Chapter 15

CHAPTER15

Simon hadn’t shown up for breakfast the following day but had instructed a kitchen maid to send up a tray to his room. Katherine disapproved of his decision initially, but she felt rather relieved once she found herself having breakfast without a disturbance. Gerald himself appeared pleased with the arrangement.

“I always request the lemon muffins, but if you ever want to eat something else, do tell,” Gerald offered as he picked up a muffin and bit into it.

Katherine smiled at him. “I enjoy the lemon muffins just fine, thank you,” she replied, though it was a lie.

She had never eaten one of the muffins, what with Gerald so eager each time they were served. She had never been a huge fan of lemon, but she found herself enjoying watching Gerald in his lemon-flavored bliss.

“Do you have any important plans today?” Gerald asked after he swallowed.

Katherine placed down her fork for a brief moment, looking up at him. “If one considers painting an important plan, then yes, I do, indeed,” she replied, before picking up her fork once again and continuing her meal.

She felt rejuvenated for the first time in weeks, the talk with Gerald somehow having soothed her to the point where she had slept like a baby.

“Your painting can be regarded as something important, I agree.” Gerald nodded without looking up. “Especially after the unfortunate incident last night.”

“Masterpiece is a strong word for one that had never been schooled in art.” Katherine laughed.

Before Gerald could object to her comment, a soft noise sounded from somewhere in the manor.

Katherine could only surmise that the vastness of the manor echoed the sound of a knock right to the dining room, but it piqued her curiosity nonetheless.

Their heads turned to the door.

“Who might it be?” Katherine asked.

Gerald sat motionless, slowly chewing on a bite of muffin. “We must have to wait and see,” he replied eventually.

Silence filled the dining room, but the meal continued. Both of them sat with perked-up ears, listening for any clue.

Gerald rose from his seat at the sound of the footsteps. Katherine guessed that he had been able to identify the mystery person by just their footsteps, but she was left none the wiser. She swallowed a bite of food, placing her fork down. She didn’t want to continue the meal if it were to be interrupted.

“Mother?” Gerald asked as the footsteps grew closer.

Katherine felt a knot tighten in her stomach, causing the breakfast to look less and less appetizing.

“Good day,” said the Dowager Duchess of Powell greeted as she walked into the dining room. Her lips were thin and tightly pressed together, as if she were already casting judgment.

“I had not expected you so early, Mother,” Gerald said, wiping his mouth with a napkin before stepped closer toward her.

Katherine followed suit, rising from her seat and walking over to the short, skinny woman that was her mother-in-law.

“You must have lost track of time, then,” the Dowager Duchess returned coldly.

For a moment, Katherine thought that she knew from whom Gerald had inherited his cold attitude.

“Indeed, I must have.” He sighed. “But it’s a pleasure to have you returned safely, Mother.”

“Yes, yes,” the Dowager Duchess drawled, before turning to Katherine, her hands folded in front of her.

“Pleasure to see you, Your Grace,” Katherine greeted with a curtsy, being sure to keep her back straight and her words soft.

The Dowager Duchess nodded at her as she rose. “Good day, Duchess,” she quickly returned, before turning back to Gerald. “Where is my Simon?”

She looked around the room with a worried expression, upset not to see her youngest son sitting at the breakfast table.

“He had decided to have breakfast in his room this morning, Mother,” Gerald replied, watching his mother as she moved quickly about the dining room.

“Have you made him feel unwelcome into his own home?” his mother asked sternly.

Gerald shook his head slowly. “No, Mother. He had just been rather too indulgent these last few days, if you understand what I’m saying.”

“Oh, poor thing,” the Dowager Duchess murmured, before excusing herself and stepping out of the dining room, presumably to head to Simon’s quarters.

For a brief moment, Katherine and Gerald exchanged uncomfortable looks. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, before he turned to leave the dining room.

Katherine stayed behind, looking at her half-eaten food. She had completely lost her appetite.

* * *

“How does the limp affect your life?” the Dowager Duchess asked as she hovered in the doorway, watching as Katherine walked toward a chair near the fireplace.

