by Lucy Langton
The first point of marrying Catherine and whisking her away to the country was to hide the existence of Beth and provide her with the best upbringing. He knew that marrying Catherine had been the best decision he had ever made. But he didn’t want to come to Town as much as she didn’t. However, when he’d received a reply from his solicitor that it would be of the up most importance if he did to conduct this business, they had all packed up and made the three-day trip to the congested place.
“You look tired,” Catherine spoke up from where she sat next to him on the bench, her arms encircling the sleeping Beth.
“I am simply weary from traveling. I will be well after a decent night’s sleep,” Marcus assured. “I’ll be right as rain by the morning.”
“I hope I will feel the same,” Catherine said as she looked back down at the child in her arms. “I am more nervous than tired anymore.”
“We will be fine, no matter what comes next,” Marcus said, wanting to reassure his wife. They hadn’t received any news about a trial for Lord Whetstone. But now that they were back in Town, it would be easier for them to hear all the latest news.
The moon was high in the sky when the carriage came to a stop in front of his townhouse. The only part of their trip to Town that excited him was the fact that he and Catherine would be sharing the same bedchamber. They had developed a mutual comfort in sharing a bed together, if only to relax and sleep together.
Once the carriage door was opened and Marcus had alighted, stretching his arms overhead, he helped Catherine down from the carriage as she moved slowly to make sure that Beth was still secure in her arms.
A second carriage soon pulled up behind them to reveal Lady Evergreen with Mrs. Denton and Mrs. Sims. The three of them were chattering happily as they stepped down from the carriage with the help of the footman. Marcus was glad to see that they were in such good spirits.
“Good evening, My Lord,” Mr. Burg said in greeting, having come to the townhouse the day before with a number of the staff. With the townhouse being much smaller than the manor in the country, fewer people were needed to staff it.
“Good evening, Mr. Burg. I’m eager to hear of any reports,” Marcus said as he guided Catherine inside. Her lady’s maid was present in the entryway with the rest of the staff who had come to greet their master. The maid was quick to guide Catherine upstairs to rest from her travels. Marcus watched her go, thinking of how he looked forward to retiring for the night with her.
“There is much that has been sent to the townhouse for your review. Your solicitor left several documents in the study,” Mr. Burg explained. Though Marcus would have preferred to wait till the morning to address any matters of business, with the knowledge that Catherine was nervous about coming to Town he thought that reviewing any documents and sharing the details with his wife might put her at ease.
“Thank you, Mr. Burg. I will see to that at once. Please see to the needs of Lady Evergreen and Lady Kingston,” Marcus said with a gesture towards his aunt as she came into the house, followed by Mrs. Denton and Mrs. Sims.
“Of course, My Lord,” Mr. Burg replied with a bow. He was quick to give orders to the rest of the staff as Marcus made his way down the hallway. Though it was late in the night, the blanket of night shielding their arrival to Town in secrecy, the house was filled with light from candelabras and wall scones. The silver mirrors behind the scones showered the house in a soft glow, helping Marcus to feel less tired with all of the light.
Once in the study on the bottom floor, Marcus saw a small fire burned in the fireplace, filling the room with a warmth he appreciated as the nights began to cool and become cold. A candelabra rested on the oak desk, shedding light on the fact that there was a small pile of papers on the desk. With a sigh, Marcus rounded the desk and sat down into the wing-backed chair. He then unbuttoned his traveling vest and draped it over the side of the chair before picking up the first letter and pulling apart the seal.
Lord and Lady Kingston,
Your presence has been requested by the Royal Magistrate to add your testimony to that of a Lord Hall in relation to a Lord Whetstone…
Marcus sighed as he read the official request from the King’s palace. The one thing he detested more than Town was having to rub elbows with elite society. There were many lords and ladies who spent more time in the royal courts than in any other part of Town to become acquainted with the Royal Family. It was simply not the type of lifestyle that Marcus desired.
After Marcus finished reading the official summons and writing a response, he focused his eyes on the other letters. He opened one to reveal a packet of papers detailing the estates and fortunes of Lord Hall. Marcus was not surprised to learn that the earl had little money to his name with no prospects in the making. It was a matter that Marcus would have to push aside for now to focus more on the urgent situations at hand.
The letter that really bothered Marcus the most was the one containing details from Lord Hunter. He was glad to see a letter from a friend amongst the small pile, but what his dear friend wrote about didn’t settle with him well.
Marcus read it once, then again to be sure he had read everything correctly. Then, he stood from his desk with the letter in hand and made his way through the house until he came to his bedchamber on the second floor.
