“I would like to return to Windy Gates,” she informed him, bluntly. “And by the way Daric, do you know where my belongings are?"
“Yes, Ma’am,” the thin, pockmarked driver replied. “Your saddle, tack, and saddle bags are in the carriage.”
“Thank you Daric.” She gave the coachman her hand.
Bess clamored up to the carriage wringing her hands. “Please Miss,” she begged, “can’t you wait for His Lordship to return?”
Katie paused and turned to the frantic maid. “No, Bess. I have said all I wish to say to your Lord Alden Emerson! Please thank him for his hospitality and the use of his sister’s clothes. I shall return them to him after I arrive at Windy Gates.” Katie started to step up into the carriage, with Daric’s hand on her elbow, for support.
“And where do you think you are going with my carriage and driver?”
Katie’s head snapped around, at the sound of Lord Emerson’s voice. It had the power to freeze her in her tracks, and that very ability made Katie cringe. Against her own desire, her face pulled up to look at Lord Emerson, astride his black hunter, with his cobalt blue cape caught in a waltz upon the wind. His dark brows pulled together in agitation, catching her off guard, shadowed those probing blue eyes, which seemed to look beneath her very skin.
The involuntarily gasp of her breath, at the sight of him, almost caused Katie to choke. A mixed feeling of fright and awe, which nearly made Katie waver, engulfed her. However, Katie felt determined to stand her ground.
“I am returning to Windy Gates, Sir.” The words came out unexpectedly shaky, and Katie straightened her back, and pulled in an even breath to gain more control with her next remark. “I informed you of that last night, did I not?” She took a firm hold on the handgrip beside the carriage door, and stepped up into the conveyance with a new found determination and self-confidence.
Lord Emerson smiled amusedly to himself. Apparently the woman had gained her spirit back over night, and he was not about to let her just slip through his fingers so easily. Her spunk intrigued him.
“Daric, my man,” Lord Emerson’s own voice took on a deep scoff as he addressed the driver, while swinging down from his horse in one easy movement, “you know better than to take orders from anyone other than myself! What has gotten into you, man?”
Daric’s watery gray eyes lowered with a shrug, but a half smile pulled at the corner of his lean mouth. “Ah, Sir, you know how susceptible I am when it comes to pretty women. It just ain’t in me to say no!”
Lord Emerson gave a low chuckle and didn’t press the point. He merely turned to Bess, who was beside herself virtually shaking with fright, and still nervously wringing her hands.
“I tried to stop her, Sir!” she defended, before Lord Emerson had a chance to reprimand her.
A grin pulled across Lord Emerson’s face, thinking of how Miss Dow probably brow-beat the poor maid, but it seemed to Katie that he was smiling at the girl’s discomfort.
Katie’s eyes narrowed in disapproval, as she jumped to the maid’s defense. “I am totally responsible for my own actions, your Lordship.” She leaned through the open door towards Lord Emerson. “You mustn’t blame Bess for something she had no hand in!”
“You are quite right, Katie, and I have no intentions of blaming Bess, I only wanted her to find the stable boy and have him put Satan away.”
A flood of relief swept over Bess’ face, and she bobbed her head. “Yes Sir, right away Sir.” She turned, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste to do as her master bid.
Lord Emerson’s smile was now an amused one, as he watched Bess retreat, and Katie herself, couldn’t help smiling as well at Bess in her flight. Their eyes met and Katie hastily looked away as her smile vanished. Lord Emerson’s face became sullen at the slight she had given him, but then he shrugged and turned towards the carriage, once his horse had been attended to by the stable boy. The carriage gave a slight jolt as Lord Emerson stepped up into it. He grabbed her saddle from off the floorboards and, in one easy movement, swung it up top of the carriage, and then placed himself beside Katie.
“Take us to Winslow Hall, Daric.” He smiled boldly at Katie. His order had a firmness that Katie hesitated to defy. Before Katie had a chance to open her mouth, the carriage was clattering over the cobblestone drive, and out onto the road. Lord Emerson turned and gazed out the window, as though trying to ignore her.
