He gave her a kindly if amused smile and brushed his thumbs over her knuckles, and he let her off the hook. “It’s abominable for me to tease you, Kitten. Perhaps we can practice my seaman’s knots another time.”
Kitty released a breath, caught between relief and strange, abject disappointment.
“And you are certain you are well enough to be up this evening?” Robert asked, uncertainty still colouring his words.
“Of course I am, I’m made of stronger stuff than that.”
“If you begin to feel overly tired, I want you to retire.”
She opened her mouth to argue. He cut her off with a finger to her lips. The slight roughness of his skin made her all the more aware of the satiny softness her own.
“The only acceptable response, Kitten, is ‘Aye, Captain’. Otherwise, I will seriously consider practicing my seaman’s knots.” He shot her a scowl that let her know he was perfectly serious and folded his arms across his chest. “Those are my terms.”
Kitty glared at him mutinously. The strong planes of his face were unyielding. The rotter would actually do it.
She capitulated in the face of a will more stubborn than hers and sighed. “Aye, Captain.”
Robert flashed her a grin. “Thank you, Kitty. Now, do you need any other assistance than your maid?” he asked, walking across to tug on the bell rope.
“No, Spillers is more than up to the task.”
“I will leave you to get ready then, though if you have need, please summon me.”
“Katherine, my dear, is that husband of yours not taking proper care of you?” Aunt Emmie clucked in sympathy when Kitty hobbled into view.
Kitty resisted the urge to slap a hand over her mouth. Said husband was watching her every move with that golden, eagle-eyed gaze of his.
“Robert, takes very good care of me,” Kitty replied with an edge, not prepared to let Robert be maligned. “I had a disagreement with an unfamiliar horse and came off the worst for it.”
“I should have that blasted animal shot,” Robert grumbled from his vigil by the mantelpiece, but he settled when Kitty glared at him.
“I was but teasing, Kitty.” Aunt Emmie sniffed.
“Apologies, Aunt, my sense of humour has been sorely tested after today’s trials.”
“No, of course not, but no harm done.”
Katherine accepted her embrace.
Aunt Emmie drew back, her brow puckered. “Dear me, you do feel a might warm.”
Kitty shot a glance over at Robert to see if he had caught the words, and upon seeing him engaged in conversation with his cousin, she relaxed.
She released a long-suffering sigh. “Yes, from being confined in bed all afternoon with every blanket in the entire household piled on top of me. But don’t let Robert hear you or he will bundle me back into bed in a heartbeat.”
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before moving through to the dining room.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening, passed in deep conversation and lively debate, the highlight being when the viscount had tried to get a rise out of the dowager baroness. Aunt Emmie had treated him to her notorious gorgon gaze and traded hit for hit, until the viscount was forced to beat a hasty retreat, much to everyone’s combined mirth.
Preston sat back in his seat, his features wreathed in absolute bafflement. “What just happened?”
Robert’s dark, rich chuckle echoed. “A schooner tried to face down a ship of the line. I’ll leave you to figure out who was the schooner.”
Aunt Emmie cracked a smile.
However, towards the end of dinner, Kitty’s limbs felt weighted down, and she was developing a sensitive head that she feared would bloom into a megrim. She was sure it was fate punishing her for all the times she had lied about feeling unwell. She waited to make her escape until she and Aunt Emmie left the gentlemen to their port and begged her forgiveness for not joining her for tea in the salon.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Emmie, but I’m afraid the day’s events are catching up with me and I must retire.” Even as Kitty forced out the words, she couldn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach. She was turning out to be a miserable hostess.
“Don’t worry about me, Kitty, I don’t need a chaperone at my age. Get yourself off to bed, you look quite done in.”
Relieved of her duty, Kitty sought the comforting softness of her bed, her head barely having touched the duck down pillow before she was fast asleep.
