The Engagement - Regency Brides 02 Read online

  “I was engaged to the woman, you idiot! I probably know her better than you do, so donʼt paint a pretty picture of a matronly paragon when I know her for who she is!”

  The brothers were practically nose to nose now and breathing heavily. Thomas thought if he could just get in one good punch, it certainly would make him feel better.

  “What does that say about you if you think of her as unmarriageable? You were only weeks away from marrying her yourself.”

  Nicholas snarled. “I was marrying her because of her position, Brother, the exact reason she was marrying me! We were a social match, nothing more!” He poked Thomas in the chest, causing Thomasʼ to ball his fist. “Sheʼs using you, Thorn, because no one else will have her!”

  “You are wrong!” Thomas stated emphatically.

  “I wish I were, but I fear I am not!”

  “Would you look at yourselves?” All sweetness was gone from Christinaʼs voice, and a steeliness was in its place. “What a fine example you are setting for Tyler!”

  The brothers did not back away from each other, but they did glance in her direction-both of their faces swathed in hostility.

  Christina shook her head with a snort of disgust. ʻʼJust try not to kill him, will you, Thorn?” she snapped as she started toward the door with Tyler sitting on her hip. “His baby will need a father, too!”

  Both men started as she slammed the large door behind her, but Thomas wasnʼt sure it was from the sound or the news sheʼd dropped at their feet.

  “Did she say baby?” Nicholas asked, staring back at his brother.

  Thomas nodded. “I think she did.”

  Suddenly, Thomas was swallowed in his brotherʼs joyful embrace. “Iʼm going to be a father! Did you hear that, Thorn?

  Weʼre having a baby!”

  “I heard it-I heard. Now can you please-cease—pounding my back!” Thomas gasped and took a deep breath when he was finally released.

  Nicholas shook his finger at his. Brother. “This conversation is not over with, Thorn. I will not stand for you throwing your life away on someone who doesnʼt truly love you!”

  Thomas was quickly regaining his anger. “She does care for me, and I will find a way to prove it to you!” he shot back, knocking Nicholasʼs hand away. “As a matter of fact, Iʼm going to Ravenhurst to propose right now!”

  He stomped to the door, determined to see it through.

  “You are making a mistake, Thorn! Just wait until-“

  Nicholas tried to reason, following him to the door.

  “Go to your wife, Nick. You know-the wife that all society thought you should not marry because she was not of our class!” he countered.

  “You will regret-“ Nicholas began to threaten. Thorn walked out of the room, however, ignoring his brotherʼs roar of anger, and slammed the door of the manor behind him.

  ~

  “I have been searching for you all morning!” Theodora announced in a peeved tone as she stepped carefully down the steep incline to where Katherine sat on the ground with her book. Usually no one thought to seek her out in the grassy ditch that had once been the castleʼs moat long years ago.

  That could only mean her cousin was determined to converse with her.

  Not bothering to hide her sigh, she lowered her book of poetry and waited for Theodora to reach her. “Was there something important you wanted?” she asked, though she knew what the answer was.

  “Of course I have something important I need to discuss with you, and you are quite aware of it!” Theodora snapped.

  She sat opposite Katherine, clearly uncomfortable on the uneven surface. “I want to know why you did not accept Thomasʼs invitation to meet his brother today? Proving to him his brother matters little to you would be all heʼd need to ask for your hand!”

  “How did you know about that? Were you eavesdropping?”

  Theodora stuck up her chin with a defiant air. “No, but Lucy was, then she told me.”

  Katherine closed her eyes and shook her head tiredly. “I cannot face Nicholas. Not yet.”

  “You do not want to face him because then you will remember the reason you need to take revenge.” She shook her finger at the younger woman. “You are beginning to like him, arenʼt you? You are allowing yourself to be taken in by yet another Thornton!”

  Katherine licked her bottom lip as she gathered up courage for what she needed to say. “There may be truth in what you are saying, Dora,” she admitted. “I just know he is too good a person to hurt the way we had planned.” .

  “Not this again!” Theodora threw her arms up in disgust. “I never realized you were such a coward, Kate!”

  “It is not cowardly to want to avoid hurting someone, Dora. Thomas is not his brother. He would never break an engagement and leave me to suffer societyʼs rumors for it! He is more honorable than that!” .

  Katherine could tell Theodora was not at all happy with what she was saying. “What if he knew what his brother had planned all along?” she asked finally, her eyes becoming shrewd as she pinned them on Katherine. “He left for sea right after Nicholas broke your engagement. How do you know Thomas did not encourage his brother in this pursuit because he wanted you for himself”

  Katherine gasped. “You are mad to think such a thing! I will not hear such awful allegations-“

  “Donʼt you think it a coincidence that the first woman he decides to court after his time of mourning is you, when there are many other women he could have pursued.”