Pushing open the door, he found Catherine having just finished dressing for the night. In her nightgown, he could easily see the contours of her body. The sight alone, with her plump breasts and round bottom, made his member stiffen with delight. But he knew that once he had recounted the details of his letter, he wouldn’t quite be in the mood to ravish his wife.
“Is something the matter?” Catherine asked as Marcus shut the door behind him. She no doubt noticed the way his brows furrowed in frustration.
“A letter from Lord Hunter. He’s written to me about the latest news in Town concerning Lord Whetstone. It seems the man is still at large despite Lord Hall’s testimony,” Marcus explained. He saw how Catherine immediately stiffened as she folded her arms over her chest.
“I don’t understand why the Royal Magistrate would allow such a thing,” Catherine said after a moment.
“He’s written to me as well, requesting both of our presence. It seems he needs more convincing,” Marcus explained. “Coming to Town was the correct choice. We simply should refrain from any social situations at the moment.”
“I’m sure Lady Evergreen may have differing opinions than you,” Catherine said as she went and sat on the edge of the four-poster bed. “We may need to persuade the Ton to our side if we are going to convince the Royal Magistrate of what happened to me.”
“We shouldn’t have to convince anybody of anything,” Marcus said, frustrated. He folded the letter from Lord Hunter back up and set it aside on the dresser by the window. Marcus looked out the windowpanes and saw the twinkling of candlelight from the other townhouses nearby. The social game was not his favourite to play. It was times like this that he wished his brother was still alive so he could live a simpler lifestyle than that of earl.
“When should we appear before the Royal Magistrate?” Catherine asked after a while. Marcus turned from the scene of Town and faced his wife as he came to stand in front of her.
“I wrote him a letter that will be delivered in the morning. We should appear in the courts tomorrow to make our statements,” Marcus said. “The sooner this matter is taken care of and we ensure Lord Whetstone won’t be causing us any more trouble, we can all return back to the countryside.” Catherine simply nodded as she looked down at her hands, now folded in her lap. Marcus sighed, wishing he didn’t need to be the bearer of bad news.
“Come to bed with me, Marcus,” she said in a soft voice as she looked back up at him, her blue eyes filled with tears. Marcus’ heart seemed to stiffen even more as he quickly undressed and snuffed out all the candles.
In the darkness, Marcus made it back to the bed and crawled underneath the covers. He then held Catherine to his body, hi
s arms tight around her to help her feel relaxed and comforted.
“No matter what happens tomorrow, Catherine, I won’t let anyone hurt you again,” Marcus whispered into her hair. He kissed the top of her head and felt her shiver in his arms.
“Thank you, Marcus. I love you,” she replied.
“And I love you, too,” Marcus said as he closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again they would both feel somewhat better. They would need their strength and courage the next day to appear in the royal court to take care of this dire matter.
~*~
When Catherine woke, she felt a constriction in her chest. Sleeping had allowed her body to relax, and the wonderful dream she’d had experienced of playing with Beth as a young girl had allowed her mind to forget her nervous reality. But now that her eyes were open and the sunlight was pulling in from the window, she remembered what Marcus had told her the night before.
Catherine turned in the bed to face her husband. He laid on his back, the covers tossed away. His chest rose and fell as he slept, making Catherine think that he looked rather peaceful at the moment as though nothing could bother him. She didn’t want to wake him and was sure once she tried to move from the bed that he would be woken.
So, for the moment, she simply watched him sleep. His brown hair had fallen over his face, making him appear alluring and mysterious. She raised a hand and gently pushed back his dishevelled hair, thinking she was truly lucky to have fallen in love with the man she had married.
When she felt the call of nature too strongly to ignore, she finally moved from underneath the cover and placed her feet on the floor. After finishing her business in the dressing room, she began to look through the wardrobe for something suitable to wear. It was as she was pulling out a lovely yellow gown that Marcus spoke up from the bed.
“Your lady’s maid is supposed to take care of that for you,” he said as he leaned up on his elbows.
“I was trying not to wake you by summoning her,” Catherine retorted as she laid the gown on the back of the settee and returned to the bed. She crawled over to him and laid down beside him, resting her hand on his bare chest.
“I can think of more enjoyable ways to be woken,” he said with a smirk as he picked up her hand and began to kiss her knuckles. The feeling of his warms lips on her bare skin sent delightful shivers all over her body.
“A thought for another time, I suppose,” Catherine said as she pulled her hand away from his lips. “I want to get this visit with the Royal Magistrate over with.”