“Lord Emerson! I’m afraid you are taking too much for granted!” The exclamation burst forth when Katie was at last, able to find her voice. He turned and gave her a languid glance. “I have no intention of working for some lady you had to beg into giving me a position, whether she is a friend of yours or not!”
Now Lord Emerson’s eyes became more appraising of Katie. He could not overlook the fact that in the morning sunlight, dressed in his sister’s traveling suit she was a very fetching sight, but he tried to hide his pleasure in her appearance with a straight face. “Oh, on the contrary, my dear, I did no such thing!” The amusement in Lord Emerson’s voice was unmistakable.
Katie had to grab out for the handgrip at her shoulder, as the carriage sped up and then suddenly swerved out onto the straight stretch of road, to keep from sprawling upon Lord Emerson’s lap, but he paid little heed as he continued on with his monologue.
“Beg in your behalf?” He gave a suppressed chuckle. “I wouldn’t think of it! Alain has been begging me to help her find a seamstress for some time now. I just hadn’t happened to discover one until last night.” He grinned nonchalantly and continued with his excuse. “I try to help Lady Yarnell with her estate as much as possible, as my father did before me. Winslow Hall and Emerson Manor have always been run essentially as one. The two families go back together a long way. My father used to tell me we were all practically related.”
Katie forgot her anger, for the moment. The mention of Winslow Hall, had grabbed her interest. She now remembered how Bess had spoken of Lord Emerson being betrothed to the missing heiress, from Winslow hall. And hadn’t she said something about Lady Alain? Alain Yarnell, to whom Lord Emerson claimed the Winslow estate belonged to, must be the one Bess had said was the only woman Alden paid any attention to. For some unreasonable reason, the way Lord Emerson spoke so fondly of this woman seemed to aggravate Katie. But then, she was discovering that almost everything about Lord Emerson aggravated her!
“So you see,” Lord Emerson finished, “I am not only doing you a favor, but I am also doing this for Alain. Now you wouldn’t have me disappointing her would you?”
Katie shook her head, not in agreement, but only in exasperation. It was useless to argue with this arrogant man. She could see he had his mind set on orchestrating her entire future. She almost felt as though she was just some new possession he had acquired, and it was all very amusing to him. Apparently, he wouldn’t be satisfied until everything was neatly taken care of the way he decided and he wasn’t going to let anyone suggest otherwise. He probably did the same thing with Alain Yarnell, as well, she fumed to herself.
What made Katie so furious about the whole situation was that he was right. She couldn’t go back to Windy Gates. She had no money to speak of, and besides, there were too many old memories there to haunt her. She had dreaded the thought of returning to the empty cottage, the moment the words came out of her mouth, but Lord Emerson had made her so angry when he began taking over her affairs, that she had been about to bite off her nose to spite her face!
It was insulting to her that he treated her as if she were a helpless child when in truth she was a woman of twenty-one. Now it seemed she had no other choice but to go along with the man’s wishes. Katie peered under her lashes at him and shrugged. Perhaps working for some fancy lady as a seamstress would be preferable, after all, to a lonely existence hidden away in Windy Gates.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to at least meet Lady Yarnell.” Her disappointment at having to back down galled her to no end, and she averted her eyes so as not to meet his. There
was no doubt in Katie’s mind that the very fact that she had no other choice but to follow his directions pleased him to no end! What she couldn’t understand was why it seemed to please him so? Was it because he was determined to run the affairs of helpless looking women, whenever the opportunity arose?
Lord Alden Emerson smiled satisfactorily to himself. He knew she would have to come around to his way of thinking! There was something about her determination though, that prodded him on. However, deep down inside, he knew that she needed someone’s help, and there was something about the woman that aroused his interest. Until he got to the bottom of his unexplainable draw to her, he wanted to keep her as close at hand, as possible.
