Page 27 of The Forsaken
“See to your guest,” Gerard ordered. “And tell Mildred to send up some food. I’m famished.”
“Won’t you join us for supper, Father?” Kate tried again, but her father glared at her and turned away, not bothering to respond.
Kate returned downstairs to find Hugh gazing out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He turned and smiled at her, clearly surprised to find her alone.
“I’m sorry, Hugh, but my mother is ill, and my father doesn’t want to leave her side. Looks like it will be just you and me for supper,” she said, hoping that didn’t sound improper.
“I actually prefer it that way,” Hugh replied. “I was a bit nervous about meeting your father,” he confessed. “I thought he might be angry with me for detaining you instead of sending you home straight away.”
“He was worried for my safety.” Given her father’s mood, he’d likely never meet Hugh de Rosel, so there was little point in mentioning Lord Dancy’s displeasure. Hugh would be gone soon enough, his part in Kate’s disappearance forgotten. “I’ll tellMildred to serve supper now, since my father won’t be joining us. You must be hungry.”
“I am,” Hugh admitted.
Kate led Hugh into the dining room and took a seat opposite him as Mildred brought out a platter of sliced pork, fresh bread, and buttered parsnips.
“I’m sorry, me lady, but Cook didn’t have time to prepare anything more fitting. We wasn’t expecting guests.”
“I’m perfectly happy with pork and parsnips,” Hugh assured her, smiling pleasantly. “And the company more than makes up for the lack of delicacies.”
Kate blushed, unaccustomed to this side of Hugh. Perhaps now that he was done with soldiering for a while, he was behaving more like his normal self.
They shared a pleasant meal, and then Kate excused herself and went upstairs, leaving Hugh to enjoy a cup of wine in the parlor. She was tired from the long journey, and worried for her mother. Once Hugh left, she would dedicate all her time to nursing her mother back to health.
Kate decided to stop by her mother’s chamber before going to sleep. Her father wasn’t there. Perhaps he had retired. Kate sat on the side of the bed and took her mother’s hand. It felt brittle and cold.
“Mama,” Kate called. “Mama, it’s me.”
“Katie,” her mother breathed. “My Katie.”
“I’m home, Mama. I’ll look after you.”
Anne Dancy shook her head as silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Don’t want to…”
“Don’t want to what?”
“Don’t want to go on,” Anne muttered. Her speech was slurred, but Kate could still make out her words.
“Mama, don’t say such things. I’ll be here with you.”
Anne shook her head again. “No, you won’t, Katie.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Kate, obey your father. Don’t antagonize him. He’s heartbroken.”
“I know. I’ll be a dutiful daughter to him. I always have been.”
“I’ll go to my boys,” Anne mumbled as her eyelids fluttered. “They need me.”
Anne was asleep within moments, leaving Kate more depressed than before. She adjusted the counterpane and bent down to kiss her mother’s forehead. “Don’t leave me, Mama,” Kate whispered. “Please, don’t leave me.”
Kate turned when Mildred entered the room, carrying a candle. “I’ll sit with her now, me lady. Ye must be worn out from yer journey.”
“Where’s Master de Rosel?”
“He’s still in the parlor, me lady. His chamber is all made up for him. I told him so. Ye go on now.”
There was nothing for Kate to do but go to bed. She snuggled beneath the blankets, but despite the feathery embrace of the mattress and the softness of the pillows, she couldn’t get comfortable, not after sleeping on a narrow wooden cot for more than two years with only a threadbare blanket for warmth. The bed was too soft, the room too warm, and the atmosphere in the house heartbreakingly melancholy. Kate hadn’t expected a happy homecoming, but the reality was even bleaker than she’d prepared for. She felt weepy and hollow, and strangely out of place in her own home.
