“Your Grace,” Catherine attempted a curtsy. She was so off balance she might have stumbled if Lord Ince had not steadied her by placing his hand at her elbow. “I am pleased to meet you.”
“My dear, you are travel weary. We will get you upstairs. Would you like a bath?”
“I would love a bath.” Catherine managed a weak smile.
“I will escort you to your room, my dear.” Morva took her arm and led her toward the door.
The Duchess stopped to step aside for only a moment. She spoke quietly to Lord Ince, leaving Catherine standing where she was. The Duchess came right back to her as she said, “Don’t you worry, Lord Ince, I shall see she is well-cared for.”
Ruan gave Catherine a nod and left her with the Duchess.
Once inside the expansive, marble-floored entry hall, she stopped to instruct a large, well-muscled, impeccably dressed man servant. “Diggory, please arrange for hot baths for all of our ladies who have just arrived. Tell Mrs. Moon to have some tea, biscuits and cream sent up to the parlour upstairs for our new arrivals while they await their baths. Send the same to Lady Burrow’s room. She is far too exhausted to wait in the parlour. Miss Penrose shall see to our other guests while I escort Lady Burrow to her chamber.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Diggory bowed and set off to carry out his instructions.
Her bedchamber was spacious. Morva sat her down upon a settee. She sent Catherine’s maid, Marie, to go below stairs and take some nourishment. Morva sat beside Catherine and took her hands in hers.
“My dear, St. Erth is my nephew. I received a letter from him yesterday explaining your situation. Once he arrives at Menadue, he will settle you into your new home at Penhallow. Until that time, I want you to consider Menadue your home. I know you must be exhausted. You have been through a harrowing ordeal. I will see that you are bathed and fed, and I want you to stay in your bed and rest.”
“I do not wish for the others to think I am being rude.”
“Nonsense! I will take care of the others. None will think you are rude. Ruan mentioned you have slept little and eaten no more than a bird since the news of Lord Silverley came to you. You need to take care of yourself, for your babe.”
Catherine gasped in surprise. “You know my darkest secret and you wish for me to stay in your home, Your Grace?”
“Catherine, my dear, St. Erth told only me. Of course, I had to tell my son, the Duke. We shall tell no one. Your secret is safe with us. You are in Cornwall now. Marrek is my nephew, and you are my family now. You were a victim of circumstance. You fell in love with Charlie. Your father ignored your wishes and forced you into marriage with a monster who abused you horribly. Though my nephew was able to stop the abuse, you lived confined in your prison for four additional years.”
“It wasn’t like a prison, really. St. Erth made certain I was safe. I had guards and a maid of his employ. It wasn’t all that bad,” Catherine explained nervously. “I felt safe after Marrek was involved.”
“Look at me, Catherine.” Morva tipped her face upward by lifting it with a gentle finger beneath her chin. She smoothed some of the errant, chestnut strands of hair that had slipped from her pins from her face. “Your life is your own now. You will find happiness here on Bodmin Moor. You are about to be inducted into the largest family in Cornwall,” Morva chuckled.
She continued, “You will receive nothing but love from us. You are safe. You can heal. And we’ve a babe to prepare for. I know you want this child to be healthy.” Morva smiled lovingly at her. “The midwife shall check you tomorrow. We happen to have one in residence, she is family and your secret will be safe with her.”
Tears streamed down Catherine’s cheeks. “Your Grace, I was so worried about coming to a new place, among strangers, no less, especially because of my condition. But you have made me feel so welcome, thank you.”
“Don’t cry dear. Call me Aunt Morva, like everyone else does, please.” Morva caressed her face and kissed her forehead. “You will always be welcome here. Cornwall is your home now.”
“It all seems so unreal, but so wonderful. I waited so long to be free, but I thought Charlie,” Catherine paused as tears welled in her eyes. A sob escaped her. “I am sorry,” she took a deep breath.
“Shh, dear,” Morva embraced the woman. She comforted her as any mother would a daughter. Catherine began to cry harder when the Duchess enveloped her in her arms. “Charlie is gone, this is true. He left you a very special gift, Catherine. You carry his child. A part of him will always be with you.”