Katie sighed and leaned back against the seat cushion. With her world crumbling about her and all her security and everything familiar to her now gone, she knew that reality would have to be faced. With the recent discovery of her questionable birth, the search for her uncle was of little consequence now, and her existing funds would not support her for long. Sometime in the near future she would have to seek out employment, so if Lord Emerson insisted upon helping her, even if he did so in a controlling, self-appointed manner, she thought she may as well set her pride aside and accept the assistance. But it doesn’t mean I have to kiss the hand that helps me, she thought firmly.
Katie blew out a long breath and opened her eyes to meet Lord Emerson’s amused surveillance once more. She felt he was laughing at her again, and though the thought sparked a chord of anger, she smiled sweetly, determined not to allow his insufferable goading of her to penetrate her defenses.
“As you can see I have very few belongings with me.” She kept her countenance steady and firm. “I would have to return to Windy Gates sometime to retrieve more clothes if I choose to take this position.”
The sardonic smile that plastered his face did not go unnoticed by Katie. “Don’t worry about that. It is of little concern. I will take care of the matter for you.” Plans were already churning in Lord Alden Emerson’s head.
There he was again, taking care of matters for her! Although his overbearing self-satisfaction bothered her, she knew it would be of little help to confront him about it, so she sat in silence, wondering what working for Lady Yarnell would be like? He seemed to welcome her sudden silence.
Katie had never worked for anyone other than her mother before. She wondered if she was capable of being a private seamstress to someone who most likely felt very concerned about keeping up with the fashion of the day. Knowing her own streak of independence, she wondered if she would even be able to be a servant, goaded over by an employer, but apparently, she had no other choice. Yet, at the same time she wasn’t so sure she wanted to work for some woman that Lord Emerson acted so fond of. Admitting to that bothered her, somehow.
Katie remained quiet, keeping to herself, though every once in a while she glanced sideways at her new self-appointed guardian. She could not explain why he irritated her so, and yet drew her at the same time? He had a way of looking at her that unnerved her, and it was all she could do to force herself to remain aloof and unmoved by his patronizing eyes. Now his eyes were closed, as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he could relax.
Katie bravely took the opportunity to study his features. It was something up until now, she could never actually do for any length of time without becoming nervous under his stare. She had to admit that he was a fine figure of a man, and his face had the look of an aristocrat of high breeding. In spite of that, there was a certain ruggedness about his features that excited her. She appraised his powerful jaw line, and high flat brow, along with the flare to his nostrils, which complimented the rest of his features.
Katie looked at him through eyes of innocence, not having had the opportunity of looking at a man so closely before. It was a face, Katie decided, that demanded notice, and drew one’s eyes involuntarily. This fact alone pleased and intrigued her. Also, there was something about him that seemed to hit a hidden chord in her mind, and she was trying to figure out what it was?
His features now magnetized and mesmerized Katie in a way she couldn’t explain, which had to account for the rapid beating her heart took at the very sight of him. Suddenly, without warning, his eyes flashed open, and Katie drew in her breath, as though she had been caught in some diabolical act. His penetrating stare caused her heart to pound even more furiously than it had before, and she wondered if he could hear the traitorous beat of her heart. Her eyes widened, and he chuckled at her display of embarrassment. A sudden flush of heat rushed to Katie’s face, and she instinctively drew her small, gloved hand to her cheek.
Her very innocent response of embarrassment, tugged at Lord Emerson’s chivalry, and he reached over, and pulled the concealing hand away from her face. “There is no need to feel nervous, Katie. I am quite harmless, I assure you.” With a gentle expression, he openly appraised her as she had done to him moments before. “You have a lovely face Katie.” He cocked his head to the side as his eyes slid along her face and body. “There is something about you that ...I... I just wish I could understand. Seeing you in Lorna’s green dress last night...” His words trailed off. “Oh well, it’s nothing you need be concerned about.” The statement was brushed aside in an off-handed way as he gave her hand a squeeze, then he laid it in her lap. How could he possibly tell her how familiar she had seemed to him when he saw her in his sister’s dress, and how comfortable he felt when he was around her? It would scare the poor girl to death!
