Page 88 of Winterset
“Iam ready, but Winterset is not.”
“Well, ready or not,” Lord Markham chuckled, “this reading will happen. I promised to hold you to it, remember? And even ifIdid not, Miss Dalton and her mother would.” He lowered his voice. “Word has it they are already assembling Miss Dalton’s wedding trousseau.”
Miss Dalton.
Gads!
I had not thought about the young lady since the day we’d been introduced at church.
Would that I could get out of this whole affair—both the reading and her interest in me—but if I canceled, she and her mother might call on me unannounced, and that would be much worse. Whether I liked it or not, I was stuck.
Bexley met me at the door and took my hat and coat. “Welcome home, sir. How was your visit to town?”
“Unproductive.” I sighed, the weight of the morning’s disappointment still heavy on my shoulders. “Where is she?”
“The drawing room, sir. With Charlie.”
“Thank you.” I walked in that direction.
As I approached, the sound of laughter—Kate’s laughter—floated in the air, slowing my step. I paused at the threshold, the scene inside the drawing room catching me off guard. Kate sat comfortably on the settee, her face lit with amusement, and Charlie stood in front of her, reading a poem in an animated voice.
“... And so the moon, with her silver spoon, stirred the stars into a fine, twinkling broth!”
Kate laughed, the sound bright and uninhibited. Her eyes sparkled with genuine delight, and her cheeks were rosy.
How had Charlie managed to make her laugh so freely?
A sharp pang of something unfamiliar twisted in my chest. Irritation, perhaps? But why? It would be irrational.I’dasked Charlie to look after Kate while I was out of residence, after all.
I was probably overtired.
“Ah, but beware the midnight spoon, for it stirs the heart as well as the stars!”Charlie concluded with a bow.
“Bravo!” Kate leaped to her feet, clapping as if she couldn’t contain her joy. She seemed so much lighter today. It was as though Charlie had unlocked a sense of happiness in her that I had struggled to reach.
I cleared my throat, drawing their attention.
“Mr. Jennings!” Kate gasped softly in surprise and smiled up at me. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Only a moment.” I pushed off from the doorframe and walked fully into the room. “Good poem?”
“It was aterriblepoem.” Kate looked at Charlie, and they shared a laugh. “But also amusing. Will you join us?”
“Perhaps a little later,” I said to her, then to Charlie, “I need to speak with you in my study for a moment.”
“Certainly,” he said and closed his notebook. “Don’t let the silver spoon stir up too much trouble while I’m gone,” he said to Kate, then followed me out of the room.
She laughed.
My chest tightened. A casual familiarity had grown between them in my absence. It was as though they shared some private world where I did not belong.
This was more than irritation, I realized. This was something visceral, something that was twisting painfully inside me.
I glanced at Kate before leaving the drawing room.
She watched me, her expression unreadable, and I wondered if she sensed my turmoil.
I gave her a small smile, hoping to reassure her, then led Charlie to my study.
