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  There was nothing Katie could do, as he was in command of the situation, so she reluctantly put out her hand. It felt small and helpless in his large warm one and when he felt how cold her hand was he immediately reached out with his other hand, to cover it in a warm grasp. It was true, he had been mocking her, as he had a tendency to carry games to their limit, but now he realized that she was a woman, who had ridden through a storm and fallen from her horse, and was about to become his house guest. Feeling the chill in her hand seemed to bring him out of his amusement at her plight.

  "You are so cold!" To her astonishment, he began rubbing her small hand between his two large ones. "I should have insisted you cover yourself with the carriage blanket! It was thoughtless of me not to realize that you were soaked through to the skin!" He swiftly realized how lacking in manners he had been, and chided himself for forgetting that being a gentleman came before all else! His sudden concern caught Katie by surprise, as he backed out of the carriage door pulling her towards him.

  "Hurry into the house where you can be warmed by the fire," he encouraged, feeling completely ashamed of his demeaning actions.

  Katie felt confused by this irritating man who was first cruel, then taunting, and now suddenly kind. Feeling almost exasperated at his unexpected new attitude, she hesitantly stepped down. The very fickleness of the man irritated her! Unexpectedly, Katie’s ankle gave way and to her great dismay, in a twist of wet muddy skirts and damp rumpled cape, she fell into Lord Alden Emerson's arms.

  “Are you all right, Miss Dow?” His outstretched arms steadied her. “You seem to have hurt your foot somehow!”

  His face was uncomfortably close to hers, and her previously contemptuous eyes met his in turbulent confusion, not knowing how to respond, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention.

  "You must have injured yourself when you fell from your horse," he surmised, quickly lifting Katie into his arms for the second humiliating time that evening. He marveled at how pleasant it felt to have this mysterious young lady in his arms.

  She did not waste her energy trying to struggle out of his restraining embrace. She felt much too exhausted, and knew from her earlier experience, that he would not release her regardless of her protest. Besides, she felt unexplainably safe and protected in his strong reassuring grasp. The very feeling puzzled Katie all the more and she tried to ignore the unexpected warm glow that she was experiencing as his muscular arms held her close to his own sturdy body.

  "I hope, Lord Emerson," she tried to sound calm, as he carried her through the large entryway, "that you will give me a chance to improve up on my appearance, before you insist that we proceed with my business!"

  At his droll smile, she was confused by the sudden overwhelming effect that his once taunting smile was now having on her.

  "By all means, Miss Dow. I will give you all the time you need, and I do assure you that I quite look forward to doing business with you!"

  CHAPTER TWO

  Katie sat in a large, high-ceiling bedroom where Lord Emerson had carried her. She was so taken by the grandeur of the elegant surroundings that she could only stare in awe while her new found host knelt impatiently before her, struggling with the wet knots of her boot laces.

  Paying little heed to Lord Emerson’s exertions, she marveled at the carved ceiling, the delicately shaped Victorian chairs, the soft cream of a hand woven floor carpet, the elaborate tapestries on the wall, and the exquisite canopy bed on which she now was sitting. The fleetingly worry that her wet muddy clothes might soil the lovely lace bedspread, was discarded by the thought that, the great and wealthy Lord Emerson probably owned many a chest full of elaborate bedding.

  "Miss Dow!" Lord Emerson’s impatient voice brought Katie out of her daze. Her unlaced boot lay discarded on the floor, while her slightly swollen foot rested in his aggravatingly capable hands. "Could you be so helpful, as to remove your stocking so I can see the extent of your injury?" Already, he could see that her ankle was swelling, and this worried him.

  His air of smugness grated on her. Katie shot him a look of astonishment. "Surely you do not expect me to disrobe in front of you!" she exclaimed.

  He looked momentarily abashed at her words then, clearing his throat, said curtly, "Of course not.” He rose slowly to his feet, holding Katie’s eyes with his all the while, as he noticed through the mud and the grime on her face, that there was a subtle beauty there. “I hope you will excuse my rudeness if I turn my back to you,” he drawled, sardonically.

