Chapter Eleven
Three days later, at the urging of Arthur, Charles and Cathryn found themselves on a train headed south.
The time in between the letter being sent and Arthur’s reply allowed them precious time alone.
They got to know each other in ways some couples never did.
Riding the estate, finding private places to make love were just a portion of what they engaged in.
The mine was utterly fascinating even though they couldn’t get too close since it was dangerous, and Charles deemed it not a place Cathryn should go.
Frazier took care of all the details of the journey. From the tickets to baggage handling, and when they arrived in London, they were met by the duke’s coach. Not wanting to stay in London, the pair chose to push on to Kent.
It was dark when they arrived and were met by the butler. Arthur and Daphne were finishing up their dinner and met them in the drawing room.
“Have you eaten?” Daphne asked them.
“No, last time we ate was on the train. My valet had seen to having a hamper prepared for our journey.”
“I’ll have Cook send something up to your rooms when you’re ready,” she replied.
“So Cathryn’s parents never caught up with you?” Arthur asked with an amused smile on his face. “They certainly let us know what they thought when they arrived home.”
“No, we never saw them,” Cathryn said.
“To clarify something—you two can stay in that wing as long as you want. This is a family home, and family is always welcome.”
“We appreciate that,” Charles said.
“Yes, we do. We just didn’t want to be in the way,” Cathryn echoed.
“Neither of you would be a burden. It might help Charles continue to transition to normal living,” Arthur said.
“You’re too kind, Arthur,” Charles replied.
“If you decide this isn’t for you, I do know of an estate for sale in Gloucestershire. The house is magnificent. It was built in the last century and is Georgian in design. The gardens are something to behold but since the current owner died, they need some work.”
Charles and Cathryn locked eyes for a moment. “We would be remiss to not at least go look at it. If the owner died, who is looking after it?” Cathryn asked.
“The estate sits in trust until a new owner is found,” Arthur replied.
“We’d like to see it if you can arrange it. It doesn’t have to be right away. Just check with the trustee for us.”
“I will do that in the morning,” Arthur said. “How did you like York? I haven’t been there in over a year. I need to make a trip and go over things with the estate manager.”
“Your man does a good job keeping it up, but I must admit the house needs some redecorating and renovation,” Charles said.
“I need to make a visit. If it wasn’t entailed, I might think of splitting the land up, selling the house and keeping the mine.”
“But you can’t do that, can you?” Charles asked.
“No, I can’t.”
“If I may change the subject, but were my parents rude when they came here?” Cathryn asked.
“Under the circumstances, I think they were fairly well behaved. By the time they arrived, they realized there was nothing they could do and if they did try something, it would play out badly for them,” Daphne said with a faint smile.
“Good.”
“By the way, Charles, I almost forgot. A letter came yesterday for you from Oxford,” Arthur said.
“Oxford? I wonder what they might want?” Charles mused.
“Let me go get it and you can find out.” Arthur left the room to retrieve the letter.
Charles began to pace the room. Getting a letter from the prestigious university was nothing new. Since his first book was published, he’d been invited to speak at various universities. He’d accepted one or two, but Oxford, that was indeed the most famous.
He heard the two women talking amongst themselves as he walked. It sounded like buzzing to him, nothing more. His mind was elsewhere. He kept turning his head and glancing at the door. Arthur should surely be on his way back.
A moment later, his twin came through the door, waving an envelope above his head. “Here it is.”
Charles accepted it and took a deep breath before proceeding. Taking the correspondence from its envelope, he began reading. “It seems they want me to come talk to them about perhaps doing lectures on a more regular basis.”
“What have you lectured on in the past?” Cathryn asked.
“Overcoming a mental ailment to become an author, among other things.”
Arthur arched an eyebrow. “Do they say what they want you to speak about this time?”
“They don’t say. Only that they wish to discuss the matter of my lecturing more.”
“You’re going to accept, aren’t you?” Cathryn asked.
“Yes, of course. I need to reply and accept their invitation for Friday.”
His wife smiled gently. “I’d love to go, but we know what they think of women on campus, let alone a meeting.”
“I’ll only be gone that day,” he replied.
“And you’re going to impress them,” Cathryn said.
“We’ll see.”
