Echoes of Pemberley (41 page)

The door opened again and Catie turned around. Suddenly unable to breathe, she moved away from Rose and closer to Sarah. Sarah reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

Mrs. Kelly’s smile widened at the sight of her children filing slowly into the room, led by their eldest brother. The youngest, Joseph, was crying as he came to the side of his aunt’s bed. “Auntie . . . ” he whimpered.

“Come here, Joseph, my boy.” Rose reached out for the child, no more than twelve, and pulled him to her cheek. Catie noticed the boy’s sorrow lighten as Rose whispered some sweet assurance into his ear. “You hear me now?” Rose asked, releasing him.

Joseph Kelly bobbed his head and then sought the consoling embrace of his mother.

With his family now intact, Mr. Kelly offered his own string of introductions: “My sons, Mr. Darcy . . . Sean, I believe you already know.” Ben nodded. “Next to him in age are Gabriel, then Ronan, Cian, and the wee lad there with his mammy is our youngest, Joseph.” Although Catie longed to scrutinize every Kelly face intently, her eyes would not allow her to stop fixating on the one that had monopolized her thoughts each night before surrendering to sleep. It had been over two months since she had last laid eyes on him, and she was pleased that her memory had preserved every detail of his face. His hair was all that had changed, much longer than when she saw him last.

Sean caught her gaze and smiled faintly, but Catie looked away.

“Rose, dear,” Ben leaned down close to her and said, “I must get Sarah home. We’ll be ’round to see you in the morning. Let me know if they don’t take good care of you, because — ”

“I shall be fine,” Rose stopped him, patting his hand.

“Say your goodbyes now,” he said to Sarah and Catie, and turned to the wool-coated Irishman. “Mr. Kelly, where is your family staying?”

“I’m not sure yet, Mr. Darcy. We came straight to the hospital, of course.” Mr. Kelly looked weary as though he hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.

“Grand! Then you will stay at Pemberley,” Ben declared, putting up his hand, fully prepared for Mr. Kelly’s rejection. “I am sure your sister-in-law has sufficiently portrayed my deficient character to you. I have a stubborn-lacking ability to take no for an answer. It is an infamous trait.”

“And my husband does have a reputation to uphold, Mr. Kelly,” Sarah added with a convincing smile. “Please stay with us. We have more than enough room, and any family of Rose’s is family to us.”

Mr. Kelly looked at his wife and then made a passing glance over the faces of his children. His eyes lingered on them momentarily. “Mrs. Kelly and I will accept your gracious offer, but the boys will stay in the cottage our Seany lived in over the summer.”

“But, Mr. Kelly,” Sarah exclaimed. “That cottage is so small; your sons will be much more comfortable in the house.”

“Mrs. Darcy, I mean no offence to your kind offer, but I have spent the last twenty years raising this lot and I can guarantee you that your fine home is no place for my rowdy cubs.”

Appraisingly, Sarah scanned over the sturdy teenage boys. “As you wish, Mr. Kelly. Visit with Rose as long as you like. Your rooms will be ready for you when you arrive.”

As Catie followed Ben and Sarah out, she could feel Sean’s gaze on her, willing her to turn to him. She desired more than anything to once again meet his eyes with hers, but she never looked up. He had broken her heart, and for that she couldn’t forgive him.

The ride home was silent, the trials of the day having finally caught up with each of them. Once back at Pemberley, they climbed the stairs like shire workhorses that had been in the fields since dawn. When they reached the top of the landing, Ben gave Catie a peck on her head and sent her to bed.

“Bennet, Sarah, I need ask you something,” she announced, stopping them. “I want to stay home until Rose has recovered.” Catie’s eyes darted from Ben’s to Sarah’s and then back again.

“No, Catie, you will return to school tomorrow afternoon as planned,” Ben said gently. “Now go to bed. You must be as exhausted as we are.”

