Handfasted (To Love a Governess Novella) (5 page)

No, the more he thought about it the harder he became.
 
If she were to wake now and given the angle of her head, she would see his arousal straining against the packet of his pants before anything else.
 
Would she even notice? If she did, would she know what it meant?
 
It was better not to have that discussion. He would leave it to some matron once Katrina was facing her wedding night, not her handfasted night.
 

Was there such a thing?
 
He supposed so. A trial marriage meant husband and wife and he couldn’t believe any man would enter into such a union without the full benefits of marriage.
 
With the exception of him, of course.
This wasn’t a trial marriage, only a convenience.

Katrina sighed, adjusting her position in her sleep. Her hand slid further down his person.
 
Timothy grabbed it before it could go any further.
 
He brought it back up to the safety of his chest and kept his tied hand on top of hers to keep it from traveling to places it really shouldn’t. Timothy closed his eyes and tried to think of other things.
 
Would there be a building for lease or purchase in Middleton where he could open the lending library or would he have to build one.
 
He hated to be delayed because of building but he would at least be able to design it himself. But, what would he do in the meantime?
 
It wasn’t as if he needed the income, but he wanted to open his shop at the earliest convenience so he had something to keep him busy.

Of course he hadn’t visited the estate since h was a child.
 
At the age
of
 
five
the place was huge. Would it be as large being seen through adult eyes? His uncle had died three years ago and the place had been vacant since.
 
There was a small staff that remained, which he had paid monthly, but could the place have gone into disrepair in his absence?
 
While he hoped that wasn’t the case, at least it would be something additional to keep his mind and body occupied if he had to bring the place back.

He shifted in his seat.
 
He was so tired of being restless.
 
London bored him and not one lady had ever remotely interested him long enough for a stroll in the park let alone a lifetime commitment and he couldn’t stand the thought of another Season. Which was the very reason he traveled north a month before the official season was to begin. He wanted to be far away and he hoped the store and estate would cure what ailed him – boredom.

* * *

Katrina feigned sleep.
 
She had actually fallen asleep on his shoulder but woke immediately when her head rested on his chest.
 
Things were progressing better than she planned and when his pants developed a bulge she grew even more hopeful as did her understanding.
 
One of the books talked about the necessity of touch to encourage growth in a man.
 
She hadn’t understood, but the lump confirmed that his cock was not always rigid which explained why women couldn’t see such things while the men were clothed.

She tried to snake her hand down further and if she touched him in her sleep it wasn’t so forward, was it?
 
But he stopped her, drat him.
 
Didn’t he want to be touched?
 
She just didn’t understand her husband.

There was a low rumble in his chest.
 
Timothy was asleep.
 
Katrina smiled and tried to pull her hand from beneath his but he clutched it too tightly.
 
At least they were still tied together, for the moment.
 
Six ribbons littered the seat across from them and she planned on keeping each and every one as a reminder of this trip. It would very likely be the only marriage she ever entered into. Now, if only Timothy would cooperate so that she could experience everything then she would be happy.

As he slept she probably should as well. There wasn’t anything else to do in the quiet carriage and she very well couldn’t look out the window. If she sat up she would wake him and then he may go back to trying to untie those blasted ribbons again.
 
She wanted them in place for as long as possible.
 

* * *

Timothy came awake at the sudden jolt of the carriage stopping.
 
Katrina sat up as did he.
 
They were in Edinburgh already, at the inn he had arranged for a room.
 
He would need to make sure there was a second room available because he would not be sharing one with his bride.
 

Mr.
McTavish
, the proprietor and his wife came out the door to meet them.
 
They were a pleasant, older couple, who had doted on him the three nights he stayed here before traveling to Blackrig.
  

The coachman opened the door and Timothy took a step outside. His arm was jerked back.
 
Damn, he had forgotten about those blasted ribbons. He needed to retreat inside the carriage before Mr. and Mrs.
McTavish
saw them.
 
He was too late because Katrina appeared in the door, her
ribboned
wrist visible for everyone to see.

Mrs.
McTavish’s
face brightened. “Did you get yourself handfasted, Lord Timothy?”

“I didn’t think anyone did that any longer,” Mr.
McTavish
added.

Timothy looked at Mr.
McTavish
. “Neither did
I
.”
 
Then turned to Mrs.
McTavish
.
“Yes, I did, but it isn’t what you think.”

The woman threw up her hands, delight lit her face. “That is so wonderful.”
 
