Lillith’s gaze shifted to something beyond Katelyn’s shoulder. “You might want to talk to him sooner versus later.”
“What are you ladies talking about?”
Katelyn gasped, surprised she had not heard Ronald approach.
Ronald smiled, exposing crooked, slightly yellowed teeth, and Katelyn cringed. His jacket was ill-fitting, and his white pants fit obscenely tight.
She would talk to Sinjin as soon as she could get him alone.
“Wish me luck, my dear,” he said, taking her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.
“Good luck, my lord.”
She felt Sinjin’s gaze on her and very nearly ripped her hand away from Ronald’s. Sensing her reaction, Ronald’s fingers tightened around hers.
Ronald glanced at Lillith. “And might I say you are looking quite fetching this morning, Lady Nordland.”
Lillith smiled tightly. “Thank you, Lord Balliford.”
“Well, I must return or lose my place in the contest.” When he turned his back, Aunt Lillith rolled her eyes. They remained silent as Sinjin and Victor stepped forward. Both men drew back on their bows, and at the signal from the footman, released the arrows.
Both men hit their targets, but Sinjin came closest.
“He is quite good,” Lillith said, and Katelyn could not help but smile.
Ronald was Sinjin’s next competitor. Katelyn’s heart raced and her palms began to sweat. Standing side by side, Sinjin’s attributes contrasted greatly with Ronald’s obvious imperfections. They were close in height, but that was where all similarity ended. A shiver rushed through her as she stared at Sinjin’s broad shoulders and his high, tight buttocks. She recalled those muscular legs entwined with her own—his long, hard sex buried deep within her.
The footman gave the signal, and both men pulled back on the bows and released. The arrows struck their targets.
“Damn,” Aunt Lillith said beneath her breath, as the servant on the far end of the lawn pointed to Ronald’s target.
Ronald turned to look at Katelyn and beamed. She forced a smile and nodded at him. When he turned his back on her, she glanced at Sinjin, who was shaking Ronald’s hand.
“Good morning, ladies,” Victor said, a warm smile in place.
“Good morning,” they said in unison.
“Would you like to join us?” Katelyn asked, noting the pleased expression on her aunt’s face.
He nodded. “Don’t mind if I do.” He took the seat closest to Lillith, and Victor motioned toward the men. “Oh, this should be entertaining.”
Rory and Ronald drew back on the bows. The youngest Rayborne brother laughed at something the footman said, and at the count, released.
Both men hit dead center.
Ronald wiped his sweaty forehead with a kerchief from his waistcoat pocket, while Rory seemed cool as could be.
“I do believe I was not as blessed as my brothers when it comes to certain things, archery included,” Victor said matter-of-factly.
“I think you are all blessed,” Katelyn said before she could stop herself.
“Thank you, Lady Katelyn,” Victor said in a silky voice.
Victor laughed under his breath. “Sinjin is giving Rory pointers…as though he needs it.”
Katelyn kept hoping Sinjin would talk to her, but he kept his distance, instead talking to his valet and Rory. He put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder, leaned in, whispered something in his ear, and then stepped back, crossing his arms over his wide chest.
This time Ronald hit off target, and Rory once again hit center.
Rory grinned at Sinjin.
“My hand slipped,” Ronald said, his voice clipped, his agitation obvious.
“There is not a man here who can beat Rory,” Victor said, pride in his voice.
Katelyn and Lillith shared a smile, but the smile faded when Lady Celeste and a few friends came around the corner and crossed the lawns toward them. “Do you mind if we join you?” she asked prettily, twirling her parasol.
“Please,” Aunt Lillith said, motioning to the empty chairs nearby, which Victor pulled closer.
Celeste looked incredible in a blue-and-white print walking dress, her shoes of the finest silk. Katelyn hid her own well-worn shoes beneath her chair.
“Why do you not participate, Lord Graston?” Celeste asked.
“I fear I am already out this round—as is Sinjin.”
