A Taste of Honey

by Lindsay Kiernan

  “Why do you have to be responsible for all of that? Why isn't Robin searching for a titled bachelor?”

  Katherine bit her lip for a moment as she decided whether or not to admit the unpleasant truth. “My sister is not always responsible enough to consider what would benefit our family.”

  “So that duty lands on you?” Winnie stated rather than asked. Mulling over the information for a bit Winnie patted Katherine's knee beneath the blankets. “I won't tell anyone what you told me,” she promised as she started to clean up the tea tray.

  “Winnie, could I ask you a question?” She wasn't even sure if Winnie would have the answer, but Katherine felt that it was worth a try and the mystery was still bobbing around in her head ever since her first kiss with Garrett. “Who's Amelia?”

  Although her back was turned, Katherine could see Winnie stiffen immediately. “How do you know that name?” she asked quietly as she set the tray back down and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “It was what Garrett called me when we first met,” she admitted. “When he kissed me in the alley, it was because he thought that I was Amelia. At the time I just assumed it was his wife. I even kissed him, hoping that he wouldn't realize that I wasn't Amelia. That's why I was surprised when he started to pursue me.”

  “She was supposed to be his wife.” Winnie whispered and glanced around the darkness of her brother's room as if she might awaken something nearby. Finally she looked at Katherine with a weak smile. Once she was sure that no unseen force was going to punish her for speaking about the woman, she continued. “Amelia died three years ago. She and Garrett were already engaged when it happened; they had been sweethearts for over a year before she died.”

  It became difficult for Winnie to speak for a moment and Katherine waited patiently. “I liked her very well. Then after she passed away, Garrett refused to look for another wife again. He said that he would never let her memory go. Now everyone amongst his family and friends tries not to even mention her in front of him. He gets very moody when they do and he usually goes to his friend’s house where they drink themselves into oblivion.”

  Katherine gasped at the thought of how strong his pain must have been, and apparently still was. He had believed her to be a ghost the night that they had first met. It explained the strange fear that had been in his voice as he had held onto her, unwilling to let her slip though his fingers as if she were mist instead of flesh and bone.

  “He hasn't been seen with anyone since her,” Winnie admitted as her voice steadied, “My mother has been trying to get him to attend some of London's events in the hopes that he'll meet someone, but until tonight he's refused to go to any dances. I have to admit that I like the idea that he has found another woman that he likes. Especially one that I enjoy spending time with,” Winnie said as she smiled down at her.

  Katherine didn't know what to say in return. She loved spending time with Winnie and had her brother been someone with a title she would have been happy to have her as a sister-in-law and Garrett as her husband. But the way things were, that would never work. It was pointless to allow herself to consider it as an option. She had to put her mother first before she could consider the wishes of a potential sister-in-law. “How did she die?” she asked, switching back to their previous subject.

  “It was an accident,” Winnie said, unwilling to talk about it. “It took only a blink of the eye before she went from a vibrant woman with life and a future, to gone forever. That's why it was so hard for Garrett. He saw her when it happened. He couldn't accept that she could be gone so quickly.” It was clear that Amelia's passing had not affected just Garrett; Winnie seemed truly shaken by the loss as well.

  “Thank you for telling me,” Katherine said, signaling that she didn't need Winnie to tell her more. It didn't matter if Amelia had been attacked by a robber or drowned in a river, she was gone. That was all that mattered to the family who still seemed to mourn her.

  “Would you let your mother and my sister know that I'm all right when they get home? I didn't get a chance to talk with them before Garrett had me rushed back here. Kent didn't even have time to say goodbye to me,” Katherine said, still upset with Garrett's high-handed nature in the matter.

  Winnie stiffened at the name. “Lord Kent?” she asked.

  “Yes, I met him at the dance. He was helping me before your brother arrived and became angry with him. Do you know him?” she asked, wondering if Winnie would be a source for more information.

  “I know him well enough to hate him,” Winnie answered primly sounding like her mother for the first time. “I understand that you want to marry a titled man but trust me, you don't want that one. To say that he is spoiled goods would only scratch the surface. I've known him since I was very little, and I cannot say one good thing about him.”

  Katherine was surprised at Winnie's strong dislike and distrust of Kent. “Garrett also warned me against him, is he really that bad? What did he do to your family?” The handsome dark haired man that she had met seemed very different from the two warnings that she had gotten so far. He had been romantic and daring, if not a little too bold in his actions.

  “I'm happy to hear that Garrett now admits that Kent is a bad example, they've been best friends for over ten years. I had begun to think that he was blind to his friend's horrible nature,” Winnie stated.

  “What did he do that was so bad?”

  “He gambles, he drinks, and he keeps mistresses.” Winnie started rattling off the same list as her brother that sounded like many of the complaints that she had heard about privileged men before.

  “Yes, unfortunately many men his age do those same things. Even the perfect Oliver Buckman, that everyone seems to like, has kept a mistress before.” Katherine said, with a feeling that there must be something more to the story for Winnie to hate him so passionately. It was hard for her to imagine Winnie hating anyone. “Did Kent do something to you personally?”

