Saving Lord Berkshire - Laura Beers Page 0,72
up from her desk in surprise. “There was another delivery?”
Cooper smiled. “Yes, miss,” he replied as he held two bouquets of red roses in his hands. “This time nearly ten dozen red roses were delivered.”
“Did Lord Berkshire send these flowers, as well?”
“He did,” Cooper confirmed. “Would you care to see the card?”
She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary,” she replied. “Just place the flowers wherever you see fit, please.”
“As you wish,” Cooper said, tipping his head.
As soon as the butler had departed, her two sisters walked into the room. Amelia was holding the morning newspaper in her hand.
Katherine leaned back in her chair. “Have you finally finished reading the morning newspaper?”
Amelia and Hannah exchanged a look as they both stopped near the desk.
“What is it?” she asked, glancing between them.
With a sigh, Amelia extended the newspaper towards her. “You and Lord Berkshire made the society page,” she announced.
Katherine’s heart dropped as she accepted the paper. “We did?” she asked. “How did the ton get wind of what happened so quickly?”
Hannah gave her a look filled with pity. “A tasty piece of gossip is always quickly spread throughout the ton.”
Katherine opened the morning newspaper to the society page and read, “Our beloved matchmaker, Miss Katherine Blackmore, was seen entering a coaching inn with Lord Berkshire. One must wonder if an engagement announcement is forthcoming.”
She lowered the newspaper and said, “I am a ruined woman, more so when the ton receives word that I broke the engagement with Lord Berkshire.”
“Did you send word this morning to him?” Hannah asked.
“I did.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Hannah inquired, “Pray tell, then why do we have more flowers than a flower shop in our entry hall?”
Amelia smirked. “I told you that Lord Berkshire wouldn’t let you go without a fight.”
“That is hardly the case,” she replied. “Lord Berkshire still feels duty bound to marry me, and he is trying to soften me up with flowers.”
“Is it working?” Amelia asked.
She shook her head. “It is not,” she said. “Besides, Lord Berkshire wants me to stop working as a matchmaker after we get married.”
“Is that a problem?” Hannah questioned.
Katherine stared at her sister. “Of course it’s a problem,” she replied. “I enjoy working as a matchmaker.”
“Did you explain that to him?” Amelia asked.
“I tried, but he was quite stubborn about it.”
Stepping into the room, Cooper met her gaze and announced, “Lord Berkshire is here to call on you, miss.”
She forced a smile to her lips. “Will you inform Lord Berkshire that I am not available for callers?”
Cooper tipped his head and departed from the room without another word.
Amelia lifted her brow. “You are turning Lord Berkshire away?”
“I am,” Katherine replied, glancing down at the ledgers in front of her. “I am much too busy at the moment.”
Hannah stepped closer to the desk. “You will eventually need to talk to him, you know,” she said.
“I am well aware of that fact, but I am not ready to speak to him now,” Katherine asserted.
Amelia eyed her curiously. “Why is that?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“Yes, you do.”
Katherine pressed her lips together as she realized she didn’t have a good reason to turn Edward away. She just couldn’t stand the thought of seeing him again, knowing that he didn’t return her affections. After all, she felt caught between a marriage she desperately wanted, and the knowledge that he would destroy her if he didn’t eventually return her love.
Hannah spoke up. “Leave her be, Amelia.”
Amelia opened her mouth to reply, but a slow, satisfying smile came to her lips instead. A moment later, a knock came from the window behind her.
“Drat!” Katherine muttered under her breath.
Amelia laughed as she walked over to the window and opened it. “It is about time you arrived, Lord Berkshire.”
He placed his hands on the windowsill. “My apologies, but I had to stop at multiple flower shops to acquire enough flowers.”
Katherine shifted in her chair to face him. “And now you are trespassing on my property… again.”
He shrugged, unabashed. “I tried going through the main door, but your butler informed me that you were unavailable for callers.”
“Yet, you didn’t take the hint,” she commented wryly.
He smiled at her. “I knew there must be some mistake, because you would have never turned away your betrothed.”
“We aren’t engaged, at least not anymore, Lord Berkshire,” she remarked, rising.
“The name is Edward, if you don’t mind,” he said. “And I need to speak to you about the note you sent over this morning.”
“It might be best if we grant you some