“I wish we could. Have. Had. Time together,” Catherine said in between sobs and proceeded to cry harder. “I always loved Charlie, for as l-long as I can remember, I loved him.”
“I know, Catherine. It was your dream. I know.” Morva held and comforted her until she was cried out.
Morva whispered, “Sometimes, God lays a different path before us than we expected. You shall not be walking yours alone. You have a family here.”
She made certain Catherine was fed, bathed and tucked into her bed. Morva knew when she and her maid slipped her between the sheets that Catherine would sleep for hours. The poor, dear girl was near to exhaustion.
As Catherine was about to drift off to sleep, she heard Morva whisper, “I will check on you later tonight, my dear.”
Catherine was between sleep and wakefulness. Her mother had passed on two years before. When she heard Morva’s voice she thought of her mother. “Yes mother,” she whispered back.
Morva wiped a tear from her cheek before she left the room. She was confident that Catherine would fit into the Chynoweth and Penaluna clan quite well.
It was a beautiful sunny day at Hartland Quay. She and Charlie sat upon a colorful blanket upon the cliff top. It felt wonderful to be home in Devon. The ocean waters sparkled in the sunlight. The breeze was fresh and warm. She could hear the waves below them as they crashed against the jagged rocks.
She felt Charlie’s hand upon her cheek and looked into his twinkling blue eyes. She felt his warm lips touch hers and his arms wind about her. She savored his warmth, his touch, his breath against her cheek. His gentle kiss. She reveled being in his embrace. She loved the smell of him, his cologne mingled with his own unique scent.
“You are free Cathy,” he whispered into her ear.
“I am free. We can marry now.” Catherine smiled brightly up at him.
Charlie returned her smile but shook his head. “No, Cathy. It was never meant to be. You are free. You must allow St. Erth to care for you. He will always keep you safe. Trust him, Cathy. Do that for me.”
“Of course I trust St. Erth, Charlie. He has kept me safe for four years. He arranged for us to see one another. But we are free to marry now, Charlie.”
“Cathy!” Charlie framed her face in his hands. “You are free. You must go on without me now. You will raise our son.”
“How can you know we are having a son? What if she is a daughter?” Catherine laughed.
“Stay with St. Erth, Cathy. I want you to be happy. I want you to know love. I want you to enjoy your life.”
The sun broke through a group of passing clouds and shone its golden beams upon them.
Charlie looked upward. “I must go now, Cathy. I shall always love you, and I know you always loved me. You must allow yourself to love another. Promise me you will.”
“Charlie! What are you talking about?”
“Promise me!” He playfully tapped his finger upon the tip of her nose. “I wish for you to be happy.”
“Very well, I promise, even though I haven’t any idea what you are talking about.”
“Remember your promise. I must go, Cathy. I love you.” Charlie dipped his head and kissed her tenderly once more.
Suddenly Catherine knew she was alone. Charlie’s warmth was gone. She opened her eyes and saw she sat upon the blanket alone. Charlie was nowhere to be seen.
“Charlie? Charlie?” Frantic, she called out for him. She wondered where he could have gone.
She realized the sun had moved behind the clouds and the golden beams of sunlight that warmed them were gone.
She rose and walked along the cliff top aimlessly searching for him. “Charlie!” She looked all about her. She felt so utterly alone. Panicked, she called out his name repeatedly as she looked left to right trying to find her love.
In the distance, far away on the cliff path, a man dressed in black walked toward her. He wore a black hat, cape and trousers. He carried a black cane. She could not make out whom he was. At first, she thought perhaps she should fear him. Though she could not see his face, she felt his presence, and oddly enough knew she must go to him. He was not a foe. She had nothing to fear from him.
Still she looked around and called for Charlie. Where was Charlie? She forgot about the dark man she was supposed to meet further on the path. She began to cry out for Charlie again. She began to sob, “Charlie! Don’t leave me. Come back, Charlie!”
