Storm On The Horizon

by Meredith Bond

  Chapter Five

  Kit felt like he was being watched. He looked around at the busts surrounding him and stifled an involuntary shudder. He hated his father's study.

  Lining the walls were the busts of the most influential politicians of the past fifty years. They made him nervous, as if he were being watched, judged and found seriously wanting. It was just a silly fear from his childhood; the busts were marble and couldn't do or think anything. But that didn't stop his imagination from running rampant.

  It made trying to get work done nearly impossible. He forced his attention back to his correspondence. If he couldn't be at his family's estate himself, he would have to direct operations from afar. He ground his teeth together and thought of all the things he should be doing. Who had ever decided that March was the perfect time to begin the social season? Certainly not a farmer, nor anyone who cared about his estate.

  Kit had planting to prepare for, animals to set to stud and innumerable other tasks that would not wait for him to find a wife he didn't want.

  "Kit?" His sister popped her head through the door. "Oh good, you're not busy."

  How she came to that determination when he sat at his father's desk, pen in hand, paper in front of him and an ink pot open at his elbow was beyond him. He'd always suspected she only saw what she wanted, regardless of reality.

  "Hello, Elizabeth," he said, hiding his sigh of resignation.

  She came in and lowered herself into one of the chairs that faced the desk.

  "Shouldn't you be at Cherington for your lying-in?" Kit asked, watching his very pregnant sister maneuver herself.

  "Yes. In fact, that is why I came by, to say good-bye. I'm off tomorrow morning."

  "Is Cherington going with you?"

  "He's already there to oversee some estate business," she said, waving her hand with a negligent air that set Kit's heart racing with anger.

  "I should be doing the same thing." He tried not to growl. "I can't believe I let our parents talk me into this inane..."

  "It is not stupid! And it's your own damn fault for waiting so long to find a girl to marry. If you'd just done so a few years ago like they'd wanted..."

  "I was busy trying to get our estate profitable!"

  "But that's what you've been saying for years."

  Kit felt his jaw clench in his frustration. "It takes many years to start this process and that’s all that I’ve managed to do—start it."

  "Well, that's a shame," she said, not seeming to care at all. "So tell me, did you meet any nice young girls at the ball the other night? Anyone with a father who can sponsor you in Parliament?"

  Kit let his head fall back against his chair. Why did he try? Why did he even try to get it across to anyone in his family that he didn't care about marriage? Didn't care about his seat in Parliament—not that he had one to take yet, but he would some day, as everyone in his family kept reminding him.

  Then his mind wandered to the very interesting Miss Tatiana. He let his gaze slip to the clock on the mantle above the fireplace--nearly twelve-thirty. He would need to leave soon for his meeting with her.

  Damn! He'd hoped to get some work done before that.

  "Oh, ho! So you did meet someone!" His sister gave a laugh. She had the ability to read minds—especially his. All of his life, she had known exactly what he was thinking. It had been annoying when he was a child and downright awkward when he went through puberty and came home from school. One never wanted one's older sister to know what thoughts ran through a boy's mind at such an age.

  "Yes, and I need to be off soon..."

  "If you are meeting that young lady you encountered the other night, you can stop wasting your time right now," his father said, bending down to give his daughter a peck on the cheek.

  Kit hadn't even noticed Lord Durrington come into the room.

  "Hello, sir," she said as he gave her cheek a pat.

  "I've learned a few things about her—as well as the other one to whom I told you to introduce yourself," his father said, settling himself in the other chair in front of the desk. "You should have listened to me and introduced yourself to the popular girl. There were so many men around her for a reason." His father paused, waiting for Kit to ask the requisite question.

  Deliberately, Kit stayed silent.

  Lord Durrington frowned, but went on as Elizabeth shook her head and smiled sadly at him. She knew his tricks. "That young lady is the daughter of Baron Ashurst and he has bestowed an extremely generous marriage portion on her. The other one, with whom you wasted your time, is her younger sister—who will have nothing. Nothing! He's not giving her a penny," his father said with an odd air of satisfaction.

  "But why would a man do that?" Kit asked. "They're twins. Why wouldn't he split the money equally between the two of them?"

  His father shook his head. "It seems as if the younger has not actually been presented. She's not making her come-out, only the elder. There are whispers that the younger is either already engaged and only here to see her sister well-launched, or her parents expect an offer for her but refuse to hear it until the elder is settled."

  "You're meeting a young woman who is already engaged?" his sister asked.

  Kit didn't have time to answer before his father continued. "The point is, this young woman you're so interested in is not only ineligible, she's not even on the market for a husband. So stop wasting your time with her."

  Tatiana already had a beau? Kit thought back to the way she behaved the other night when her sister received so much attention. No, that couldn't be right. She hadn't acted as if she was already engaged. She had been hurt at being cut by the gentlemen surrounding her sister. A woman secure in the affections of another man wouldn't have behaved that way, Kit was certain of it.

  But then that still left the question—why would her parents allow one daughter to make her come-out and not the other? Perhaps he could find out this afternoon.

  "You certainly found out a lot about these two girls in a very short time, sir," Kit said.

  Lord Durrington frowned harder. "I needed to since you are making absolutely no effort on your own behalf. I've gone from being an up-and-coming member of Parliament to matchmaker."

