Chapter Sixteen #2
“Don’t bother. I’m going to go on alone. This way you don’t have to rush.”
“I appreciate your gesture, but I simply can’t cancel.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
He sighed and repeated, “Won’t.”
“That’s rich,” she replied. “You know what? Accompany me if you want, or go do whatever it is you think is more important. I’ll be just fine without you.”
Without another word, Cathryn bolted from the room.
Her anger was growing, and she didn’t dare stay and continue the conversation for fear of making the situation worse.
She kept walking until she found herself at the door of her bedchamber.
Hesitating for a moment, but still angry and frustrated, she opened the door and walked in.
She locked the door behind her before crossing the sitting room to the door that adjoined their two suites. She locked that door as well.
Before she spoke to Charles again, they both needed to cool off.
They were both angry and wanted things their own way.
Normally, she would work things out with him, but she was playing for the prince and princess and there was no negotiating that.
He’d either accompany her, or he wouldn’t. It was his choice.
She walked around the room several times before continuing to the bed chamber itself.
Slipping out of her slippers, Cathryn shut the heavy drapes and climbed onto the bed.
As soon as she was comfortable, she felt her eyes grow heavy.
She thought of taking a hot bath to loosen up her tense shoulder muscles but decided against it.
She was too tired to get everything ready.
It felt good to lie down somewhere comfortable after spending the day once again bent over the keyboard.
After playing as much as she had been, it was near impossible to keep good posture.
That was the last thing she remembered. When she opened her eyes a crack, she realized she’d slept through the night. If she hurried, she could change and have breakfast. Should Charles be there, she would not bring up their heated conversation of the night before.
She needed to choose a gown to wear to the soiree. There wasn’t time to have one made; besides, she had three gowns she’d not worn before. She’d had them commissioned when they’d been in town. After she had breakfast, she’d look over the gowns and make her decision.
Entering the dining room, she quickly noted there was no sign of Charles. His place was untouched, newspapers to his left where they always were kept. Perhaps he’d gone for a ride. His horse needed the exercise, and it was a good way for him to get to know the estate.
She sat down and waited for a footman to bring her a plate with eggs and bacon. A second plate with a good chunk of toasted bread was all she needed. Pouring a cup of tea, she waited for it to cool and instead spread blackberry jam over the toast.
Halfway through her meal and with no sign of Charles, she decided she would go in search of Frazier and see if he knew where he was. The valet had much more understanding of Charles’s routines.
She heard a faint knock on the door and looked up and saw Mrs. Thompson and the cook enter.
“Cook has the menus for the next few weeks. I thought you’d like to go over them, make changes or additions.”
“Yes, by all means. Now’s a perfect time.”
She motioned for the two women to sit. They hesitated for a minute but did sit down across from her.
“Perhaps you’d like to tell me some of your favorites,” Cook said. She was a woman in her fifties, her gray hair pulled back. From what Cathryn understood, Cook had never worked for anyone else and apprenticed her skills right here in this house.
“My husband is the odd bird. He will try most anything and if he doesn’t like it, then it will never grace our table again.
As far as meat, the only one he will not eat is lamb or mutton.
No game except for the occasional venison.
There isn’t a piece of fruit he doesn’t like, and the same can be said of vegetables. ”
“What about fish or crustaceans?” Cook inquired.
“He eats both, but both must be extremely fresh.”
She noted desserts hadn’t been mentioned, which she decided she should address. “He likes most any sweet but is perfectly content with fruit and cheese as a dessert.”
“He’s not all that difficult. I’ve had worse,” Cook said. “As far as guests, just let me know in advance so we can make adjustments or changes.”
“No problem. I expect some time soon, my husband’s brother, the duke and his wife, will come for a visit as will his sister.”
“Just let us know,” Mrs. Thompson said. Turning to Cook, Cathryn noticed the housekeeper make a gesture to the older woman. “We’ve taken enough of your time, milady.”
Cathryn looked at Cook. “Let’s just go through the menus and we’ll see what works. I think that’ll work best.”
Cook nodded before both women left the room. This was something she was going to have to get used to, and it was going to take her a while to learn.
Finished with her breakfast, she left the dining room in search of Frazier, who wasn’t hard to find. He was in Charles’s dressing room putting things in their proper place.
“I haven’t found him. Any suggestions?”
“None. He must have left in the middle of the night. From what I can tell, he took a change of clothes, which is not unusual for him. He’s meticulous in that way.
I’m sure he took some things from the kitchen.
Outside of that, I haven’t a clue. He was upset and when he gets that way, he goes and spends a day or two by himself. ”
“He never mentioned he did such,” she said.
“He does it less and less, but it is good for him to do. Never goes too far, so I figure he’s somewhere here on the estate.”
“But he doesn’t know the lay of the land.”
Frazier smiled. “He’s smart like that. Just give him a day or two. He’ll be back just like new.”
“Very well. You know him best.”
“For now.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a concert to prepare for,” she said.
Frazier nodded. She left the room and found her way back to the music room. Charles certainly had impeccable timing for doing something a young boy might do. Still, she understood why, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
Sitting down at the elegant glossy black piano, Cathryn took a deep breath and began to play as though she were in front of the Prince of Wales and his wife. Putting everything she had into each piece, she didn’t stop until all six pieces were played.
Then, sitting quietly with hands in her lap, she critiqued her work.
How well had she played? What needed to be worked on and improved?
Overall, she knew she’d done an excellent job.
Three of the pieces, two picked out by the royal couple, were complex and harder than the others, but that’s where she thrived.
Reminding herself she was her biggest critic, Cathryn readied herself to play it all again. When she finished, she would walk away for the day, no matter how she did.
Then there was the matter of Charles and where he’d disappeared to.
While he was known to disappear when he had something on his mind or just needed to get away from people, Cathryn worried.
He didn’t know the estate yet as well as he knew the one on Wight, and she was afraid of where he might be.
Except for the forests, the large pieces of natural land left untouched, Cathryn didn’t know where he could be.
She worried he might encounter a wild animal and couldn’t defend himself.
As far as she knew, he hadn’t taken a gun with him for protection.
She would have a horse saddled and take a groom with her and go in search of her husband. If they couldn’t find him, she would pray he was fine and simply needed time to himself.
Thinking back to the words they had exchanged made her tense. How could he not understand how important the evening meant to her? She was sure his colleagues would understand. After all, it wasn’t every day a gentleman’s wife was invited to play for royalty.
First, she had to find him in order to try and make him understand. She needed to be less demanding and more herself.
She went to her dressing room and changed into something appropriate for riding.
As she was on her way upstairs, she asked a young boy in the kitchen to go on ahead to the stables and have her horse readied, along with a groom the stablemaster could spare to go with her.
The young boy jumped up and went through the open door and down the path.
If it was any consolation, Charles knew how to survive.
Survive. It was as though he was off in some exotic foreign land when he was on his own estate.
Frazier wasn’t too concerned, even with Charles being in new surroundings.
If he wasn’t concerned, maybe she was overreacting.
Still, the idea that he spent the night outside rather than in the comfort of his own home was nerve-wracking to her.
She would look for as long as she could, alone. Not comfortable in anyone besides Charles’s valet knowing, she didn’t want the rest of the household discerning the real reason she would be riding today.