Her body might have been exhausted, but her determination was wide awake. “But, Ben, I will only be distracted worrying about Rose. It isn’t fair that I must be over an hour away. What if she needs me? What if she gets sick again?”

Catie’s eyes had a willful gleam that told Ben how important this was to her. In his heart, however, he didn’t feel it was for the best. He reasoned, “You will get behind on your work, Catherine, and I can’t allow that.”

“But that’s easily solved. You can have my lessons sent from school, and I can do my course work here at home until Rose is better.”

“Without instruction?” he asked. “Catie, it’s not feasible. I do not have the time to interview and hire you a tutor, and your schoolwork will suffer. I shall come for you on the weekends and that is the end of it.” Ben swept his hand through the air, a gesture meant to end the discussion.

Sarah, who wasn’t required to submit to such gestures, took this as her cue. “Of course, I could instruct her.” Ben gave his wife a look so incredulous, it forced Sarah to retaliate. “Don’t look at me like that, Bennet. My teaching credentials may be dusty, but I do not think them obsolete.”

“Now there’s a grand idea if I’ve ever heard one!” Catie exclaimed, smiling broadly.

Ben looked from sister to wife and knew his only hope was to divide and conquer. “Catherine, go to bed. Sarah and I need to discuss the matter privately.”

Unable to stop herself, Catie asked, “And may I expect an answer before I go to sleep?”

“You can expect an answer when I have one. Now go to bed.”

Without so much as a nod to her brother, Catie spun around on her heels and went to her room. Only a mild defiance, considering she had the will to argue the matter till dawn.

* * *

Sarah exhaled a relaxing breath as the caressing silk of her nightdress made its way down her body. She slid on her dressing gown and crossed the corridor to check on her sleeping sons. There had been no more signs of stomach upset since late last evening, and their heads felt cool to the touch. She bestowed a kiss on their cheeks and quietly left the room.

Ben was lying on the sofa of their sitting room with an arm draped over his eyes. “Rose gave me quite a scare this morning,” he said as she came in.

“The scary part will be getting her to follow the doctor’s orders once we get her home.” Sarah loaded her hands with lotion and smoothed it down her arms, with extra effort at the elbows. Then she sat on the sofa and leaned against his legs to apply the remainder to her shins. “Did you have the cottage readied for the Kelly boys?” she asked casually.

“Heat and lights have already been turned on,” he replied lightly.

“Well, goodnight, darling.” Sarah leaned over to give him a kiss but was halted by Ben raising his arm and revealing his eyes.

“Goodnight? What do you mean
good-
night?”

“Its meaning, I believe, is universal, Mr. Darcy. A polite parting till morning, wishing the person you are offering it to a restful sleep.”

“You know what I mean, Sarah. Are you not going to try and convince me to allow Catie to stay home for the duration of Rose’s recovery?”

“Why would I do that, darling? The decision is yours after all.”

Ben leaned up on one arm. “It isn’t that I don’t want her here. It’s just, what if Rose does get sick again? You heard the doctor. She’s not out of the woods yet.”

“Catie is capable of enduring more than you give her credit for.”

“I knew you were going to say that.” He smiled at her.

She smiled back. “Well, it’s true. Plus having her here might be beneficial to Rose.”

He sighed thoughtfully. “But will having her here be beneficial to you. Sarah, I need not tell you that my sister is not the most attentive student to her studies.”

“You may not believe this, Bennet Darcy, but when I was still teaching, the children referred to me as Miss Meanie.” He chuckled. “But you’re right.” She twitched her mouth ruefully. “With Rose recovering I
will
be stretched to my limits.”

“Exactly,” he concurred.

“Though with Catie’s elegant hand, she would be very helpful with my secretarial duties in Rose’s absence. I mean the Christmas invitations will be coming in starting this week, and they must be attended to. And the — ”

“All right . . . all right, she can stay! I’ll be damned to misery if she doesn’t!” Ben sat up and was met with a satisfied shine in his wife’s face. “Miss Meanie.”

Sarah laughed and tried once again to kiss him, but he stopped her.

