lady. I’ve made a friend of Harry, and he’ll do anything I ask of him.”
Bess was a pretty girl and wasn’t above using her looks for the greater good when necessary.
“Excellent.” That settled, Kate felt the previous night’s lack of sleep combine with the excitement of tonight envelop her in a blanket of fatigue.
“Rest well, my lady,” Bess said as she put out the light. “You leave it to me. You’ll be well on the way to Crossmere in the morning.”
* * *
As it happened, Kate was far more tired the next morning than she’d expected, but she was determined to make the journey to Crossmere regardless.
She allowed Bess to dress her in a traveling gown of crimson silk, and donned her favorite straw hat, which was festooned with a sprig of cherries. It was an ensemble that made her feel feminine but confident. This was precisely the sort of strength she needed to project today.
Fortunately for her escape plans, the first footman had been replaced sometime in the night by another, and he, too, was beguiled by Bess’s charms, so Kate was able to slip past him into the servants’ hall without being seen by any other members of the household.
Harry drove her to the train station and purchased two first-class tickets to Crossmere for her, promising to give the other to Eversham later.
Fortunately, the train had remained in the station overnight and she was able to board long before it was scheduled to depart.
Once she was secreted in the private carriage, she removed one of the books of Philbrick’s poetry she’d retrieved from the library last night and began to read.
It was little more than an hour later, after she’d nodded off, that the door to the carriage opened and she heard a muffled curse.
Her eyes flew open, but it was only Eversham, who was looking more resigned than cross.
“I should have known that bit about Valentine insisting on a first-class ticket was a ruse.” He sighed.
Closing the door behind him, he stalked toward her and stood there for a moment, their eyes meeting in a contest of wills.
“Well, aren’t you going to sit down?” she asked, not bothering to hide her defiance. He should have known better than to try to tell her what to do.
“I suppose I am.” He did just that and leaned back against the plush velvet seat. Glancing around the compartment, he said, “I’ve never actually ridden in a first-class carriage before. I suppose this is a common thing for you?” There was another question embedded in that one, but Kate decided to ignore it for the time being. They hadn’t really discussed the class differences between them. To Kate’s mind, they were immaterial. But she’d known it was something he struggled with.
“This isn’t quite so lavish as some I’ve seen. And I didn’t think you’d approve of me in the more public car, given your fears for my safety.”
“Oh, I hadn’t realized you’d noticed that,” he said wryly. “I’d assumed, since you refused to return to London, as I asked, and then allowed one of Valentine’s servants to drive you to the train station, where you boarded an empty train compartment to wait for me, for God knows how long, that you had entirely disregarded my wishes.”
“Pouting doesn’t become you.” Kate reached out to take his hand in hers. “There was no way I could let you meet with Delia’s father without me. And I’m annoyed you even considered it.”
“I was trying to protect you.” He lifted his eyes heavenward. “Clearly that was a misguided notion on my part.”
“I think you underestimate your own ability to keep me safe, Andrew.”
He sighed. “It’s unfair of you to use my given name as a way to disarm me during an argument.”
“But did it?” she asked pertly.
“You know it did,” he groused. “Infernal woman.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Don’t be angry with me. I would have gone mad locked away in the Hall waiting for you to come back from Crossmere with news.”
“I’m not angry.” He lifted their joined hands to kiss the back of hers. “But I don’t know what I’m going to do with you and that’s the truth.”
“Who says you have to do anything with me? Why can’t you just let me be me?”
“I’m beginning to understand that I don’t have a choice.” Eversham didn’t sound too alarmed by it, however.
“You truly don’t,” she agreed. “It’s good you’ve figured it out.”
He barked out a laugh.
They sat in companionable silence for