  Winnie's lips had drawn into a disapproving pout that even made her look like her mother. “He always picked on me when I was little. Being Garrett's younger sister I was an easy target I suppose.” She shook her head at the memories, “I just wouldn't recommend him.”

  “But you would recommend your brother?” Katherine asked wondering if she knew about her own brother's possible ills such as kissing a woman against her will. Well, mostly against her will.

  “Of course.” Winnie smiled brightly revealing that she had full trust in her brother.

  The next day Mrs. Brentley seemed unwilling to believe Katherine when she tried to assure her that her ankle was fine. Some of the swelling had gone down but the bright purple colored bruise looked worse than ever.

  “You're staying in bed today, and at least most of tomorrow. I'll have Garrett come back by to check your ankle and make sure that it isn't broken once all of the swelling is gone,” Mrs. Brentley told her charge who had been caught trying to go to her room and dress for the day. Katherine had barely made it into the hall before Winnie caught sight of her, sent her back in and then sought out her mother.

  “Garrett told me to keep you in bed so that you don't hurt your ankle,” Winnie had told her and Katherine felt slightly distressed that he was already trying to control her movements. His mother and sister took anything he said as being a very serious matter that should be handled exactly as he had described. It made sense because he was the head male of the family, but Katherine was still upset that he could control her through the two women.

  “And everyone knows that you have a sprained ankle. It would reflect poorly on me if I were to let you go to the theater tonight. The crowds are far too thick for someone who can barely stand on her own.”

  “How does everyone know about my ankle?” Katherine asked, perplexed. She and Garrett had tried so hard to not alert everyone's attention so that it didn't spoil the dance for everyone else.

  “That horrid friend of my son's came in and told me loudly enough that the entire group around us could
hear.” Her face pursed as she considered the event. “Kent,” she hissed under her breath in the same manner that one might use a vulgar curse. It was now officially the entire Brentley family who seemed to detest Kent as a possible suitor for Katherine, but she knew that she wouldn't allow that to stop her.

  Of the many events that Mrs. Brentley had listed off, going to the theater was the one that Katherine had been looking forward to. She didn't want to miss her first chance to see a London theater production, yet she also knew that Mrs. Brentley was as stubborn as her son. If she didn't want Katherine leaving, then she would make sure that Katherine went nowhere, especially if her son recommended it.

  Her absence at the theater was not going to prevent Mrs. Brentley from attending with Robin, who was excited at the prospect of seeing her new beau again. When Robin had come to check up on her later in the day, after Winnie's fourth or fifth visit, she had laughed off Victor's unconventional dancing skills that had caused Katherine's injured ankle.

  “He's not the most graceful dancer, but he's rich enough to make up for it,” Robin said. “Once we are married I hope to not have to dance with him too often. He is spontaneous and exciting but he has no grace.” Katherine was becoming increasingly worried that any negative remark about Victor, be it his crude behavior or his fondness for foul language, was treated the same way by her sister. Robin always smiled and replied that he was rich enough to make up for all of his faults. Katherine found herself wondering how many mistakes and strange behaviors her sister was willing to ignore just because he was 'rich enough'.

  Throughout the day a few gentlemen came to visit Katherine and inquire as to how she was doing, but Mrs. Brentley would not allow any visitors to see her and Katherine was forced to lay in bed all day while Winnie and Mrs. Brentley accepted gifts on her behalf.

  “Mother is playing this up a bit,” Winnie told her after adding a small vase of flowers to the room. “Injured women attract more suitors so she's told them you are in a great deal of pain. I think a couple might even check back tomorrow and the next day to see when you are better, but who knows, men like Oliver Buckman usually have short attention spans.”

  The effect was that each gentleman who had passed by to check up on her seemed guilted into sending flowers. Victor's had been the largest of the bouquets and Katherine was quite sure that she saw her sister pouting over the fact that the roses had not been for her this time. “She's worried that since you both look alike and right now you are the big story, he might leave her for you.” Winnie explained as to why Robin had not visited again after Victor had dropped off the flowers.

  “They are going to the play tonight. I'm sure he'll make things better then.” Katherine had seen Victor coo over her sister enough to know that for his part, nothing was being faked and his attention would not easily be diverted away from Robin no matter how similar he believed that the two girl's looks were.

  Mr. Buckman had sent a rather small bouquet and Winnie explained that Katherine's next dance after Victor had been promised to Oliver. When she had not shown up, he had acted put out at the rejection.

  “I was injured!” Katherine laughed, less worried about losing his affections than for his own fickle sanity. She only wished that Garrett could be deterred as easily as Oliver had been.

  “Mother says he might have found a new girl already but she is sure that he wanted to try for one of Mrs. Brentley's famous sponsors first; mostly as a trophy kind of thing.” With a sigh, Winnie shook her head. “It has been a problem for some of her charges that men will seek them out just to say that they nabbed one of the famously beautiful charges kept by one of London's best husband hunters. Being her daughter, I worry that next year might be even worse for me.”

  Katherine could see her point and she did not envy Winnie the pressure that she would be under a year from now. “I'll come back to London next year if I can. I can help point out the insincere ones,” she offered. Winnie nodded her head and smiled back before retreating downstairs to help her mother greet visitors.