  Katie self-consciously pulled the hem of her sodden skirt up to her thigh. The wet cotton stocking clung to her chilled skin as she released the garter that held it. When she reached the sensitive area of her swollen ankle, she winced slightly at the pain then, pulled the garment free.

  Now, suddenly feeling shy, Katie averted her eyes from his broad back, and in a timidly quiet voice said, “You can turn around now.”

  Lord Emerson glanced over his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile, then turned fully to kneel, before retrieving her foot. His touch was surprisingly gentle as he tentatively pressed upon the slightly swollen area to determine the seriousness of the injury.

  “Is this too terribly painful?” he asked with honest concern.

  Katie shook her head, pressing forth a small smile, in spite of the pain that stabbed through her ankle. She felt unexpectedly touched at seeing his concern for her lame foot, the smug attitude now replaced with a plausible expression of empathy. The way he kept looking up at her from his kneeling position was in such contrast to the previously dominating forcefulness he had shown earlier that evening, that she thought it almost an amusing scene.

  Her eyes were drawn involuntarily to where his strong square jaw tensed in concentration as he bent to his task. The flicker of a lamp, Lord Emerson had placed on a nearby table, caught the blue of his eyes and made them look softer and less stern than Katie had remembered them to being in the carriage. The dark ruffled hair that fell over his brow was still damp from the storm. Katie decided he looked much kinder now, with his brow drawn in concern over her injured ankle.

  It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had so heartlessly ordered poor Shancy shot. Although Katie wanted to dislike him because of Shancy, and the way he had teased her earlier, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of gratitude, for reasons she hadn't quite sorted out yet.

  Lord Emerson looked up at her and caught her candid gaze. He thought fleetingly, that perhaps she had it in her heart to forgive him for his earlier treatment of her. "When you look at me that way, Miss Dow, I could almost believe you have forgiven me for the death of your horse." His voice was casual as he released her foot.

  To Alden’s disappointment, Katie stiffened. "No, I'm afraid it will not be an easy task for me to forgive you that." She hadn’t meant to sound so cold, but losing Shancy was almost as devastating as losing her mother all over again, and the ache still stung her throat.

  Briefly, his eyes seemed pained at her statement, and then Katie could no longer read them. He appeared to push her words aside. "Right now I am more concerned with your foot than your forgiveness,” he shrugged. “It does not look to be as disastrous as I first assumed, but I would advise you to stay off of your foot for a couple of days until the swelling goes down. A good wrap should help."

  An involuntary shiver ran through Katie’s body. Abruptly Lord Emerson rose from his kneeling position. "I see that it is expedient that you get out of those wet clothes before I’m held responsible for your death of exposure, as well as the death of your horse!” With a flash of a grin, he strode to a bell-pull not far from the bed and gave it a tug. "Bess will be up presently to tend to your needs," he informed her, as though she knew exactly who Bess was.

  For a brief moment, an odd silence fell between them, and for the first time, Lord Emerson seemed to appear a little uneasy in her presence. Or was she just overly sensitive, she wondered?

  He regarded Katie, and opened his mouth as though he was about to sa
y something. Then he looked away, evidently changing his mind, and began pacing the room as if to distract himself. There was something about this young woman that bothered him, but he could not decide what it was?

  Katie watched as he strode away from her, engulfed in his own thoughts. The broadness of his strong looking back could not escape her notice, and the intriguing concept came to her that this was the first time she had ever been alone with a man. It did not trouble her, but she wondered if it was proper, and maybe that was the cause of his sudden uneasiness...and hers.

  Katie was rather relieved when, at last, a young, plump girl in a uniform appeared at the door, with a bobbing curtsy and dimpled smile. "Yes m'Lord?" she asked in a soft lilting voice.

  Lord Emerson turned. His pacing arrested. "This is Miss Dow, Bess. She was ejected from her horse and has twisted her ankle. She needs some tending to, a hot bath and so forth. Find some linen to wrap her ankle in, after she is cleaned up."

