Once a Mistress

by Rebecca Hagan Lee

While the boy is small you can see the man.

  English proverb

  Kit came running out of the stable as soon as Drew and Wren rode up. “Mama, Mama, did you get to ride your horse?”

  Riley grabbed Kit by his shirttail to slow him down and keep him from startling Felicity.

  “I certainly did,” Wren called down to Kit.

  “By yourself?” Kit asked.

  Wren shook her head. “Oh no, his lordship rode me around.”

  “Was anything amiss, my lord?” Riley asked.

  “No,” Drew answered succinctly as the groom reached up to help Wren dismount.

  “You were gone so long I was afraid Felicity might have stumbled in a foxhole or thrown a shoe,” Riley said.

  “Felicity is fine, Riley,” Drew told him, swinging down from the saddle and handing over the reins. “Mrs. Stafford and I covered the estate. That’s all. What about Kit?” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “How did he do on his first lesson?”

  “He did very well,” the groom answered. “His governess came to collect him from the barn about an hour ago, but he begged her to let him stay until you got back.”

  Kit grabbed Drew by the hand. “Come look, Drew. You, too, Mama. Come see what I did.” Kit pulled Drew down the aisle of the barn, pointing out the horses in each of the stalls until he reached Lancelot’s. Wren followed close behind. “This is Lancelot’s stall. See?” Kit bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, trying to see through the bars in the stall. “And that’s Jem.” He pointed to a stable boy cleaning the last stall. The boy looked to be about eleven or twelve. “He helped me groom Lancelot and clean his stall,” Kit was saying, “and then I helped him to clean two other stalls.”

  Drew made a big show of inspecting the stalls Kit had helped clean and of checking to see that Lancelot had been properly groomed and fed and watered. He lavished praise on Kit for his hard work and on Jem for taking Kit under his wing and teaching him the proper way to care for his pony.

  Wren smiled at Kit. He was filthy, covered from head to foot in dirt, and he smelled of horse droppings, but he was dancing with excitement and grinning from ear to ear.

  “You helped clean three stalls?” Wren asked him.

  Kit nodded. “Mr. Riley says a true horseman must learn to take care of his horse before he earns the right to ride him.”

  Wren looked at Drew with renewed admiration. “Kit’s first lesson in horsemanship was mucking out stalls?”

  Drew winked at her. “As was mine when I decided to throw a tantrum in order to persuade Riley’s father to let me ride Galahad. Riley and I were no older than Kit is now. Riley’s father was head groom here and he put the both of us to work brushing horses and cleaning stalls. Do you remember, Riley?”

  “Yes, sir. My pa began every riding lesson with a lesson in mucking and grooming.”

  “Mama?” Kit asked. “You can help me and Jem clean Felicity’s stall if you like.”

  Wren smiled at her son. “I’d love to help you and Jem clean Felicity’s stall.” She turned to follow Kit to the stall Jem was cleaning.

  “Oh, no, you don’t.” Drew took Wren by the hand. “You may be wearing black, but it isn’t suitable for stable work. And those”—he pointed to her half-boots— “will be ruined in a matter of minutes.” He bent low in order to look Kit in the eye. “Why don’t we wait until your mother isn’t dressed in her fine ladies’ clothes?”

  Kit frowned.

  “You can teach her how to muck stalls after your riding lesson tomorrow morning,” Drew told him.

  “All right,” Kit agreed. He looked up at his mother. “Are you going to wear a dress tomorrow, too?”

  Wren nodded. “Ladies aren’t allowed to wear anything but dresses.”

  Kit turned to Drew, a serious look on his face. “All my mama’s dresses look like that.” He pointed to Wren’s mourning dress. “Will I still get to teach her how to muck the stalls?”

  “Of course.” Drew bit the side of his cheek to keep from smiling. “I’ll see what I can do about finding your mama something other than ladies’ dresses to wear.”

  “You promise?” Kit fixed his gaze on Drew’s face.

  “I promise.” Drew crossed his heart. “Now, it’s time for us to return to the house for tea. Say good night to Jem and Mr. Riley and Lancelot.”

  “Do I have to?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Drew told him. “Because I’m sure Miss Allerton has a hot bath and supper waiting for you.”

  “’Night, Jem,” Kit called. “’Night, Mr. Riley.” He stood on tiptoes to see into Lancelot’s stall, but the pony was too short. Wren was about to hoist Kit high enough to see through the stall bars when he turned to Drew. “Drew, will you hold me up so’s I can say good night to Lancelot?”

  Wren’s heart caught in her throat as Drew lifted Kit into his arms. Kit wrapped his arms around Drew’s neck and rested his head against Drew’s. The resemblance was uncanny. There was no denying the fact that those two were closely related. Kit was a blond miniature of Drew. Anyone seeing them together that way would naturally assume they were father and son. Tears burned in Wren’s throat and shimmered in her eyes. If things had worked out differently six years ago, they might have been.

  “Mama! Come look!” Kit turned and reached out a hand to her. “Lancelot is eating.”

  “Which is exactly what you should be doing,” she said, stepping forward to join Kit and Drew as they stood watching the Shetland pony devour a mouthful of grain.

  Kit started to protest, but Drew stopped him with a look “What did I say was the second rule of good horsemanship?”

