Saving Lord Berkshire - Laura Beers Page 0,57
that I can protect myself, should the need ever arise.”
“I will keep you safe, Miss Blackmore,” he promised. “You need not fear for your safety. I give you my word.”
“That is kind of you to offer, but a strong woman knows how to protect herself,” she asserted.
He huffed, shaking his head. “Why do you have to insist on being so stubborn about everything?”
“I assume it is second nature by now,” she responded.
“I don’t believe it is a sign of weakness to ask for help, but rather a show of strength.”
Katherine cocked her head. “Pray tell, do you ever ask for help?”
He winced. “No, I do not.”
“And why is that?”
He grew silent for a long moment, and she thought he was going to refuse to answer. Finally, in a tone barely above a whisper, he revealed, “Because I am not strong enough.”
She heard the pain in his voice, and she decided that she had pressed him hard enough. So, she changed topics. “I am sorry about Kitty.”
Lord Berkshire lowered his gaze to his clenched fists in his lap. “I can’t believe I became so distracted that I failed to notice my sister slipping out of the ball. What kind of brother am I?”
“You must not be too hard on yourself,” she insisted. “Kitty is a grown woman, and she can’t be watched every moment of every day. It was her decision, and hers alone, to leave that ball and get into the coach with Mr. Kendall.”
“Why would she betray me like this?” he asked, bringing his gaze up.
“I don’t believe she sees it as an act of betrayal.”
“Then what do you suppose she sees it as?”
“An act of love.”
He scoffed. “That is utterly ridiculous.”
“In her mind, she is eloping with the man that she loves,” she explained. “They are escaping to Gretna Green, not knowing what the future holds for them.”
Lord Berkshire’s expression grew hard. “It is a future filled with strife and uncertainty, and she will be reduced to living on a solicitor’s salary.”
“We understand that, but sometimes love clouds our judgment.”
“No, no, no…” he started. “I refuse to believe my sister is in love with Mr. Kendall. Enamored, perhaps. But not love.”
“We don’t know what is in their hearts—”
Lord Berkshire cut her off. “How can you sit there and justify her actions?” he demanded.
“I’m not attempting to,” she replied. “I am just trying to look at things from a different perspective.”
“Will you stop attempting to be so rational?”
She pressed her brows together. “I beg your pardon?”
“I want someone who will be angry with me, outraged by my sister’s choices,” he barked, his voice rising. “I want to find Mr. Kendall and beat him senseless.”
“And how will that help the situation?” she questioned calmly.
Lord Berkshire shifted in his seat and adjusted his black jacket. “It would make me feel much better.”
“I daresay that it would only make the situation worse, and Kitty may never forgive you for that.”
“Then what do I do?” he shouted. “Give them my blessing?”
“No, but you could try talking to them—”
“We already tried that,” he interrupted, “and it didn’t work. We tried it your way, and it turned out poorly. Didn’t it?
Katherine pursed her lips. “I admit that this was not the outcome that I’d hoped for Kitty but—”
“Next time we see Kitty, we will do it my way,” he said, cutting her off again.
“And what way is that?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she mocked, “By all means, I can’t wait to see what you come up with, my lord.”
Lord Berkshire narrowed his eyes at her. “If you were more proficient at your job, then none of this would have happened.”
Katherine’s mouth dropped open at his ridiculous accusation. “How dare you try to blame me for this?” she shouted. “Kitty was in love with your solicitor even before you hired me to find her a potential suitor.”
“That shouldn’t have mattered.”
“But it does,” she replied. “One cannot secure a love match for someone if that person has already given their heart to another.”
“I don’t believe that to be the case,” he said. “I believe that Kitty is just confused about her affections towards Mr. Kendall.”
“Then you would be wrong.”
He glared at her, but she refused to be cowed by his anger.
“At times, I find you rather irksome, Miss Blackmore,” he muttered.
She shrugged one of her shoulders. “I can assure you that the feeling is mutual.”
“It might be for the best if we continue this trip in silence.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more.”
A yawn