thinking of a few suggestions these past days. McGowan, for example. He’s young enough. Solid estate. Weogh wouldn’t be a bad choice, either.”
“I’ll tell any man that tries exactly what I told you,” James said darkly.
Deal narrowed his eyes. “You’ll ruin her in your attempt to have her?”
He was in love.
In love. The certainty of it snaked down on the inside of him and curled up tight.
“I’ll do anything to have her,” he said flatly.
Wasn’t that what a man in love was supposed to do?
* * *
KATHERINE STEPPED OUT of her carriage in front of Lord Deal’s house, where dozens of hoofprints in the dough-soft mud made the ground uneven and hard to walk on in her slippers. Obviously hers was not the first visit of the morning. There were muddy footprints on the steps and in the entranceway.
“My dear, what a lovely surprise,” Lord Deal said, meeting her in the entry. “Come, come—I’m just finishing my breakfast.” A few crumbs on his mustache attested to the truth of it. “Will you have anything? A bit of fruit, perhaps? Tea?”
Brandy, more like. “Tea would be nice, thank you.” He guided her into the sitting room where his breakfast table was set up by the window. His gait was more shuffly this morning than it had been before, and he nearly lost his balance when they walked from the floor to the carpet. She put out a hand to help him.
“There’s a good girl. My bones just aren’t what they used to be. Been having some trouble this morning—weather must be changing.” He gestured her to a chair at his table and sat down. A maid hurried over and whisked away the cup from his last visitor and replaced it with a fresh one. “Has something happened? Is everything all right with your guests?”
“Nothing has happened. William has gone to Edinburgh, and Lord Croston has been out on a morning ride.” She took a breath. “I fear waiting much longer given the uncertainty with the committee. I’ve come to find out what I can do to help you come to your decision.”
“Ah, I see.” He buttered a thick slice of dark currant bread and chewed thoughtfully. “Nothing should be decided before you meet McGowan. I’m certain I can arrange something within the next few days.”
“I do not wish to meet Lord McGowan,” she said sharply, and Lord Deal raised a brow. “Forgive me,” she said. “It’s just that I have my heart set on you.”
The brow lowered, and he reached for his tea. “Tell me, Katherine—” he sipped and set the cup down “—has Lord Croston made you an offer?”
She froze. “No.” The lie rolled off her tongue like a sour grape.
“You’re quite certain? Not even a hint? London is a terribly long journey to bring a bit of news that could have been written in a letter.”
She hesitated a moment too long.
“He did make an offer, then,” he said.
“Anything Lord Croston might have suggested was not meant to be serious.”
Lord Deal laughed. “My dear, if a man like Croston offers marriage, I assure you it is serious. You rejected him, didn’t you. Why?”
“He is unsuitable.”
“Yes, I believe you mentioned that once already. But why is he unsuitable? He seems a solid enough fellow, and his estate is larger than McGowan’s and Arran’s put together. And you’ve got much in common. It seems a perfect match.”
“It isn’t.”
“Why not?”
Because it couldn’t be. Because she felt too much when she was with him. Because she was in love, and everything William said about that was true. “Lord Croston is too demanding. He wants to be in command—of everything.”
“Well yes, I suppose I’ve seen that in him.”
“I won’t stand for it.”
“Forgive me, my dear, but are you not just as commanding?”
She smiled tightly. “As you heard him say in front of the committee, a ship cannot have two captains.”
“Ah, yes. Well, I suppose that’s true enough.” He looked at her hard across the table, letting his false senility fall completely away. “Are you in love with him?”
“Certainly not.” Her cheeks flamed, putting the lie to her words.
“Is he in love with you?”
“I’m sure he’s not.”
“Really?”
She shot to her feet. “Enough of this. Lord Deal, I will not marry Lord Croston. And even if I would, he has not renewed his offer, and—”
“So try accepting the first one.”
She stared at Lord Deal across the table, and he stared back with knowing brown eyes. God help her, this was not going the way she planned. After a moment, he pushed his chair back and stood. “My dear—” he came around the table and stood looking down at her “—I cannot in good conscience proceed with an engagement to you under anything less than the direst exigency.”
“Then let us proceed.”
He put a finger against her lips. “Why are you so afraid of him? You, who seem afraid of nothing.”
She was a rabbit caught in the open, staring at him with the pressure of his finger keeping her silent. I love him.
“I’ve seen love change more than one man, Katie.” He removed his finger, and his eyes turned deadly serious. “Tell me right now that he’s been unkind to you, that he’s used you badly, that he’s been violent—tell me right now, in all possible honesty, that you truly wish to marry me and not him, and God help me, I’ll do it.”
She couldn’t find a single word.
IT WAS A BLOODY close call. James had seen Katherine’s carriage trundling toward Deal Manor and quickly turned his horse down a side road through a thicket of alarmingly sparse vegetation. It was almost certain she hadn’t spotted him.
All afternoon he waited for the opportunity to renew his proposal, to argue his case, all the while expecting every moment to see a rider approaching the castle with news of the vote.
It didn’t arrive.
And the opportunity he sought remained elusive.
The afternoon clouds burned away, and the sun shone brilliantly over the damp moors. They took Anne to the barn, sat her on a shaggy pony named Bess and walked her around the meadow. Katherine had put wildflowers in Anne’s