She turned on her heel and began back toward the door to the inn. “I’ll make sure the two of you have our special room for the night, and . . .”

“Mrs.
McTavish
, I need to explain.”
 
But she wasn’t listening to him and was already inside.
 

Timothy turned to the older man. “We only got handfasted so that we could travel together. Miss Clark needs to be in
Willonton
for an interview and I agreed to take and drop her there before continuing onto Middleton. It is to save her reputation, only.”

The older man braced his feet apart and crossed his arms over his large, barreled chest. “Were you not handfasted today?”

“Yes, we were,” Katrina answeret>

“Who performed the ceremony?”

“Reverend Lawson.”
 
Katrina took a step out of the carriage and joined Timothy on the cobbled drive.

“Who tied the ribbons?”
 
He nodded toward their joined wrists.

“The reverend tied one, but some of the ladies in town tied the rest.”

“So, there were witnesses?”
 
He arched a brow with his question and looked directly at him.

Timothy had the urge to pull at the collar and the tight cravat at his neck before he suffocated. “Yes, Mr.
McTavish
.”

A broad smile broke out on his face. “Then you are truly handfasted and my wife will want to celebrate.”

“But. . .”

Mr.
McTavish
shook his head, silencing any other argument Timothy would have made.

“I say enjoy it, son.
 
You now have a wife.”

The man winked at Timothy before he turned to walk toward the back of the carriage to help the coachman retrieve their luggage for the night.

“I suppose asking for
separate rooms is
out of the question?” Timothy called back to him.

The man only laughed.

This was going to be a very long night.
 

Chaper 5

Katrina stood next to Timothy as Mrs. McTavish worked at the ribbons.
 
“You should just cut them,” her husband suggested.

The woman’s head jerked up. “I will do no such thing.”

Katrina sighed and squirmed. As much as she wished to have Timothy stuck to her side, there were more pressing needs and she was not about to let him join her in the necessary.
 
The woman had provided a lovely dinner and now Katrina was ready to burst, in more ways than one.
 

“There.”
 
The last ribbon came loose and fell away from her arm.

“Thank you, Mrs. McTavish.”
 
Katrina bolted from the common room as quickly as possible.
 
She could hear Timothy laughing behind her.
 
Why wasn’t he in the same predicament?
 

She returned a few minutes later, relieved and able to concentrate on the night ahead but her husband wasn’t around.

“Has my husband gone up to our room?”

The woman frowned. “No, he went out.
 
Said he had a few friends to see and that he would return later.”

Drat that man.

“He wanted me to make sure you were made comfortable.” The woman turned toward the stairs and Katrina followed her up to the room on the top floor. The chamber was large, as was the bed in the center of the room.
 
She looked out the window but it was already dark.

“I have water heating in the kitchen.”
 

Katrina turned back to Mrs. McTavish.

“I thought you might enjoy a bath after your travels.”

She would love to wash the dust way and soak in a hot tub.
 
“Thank you. I would like that very much.”

“Don’t worry, lamb. He will be back soon. This is his weddng night and I don’t know of any man who wishes to spend that away from his bride.”

Katrina offered a weak smile.
 
Timothy wasn’t like most grooms.
 
She half expected him not to return at all just to avoid being along with her, especially in that bed. She wouldn’t be surprised if he slept in the carriage tonight.
Or, somewhere else.

Mrs. McTavish exited the room and Katrina began to pace. What if Timothy did spend the night somewhere else? Did he go see another lady? Was there someone else he would rather be in bed with?

She spun on her heel. No, he would have mentioned that, wouldn’t he. She knew he wasn’t betrothed or married, well, except to her, but what if he had a ladylove. The type of women men enjoyed intimacies with but never married.
 
What would she do if he was with her?

A knock at the door distracted Katrina from her thought process.
When she opened it, two men carried in a large tub and maids followed with hot water.
 
This was what she needed. Once she relaxed she would be able to think clearer.
 

* * *

Timothy put off returning to the room he was to share with Katrina for as long as possible but was running out of excuses
to remain
with his friend.
 
The moment Katrina left his side Timothy left the inn and made his way to the home of a man he had gone to school with. After a few games of billiards, glasses of brandy and discussions on a wide range of topics that held little interest to him, Timothy decided it was time to take his leave.
 
He could only hope Katrina was sound asleep and he could slip into bed, pretend like she wasn’t there and get some much needed rest.