Katherine halted in her tracks and looked at her mother-in-law. “Not in many ways, contrary to what many believe, Your Grace,” she replied quickly after she realized that she had taken too long of a pause. “I can’t always walk quickly, and I have to be careful, but other than that, I am as functional as everybody else.”

“Oh,” the Dowager Duchess said.

Katherine waited for her to continue, but she soon realized that there was nothing more the older woman wanted to say. She blushed in embarrassment, turning to face Gerald, who was already sitting in a chair.

“Duchess, might I ask you to assist me in a task?” he asked in a toneless voice as he rose from his seat.

The Dowager Duchess recoiled as he moved toward Katherine, her expression somewhat disgusted.

“Why, of course, Your Grace,” Katherine replied and then proceeded to follow him out of the drawing room.

Once the pair were a fair distance away from the drawing room, Gerald turned back to Katherine, a sheepish grin on his face. “I believe we both might benefit from a walk, escape the company of Simon and my mother for a brief moment,” he suggested as he held out his arm for her to take.

Katherine obliged him gratefully, a smile spreading across her face. “That would be wonderful, Your Grace,” she replied, allowing him to guide her toward the beautiful garden.

The air was crisp and cool, the early morning sunlight casting a golden hue over the rolling hills that surrounded the estate. As they walked side by side, Katherine couldn’t help but feel a sense of liberation wash over her. Away from the suffocating presence of his relatives, she felt free to breathe, to think—to simply be.

Gerald, too, seemed to relax in the open air, his shoulders no longer weighed down by the burdens of his familial obligations.

For a while, they walked in companionable silence, the only sound the soft crunch of gravel beneath their feet and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. But as they walked, Katherine couldn’t shake the feeling of tension that lingered between them, like a taut thread waiting to snap.

Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Katherine cleared her throat, her voice breaking the stillness of the morning air. "So, Your Grace," she began, her tone light and teasing. "Care to share any more family secrets with me?"

Gerald chuckled softly at her jest, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he glanced at her. “Ah, but of course,” he replied, playing along. “Where shall I begin? With the scandalous affairs of my distant cousins, or perhaps the scandals of our esteemed neighbors?”

Katherine laughed, the sound ringing out like music in the quiet countryside. “Oh, please, spare me the tales of scandal and intrigue,” she replied, her voice filled with mock indignation. “I fear my delicate sensibilities may not be able to withstand such shocking revelations.”

Gerald grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he turned to face her. “Very well, Duchess,” he said, his voice dripping with exaggerated solemnity. “I shall spare you the details of my family’s checkered past. But only if you promise to regale me with tales of your own family’s exploits.”

Katherine rolled her eyes playfully, her lips twitching with suppressed laughter. “Oh, I assure you, Your Grace, my family is positively dull compared to yours,” she teased, though a hint of warmth crept into her voice. “But if you insist, I suppose I could recount a scandal or two to entertain you.”

“How dull one’s life must be if one doesn’t have a brother to ruin it?” Gerald joked, bending down in the midst of his speech.

“I have never been more grateful for my sisters. The four of them seem so tame in comparison to Lord Simon.” Katherine laughed, looking at Gerald’s back, unsure what he was doing.

“Simon is quite the decoration in my life. Not a very good decoration, but a decoration still,” he crumbled.

As he turned back toward her, she could see that he had picked a lily and was gently picking leaves off the stem. Without a word, he held out the flower to her, and she took it gratefully.

“My, they are of utmost beauty, Your Grace,” Katherine breathed as she twirled the flower between her fingers.

“I am glad you find it beautiful,” Gerald said.

For a moment, it seemed that he wanted to say more, but he closed his mouth and instead gave her a smile.

Katherine couldn’t help but reciprocate. Before she knew it, their smiles had turned into laughter.

“I believe that I have not shown you the lovely park nearby, just down the street,” Gerald said in a moment of realization. “I must show it to you, it is quite astounding.”

“Is it within walking distance?” Katherine asked, her limp already starting to slow her down.

