Beguiling the Earl (18 page)

She questioned whether she’d ever have that opportunity. When she retired for the evening, she was beyond frustrated. She’d spent the entire evening in Kerrick’s company, but the only private exchange they’d had was after his arrival when they’d shared a few words.

Catherine mulled over her situation as her maid helped her out of her dress and into her nightgown. So engrossed was she in her own thoughts that it wasn’t until she was seated at her dressing table that she noticed her maid was strangely silent. Normally Lily liked to chatter, but she hadn’t said a word as she removed the pins from Catherine’s hair.

She turned in her seat to face the young woman. “You are very quiet this evening, Lily.”

Her maid looked away and seemed to wrestle with herself before speaking. “I’m so sorry, Miss Evans.”

Guilt flickered over the other woman’s face and the breath froze in Catherine’s lungs as her mind leapt to the worst possible scenario. “Who did you tell?” she finally managed.

Lily appeared confused. “Tell?”

“About my visit to Lord Kerrick’s town house. Who did you tell?”

Her maid shook her head vehemently. “Oh no, I didn’t tell anyone. I promised not to.”

The tightness in her chest eased a bit. “Then what are you sorry for, Lily?”

The woman hesitated a moment before reaching into the pocket of her uniform and pulling out a folded note. “The footman gave me this note to give to you. He said it was from Her Grace, but the handwriting seemed like it was written by a man. I wasn’t sure if I should give it to you.”

It was clear her maid was having some misgivings about agreeing to keep her mistress’s secrets. Catherine kept her tone even when she replied. “Do you trust me to know what I am doing?”

That was the crux of the matter. Did Lily see her as a flighty young girl acting impetuously, chasing after a man who was unavailable?

“If Lady Overlea finds out—”

“Nothing will happen to you, Lily. My sister knows me well enough to know that I can be very stubborn when it comes to getting what I want. If she learns of my… activities… and blames anyone, it will be me. I’ll make sure that nothing happens to you.”

“And what about you, Miss Catherine? Who will make sure that nothing happens to you?”

Catherine held her hand out for the note. When Lily released her tight hold on it, she smiled at the young woman. “I will. You and I both know that Lord Kerrick would do nothing to anger Lord Overlea.”

That wasn’t strictly the truth, but the words seemed to give Lily some comfort. Catherine ached to dismiss her and read the note, but if she expected her maid to believe she was a capable young woman with a good head on her shoulders, she was going to have to act the part—no matter how much it killed her to wait.

Catherine turned back to the mirror, placed the note on her dressing table, and waited for her maid to finish taking down her hair and brushing it out. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Catherine bade the woman good night and watched her leave the room.

Her hands were almost shaking when she turned the note over. It was sealed and across the front her name was written in a bold scrawl. Catherine broke the seal and unfolded the paper. Her eyes eagerly scanned the few words that were written there.

I am doing all that I can to conclude the matter we discussed. Please do not give up hope.

I miss you.

—K

Catherine clutched the note to her chest. It was a poor substitute for Kerrick’s presence, but it was all she had of him.

ooOoo

Catherine slept later than normal the following morning. Since her sister’s pregnancy meant that Louisa had difficulty keeping food down in the morning, and since Nicholas tended to hover over his wife most mornings, they rarely went downstairs for breakfast. Catherine had, therefore, started asking for a breakfast tray to be brought to her room. She rang for her maid to bring up her customary tea and toast, but when the young woman arrived she informed Catherine that Rose had called was waiting for her in the drawing room.

Lily helped her dress quickly while Catherine tried to remember if she’d made plans to go shopping with Rose that morning. She’d had so much on her mind of late that she wouldn’t be surprised to learn she’d forgotten.

When she entered the drawing room ten minutes later, she could tell immediately that Rose was upset. She sat perched on the edge of the settee, her hands clenched in her lap as she stared off into space.

Catherine crossed the room and sat next to her friend. “I thought that perhaps I had forgotten another one of your excursions to Bond Street, but from the look on your face I can see that isn’t the case. I’m almost afraid to ask what has happened.”