Chapter 10
On soft feet, Robert entered Kitty’s chamber through their connecting door. He’d been concerned throughout the meal when she was unusually quiet. He had been conflicted when he learnt she had retired early, glad she had kept her word, but it proved she was feeling worse than she had let on earlier. Driven by an unknown urge, he had to ensure her well-being before seeking his own bed.
The covers on the bed rustled restlessly, and he froze, cursing himself for disturbing her. “Kitty, it’s just me,” he said softly.
No response. Robert released a breath and retraced his steps in a hasty retreat when a low, painful moan made him rethink his actions.
“Kitty?” he whispered again uncertainly, a sense of foreboding growing. Another whimper and cry and, holding his candle aloft, he moved forward. The light cascaded upon her face, and it felt like a hand had reached inside his chest, taken hold of his heart, and squeezed.
Her skin was pale, and she was drenched in sweat. He put a hand up to her brow just below her limp curls. She was burning up.
He grasped her shoulder and lightly shook, hoping to rouse her. “Katherine, darling, wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open. Red-rimmed and cloudy, they focused on his face.
“Katherine, it’s me, Robert.”
“Robert?” she slurred.
He held his breath, waiting for a spark of recognition. There was none. Her body slumped back down, that single action consuming her strength. Fear gripping him in a chokehold, he grasped the bell rope and gave it a vicious tug. Someone had to be able to do something, know how to care for her, or a local doctor.
Robert’s prayers we not answered. The continuing storms had cut them off, and it was too dangerous to send anyone out in this weather with a clear conscience. If he thought it would make a difference, he would offer to go himself, but unfamiliar with the lay of the land, it would be unlikely if he made it through and that he would be able to drag a doctor back.
Thankfully, Mrs Mellor and the previous owner had a well-stocked still room, and Lady Mowbray was proving to be eminently capable. The night bled away to day, not that a hint of sunshine penetrated the snow-darkened sky. A heavy atmosphere surrounded the house, watching and waiting, while Katherine fought for every breath.
A man of action, he was reduced to keeping a helpless vigil in a chair at Kitty’s bedside. He would rather face an enemy frigate’s broadside than this. Give him something that was in his control, where he could plot his own course. The door clicked open, and Lady Mowbray’s concerned face peered round the doorway.
“How is she?” she murmured.
Robert stabbed his hands through his hair, wishing he could give her the answer they both longed to hear. Instead, he was forced to say, “There is no change.”
“You’ve been by her side all day, you need to get some rest.”
Robert gazed down at Kitty lying restless in her large bed, her lashes dark smudges against her pale cheeks. He had never seen her this delicate and frail. “No, I’m not leaving her.” Wild horses could not drag him away from Kitty’s side.
The baroness pursed her lips, and a softness entered her face. “You really care for Katherine, don’t you?”
That compassionate look started to enter into the realms of pity, and Robert rose from his seat, stretching the kinks out of his neck. “Most ardently. I will do everything in my power to see her out of danger. Please, Baroness Mowbray, I will call you if there is any change.”
Lady Mowbray gave a reluctant nod, her stern demeanour r
eminiscent of a schoolmarm, and in other circumstances, Robert would have found it highly amusing.
“Very well, Captain Vaughn. But remember, you are no good to Katherine if you also become ill as well.”
The conversation with Lady Mowbray stayed with him a long time, until Kitty’s restlessness seized his attention. “Do remember how we met? You were staying with your aunt in the country, and I was ashore, awaiting my new orders after my recent commission,” Robert said, bathing her brow and face in cool water.
Kitty appeared to settle at the sound of his voice and, thus encouraged, Robert kept talking in a low murmur.
“You were so quiet at first, but it made the other young ladies appear foolish in comparison. But gradually your wit and playful good humour began to shine through. You captured my attention completely, and it wasn’t long until you claimed my heart as well.” He took her limp hand and held it against his scarred cheek.
