A Taste of Honey

by Lindsay Kiernan

  She knew that he didn't love her and she was only too happy to return that favor. Had her mother and sister been given the choice she knew they both would have picked Kent over Garrett. Katherine had to decide what was right for her heart and discover if she had the strength to fight for it.

  Chapter 12

  Winnie entered Katherine's chambers and tapped loudly on the door leading into the bedroom. “Are you ready yet? We're only going for a short ride,” she reminded Katherine, who took as much time to get ready for a morning ride as she did for some great gala event.

  Katherine stepped out wearing her full riding habit and shoes. Seeing Winnie's disapproving glances towards the outfit, she tried to figure out what was wrong with it. There were no scuffs, no tears. She had rarely worn her riding habit back home because her father was the only one she liked to ride with and he had been too busy to go out very often.

  “Are you sure that you've ridden before?” her friend asked. It was clearly a worry of Winnie's because she'd been asking Katherine ever since they had decided last night to wake up early for a little horseback riding. “Your outfit looks too new and clean to belong to a competent equestrian.”

  “Yes, I know how to ride well enough. And this is my new riding habit; my old one is at home in tatters.” Her friend still looked skeptical. “If the trail is too challenging for me, then I'll slow down,” Katherine promised and Winnie finally relented. After being trapped inside of the walls of London, Katherine was looking forward to the outside air rushing through her lungs.

  Most of the men were going shooting that morning on the east side of the estate where a small man-made pond had been erected to promote ducks in the area. It meant that this morning was the perfect time to go riding on the western side of the house, where Winnie had noticed some of the horse paths led into the forest that they had gone past yesterday. Robin had been present while they had hatched their plans and therefore they had politely invited her, but she declined, saying that she would rather sleep in.

  “I already picked out two horses from his stables. With the men going hunting this morning, I asked the stable boy to hide them so that we wouldn't get the last two left behind. Besides one of them looks just like my mare back home so I had to have him to ride today.” The white mare seemed to recognize Winnie as she walked up to it. “I snuck out last night to feed him some carrots,” she explained when Katherine laughed at the familiarity between the two.

  For Katherine's horse, Winnie had picked a smaller animal. “He's very tame,” the stable boy assured her before lifting her up and onto its back. “Just keep your signals clear and he'll be easy to lead,” the boy assured her who also treated her like a child on her first run.

  “Really, I'll be just fine. This isn't the first time I've ever ridden a horse,” Katherine told them. Did her outfit make her look that unprepared? It was perhaps a bit more corseted than some others, which did make it hard to breathe at times.

  The boy was quick to inform them about all of the paths around the manor. “It would be best if you kept to the right, some of the other paths are a bit too harsh for someone riding side saddle.” He politely refrained from saying that the path wasn't for women but both Katherine and Winnie understood what he was implying. With one quick look at Winnie, Katherine knew that they would be heading left for the more difficult route.

  “Thank you for the advice,” Winnie called out, before turning her horse to the left trail and trotting off into the trees. She clearly didn't like someone telling her what not to do.

  Mouthing a quick sorry to the stable boy Katherine turned to follow Winnie down the path. It felt great to ride through the thick forest, watching rabbits and other small animals scurry in front of their path as they went. After getting a few jumps and sprints out of her horse Winnie slowed down to a moderate trot beside Katherine.

  “I must marry someone with a large country estate,” Katherine exclaimed. She already felt better, her head cleared as she breathed in the fresh air. “London is too cramped and dark for me. I need plenty of daylight and long horseback rides every now and then.”

  Winnie laughed. “Garrett and I never spend the entire season in London for the same reason. I can't stand to be away from the country for very long.” With a sideways glance at her friend she added, “Garrett has a large estate with wonderful grounds. You should go visit it sometime. Very nice gardens as well, not to forget the large library collection that I have already mentioned.”

  Katherine frowned at her friend. “You aren't taking his side now, are you?”

  “Of course not,” she paused, “But I don't think that you should marry Kent. And I do think that you and Garrett might do really well together. Also I wouldn't mind having you as my sister in law. So maybe I am agreeing with him,” she laughed at Katherine's gently frowning face.

  “Traitor,” Katherine accused as she laughed back and they ventured further into the forest.

  Katherine could tell when Winnie was about to send her horse into an all out run. Her eyes sparkled brighter and a small smile quirked in the corner of her mouth. Leaning forward into her horse Winnie gathered speed until she was flying ahead of Katherine, bringing her horse to a full gallop while they tore across the path and through the trees.

  Katherine held back for only a moment before letting her horse chase after Winnie's. The air swished past her as she clung to her reins, trying to not be unseated by the pace.

  She saw a blur out of the corner of her eye coming towards her, but could not comprehend the situation until another rider shot up beside her, trying to reach for her reins to stop the horse. It only frightened the horse worse, as the small mare gathered speed to outrun the other rider. A set of strong arms reached around her waist and Katherine was pulled from her horse and onto the lap of the other rider as she watched her horse continue its frightened sprint into the forest.

