by Amelia Grey
“Thank you. You are a dear friend.”
“So now will you put in Lord Truefitt’s column tomorrow afternoon that Miss Reynolds has decided to join their ill-conceived race and she expects to win? And after she does, she will not accept the attention of either gentleman.”
Lynette reached over and gave Catherine an unexpected hug, and it made Catherine feel warm inside.
“Leave it to me,” Lynette said. “I’ll take care of everything.”
Lynette and Catherine parted ways when they returned to the teeming party. Catherine immediately started looking for John in the midst of a hundred people, but instead she bumped into his friend Lord Dugdale.
“Miss Reynolds, it’s nice to see you this evening.”
“Is it?” she asked, not seeing any reason to be more than vaguely polite to John’s unfriendly friend.
“Yes. I was hoping I could have a few minutes with you.”
She studied his face. She didn’t see the cold hostility she’d seen in his eyes the last time they’d talked to each other, but she wasn’t in any frame of mind to be interrogated by him again.
“I really don’t think we have anything to say to each other, my lord, so if you will excuse me—”
“Wait.” He gently took her upper arm when she started to pass him.
She glared at him, and he quickly let her go.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” He looked around to see if anyone in the packed room noticed his breech of etiquette.
Catherine knew the room was too busy with people talking, laughing, and drinking to have noticed his impropriety. The intensity of the noise was too powerful for anyone to have even heard their words.
“What I have to say to you is important. Hear me.”
She started to deny him, but her curiosity got the better of her, and instead she said, “Very well, you can walk with me to get a cup of punch.”
“Thank you, Miss Reynolds,” he said.
Catherine couldn’t help but notice they received many surprised looks and some outright stares as they made their way over to the punch table. No doubt everyone had heard about the race between Lord Chatwin and Lord Westerland, and this was the first time she’d been seen alone with Lord Dugdale. Some of them had to be wondering what was going on.
Catherine smiled to herself. She would love it if more rumors started flying about her and Lord Dugdale. The way she was feeling right now, she would be happy to cause John even a moment of concern.
The earl handed her a cup of punch and took a glass of wine for himself. He escorted her over to a corner away from the other people in the room.
Feeling confident in what she’d decided to do about the race, she said, “Now, what can I do for you, my lord? Do you have more dire warnings or evil threats to give me concerning John?”
“Was I that bad that evening I met you?”
He looked sincere, but she wasn’t in the mood to pacify him. “You were like a charging boar, and I was your prey.”
“I hope you will forgive me. I’d had a little too much to drink that night and I—well, I didn’t behave properly.”
Catherine suddenly felt weary. She didn’t need to see John. Not with the way she was feeling. One moment she was so angry with him she wanted to hurt him, and the next she was afraid she might break down and tell him she loved him.
She didn’t want to do that. She couldn’t bear it if he felt sorry for her.
She sipped her punch and looked back into Lord Dugdale’s eyes. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to tell you that John is in love with you.”
For a moment she couldn’t say anything, but then she realized that he must be playing some kind of game. She wouldn’t fall for it.
“How wonderful,” she said in a false happy voice. “He loves me so much he’s willing to risk losing the right to pursue me. You must think me an idiot, Lord Dugdale,” she said and wished she was drinking champagne rather than punch.
“No. Look into my eyes, Miss Reynolds. I’m serious about this. John has been denying this almost from the moment he saw you, but I knew it from the first time he told me you had stolen his horse.”
Catherine could not let his words get to her. He was trying to trick her, but why? Did he want her to say she loved him, too, so he could laugh at her or tease her?
Her eyes narrowed in on his. “Oh, yes, his horse. I should have known you wanted to talk about that.”
“I’m telling you what I know to be true because I don’t know if he will. I don’t know if John realizes yet that he loves you, so I’m asking you to be patient with him.”
“Sir, you have a bad habit of speaking for John. He does not need you to threaten ladies for him, and he doesn’t need you to tell them he loves them. You need to learn to stay out of his concerns.”
Catherine handed her empty punch cup to him and walked away. She would find Vickie, plead a headache, and go home. She didn’t want to see John tonight. She needed to wait until she had collected her thoughts and decided just what she would say to him.
Should she show him her anger for what he’d done or should she show him her love?
Twenty-one
IT HAD TAKEN him the entire night and half the morning, but John had finally come up with a plan and he was ready to get started. He grabbed his coat and jerked open his front door only to see Andrew walking toward him. John didn’t have time to waste with Andrew.
“I’m glad I caught you before you left your house,” Andrew said as he neared John.
John shoved his arms in his coat and answered, “Just pretend you didn’t. I have a lot of things to do today, Andrew. I don’t have time for a visit.”
“Then perhaps you’ve seen this?” Andrew held up a sheet of newsprint.
“No, I haven’t and I don’t want to,” he said, pulling his cuffs out of the sleeves of his coat. “I’m tired of looking at those things. I don’t care what it says.”
