Sir Marcus led the way down the terrace steps, turning right.
‘I see you already know the lie of the land,’ Kate said.
‘I am merely following the crowd. Am I taking you in the wrong direction?’
‘No, you have surmised perfectly correctly.’
‘And how are you enjoying having your husband at home after all these years, Lady Elmswood?’
Sir Marcus’s face was shaded by the brim of his hat. She could detect nothing from his voice. ‘Why, I have to confess to being quite delighted with his company,’ Kate said. ‘With the girls gone now, I have all the time in the world to devote to him. It is proving a most rewarding exercise.’
She felt Daniel shake with laughter, and knew that she had hit the right note.
‘As you can see from our guests, we have been welcomed into Shropshire society with open arms. The vicar tells us that his church is never so full as when we attend. If we wanted to, we could fill our days with social events.’
‘But we don’t wish to do that, do we, my love?’ Daniel interjected, with a doting smile. ‘I have explored the far corners of the globe alone, Sir Marcus, as you know, but I must say exploring this little...’ His pause, and the look he gave her, almost overset Kate. ‘This little corner of Shropshire,’ he concluded, ‘is proving an unexpected delight.’
‘No need to overdo it, man,’ Sir Marcus muttered.
‘Forgive us,’ Kate said, pleased to see that the usually imperturbable gentleman was looking distinctly uncomfortable. ‘But to discover the joys of marital bliss when one is well past the first blush of youth is such a delight.’
‘Indeed it is,’ Daniel said. ‘You should try it yourself, Sir Marcus.’
They had reached the rose garden, but instead of taking one of the many paths leading through the beds Sir Marcus continued on.
‘Don’t you wish to inspect the roses?’ Kate asked him. ‘Despite last week’s rain, they are quite at their best.’
Sir Marcus, however, ignored her. ‘Enough of this charade, Fairfax. We’ll go back to the house. I need a word in private. With both of you.’
He led the way at a pace, round the side of the manor and in through the front door, which he closed behind them, shaking his head when Kate indicated the drawing room door.
‘I will make this brief. Firstly, Fairfax, I am pleased to hear of your return to health in such a short time. Your efforts to regain your strength have been noted.’
‘Have they indeed?’ Now that the three of them were alone, Daniel’s tone was very different. ‘May one enquire who noted them?’
‘Second,’ Sir Marcus said, ‘I am also pleased to note that you have had the sense to do as I bade you, and make yourself at home here. The party, Lady Elmswood, is a master stroke. I presume it was your idea?’
‘Actually, it was—’
‘Thirdly—and I am afraid you must forgive my bluntness, Lady Elmswood—I wish to remind you that the goal is for you to return to active service, Fairfax.’
‘That, Sir Marcus, is the one and only reason I am still here at Elmswood.’
‘Is it?’ The man from the Admiralty stared pointedly at Kate. ‘Are you absolutely sure of that?’
‘We are acting,’ Daniel said evenly. ‘We are doing exactly as you instructed us to do.’
Sir Marcus sighed theatrically. ‘Daniel, I have known you since you were sixteen years old. You are that very rare creature, a man who thrives in his own company, and it is one of the key reasons why you have been so successful.’
‘I am perfectly aware of that.’
‘Frankly, Lady Elmswood, your husband is a bit of a cold fish. He is also an excellent actor, however. I admire you very much, madam. I would not like to see you hurt.’
‘I am not sure what you mean, sir.’
‘I am aware that you put on that little display for my sake, madam. Laying it on thick to try to embarrass me. But I am an old hand at this business, and sadly more than able to read between the lines. I sense that your affection for your husband is genuine, Lady Elmswood, and that concerns me greatly.’
‘Sir Marcus, I have understood from the moment Daniel walked through this door that he would be leaving after three months.’
Daniel, she reminded herself, was standing rigid by her side, and he wanted this and only this.
‘Of course I have come to—to care for him in these last weeks we have spent together—at your behest, I would remind you—but it is a natural affection, grown out of enforced intimacy, and will I am sure fade equally naturally when he departs.’
Kate, longing for the comfort of Daniel’s hand, forced herself to move out of his reach and to meet Sir Marcus’s penetrating gaze.
‘I am flattered that you were taken in, but I assure you that you have no need at all to be concerned. Daniel belongs to the foreign service heart, body and soul. What’s more, after eleven years of ruling the roost here at Elmswood, the reality is that he is getting in the way. People expect Lord Elmswood to take over from his lady, but this lady, I assure you, has no intention of allowing that to happen.’
‘In fact,’ Daniel interjected, ‘we were discussing just this morning how to effect our parting of the ways. Having fooled someone so perceptive as yourself, sir, I reckon we should start working on that sooner rather than later.’
‘A quarrel?’ Kate said, but her voice faltered.
‘No, you are too easy-going for that to be believed. I think I should be the one to cause the estrangement. I shall take agin’ modern farming, and your Farmer Styles will lead a band of men armed with pitchforks and hound me out of Shropshire.’
Kate giggled. ‘If only I had had the foresight to invent a horseless plough I could have chased you with that myself.’