  The most exciting arrival of the day was that of Lord Kent. Katherine could hear the occasional noises downstairs of doors opening and closing, letting her know when there was a new guest stopping by. Upon hearing the front door downstairs open and then immediately slam shut Katherine had been intrigued and she sat up in bed waiting for Winnie to come tell her the news.

  There were raised voices and after less than a minute she heard the door open and slam shut once more. Running all the way up to the third floor Winnie burst into the room gripping her side as she tried to stop giggling.

  “What happened?”

  Gasping for breath Winnie laughed. “Kent came here to bring you flowers!” She sat on the bed, but nearly fell off from laughing too hard. “Mother tried to kick him out before he even stepped inside the door but he brushed past her and set the flowers down on one of the end tables. When she tried to berate him for ruining the finish on her table, he called her an old hag and left, slamming the door behind him. She nearly followed him back out of the door so that she could keep yelling at him.”

  With a tiny smile Katherine realized that they had been right, Lord Kent was indeed a bit of a rogue, not that she had expected anything different after meeting him. Katherine considered quelling her curiosity but finally she put on her best smile and batted her eyes at Winnie. “Can I have the flowers he sent?” she asked as kindly as she could.

  Winnie raised her eyebrow questioningly but did not tell her no. “Just remember what I told you about him,” she warned before leaving the room in a less pleasant mood. However, with the next tray of tea that Winnie had brought up she had included the small bouquet of pink orchids that Kent had left behind. Winnie set them as far away from Katherine's bed as possible as if they might contaminate her or set her under some spell.

  After Winnie left the room Katherine got out of bed, and hobbled over to bring the bouquet closer to her so that they sat on the nightstand beside her. Looking the bouquet over she smiled at the flowers. It was the first gift that she had been given by the man that she was determined would be her future husband.

  Chapter 9

  Although Winnie was not old enough to have to attend social events such as balls and parties, Mrs. Brentley allowed her to take Katherine's seat at the theater that night. This meant that after a busy day of people running in and out of Garrett's room where she was staying, Katherine was at last alone in a quiet house and she could relax and rest for the night.

  Drawing the thick blankets up against her chin, she sank deeper into the folds of the bed. She pulled them up to her nose and caught the scent that drifted around her. A comforting smell like that of the woods after a new rain mixed with the scents of brandy and something more subtle. She had noticed it once before but only now did she realize that she recognized the scent as being distinctly Garrett's. It was strong enough that Katherine was surprised that she had not made the connection before. She reasoned that all day she had been too busy with Winnie's constant pampering to really sit back and relax.

  Not much of the room reminded her of Garrett and she had been told by Winnie that he spent very little time in London, so he rarely stayed in the room. But as the scent filled her nose, she remembered smelling something similar when they had first kissed. It wasn't cologne or any other artificial liquid that had created the smell that lurked inside of the blankets. More natural and simple than that, it was him, the essence of who he was distilled into the fragrance that lingered around her.

  Indulging in her instincts, Katherine burrowed her nose into the sheets and breathed in heavily, enjoying the smell of him and the warm cocooning feel of the bed as she burrowed into it. Shaking her head with a small laugh she remembered that she shouldn't be searching out things that reminded her of him. She should be trying to forget what he smelled like, and how he had tasted each time that they had kissed.

  The sky was darkening and with a small pout Katherine wondered why he had seemed so worried about h
er last night, when today he hadn't stopped by. Garrett hadn't even bothered to send her flowers. She didn't need his flowers, she told herself, but it would have been nice all the same to know that he was still concerned about her.

  Her thoughts slowly spun to a quiet halt as sleep finally overtook her and she dreamed of beautiful gowns and lush gardens, her sister's fairytale London. Yet behind each hedge a frightening form loomed and she kept turning away in fright trying to find safely. Finally one of the times that she turned around she was caught at last by Garrett's strong arms as he pulled her against his body. She became unsure whether he was there to save her from the darkness or draw her further into it.

  Garrett knew that if Katherine opened her eyes and saw him watching her sleep, she would have been upset. She might even scream at him. However it didn't stop him from doing so. He watched her as she slept like a tiny child, with one hand curled under her delicate chin.

  The many vases of flowers on the table beside her caught his attention. He knew at least one of them had come from Kent. Garrett had tried to visit his friend just as he had been preparing to leave his house to give her the pink flowers. “You won't be allowed in the door.” Garrett had warned darkly.

  Kent had smiled confidently in return. “I'll find a way to get them past your mother and to Katherine.” Watching Garrett's face closely he had added irreverently, “She is such a pretty piece,” and was rewarded with a glimpse of Garrett clenching and unclenching his fist at his side. “I had no idea until last night that you wanted her for yourself.”

  There was a gleam that lit Kent's eyes as he watched his friend respond. Garrett knew that he was hoping to turn the quest for Katherine's hand into a game between the friends. Kent enjoyed such things and had even tried to turn Amelia into a contest between the two of them, but then Garrett had always known he would win. With Katherine he couldn't be so confident which created a more level playing field.