Celeste looked alarmed. “Oh dear. Well, I am certain you will both fare well next round now that I am here to cheer you on.”
Lillith gave Katelyn a pained expression that she hid with a soft smile when Celeste glanced at her.
Sinjin looked their way and Celeste waved exuberantly. He nodded in return and flashed a wolfish grin.
Jealousy ate at Katelyn’s insides.
“I was so delighted when Lord Mawbry asked me to join him for the walk today,” Celeste said in a too-sweet voice.
Katelyn’s heart fell to her feet.
“How nice for you,” Lillith said, sounding sincere.
Both men shot again, and once more, Rory ended up being the victor. This time Ronald did not argue the point.
“Lady Katelyn, I had the honor of meeting your intended last night,” Celeste said, nicer than she’d ever been before. “He is such a kind man. How excited you must be for your upcoming wedding.”
Katelyn schooled her features. “I am.”
“I can hardly wait until the day I am a bride. I have already picked out my dress.” Her gaze shifted to Sinjin.
“That day will be very soon,” her companion murmured, watching Katelyn closely.
Katelyn bit the inside of her cheek. What a handsome couple the two would make. Indeed, they would be the toast of the ton.
Sinjin walked toward them in long strides, and Katelyn’s heart pounded in time with each step that brought him closer.
“Good morning, ladies,” he said, a pleasant smile in place. He barely glanced at Katelyn.
“I look forward to our walk, my lord,” Lady Celeste blurted.
He returned her warm smile. “As do I, Lady Celeste.”
“You are quite accomplished with bow and arrow, my lord,” Aunt Lillith said, and Sinjin smiled genuinely.
“Thank you, Lady Nordland…though I fear Lady Katelyn’s betrothed has bested me today.” His gaze slid to Katelyn for a second. His eyes lacked the warmth that had always been there before.
Katelyn’s stomach twisted. She wanted a private moment alone, to tell him she didn’t mean a word she had written in that letter. That she yearned to feel his hands on hers once more, to lay in bed with him and relish the sensation of skin against skin, of making love and losing herself in the moment. She would be damned if she let Ronald ruin her last chance at happiness.
17
Sinjin strolled with Lady Celeste, all the while watching the couple ahead of him, walking arm in arm, looking the very picture of pre-wedded bliss.
We can no longer see one another, the letter began, written in Katelyn’s elegant script.
He should be grateful, he told himself, that Lord Balliford had arrived when he had, and, in turn, made him realize how foolhardy he had been in getting involved with a woman engaged to another man.
Indeed, after coming to terms with the end of his liaison with Katelyn, he had lain in bed last night thinking of all the reasons he should pursue Lady Celeste. After all, she had an impressive lineage and would bring to the marriage a dowry that no other debutante could touch.
She was the prize of the Season.
And yet he could scarcely tolerate her presence. Plain and simple, she was not the woman he wanted.
For the tenth time in as many minutes, Lady Celeste mentioned her figure, and how expensive her gown was, saying she had bought it in Paris when she had been visiting with her family some months before.
“My mother constantly tells me that I must eat numerous times throughout the day in order to keep the weight on my bones,” she said, f
ishing for yet another compliment.
She went on to tell him that she conditioned her hair with special oils from France in order to get a silky sheen, and that her maid insisted she take a parasol with her at all times in order to keep her creamy skin pale and freckle free.
He quite liked freckles.
Katelyn wore a bonnet, and the parasol that hung from her hand had not seen any use thus far.
Lord Balliford’s hand slid to Katelyn’s waist, and she glanced up at her intended, a forced smile on her lips.
Let her go, Sinjin! his mind all but screamed, and yet his heart said something altogether different.
“I shall play the pianoforte for you this evening,” Lady Celeste said, tearing Sinjin out of his thoughts. “Your mother keeps saying how impressed you are by my playing. Perhaps I shall play a song for you…and only you.”
He nodded. “That would be lovely.”
“Tonight before dinner?”
“Certainly.”
