Oh, but what could she do? Even if Janet was right, and Julia was totally unworthy of him, there was nothing she could do to prevent a marriage taking place between Daniel and his old love. Shackled by fears that refused to leave her, she couldn’t fight to win him … dared not. At least with Julia he might be blessed to live a long and contented life; whereas …
Burying her face in her hands, Katherine refused to give way to tears that might help to relieve the heartache for a while but which could never hope to bring lasting relief to a mind that would be forever tortured with what might have been possible if she had not been such a curse. There would be time enough to weep when she returned to Bath. She would have years to dwell on the happiness she would undoubtedly have attained had it been possible for her to become Mrs Daniel Ross. Life without him would be desolate, have little meaning, but better that than be forced to live with the knowledge that she had been responsible for any mishap befalling him.
The sooner she left Rosslair the better, she reflected, hating the mere thought but accepting there was no alternative. In the meantime she must take great care to behave towards him as she had always done. It could only spell complete disaster if he ever suspected that her feelings for him went any deeper than those of mere … of mere sisterly affection, she told herself, before she suddenly contemplated the dreadful possibility that Daniel, discerning demon that he was, had perhaps already guessed the true state of her heart long before she had herself.
The sound of high-pitched squeals succeeded in penetrating the heart-rending reflections, and a moment later Katherine removed her hands to see something rolling along the ground towards her. She bent to retrieve the object at her feet, and then clearly heard a breathless little voice announce, ‘It went this way, Papa.’
A moment later a boy of about seven came scampering through the undergrowth, stopping dead in his tracks when he glimpsed her standing there, blocking the path. ‘Would this be what you’re looking for?’ she asked, holding out the ball, which, after a moment’s hesitation, he removed from her outstretched hand.
‘Yes, thank you, ma’am,’ he answered, before turning his head at the sound of his father’s voice. ‘I’m over here, Papa!’
A fair-haired gentleman, whom Katherine judged to be five or six years older than Daniel, came striding along the woodland track towards them. He betrayed surprise at first catching sight of her, then his gaze as he drew steadily closer grew very much more intense, his clear grey eyes finally coming to rest on the fiery curls clearly showing beneath her bonnet.
‘This lady found my ball, Papa.’
The gentleman glanced down to cast a reassuring smile at his son before his gaze returned to Katherine, once again studying her intently before remarking, ‘You are a stranger in these parts, ma’am?’
Only just in time did Katherine remember her role. ‘Oui, monsieur. I am staying for a short time with my cousin, Major Ross.’
The boy’s eyes, so very like his father’s in both colour and shape, stared up at her, puzzlement clearly discernible in their depths. ‘Why are you speaking in that funny way?’
Katherine could quite cheerfully have boxed his ears for noticing that she had not spoken with a marked French accent when she had first addressed him. Fortunately his father did the next best thing by reminding him of his manners. ‘James, that is not at all polite. This young lady, unless I much mistake the matter, has recently come from France and is a—er—native of that country.’ He reached for Katherine’s hand. ‘Permit me to introduce myself, mademoiselle. My name is Cranford … Charles Cranford. And this young imp is my son James.’
‘I am pleased to make your acquaintance, monsieur. And you too, James. My name is Louise Durand.’
Katherine had by now guessed that the gentleman with the piercing gaze was none other than the present owner of the house in which her grandfather had once resided, and thought it behoved her to apologise for trespassing on his land.
‘Do not give it another thought, mademoiselle. The middle of the wood forms the boundary between your cousin’s property and mine, but we do not quibble, and are both quite happy to permit the other to walk freely across the entire area.’
His reassuring smile went some way to soften his probing gaze. ‘You have walked a goodly distance, mademoiselle. Can I not persuade you to come up to the house and partake of some refreshments? My wife would be delighted to make your acquaintance.’
Katherine hesitated. She knew she ought to return to Rosslair without delay, but the invitation to set foot inside her grandfather’s old house to see how much it had changed since she had resided there was just too tempting to refuse. Besides which, it would grant her the opportunity to marshal all her resources before coming face to face with Daniel again, for the days ahead would undoubtedly prove the greatest challenge she had ever faced in her life.
Chapter Fourteen
Daniel arrived back at his home shortly before noon. He had remained at the Hall far longer than he had intended, mainly because Julia had seemed reluctant to allow him to take his leave, and had insisted on taking him up to the nursery to see her son. That part of the visit had unquestionably proved to be the most enjoyable. Young Geoffrey was the image of his father in both looks and nature. He was a charming boy, and it had been a pleasure to pass half an hour or so sitting on the nursery floor, keeping him entertained by playing with his toy soldiers.
If only the rest of his visit had passed so agreeably! he mused, dismounting and leaving his horse in the care of the stable-lad. He was forced to admit that by the time he had ridden over to the Hall he had surprisingly wearied of Julia’s company. He had found her stilted conversation tiresome in the extreme and her evident curiosity about Katherine, quite frankly, distasteful.
Trying to converse with his uncle, whose hearing had become increasingly impaired since attaining middle age, had not proved particularly satisfying either. Yet he would far rather have preferred to remain in the library, forced to shout his every utterance, than be dragged into the parlour to spend a further half-hour with Julia and her mother who, since becoming a widow four years before, had taken up residence with her daughter at the Hall.
He had not set eyes on Eleanor Melrose since before he had embarked for India, and he had been shocked at the changes he had perceived in her. Although she had never been what one might describe as a vivacious, outgoing female, she had seemed a mere shadow of her former self, painfully lachrymose and decidedly jaded.
He well remembered that she was a woman who had always set great store by good manners and correct behaviour at all times; strict codes of conduct that she had instilled in her sole offspring from an early age. Daniel could well imagine that when Julia’s looks began to fade, which undoubtedly they would in time, she would turn into a mirror image of her woebegone mother.
Dear Lord! What a lucky escape he had had when Julia decided to marry his cousin, Daniel reflected, shaking his head in wonder as he strode across the yard towards the house. Looking back, it was hard to imagine that he had been so set on marrying her himself once, and had been utterly heartbroken when he had discovered that she had chosen Simon instead.
One must put it down to the folly of youth, he supposed. Thank heavens he had acquired