Katie let her eyes fall from his face to the hand he had just released. A sparkling sensation tickled the skin beneath her glove and she rubbed her hands together absently as she picked through what Lord Emerson had just said. This was the third time he had made some comment about her looks, only to push it aside again. His unpredictable moods might account for the odd behavior, but that did not make Katie any less irritated by it. One might think he was a woman, judging by his fickle moods. She smiled faintly at the thought and continued to keep her attention away from Lord Emerson’s all too masculine features. No, she corrected herself. Even in his fickleness, he was too brazen and commanding to be anything other than an arrogant male. However, his kind remarks about her face being lovely had pleased her in a way she did not want to acknowledge.
Winslow Hall was soon upon them, introduced by a long and winding driveway, which curve its way over the grounds. The drive was guarded by a line of tall cypress trees on either side and bordered with a rolling green carpet of grass extending as far as Katie could see. The lawns gave a plush canvas to the artistically placed, well-trimmed trees, and rambling hedge borders that decorated the grounds. Mounds of manicured flowerbeds were just starting to bloom, coaxed on by the recent spring rains, and now the radiant sun. A dotting of sheep in the distance, were evidence of the method used to keep the laws trimmed low, and Katie smiled within at the comfort the very grounds seemed to give her. It was almost like coming home, she thought, though she knew she had never been here before, and it certainly was not her home.
Katie’s eyes danced wonderingly upon the scene as a huge castle-like structure loomed up before them. Four tall turrets took their stand at guarding each corner of the two long wings. Gray stone walls, were hugged in the same red ivy that clamored over the facing of her own cottage in Windy Gates, and perhaps that, she thought, was the reason it reminded her of home. The high narrow windows yawned tall and curved at the top.
As Katie strained her neck, looking up at them, she drew in her breath. A chill shivered down her backbone, as she viewed the most bizarre woman she had ever seen, staring down at them out of one of those windowpanes. The woman’s hair tangled about her pale, drawn face, which hung wrinkled and curious around hollow eyes.
Certainly, this could not be Lady Yarnell that Katie was to work for. Of course, not! The way Bess talked, Lady Yarnell had to be closer to Lord Emerson’s age, which could not be more than a half a dozen or so years prior to Katie’s. Before she had a chance to poin
t the curious woman out to Lord Emerson, the face disappeared from the window, and the carriage came to a halt.
Lord Emerson extended his hand and helped Katie down from the vehicle. “By the way, I didn’t have a chance to ask you how your foot was feeling this morning.”
Katie opened her mouth to answer him, but before she could get a word out, a young lady, some years younger than Katie herself, came running up, as soon as the footman opened the door, to assist them. Lord Emerson stepped down, and the footman offered Katie his hand.
“Oh Alden!” the young girl bubbled. “You dear, you’ve persuaded the seamstress to come! You’re too, too good to me!” She gave Katie a quick glance, and then turned her attention back to Lord Emerson again.
The girl was rambling on so, that Katie had no other choice but to stare. She looked half in amazement, and half in amusement at the lovely blond, with her ringlets gathered about her neck and tinny curling tendrils falling in front of her ears in the latest fashion. The exquisite cut and material of her gown, made Katie suddenly grateful that she was wearing Lorna’s gray flannel traveling suit, rather than her own drab muslin.
The girl’s alluring green eyes shimmered in excitement. “Dear, dear, Alden,” she cooed, seeming to ignore Katie’s presence, “do come in at once! I have some dreadful news to tell you, and I’ve been beside myself wondering what I should do! Oh Alden, it’s just all so terrible!”
Katie’s own green eyes became amused as she watched the girl impatiently jumping from one foot to the other while she talked, in a child-like manner. The only conclusion to be made for such behavior was that she must barely be out of the school room, and probably not more than seventeen or eighteen years old. To Katie’s slight annoyance, all of Lord Alden’s attention was now focused on the young lady who tossed her curls and tugged at his sleeve as a child might do to gain her father’s attention.
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