  Her head was jolted back as the horse that she had been pulled onto stopped abruptly. The crushing vice of arms remained wrapped around her waist, stopping her from sliding off or falling but it also made it difficult to catch her breath after the shock.

  Up ahead, Winnie watched the wayward horse pass her own and she turned back to see what had happened. Her face became ashen as she looked at Katherine and her captor. Pulling her horse up short, Winnie turned it around and galloped back to Katherine. Beneath her riding habit, Katherine felt her heart race and she closed her eyes trying to stop herself from fainting. She could have been killed if her captor hadn't succeeded in pulling her off of the horse.

  The voice behind her sounded almost murderous as it addressed Winnie. “What were you doing?” Garrett demanded.

  Winnie pulled some stray pieces of hair from her face, looking Garret straight in the eye. “I should ask you the same. Let go of her.”

  To emphasis his point Garrett's arms tightened around Katherine as his eyes flared like a mad man. “Were you trying to kill her?”

  Katherine forced her eyes open to see Garrett and try to calm him. Yet, Garrett held her too firmly against him, making it hard for her to breathe through the thick layers and her eyes closed once more from the strain of just trying to catch her breath.

  “Don't start accusing me of doing anything wrong. She is a good rider. We were doing fine until you came.” Winnie had never sounded so angry and Katherine watched as the color returned to her face in angry blotchy spots as she fought with her brother. Her eyes appeared bright from unshed tears as she looked him in the face.

  “I was watching out for her. I wouldn't let anything happen to her.” Winnie gasped as she fought the urge to cry. “She isn't like Amelia, Garrett. You don't have to protect her like this.” With a start Katherine realized that this argument was not about her. It extended far back into a time that she knew very little about. Gathering together what little she could understand Katherine began to piece together how Amelia had died.

  Garrett growled through his teeth. “You were egging her on, trying to get her to race
with you. I watched you Winifred.” The grip around Katherine's waist increased in pressure. All thoughts raced from her brain and her head began to tilt as she felt herself start to faint.

  Looking at Katherine's face Winnie jumped down from her horse and ran to pry her brother's fingers from Katherine's form. “Let go, you're going to hurt her!” she cried. “She can't breathe, let her go!”

  Finally noticing Katherine's limp and gasping form, Garrett eased his grip around her middle, letting her slide down into Winnie's waiting arms. Winnie let her keep sliding as she laid Katherine down on the earthen floor, plucking loose some of the laces on her dress to help increase the air flowing into her lungs. Katherine gasped in the air, greedily choking on the force of trying to breathe again.

  Garrett stared down at her trying to wake from what he was sure was a nightmare. He remembered that he had been passing by on his horse when he had seen Katherine streaking across the forest. The horse was going too fast and she appeared unable to stop it. The rest had been uncontrollable and instantaneous. He had heard the sound of Winnie's cries from so long ago reverberating in his head like lost memories surfacing with a scream. He had tasted the fear that it would happen again. He would lose the one that he loved once more.

  His eyes flew to his sister who sat on the ground beside Katherine's form. She was older now but when he looked down on Winnie leaning over an unmoving form it felt like the same moment from three years ago.

  “Why were you riding with her? The ground is uneven on this path. Her horse could have fallen or taken a fright and bucked her off.” Garrett had tried to keep his voice even, but he knew that he was still screaming at Winnie.

  “We were just fine Garrett. I would never let her get hurt,” Winnie told him, keeping her attention on Katherine who had finally gotten her breath back. “Do you think that I am still as irresponsible as I was then?”

  Katherine sat up and held onto her head to keep it from spinning. Winnie tried to get her to rest again but the moment felt too important for her to just lie down and let things happen around her. She stared up at Garrett watching the strain in his face as he looked down at her. “Is that how she died?” she asked him, as his eyes glossed over with what might have been tears.

  Winnie nodded her head in response while Garrett could do nothing but sit there, frozen in shock and fear. “We were teaching her to ride, when I dove into the gully for a quick run. I should have told her not to follow me but I didn't think she would. I didn't know that she had decided to follow me until I heard her scream.” Winnie wiped at one of the tears that had slid down her face. “Her horse lost its footing and the fall broke her neck. Amelia was dead before either of us could get to her.”

  The three stayed silent, all of them caught up in their own thoughts. Garrett looked so lost as Katherine sat there watching him. She sensed that he was only able to look through her to the image in his mind of a dead woman's body that had lain crumpled on the floor. Her own body shook with fear as if she could see Amelia's death replaying in his eyes. Winnie glanced at her brother and seemed to have similar fears about her brother's set of mind.

  Holding her hand out Winnie offered Katherine help in standing up. “I don't know where your horse went,” she muttered looking around the woods for any sign of the small mare. “You're shaking too badly to ride on your own anyway, we can share my horse on the way back.”

  It was the smart thing to do, Katherine knew that, but there was such a sad look in Garrett's eyes. She wanted to heal that pain, to soothe him, hold him and let him know that nothing was wrong, to tell him that she was fine. She had begun to realize that she could never heal Kent. She could not take away whatever scars he had from a past that she might never understand. Yet right now she could help Garrett. Besides, he needed her and she could not deny a friend in pain.