“My chaperone has agreed to let me have a few minutes alone with you. I have assured her that nothing shall happen.” She laughed playfully. “I told her she is welcome to stay next to the parlor door during the entire performance.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Sinjin said, relieved when the abbey, their destination, came into view. He had grown weary of conversing long before and now wanted nothing but a few quiet minutes to himself.
After touring the abbey and its grounds, the carriages with luncheon arrived, and the guests took their places on the abbey’s lawn.
Lord Balliford stood outside the abbey with Lady Anna’s chaperone, looking up at the ancient building. Seizing the opportunity, Sinjin walked into the abbey and found Katelyn and her aunt near the back, looking at a stained glass window depicting the third crusade.
“Ladies,” he said when he was close enough to Katelyn and Lillith.
Katelyn’s expression was difficult to gauge, while Lillith smiled softly. “Good afternoon, my lord.”
“Good afternoon, Lady Nordland.” He glanced at Katelyn and nodded. “Lady Katelyn.” The dark circles beneath her green eyes made her seem fragile, and he ached to take her in his arms and away to a place they could be alone together.
“The abbey and grounds are breathtaking,” Lillith said brightly.
“I confess that I have not been here since I was a boy.”
“Claymoore Hall sits on some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen,” Aunt Lillith said. “I told Katelyn on our walk here that the woman who marries you and inherits such an amazing estate is a lucky woman indeed.”
Katelyn shifted on her feet.
“You are far too kind, Lady Nordland.”
“Lord Mawbry, your mother is waiting.” Lady Celeste’s voice came from behind him. “She told me she would like for us to sit with her.”
He felt like a young boy being scolded by his mother, and he did not like it one bit. He counted to ten twice. “Please excuse me, ladies.”
Katelyn opened her mouth as though to say something but closed it as quickly, her gaze shifting just past his shoulder to where Celeste awaited him.
* * *
During the picnic, Katelyn sat with Ronald, Aunt Lillith, Lady Anna, and her chaperone, trying not to watch Celeste and Sinjin. He had sought her out earlier, so maybe he wanted to talk with her.
“Lady Katelyn, where has your sister been?” Anna asked, popping a strawberry into her mouth.
Katelyn enjoyed the other woman’s company. Anna had an amazing ability to carry a conversation all on her own, and she annoyed Ronald to no end. He looked ruffled every single time Anna opened her mouth. “Marilyn is not feeling well, I am afraid.”
“I am so sorry to hear that,” she murmured, looking sincere in her apology. “Please send along my well-wishes to her.”
“Thank you, I shall do that.”
Celeste’s laughter interrupted the conversation. Sinjin and the duke’s daughter sat directly to Katelyn’s right, so it wasn’t difficult to miss them.
“Lord Balliford, I understand you know my uncle well,” Anna said.
“And who would your uncle be, Lady Anna?” Ronald forced joviality into his voice.
“Cornelius MacKalveroy.”
Ronald’s brows lifted high. “Indeed, I know Mr. MacKalveroy well. He owns land just east of Rose Alley.”
“Indeed, he does. I remember meeting you and your sister many years ago when I visited with him for a few weeks.”
His brows furrowed. “I am sorry, I do not recall the meeting.”
Anna’s lips curved into a smile. “Let me refresh your memory then. You and your sister were out riding, and you passed by a giant oak tree. I was playing in said oak tree, and needless to say, you were not pleased.”
“Not pleased?” Aunt Lillith asked, looking intrigued by the conversation.
“Not at all—isn’t that right, my lord?”
His lips quirked and he looked a bit flushed.
“Well, as I remember it, I was playing on a tree that was on Lord Balliford’s property and not my uncle’s.”
“Surely you jest?” Lillith said, her brows furrowing.
“I assure you, she does not jest, madam,” Balliford said, lifting his chin and looking down his nose at Lillith. “I do remember the occasion, and I was acting in Lady Anna’s best interest and mine.”
“Oh dear, I did not mean to embarrass you, Lord Balliford,” Anna said, though it appeared she definitely had.
