Chapter Eighteen
“Please pack thenew French linen batiste,” Kate instructed the maid who carefully wrapped each gown in silver paper and placed them in the trunk. “I will wear it to the wedding.”
Brigitte, who considered anything French to be superior, gave a nod of approval. “Merci!With the silver embroidered garlands and flowers, you shall outshine the bride.”
“What nonsense,” Kate said with a laugh. “Merry is a lovely girl.”
“Shall I adorn your hair with a bandeau of ostrich feathers?” Brigitte asked.
“That is an excellent notion.”
Brigitte preened under her praise. “Has his lordship seen you in this gown, my lady?” she asked with a sly glance.
Kate shook her head. “You know I am yet to wear it, Brigitte.”
“Then his lordship is in for a very nice surprise.”
She wondered if Robert would notice. He had told her that she dressed elegantly. She wasn’t sure if that meant she looked regal, but it pleased her very much that he’d said it.
He’d advised her that he would be dining with friends this evening. He had not done that for some time. Kate tried not to dwell on the possibility of him visiting a mistress, but her unruly thoughts returned to the blonde lady in the box at the opera.
In the morning, when she came downstairs to breakfast, the staff were busily preparing for their journey to Bath. They would leave within a few hours. Last night she had woken when Robert arrived home quite late. Yet here he was looking fresh as he stood to greet her at the table. She smiled a welcome, her heart aching that they saw so little of each other, and when they did, it was more like two polite strangers. Could this trip change things between them? Away from the routine, they might become more relaxed with each other. Or would their problems travel with them?
In the late afternoon, the coach entered the village of Ruscombe where they spent the night at an elegant house, the seat of Lord Chief Baron Eyre. The baron had offered its use to Robert as he remained in London. But in his absence, they were treated royally by the servants, and after an excellent dinner, retired to separate bedchambers.
Late the next day, their coach, swaying on its cushioned springs, traveled through the town of Bath. Kate watched with interest as they passed streets of elegant houses.
Robert sat with his back to the horses. He’d grown quiet during the day.
“Shall we take the waters?” Kate asked, wishing for conversation.
“Not I. Nasty stuff so I’ve heard.”
He looked so unhappy her heart gave a wrench. “Robert, you don’t appear to be enjoying this trip.”
“Just a problem with a business I’ve inherited.”
“Would you prefer to talk about it?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you, Kate. It’s a matter of replacing the manager. I’ve discovered some discrepancies in the books and believe he’s been cheating me.”
“Oh, how worrying. Will you advise the local magistrate?”
“My solicitor is attending to it.”
She was reminded of how hard Robert worked. He had an enormous staff, but still carried a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. She was proud of how he dealt with it without complaint. Sometimes, after grappling with a problem for hours in the library, he emerged exhausted. It was all she could do not to go to him and soothe him. But the fear he wouldn’t welcome it, held her back.
“And I suppose weddings aren’t high on my list of entertainments. Most men will say the same,” he added with a slight grin.
“It’s not because your mother and her husband will be there?” She realized she was on dangerous ground, but the need to bring things out into the open made her voice her concerns.
His aloof gaze met hers briefly before he turned back to the window. “I cannot say the prospect fills me with delight.”
His tension was all too obvious. It was evident in his body, his back was too straight, his muscled thighs taut, his long fingers tapped the window ledge.
And she’d just made things worse. He hadn’t forgiven her for her interference. She doubted he ever would. With a deep sigh, she played with the tassel on her reticule and fell silent.
The carriage slowed in a lane and turned through a pair of wrought iron gates with Roseleaf Manor emblazoned on them in gold. Ahead, the roof and chimneys of a mansion appeared above woodland trees.