Rose glanced to the doorway to make sure they were alone before replying. “My parents think I have an early appointment with the dressmaker and don’t know I’ve come to see you.”

“I assume you led them to believe that, but I don’t understand why.”

“It’s simply dreadful, Catherine. Apparently Father has been hearing rumors about Lord Kerrick spending so much time here.”

Rose’s concern confused her. “It is hardly a secret that he and my brother-in-law are the best of friends. Everyone knows that. Why should it matter if he occasionally has dinner here?”

“It’s because of you. Father thinks that Kerrick is playing me for a fool and that it is you he means to marry.”

Catherine turned away and shook her head as she struggled to hide the panic that was beginning to rise at her friend’s words.

“You already know how I feel,” Rose said when Catherine didn’t reply. “I hope fervently that what he says is true. But Father is very angry about it and he has forbidden me from seeing you again. If you can imagine, he believes you are using me to get closer to Lord Kerrick. I fear he would never forgive me if he learned that I am doing everything in my power to promote the match.”

“You shouldn’t say such a thing—”

“Whyever not? I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and it is clear I am not the only person who has noticed.”

Catherine felt as though she were being ripped in two. She hated lying to her friend, especially since it was clear that Rose was no fool and could see for herself how she and Kerrick felt despite their attempts to hide it. That others were beginning to notice was a disaster. The very last thing she wanted was to betray Kerrick’s trust in her. She couldn’t be the reason his inquiries failed or he would never again trust her. And if she lost his trust, would he continue to care for her?

She wanted to believe he loved her as much as she did him, but she couldn’t quiet that niggling voice that told her she could be easily replaced. Kerrick was by no means an old man—he was only nine-and-twenty—but he was more experienced than her. He was a man of the world and she knew he’d had lovers. How realistic would it be to believe he wouldn’t be able to replace her in a heartbeat?

She had to choose her words carefully or her very perceptive friend would know she was lying.

“Kerrick and I are just friends.”

Rose shook her head in exasperation. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Lord Kerrick and I are not yet betrothed. If you would exert yourself a little, allow him to see how you truly feel about him, I know in my heart that he would give up his ridiculous courtship of me. I don’t understand why you don’t at least try.”

“I am afraid, Rose. Afraid that my feelings for Kerrick will only end in heartbreak.” And that, at its core, was the earth-shattering truth. The one she tried not to think about as she struggled to push away her doubts.

“I think my father means to press him to declare his intentions soon.”

A stab of panic went through Catherine. “Would he really do that?

Rose nodded solemnly. “I believe so. I know he’s always desired a match between us—Mama is very good friends with his mother and when I was young they often talked about how wonderful it would be to unite our families. But lately it’s not just a wish. He seems almost desperate for a match between us.”

Catherine hadn’t wanted to believe that Lord Worthington had committed whatever crime it was that Kerrick was investigating, but Rose’s confusion about her father’s unusual behavior was setting off internal alarm bells.

She tried to keep her voice even as she asked, “Is there a reason for this change?”

“Not that I can think of,” Rose said with a small shake of her head. “Hoping to ease the way for you and Kerrick, I told Father that I didn’t want to marry him.”

Catherine winced inwardly as she imagined how Kerrick would react to that news. “What did he say to that?”

“He wouldn’t hear of it. He told me that I had to make sure to hold Lord Kerrick’s favor. But worse than the fact that my father doesn’t care if I have any feelings for my future husband was the look in his eyes. I was going to press the issue, but something in Father’s eyes frightened me. He looked afraid.”

“Of what?” Catherine asked, finding that she had to work to keep her breathing even.

“I don’t know. We aren’t having money problems… We were until recently, but Father came into some sort of inheritance. And let us be frank—I could align myself with any number of men, some with titles much more prestigious and estates far wealthier than Lord Kerrick’s.”

“But not the man you really want.”

