Katie jumped from the bed and ran to her father, throwing her arms around her neck.
"Papa," she said quietly. "What if he doesn't forgive me?"
"Then you'll have to prove it to him. And it may take time. But if you really do love him, in the end, it'll be worth it."
Francis leaned down to kiss the top of her head and closed the door between them.
She watched him go, frowning. Papa was right. Lizzie was right. She'd given up trust in Nick so easily. She was so sure he hadn't cared at all for her when she found out he'd proposed to Miss Watson. She'd never looked at things from his point of view. Guarding her own heart was something she'd been so determined to do, and she had completely disregarded his.
Pacing around the bed, she stood in front of the mirror. Sorrowful blue eyes stared back at her. Her shoulders sagged, and her hands twisted into the skirts of her gown, exhibiting her unrest.
Was she truly ready to trust him? He was certainly worthy of it. If what Lizzie had said was true, this day's heartache could have been avoided, if only she'd stayed by his side this morning and been patient.
He'd come through for her so many times. He'd rescued her twice in recent weeks. He'd done everything he could to protect her from danger. He'd even tried to protect her when she'd foolishly chosen the champagne instead of the punch.
Dear God, how could she have been such a fool?
A Long Night
The night passed extremely slowly. Katie tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She finally got up, when she heard the clock strike four, and lit the lantern in her room. Padding to the wardrobe, she pulled out a dress and decided to go downstairs and make some tea. She still had a slight headache. She wondered if there was any ginger tea left. She took the hairbrush off her dresser and dragged it through her locks, smoothing them out before going downstairs.
The light was on in Papa's study, and she turned to check and see if he was in it. Rapping her knuckles lightly on the door, she called out, "Papa?"
"Come in, Katie."
Her father was sitting at his desk and looked up when she entered. "You look as if you have a question."
"I can't sleep. I would like to go see Nick, Papa. As soon as it gets light."
Francis studied her face. He waited and finally gave his answer. "I'll go with you. We'll take the carriage."
"Thank you, Papa." She swallowed hard and nodded. "Why are you up so early?"
He smiled. "Katie, when you have children, you'll understand. When their lives are full of uncertainty, yours will be, too."
She moved slowly to where he sat and put her arms around him. "So you're worried about me?"
Her father swiveled in his desk chair to face her. "About you, yes. And about Nick. The Wellington children have been almost as dear to us as you, Katie. We love them, too."
She nodded. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Papa." She watched him a moment. "Is there anything I can do for you while we wait for daylight?"
He grinned. "I'd love some hot tea. Can you manage it?"
She grinned, picking up her lantern and leaving the room. The house was dark, and no one was in the kitchen, but she wandered into the pantry, looking for the teas. She found them in the upper part, where the spices were kept.
Katie realized with dismay that having grown up in a houseful of servants, she had no idea how to make it. Would she and Nick starve if they married? She'd have to learn how to cook.
"What are you doing in here, sweets?"
Katie turned to see Miss Constance standing in the doorway and grinned. "Realizing how inadequate I am in the kitchen," she answered. "Papa is up, and I couldn't sleep. I thought I could make some tea. It can't be that hard, can it?"
Miss Constance's normally testy demeanor softened. "Have a seat, love. No, it's not hard, but it can be tricky to get it just right." A few moments later, she was removing scones she'd warmed in the oven and had the tray looking perfect.
"Thank you, Miss Constance," Katie murmured, leaning up on tiptoe to kiss her cheek. "I don't know what we'd do without you."
"Can you get it into the study?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm sure I can."
Her father looked up to see her approaching with the tray. "Ah, there you are."
Katie served, while he pulled up a chair next to the desk.
It was one of the most pleasant times they had ever spent together. Her father told her stories of how he'd met her mother and of how Merrie had vowed never to speak to him again after he chased down Bailey, her puppy, to rescue him from under Mr. Becker's wagon. He explained how he'd chastised her for bringing the dog to town and threatened to spank her if she ever did it again.
Katie's eyes were wide. "Oh, no! Did she?"
"Not that I know of. She was thirteen, then, and she left to go away to school that fall and didn't come back to Strasburg for six years. And she still wouldn't speak to me." He was laughing now. "I managed to get her best friend to bring her to the ball here, as soon as she arrived home, and not tell her where it was being held." He winked down at Katie. "She'd fallen asleep on the way, and she was mad as a hornet when she realized it was here, and I was the one who opened the carriage door to awaken her."
Katie relaxed as her father talked about trust and the importance of it in a relationship. She listened carefully. Her mother had not shared some of these things with her, and it was interesting to hear these tales of their younger days together.
Finally, Miss Constance came into the study to tell them breakfast was ready. It was an hour after that, she pulled on her heavy cloak and her father helped her into the carriage.
Nick, however, was not home when they got there. Geoffrey had no idea where he'd gone, but he was on Hunter. He promised if Nick returned home without seeing them, he'd send him over.
"We'll find him, thanks, Geoff."
Fighting for him
Katie was quiet as they entered town. She looked carefully up and down the street for Hunter, Nick's horse. "There he is."
