Duke Herheart Final (22 page)

“Thank you, Mrs. Soggs. You really don’t need to trouble with tea.

I’m not a hot tea drinker.” That earned her, she saw, another censorious glare.

“Very well, miss.”

Kathryn stepped into the room and immediately realized why she had been brought in here. This room was generously furnished and spotlessly clean. This must be the room in which Matthew Drake, Baron of Worley received guests to keep up the appearances of a wealthy country gentleman. The deep leather chair behind his huge, elegant desk was one for a commanding figure and his blotter was meticulously ordered, a lovely silver inkstand among the implements on its surface.

Candlesticks on the mantle were polished to a high shine, leather-bound books lined the shelves that were also interspersed with small valuable trinkets and as she continued to scan the room, she saw
it
.

Far down the wall from where she stood, sitting in a picture holder on one of the bookshelves, was the painting of the cavalry officer. Heart racing, palms moistening, and her mind running a mile a minute, she made her way to the small portrait of Matthew Drake. She knew it had to be him because Michael had mentioned to her that Matthew had been a cavalry officer.

Kathryn reached for the painting, carefully lifting it from its resting place. She knew she had only moments before someone would show up and take away her chance to leave Christine some sort of note. At this moment, she was so grateful she had not chosen the cavalry officer’s portrait to purchase because it would be the first one to draw Christy’s attention when she finally made her way to the little shop while looking for her big sister. Quickly Kathryn found a quill on the desk, dipped it in the inkwell and wrote as small and neatly as she could in the corner on the paper backing of the wooden frame.

Christy,

I’m safe. I ♥ U!

KitKat, 1816

She blew on the ink to dry as she had seen Michael do before and replaced the painting. She didn’t know how to get rid of the evidence of the ink so she lifted her skirt and wiped it on the inside of her hem, 130

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replaced the pen and the inkwell’s lid and stepped away from the desk. It would not occur to her until much later that the cavalry officer’s portrait frame had not been papered when she had seen it in the shop at home.

Just then, the study door slammed open and Michael almost stumbled in. His features relaxed and then hardened and then softened again all in the space of seconds. He was trailed by …the cavalry officer.

“Kathryn! Where the devil have you been? Do you know what you have done?”

“What? No hello, darling?”

He had determined to choose his words carefully to not dress her down in front of Matthew Drake or the servants but the force of seeing her safe, standing there looking perfectly innocent, gorgeously disheveled, safe, beautiful and safe, completely undermined his best intentions. Cautioning himself as her chin lifted and he saw the hardening of her stare, he reminded himself that he would wait, until he was home, his home, to tell her what a foolish and spiteful thing she had done. For now, he would relish the sight of her, even if it was a less than well-appointed appearance she made.

“Michael.”

“Miss Ragland, may I present Matthew Drake, Baron of Worley,” he said, acknowledging Matthew who had come fully into the room. He used the opportunity to school his features and contain his giddiness at the sight of her.

“It’s nice to meet you, My Lord,” she said with the slightest quaver in her voice Michael noticed.

“Miss Ragland, it is my pleasure.” He took her hand and bowed over it.

She curtsied better, Michael thought, than usual. She must have been practicing, probably under Cassie’s tutelage.

“As it is mine to meet you,” she responded coolly.

One word answers and short phrases were not her usual. She must be angry but she had no right to be angry with him, Michael thought. She had scared him half of out his mind and he had sent the entire landed gentleman in the county after her. She should be damn grateful.

“Kathryn, I know you must be tired and hungry. I have the carriage. We can go home.”

“I assume, you are
asking
me to come to your home.” Her tone was not icy, but cool. She was not entirely pleased with his rescue.

Michael forced himself to maintain calm but his façade would not hold long in the face of her indifference. “I am.”

She turned to Michael’s companion. “It was kind of you to allow me 131

Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch

to rest in your home, Lord Worley. I expect we will see one another again soon.” She didn’t ask it in question form. She knew she wasn’t leaving the area today or not even tomorrow and she would have no more chance to bolt. For a while, she’d have to play out Michael’s scenario. She had never been one to do another’s bidding but she was stuck. This time, she had no choice but she didn’t have to like it.

“It was my pleasure as I said, Miss Ragland. Michael has invited me to dinner tomorrow night to get to know you and re-establish my acquaintance with Lady Cassandra. I shall see you then.”

“Well, then I will look forward to it.” He noted she at least acted civilly to Matthew. That was something.

Michael also recognized her comment did not register in her eyes.

She was indeed being only just barely polite. He would have to speak with her about that too. He took her arm tightly and she pulled back from him presumably with the excuse of picking up her things. She did not return her hand for his sleeve and he shut his lips against the reprimand rising in his throat.

John Coachman dropped the steps and Kathryn pulled herself up into the carriage before he could assist her. Everything she was doing was severely trying Michael’s patience and as if to pique his foul mood further, she spoke not a word for the entire drive back to Hawthorne.

“Will you join me in the study, Miss Ragland?”

“Yes.”

Wonderful.
“I am truly glad you’re back but I’d like an explanation.”

Her body language suggested she was going to be terse but then she relaxed and looked him in the eye. “I told you I wasn’t from here and that I needed to get home. I long overstayed my welcome and then you offered me a business-like marriage proposal. I felt, under the circumstances—those being you wanted to marry me for some odd reason but didn’t believe who I was—that it was time I made my own way home since you weren’t likely to help me. I left you a note in the desk and a list of the things I owe you money for. I didn’t intend to leave England without repaying you and I expected to send some sort of goodbye letter with the funds.”