“I have loved you since that moment and have never stopped, though through my anger I tried hard to smother that tender emotion.” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “I should have fought harder for you and not given way to hurt pride. Even at our wedding I did not tell you that finally having you for my bride made me the happiest of men. That it had been my intention to court you since the masquerade.”
Unmanly tears filled his eyes.
“Don’t leave me, Kitten,” he whispered, voice cracking. “Not when we have just found each other once more. I promise I will master my foolish pride and it will never come between us again.” He clutched her hands tighter, desperate words tumbling over his lips. “I swear to you, just get well, and everything will be all right.”
Robert placed their linked hands on her chest, taking a small measure of reassurance from each rise and fall, Kitty’s heartbeat steady but strong.
Kitty’s rest was disturbed by a shaft of light striking her directly in the face. She scrunched her face up and tried to turn over and found her limbs leaden and aching, forcing out a moan.
“Kitty, I’m here. Can you open your eyes?”
Robert? What was he doing here? She tried to open her eyes but found them crusted shut. What was wrong with her? The room came into focus, and she blinked.
“Robert?” There was no way this dishevelled man was her usually immaculate husband.
His dark hair stuck up at odd angles, and he was dressed in very wrinkled shirtsleeves and appeared tired.
Robert’s hopeful face collapsed, and his eyes snapped closed. “Thank the Lord.” Then they were open and alert and trained solely on her. “You worried me, Kitten, how are you feeling?” Kitty scrubbed a hand over her face. Just what was going on?
“Thirsty and tired,” she croaked.
Robert supported her body into an upright position and pressed a glass of lemonade to her lips. It tasted like ambrosia from the gods, and she drank it greedily. Her thirst quenched and her befuddled mind clearing, a million questions peppered her mind. “What day is it?” she settled upon asking.
“It’s Christmas Day, sweeting.”
Kitty started. “Christmas? But what…? How…?”
Robert fussed with her coverlet, tucking it securely around her. “You’ve had a fever for several days and have been very, very ill.”
Her eyes pricked with tears. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble, it is not much of a first Christmas together.”
Robert’s face turned horrified. “Shhh, don’t distress yourself, don’t cry, Kitty.” He cupped her face, and his thumbs swiped away the few tears that had managed to escape. “All that matters is that you will recover and we will have many more together.”
There was one other thing nagging at the back of Kitty’s mind, so unbelievable she would have thought it was a dream, but Robert was acting like she was the most precious thing in the world. He was being tender and treating her like a delicate crystal vase. He’d called her sweeting and, holding that indisputable fact close to her heart, she bolstered her courage.
“Did you mean what you said, Robert?”
He settled back in the chair that was pulled next to the bed, his expression decidedly guarded. “What did I say?”
She ducked her head and focused on the pattern of the coverlet just in front of her. If she didn’t have to look at him, it somehow made it easier. If she was mistaken, she wouldn’t have to see the rejection and pity on his face.
“I could hear you, talking to me through the thick grey fog.” She sucked in a shuddering breath and, awash with vulnerability asked, “Did you mean it when you said you love me?”
His face blanched white, and he took her hand. “Katherine…”
That tender hope she had been nursing withered.
“Yes, Katherine, I love you most ardently.”
She sat forward and clutched his hand, tethering him to her. “You do?”
“Yes, but I promise I won’t pressure you to return the sentiments, when you don’t feel the same.”
Kitty frowned. “Feel the same?” The meaning of his words struck. “Oh! You stupid man, of course I feel the same! I rejected the few marriage proposals I had and refused to cultivate others because every empty-headed idiot appeared a buffoon compared to you.” Her energy spent, she collapsed back against the pillows. “You sapskull,” she muttered, running out of steam.
“You love me? Truly?” Robert said in disbelief, slowly sinking into the chair pulled up to her bedside. “Even after all the terrible things I said?”
Kitty shot him a slitted glare. “Even after the unforgivable way my family has treated you?”
