The Rake (30 page)

She was very independent and quite capable
of taking care of herself. She had been no more than five when she
had gone to live at Elk Park, if that much, and she had managed
well enough until he had hired Lynette.

In fact, she had managed completely on her
own for several months between the time of her mother’s death and
the time that Dermot had sent someone to find her. She was very
resourceful.

She had not seen so much as a spark of
recognition when Sebastian had looked at her, she realized
suddenly. She had been so awed by him, she had not been in any
state to notice his reaction at the time--except that she had
thought that he found her attractive. Now, she realized she had
misread everything. He had not been stunned to see she was all
grown up into a woman because he hadn’t remembered the child she
had been. He had just been stunned--probably at the magnitude of
the responsibility he had accepted.

That didn’t make sense either, though.

Until she recalled his question about
Dermot.

He had thought she was a child, she realized
suddenly! When he had agreed to accept guardianship, it was because
his friendship with Dermot had made him feel an obligation to his
child and when he realized that she wasn’t a child at all, he had
rushed out.

He had probably hurried off to find stuffy
old Mr. Winston about the papers!

She surged out of the chair at that and
began to pace the room, but she was too agitated to think. After a
few moments, she left the room and tapped on Lynette’s door.

To her relief, Lynette opened it.
“Why--child! You look as if you’ve seen a ghost. What is the
matter?”

Kathryn felt her chin wobble at the sympathy
on the other woman’s face. “I think he means to send me away.”