Catherine sat up in the midst of the large bed in an unfamiliar room. Weak beams of early morning light filtered in through the closed draperies. She must have slept all afternoon and night! She remembered she was in Cornwall. She looked about her room hoping to see Charlie. She began to cry as she realized it had only been a dream. It had seemed so real. She had smelled his cologne. She felt his warm touch. Felt his breath on her cheek. He had kissed her. It had seemed so real!
“Oh, Charlie!” she whispered as she hugged herself tightly.
She wiped away her tears and lay back upon the pillows, feeling hollow, empty and alone. Until she felt it. A small flutter in her belly. Then another. She smiled as she realized it was her babe. Their babe. She placed her hand over her abdomen and caressed the barely visible pregnancy bump, savoring the life growing inside her. She left her hand there, feeling somehow connected to Charlie by doing so. As her eyes closed and she began to drift off, Catherine felt the warmth of a hand lying atop hers. She wasn’t certain if she heard it or if she dreamt she heard Charlie’s voice against her ear, “Rest, my love. All will be well.”
If there was one thing Marrek Penaluna, the Earl of St. Erth knew well, it was the road to Menadue. He forged on in darkness. He’d made record time making the journey from London to Cornwall. He hadn’t stopped to rest except to take a meal here and there. He stopped at an Inn and slept only five hours the night before then he was on his way again. He’d stopped at his home, Penhallow, near Draynes Wood, long enough to fetch his own horse. He instructed his trunks be brought to Menadue when they arrived. He brought a change of clothes with him. His sister was at Menadue already. He was in a hurry. He had to see Catherine. His Kitty!
He hadn’t seen her in over a year. The last time he saw her in Bath was one week before he left for his mission in India. He had returned to Cornwall to take care of business at Penhallow before departing.
Excepting the last year, they had corresponded every two or three days for the last four years. Once he went to India, he sent one letter a week to her and received one each week in return. Though the letters were weeks old by the time he received them, he cherished them. To help him know the letters were indeed from her, he had asked her initially four years ago to sign her letters with a name no one else would guess she might use. It had become their code, so to speak. He signed his letters with his Christian name, Marrek, and she signed hers Kitty.
Over the years, Marrek had come to call Catherine Feywood Hewett, the Marchioness of Burrow, by the name Kitty. Through their correspondence, they had come to know one another quite well. On his regular and numerous visitations with Kitty at Marston’s home in Bath the three years prior to his leaving England’s shores for India, he had…come to care for her.
Kitty! She was free. Creed had procured the Marquess’ signature upon divorce papers. It was the Marquess’ price to pay for being allowed to live. Burrow had helped Marrek, his men, and the Crown infiltrate and collapse a large group of men who were against the King, albeit under duress. Lords Grenville and Somerton had been arrested along with some other prominent citizens. Two foreign Heads of State wishing ill upon the English Monarchy had been ferreted out. The plan to assassinate the King was quashed. Burrow was a free man as long as he never spoke to or looked at Catherine again.
Catherine, his Kitty, was free. Unfortunately, the love of her life, Charles Inwood, Viscount Silverley, Marrek’s own close friend, Charlie, had been killed just a week before. Kitty was left alone and carrying Charlie’s child.
He had been responsible for Catherine’s well being for four years, and still felt himself responsible for her since Charlie was now gone. Marrek would care for her now. He would take responsibility for her and the child.
He was not sorry. He had no regrets. He looked forward to giving Kitty and her child a happy life. Lord knew she deserved happiness. He wanted her in his life. He wanted Kitty to be happy, with him. For sometime during the last four years he had fallen in love with her. A one-sided love to be certain, but they were close friends.
He realized he could never ask for her love. He hoped at some point in the distant future she might learn to love him or at least care for him the way a woman cares for a man. He knew she cared for him as a dear friend, for she said so often in their letters. They had become fine friends over the last four years. She and Charlie could not correspond often, for Burrow would have become livid if he found out. There had been many rumors about Charlie and Catherine spread about Hartland Peninsula before she was forced to marry Lord Burrow by her father.
In the letters, Marrek had written to her several times a week he had shared things with Kitty he never shared with any other person on Earth. He had given her himself, fully and completely.