Hunter was tied up outside the dormitory.
Katie's heart plummeted. The dormitory. He was seeing Phebe Watson? That's where she would be staying, after all.
"Katie?" Her father's voice pulled her back to reality. "Remember what I said about trust? Has he let you down before?"
"No." It was a whisper.
"Then don't start believing the worst of him now."
She nodded and then blinked rapidly. "I'd like to get out of the carriage, Papa."
Slowly, her father called out for Gleason to stop and helped her down. Katie turned to him. "I'd like to go and wait for him by Hunter."
"Then, I'll wait here."
She nodded.
Katie had just reached Hunter and was petting his nose and speaking softly to him, when she heard a frustrated scream from inside the parlor of the dormitory. The scream was followed by shouts from a female voice.
A moment later, the door opened, and she looked up, wide-eyed. Nick strode out of the door and onto the porch, toward Hunter.
"How dare you!" the voice from inside hissed. "I'll go and visit your little miss Katie, myself. When I'm finished with her, she'll never speak to you again as long as you live."
Katie moved, at that moment, away from Hunter, closer to Nick, who saw her for the first time. He looked shocked to see her but pleasantly surprised. Turning toward the dormitory, she lifted her chin and spoke clearly, with courage. "Miss Watson? Was there something you wished to say to me?"
"Katie? What are you doing here?" Nick's voice stopped her as he reached toward her. His first move was to try to move her behind him, but when she stepped back slightly out of reach, he raised a brow. "Kaitlynne?"
There was a brief silence as Miss Watson stared from Nick to Katie. "Ah, so you are Katie." Her voice had a sneer to it. "How nice to meet you. I have quite a few things to tell you about this beast."
"Beast?" Katie turned to Nick. "You never told me you were a beast, sir."
A wink from Nick was foll
Katie moved toward him. "As a matter of fact, I like beasts." She approached and put her arms around his neck, glancing back toward Phebe. "So nice to meet you, too, Miss Watson. Please excuse me a moment," she said, before pulling Nick's head downward. In broad daylight, she rose on tiptoe, put her mouth to his and kissed him passionately.
Phebe screamed and raised her hand to hurl something at them, but Nick was prepared. He reached up, catching it deftly, before it hit Katie.
She saw it out of the corner of her eye as he caught it and reached for his hand. Opening it, she looked up into his eyes. With her thumb and forefinger, she picked up the ring Phebe had propelled at them.
"Nick? Does this mean anything to you?"
His eyes twinkled down at her. "Not a thing, sweetheart."
Katie turned toward Phebe, who was staring. Her face was flushed, her eyes were full of rage, and her mouth worked silently as if she was about to begin throwing threats in Katie's direction.
But Katie was staring at the ring in her hand. She looked up into Nick's face before turning again to face Phebe.
"Unfortunately for you, Miss Watson, Nicholas is mine. Do you understand what that means? Not yours. Mine. And this?" she said, holding it up. "Let this be a reminder of the most foolish decision you ever made." Katie tossed the ring in Phebe's direction, and even though the girl reached for it, it fell through her hands and down to the wooden walk, disappearing between the cracks. It was gone forever.
Phebe stared back at her, the animosity and bitterness in her eyes only increasing, as Katie turned to Nick and glanced up into his face.
"I wanted to fight for you, Nick. Did I do it right?"
He took her by the waist and brought her mouth closer to his. "You did it beautifully. While, normally, I wouldn't have allowed you to make a scene in the middle of the street, today, it was the best thing my eyes—and my heart—have ever witnessed." He leaned down into her ear. "But don't do it again. If you'll look up and down the street, you'll see quite a few interested citizens of Strasburg standing by watching you, along with your father, who is waiting next to your carriage." He didn't release her; instead, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her forehead, then her nose, and moved down to her mouth there in the middle of the street.
Katie felt herself rattled to her bones as she began to hear the sounds of applause all around them. When Nick set her down on her feet, she was scarlet all the way to her ears. She took his hand, tugging him away toward her father, who leaned against the carriage with his arms folded, wearing a wide grin. She turned her head just enough to glance back toward the dormitory. Phebe Watson was gone.
"If you're finished, Nicholas, I'll take Hunter back to my house and you can bring Katie home in the carriage. I've been up half the night worrying about you two. I think I'd like a nap."
Nick grinned. "Certainly, sir. I'd like to take Katie to meet with Father Michael before I bring her home. Hopefully, we can secure a wedding date?"
Katie threw her arms around her father. "Thank you, Papa," she whispered softly. "I love you."
"I'm very proud of you, Katie," he said with an indulgent smile as he handed her back into Nick's arms.
Gleason followed them down to St. Mary's with the carriage as they walked hand in hand. Since Nick's display of affection in front of the dormitory, they'd seen no sign of Phebe Watson.
It was as they turned up the steps to St. Mary's that they heard a friendly voice. "Hello, my favorite two young parishioners."
Katie laughed. "You say that to all your parishioners, Father."
He raised his hands. "They're all my favorites. What can I say?"
Nick grinned, and Katie approached him with a kiss to his cheek.