If she had announced her intention to join a band of pirates and sail the oceans, she could not have shocked him more. “Where do you suggest I start in addressing all of the concerns you have raised in one such eloquent and well-rehearsed speech?” he asked bitterly. He was not a passionate or intemperate man but this day and now this bizarre pronouncement – or series of pronouncements – had about undone the last of his fragile control.

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“Michael, what do you want from me? I have told you and I thought I had showed you. I’ve always made my own way and I’m not much one for male dominance. I thought I was doing you a favor. You were too much of a gentleman to turn me out but surely you would not want me here after you proposed marriage and I turned you down.”

His nostrils flared. “You don’t know what I want.”

“No, I guess I don’t,” she said, her voice rising in pitch as well.

“You’ve never told me. You only said things like I could marry you and go live somewhere else and have my own social life and breed your kids.

Tell
me what you want.”

“I want you!”

Shaking and a little scared of the violence of his response, she took one step toward him. His expression softened and he reached a hand toward her. “Kathryn, I want you,” he whispered.

“I…I’m so sorry…I didn’t know.”

“Have I not showed you? Have I not done what I should?”

She felt herself soften toward him. “You have been kind. I didn’t realize that was how you were showing me…affection. I just thought you were being gentlemanly and that we were having a great deal of fun being sexually daring.”

“Kathryn, I…only know one way. My…possessiveness…it’s what comes out. When I took Cassandra back, it was by sheer force but I could not put into words what I needed her to know from my heart.”

“Are you comparing me to Cassandra? To someone who is in your heart?” she asked tremulously.

“Yes.”

“Oh, dear heaven.”

No other words were spoken and as he turned from her, she saw the tightness in his expression. That was a huge admission for someone such as him. It wasn’t a love declaration but it was good enough for tonight.

She slipped out of the room, grabbing her things and took the stairs two at a time to her room.

* * * *

She had left a note. It was in the desk. But in fact, it was not in the desk but sitting on a salver on his desk now along with another sheet. He glanced at the list. It was an impressive cataloguing of all the funds he had spent on Kathryn, indeed every single solitary pence he had ever spent on her. It was appalling, insulting. He crumbled it and tossed it into the fireplace. The fire consumed the paper in seconds.

The other was a folded note, presumably to maintain some semblance of privacy from the servants.

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Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch

Dear Michael,

When you find this note, I know you will be at first angry and
then frustrated with me because I’m not here and not explaining
to you in my own words why I have gone. I believe you will
remember I told you I was not from here. I meant, not from here
and now. I was actually born in 1991 in Alabama, one of the
southern states in America that gained statehood on December
14, 1819.

I know this is all very unbelievable but now that you have known
me for these almost two weeks, surely you can see I am not like
the other women who you know. I am used to making my own
way, supporting myself, and taking care of my sister. She needs
me to come home and I have to try to get to her.

Please tell Cassandra how special she is every day and tell her
to follow her dreams. Also, Ellie is very talented. I hope you can
find a place for her in your household. Thank Hallthorpe and
Aunt Agatha and Jem and everyone who was so kind to me.

Michael, please don’t come after me. It is the hardest thing I’ve
ever done to leave here for your own good and mine. I can’t be in
a house taking advantage of your family’s kindnesses, being
treated like a princess and not feel that I am mooching. You have
been so good to me and I am eternally grateful. I will work to
repay you in some way if it’s even possible. Some lady of your
day and age will be very lucky to marry you as I have no doubt
you will be an honorable spouse. I told you in spoken words what
I need from marriage -- nothing but love. I hope you find your
right mate and I intend to look for someone with many of your
qualities.

The time I have spent with you has truly been extraordinary. You
are still the hottest guy I have ever had the pleasure of being
close to, so the bar is set very high for the future Mr. Right.

Please try to look for someone you can love. It will be the best
thing that ever happened to you.

You deserve it.

Kathryn

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Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch

Reading the note for the umpteenth time, he had wondered how everything had gone so wrong. Had she not realized that she was the one who had brought his world to life? How could he possibly search for someone else? He could not let her go. Whatever he had to do to be the
Mr. Right
of this letter he would do. Rather than reducing the letter to ashes as he had her ridiculous list, he held it and wept out of sheer relief that he had found her before she got out of his grasp.

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Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch

Chapter Fifteen

“You’re back,” Cassandra charged.

Kathryn noticed the tension immediately. “And so I am. It seems that your brother has rescued me now a second time from the London Road.”

“I’m hurt, you know. You left without saying good bye.” The old Cassandra would have sulked, cried, and not shown herself but clearly the new Cassandra was going to confront her.

“Oh Cassandra, I’m sorry. Really. I never would do anything to hurt you and I did leave a note. I just didn’t think about exactly how everyone would take it. I thought about me and my sister who I am sure is frantic and not sleeping and scared out of her mind and your brother and his ridiculous marriage…”

“His what?”

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did. He has asked you to marry him?”

“He did. I said no.”

“No! Why would you do that? You’re perfect for him.” She was incredulous.

“But he also has to be perfect for me. I’m not sure he is. I have to be loved.”

“Oh, Kathryn, has he not told you how he felt?” Cassandra cajoled.

“Not in so many words, although he did open up a little downstairs just now.”

“Can I ask what he said?”

“He admitted grudgingly that I was ‘in his heart,’” Kathryn acknowledged.

“Oh, Kathryn, he …I think he must love you. That is a stunning admission for him.”

Kathryn had sensed this, too. “I figured it was pretty big. Maybe he does have feelings for me but I have to have more. I want it all. That kind of heart melting, mind-blowing love that makes you want to get up every day and thank the Lord for your blessings.”

“How do you feel about him?”

“I feel...I don’t know for sure what, but I am very physically attracted to him. He is sexy and when he touches me, my mind turns to mush. I sense him when he is near, smell him in so many things, hear his 136