He was five minutes away from seeing her for the first time in over a year. True, she was mourning for her love, and she carried Charlie’s child. Marrek did not care. He had to see her. He had to know if this had shattered her or if she handled it with the same grit and courage with which she had handled the catastrophe of her marriage to a cruel, heartless man who abused her badly. He had to see that she could overcome this tragedy. He had to know she was not completely broken.
After two days of much needed rest, Catherine was reading before going to sleep tonight. Marrek was due to arrive in the next day or so. She longed to see her dear friend. She started when a knock sounded on her door.
“Yes?” she called.
“Kitty?”
“Marrek? One moment.” Catherine set her book down and threw back the covers. She shrugged into her wrapper as she ran to the door and threw it open. A genuine smile lit her features as she gazed upon the only person in the world she was closest to, aside from Charlie.
Many thought St. Erth to be a dark, foreboding man with his dark hair and eyes set in harsh features, his formidable size and aloof manner. Catherine knew him to be one of the kindest, most compassionate men she had ever known.
As he stepped into her chamber, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He smelled of horse, sea air and sandalwood. For four years, Marrek had been her rock and her dearest friend.
“You’re home. I’m so glad you’re home,” she whispered against his rock-hard chest. A soft sob escaped her.
“So am I, Kitty.” Marrek embraced her, reveling in the feel of her warmth and softness against him. He had never held her in his arms before. As his body reacted to the feel of hers against his, he realized he must take great care when he was in her presence.
He released her and gave her a soft smile. “How are you, Kitty?” His fingers lightly caressed her cheek. Realizing his error, he quickly lowered his hand to his side.
“Well,” her eyes began to water, and the tears that seemed to come frequently of late, rolled down her cheeks, “I am faring well enough, I suppose. I cry nearly all of the time. I can not seem to help it.”
Marrek reached into his coat pocket and produced his handkerchief. He gently wiped her tears and presented her with it.
“Thank you.” She managed a small smi
le.
“Sit please, Kitty.” Marrek led her toward the settee. His aunt told him upon his arrival that Catherine was near exhaustion when she arrived at Menadue two days ago. “You look tired. Are you well?”
Catherine nodded. “I have rested a great deal since I arrived. I feel much better. Your aunt and your sister have been very kind.” She smiled.
Marrek liked her smile. It was something he had not seen in awhile. He had never before seen her hair loose and flowing down her back. Her chestnut hair wasn’t completely straight, but it wasn’t curly, either. It was thick and beautiful and gleamed in the lamplight as it fell past her shoulders in gentle waves. He knew her to be medium height. She was very slender. In fact, it appeared she had lost weight since he last saw her a year ago. Her face appeared much thinner and he could see evidence of her prominent collarbones where her wrapper came to a V.
“Kitty, Ruan said he informed you the divorce papers were signed.”
“Yes. I am soon to be free.” Her smile brightened.
“You are free.” Marrek could not help but return her smile. “His majesty granted the divorce without trials. I named myself as the adulterer. I was judged as guilty for the alienation of your affection from your husband. I paid my fine and Burrow was granted the divorce.”
“Marrek! Why would you do such a thing? Oh my goodness.” Catherine rose, shaking her head in disbelief as the meaning of his words sunk in. He had ruined his own reputation for her. She frowned and wrung her hands. Tears spilled upon her cheeks again. “You shouldn’t have, Marrek.”
Marrek rushed to her. “Kitty, let me explain. Do not be concerned.” He seated her again. “This was the fastest way we could get you a divorce from Burrow without a public trial. No harm has been done to me.”
“Your reputation, your family.”
He placed a reassuring hand upon her shoulder, “I am fine with this, Kitty.” She looked so distressed. “My reputation took only a small nick, and my family shall receive no censure from my actions. In the eyes of society, unfortunately, you are now quite ruined.” Marrek sighed heavily. He knew the rest of what he had to say would upset her as well. Time was of the essence, the situation had to be explained to her fully.
Lords of Retribution (Lords of Avalon series) Page 18