“I don’t like the idea of going any more than you do,” Marcus said as she rose from the bed once more. “But I don’t want this one matter to ruin us.”
“I don’t think it will ruin us, Marcus,” Catherine said as she pulled the servant’s cord. “But I don’t want it to define us, either.”
Silence fell between them as their valet and lady’s maid arrived to take care of their needs. Once Catherine was dressed, her hair braided and pinned to the top of her head, she left their bedchamber to go see for herself how Beth had faired the night.
Crossing the hallway to the nursery, Catherine pulled open the door to see the small child crawling across the floor as she chased after Mrs. Denton, who was trying to deal with the soiled cloths. Catherine couldn’t help but chuckle as she leaned down and picked up Beth as the child giggled with delight to see a familiar face.
“Are you giving Mrs. Denton trouble this morning, young lady?” she asked the child. Beth reached out and placed her hands on Catherine’s face as she smiled with delight. “I will take that response as a yes.”
“No, the child is never trouble at all,” Mrs. Denton said as she returned.
“Lord Kingston and I have to go out for the day. I’m not sure when we will return,” Catherine explained.
“Tis none of my business, yet I thought as much. There had to be a good reason to up and move to Town with such short notice,” Mrs. Denton said with a kind smile upon her lips. She folded her hands and looked at the two of them, seeming to be pleased with what she was seeing.
“My biggest concern is how Beth has fared during the trip and if she rested well last night,” Catherine said, wanting to steer the conversation away from the reason for them coming to Town.
“She is the happiest child that ever did live,” Mrs. Denton assured. “You can be assured that she will be well taken care of in your absence.”
“I hope there won’t be many absent moments in the future,” Catherine said as she looked down at Beth. The child was trying to undo her hair, and all Catherine could think to do was laugh as though they were playing a game.
“With title comes responsibilities. We all understand,” Mrs. Denton said. Catherine only nodded as she rocked Beth in her arms.
“Let’s go down and have some breakfast, shall we?” she asked Beth. She simply giggled in response, a sound that Catherine thought was the sweetest in the world.
By the time they went downstairs, Marcus was already in the dining room with Lady Evergreen. The widow looked tired and had dressed in a simple burgundy day gown. Very little was on her plate that morning, and Catherine worried that the trip to Town had completed exhausted her.
“I was just telling Marcus how important it is to dress in the finest clothes when approaching the Royal Magistrate,” Lady Evergreen said as Catherine settled down at the table, placing Beth in her child’s chair so she could sit at the table as well. Mrs. Denton sat to her right, ensuring the child was looked after for the morning meal.
“Is it really that important? After all, it should be a simple discussion,” Catherine reasoned. A footman came forward and served Catherine toast with jam and butter and a warm portage with honey.
“It is really up to the Royal Magistrate if he will see you privately, or in front of other magistrates to question the two of you. You really never know until you arrive at court,” Lady Evergreen said as she raised her teacup to her lips and took a long drink.
“I’m sure the Royal Magistrate will appreciate a well-dressed earl and countess,” Marcus spoke up. “I will tell Mr. Burg to have our finer clothes prepared.” He rose from the table then, his plate of food untouched, and left to go speak with the butler.
“He seems rather put off,” Catherine pointed out.
“He’s just nervous, is all. It appears that he’s more worried about how this will affect everyone than about whether justice will come to pass,” Lady Evergreen observed.
“Is he really that concerned about reputation?” Catherine asked.
“No, my dear. He simply wants his family to be happy,” Lady Evergreen corrected after another sip of tea. “I shall retire to my bedchamber after breakfast. I am not the young chicken I used to be.”
“I shall be certain not to speak that truth,” Catherine said with a chuckle. “With you being back in Town, I’m certain that your lady friends will call upon you.”
“Once I have rested, I shall return to my own townhouse to entertain company. I can only imagine what people have been saying when it comes to Marcus. I will try to do my best to answer their needling questions,” Lady Evergreen said. “Once the dust settles with Lord Whetstone, it wouldn’t hurt for you and Marcus to appear in society once more to make the rumours go away.”
“I was never very good at social gatherings,” Catherine said before taking a bite of toast.
“But you did so well at the ball. That is, before the incident happened.”
“And that is why I feel I can’t show my face in society. I’m afraid of seeing someone from the ball and remembering that terrible morning.”
“You can’t let fear dictate how you live your life, Catherine. If I had allowed my husband’s scandalous actions to push me into the shadows of shame, I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today.” Lady Evergreen set her empty teacup aside and gave Catherine a pointed look. Catherine hoped that she could be as strong the widowed countess one day.