Robert captured the hand lying in her lap and raised it to his lips, his stubble rasping over her skin. The open sign of affection warmed Kitty and surpassed any medicine that a doctor could prescribe.
“We could have spared ourselves so much heartache if we had only been truthful with each other from the start. I’m afraid I’ve been a sore trial for you, my love,” Robert admitted ruefully. “But I will do better.”
Kitty focused her flagging strength and squeezed Robert’s hand. “We will both do better.”
He offered her a lopsided smile, the tender look melting away any lingering doubt that this was too good to be true.
“No more secrets,” Robert vowed.
“No more secrets.” Kitty whispered, her strength fading.
“Rest now, darling,” he murmured as she lost the fight to keep her eyes open. “Regain your strength.”
Later that day, Kitty lay awake and propped up against the plump pillows, refreshed if exhausted from her bath. Her lips curled ruefully. Robert had been fit to be tied, but she’d finally managed to convince him they both needed to bathe, and he could help her so he could be sure she wouldn’t overdo it. It was a good thing, too, as the feel of her sweat-matted hair made her scalp itch terribly.
The door opened, and she smiled. Robert could barely stand to take his eyes off her.
“Feel up to company or would you like me to leave you to rest?”
“I’d enjoy a short visit. I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a while in this bed.”
Robert’s jawline tensed, his visage taking on a stubborn mien and he stopped by her bedside. “Until the doctor decrees you well enough, Katherine.”
“You are going to be insufferable,” she said, smiling to take the bite out of her words. “But I suppose it is better than your seaman’s knots.”
Robert gave a throaty chuckle. “I have a feeling when you are fully recovered, I may have to resort to those knots.”
He pulled a black square box from his pocket and held it up.
“I have a gift for you. I intended it as a wedding present, but it took longer than I anticipated.”
He placed it on her lap.
Her fingers stiff and tired, Kitty fiddled with the catch and flipped the lid back. She sucked in a breath. “Robert, it is too much!”
She gazed in disbelief at the delicate diamond-and-sapphire parure, blinded by the dazzling beauty. A si
ngle piece would have cost a fortune. The necklace was made of fine ropes of small diamonds that hugged and connected the larger sapphires, and there were a pair of matching bracelets and two combs dotted with seed pearls. It was a king’s ransom.
“Sapphires to match your eyes,” he said gruffly. “Diamonds because I could not treasure you more and I don’t care who knows it. Do you like them?”
“They’re beautiful,” she whispered and ran an admiring finger over the cold smoothness of the most prominent sapphire, then turned to make a shamefaced admission. “But I have not a fitting gift for you.”
Robert smiled and sat on the edge of bed, wrapping an arm about her, and Kitty nestled close to his side.
“You gave me a priceless gift when you chose to put aside your fears to give us a wedding night, and I have received the best gift of all. My wife delivered safely from danger.”
Epilogue
Harkham Hall
December 3, 1816
Kitty snuggled into Robert’s side, her head resting on his shoulder, enjoying the simple contact of his hand caressing her hip. They were curled up before the fireplace, watching the embers chase up the chimney, sipping Mrs Mellor’s delicious cider. They had arrived at Harkham Hall several days ahead of their expected guests. With being a stone’s throw away from London, it had become the ideal country escape for the Christmas season.
“We have invitations to dinner parties at Mr and Mrs Bartley’s and Mr and Mrs Hoskins’ before our family members arrive.”
“If it would please you, we will attend both, but—” Robert shifted so he could see her face and fixed her with his stern gaze. “I don’t want you to overtire yourself.”
Kitty rolled her eyes. Even after a year since her fever, Robert was still protective of her.
“As if you would allow that to happen,” she murmured and lightly scratched his chest and tilted her face up in an unspoken request that he was more than willing to oblige. He tasted of sweet, crisp apple and cinnamon, delicious and intoxicating.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Secret : a Christmas collection of historical romance (Have Yourself a Merry Little... Book 2) Page 106
