Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

The next day was full of festivities, both outdoors and indoors. His mother had done a wonderful job of planning things to keep the guests happy. There was a lively game of cricket on the lawn, as well as a few people talking a stroll around the pond. Then in the evening they had a delicious dinner followed by games in the parlour. He could see that Matilde was enjoying the party and it appeared that his friends were enjoying her company. That made Christopher feel more confident about his decision to marry her.

"Where is Miss Whitten?" his mother asked, coming up to him in the parlour.

"I'm not sure. She and Aunt Kitty have been gone for hours."

"I hope they are not planning anything that might be…."

His mother's words were caught off as she stared at the double doors to the parlour. As Christopher turned his head to look behind him, he noticed that everyone on the room was doing the same. There, standing in the open doorway, he saw Kitty and Minne, both dressed in bedsheets. They waited until the room became quiet before they took their places in the middle of the room and began the scene.

After only a few moments Christopher was able to recognize this as a famous scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream . It had been a very long time since he had seen the Shakespeare play performed. If he thought about it, it took him back to his younger years, when he was on the edge of manhood. He remembered watching this same scene being performed at a local fair one summer. Recognition hit him hard enough to make him gasp.

"I didn't realize you were such a fan of the theatre," said his mother, noticing his gasp.

"I saw a similar performance a long time ago. It was very memorable."

"I doubt the actors were as good."

He didn't waste time correcting her, because now the scene was done and the crowd was applauding. That meant the two performers would be leaving. He needed to talk to Miss Whitten before he lost his chance.

The advantage to hosting the party in his own home was that Christopher knew all the hallways and was able to use that advantage to catch Miss Whitten on her way to the backstairs to return to her room. Kitty wasn't with her, but that didn't stop him.

"You have only gotten better at that."

The sound of his voice made her pause, one hand on the railing and one foot on the stair.

"Pardon?" Minnie said without turning around to look at him.

"The last time I saw a performance like that it was late summer and I had just turned sixteen. A traveling fair was nearby and I snuck away from my parents to go see."

As he spoke, Christopher was slowly walking towards her, watching her reactions carefully.

"I watched them pull a young girl from the audience and put her in one of the roles. She was breathtaking. The audience loved her."

He could see the rise and fall of her shoulders and she took deep breaths. She still refused to look at him, but her body had gone rigid.

"Afterwards, I waited until the girl left and caught her outside the tent. She refused to tell me her name but I did persuade her to give me something."

"A kiss."

His heart thudded in his chest at the confirmation that he was right. "I tried to find the girl for months, but she disappeared. I never saw her again. Not until tonight."

"Perhaps that night she caught the attention of someone else. A woman who owned a theatre in London. Perhaps the girl decided to change her name after that."

"So it is not really Miss Whitton?"

Minnie turned slowly, a look of vulnerability on her face that made his stomach clench.

"I'm the daughter of Lord Whitmore."

That was the name of the baron that lived a few miles away from his family's estate. The man was seldom invited to social events because of a scandal that had happened a long time ago. Christopher had never wondered what it was, but now he suspected it had to do with a runaway daughter.

"You have known all along? Why didn't you tell me we had met before?"

"Honestly, I had forgotten about that kiss. There was so much happening that night. That was the night I changed my entire life. I just wanted to forget everything I was leaving behind."

"Including the poor, lovesick boy who impulsively kissed you."

"A kiss hardly means much to a young lord."

Christopher didn't feel that way. That kiss had haunted him for months. He had always hoped to find the young girl again. Even now, it felt vivid in his memory.

"You never wondered who I was or what might have been?" he asked.

She paused. "I did, but I knew that you wouldn't be interested in me after I left to join the theatre. My own family wanted nothing to do with me."

Christopher wondered if that would have matter to him back then. He had always wanted to make his mother proud, but he had a rebellious streak like every young man. He might have pursued her even as an actress, but that could have been disastrous.

"I knew you seemed familiar," he mumbled, his thoughts trying to piece things together.

"Your memory is impressive. Perhaps you should be the one learning lines."

Her attempt at a joke fell flat and neither of them laughed.

"Are you happy in London?" he asked. "I know that Aunt Kitty's theatre is doing well."

"It is and I'm one of the leads. I'm doing very well."

"So you made the right choice to leave. You would have been unhappy if you were stuck in the country life."

She looked at him. "If I had stayed then, yes."

"And now?"

"What are you asking me?"

"Do you think you might ever return?"

Minnie began to nibble on her lip and avoided answering the question. It was a ridiculous one to ask.

"Disregard that. I don't know why I asked."

Christopher turned, ready to let her return to her room and change. He had a party full of people waiting for him, including the woman who would soon be his wife.

"I would return if I had a reason to. The theatre has been wonderful, but at some point a woman wants a family and a home."

He felt those words sink into him.

"Is that why you came to this party? Looking for a husband?" he asked.

"No, although…."

The air between them seemed to crackle. Christopher closed the distance quickly, not knowing why he was doing so. She said nothing, but melted into his arms as he took her against him and sealed their lips in a kiss. It felt both frighteningly new and reassuringly familiar. From the depths of his memories, he was instantly taken back to that warm summer night so long ago.

Christopher had not been with many women in his life thus far, because he had never been one to pursue them for sport, but he knew that this woman was something special. The softness of her curves and the fresh scent of her hair soaked into his senses. They were so engrossed in the moment that neither of them heard footsteps approaching until it was too late.

"Miss Whitton!" A high pitched squeal was heard. It was piercing enough to break the two of them apart quickly. Christopher was confused, wiping his mouth as he tried to piece things together.

"Miss Whitton, how dare you!"

Matilde was standing at the end of hallway, near the door to the parlour where the rest of guests were. Her eyes were narrow and her lips were pinched together. A bright red color was across those pale cheeks. Her hands clenched her skirts into her fists.

"I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry…" Minnie mumbled, her cheeks showing a flush that went down her neck and into the bodice of her evening gown.

She looked at Christopher, hoping he would give her some kind of assistance. He stood there, blinking, his head swiveling back and forth between the two women. He wanted to give her some kind of reassurance, but no words would come from his mouth. He had never been in such a situation before.

"You are a little theatre urchin trying to catch herself a husband in the most dispiciable way."

"That's not what-"

Matilde stomped her foot, cutting off Minnie's words. He felt himself flinch at the force of her anger. He had never seen Matilde behave in such a crude manner.

"Don't bother to play innocent, when it looks like you are far from it."

If Matilde continued to raise her voice, the entire party would soon be here to witness her embarrassment.

"I should go." Minnie tilted her head down to avoid the other woman's angry stare and started to go up the stairs.

"You might as well pack your things. You will be leaving the house," said Matilde. "You can either leave quietly and not make a scene, or I can tell Lady Ashborn what you did and have you thrown out."

Minnie looked over her shoulder at Christopher, to see if he was going to do anything to save her, but he was still being quiet. He didn't know what to do and he was still so surprised by the change in Matilde. He could see tears in Minnie's eyes but he knew he had waited too long.

"I will pack my things."

He watched her rush up the stairs.

"Good riddance." Those were the last words Matilde said before collecting herself and returning to the party.