  “All good horsemen do what you say,” Kit recited.

  “And what did I ask you to do?”

  “Mind my mother and Ally,” Kit answered.

  Wren glanced over Kit’s head to smile at Drew.

  Drew winked back at her. “Good boy. Now, say good night to your pony,” he instructed, “’cause I’m as hungry as a bear.” Drew pretended to roar like a bear and Kit dissolved into a fit of giggles.

  “Good night, Lancelot.” He waved to his pony. “Come on, Mama. We have to go home now ’cause me and Drew are hungry as bears!” Kit did his best to imitate Drew’s great roar and the contest to see who could roar the loudest began.

  Drew won. But only because Kit fell asleep against his shoulder before they reached the house.

  “Wait, Drew.” Wren stood in the threshold of the main house. “Let me take him from here,” she said.

  “You’re soaked. You’ll drip water all over the floor.”

  “Hang the floor,” he pronounced. “You’re as wet as I am. And he’s too heavy for you to be carrying up and down the stairs.” He flashed his most devastating smile at her. “Don’t worry, Kathryn, I won’t drop him. I’m very good with my hands.”

  “You’re incredibly good with your hands,” she agreed with a smile. “And I appreciate your help, but it isn’t necessary. Ally and I are quite capable of putting Kit to bed.”

  “That goes without saying, Kathryn, but the fact is that I see no reason why you and Miss Allerton should have all the fun when I’m perfectly willing to do my part.” He nudged Wren forward, then followed her into the house and up the stairs to the nursery where Ally was waiting.

  The governess took one look at her charge and gave Drew a knowing smile. “I prepared a bath for him, but I don’t see the sense of waking him when he’s this tired. Put him down on his bed.” She reached for a bathing cloth and dipped it into a small tub of water. Drew placed Kit in the center of his bed, then stepped back out of the way. Wren removed Kit’s dirty clothes while Ally quickly washed as much dirt as she could off him and buttoned him into a clean nightshirt. “Tell me, my lord, is there any muck left in the stables or has he brought it all with him?”

  Drew laughed. “There’s a little left. Kit insisted on saving some for his mother to shovel in the morning.”

  “Really?” Ally glanced at Wren.

  “Yes, i
ndeed,” Wren confirmed. “He’s to teach me how to muck stalls after our riding lesson tomorrow.”

  “Well,” Ally said, clucking her tongue in satisfaction, “he had a grand time then.” She sighed. “He’s all boy, after all. I must admit I’ve been worried about Kit’s lack of a masculine influence.”

  “You’ve worried needlessly,” Drew told her. “Young Master Kit set a new all-time record for Ramsey heirs. He groomed his pony and helped clean three stalls. I only managed to help clean one and a half when I was his age.”

  Miss Allerton was properly impressed. “Then it’s no wonder he fell asleep! We’ll celebrate the accomplishment in the morning.” She focused her gaze on Drew and then on Wren. “I can take care of things here. And, if you don’t mind me saying so, your lordship, you and Mrs. Stafford should get out of those wet clothes and into warm baths yourself.”

  Wren leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on Kit’s forehead. “Good night, sweetheart.” She tucked the covers around him. “Sleep tight.” She straightened, said good night to Ally and Drew, and left the nursery.

  Drew caught up with her on the stairs. “Where are you going?”

  “To the cottage.”

  “It’s raining again.”

  “A little more rain won’t hurt me,” she told him. “I’m already wet and I’ve got to see to the animals.”

  “The animals can wait until morning. Why don’t you make use of your room here and forgo the rainy journey across the garden?”

  Wren frowned at him.

  Drew shoved his fingers through his wet hair. “I know there’s a room kept in readiness for you here,”

  Drew said. “Mrs. Tanglewood told me that my father asked her to keep one ready for you to use whenever you wanted it. Why go back to the cottage at all? Wouldn’t you like to be closer to Kit?”

  Wren nodded. “I’d love to be closer to Kit, but I gave George my word that I’d give Kit more independence by allowing him to stay in the nursery with Ally.”

  Drew was puzzled. “Why did he ask you to do that?”

  “Because he was afraid that I doted on Kit more than I should and that hovering over him every moment of the day wasn’t healthy for either one of us.” She made a face. “And he was right. Kit has blossomed under Ally’s care. He’s become a lively little boy instead of an anxious, fretful one. I’m so proud of his progress.”

  “That’s all the more reason for you to go back upstairs, take off those wet things, and soak in a hot bath. You’ll be here first thing in the morning to help him celebrate his accomplishment.” He gave her his most persuasive smile. “I’m having a bath sent up to my room. It’s just as easy for the maids to bring up hot water for two baths as for one. If you return to the cottage, you’ll have to heat and haul all that water yourself.”

  She showed no sign of capitulating so Drew added, “I’ll send someone to ask Isley to take care of your menagerie for you.”

  “Please don’t,” Wren said. “He’s getting old. I’d hate to have him come out in the rain on my account.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.”

  “Drew, thank you, but it’s not necessary.”

  “I’ll help you tend your menagerie and then we’ll return here for hot baths and dinner.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “But I do,” he insisted. “And it will give me a few moments to speak privately with you. I have a favor to ask of you.”

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Drew smiled. “I’ll tell you on the way to the cottage.”

  Chapter Eighteen