Louise Allen - Regency Pleasures and Sins Part 1

‘Make peace with whom?’

‘My father, and my brother perhaps, although Robert would forgive me anything, I sometimes think.’

‘And where do they live?’

‘Northumberland.’

Katherine stared at him. Northumberland. Why, that was almost Scotland. ‘What will they say when you come home with a wife who isn’t a wife and a debt of such proportions?’

‘Robert will adore you. My father will be not in the least surprised at whatever I do. He and I have never seen eye to eye.’

‘Is that why you left all that time ago?’

‘Yes,’ he said shortly. She waited, but he did not add anything.

What to do? Travel hundreds of miles to a family she did not know who would have every reason to resent her and the debt she brought with her? They must be happy to know she had helped Nick escape death, but the thought that this might somehow cancel out the debt she had saddled him with or the fact he had married without his father’s blessing or approval was not one that sat comfortably with her. A life was not a commodity to be bought and sold.

‘Very well, on one condition.’ He raised an eyebrow and she added hastily, ‘I know, I should not be making conditions when you are trying to help me, but you must promise me that we will have this marriage annulled as soon as possible.’

The quizzical eyebrow stayed up. ‘Very well, if you still wish for an annulment by the time we have been in Northumberland for one month, then you shall have it.’

‘One month?’ Katherine regarded him, suspicious. ‘Why one month?’

‘To allow the charms of my family to grow upon you, perhaps.’ He smiled and her heart did a little flip. ‘Well?’

‘Yes, I agree. I suppose it will take that long to arrange an annulment anyway, do you not think?’

‘I should imagine so. It is not something I have any experience of.’ His voice was sounding painfully hoarse again and Katherine poured brandy from the decanter that always stood on the end of Philip’s desk.

‘Try sipping this. I wonder if drinking it hot with lemon would be soothing.’

‘This will be fine, thank you. Now, we must plan for the trip …’

‘No, you must stop talking and sit down and rest. I will plan and you can nod or shake your head.’

With a flash of white teeth he sank obediently into an armchair and sat watching her with such an expression of meek obedience that she laughed. ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake stop looking so conformable! I know perfectly well that you only do what I ask when it suits you.’

‘I am enjoying being ordered about,’ Nick rasped, his grin broadening. ‘Are you always so managing?’

‘Yes,’ Katherine said, somewhat shortly.

‘Do you enjoy it?’ He was steepling his fingers and regarding her over the joined fingertips. It made it hard to read his expression, but it drew her attention forcibly to how beautiful his hands were. Hastily she dropped her gaze to the desk and turned over the piece of paper she had been using for her sums.

‘Not particularly, but I found I had no choice.’ It sounded abrupt and rude, but she did not want to explain any more about the chaos her life would have been if she had not taken charge of the household.

‘Then you shall manage me, Kat, and I will look after you,’ Nick said amiably. ‘You make your lists for the journey and I will add anything that occurs to me.’

Half an hour later they had a plan. ‘So, tomorrow I pay off all the tradesmen’s debts and Jenny and I will pack. John will check over the carriage and harness and the horses and you will rest.’

‘I will buy some linen,’ Nick interjected. ‘Either that, or John and I between us will run through his stock of shirts within days.’

‘Very well, but you need not purchase neck cloths for Philip has left some. Then we set out on Friday and go by easy stages to rest the horses. How long do you think it will take us?’

‘It depends on the horses, but a week at least. We are going to have to balance the cost of rooms and food against the risk of pushing them too hard.’

‘And John. It is a long way to drive.’

Nick got to his feet and stretched. ‘Aah. It is so good to be able to do that.’ He rolled his shoulders luxuriously. ‘John and I can share the driving.’

‘No, you cannot!’ Katherine got to her feet too and marched over to stand toe to toe with him. ‘Have you no sense? You should be resting, not driving a coach for miles.’

Rather too late she realised just how close it brought her to him. He smiled down wickedly. ‘You do tempt me to show you how perfectly fit I feel, Kat. I have had my neck stretched for me a little, that is all. If I had been suffering from consumption or gaol fever, that would be quite another matter.’

Frustrated, Katherine fell back on another argument. ‘You cannot sit on the box and drive a coach. You are a gentleman.’

‘And I have been a common trooper for two years and a highwayman and felon for some weeks.’ He pinched her chin and turned away to the door before she could retaliate. ‘Now I really must go and lie down and rest or my managing wife will read me a lecture.’

‘Insufferable man!’ Katherine glared at the door as it closed behind him, then reluctantly smiled. Nicholas Lydgate was certainly proving difficult to manage. But it was intriguing to be matching her wits with a strong man and not a weak one.

She shivered. She was growing dangerously fond of him, she could recognise that fact only too well. What effect would being cooped up with him in a carriage for over a week have on her emotions?

It was rather too disturbing to think about. Katherine opened the door and walked briskly down the passage to the kitchen. ‘Jenny! We have a lot to do, and only a day to do it in. We are going to Northumberland.’

Katherine regarded the sleeping man opposite her in the carriage with mixed feelings. Part of her was relieved that, after stubbornly refusing to rest all the previous day, Nicholas was doing so now; part of her was frustrated that, having anticipated the long journey together with mixed trepidation and pleasure, she now had no opportunity to talk to him. Was it exhaustion, or an excellent defence against questions?

He sleeps like a cat, she brooded. Nicholas had no sooner sat down, made sure the two women were comfortable and exchanged a few words with John, than he had simply closed his eyes and fallen asleep. It did give her the chance to study him unobserved, for Jenny, agog at the adventure of a long journey, had twisted round to watch the passing scene from the window.

He was certainly an elegant sleeper; his lips were parted slightly and his breathing was heavy and regular, compared to Philip’s habitual slack-jawed snoring.

Katherine sighed inwardly and wondered where her brother was at that moment. Had he the sense to husband his resources and secure modest and respectable lodgings, or was he already seeking out whatever gambling and drinking dens the French coastal towns offered? Was he happy now there was no one to remind him of his obligations, no one to expect him to exercise self-control? Or was he lonely?

She blinked away a treacherous tear and resumed her study of her temporary husband. His colour was better, she decided, and he certainly looked very respectable now. His shopping trip the day before had produced not only a supply of shirts, but he had stopped at the barber and was sporting a positively fashionable Brutus cut.

So … she assessed the man in front of her. High cheekbones that gave him a slightly saturnine expression when he narrowed those dark eyes, a very decided chin, mobile and expressive lips and a straight nose. All very handsome, no doubt, although this perfection was disturbed somewhat by a scar that sliced across his right eyebrow, leaving a fine white line through the black hairs. He had been fortunate not to lose that eye.