  The maid bustled into the room without further ado. Katie took an instant liking to the young girl with a frill of yellow curls peeking out from under the edge of her white lace cap. Her blue eyes sparkled with animation, and her pink full mouth smiled in friendship and good humor. In spite of her ample figure, she was quick on her feet, and immediately took charge of matters. Upon seeing Katie's disarray, she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Why you poor thing!” she exclaimed with sincere concern in her voice. “We'll get you a nice hot tub and perhaps some warm ale before you catch a chill! I'll have a tub and water sent up directly." Plucking up a lap shawl from the bedside chair, she draped it over Katie’s legs and gave her hand a friendly squeeze. “I’ll just warm some towels, fetch that ale and inform Dodge of our needs,” she announced, with an assuring smile, and then disappeared with a quick nod to Lord Emerson on her way out the door. Katie closed her eyes, wearily contemplating the soothing luxury of a hot bath.

  As exhaustion placed its heavy hand over Katie’s body, and threatened to overtake her, she struggled against an overwhelming urge to lie down on the soft bed she was seated upon. Abruptly, she felt herself starting to nod, and her eyes flew open, as she caught herself sharply from falling asleep. Katie blinked and glanced up to find Lord Emerson scrutinizing her face with a look of perplexity in his eyes. He started to speak, but seemed to change his mind.

  “Is there something wrong?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me so curiously?”

  “It’s nothing,” he almost snapped. “I’m just... tired, I suppose.” However, he did not redirect his gaze and rested his eyes on her for what seemed to be an annoyingly long moment before he said at last, “There is something about you... I can’t put my finger on it, but it will come to me... in time, I am sure.”

  Katie’s brows furrowed. “What...” she began, but before she could finish her query of his strange statement, Bess returned.

  "The water will be up presently sir," she quipped cheerfully, as she presented a cup of warm ale to Katie. “I have the linen strips in my apron pocket, ready for use when you have had a nice warm bath,” she added with a smile towards Katie.

  "That will be fine Bess,” Lord Emerson nodded, and his face once again seemed composed. "When Miss Dow has finished her toilet, perhaps you can find her something suitable to wear. I believe some of Lorna's clothes are still here." He motioned toward the delicately carved wardrobe. "I'm certain you can find something to suit Miss Dow's taste."

  Bess bobbed in a half curtsy, and Lord Emerson started toward the door. Before he departed he turned back to address Katie once more. "When you are presentable, Miss Dow, perhaps you would join me in the drawing room for a light dinner, and we could discuss that business you mentioned earlier."

  Katie didn't reply, but gave a slight nod, and Lord Emerson proceeded through the door leaving her in Bess’ charge.

  Presently, a lanky middle-aged man, accompanied by a lad, who appeared to be his exact double, only several years younger, arrived bearing a large copper tub between them. They placed it at the foot of the bed.

  “Thank you Dodge,” Katie nodded, and then the two departed to bring the hot water.

  Katie languidly sipped at her steaming ale, and savored the soothing liquid as it slid warmly down her throat. Dodge burdened in, encumbered with buckets of water. The young lad, who carted two more buckets of steaming hot water, followed him in. As the manservant, and his helper, poured the water into the large bathing basin, it created a warm condensation to from and hover invitingly in a small misty cloud above the copper brim.

  Once the men finished bringing enough water to fill the tub, they retreated, and Bess closed the door. It was then, as Katie caught her reflection in an oval mirror, which stood in a corner of the room, that she realized what a disastrous condition she was actually in. Both her riding habit and face were smudged and caked with grime, while her long auburn hair clutched in tangles about her mud-caked face. Water and mud dripped from her wilted hair in trickles, and was slowly edging its way down her neck. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the disheveled girl that looked back at her.

  "My, but aren't you a frightful sight!" Bess clucked, as she clicked her tongue, while her quick hands began working expertly at removing the remaining pins from Katie's sodden hair, the majority of which had already tumbled free during her harrowing ride through the storm. The pleasant maid then helped Katie peel off her soggy wet clothes.

  "I feel even worse than I look," Katie confessed, as she limped to the tub and lowered herself into the warm soothing water. She let out a sigh of relief as her chilled skin began to thaw, and she lay back to relax in the blessed rapture of its warm liquid comfort, while Bess began to wash the mud from her hair.