“Is there anything you need?” Arthur asked. “If you do, just tell Daphne or me and we’ll get it done.”
“I took the liberty of having your suite aired out and having it thoroughly cleaned,” Daphne said.
“Could the piano be tuned?” Cathryn asked. “I’m afraid sitting there all this time, it’s quite out of tune.”
“Of course. I’ll have it taken care of when the man comes next week,” Daphne replied.
“If you’ll excuse us, I need to go write a reply to this invitation.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t like idly talking, but there were things he needed to tend to, and he was sure his bride needed a break.
Their wing had certainly been through a good cleaning. They headed for the drawing room where Charles took off his coat and placed it over the back of a chair. He walked directly to the desk sitting at a window overlooking the gardens and beyond, placing the letter from Oxford on the mahogany desk.
He turned to Cathryn who was watching him. “If you want to get started on your reply, I’ll go see if dinner awaits us,” she said.
“Please. I’m famished.”
Watching her leave, he sat down and studied the letter before beginning his reply. He no sooner began writing when Cathryn returned.
“Why don’t we go eat before you get started on that? It’ll be cold if we wait.”
“It’ll only take a moment to write my reply. Why don’t you go on ahead and begin? I promise I’ll be right behind you.”
He could tell she wasn’t really happy as she flounced out of the room. Still, he knew himself well enough that if he procrastinated, he might put writing his response off until early morning. It wouldn’t take but five minutes to write his reply.
As he placed the paper in the addressed envelope, Charles was intrigued with the university’s request and hoped he would do a good job with whatever they wanted. He rose and placed the letter to his left. After dinner, he would call Frazier and ask him to make sure it got out.
Cathryn was sitting next to the end of the table when he walked in. He tried to muster a smile for he could see she was still unhappy with him.
“See, the reply took no time.”
“So I see. I hope you like asparagus soup. It’s really quite good,” she said.
“I don’t believe I’ve had it before.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, it’s true. My meals were never anything too fancy.”
“Oh, Charles, we need to sit down and see what you have never had and have Cook prepare them for dinner. Just one or two items at a time. That’s enough, but it would be better to try them now than at a dinner party,” she said.
“I would have never thought of that.”
“It’s important, especially in London. You wouldn’t want to offend a hostess, now would you?”
He snorted as he picked up his spoon. “No, I would never want to do that.”
Taking a sip, he nodded and proceeded to take a couple more spoonfuls. It was rather good and before he knew it, he’d finished the bowl. He looked over at his bride, who sat there with a wide grin on her face. She couldn’t stay mad at him long.
“I take it you enjoyed it?”
“Yes, yes, I did. What’s next?”
“A pork roast, I’m told. You have had it, haven’t you, because I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ve had it numerous times. It’s especially good with apple and cinnamon cooked in it.”
“Then you’re going to like this,” she replied with a grin.
Moments later, footmen with the main course appeared, carrying plates for each of them.
A plate was set down in front of each of them.
The pork was recognizable and had a sauce over the top.
Charles was intrigued and dug in and got a taste.
It was moist and the sauce had notes of apple and cinnamon.
There was another ingredient, he could tell by the taste, but couldn’t place the flavor.
“This has an interesting taste to it. Cinnamon and apple for sure, but there is a third flavor I can’t place my finger on. Ginger? A very light amount of ginger,” Charles said.
“Yes! Were you told that, or did you guess it on your own?”
He snorted and took another small bite. “It was an easy guess because ginger has a very strong taste and smell. No matter how little you use,” Charles replied.
“You would be correct,” she said.
Their dinner turned out to be a most enjoyable evening. A couple of the things talked about were not appropriate for the dinner table because they were so personal. Charles was thankful that his bride would speak of them with him.
“I’m tired from our journey. Why don’t we go sit in front of the fire in my private sitting room and enjoy a brandy?”
“That sounds very nice indeed,” she replied.
Walking hand in hand, they made their way to the personal chamber. Entering his room, he watched as Cathryn made her way to the couch and sat down. He smiled as she took her shoes off.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Let me pour us a brandy.”
As he unstopped the crystal decanter, he slowly began to pour the deep amber liquid. He handed her one and sat next to her. They both savored their brandy in silence. It had been a long day, and he was grateful it had been pleasant.