Beguiling the Earl (16 page)

Catherine didn’t tell her sister that she’d been daydreaming about her perfect garden when she’d worked on that first drawing. It was filled with exotic plants that were completely impractical for the British climate, but with some careful planning and a little extra work, she believed she could achieve a setting that was truly out of the ordinary. She couldn’t give voice to her desire to see that garden come to life on Kerrick’s estate. Like a wish you guarded in your heart after seeing a falling star, she was afraid that to speak it aloud would doom it.

Louisa examined each sketch, shaking her head in wonder. “These are very good. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve always admired your skill at drawing, and I think there are few who could rival your interest in gardens and plants. Still, I never imagined you would be able to design something this good.”

Catherine leaned back in her chair. “It’s more difficult than I imagined to bring to life something unique when the space is so limited.”

“Perhaps so, but you’ve made a wonderful start here. I think the Worthingtons will find it hard to choose a favorite.”

Catherine accepted the drawings back from her sister and set them aside. She wouldn’t show them to Rose until she was happy with them. Something was missing, but she would have to think about it later. Right now she could only think about Louisa, who was looking fragile.

Catherine stood and, taking her sister’s hand, led her to the window seat. “You look tired,” she said. “Did you not sleep well last night?”

Louisa sat with a grimace. “I’ve been told the fatigue I’m feeling is normal and that it will pass at some point. I’m not convinced the doctor is telling me the truth.”

“We’ll stay home tonight.” Catherine felt a pang of regret knowing she’d be giving up an opportunity to see Kerrick if they stayed in that evening, but at the same time it was a relief to know that for one night she wouldn’t have to pretend he was nothing more than a family friend if their paths crossed.

“No.” Louisa gave her head a firm shake. “I was just heading upstairs to have a nap. I’m sure I’ll be more rested tonight.”

“I don’t mind,” Catherine said. “To be honest, I’d enjoy a quiet evening. Life is so different in town than what we are used to.”

“I should insist, but I do agree with you. It is something of a shock after the quiet life we used to lead.”

“John would have hated it,” Catherine said.

“John would have been away at school if he hadn’t enlisted, not attending balls.”

Seeing her sister’s heartache, Catherine reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “He doesn’t hate you.”

“You can’t say that with certainty.”

“I can.” She hesitated a moment before deciding to tell her sister about that last conversation she’d had with their brother. “We argued during the ball Nicholas’s grandmother hosted after you were married. He talked about leaving—”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I couldn’t. It was your wedding day… I never imagined he’d leave that night.”

Louisa looked away and Catherine could see she still blamed herself.

“He didn’t support your marriage, but John was there that night because he loves you. He could have left before the wedding, but he stayed. I still don’t know why he felt he had to leave.”

Louisa was silent for a moment. “I’m scared we’ll never see him again.” Her hand went to her belly, which was still flat. “That he’ll never meet his niece or nephew and will never learn how happy Nicholas and I are.”

Catherine wanted nothing more than to tell her sister that her fears were groundless, but she couldn’t. Young men were dying every day in England’s war with France. Instead, she pulled her sister into a heartfelt embrace.

She drew back when a soft knock sounded at the library door. Glad for the interruption, Catherine looked up to see a footman standing in the doorway. He held a small silver tray, upon which a note rested. He announced that a message had arrived for Catherine and her heart rate increased.

The footman approached and Catherine reached for the sealed note on the tray.

“Is it from Rose?” Louisa asked.

Catherine waited for the footman to leave before glancing down at where her name was inscribed on the heavy paper. She didn’t recognize the handwriting.

“No,” she said, her mind racing as she wondered if Kerrick had sent it.

“Are you going to open it?”

She hesitated for a moment but knew she couldn’t hide the note’s contents from her sister. Doing so would only arouse Louisa’s suspicion that Catherine was keeping secrets. Telling herself that Kerrick wouldn’t risk sending her a note that anyone could have intercepted, she turned over the note and broke the wax seal.