“Oh, no, I’m not finished. There will be rules.”

“Like?”

“Like . . . if I see that she is falling behind in her studies, she will be at Davenport before the day is out. And furthermore, she
is
returning to school at the start of the next term . . .
even
if Rose isn’t one hundred percent!”

“Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of at the moment.” Ben fell back on the sofa and threw his arm over his eyes again.

“I do love you, Bennet Darcy.” Sarah lifted his arm and finally kissed him.

“Yes, yes,” he replied and waved her away.

Smiling, Sarah got up and headed towards the hall. “I shall be back directly.”

“Where are you going now?”

“Why, to tell Catie she can stay home for a few weeks.”

“Please tell me, Sarah Darcy, was the ink dry on our marriage certificate before the two of you began to conspire against me?”

“Oh, Bennet, we weren’t even engaged when your sister and I began conspiring against you.” She disappeared around the corner and then popped her head back into the room. “Ben, would you please go down and fix me a sandwich? I’m starving.”

“
Starving
? Sarah, we just ate an hour ago.”

“Well, I can’t help it!” she exclaimed. “This child of yours has the appetite of a horse.”

“I knew it,” he whispered elatedly as soon as she had disappeared again. “A boy! Mr. Kelly and his five strapping sons, ha! I’m not far behind you old man — not far at all.”

Chapter 26

Catie looked up from her reading as the sound of footsteps approached her door. Anxiously, she put the book aside and waited. “Come in,” she called out to a soft rap, as her little internal voice repeated, “Please don’t say no, please don’t say no.” Sarah’s smiling face gave her answer, and Catie’s relieved words came in a rush. “He said yes! How did you do it? He seemed as unmovable as a mountain.”

“Even mountains can be persuaded to move, Catherine — with the proper delicacy of skill, that is.” Sarah winked at Catie as she eased onto the bed beside her. “I am worried about you though, Miss Catie Darcy.”

“Worried? Why?”

“A certain young gentleman . . . S . . . K,” Sarah said, tapping Catie’s knee affectionately.

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about him.” Catie reached for her book. “Surely you don’t think I’m still in love with him. That was months ago! Anyway, I gave him a good look over at the hospital tonight and decided he’s really rather ugly.” Catie opened the book and furrowed her brow in feigned concentration.

“
Cath-er-ine
,” Sarah drawled out for effect.

“What?” Catie asked innocently.

“I am very tired and in no mood to deliver a lecture.”

“There’s no need, Sarah!” Catie snapped the book closed. “I already know what you would say. And, yes . . . I understand. I understand perfectly . . . all right?”

“All right.” Sarah, put her hands up in surrender. “I’ll say no more. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Catie watched Sarah cross the room, her usual graceful stride was made even more so with the swelling life inside of her. The younger sister instinctively touched a curious hand to her own flat stomach. “Sarah,” she said.

“Yes.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

“Miss Catie . . . Miss Catie,” Maggie whispered loudly, moving hurriedly around Catie’s room, opening curtains and laying out fresh towels. “Miss CATIE!” she finally shouted.

“What!” Catie sat up straight. “Is it Rose? Did the hospital call?”

“No.” Maggie shook her head.

“Then why are you waking me up?” Catie asked. “What time is it?”

“Half past seven,” Maggie replied.

“It’s too early.” Catie slumped back down and pulled the covers over her head. “Come back and wake me in an hour. We aren’t leaving for the hospital until nine.”

“But, Miss Catie,” Maggie persisted, standing over her now. “Mr. Darcy expects you to be at breakfast this morning. You have guests, and he said if you weren’t there . . . he said . . . ”

Catie lowered the covers and peered out at her. “He said what?”

“Oh, please don’t make me repeat what he said,” Maggie pleaded, wringing the towels she was holding.

“Let me guess.” Catie pulled the covers back and rubbed her eyes. “Something like . . . having me hung up by my toes and beaten like a dusty old rug.”