Katelyn was not at all surprised by the story. He had so little tolerance for women or children. She could only imagine what Ronald would be like as a father. No doubt a strict disciplinarian, and God forbid they have a daughter. He would make life unbearable for both mother and child.
Anna cleared her throat. “I was shocked you had even seen me, you were so occupied.”
“Does something amuse you, my dear?” Ronald said abruptly, directing his gaze at Katelyn.
Katelyn, who had been enjoying Ronald’s discomfort, felt her cheeks flush. “I am merely recalling a time in my youth when I visited my grandmother’s country estate.”
“I so enjoyed growing up in the country,” Lady Anna said, effectively redirecting the attention back to her, and Katelyn could have hugged her.
By the time lunch was over, Katelyn was ready to return to Claymoore Hall and see how Marilyn was faring. Lady Anna kept Aunt Lillith and Ronald engaged in conversation about a summer she spent in the Scottish highlands.
Celeste hung on Sinjin’s arm the entire way back. Katelyn had no business being angry with him, but she was. She didn’t want to share him with anyone.
“I shall see you this evening, my dear,” Ronald said to Katelyn the second they stepped into the manor. “I have business to attend to.”
“I think I shall rest.”
“Very well,” he said, leaving her with Lillith and Anna, who promptly went in search of tea.
Katelyn walked up the stairs to her room…and kept on going up the next flight. She remembered Sinjin showing her from the gardens where his room was. If she recalled, he was on the third floor, corner chamber.
She would be horrified if someone caught her sneaking around the host’s chambers, but she could not stop herself from going.
Laughter coming from the landing stopped her in her tracks, and she quickly hid behind a thick drapery panel. Her heart pounded in her ears as she heard two women conversing, and the topic of conversation made her pause.
“I do not know why I am even staying on any longer. Lady Celeste has surely won his heart.”
“There are two other brothers, dearest,” an older woman’s voice said.
“Yes, but Sinjin is the heir. He is extremely wealthy in his own right. My cousin said he has an incredible business sense.”
“I think it is because you do not care for Lady Celeste that it hurts as it does.”
“Shhh, lest someone hear us.” The woman lowered her voice. “All my life I have had to live in that mise
rable woman’s shadow. True, the younger Raybornes are a considerable catch as well, but it is just this once I wanted to win.”
“The ring is not on her finger yet, my dear.”
“No, it is not. We have three more nights before the party ends.”
“And anything can happen in three nights.”
“I have even heard the rumor some women are being invited to the family estate in Rochester.” They continued down the hallway and their voices faded.
Was it true that certain women were being invited to the family’s main estate?
How very sobering.
Taking a steadying breath, Katelyn slipped from behind the curtain. Twice she nearly turned back, but when she reached the top floor, she forced herself to take the steps that led to the last room at the end of the long hallway. By the time she reached the door, she thought of a million reasons why she should abort the plan.
She stood poised at the door, hand fisted, ready to knock, when the door whipped open and Sinjin appeared.
Her heart gave a sharp jolt, and it was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms.
He looked shocked to see her.
“I—um.” She shifted on her feet.
A slow smile spread across his lips. “Lady Katelyn, what a wonderful surprise.”
“I—wanted to see you.”
He glanced past her shoulder. “Please, come in.”
Not wanting to be caught standing at Sinjin’s door, Katelyn did not hesitate and stepped into the room.
Everything about the space screamed masculinity, from the large, dark furniture to the imposing, canopied bed with dark panels that took up the far end of the room.
She could feel him watching her intently, and she struggled to find the exact words she wanted to say.
He took a seat on the edge of his bed, leaning back on his elbows, looking as in control as could be, and so incredibly sexy she wanted to rip his clothes off, push him onto his back, and have her way with him.
“You wished to speak with me?” he prompted.
She chewed her bottom lip. “I—”
He lifted a brow.
“This was probably a mistake.” Katelyn had a hand on the door handle when she felt him behind her. He placed his hand over hers, urging her fingers away from the handle.
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