“Mum, Kat, I’m going to go downstairs to the office and take care of the bill. Stay here, Tricia. I won’t be long.”
“But, Cam…” Kat said.
“I’ll be back in an instant, Kitty-Kat.”
“But when will you bring Lady Rose?”
“Hush, Kat,” Mrs. Price said. “Lady Rose is a busy lady of the peerage. She doesn’t have time to visit you.”
“She will if Cameron asks her to.”
“I’ll be back.” Cam walked out the door before he could hear any more of this dreaded conversation. He went down to the first floor and asked for guidance to the bookkeeping office. He entered and found a young man sitting behind a mahogany desk stacked with papers. Cameron cleared his throat.
“Yes?” the man said.
“I’m here to take care of a bill.”
“Of course. What is the name?”
“Katrina Price.”
“All right, give me a minute.” The young man regarded Cameron. “Are you the child’s father?”
“No, our father is deceased. I’m her brother.”
“Oh.” He shuffled several papers. “Yes, here it is. Your bill currently comes to fifty-six pounds.”
“I’m sorry, you must be mistaken,” Cameron said. “I just spoke to my mother, and she said the bill was over one hundred and fifty pounds.”
“You did say Katrina Price?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the name on this bill. Fifty-six pounds.”
“What does that include?”
“Room and board for Katrina and your mother, Dr. Blake’s fees, fees for several specialists, nursing fees, medication, laundry, etcetera. It’s all written out here if you’d like to have a look.”
“Yes, please.” Cameron took the paper. “Wait a minute.” He handed the bill back to the man. “This shows a credit of one hundred pounds. Why is that?”
The young man adjusted his spectacles. “It appears that you made a payment two days ago of one hundred pounds. Pretty straightforward.”
“But I haven’t made any payments.”
“Perhaps your mother—”
“I only gave her thirty pounds.” What was going on? “Perhaps there’s been some mistake. Is it possible that you credited the wrong account?”
“Of course not. I never make mistakes like that.”
“There’s always a first time, sir.”
“I’ll look into it, but I doubt it.” The young man snorted. “In the meantime, I can only take the fifty-six pounds from you.”
“Of course.” Cameron counted out notes and paid the man. “Here you are.”
“Thank you. I’ll contact you if I find an error.”
“I would appreciate it. Good day, sir.”
“Good day, Mr. Price.”
Cameron headed back up to Kat’s room. She was still her gay self, laughing and chatting.
“You’re back, Cam!”
“You didn’t think I was going anywhere, did you?”
“How long can you stay?”
“Tricia and I need to head back soon. It’s a long trip on horseback, and I want to get home before sundown.”
“Can you come again tomorrow?”
“Kat,” Mrs. Price said, “it’s too hard of a trip for them to come again. We’ll be home in a few days.”
“But I thought you’d bring Lady Rose the next time.”
“Dear Lord.” Mrs. Price crossed herself.
“Mum,” Cameron said, thankful to be able to change the subject, “the bookkeeper said someone made a payment of one hundred pounds on our bill a few days ago. Do you know what that is about?”
“No. There must be some mistake.”
“Yes, I figured as much. The bookkeeper is looking into it.” He counted out notes from his billfold. “Here is one hundred pounds. Keep it. They’ll no doubt come back with the error sometime tomorrow, and I don’t want them to have to wait for their money. In fact”—he counted out more bills—“here’s another thirty. That should cover the next few days plus your transport home. If you could take care of it before you leave, that will save us having to send the payment.”
“But does that leave you and Tricia with any money?”
“Yes, I have a few pounds left, and I’ve already paid Arnold through the end of next month. We’ll be fine. Besides, I finished another commission and I’ll be getting paid the balance soon.”
“All right, if you say so, Cam.”
“Tell me, will Dr. Blake be by yet today?”
“He was here just before you and Tricia came. He probably won’t be back until this evening.”
“I would have liked to talk to him.” Cameron stood. “Well, I guess you’ve told us everything he said, haven’t you?”
“Yes, Cam.”
“All right then.” He leaned down and kissed Kat on the forehead. “I’m so glad you’re well, Kitty-Kat. Trish and I will both sleep better tonight.”
“Yes, that’s for sure,” Tricia added, squeezing the little girl’s hand.
“We’ll see you in a few days then,” Mrs. Price said. “Thank you for coming. It meant a lot to both of us.”
“To us as well,” Cameron said. “Come on, Tricia.”
* * * *
Cameron and Tricia arrived home at sundown and supped on tea and sandwiches. Tricia retired to her chamber to read, while Cameron stayed up far into the night, finalizing his composition and neatly transferring it to parchment. He knew Xavier was at Laurel Ridge visiting Rose for the weekend, so he sent a message to him early the next morning that the commission was complete.
Cameron sighed. It was official. He had sold Rose, his soul mate and only love, for two hundred pounds.
He cursed himself before falling into bed Sunday morning.