‘Now, that is a sight I’d pay a large amount of money to see. What do you think...?’
‘What I think is that it might have been a mistake to send you here, Fairfax.’
How could they have forgotten Sir Marcus, even for a few moments? Dismayed, Kate opened her mouth to protest on Daniel’s behalf, but he shook his head.
‘As you pointed out, it has given me the opportunity to restore myself fully to health, and we have ensured that the cover story you concocted has been well and truly established.’
‘I do not need to be reminded of my objective. It was, as I am sure you have deduced, in some measure a punishment for your failure to observe protocol. Yes, I thought you’d have worked that out. But it seems to me you are enjoying your respite here, Fairfax, far too much. And it seems to me that the pair of you are enjoying each other’s company far too much.’
‘Are you suggesting that I leave?’
‘No. If I do that you’ll resent me, and I would rather you didn’t, Daniel. I don’t want you going back into service with regrets, as Sinclair did.’
‘Alexander?’
‘It’s not my story to tell. Not his either. But if you let him know I’ve given permission, it might benefit you to talk to him.’ Sir Marcus nodded. ‘Yes, I rather think that might be for the best. I will leave you now. I am very glad I took you up on your invitation, Lady Elmswood. This has been a most helpful visit. Your husband is one of our most valuable men, and I would be extremely sorry to lose him, but—Well, as Sinclair will tell you, and as you already know, Fairfax, it is all or nothing. The King and I expect no less. Good day to you both.’
* * *
Bright sunshine filtering through the gap in the curtains woke Daniel. His head was woolly, his eyes gritty. He didn’t remember going to bed. What did he remember? The party. Sir Marcus.
He grimaced. Sir Marcus.
His head had been aching. Yes, he’d left the party and come up here to take some medicine. But that had been before Sir Marcus. What had happened after? He couldn’t remember.
He wriggled his toes to rid himself o
f the usual pins and needles, but his legs and arms seemed to be free from aches, and his head no longer felt as if it was being penetrated by hot knives. Whatever had ailed him yesterday, it couldn’t have been a recurrence of the ague. If the party had only been yesterday.
He lifted his arm to flex his fingers, and realised he was naked.
‘You’re awake.’
Nor was he alone in his bed!
Daniel turned his head to find Kate peering anxiously at him. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I fell asleep.’ She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her hair had come undone and formed a wild, matted tangle around her head. She put her hand up to it, groaning. ‘Is it a bird’s nest? No, don’t answer that. I can see by your face that it is. Never mind my hair—tell me how you are feeling?’
‘Naked.’
‘You were drenched in sweat, and it took me such an effort to get you out of your clothes I simply didn’t have the energy to get you into your nightshirt.’ She leaned over to place a cool hand on his brow. ‘Your fever seems to have gone.’
She was still wearing her party gown, but she had loosened the ties and the respectable round neck was now gaping, giving him a distracting view of her breasts only just contained by her corset.
‘Kate, if you don’t move, my fever is likely to return with a vengeance.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry. Am I making you hot?’
‘Yes.’
‘You were so restless I was afraid you’d fall out of bed, so I lay down beside you and talked to you, and—As I said, I must have fallen asleep. But I can see you’re better now, so I’ll get up.’
He caught her wrist. ‘Don’t go yet.’
‘But I’m making you hot...’
‘You are, but it’s not fever.’
‘Daniel! You are supposed to be ill.’
‘I’m feeling much better now, but if you wish to reassure myself by taking my temperature again, Nurse...’
‘You are outrageous.’ She sat up cross-legged on the bed. ‘I was worried about you.’
‘I am worried about myself. You stripped me naked and I don’t remember it.’
‘You put up much more of a fight than the last time I took your clothes off.’
‘How strange, when for the last fortnight one of the things I’ve wanted more than anything is to be naked with you.’
‘Daniel...’
‘She said, with a warning note in her voice,’ he teased, though his smile quickly became a frown. ‘I know we agreed that we would not make love again—that it would be a mistake, that we should wean ourselves off each other. I know all those things, but I can’t make myself believe any of them. You were right yesterday morning, though I still think your timing was appalling. And now my timing is equally appalling.’ He pushed himself upright, knuckling his eyes. ‘Though Sir Marcus’s timing was worse, damn the man.’
‘Do you have any idea what he meant when he said you should talk to Alexander Sinclair?’
‘Not a clue, but I intend to write to him today.’
‘He thinks I’m in love with you—Sir Marcus, I mean.’
‘But you reassured him, didn’t you? You have developed a natural affection for me that will fade naturally when I leave. That hurt.’
‘It was painful to say.’
‘It’s all or nothing, Kate. You heard it from the horse’s mouth.’
‘For both of us.’
There was something in her tone that made his stomach lurch. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I love you.’ Kate’s mouth trembled. ‘But you already know that, don’t you? You probably guessed it before I did. I didn’t want to face up to it. I’ve been refusing to even let myself think the words, let alone say them. But I finally faced up to it last night, lying here beside you, remembering how close to death you were only a few months ago, worrying that it might happen again.’
‘Oh, Kate!’