“Oh, I think you will this time.”
“No, I won’t.” He took the paper from Andrew and wadded it in both of his hands and threw it back into the house. It landed in the umbrella stand. He then closed the door behind him and started down the walkway toward his carriage.
Andrew fell into step beside him. “You’re in such a temper, I should just let someone else tell you what’s going on, but because I’m your best friend and I feel a bit guilty about some things, I’m not going to let that happen.”
John stopped. “Guilty about what?”
“I may have been less than kind to Miss Reynolds in the past, but that’s not important right now. It seems there will be a third rider in your race with Westerland.”
“What? Another man wants in on this?” John swore under his breath. “I don’t believe this. Who is he?”
“Not he, my friend, she. Lord Truefitt says that Miss Reynolds will be joining your race.”
“What the devil?”
“And he goes on to say that she’s excellent on a horse and expects to win. Furthermore, after she wins she won’t allow either you or Westerland to pursue her.”
John’s mood turned dark. “Do not play with me about this, Andrew.”
He put his hand over his heart. “I swear to you I’m not.”
“Damnation.” John turned away. “What the devil is she thinking?”
“Maybe that she doesn’t want to be the prize in a game for two men who have nothing better to do in their lives than race horses.”
But that had changed. John did have something better to do with his life now, and Catherine was the one who had helped him realize that.
Suddenly John chuckled.
Andrew shook his head. “You think this is funny?”
“No, of course not, but it doesn’t surprise me that Catherine is taking matters into her own hands. She’s like that.”
“There’s no way you will let her race with you, is there?” Andrew asked with a worried expression on his face.
John’s stom
ach twisted at the thought. “Of course not, and I don’t plan to give her up. I already have something in mind to stop this madness.”
“What can you do?”
“I’m going to do what any good Englishman would do under these circumstances.”
“Every Englishman I know would run the race and take their chances. It’s a matter of honor now, but something tells me you’re not going to do that.”
“Hell no, I’m going to kidnap her.”
Surprise lit in Andrew’s eyes. “I don’t believe it. You’re going to run off to Gretna Green with her?”
John smiled at his friend and clapped him on the shoulder. “Nothing that ordinary, my friend,” John said and walked away.
IT HAD TAKEN John all of the afternoon and way into the evening to arrange everything according to his plan. Now all he had to do was find Catherine and get her to agree with him. Mrs. Goosetree was fairly predictable about which parties she attended, and he felt sure he would find Catherine at the party given at the Great Hall.
He stopped just inside the door and looked over the crowded room. All he saw was a sea of color sprinkled with black and white. The room was packed with ladies dressed in silks, satins, and lace, and gentlemen dressed in evening coats with their white shirts and neckcloths gleaming in the candlelight. He’d be lucky if he found her in less than half an hour.
He stepped down into the large ballroom and started his search.
“Who’s going to win the race, Chatwin?” someone called to him. John waved to him but didn’t stop to talk.
“Lord Chatwin, my money is on you,” another man said as he passed.
John smiled at everyone who spoke to him, but he didn’t allow anyone to stop him as he waded through the people. He didn’t know why it had taken him so long to realize that Catherine was the only woman he wanted to be with today, tomorrow, and forever. But what would he do if she didn’t feel the same way?
He didn’t want to think about that.
Finally he saw her talking to two other ladies near the terrace doors, and a smile of contentment came to his face. She looked beautiful in an ivory-colored dress that was embroidered with tiny blue flowers. The neckline was temptingly low. Tiny blue flowers had been woven into her hair. As he walked closer he saw that she wore a necklace and matching earrings made of sapphires, and while they looked beautiful on her, that was not what he wanted to see her wearing.
He made his way over to the small group and said, “Good evening, Miss Lawson, Miss Anderson, and Miss Reynolds.”
He barely noticed the other two ladies other than to realize they spoke to him and Catherine did not. Her eyes were so cold they looked like blue ice. She didn’t have to say a word for him to know she was angry, but he saw something else in her expression that bothered him even more. She looked wounded. Didn’t she know he would never intentionally hurt her?
John’s chest tightened. He didn’t blame her. He should never have accepted that bet with Westerland. He was going to make it up to her.
“Did you hear that Catherine intends to join your race with Lord Westerland?” Miss Anderson asked.
John looked at the young lady and said, “Yes, I did,” before turning his attention back to Catherine. “I’d very much like to talk with you about that, Miss Reynolds. Do you mind if I speak to you alone?”
Her expression remained cold. “I’m sorry, Lord Chatwin, it isn’t convenient right now. Perhaps next year.”
“This is a very important matter and I really need to talk to you now.”
She took a deep breath. “Very well, excuse me, ladies.”
He lightly touched the small of her back as they walked away, and he felt her cringe from his touch.
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to even speak to me,” she said.