  Katherine covered her ears. “I will not listen. He was a married man then!”

  Theodora pushed herself closer to her cousin and pulled her hands away. “I am simply trying to open your mind to the reality of who the Thorntons are! They are brothers, Katherine, cut from the same cloth!”

  Theodoraʼs words did not achieve what she had hoped.

  Katherine knew in her heart Thomas was a good man; she could see it in his eyes, feel it in his words. “Thomas has told me his brother had a difficult time following the war, and that is why-“

  “Do you hear yourself? Now you are defending the man who .made you the scourge of all society!” Theodora all but screeched as she jumped up, WlI,ving her arm about to emphasize her words.

  “Iʼm not. I-“

  “Yes, you are!” Theodora interrupted. “Are you going to let Lord Kenswick get away with what he did to you?

  Are you going to let him live an unscathed life with his wife and future children while you wither away as an old maid?

  Must he live a happy life while you suffer?”

  It occurred to Katherine she would still live as an old maid even if she did go along with the plan.

  But you could be happily wed if you forget the plan and decide to marry Thomas instead, a little voice sounded in her head. A voice Katherine wanted so much to follow but was afraid to.

  “I need time to think,” she cried softly as she arose from the ground and dusted the grass from her cream-colored morning dress.

  “My lady!” a voice called from atop the ditch by the castle wall, and Katherine squinted up through the bright sunlight to see her maid looking down at her.

  “Yes, Stevens, what is it?” she inquired, glad for the interruption.

  “His grace has asked to see you in his study,” she explained, but then added, “Mr. Thornton is with him, also.”

  “He has done it! He has come to ask for your hand!”

  Theodora crowed with delight, not caring that the servant was hearing every word.

  Katherine hastily dismissed the girl. “Tell my father I will be right up.”

  When sheʼd gone, Katherine glared at Theodora. “If you speak of such things in front of the servants, it will cause more gossip! Mr. Thornton could be here to see Cameron, not ask for my hand!”

  “Cameron is in town, so I do not think that is the reason,”

  Theodora countered, then added, “I have one caution to make before you speak with him, Cousin.”

  Katherine let out a breath of i
mpatience. “What is that, Dora?”

  “If you are thinking of forgetting our plan, I would advise that you donʼt.” Her lips curved in a false smile. “Nothing stays secret forever. One day Thomas could find out the truth of what we were going to do, and the result will be the same.

  He will be devastated, and the whole Thornton family will be affected by it.”

  The impact of what Theodora was saying took her breath away. “Are you making a threat, Dora?”

  Her cousinʼs face was blank. “Of course not, Kate. Iʼm surprised you would have to ask!”

  But it was a threat, and Katherine knew it. What she couldnʼt figure out was why Theodora was so adamant they proceed with the plan. Why was the Thorntonsʼ ruin so important to her?

  Shaken and suddenly afraid, she turned and made her way carefully up the steep incline, for the first time in a long while praying as she went. She prayed with all her heart Theodora could not turn against her but feared that, given the right circumstances, she would.

  The moment Katherine walked into the castle, her mother was there, grabbing her by the arm and all but dragging her to her fatherʼs study. Though she was talking erratically and too excitedly for Katherine to understand every word, she did hear something about dresses, flowers, and posting banns.

  That was all she needed to hear.

  Apparently, Theodora was right.

  “Mama, please!” she protested, making her mother come to a stop. “Let me take a moment to catch my breath.”

  “Now you must listen to me, Katherine.” Her mother took both her shoulders in her hands, gripping firmly. “You are to say yes, do you understand me? Do not do anything to make this fine gentleman change his mind.”

  Katherine once again felt the pressure of what she was about to do. “Perhaps he is not the man for me, Mama.

  Perhaps he is not what he seems. Should I risk being shamed for a second time” she asked, her words spoken out of panic.

  “He is just a man, Katherine, and, of course, he probably has his faults, but that is not the point.” She let go of her daughterʼs shoulders and folded her arms across her chest, giving her a stem look. “If you marry him, then it will dispel the ugly rumors, and we can once again mingle in polite society unencumbered. As is our right, Katherine.” She whipped a handkerchief out of her pocket and began dabbing at her face. “As is our right!” she whispered fervently, almost as if she were trying to speak it into existence.

  Katherine was even too nervous to be bothered by her motherʼs histrionics. All she could think about was how angry her parents would be if she followed through with the plan.

  She knew it might even backfire on them and further lower them in societyʼs eyes.

  “Well, donʼt stand there, Katherine. Go in! Your father and Thomas Thornton are waiting for you!” her mother urged in a shrill voice, pushing her toward the door.

  Katherine managed to open the door and enter without stumbling, and as expected, there Thomas stood with her father, laughing together as if they were already old friends.

  ʻʼAh! Katherine, you are here finally.” Her father spoke first.

