Handfasted (To Love a Governess Novella) (4 page)

“Yes, but only for a year and a day so that we can travel together. It isn’t as if we plan to, well, . .
.let
me see, . .
it
is kind of like a marriage of convenience.”

“In other words, you don’t plan on consummating the marriage.”

His face burned and was probably as red as hers was a few moments ago, which was most disconcerting.
 
He couldn’t believe she came right out and asked such a question. He would like nothing better than to consummate the marriage and he would if this were a real marriage. “I think it is best if we keep to our own rooms.”

Katrina frowned and settled back in her seat, yet she made no effort to help him untie the blasted knots that kept them together.
 
There had to be at least a dozen different ribbons. Several ladies brought at least one and insisted on adding their own for good luck.

She toyed with one of the loose ribbons at her wrist while he worked on the others, her face turned toward the opposite window. What was she thinking? Had she intended on them becoming husband and wife in truth? Surely she realized that was a mistake. One day she may marry and having been handfasted and without a husband after a year was just as bad as being divorced, wasn’t it?
 
It was for
her own
good.

* * *

The man was impossible.
 
The longer he had to work at the ribbons the longer she could remain next to him and she was not about to help. She put her hand on his thigh, something no proper young lady would ever do, yet he didn’t even notice. The way he was working at those knots indicated he wanted to be as far away from her as possible. If he were far away, how could she seduce him and why was he against consummating the marriage anyway? She was more than willing.
 
Why didn’t he want her? She had assumed for most gentlemen that almost any willing lady would do, but apparently Timothy was different.

This was day one, tonight they would stay in Edinburgh. Tomorrow, she
assumed,
they would head south and spend the night at inns at least two more times. That gave her three nights to accomplish her goal. It wasn’t much, especially when he refused to cooperate.
 

Wait, he said Edinburgh. The coaching route she assumed they would take didn’t even take them close to Edinburgh.
 
“Why are we going to Edinburgh?

He looked up at her, but didn’t stop working at the knots. “I have a friend there that I promised to see and more books I purchased before I traveled to Blackrig.
 
I need to add them to the wagon.”

“Did you buy out another shop?”

“No.
 
A professor passed away and his son decided to sell the man’s collection.
 
It is very impressive.”

“And you intend to turn around and sell them in Middleton, much like you plan to do with my father’s books.” She knew they were no longer her father’s but she still couldn’t help thinking of the crates of books as just that.

Timothy paused in his work and peered up at her. “Actually, I’ve considered opening just a lending library.
 
Many of the books I have not had an opportunity to read and I would hate to let them go permanently before I had the opportunity. Besides, most working class people cannot afford to buy books, but they can afford subscriptions. It may be best this way.”

“Why Middleton?
Are you from there?”
 
Perhaps if she could keep him talking long enough he would forget about those ribbons and thus, be unable to get very far away from her.

“I visited a few times as a child. It has been many years.”

“Yet you plan to open a lending library? What if they already have one?”

“They don’t. I already checked.”
 

Drat, he went back to working at the knots.
 
“If you haven’t been there all these years, why decide to settle there? What if you don’t like it?”

He paused again and looked up at her.
 
“My uncle left me a small estate. It does not support itself so I will need funds to get by on.”

“That was very generous of your uncle.”
 

“He didn’t have any children of his own and since I am the youngest son in my family he thought I would benefit most.”

“How many children are in your family?”

“That is one ribbon gone.”
 
He tossed a pale pink ribbon to the opposite seat and began working on another.
 
“I am the youngest of four sons. I also have an older sister and two younger sisters.”

Katrina sat back. “Seven children, how lucky you are.”
 
She would have loved to have had at least one sibling, but it had only been she and her father.

“I understand you were an only child?”

Katrina sighed. “Yes.
 
My mother died when I was young and father never remarried.”

A yellow ribbon
came
loose next and Timothy tossed it onto the seat with the pink one.
 
At this rate he would be free of her within the hour.

