“He won’t take you back.”
“I didn’t think he would,” Kathleen replied sadly. “But if he returns to England, I can at least see him occasionally when he visits you girls.”
“That would be enough?”
“Ask me that after you’ve fallen in love with someone you can’t have. Which, if you continue on this path I’ve opened for you, may be sooner than you think. Are you still sure you want to help your father this way?”
This way was a loveless marriage. But did it have to remain that way? Since it couldn’t happen unless Daniel did the proposing, that alone would require his feelings about her to change. She might be able to work with that after the marriage was a fait accompli, maybe even find out what made him the way he was and help him back to a path of decency. Anything was possible. Wasn’t it?
“Win or fail, this is still the only way, isn’t it—for him to come back?” Vanessa said.
“Short of murdering Lord Albert and taking the chance that the rest of his family isn’t aware of his nasty vendetta and thus, will not continue it, yes.”
She actually laughed that that thought had even entered her mother’s head. “Then I’m sure.”
Chapter Thirty-five
“YE’VE HAD NINE OFFERSfor yer beastie, lass.”
Vanessa was visiting Snow while she waited for a groom to saddle the gentle mare for her this morning. She turned to see Donnan peering into Snow’s stall and asked in surprise, “How did that come about?”
“I’ve been taking him for a turn in that big park near here. It’s become vera vexing. We canna get up tae a guid pace with-oot being hailed by some laird tae stop and converse—aboot yer Snow.”
That was exciting news, but it made her impatient to get her breeding stable started. She certainly hadn’t expected members of thetonto be interested in Snow. Though why not? One of his offspring would look magnificent pulling a town carriage.
“I hope you asked for their cards so I can contact them later? I do intend to breed Snow eventually.”
“Nay, I just glowered at them for disturbing me.”
“Donnan!”
Yet he handed over a little stack of cards, making her grin.
“Thank you.”
“Have ye decided on a groom yet? While this town is interesting and has muir taverns than we can count, Calum and I were wondering aboot the sassenach process o’ getting yerself wed.”
“A minimum of three weeks for the banns to be posted—at the very least.”
“Or ye can hie yerself back tae Scotland where there’s no waiting. So who’s the lucky lad then?”
She laughed. “I haven’t settled on one yet.”
That was only half a lie, and she felt no shame in telling it. She couldn’t exactly share her goal to win the Rathban scion with the MacCabe brothers. Donnan, at least, might get it into his head to let her father know that she wanted to marry a man by the name of Rathban, and she wasn’t about to let William risk coming home to dissuade her.
“Are you that eager, then, to return home? You could, you know. I’m perfectly safe here.”
“Did I no’ just mention muir taverns than we’ll ever get tae?” He grinned. “We were just curious if yer pleased with the pickings so far. We ken ye dinna have the whole o’ the town tae choose from, only a handful o’ young lairds.”
She chuckled. “More’n a handful, and I haven’t even seen them all yet. It’s too soon to fret over choices.”
Her two escorts arrived with a mare for her. Monty wasn’t one of them. She’d left the house for this ride long before the calling hour, so she would have an excuse to miss it. There was no point for her to court boredom in that parlor, whether her mother wanted her there or not. But if she was going to be honest with herself, she’d hoped Monty would join her for the ride. Her sisters weren’t with her, so she could have him to herself this time. She kept glancing behind her on the way to Hyde Park but was disappointed each time because she didn’t see him.
It was only when she gave up looking that he arrived. She wished it didn’t please her quite as much as it did. She wished her smile wasn’t as wide as it was, too. Did she have to be so bloody obvious that she craved his company?
“How is it that you know when I’m going for a ride? Are you spending all your time lurking in the stable waiting for me?”
“I would like to say yes—sounds rather romantic, doesn’t it? But no, I’m giving coin to a few members of your household staff to keep me apprised of your comings and goings. I was just caught unprepared this time, still abed, actually, or I would have been here sooner. And why aren’t you observing the social niceties with your sisters this morning?”