  He motioned for her to come closer. “I believe Mr. Thornton has something he would like to speak to you about.” He shifted his broad grin and shining gaze between them both. “I will leave you two alone.”

  “Papa!” Katherine called out to him in alarm. “I donʼt mind if you stay!”

  Immediately after the words were out of her mouth, she felt foolish for saying them. Thomas was staring at her with a frown, and her father appeared as though he wanted to strangle her. He didnʼt say a word to her, either. He merely backed out of the room, closing the door soundly behind him.

  “Are you all right, Katherine?” Thomas asked, his voice hesitant. .

  It hurt to see Thomas standing there dressed so handsomely in his dark brown coat, buckskins, and Hessians that were kept in the finest polish sheʼd ever beheld.

  ʻʼAre you going to look at me or just stare at my feet all morning?”

  Her head popped up, and she felt her face grow hot. “Iʼm sorry. I am a bit distracted this morning.” She scanned the room, then motioned toward two chairs that stood in front of her fatherʼs heavy oak desk. “Did you want to sit down?”

  Thomas smiled at her as he took a step closer. “I do believe you are nervous, Katherine.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I do not think it would be hard to guess why I am here.”

  Katherine took a moment to regain her wits after his gentle kiss. If kissing her hand made her heart beat so fast, what would a true kiss do to her?

  “Uh…yes, I think I do know,” she answered after a moment.

  “What are you doing?” she asked when he sank down to one knee, still holding her hand.

  He smiled sweetly at her. “I am kneeling before you, my dear Katherine, offering you my heart and my name if you will have them.”

  Katherine could not help the tears that filled her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to accept his proposal and admit she loved him in return. But with Doraʼs threat playing in her mind, she was tom about what she should do. “I — I, uh ... ,”

  she stammered.

  When an answer was not forthcoming, the smile left his face and was replaced by an air of trepidation. “Katherine?”

  He stood up slowly. “Have I misread your feelings for me?”

  “No!” she found herself crying out. “I mean-“

  “I know what you mean,” he interrupted her with a jubilant grin. “It must be that I have proceeded so suddenly-“

  “Yes!” She grabbed on to his excuse. “We have known one another for such a short time! Perhaps we should get to know one another better.”

  Thomas laughed at that statement and brought her hand to his mouth once again. “You are anxious!” he surmised. “Donʼt be, my lady. We will have a wonderful life together, and I promise youʼll never have to endure being snubbed at a party or have your name bandied about in degrading terms. Not as long as I am there to protect and defend you. “

  After that touching speech, Katherine knew no woman alive would respond differently than she. “Iʼll marry you.”

  He became still, her hand still safely enfolded in his own.

  “You will?”

  She took a breath, tried not to think about what would happen in the future, and nodded. And perhaps she wanted to do a little pretending, too.

  “Katherine,” he murmured, his eyes full of emotion as he drew her to him. Her eyes grew large as she realized he intended to kiss her.

  “Kath-!” Her sister barged through the door and froze when she saw them in a semi-embrace. “Aha! Iʼve caught you again, and this time I do not think he was aiming for your hand!” she charged loudly, her eyes full of curiosity.

  “Lucinda! What are you doing in there?” her motherʼs voice echoed from the hallway, then she, too, was standing there staring at theʼ couple.

  Thomas had already stepped away from her but was still holding her hand.

  Her father appeared; both parents looked back and forth to try to gauge the coupleʼs demeanor. “Might we deduce that by your holding hands there is to be a wedding in the near future?” Katherineʼs mother asked carefully.

  “Indeed, there is!” Thomas answered with elation.

  “Capital!” her father exclaimed, stepping forward to shake hands with him and give Katherine a kiss on the cheek.

  Her motherʼs reaction was, of course, more dramatic. “Ooh!”

  she cried. Large tears formed in her eyes. Waving her handkerchief about, Lady Montbatten hurried over to Thomas, put her hands on either side of his face, and whispered emotionally with a properly shaking voice, “Welcome to the family, Thomas. And please call me Mama!”

  Thomas had a bemused expression on his face as she kissed each cheek, then clutched her handkerchief to her mouth as if to hold off a sob. She then moved on to Katherine to give her a hug.

  Of course, no one but she heard her mother whisper,r />
  “Excellent, dear. You have saved us all!”

  ~

  Thomas stayed at Ravenhurst Castle for a little while longer as the family talked excitedly of their engagement. Even Theodora had seemed excited about it and kept giving Katherine a strange smile, almost as if she were communicating her approval of the event.

  Something about Katherineʼs older cousin bothered him greatly, but he could not put a finger on why. He seemed to remember knowing her several years ago, but he could not remember in what circumstance. He thought it might have been in the village of Malbury where he grew up, but he couldnʼt be certain. Obviously, it had not been a memorable meeting, and she was several years older than his twenty-seven.