Chapter Eight
Rose didn’t get a chance to speak with Evan alone regarding his father’s impending marriage. They never went riding with his father over the weekend, nor did she play the piano for him. Evan was out of sorts for the remainder of his visit. Although Rose tried to engage him several times, he would not speak to her about what was bothering him.
“He’s a sensible lad,” Lord Brighton had said to her again. “We’ll be back next weekend, and I’m sure he’ll be ready to talk about it then.”
When the two men left Laurel Ridge on Sunday afternoon, driving away in the Brighton carriage, Rose’s heart ached a bit for Evan. She did care deeply for him, even if she could never love him, and she hated to see him suffering. He had come to her in the conservatory and kissed her goodbye before he left, squeezing her and telling her he would see her soon. She had stroked his cheek and told him that she was here for him if he needed her.
The next day, Lucy and Maggie readied to visit the Lybrook tenants and see to their needs. The servants packed up food and other staples and loaded it into several wagons. Aunt Iris decided to go along, since she would soon be responsible for the Brighton tenants. She had never had any responsibility to the Longarry tenants, what few of them there were, because the Longarrys had barely had enough to see to their own needs, let alone others’. Sophie and Ally decided to ride along as well, and although Rose would have relished a day alone on the estate, her cousins begged her to come. She dreaded running into Cameron, but she was interested in hearing any news on Kat. She hadn’t heard from Dr. Blake in a few days, and she still worried about the little girl.
Rose admired the way Maggie and Lucy handled the tenants. They were both kind and humble, with an affectionate way of giving that made it seem that the tenants were doing them a favor by taking their extra goods. Rose smiled. Soon Lily would be making these rounds as the Duchess of Lybrook. Most of the tenants were kind and decent folk, clean and well fed. The Lybrooks clearly took care of their own. Responsibilities like this were not in Rose’s future. Evan, as a second son, wouldn’t have an estate of his own. The responsibilities for the Brighton tenants would fall to his brother’s wife after Uncle David passed on.
When they arrived at the Price cottage, Tricia was sweeping the front veranda. She smiled as her gaze met Rose’s. “Lady Rose, it’s so nice to see you!”
“Good afternoon, Tricia,” Rose said, running to the younger girl as the rest of the women descended from the carriage. “I’ve been so concerned about Kat. The last I heard there was no change. Tell me, is there any news?”
Tricia laughed. “It’s wonderful, my lady. Cam and I went to see her two days ago, and her fever had broken!”
Rose breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been fraught with worry. I do love that little girl.”
“I know. Would you please come in and have a cup of tea? I know Cam would like to see you.”
No, he wouldn’t.
Rose breathed deeply and forced a smile. “I’m afraid we don’t have time to stay, but I want to introduce you to my aunt and cousins.”
Rose made the necessary introductions and Tricia curtsied politely. Maggie asked about Kat, and Tricia filled them all in.
“That’s wonderful news,” Lucy said. “We’ve all been concerned about the poor little thing.”
“When will she be coming home?” Rose asked.
“Tomorrow or the next day, most likely,” Tricia said. “The doctor wanted to keep her a few days for observation since they never figured out exactly what caused her illness. They want to make sure she doesn’t have a relapse.”
“That’s good thinking,” Maggie said. “Tell me, my dear, is there anything our family can do for you? I know hospitalization is very expensive.”
“Thank you, but Cam was able to take care of it. He got a commission for another song, you know.”
“Really?” Rose tried to hide her unbounded elation. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yes, and he was quite pleased with the results. He said it was his best work ever.”
“Who commissioned it?”
“I’m not sure. All he said was that it was a peer.”
“That’s fine, just fine,” Rose said. “I’m happy for him.” And she meant it.
“Please won’t you all come in for some tea?” Tricia asked again.
“Could we, Aunt Maggie?” Ally asked. “I’m absolutely parched.
“I suppose there’s time,” Maggie said. Then, to Tricia, “Is your brother at home?”
“He’s around here somewhere.”
“You all go ahead in,” Rose said. “I need to get a package out of the carriage that I brought for Tricia.”
She quickly hurried back to the carriage to fetch the box of novels she had brought for the younger girl, and she hastily dug out a ten pound note from her reticule and placed it in one of the books. As she descended the carriage, she stood for a moment. The small cottage beckoned her. This was a home. Cameron’s home. A tear fell gently down her cheek. She would have lived here happily—without servants, without seven course meals, without modern plumbing—if only she could have been with Cameron. If only he had really loved her.
* * * *
Cameron watched his beloved from the stables. Her blond hair was braided and twisted on top of her head in a severe style, so unlike the styles she normally wore. But today they were visiting tenants—a laborious day for a lady of the peerage. Her tan morning gown hugged her lush body, and she carried a box of what appeared to be books. Slowly he stepped out of the stable, unable to take his eyes off of her.
Start walking, Rose
, he said silently to himself. But still she stood, taking in the scenery. He should go back into the stables to avoid being seen. But he couldn’t make his feet move.