‘Don’t look so stricken. I’m not telling you to make you feel guilty. I’m telling you because I’m tired of pretending—to myself, as much as to you. I love you, and whether you want to admit it or not I know you’re in love with me. It’s the only explanation for what happened between us when we made love. You know... “My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, and true plain hearts do in the faces rest.”’
‘Donne,’ Daniel said, with a lump in his throat. ‘One of my favourites.’
‘Is it? It’s one of Eloise’s favourites too. I never understood it until that morning. “For love, all love of other sights controls, and makes one little room an everywhere.” I understand that too now—but you don’t, or won’t. You would never be content with me, with my world, would you? You only want to live in your own world. Alone. So, you see, you don’t need to pretend that you don’t love me any more, Daniel. Whatever you feel for me, it doesn’t make any difference. I will never be your first love, and I’m not interested in second-best. I love you, but I’m keeping my heart safely to myself. I’ve no intention of letting you crush it.’
He felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him. He felt as if his heart was soaring, racing, and at the same time was about to plummet. Kate loved him. Of course she did. And he loved Kate. Of course he did. The two things were the perfect halves of one whole, an elemental truth.
‘I do love you.’
But the words he had never uttered, had never believed he would utter, made Kate’s eyes fill with tears.
‘I know,’ she said, her lip trembling.
‘I don’t want to leave you. When Sir Marcus hinted yesterday that he might recall me immediately I should have been delighted, but all I could think of was you.’
‘It didn’t occur to you that you could stay, though, did it? Be honest, Daniel.’
‘I can’t bear to think about leaving you, but if he’d had insisted I would have gone, yes.’
She flinched, but forced a smile. ‘I did ask you to be honest.’
He reached for her hand, twining his fingers around hers. ‘Try to understand, Kate. Sir Marcus won’t tolerate any insubordination, but he is not a martinet. If he recalled me it would be because he truly believed it was in my best interests—and those of the country, it goes without saying. It’s so much more than a job. It’s who I am. But for the first time in my life yesterday I was torn. The fact that he saw through both of us, saw what we had not yet admitted to ourselves, made it impossible for me to ignore what you, brave Kate, were trying to tell me yesterday morning.’
A tear trickled down her cheek. ‘But it has to be all or nothing, doesn’t it?’
‘I can’t stay here. I hate this place.’
‘You don’t think you will ever be able to make it your own, Daniel?’
He shuddered. ‘There’s something about this place that spooks me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s there. I could never live here. But it’s not only Elmswood, Kate. It’s the life—all the trappings of being Lord Elmswood. I’m a fish out of water.’
‘You were the biggest fish in the pond yesterday.’
‘I must be a better actor than I thought if you believe I was enjoying myself. I don’t want to be a member of that exclusive little band who consider themselves the elite. I don’t want to be fawned over nor looked up to.’
‘Though you don’t take kindly to anyone looking down on you.’
He gave a snort of laughter. ‘The ones doing the looking up now are the very ones who looked down on me at school.’
‘Those exclusive boys’ schools that the great and the good attend are supposed to ensure that all the boys end up in the same little elite club when they grow to be men. Your school had the very opposite effect on you.’
‘It instilled in me a lifelong disgust of clubs and an equally fierce determination to live life my own way. Neither of which were what my father intended. Nor indeed the school.’
‘You are set on leaving Elmswood?’
‘Unlike you, I have nothing but happy memories of this place, but I can’t spend the rest of my life living vicariously through the girls. I want to create new memories for myself. So, yes, I am set on leaving.’
‘Then I must hurry my lawyer up. It might be a good idea to take a trip to London. I could arrange to meet Alex there too—kill two birds with one stone.’
‘He may be reluctant to leave Eloise and Tilda so soon after the birth.’
‘I’ll sort something out.’
‘Yes, you’re right...not now,’ Kate said, reading between the lines of his impatient comment. ‘And, if you don’t mind, I’d rather not discuss how we are to part just yet.’
‘I think we’ve talked more than enough about everything for the moment.’
‘You must be exhausted. I’ll leave you to sleep.’
But she made no move, and Daniel gave in to temptation, pulling her towards him. ‘Stay with me for a moment.’
‘Just until you fall sleep.’
Kate stretched out beside him, on top of the sheet. He slipped his arm around her and she rolled closer. Her hair tickled his nose. Her cheek rested on his shoulder.
‘I’ve never spent the night with anyone before,’ he said.
‘You didn’t even know I was here.’
‘I am very much aware of you now.’
She laughed softly. ‘Go to sleep, Daniel.’
He kissed her hair. She burrowed closer. They drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Kate awoke for the second time that day in Daniel’s bed, but this time she was also in Daniel’s arms. The sun was shining directly through the window, which meant the day must be considerably advanced. She was lying on her side, with Daniel curled into her back, his arm draped over her waist. Still half-asleep, she ran her hand over his bare forearm, feeling the muscles ripple in response. She inched one foot to the edge of the bed, and he shuffled closer.
The Inconvenient Elmswood Marriage (Penniless Brides 0f Convenience Book 4) Page 18
