It was hard to say how long they stood there smiling at one another. A door closing somewhere in the house broke the spell, but as she walked away from him, her cheeks ached and she thought that perhaps she had remembered her mother’s warning too late.
Chapter Fifteen
Iwish I hadn’t let you talk me out of that green riding habit,’ said Emily, taking a step back from Kate’s wardrobe and admiring the arrangement of hatboxes.
‘I would have had no opportunity to wear such a thing. I have no idea how to ride a horse and absolutely no wish to learn.’ Kate stressed this point because she rather thought the countess was so taken with the outfit she might march her down to the stables after lunch and plonk her on a horse. Although Kate did not want to let Emily down, the thought of going anywhere near the large beasts was terrifying. Kate was meant to keep two feet on the ground at all times and not to be on the back of any kind of animal.
‘Still, it would have been very fetching. The colour really matched your skin tone, but I do not think it would have been appropriate to have a dress made out of it. The colour was a little too loud.’
‘I would never have worn a riding habit,’ Kate repeated, having made the argument several times before. ‘Shall we eat? I am starved after all this morning’s efforts.’
Dress shopping had been much more fun than Kate had expected. Emily had a real eye for colours and had picked four daytime styles with colours to match Kate’s hair and skin complexion within twenty minutes of stepping into the shop. Another twenty minutes and they had settled on two ball gowns, one to be made in deep, forest green and the other the palest of pinks. When Kate had protested that her pin money wouldn’t cover the cost of even one of the day dresses, Emily waved her away, saying the clothes would be paid for and she need not worry about the cost.
Emily hadn’t been clear who would pay the exorbitant price, but it didn’t appear to be either of them. Kate wondered at the money in her bank account; the sum the duke’s household was depositing in there was currently untouched. She had no idea what the pin money was for if it wasn’t for buying the dresses as well as the bonnets, ribbons, gloves and shoes Emily had convinced her she needed and all of which were now stored away in the large wardrobes in her bedroom. The dresses would be coming when they had been made to fit her size, which the seamstress had been at pains to say would be very soon indeed, the Dashworth family name clearly having sway with the women who worked in the shop. Standing in her shift as layers of fabric were draped over her, Kate had never felt so far removed from her normal life as she had then. She’d noticed, as her waist, hips and bust were measured, that even though she had been at Glanmore House for only a little over a month, she had gained weight and she was moving back towards her normal size.
Lunch had been arranged for them in Kate’s sitting room, and as they tucked into another delicious meal, Kate couldn’t helpbut feel a twinge of sadness for those whom she had left behind and who would not eat anything near this amount of food in a week, let alone one meal.
Over lunch, the topic of conversation returned once again to the mysterious Ace. ‘Perhaps she was a servant and she had to return to America because…’ Emily waved her hand around as if trying to find a reason in the air.
‘She must be a servant, because if she was a relative, why would Charlotte live with you and not Ace?’ Kate said, picking up a fruit tartlet.
‘But how would a servant afford to make the journey?’
‘Costs must have been provided for in the will.’
‘Tobias has checked the will and there is nothing about funds for travelling to England in there.’
The sweet tart and crumbly pastry melted in her mouth and Kate gave herself over to the sheer enjoyment of eating something so absolutely delicious before saying, ‘Could Ace have been someone related to Sebastian’s wife?’
‘She could, but then I still do not understand why Lotte would not live with them instead of us. Charlotte was born in America and presumably Lotte could have lived with Sebastian’s wife’s family, unless she did not have one.’ Emily absent-mindedly brushed some crumbs with her forefinger. ‘It is shocking how little we know. I cannot believe the brothers did not communicate in all the time Sebastian was abroad. I do not have the best relationship with my two sisters, but I would write to them if I’d had a child.’ She brushed a hand over her bump, which was finally becoming more prominent.
Kate had yet to meet Emily’s sisters, but from the stories Emily had told her, she wasn’t in a hurry to do so. They probably would not want anything to do with Kate anyway, being thatshe was only a lowly governess and they were daughters from a prestigious family. Not making their acquaintance did not seem like a big loss.
‘But the brothers were not close and they were all young. None of them would have been expecting to die,’ Emily argued with herself.
‘And yet Sebastian wrote a will.’
‘And yet he did do that,’ Emily agreed.
Kate didn’t have one. She had nothing to leave to anyone. Perhaps it was normal for a young man with a wife and daughter to leave strict instructions for the raising of his child. It was the lack of mention of his wife or anyone related to her that was particularly perplexing.
‘We cannot even be sure this Ace person exists.’ Kate felt it was her duty to point this out. Again.
‘You and Edward both said you felt Charlotte was speaking about an actual person. We should trust both of your gut instincts.’
Ah yes, Edward. At the mention of his name, her heart fluttered, even though he was not in the room with them. They’d had another pianoforte lesson, this time with Jane as chaperone. They’d laughed and talked, the session the highlight of her week. And then there had been those hours in the nursery, which had taken on a dreamlike quality in Kate’s memories. The way the large man had looked impossibly sweet as he had leaned against the nursery wall, his head lolling to the side every now and again as he drifted off to sleep. She’d wanted to curl up against his side and lean her head against his solid chest. She fancied she would be safe there, that he would take on her worries and protect her from the world.
‘Have you been able to get any more out of her since?’ Emily asked.
Kate flinched. She had been lost in her memories and had almost forgotten Emily was in the room with her. ‘No. I have been working more on trying to get her to pronounce her words properly than bringing up any more memories.’
Emily nodded as though she had not heard this before when Kate had mentioned it at breakfast and again while they were out shopping. She understood the family were anxious for information, but she would share it the moment she had it. At least Emily had moved on from the green riding habit.
‘I feel I am about to burst,’ Emily said when they had finished lunch.
‘It must be because the baby is taking up too much space in there, as you have hardly eaten anything.’
Kate was glad they had eaten in her sitting room today. She still didn’t feel the large rooms were home, but hopefully spending time within them would help. She was going to be at Glanmore House for many more months, after all, and she would like this spot to feel like it was hers, even if it was only temporary. She was used to moving on, she had done it many times in her life, but she had never known for sure she was going to stay somewhere for at least a year. It didn’t appear to have worked; even with all her new clothes in the wardrobe it still didn’t feel like home.