“No,” Rose said, and Catherine could see that she was trying to put on a brave face. “He might as well be a figment of my imagination for how likely I am to be noticed by him. I daresay I’ll forget about him in time. He’s far too old for me anyway.”

Catherine’s curiosity was piqued, but from Rose’s closed expression she knew her friend had no intention of sharing anything further about the mysterious man. It was only then that Catherine realized just how stressful this situation was on her friend as well. She’d been so wrapped up in her own worries that she hadn’t fully given thought to the pressure Rose was facing. And if her father was guilty of any wrongdoing, the repercussions she faced would likely lead to her ruin. Just thinking about it threatened to make her breathless with dread.

“I’m not sure what I can say or do that would make this whole situation easier,” Catherine said.

“There’s nothing you can do. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be allowed see you for a little while. And if Lord Kerrick does propose and I deny him…” A shudder went through her. “To be honest, I’m not sure Father would actually allow me to do so. One way or another, this situation must come to an end soon.”

Rose stood and Catherine followed her to the door. After saying their good-byes, she returned to her bedroom to pen a note to Lord Kerrick. She had to warn him about what was coming with Lord Worthington, but she also had to be careful about how she worded the note lest someone else see it. In the end, she decided the situation was urgent enough to warrant her use of the code they had devised that would tell him she needed to see him right away. Impatient, she took a sheet of paper from her small lap desk, dipped her quill in a bottle of ink, and wrote one word—
Daffodils
.

Catherine knew Kerrick wasn’t fond of opera, but still she looked for him that evening. When she didn’t see him before the curtain rose, she was on tenterhooks during the performance, hoping that he would drop by their box during the intermission. Or perhaps waylay them after the opera was over.

When he failed to show, she began to second-guess herself. Kerrick had assured her that he would find a way to speak to her if she sent him a note with their code word. But it was impossible not to worry when she wondered if Lord Worthington was, even at that moment, pressing Kerrick to declare his intentions to Rose. If Kerrick was forced to do so for the sake of his investigation and if Rose was pressured by her parents to accept… then it was all over. She knew Kerrick enough to know he had a deeply ingrained sense of honor. Even if society did not frown heavily on a gentleman for behaving in such a selfish manner, she knew he would never humiliate Rose by breaking off an engagement.

By the time they returned to the town house, her concern had grown into a huge ball of despair that weighed heavily on her heart. She wasn’t successful in hiding her feelings. But when Nicholas asked her what was the matter, she managed a small smile and told him that her head was aching.

She made her way up to her bedroom and found her maid approaching from the other end of the hallway.

“You don’t look well, Miss Evans,” Lily said as they entered the bedroom together.

“It’s just a touch of the headache. I’m sure I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

Lily took down her hair with quick, efficient motions. “Would you like me to bring you something before you turn in?”

“That won’t be necessary,” she said, standing so her maid could undo the buttons at the back of her gown.

She barely managed to hold back a small squeak of surprise when she caught a quick movement behind the dressing screen in the corner of her room. Her heart gave a small leap and she kept her eyes trained in that direction as Lily helped her out of her dress and the constraining corset she wore beneath. When her maid moved to the bed to fetch her nightgown, her back to the screen, Kerrick popped his head out from behind it. He raised a finger to his lips to signal that she should remain silent and gave her a quick wink before ducking back behind the screen. Catherine didn’t realize she’d been grinning until her maid commented on it.

“You seem to be in a better mood already.”

Catherine nodded and did her best to school her expression. “It is such a relief to be able to take a deep breath again,” she said before ushering Lily to the door.

“But your nightgown…”

“I am so tired I think I’ll just sleep in my chemise.”

When Lily left, Catherine locked the door behind her and offered up a quick thank-you that several rooms stood between her bedroom and the master bedroom. When she turned to face the screen, Kerrick had already moved into the open.

Her voice was barely above a whisper when she asked, “How did you get in here?” She shook her head, amazed that he would risk being caught sneaking into her bedroom and, if truth be told, more than a little delighted at his audacity.