Chapter 15 #2
Lady Iris hummed, but Kitty was not certain she believed the excuse.
Her fears of the worst happening were renewed when Lady Iris went on to say, “I suppose it is a summer of strangeness. We have all been kept in London far later than is usual because of the coronation, and we have been surrounded by great mysteries while we have been here. Do you know that they still have not found so much as a scrap of cloth belonging to Lord Castleton?”
Kitty’s heart dropped like a rock into her stomach. Lady Iris was not asking because she knew, was she?
But Lady Hayes scolded her with, “Iris, I have spoken to you about your unhealthy obsession with Lord Castleton’s disappearance. It is not a topic that young women should know anything about.”
“But you must admit, Mama, it is the most intriguing mystery of the summer,” Lady Iris protested.
She turned to Kitty with a conspiratorial look, lowered her voice, and said, “My wager is that the Duke of Bedminster had a hand in his son’s disappearance.
We live quite close to them, you see, and it has been clear to all who have observed them that that family had no love lost for poor Lord Castleton. ”
“I—” Kitty blinked rapidly, no idea what to say to Lady Iris’s cheeky comment. She would not have made it if she believed Kitty to be Lord Castleton in disguise. All the same, hearing that she’d been the subject of such gossip was alarming to Kitty.
“Iris,” Lady Hayes hissed. “You are upsetting Miss Dryden.”
Lady Iris had the good sense to look sorry. “I do apologize, Miss Dryden.” She smiled and went on with, “Perhaps in the autumn, when we have all returned to London, I should pay a visit, particularly if there have been advancements in Lord Castleton’s case before then.”
“I…I do not know,” Kitty said. On the one hand, she would not have minded having more friends, particularly if that meant she could integrate into London life more fully as a woman.
But on the other, the more acquaintances she had, the more likely she would be discovered by one of them, especially if they’d known her before .
She stood a bit taller and looked around for Dev. It concerned her that her betrothed was no longer within her sight.
“If you will excuse me,” she said, glancing apologetically to Lady Everly and Lady Russell.
“Not at all,” Lady Russell said with a smile, perhaps understanding why Kitty wanted to get away.
As Kitty turned to go off in search of Dev in the churchyard, she heard Lady Hayes say, “She really is a sweet thing, but so timid. I always imagined that a man like Lord Deveraux would end up with a headstrong girl.”
Kitty pressed a hand to her stomach as she walked on. It was wild and almost laughable that so many of her former neighbors had not recognized her and that they accepted her as Kitty without thought.
Then again, as Dev was constantly telling her, she was Kitty. Everything that Kitty embodied was the essence of who Kit had felt he was all along. She could see the difference in herself when she looked in the mirror. It had nothing to do with her features or physical attributes.
She rounded the side of the church, craning her neck as she searched for Dev, feeling as if she might actually be able to transition to her new life without incident after all.
Something about the sun in the sky and the kindness she had already been shown that morning gave her hope. All she needed was to find Dev, and?—
Her hope and ease vanished in a heartbeat as she came face to face with her brother George on the far side of the church.
George was walking toward her at a quick pace, head down in thought, but he looked up suddenly when his and Kitty’s paths nearly rammed them into each other.
“I beg your pardon, miss,” George said, as if Kitty were the one at fault for whatever near collision they had had .
“My lord,” Kitty said, keeping her face down as much as possible and praying that her bonnet hid all.
George grumbled and nearly stepped on, but at the last minute he rocked back and narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Kitty. He even crouched down slightly so that he could get a better look at Kitty’s face.
“You’re that clumsy country lass who caused me so much trouble at Bradshaw’s ball the other night,” he said without any kindness.
“I am very sorry,” Kitty said, bristling with the urgent need to get away.
“Salisbury wouldn’t shut up about you,” George said, shifting to block Kitty from leaving. “He fancies you, though he says that Lord Deveraux Ogilvy has already claimed you. Is that true?”
The question confused Kitty, since the banns had just been read not an hour before.
She snapped her head up to stare at George in puzzlement.
But then, she did not remember seeing her brother in the church.
George was probably crossing through the churchyard on his way home from some other, probably wicked event.
Glancing up proved to be the very worst thing Kitty could have done. At first, George wore a salacious smile, as though he planned to importune Kitty or tease her, as he was wont to do with unfortunate young women he believed were beneath him. But all too soon, recognition dawned in George’s eyes.
“No,” he said, his eyes going wider. He raked Kitty with a brash look. “No, it cannot be.”
“Good day, sir,” Kitty said, fighting to keep her voice as light as possible and not to swoon from pure fear.
She tried to leave, but George stepped into her path again. “I cannot believe my own eyes,” he said, his tone turning harsh and a devilish light sparking in his eyes. “You’re not dead after all.”
“I do not know what you are talking about,” Kitty said, her mouth and throat going dry. She looked down and away, doing everything she could to avoid her brother.
“Yes, you do,” George growled. He shot out a hand and grabbed Kitty’s jaw near to where it met her throat, nearly choking her. When he forced Kitty’s head up so he could get a better look, he laughed and said, “You little pervert. I always knew you were hopelessly bent.”
“Leave me alone, George,” Kitty said, shaking so badly she feared her legs would not support her. “I want nothing to do with you.”
George ignored her.
“Swanning about in a dress,” he said with a sneer. “Pretending to the world that you’re some ignorant country lass come to London to find a husband?”
“Please,” Kitty said, on the verge of tears. “Just leave me alone. You can have everything, the money, the title, everything. I just want to be left in peace.”
“To live a life that turns the natural order on its head?” George demanded, shaking Kitty.
Kitty let out a terrified moan and tried to get away, but George clamped down harder on her throat until her head started to swim.
“Wait until I tell Father,” George laughed. “He won’t bother to hire men to get rid of you, he’ll do it himself this time.”
Kitty’s eyes bulged. She’d known the truth in her heart all along, but hearing from George that her father had indeed attempted to have her killed was defeating.
“I’ll get the title and the money anyhow,” George said with a smile. “And I’ll get to see you hang on top of it. ”
Kitty moaned again. She had come so close to having the sort of life she desired. She had come so close to love.
George squeezed her neck harder, but before he could say anything else cruel to crush Kitty’s spirit, Dev’s shout of “Unhand her at once!” sounded from the corner of the church.
Thank God! Her savior had arrived!