“When I said I had something important to discuss with you, I meant it. This way,” he said, pointing her toward the front door.
She looked at him. “Where are we going?”
“To get your cloak.”
Her eyes questioned him as much as her one word, “Why?”
“Catherine, you told me a few days ago that you trusted me. Is that still true?”
He didn’t like the way she searched his face, looking deeply into his eyes. He saw doubt in her expression that hadn’t been there before. For his plan to work she had to trust him completely.
She glanced away. “I don’t want to, but I do.”
He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he let it out on a troubled sigh. He knew he loved her with all his heart, and he had made the right decision.
“We’re going to get your cloak, and then we’re going to walk out the front door together and get into my carriage.”
“What? We can’t do that. Someone will surely see us. John, I was perfectly happy to slip out the back garden to meet you in secret, but there are at least two hundred people here tonight. I can’t just walk out the door with you. That would be madness.”
They stopped by the servant at the front door, and John asked him to bring her wrap.
“I know, but you said you trusted me. If you do, you’ll walk out with me.”
“If you want me to escape with you, why are we waiting for my wrap? Someone will see us leave.”
“That’s the point, Catherine. I want someone to see us.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with surprise. “I can’t believe this. Why would you want someone to see us?”
“Because I want everyone to know that I’ve kidnapped you from this party.”
“Kidnapped me? John, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
John reached for her cape and said, “We have to leave now. I see Mrs. Goosetree heading toward us. Do not hesitate no matter if anyone tries to stop us.”
He took hold of her arm, and they ran out the door, down the steps, and toward John’s fancy carriage. The footman held the door open while John helped Catherine inside. He then jumped in behind her and slammed the door shut as the carriage took off.
John heard Mrs. Goosetree calling Catherine’s name.
They both looked out the small back window and saw Victoria and several other people standing in the street watching them speed away.
Catherine looked at John in horror. “Did we just do what I think we did?”
He smiled and placed her wrap around her shoulders. “Yes, we did.”
“Are you mad? Have you gone insane?”
“Yes, I’m insanely jealous of you, and I don’t want to risk losing you in a horse race. And yes, I’m mad, Catherine. I’m madly in love with you.”
Yellow light from outside the carriage shone on her beautiful blue eyes that rounded in disbelief. “Don’t tease me, John.”
“I’m not. I love you, Catherine.”
She shook her head. “No. You love all ladies. We are all the same to you.”
“That used to be true until I met you. But you made me realize that I don’t love all women. I have great respect for them. Beauty and age have never mattered to me. Every woman has a special quality, but you are the only lady I have ever loved.”
Her eyes softened. “How can I believe you? You were willing to risk losing me in a horse race.”
“No, from the moment I allowed myself to be goaded into that wager by Westerland, I’ve been trying to figure a way to get out of it.”
“How can you? You will lose your honor if you don’t race him.”
He picked up her gloved hand and held it in his. “My honor is very important to me, but you are more important. I couldn’t risk losing you, so I decided to kidnap you. Everyone will think we are heading to Gretna Green, and in truth we should be, but I have something else planned. Westerland will be angry as a wild boar that I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands this way, but he’ll get over it. Besides, I’ve sent him a consolation prize.”
“What?”
“The General is being delivered to his stables as we speak.”
Her heart hammered and
then fluttered. “That can’t be true. You wouldn’t give him your horse.”
He nodded. “I have. I want you, Catherine. Nothing has ever been more important to me than you are.”
“Do you think the Marquis will consider the matter settled?”
“He’ll have no choice.” The carriage stopped. “Come on. We’re here.”
John got out and helped Catherine descend the small step.
She looked around and then said, “We’re in front of your empty building.”
“Yes. Come inside and I’ll show you.”
John told the driver to wait for them, and then he knocked on the door and it opened. The caretaker walked out and John and Catherine stepped inside.
Catherine couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I told you the room could be used for anything,” he said.
She was stunned at the transformation in the room. The walls of the building had been draped in a blue velvet fabric. In the center of the room a large Persian rug lay on the dirt floor. A bed made with gleaming white sheets and pillows stood in the middle of the rug. Nightstands had been placed on each side of the bed, and they held beautiful silver candlesticks with flickering candles bathing the room in a golden light.
“I can’t believe you did all this,” she said, knowing that the whole evening had been unbelievable. She had actually run away with John. Victoria was probably out looking for her at this very moment.
His eyes locked on hers. His hand tightened on her waist. “I’d move heaven and earth for you, Catherine.”
At that moment Catherine felt as if he’d touched the center of her soul, and she knew she’d done the right thing in trusting him and loving him.
She looked up at him with all the love she was feeling and said, “Show me what you have planned for us.”
He walked her farther inside, closer to the bed. A side table held a bottle of wine and two glasses. He poured a little of the deep red wine into the glasses and handed one to Catherine.
“You have seduced me from the moment I first saw you. I thought it was time for me to seduce you.”