  Pulling away from Winnie's protective hold she straightened her dress, unable to look at either of them as she declared, “I'll ride back with Garrett.” When she did lift her eyes she found Garrett staring at her as if he had not heard her right. She held her hand out to touch Garrett's that still clutched his reins as if he might shatter if he let them go. Catching his hazel green eyes within her own, she smiled up at him as reassuringly as she could. “Is that all right?” she asked him.

  Without a word, he nodded and his hand pulled her up as he set her carefully on his lap. When his arms came around to hold her, the touch was gentle as if he worried that he might break her were he to grip her more firmly.

  “I won't shatter,” she assured him, although she felt quite the opposite as his breath brushed against her hair and she felt the shivers run through her body. This is not the time, she told herself which eased only slightly the tension within. Winnie looked cautiously up at the two before turning to jump up onto her own horse and start back on the trail, heading towards the estate.

  At first Garrett did not motion for his horse to follow his sister's. Slowly Katherine rubbed her fingers along his fists that gripped the reins in front of her. After a few moments he seemed to melt a little as his fingers relaxed and she could hear him release a pent up breath. “It's all right,” she whispered. “I'm fine.”

  “Kat.” His lips rested against her hair and his body shuddered behind her.

  He began to let his horse follow that of his sister's, walking it very slowly along the path while avoiding anything on the trail that might lead the horse to misstep. They both kept quiet on their trip back to the stables, each lost within their mind and wondering what the other could be thinking.

  Once they had reached the stables, Garrett lunged off of the horse, and then turned to help Katherine slide gently off of the side. He held her a little too long in his arms as their eyes caught and Katherine stared into the depths before Garrett released her, letting her feet drop to the ground.

  “I have something to do,” he said quietly to her. Taking Katherine's hand he kissed lightly at her knuckles and managed one small smile. “Until tonight,” he whispered, before leaving them.

  She watched as he headed down the path to the bachelor's residence, disappearing past one of the hedges. Looking over at Winnie, she found a small frown etched on her brow, “Are you sure that there isn't something more between you and Garrett than you've been letting on?” Winnie asked.

  “I want to be his friend,” Katherine told her; though neither one of them seemed to believe it. “It's nothing more than that,” she murmured, touching the spot on her glove where she could still feel the imprint of his warms lips.

  The afternoon luncheon was taken to a large outdoor gazebo area and set up around a set of benches. From there, some had gathered blankets on the lawn, others sat in small white painted wooden chairs. Delicate sandwiches were served with fruit, a variety of pastries and tea. Katherine watched as Winnie seemed to dance around the gazebo with renewed happiness, placing a bit of everything onto her plate. She had shaken off the effects of their morning ride and again seemed carefree and happy.

  Katherine had not been able to forget this morning and her brow furrowed as she contemplated what she had learned earlier about Garrett. It made him so much more real and human when she had watched him become vulnerable and frightened. She still felt the urge to comfort Garrett and she was happy to see that he was not nearby as she knew that her emotions would show vividly on her face. It had also helped her understand the strong bond between the siblings that despite the accident, they had remained close instead of blaming one another.

  Sitting down beside her with a great show of masculine charm, Kent handed her a plate of sandwiches and fruit. “I noticed you hadn't eaten anything yet. You'll need your energy if you are going to win against me at any of the games tonight.”

  Picking around the fruit she found a piece of tart green apple and crunched it between her teeth. “I just haven't been feeling very hungry lately,” she admitted, but took another bite to make him happy.

  “You women seem to think that we enjoy slight little things that ca
n't eat. Not so, I love a woman with as much of an appetite as I have.” Katherine laughed at his energy as he grasped a sandwich from the plate and bit into it, taking nearly half of it into his mouth. He then had trouble swallowing the bite before setting the rest aside with a dour grimace. “Not cucumber sandwiches though,” he grumbled and started digging through the plate for something more edible.

  She did not mind the cucumber sandwiches nor any of the other dishes served. In fact, the food at the Sullivan estate seemed to be exquisitely prepared. Only the most tender meats were served, followed by the creamiest deserts. Some of the dishes were even prepared by his French chef who had only left his home country for the wealth he could receive from working for Victor Sullivan.

  However, Katherine noticed that their host was not fond of the foods he served his guests, hardly eating many of the dishes placed before him at dinner that night. "It might be food for polite company but it rarely tastes good," he told Katherine as she sat next to him.

  The seating had been shuffled so that guests could mingle with new people. Katherine hated being seated next to Victor who she had so little in common with, except their apparent fondness for her sister. His favorite subject appeared to be discussing Robin and he was interested in everything that she might like or enjoy doing. "I've been sending her roses, is that the type of flower that she prefers?" he asked Katherine who had to admit that she didn't know.

  She felt uncomfortable in trying to help the man court her sister. Especially when she knew how indifferent Robin was to him. His money, that was all that Robin wanted and it felt wrong for her sister to use him in such a way. However she had also started to hear some of Victor's misdeeds. Most of which included his poor upbringing and his lack of morals when it came to his business dealings, these types of things were to be expected.