She unfolded the paper and glanced first at the signature at the bottom. She couldn’t hold back the little stab of disappointment when she didn’t see Kerrick’s name. Calling herself a fool, she read the note.

“Who is it from?” Louisa was leaning forward in her seat, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“It’s from Lord Thornton. He’s invited me to a drive in Hyde Park this afternoon.”

“That sounds lovely. Lord Thornton seems like such a nice young man.” Louisa must have seen her hesitation because she added, “And if you go, I needn’t feel so guilty about staying in tonight.”

Catherine knew Louisa was only pushing her toward Thornton because she worried about her attachment to Kerrick. Still, she found herself having to bite her lip so as not to give voice to her annoyance.

“Will you accept?”

Catherine was on the verge of saying no, but then she remembered Kerrick’s parting words to her the night before. He needed Lord Worthington to believe his interest in Rose was genuine, and he planned to take Rose out for a drive today. Would it not aid society’s belief that she and Kerrick were merely friends if she was seen with Lord Thornton? Surely Kerrick would approve of her plan.

Convinced she was pursing the wisest course of action, the smile she gave her sister was genuine. “I think you’re right. A bit of fresh air this afternoon would be just the thing.”

ooOoo

It was almost ridiculous how many times she changed her clothing in a day. Before her sister married, the three Evans siblings—Catherine, Louisa, and their brother John—had lived in a modest cottage and on an even more modest income. They hadn’t even been able to afford to hire a servant. And the dress Catherine chose to wear each morning was the one she still wore when she retired at night.

But all that had changed after a chance encounter with the new Marquess of Overlea, then considered to be an enemy of the family since it was Nicholas’s uncle who had been responsible for robbing their family of their home and land. Catherine had been stunned when, mere days later, Louisa had accepted Nicholas’s proposal of marriage.

Now their entire life was different. Aside from their brother, who had chosen to join the fight against Napoleon rather than accept anything from Overlea’s family, they had gone from poverty to the complete opposite. And so quickly that Catherine still found it difficult to remember, at times, that she no longer had to worry about anything. Well, anything aside from the matter of finding a husband. She sincerely hoped that issue would soon be resolved and that she and Kerrick could make public their courtship.

But until that time arrived, she would have to pay attention to the man seated beside her in the curricle. Lord Thornton seemed in especially high spirits that afternoon. Catherine liked him, she really did, but he reminded her so much of her brother. Yes, he was a few years older than John, who was now nineteen years of age, but like her brother, Thornton was fair. And he seemed so young. Especially when compared to Kerrick.

She blushed when she realized that Lord Thornton had asked her a question while she’d been thinking about another man.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was just thinking about last night.”

His smile reminded her of an overeager puppy. “I’m so glad that I thought to attend the Hastings’ rout. I almost didn’t and I would have hated to miss seeing you.”

“I do like the intimacy of the smaller house parties.”

“I was disappointed you had to leave so early. I was wondering…” Thornton swallowed. “Perhaps at the next ball I could partner with you more than once.”

For a moment she actually considered granting his request. Dancing several times with Viscount Thornton would signal that he was a serious contender for her hand in matrimony. It would definitely go a long way toward ensuring that her name wouldn’t be romantically linked to Kerrick’s. But in the end, she didn’t feel comfortable sending that message to Thornton or to society.

“It is still a little early in the season for such declarations, is it not?”

His expression earnest, he replied, “I don’t believe in waiting when I see something I want.”

She was at a loss as to how to reply and it occurred to her that Rose would know exactly what to say. Catherine had next to no experience with romance beyond what she and Kerrick had shared. She lacked the ability to set a man down with the finesse Rose possessed. Her friend would have said something witty and had Lord Thornton believing he still had a chance even while she was putting him off.

As if thinking about her friend had conjured her, another carriage pulled up next to theirs on the crowded Hyde Park bridle path. Relief at the timely interruption went through her when she saw it was occupied with Kerrick and Rose.

“What a happy coincidence to run into you here,” Rose called across the two men who separated them. “Perhaps we can walk for a bit?”