“Why a lending library or bookstore?
Is this something you’ve always wanted to do?”

Timothy dropped the ribbons for a moment and stretched out his fingers, made a fist and stretched them out again.
 
They must be getting cramped from having to work with such small ties.
 
“My father expected me to become a fellow at Oxford, if I didn’t join the church.”

“Not the military? I thought fourth sons went into the military, or is that the third.”

He laughed and sat back, letting the ribbons go for the time being.
 
“Neither I nor my older brothers were suited for the military, which pleased my mother greatly. I am more a lover than a fighter.”

His face turned crimson the moment the words were said.
 
She hoped he was a lover or this trip would be a complete waste, with the exception of finding a new job.

“What I meant was . . . well,am more a not a violent person and believe much more good can be accomplished with open conversation than with guns. I didn’t mean lover in the true sense of the
word.
. . not that I have anything against . . . I just mean. . .” He stopped talking and turned his attention to the ties once again.
 
Katrina bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Well, at least she established he wasn’t against being a lover, or at least that is what she garnered from their short bit of conversation.

“If you like books so well, why didn’t you become a professor?”

“Because I didn’t want to be limited to one area of study.”

“Such as literature, history, sciences?”

“Yes.
 
I enjoy them all equally, as well as languages, music and art.”

“Maybe you should be a governess instead of me.”
 
Katrina laughed. “I need to teach all of those subjects and more.”

He let the ribbons go again and looked up at her. “I tried being a tutor once and hated it.”

“Why?”
 
She loved teaching young girls. Their minds were always open to possibilities.
 
What if he didn’t like children? Not that it mattered since they were not committed to each other for life.

“I was in charge of teaching two sons of a duke to prepare them for Eton.
 
They were both the most obnoxious and ill-behaved young men I have ever encountered.”

“Oh dear.
 
Maybe it is easier to teach girls.”

“I don’t think so. My sisters did not take to their studies well at all.” He laughed.
 
“The boys I tutored were beasts.
 
They were spoiled and thought they could treat anyone the way they wished because their father was a duke. One was the heir and the other.”

“The spare,” she finished for him.
 

“I remember thinking that I hoped some young man bloodied their noses once they were away at school.”

Chapter 4

She must be uncomfortable.
 
Katrina had fallen asleep against his shoulder an hour ago. Though she faced forward in the seat, her neck was at an odd angle and Timothy knew she would be stiff and in pain once she woke if she remained like this much longer. Besides, he needed to move. He had sat still for too long and needed to stretch.
 
So far he had only been able to untie half of the knots and his fingers cramped from the intricate work.
 
Had those ladies been taught the art of tying a knot by sailors? He had never encountered anything like it in his life and had given up. When they stopped he would enquire about finding a knife and just cut the remaining ones loose.

Timothy arched his back and stretched his legs out in front of him. There wasn’t much room and he ended up resting his booted feet on the bench opposite of where they sat.
 

A nap did seem like a good idea. He stifled a yawn behind his free hand. This was not comfortable for either of them.
 
Slowly and gently he lifted his arm, careful not to jostle her too much until her head rested on his chest.
 
His tied hand rested on his chest and hers beneath it. He turned slightly so that his back was against the side. Yes, this was much better.
 
As he was partially reclined, so was Katrina and she continued to slumber on his chest.
 
Though this was improper, or would be in most cases, they were handfasted so they both might as well be comfortable for the duration of the trip.
 

He brought his free arm around and held her close so that she wasn’t tossed to the floor if they hit a bump.
 
He hadn’t ever had a woman sleep on him before and found it to be quite pleasant.
 
In fact, he hadn’t ever slept with a woman. There were plenty of intimate encounters but he always dressed and returned to his own set of rooms or sent the woman away.

She burrowed further against his side.
 
Katrina moved her hand so that it rested on his abdomen. Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea. She may be relaxed at rest but a part of him was becoming more alert. He needed to just ignore that her small palm and delicate fingers rested just above the waist of his pants.