Page 26 of An Unwitting Alliance
“I am determined to be married before I turn one and twenty and reach my majority, which is why I insisted Mama throw me another ball.” Patricia pulled her thread tight. “If you haven’t caught someone’s eye by then, it will probably never happen. You might as well resign yourself to being an old maid.”
Cassandra shifted uncomfortably. She was just a few months shy of her birthday, which Patricia knew very well. Patricia might be the hostess, but it was poor manners indeed to voice such opinions in a group setting. Marriage prospects were a very sensitive issue.
Miss Grover obviously felt differently. “You have nothing to worry about, Patricia. You are by far the prettiest of all of us. And you have two suitors vying for your hand.”
Patricia laughed. “You don’t think I would ever marry either of them. I keep them around only to attract other gentlemen. No one wants to chase a young lady all the other men choose to overlook.” Patricia looked up and stared pointedly at Cassandra.
Cassandra fought the feelings of shame creeping in and quickly pulled her gaze away. If she were not so eager to end her engagement with Mr. Harwood, she would be tempted to announce it, heavily emphasizing that he was a baron. The title alone would make Patricia ooze with jealousy. She caught her sister’s eye. Megan seemed to be asking if she could reveal the secret.
Cassandra shook her head. Mr. Harwood would be gone soon enough, and explaining a broken engagement would be devastating for her reputation. She quickly busied herself with finishing off her final stitch, but the work did little to help her bury her resentment toward Patricia.
After a few goodbyes, Cassandra and Megan began their walk home. Summer was drawing to an end, but everything was greener than it had been all year. Cassandra was just wondering if she should claim this as her favorite season when Megan spoke.
“What will you do about Mr. Harwood and Patricia’s ball? Mama will surely inquire about extending the invitation to him.”
“He will not be in Airewell by then if I have anything to say about it.” Cassandra’s words were strong, but her faith in her plan wavered with every day that passed without a response from her aunt. She simply could not marry Mr. Harwood. The man was mad. That very morning, she had been sneaking back from the shed after breakfast and distinctly overheard him talking to himself. He’d clearly said the words “Everyone likes me.”
Well, not her. Their dance was too fresh in her mind. He had taken advantage of her—of her feelings. And now he was saying he didn’t want to be engaged while flirting through the side of his mouth. What was she to believe? She prayed she would return to Fairview to find a letter from Aunt Evans with her name on it. Or, even better, that her parents would revoke the engagement.
Instead, she returned home to find Mr. Harwood standing outside the front door. He might as well have waved a flag declaring victory over her futile plans since his continued presence meant no one had changed their minds while she was away.
As she drew nearer, he didn’t notice their approach. And the flag of victory was actually a large basket hanging from one arm. She squinted. Was that two kittens crawling up his bright-yellow waistcoat? With his one free hand, he was struggling to wrestle their claws free. And was he arguing with the little things? She scrunched her nose. Poor Mr. Harwood. He was quite mad indeed.
Chapter 11
Thoughts of the workhouse stillloomed in Tom’s mind, but the challenge of wrangling cats forced him to focus on the task at hand. He had managed to make it all the way to Fairview from the town mews, carrying the large basket of kittens without a single mishap. That is, until he’d made the mistake of opening the straw lid to check on them on the steps of the manor. Two had immediately jumped ship, and the little furballs were fast afoot. One kitten’s nails were stuck in his cravat, and Tiger, the only one he’d managed to christen since the grayish kitten had a few dark stripes by his mouth and the nails of a far bigger beast, was slipping through his grasp. Just then he heard his name called.
“Mr. Harwood, are you trying to kill those poor creatures?” Cassandra hurried up beside him and captured Tiger from his hand, allowing him to rescue the other one from his rumpled cravat as he set the basket down.
“Not kill them, Miss Vail, preserve them.”
“For what purpose? Where did they come from?” Cassandra held Tiger protectively to her chest. It was exactly as he had thought. The kitten’s fur matched her eyes perfectly. They made for a stunning pair.
Tom blinked away his distracted thoughts. “I was hoping you would ask. If you recall, I had business in town today. I stopped by the mews, and as luck would have it, this little fellow stumbled into my path.”
“Do you normally become attached to animals at first sight and insist on keeping them?”
Tom laughed. “Not at all. He isn’t for me. He’s for you. They all are.”
“There are more than these two?” Megan blinked rapidly and sent a worried look to Cassandra.
“Indeed. Tiger here has five brothers and sisters. And they are all a gift for your sister.”
Cassandra’s eyes grew wider than those of the kitten in her hand, and his were quite round. “You brought home six cats? Six!”
“You are a whiz at addition,” Tom answered. “No doubt from your hours of tutoring.”
Megan took the other kitten from Tom and cooed at it. Cassandra frantically shook her head at her sister before shooting Tom a glare. “What am I to do with six cats?”
Tom shrugged. “How should I know? I am merely the one fulfilling your dreams.”
She grimaced, and then her eyes widened again. So she finally recalled their earlier conversation. When she overcame her amazement, she would be overjoyed. He bent over and opened the lid of the basket to reveal the other four kittens inside. “And you are in luck. These ones are rather attached to humans. Loneliness will never be a problem.” He straightened again and did his best to look contrite. “And it’s my way of apologizing too. You will never believe this when I tell you, but remember how I mentioned I have a tendency to confuse my reds and greens?”
“Reds and greens? What does your inability to learn your colors have to do with cats? I do not think I will ever understand you, but perhaps it is better that way.” She shoved Tiger back into his arms and took Megan’s cat from her, setting it alongside Tiger. “Your gift was thoughtful, but I cannot accept it.” She grabbed Megan’s hand. “Come, we must check on Mama.”
“Can we not keep at least one?” Megan begged.
Tom yelped and backed up against the door. All four of the other kittens had escaped the basket and were climbing up his breeches, playing follow-the-leader. His hands were full, of course, so he could do little about it.
