“Ah! That is as I thought. Then I beg your pardon for intruding, Miss Parish, and wish you and your brother a happy residence in this wonderful town of ours.”
Katherine sank back into her chair in some perplexity. Why would Harold think her trust fund was a large one? Would he even be entitled to a share of it? It would depend on the terms under which it was drawn up, she supposed. And why did he have no discharge papers from the navy? The Admiralty would have ensured he had some documents, and perhaps a pension, too. When he was thought to be lost, there had been any number of official letters from Vice-Admiral this and Commodore that.
And none of it reassured her that he was, in fact, her brother. If only her uncle and aunt had not been so quick to send her away! But they had been happy to pass the responsibility to her brother. Perhaps, despite all the kind words, they were glad to be rid of her, the unwanted poor relation, taken in out of kindness but sent off with a sigh of relief as soon as another relation turned up. And even he did not want her, only her trust fund, meagre as it was.
At that moment, she felt small and abandoned and very unhappy, and she knew precisely what she needed to raise her spirits — Kent would cheer her up, with his perpetual smile, his sunny outlook on life, his gentle kisses. The man she had betrayed and rejected. She would never see him again, now, and she could not imagine a drearier prospect than a lifetime without him.
Thunderous steps on the stairs, voices outside the room, the door thrust open… and by some miracle, he was there! It was as if she had conjured him out of her own imagination. She needed him and there he was, wearing the widest smile she had ever seen.
“Kent! Oh, Kent!”
She tore across the room and hurled herself into his arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck and pulling his head down to hers. His lips… oh glory, his lips were on hers, he was kissing her frenziedly, pulling her tight against him so that she was almost rocked off her feet. But she was safe in his embrace. Nothing could worry her now, for Kent would look after her. She leaned into him, and let that wonderful kiss linger on and on…
No! Whatever was she doing? Shocked, she pushed herself away from him and backed across the room, her hands covering her still tingling lips.
“I beg your pardon,” she whispered. “So sorry… never meant… so very sorry.”
“No, no,” he said gently, smiling at her. “You must not apologise for so lovely a welcome. Indeed, I am tempted to go out and come in again, just to have you kiss me like that once more. Will you, Katy? Will you kiss me again? Please?”
As he spoke, he was inching across the room towards her. Now he was so close she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. He cupped her face in his hands.
“Kiss me,please, Katy.”
How could she possibly refuse him? She laid her hands on his chest, the wool of his greatcoat damp from the rain, and lifted her face to his. This time, his kiss was gentle and tender, as it had been at the tower. His fingers entwined with her hair and his other hand was around her waist, holding her snugly against him. It felt utterly right.
After a while, she sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Is all well with you, Katy?” he murmured into the top of her head.
“All is very well with me now.”
“This man… he did not… alarm you? Hurt you?”
“No. But I think he is not my brother. He has been talking to an attorney about getting a share of my trust fund.” She lifted her head to look him in the eye. “How do you come to be here? You went away somewhere, and out of nowhere, just when I needed you, there you were. How did that happen?”
“I went to Branton and met all your friends and saw your wonderful beam engines and even got myself a job.”
“As an engineer?”
“I am not qualified for that. I am to be general manager for Mr Ridwell at Longfarley Mill. And… Katy, your house is still unoccupied. I might even rent it. I have to live somewhere, and it would be wonderful to be in the same house where you grew up.”
“Oh! I should like to think of you living there.”
“You could live there, too. If… if we were married.”
Her insides turned over in the most alarming way. “Kent, are you… I mean… is this… a proposal?” He nodded, a strange look on his face, almost as if he were afraid of her answer. “Then you have forgiven me?”
He looked startled. “Forgiven you? For what?”
“For betraying you to Sir Hubert. That was so foolish of me, and—”
“No, no! You were quite right. It was drastic, perhaps, but it needed that to make me see that I could not go on as I had done. So I went to Branton. Katy— Do you mind me calling you Katy? Everyone at Branton called you that, so—”
“No, I love it.”
He gave her a little squeeze, bestowing one of his widest smiles on her that warmed her to the tips of her slippers. “Katy, it is I who must beg your forgiveness. I have been—”
For answer, she placed one finger on his lips. “Hush. That is all forgotten, all in the past. Did you mean it? Talking about marriage, I mean.”