“I promise you it’s but a mere distance from here.” Gerald smiled, childlike excitement evident on his face.

Katherine had seen him in various stages of emotions, but she had never seen him excited. She found it to be a heartwarming sight.

Before she knew it, she found herself gleefully following him toward the park. His mother and brother were probably awaiting their return, but she didn’t mind that at the moment. She could only excitedly follow her husband as they approached his beloved park.

“It’s really a shame that I didn’t come here more often,” Gerald said once they found a comfortable pathway that led through the park.

Katherine was in awe of the large willow trees and fresh ponds with glistening water. The scene was more magnificent than she had ever expected.

“I agree wholeheartedly, Your Grace. This place might just be heaven’s gates.”

She looked down at her hands when she noticed that she had carried the lily all the way with her, and smiled. She won’t be letting go of it now. She’ll place it in a vase and press the leaves once the flower starts to wilt.

“As a child, I used to love coming here,” Gerald added in a surprisingly somber tone. “I used to chase my friend Joshua around until my mother got all angry and arranged for a footman to fetch me. I was so hard-headed that often even the footman had to chase me in order to return me home.”

“You sound like you were quite the handful, Your Grace. You must have caused your mother’s hair to grey.” Katherine laughed, the image of a young Gerald flashing in her mind.

She had never been able to envision him as a child. To her, he seemed like the type of man who came out of his mother’s womb fully grown up.

“You have not the slightest idea.” He sighed as he looked around the park.

Katherine came to a halt next to him, surveying the place as if she, too, had plenty of memories there.

“Duchess!” a voice exclaimed, which made her turn to look for its source.

It was a woman’s voice, but as Katherine turned around, her eyes caught a glimpse of the one man she had least expected to see.

“Ah, Your Grace!” the voice called again.

Katherine then spotted none other than Charlotte Atkinson, the Viscountess Louton, walking up to her. Elias Atkinson, the man Katherine had noticed first, followed suit.

“Well, isn’t this just a lovely surprise.” Charlotte smiled, waving her fan as she observed Katherine and Gerald.

Katherine shifted uncomfortably. “I did not expect to see you, Lady Louton,” Katherine said softly, feeling as if she had suddenly swallowed her own tongue as well as any confidence she might have had.

“Pleasure to see you, Lord Louton,” Gerald uttered curtly, but Katherine could tell that he was increasingly confused.

The average onlooker might not notice this, but Katherine had learned how to read some of his hidden emotions.

“Good day, Your Grace,” Elias returned, looking up at Gerald, before averting his eyes once more.

“I just wanted to offer my congratulations on your marriage,” Charlotte continued, clapping her hands together. “How exciting, the two of you must still be in a blissful honeymoon phase.”

“Indeed,” Gerald confirmed when Katherine stayed silent. “We are having a splendid time.”

“How lovely,” Charlotte replied in a tone that Katherine thought was condescending. “My dear Elias often brings me to this very park. We have such fond memories here, and we enjoy reliving them whenever we can.”

Gerald nodded and plastered on a smile. The same smile he gave Katherine’s parents on the night of their first ball together.

“He’s such a sweet man, I couldn’t have gotten any luckier!” Charlotte gushed before letting out a cackle. “Oh, but I am sure you are well aware, Your Grace?”

Katherine knew the question was directed toward her, so she looked up at her briefly with an uncomfortable, forced chuckle. She felt her cheeks flush as she grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Gerald, however, looked slightly confused, but he continued to smile without asking what Charlotte was alluding to.

“Oh!” Charlotte gasped as she noticed the confusion on his face. “Had she not told you yet? My Elias was betrothed to Her Grace a couple of years ago. Well, briefly before he and I got married.”

“Oh, I see,” Gerald murmured.

His expression remained neutral, but he was not very pleased with the Viscountess’s attempts to create tension.

“They were betrothed for quite a while, one must say, but then we just had a different kind of spark—” Charlotte continued, clinging to her husband’s arm, but she was soon interrupted by Gerald’s strong voice.