"What can I do for you two, as if I didn't know?"
Katie's brow rose. "You know?"
"I do. I've been paying attention longer than you think. Follow me." He led the way to his office and took out the calendar he kept on his desk. "How does the twenty-third of December sound? The wedding for Geoffrey and Mary Polly is the following week, and I have another young lady, who is currently living in the dormitory, the week before. Strasburg is growing." He was beaming.
"There is nothing sooner?" Nick's voice was obviously disappointed.
"I'm afraid not. This weekend, but that's too soon. Your families would kill me, and it wouldn't give us time for the marriage banns. The only other way I could do it would be if we came up against an emergency situation and it was necessary to give sacrament."
Nick's expression indicated he wasn't happy, but he agreed.
Katie met his gaze. "Nick, if that's all he has…"
"I know, Katie, and I can agree. But I don't have to like it." He was grinning now, and she squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Father Michael. The twenty-third, it is."
"All right. Have a seat, you two, and let's discuss some things. I can't let you get away without my pre-marital lecture, you know."
Nick ushered Katie into a seat. Father Michael guided them through the process and discussed the roles a man and wife had in marriage. He discussed trust, and Katie listened. He also mentioned the disruption in the Sunday morning Mass that had happened the day before when Miss Watson came into the building.
"I feel that's my fault." Nick frowned.
"No, it wasn't. You had no idea she would come into a room with all the rest of the parishioners and do that. And there wasn't much else you could have done besides what you did, other than to have gone outside. The parishioners would likely have followed you."
"I hated it, for Katie's sake. And for yours."
"Thank you, Nick," Katie said softly.
The wind began to whistle outside, and they looked upward, toward the small window.
It was then they heard footfalls coming into the building. Gleason appeared at the door, followed by Sheriff Andrews, the father of Cicely and Mary Polly.
Andrews spoke first, nodding. "Have you looked out the window?" His voice sounded alarmed. "There's a blizzard coming in. It doesn't look good."
The three of them moved out of the office so they could see out the windows in the sanctuary. Katie gasped at the scene as nothing but white met her eyes.
"When did this start?" Nick demanded.
"About fifteen minutes after you and Miss Katie went inside," Gleason recounted. "I should have come in sooner after you. I feel confident Mr. Adams made it home in time, but I'm not sure we'll be safe trying to get home in this."
The sheriff offered, "Go down to my house with the horses and carriage, Gleason. You can put them in the stables behind my house. Take Katie down. Nick, you, too. We have plenty of room."
But Nick looked toward Father Michael. "What about your parishioners? The widows in town who live alone? And what about you? Will everyone have enough food and water to be able to manage?"
Father Michael met his gaze squarely. "I plan to stay here, but as far as the elderly and the widows? The truth, Nicholas? I don't know."
The Widows
Katie watched Nick's face as he mentioned the widows; he was devising a plan, she could tell. Her heart grew with admiration as she saw the concern in his face for those in the town who were less fortunate. With the storm, did they have enough firewood? Enough food?
"Our weather has been undependable enough this year as it is." Gleason nodded. "They were snowed in during the last blizzard that came through—the same one that caught you and Miss Katie in Cooksville."
"What can I do to help?" Katie looked from one to the other.
Nick turned her to face him. "You…" he asserted firmly "…can go to Sheriff Andrews' house and stay there. That's all."
She stared at him blankly. "Have you forgotten my grandparents live right next to them?"
He stared back. "Yes, I had. Thank you, Katie. I'm not thinking straight."
"You're denying me the chance to help out, then?"
Nick stared down at her. The room became quiet. "Kaitlynne." His voice was softer this time. "I want you safe. Can you understand that?"
"I do." Her voice had a sad ring to it. "But it sounds as if there is so much to be done. I'm young and strong, and I want to help." She looked toward Father Michael for help. "I don't know how to cook but if someone could tell me what to do, I can follow directions. There should be something I could do."
Father Michael turned toward Nick. "She's right, Nicholas. We have a good Samaritan at heart here, in the form of Katie Adams. I realize you don't have to agree, but I believe we should let her help."
One small victory, Katie thought. But the biggest one would be Nick. His mouth was flat as he stared at her. "Let me think about it, Katie." He reached out for her hands, and she nodded hopefully.
Gleason leaned forward. "I say the thing to do now is to get Miss Katie to shelter and the horses to the stables. We can argue about this when they are settled and everyone is warm and dry at the Andrews' house."
"Agreed." Nick's voice was determined.
"One thing, gentlemen." Father Michael stopped them at the door. "Just a suggestion. It's not only the widows we have here in Strasburg, it's the elderly. Nicholas, you and Katie wouldn't remember this, but Gleason would. During the Civil War, there were so many wounded here, we housed a multitude of soldiers downstairs in the basement and more in the dormitory. We cooked at both kitchens, and were able to feed them all. There is a possibility that we would have room enough for the widows and the elderly married ladies—even Louisa and the young ladies in the dormitory could be moved over here. The elderly men could be moved there. It would be easier to feed everyone if they were all together in one place. Again, just a suggestion."
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