Kerrick’s expression was neutral, but the slight tightening of his jaw told her that he was not happy to see her there. A quick glance at Thornton, who appeared happy at Rose’s suggestion, indicated that he hadn’t noticed Kerrick’s displeasure. Catherine saw no reason to disagree. Being seen in public with different companions would help further the perception that he was nothing more than a family friend.

The carriages were pulled to the side and Thornton handed her down. When he held on to her hand for several seconds longer than necessary, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Kerrick. He wasn’t looking at them, but the stiff set of his shoulders was proof that he’d noticed the intimate gesture and that he did not approve.

“Try not to wander off and cause a panic,” Rose said with mock censure after reaching her side.

Catherine could only shake her head in chagrin. “You heard about that?”

Rose laughed, the sound light and musical. “With the number of men involved in the search party, I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard the story.”

Her eyes met Kerrick’s. He hadn’t been in town yet for that embarrassing incident, but she’d told him about it that first night when he’d danced with her.

Pulling her gaze from his, she turned back to Rose and said with a small wince, “I was afraid that would be the case.”

Rose drew an arm through hers and proceeded to stroll away from the carriages at a moderate pace, the men walking alongside them. “After hearing the story, I realized that I must get to know you. I decided that anyone who could have half the eligible men of the
ton
chasing after her was someone I had to meet.”

Catherine felt a twinge of alarm at the implication in her friend’s statement. “You make it sound like the incident was calculated. I assure you it wasn’t.”

“At the time I thought it was,” Rose said with a shrug. “But fear not—now that I have come to know you, I realize that you truly had wandered off to look at some plants.”

“In my defense, I was newly arrived in London and as it was my first time in Hyde Park. I was curious.”

Kerrick added, “When I stayed at Overlea Manor last autumn, she was almost always in the conservatory. Overlea’s grandmother is rather fond of unusual plants, and Catherine made it her mission to try to catalog them all.”

“I’m not surprised to hear it,” Rose said. The twinkle in her eye gave Catherine only a second of warning that her friend was up to something before she turned to Lord Thornton. “And you, my lord? Do you share Miss Evans’s love of plants?”

The look on Thornton’s face made it seem as though Rose had just asked him if the sky was purple. Catherine frowned and he rushed to reply. “I admit that I’ve never paid much attention to them. My mother says that when I was younger I was often to be found tearing up the garden with my brothers. After that, I spent most of my time away at school.”

Catherine laughed. “My brother John was much the same way. I fear most boys are just too full of energy to sit back and enjoy the beauty of nature.”

“I never asked,” Kerrick said. “Did you finish cataloging all the plants? I confess I couldn’t tell a plant commonly found in England from the more exotic ones.”

“There are still a few I haven’t been able to discover in any of the plant texts in the library at Overlea Manor. I’ve already purchased a few books I plan to take back with me when the season is over.” She sighed, adding, “I wish I’d thought to bring sketches of the plants with me to London. Mr. Clifton might have been able to tell me what they were.”

“Clifton? Who is that?” Thornton asked.

“The head gardener at Kew Gardens.”

“Lord Kerrick arranged to take Miss Evans on a tour of the gardens there.” With a sly glance in Catherine’s direction, she added, “It must have been very romantic.”

Thornton frowned and Catherine could have throttled her friend. It was clear Rose was wasting no time in trying to play matchmaker between her and Kerrick. She squeezed her friend’s arm in silent entreaty that she desist and turned to Lord Thornton. “Of course it wasn’t. The Duke and Duchess of Clarington were also present during the tour.”

Thornton seemed satisfied with her answer. “Perhaps the next time you are in London I will be in a position to take you to Kew Gardens myself so you can show the sketches of your mystery plants to this Mr. Clifton.”

Thornton’s expression was so earnest that Catherine felt a pang of remorse for falsely raising his hopes. A quick glance at Kerrick showed him to be studiously avoiding eye contact with her. She was about to change the subject rather than reply when she saw the telltale tightening of his jaw. A thrill went through her at the small proof of his jealousy. A spark of mischief goaded her to test her theory.