  As the smell of the perfumed soap touched Katie’s senses, she thought how superb it felt, to be there. She was not used to having someone wait on her, and Katie basked idly as the tension in her body washed away along with the filth. What a luxurious life Lord Emerson must be accustomed to, she thought with honest envy. She moved her ankle to see if it was starting to mend and grimaced a little at the mild pain. However, the feel of Bess' fingers massaging her scalp and coaxing the dirt out, relaxed her and she forgot about her aches and worries.

  As fabulous as it was to be waited on, Katie felt a twinge of guilt at taking advantage of this pleasingly plump girl who appeared to be a few years younger than Katie. As the maid rinsed Katie’s hair with a pitcher of fresh water, the sudden unbidden thought of whether Lord Emerson was being assisted in a bath as well, made her blush. Embarrassed by her own wicked thoughts, she sought to distract her mind from such disturbing curiosity.

  "You're being so kind, Bess, waiting on me like this. I hope I am not taking you away from your regular duties. I'm sure there are other things you have to get done, rather than wasting your time on me.”

  "Oh no, Miss, since Lady Emerson left, I've just been lost with no one to do for, except for cleaning and the like for Lord Emerson, of course. I enjoy doing hair and pressing gowns and such, but now I don't get a chance to do those sorts of duties anymore. Between you and me, ma’am, taking care of Lord Emerson’s needs is not the same as preparing things for a lady. He has a valet to lay his clothes out, and now my duties are mostly washing, and ironing shirts, or making beds and so forth. I miss the companionship of another female, besides cook, the housekeeper and the scullery maid, if you know what I mean. Before, I was lady’s maid and companion. Now I am just upstairs maid. Upstairs maids do not get to visit much with the down stairs help, so life can get quite lonely at times.

  Katie smiled, but couldn’t help asking, "Were you Lady’s maid to Lady Emerson? Lord Emerson said something about Lorna’s clothes. Is that the person you are referring to?” She felt a peculiar twinge in her stomach at the thought, and wondered why it bothered her to think that Lord Emerson, after all, might be married. Yet Bess had said Lady Emerson had left. This was even more perplexing. “Is the lady you are referring to Lord Emerson’s wife?” She could not help bu
t blurt it out, to have her curiosity satisfied.

  Laughter poured out in hearty supply. Bess’ round face became animated in amusement. "Oh, no!" She waved her hand. "That silly man is probably still waiting for Miss Katherine Gail Winslow to return! Lady Lorna Emerson is the master's younger sister. She ran off and married a merchant, who had transported some goods for her father from overseas about a year ago, and we haven't heard much from her since then. Except when she sent a short correspondence once, saying she was perfectly happy. But having married a man without her father’s blessings, she was a disgrace to the family, according to her father anyway. I think perhaps that is why he died shortly afterwards,” she rambled on.

  “He doted on that girl, and had such wonderfully great plans for her. After Lorna left, her father just seemed to pine away! But, oh well, Lorna had plans of her own, I suspect. She was so strong willed. I never saw the like! Anyway, she just ran off with that merchant without a never-you-mind, and no one ever guessing her designs. I suppose she’s living happily with him now. Anyway she better be after the stir she caused over it," Bess quipped. "She did send for a few of her personal things, but never requested any of her wardrobe.

  “Her father was so angry; I doubt he would have sent them to her even if she did request it. When she left, she didn't bother taking any of her lovely clothes with her. If it had been me, I wouldn't have left a stitch behind! But then of course, she still receives a generous allowance from the estate, so she would be having plenty of money to buy more.

  “She didn't even say good-by," Bess ambled on, happy to have another woman with which to gossip. "But I would blame that on the fact that her Papa was so set against her having anything to do with Mr. Quimbly, the merchant marine she married. All we found was a little hand scribbled note on her bed stand there." Bess motioned to the ornate stand beside the bed that supported a lone vase. Katie was sure it had once held a lovely fragrant flower for the absent Lorna. Now it stood silently empty. "What an uproar," Bess continued. "I thought the house would never settle down again! But there was nothing that could be done by then, so I hope she is as happy as she claimed to be in that letter she sent. After all, it broke her poor Papa's heart!