Rose turned, and her mouth dropped open. She set down her box of books and walked toward him slowly. He resisted the urge to flee. His heart thundered.
“Mr. Price,” she said, when she was about six feet away from him.
“My lady.”
“I…I’m so glad to hear about Kat. Tricia told me that she’s going to be all right. I’ve been so worried about her.”
“Yes, she’s going to be fine.”
Rose sighed. “Well, I’ll leave you to your…whatever it is you’re doing.” She turned.
“She asked for you,” Cameron said, and then cursed himself silently. He was doing a lot of that lately. He had made the comment only so Rose would stay just a moment longer.
Rose turned back toward him. “Did she?”
“Yes, she wanted you to visit her.”
“Why didn’t you summon me?”
“I didn’t think you would have the time to—”
“How could you even begin to think I would refuse her?” Rose shook her head, fire burning in her blue eyes. “I love that child.”
“It wasn’t appropriate for her to ask you to visit.”
“I can’t believe this. You actually thought I wouldn’t come.” Rose tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I would have done anything she wanted. I still will. I would never abandon her just because her big brother tossed me out like a…a…scrap of refuse!” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Rose…” Cameron’s heart lodged in his throat.
“I love that little girl. Unlike some people, I don’t profess my love only to refute it the next moment. I love her, and I will always love her. Just like I’ll always—” She kicked the dirt under her feet. “I shall return in three days, Mr. Price, when Kat is back home. If you don’t wish to see me, I suggest you make yourself scarce.” She turned and began walking back to the house, and then abruptly looked over her shoulder. “Tricia has invited us to tea, so you’d best stay in the stables a bit longer.” She flounced toward the house, picked up her box of books, and went inside.
Seeing her was exquisite torture. He wanted to be near her, even if he couldn’t touch her. He walked out of the stables and ran toward the cold stream behind the hired man’s cabin. He jumped into the cool water.
* * * *
Rose entered the cottage and found the others in the sitting room sipping their tea. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” she said. “I brought these books for you, Tricia. I noticed how you devoured my Dickens novel when I was here last.”
Tricia took the box. “Oh, what treasures! Thank you, my lady!”
“You are quite welcome, dear. Some of these are duplicates from my own library. I do wish you would keep them. Then there are a few others I thought you might enjoy that you can return at your leisure.”
“How lovely!”
“Come,” Rose said. “Let’s take them to your chamber and I’ll show you the ones you can keep. Will the rest of you excuse us for a few moments?”
“Of course, my dear,” Maggie said.
Rose followed Tricia to her chamber, pulled out the five books for Tricia to keep, and opened one, showing her the ten pound note. “Don’t tell your brother,” Rose said, “but I want you to take this for Kat.”
“Oh, I couldn’t, my lady.”
“Rubbish. I want to help. He won’t let me, so I’m trusting that you will. It’s not much, but please, promise you’ll come to me if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“Why are you doing this?” Tricia asked.
“Because I love Kat,” Rose said.
“And…is Kat all you love?”
“Well, of course I care for you too, Tricia.”
Tricia smiled. “I didn’t mean me, my lady.”
Rose warmed. “I’m afraid I’m a bit confused.”
“You love Cam, don’t you?”
Was she truly so transparent? “Tricia, where did you get that idea?”
“Because the two of you… I’m not a child, my lady. I recognize two people in love when I see them.”
“Your brother is not in love with me.” The words cut at her insides.
“Of course he is. Any fool could see it.”
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken.”
“I don’t think so. He lights up whenever you’re around.”
“I’m around now. Where is he?”
“Well…I don’t know. Perhaps he went on an errand.”
“Without telling you?”
“He could have.”
“I highly doubt that, Tricia.”
“Oh, my lady, please tell me. Do you love Cam?”
“My feelings for Mr. Price are irrelevant. We are from two different worlds.”
“Please. He’s been so unhappy. Tell him that you love him.”
“Oh, Tricia,” Rose took the younger girl’s hand. “If you were older, we might have been best friends.” She sighed. “I’m going to tell you something in confidence. You mustn’t tell Cameron that I told you. Do you promise?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I do love him, and he knows, Tricia. But he doesn’t want me. He sent me away.”
Tricia’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe that, my lady.”
“It’s the truth. I…would have done anything to be with him.”
Tricia shook her head. “What a nincompoop.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Not you, my lady. I love my brother dearly, but if he isn’t the stupidest man in the world!”
Rose couldn’t help chuckling. “He can’t help it if he doesn’t love me.”
“Oh, but he does. That is what’s stupid about the whole thing. I’ll have to do something about this.”
“Tricia, you gave me your word,” Rose said.
“Of course, I would never break your confidence, my lady. I’ll think of something. Will you come back to see us soon?”
“Yes, I’m coming back in three days to see Kat.”
“Perfect,” Tricia said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Just perfect.”
She looked so happy. Rose didn’t have the heart to tell her not to bother. Tricia would know the truth soon enough.
Cameron didn’t love Rose, and he never had.