Page 14 of The Noble's Merman

There was no way to speak around it, was there? Kent held his teacup, blowing over the steam with a sigh. “No, frankly, I’m not. She is lovely, I wasn’t lying about that. But… but I…”

“Then what’s the matter?” Herbert grabbed his cup as well, asking his question not with malice, but moreso disappointment. “Sometimes you can’t quite gauge how you feel about someone from your first encounter alone. Why not test out the waters, see more of her, and if you do think she’s lovely, then what’s the harm?”

“I… I don’t know. I still just don’t feel ready…”

“Unless there’s something else going on that I’m caught unawares,” he said, eyeing Kent over the rim of his teacup. “Over the past few days, I’d wondered where you went, and Turner told me you went out for a walk. I find that just about strange; how these ‘walks’ started happening suddenly.”

Kent took a sip, scrunching his brow, and he carefully set his cup back down. He couldn’t risk his fingers from clutching too hard on the fine china. “Am I not allowed to simply go for a walk, Father? I am an adult, twenty-seven as you oh so kindly remind me often. I can make my own decisions on what I do with my free time.”

That hit a nerve, as Kent could see his father’s cheek twitch. “I was curious as to why you were going out. It just strikes me as odd, especially with your dismissal of a lady as sweet as Miss Jaggard. You haven’t found a woman, have you? Are you eloping with someone, having an affair, trying to keep things quiet?”

“No! No! Nothing of the sort!” His heart quickened in his chest at the absurd accusation. “You should know better than anyone that I haven’t always been in my right mind this past year. I’ve found that spending time outside and enjoying nature has been helping clear my head.”

That wasn’t the entire truth. He had met someone, and Kent felt his face heating up at the thought of it being an affair. Oh, why couldn’t his father just bugger off back to his London estate, but instead have to bother Kent here?

“Well, fine. Taking walks is fine, yes,” said the earl after a painstakingly slow sip of tea. “Would you mind telling me where exactly you’ve been walking, then?”

Kent rubbed under his nose, trying to hide his sneer. He couldn’t say he was sitting on the beach—what if Herbert went looking for him and found him with Mo? “Just around Stubbington. The surrounding wood, and such.”

“You didn’t come home until after sunset. Why would you walk around in the woods after dark?”

He clenched his fists on his lap. “Because I simply wanted to! It’s none of your concern.”

“What is going on here?”

His heart skipped a beat at the sudden interruption. Much to his relief, it was his sister Katherine, standing in the doorway. Her long brunette hair was tied in a bun at the nape of her neck, linen cap on her head, and her patterned, pink skirt flowed around her feet.

“Kathy!” Herbert sipped from his cup before setting it down. “I was having a conversation with your brother. Apparently, he’s been running off into the woods for God knows what reason.”

“The woods?” She turned her head to Kent, but her eyes were soft with sympathy. He knew she would never pry him in front of their father if the topic was sensitive—her expression was somewhat curious, but mostly of understanding. She looked back to the earl. “Well, if Kent wishes to walk in the woods, he’s within his right.”

“Katherine!” Herbert was fuming.

“I believe we’ve all said enough, Father,” she said with an air of agency that Kent oft failed to convey in his own tone. It always astounded him how much older she sounded, despite being younger than himself. “Kent, would you join me in my study?”

He nodded, already rising from his seat. “Yes, yes I would.”

Without looking back at Herbert, mumbling and swearing, still in his armchair, Kent and Katherine made their way up the stairs into her apartments. These rooms would empty soon, however, once Katherine were to wed Sir Randolf Jones, a baronet. They had planned for it to happen later this year, giving the siblings still some time together before she were to move out. At least she wouldn’t be moving far, as her betrothed hailed from Portsmouth.

But just the fact she had a betrothed and Kent didn’t was a source of contempt from his father. Kent thought it ridiculous—it wasn’t his fault Diana lied to him and took away his hope of finding love. Ever since, it had been difficult to start over, finding someone new. Any sensible person could imagine why and understand his circumstances, but Herbert begged to differ. People entered arranged marriages of status and convenience all the time and still found happiness, what difference did it make?

All the difference, because if I weren’t to make the choice of who to love myself, I absolutely would never be happy. And that, by God, is no way to live.

Kent shut the door behind him as they entered her study. Katherine took the wooden chair from her desk and pulled it out, sitting in it while offering Kent the armchair nearby. He sat down, releasing the tension in his shoulders with a sigh.

“So, Kent, pray, what’s been happening with you?” she asked, hands clasped together on her lap.

“Well, you heard some of it. I’ve been taking walks in the woods, and Father thinks it’s due to me finding a woman and eloping with her. Which—is absolutely ridiculous. You know I haven’t had the heart to find another lady in the first place.”

“Yes, I know.” She nodded in understanding. “What is the real reason you’ve been leaving, though? Even if it is just as simple as you finding yourself more comfortable in nature, that’s fine by me. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when I personally think the scenery around here is beautiful, too. You know you can tell me anything.”

Could he really tell her the whole truth? About how he’d been chatting with a merman? Would she even believe him? But at this point, perhaps it would be good to have someone on his side, someone to confide in about what was happening. Kent never did like to hide secrets from Katherine—they were siblings through and through, and she was right. He could tell her anything. If he had a secret, he knew he could trust her with it, as ridiculous as it might be.

“All right.” He rubbed the sweat from his palms onto his breeches. “First off, I’ve been sitting on the beach, not walking in the woods. Well, I suppose one needs to walk through the woods in order to get to the beach, so that’s not entirely wrong. Anyway, this is serious. Kathy, I know this will sound silly, but still, I want you to answer me earnestly.” He gulped. “And swear by absolute secrecy.”

“Really, that serious, eh?” She raised a curious brow. “Well, you needn’t worry. You can always count on me. I swear it.”

“All right.” Kent inhaled slowly, holding it in, then breathed out through his nose. “So, first, a question for you. Do you believe merfolk exist?”

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