Page 73 of The Marriage Debt
As he surfaced, tossing the wet hair back from his face, the curtain opened and his brother and Roderick Graham appeared. They were still in evening dress, more than a little owl-eyed and dishevelled and Robert had a champagne bottle by the neck.
‘Morning, Theo,’ he said amiably. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here.’
‘You are drunk,’ Theo observed. ‘If you’re coming in, for Heaven’s sake get undressed first.’
‘What? Oh yes, good idea. We’re a bit tired, that’s all,’ Robert announced, shedding clothes onto the marble with a fine disregard for puddles. ‘Not drunk, just a bit on the go.’
‘Aye, that’s the way of it,’ Graham announced, suddenly sounding extremely Scottish. He tossed his waistcoat onto the pile of Robert’s clothes and peered hazily at Theo. ‘Hurt your neck?’
Theo slid further down on the submerged bench until the water reached his chin. ‘Leather military stock,’ he said lightly, ‘Damn things chafe like the devil at first, never lost the mark.’
He choked as a slapping wave of water hit him with Robert’s uncoordinated tumble into the pool followed by the lawyer’s slightly more graceful descent. ‘Will you have a care, you clumsy oaf?’ He slapped his brother lightly over his soaked head and suddenly found himself seized in a wrestler’s hold. The two of them struggled laughing and spluttering in the cold water, all at once boys again. Graham fended off one then another and finally managed to duck both of them, at which they turned on him andpushed him under.
Theo surfaced, almost weeping with laughter, to find himself regarding the toes of a pair of Morocco leather slippers and the hem of a sombre red silk robe. ‘Oh God.’
‘Inaccurate and blasphemous,’ his father observed frigidly. ‘Might I hope that one of you will be good enough to knock on my door and inform me when my bath is available? If, that is, there is any water left in it.’
From the swirling water Theo realised that the other two had taken cowardly refuge behind him. ‘Yes, Sir. I mean, we are just about to get out now.’
‘Then I will remove myself from what will doubtless be a thoroughly unedifying sight.’
The curtain swished closed and Theo hauled himself out of the pool with a rueful chuckle. ‘And how old did that make you feel?’ he enquired of Robert who was clambering out the other side.
His brother considered carefully. ‘Fourteen,’ he hazarded. ‘Damn it, I wish I had his tongue – or is it that left eyebrow?’
‘I have no idea, they are both lethal.’ Theo finished a brisk towelling and pulled on his robe which he had had the foresight to hang up. ‘How do you two intend to get back to your rooms?’ He prodded a saturated pile of cloth, then shook out the pile of towels. ‘It will take more than one of these to cover your blushes. I suggest you hurry before the upstairs maids are about.’
Katherine swam up out of a dream where she was floating in a mass of black velvet, sipping champagne while Theo caressed her body with peacock feathers. ‘Tickles,’ she murmured faintly and woke to find her own tumbled hair was under her nose.
‘Are you awake, Miss Katherine?’ Jenny drew back the curtains with a swish. ‘It’s a lovely day.’
Katherine struggled up sleepily against the pillows, her brainfuddled by the incredible dreams that had filled her night. Then she saw Jenny’s expression as the maid waited impatiently at the end of the bed. ‘What happened?’
‘Happened?’ Katherine blinked at her.
‘After supper. The Master told me I could go up to bed any time I wanted because he would look after you.’
‘He said…’ Katherine was suddenly very awake indeed. It had happened, it was not a dream. Theo had made love to her last night.
Jenny was positively fidgeting with impatience. ‘Is it all right now? You are staying married to him?’
‘No. No, nothing happened that meant I could not get an annulment,’ she said firmly, ignoring Jenny’s downcast face while she wrestled with last night’s events and what they meant.
Had anyone seen them leave? Had they been missed or had Theo’s timing been perfect? And if they had been seen, what then? Theo already had a reputation as a rake, possibly his actions would provoke nothing more than some tuts of disapproval.As for me,she reflected ruefully, I’ll soon be gone, so they can think what they like of Miss Cunningham.
Theo had done everything he could to seduce her into staying, short of breaking his promise to her. Why? Presumably because she had made it clear she was not going to change her mind because she liked his family or because he had offered her a home less overwhelming than the House. But the only thing that was going to persuade her to stay was if he told her he loved her. And surely, Katherine thought, hugging the memory of last night to her, surely if he was ever going to say it, that would have been the time.
Even if he had, they would have had to consider long and hard whether it would be right to stay together. She could never forget Theo’s position, his inheritance and his father’s expectations.
But, although he did not love her, he had given her a nightshe was never going to forget, a night filled with tenderness and ecstasy and trust fulfilled. Leaving him was going to hurt his pride, if not his heart, and she had so much to thank him for. How was she ever going to repay that?
Katherine swung her legs out of bed. One thing was certain, she had no intention of facing Theo over the breakfast table, so the sooner she went down the better. ‘What time is it?’
‘Half past seven, Miss Katherine. Surely you are going to have breakfast in bed?’
‘No, I will go down.’ She felt too restless, too unlike herself to stay in bed. Theo was not one of life’s early risers if he had any choice, so if she was down by eight, she should be safe. ‘The dimity gown will be perfectly all right.’ Probably none of the other guests would be about either and she could escape to a corner of the Long Gallery after breakfast and try and think.
Theo was not in the breakfast room, but to her surprise both Robert and Roderick Graham were, both of them looking somewhat the worse for wear. They got to their feet as she came in and out of respect for their heavy eyes and sallow faces she helped herself quietly from the chafing dishes arranged on the sideboard and did not attempt to make conversation once the conventional greetings had been exchanged.
