sure they hadn’t changed, and told her she would need her for another fitting on Friday.