  Kit stifled his laughter. "No need, sir. Truly, I am more than happy to--"

  "You are more than happy to waste your time chasing after ineligible... Ah, wait now. Are you... could you possibly be that intelligent?" There was clearly something odd going through his father's mind, as he leaned back in his chair and put his hand to his chin.

  "Sir?"

  "You wouldn't deliberately become close to the younger one so that you would stand a stronger chance at the elder now, would you? No." His father dropped his hand and sighed heavily. "No. You aren't nearly that clever."

  Kit frowned. "I am not that devious."

  A smile lit up his father's face at the thought. "But I am." He waved his hand at Kit. "Go on then. Off to your assignation with young Miss Whatsername. But when it comes down to it, Kit, it's the elder you will offer for."

  Kit stood and heard his father chuckle at his own cunning. He would not get caught up in his father's scheme—it was just not right.

  On the other hand, if this allowed him to spend time with Tatiana, he would hold on to it—for now. He gave his sister a peck on her other cheek. "Good luck! Write as soon as you can. I want to hear all about the baby. I'm sure he'll be as beautiful as little Kate."

  "And what makes you so certain it's a boy?" his sister asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

  Kit just shrugged his shoulders. "Because you already have a girl."

  He gave his father a nod and headed out to meet with the fascinating, and now even more intriguing, Miss Tatiana.

  As Tatiana sat down in Lady Bisley's drawing room, she glanced over at her sister next to her on the lush blue and gold brocade sofa. She had that scared baby bird look on her face. Tatiana almost laughed. She frequently got this way when she had to be social—of course, the night
before she'd been so scared she'd completely bypassed the look and gone straight to terror. But today her wide-open eyes shifted this way and that as if she could be attacked from any direction.

  She’d managed to hide her fear from their grandmother when she’d informed them, only minutes before they left the house, that they’d be paying morning calls. Now that they were here, clearly the reality had hit her. The room full of ladies and a few gentlemen all taking tea, nibbling sweets and chatting was a little intimidating, especially since they knew no one other than their grandmother. Even Tatiana had to admit to feeling a bit uncomfortable in the situation.

  "You must be the Ashurst twins," a young woman said, settling down in the chair next to them.

  "Yes," Tatiana answered, certain that her sister wouldn't say a word, and grateful that they wouldn’t just be sitting in the middle of the room looking like lost puppies. She gave the woman a warm smile.

  "I'm Cynthia Angles," the woman said with an understanding look—she must have been in this same situation herself. She looked to be about their age, only fair where they were both darker in coloring. Her pale blonde hair was put up in an intricate array of curls allowing just a few to fall and gently frame the perfect peaches and cream complexion of her face. If her chin and nose were a little too sharp, her soft curls and flowing dress softened the overall look of the girl.

  "Is this your first season, Miss Angles?" Trina asked, much to Tatiana's surprise.

  "Oh, no! It's my second. Although I received a number of proposals last season, they were all..." she paused and seemed to consider her words for a moment. "Well, older. I want to marry someone closer to my age."

  "Oh goodness, yes!" Tatiana exclaimed. She would hate to marry an old man. A number of girls did, but she didn’t think it would be nice. She desperately hoped that her parents didn't make her do so. Her husband, after all, would have to be young enough to have seven children with her. An older man wouldn't live long enough to have that many children, she thought with a giggle.

  "I'm not certain but I might not mind an older gentleman," Trina said, clearly thinking about this.

  "Truly?" Miss Angles asked, seeming as surprised as Tatiana.

  "Well, yes. An older man would be more mature, more knowledgeable. And more likely to be thoughtful... or so I would think," Trina said and quickly lowered her eyes to her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

  This statement rendered Tatiana speechless. Not only because this was the first time her sister had ever told her that she wanted to marry someone older, but also because Trina spoke openly to a stranger! This was not the Trina she knew so well. It was good... no, wonderful that her sister felt comfortable enough to speak to Miss Angles. It was just odd.

  "...and you would not believe the dowry my son settled on the girl!" her grandmother's voice rang through a lull in the conversation around the room.

  Tatiana desperately wished the sofa she and Trina were sitting on would swallow them both, and quickly. She was certain her face mirrored Trina's, which had just turned a brilliant red.

  Miss Angles hid her smile behind her hand, but her wide eyes flitted back and forth from Tatiana and Trina to their grandmother on the other side of the room. "Is she...?"

  "Our grandmother," Tatiana nodded, fighting the urge to hide her face in her hands.

  "Well... I think she's actually doing you a service," Miss Angles admitted.

  "What?" Trina asked in disbelief.

  "Yes. If people know that you have a significant dowry, you're sure to get plenty of interest," she explained.

  "But from men who are only interested in her money, not in her," Tatiana said.

  "True, but interest is interest," Miss Angles said with a shrug.

  "I suppose it's not called the "Marriage Mart" for nothing," Trina added.

  Miss Angles giggled delicately behind her gloved hand once again. Tatiana could only turn and stare in surprise at her sister.

  "This doesn't bother you?" she asked.

  Trina lifted one negligent shoulder. "It does, but there isn't anything I can do about it, is there?"

  "Hmmm, I don't know," Tatiana said. She had to think about that because, surely, there had to be something they could do about it.