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family to bring it back to life, and I m certain you and Kit will
do that. His mother would have been so proud of him.
You knew who I was that I was Kit s wife when we
met in Chelsea, didn t you, Victoria?
Kit told me in his letter, but he asked me not to say
anything. Will you forgive me for the deception?
Of course. I understand why he did it.
I know Kit well. We ve always been close. It was hard for
him growing up with his father and brother behaving as they
did he told you about that?
Yes, everything. They must have been difficult times.
They were for Kit and his mother. It was like a sickness
with them their mania for gambling and well, every-
thing else. There were times when Kit used to disappear, when
no one could find him, but he always came back. And there
288 Rogue s Widow, Gentleman s Wife
were other times even in the midst of social events balls,
parties and race meetings that his father and Charles were par-
ticularly mad about when he d grow strangely silent.
Why?
Because he had a brain. I think he could detach himself
from the world and see it as it actually was crude and ugly,
without glitter, without polish. The people who surrounded
his father and brother were silly, empty headed, going
nowhere. I think he knew in his heart that it wasn t for him
wasn t what he wanted. After Charles died and then his father,
the extent of his grief was colossal. I wanted him to stay, but
we had reason to fear that if he remained at Woodthorpe, sur-
rounded by objects, scenes, people, all of which reminded him
of his father s last days it might unseat his reason. Suddenly
she smiled and tears appeared in her eyes. But all that is in
the past now and we can look forward to better times. You will
be so good for Kit. I just know you will.
Excusing himself from a boisterous group of young males,
Kit looked around for his wife. In the fashion of the day, her
gown of a pastel shade of lemon silk that matched her hair,
dressed in a high chignon, to perfection and bared her shoul-
ders sublimely, was simple and elegant. It had been pulled in
to a mere twenty inches and her hips accentuated by the ruffles
of her gown gathered at the back of the skirt into a bustle. She
was dancing with Lord Bennet, a good-looking young man
with more brashness and charm than was good for him,
laughing at whatever he was saying to her. Taking a glass of
champagne from the tray of a passing footman, he stood,
content to look at her.
You ll have to get used to the competition, Kit, Henry
remarked with an approving grin, coming to stand beside
him. My daughter s a beauty and no mistake. She will grace
Helen Dickson 289
Woodthorpe splendidly and make you a good wife, but she s
hot headed and strong willed and no matter what steps I ve
taken in the past to curb her, it s made no difference. She
always has her way in the end. Don t be deceived. Beneath
all her frills and flounces and heart-melting smiles, her wilful
heart is unchanged. So beware. Her head may be filled with
romantic notions for the present, but when the honeymoon s
over she ll lead you a merry dance before she s done. Keep
her with child, that s my advice. That ll tame her wild ways.
It was said proudly. Kit turned and looked at him and saw
the older man s eyes gleaming with wicked delight. Kit
slapped him good humouredly on the back and they stood
together, content to watch the woman dear to both their hearts
dip and sway in time to the music. Pondering Henry s words
and smiling secretly at his wife, Kit thought it would be a long
while before Amanda led him a merry dance. Already the
serenity of pregnancy had settled on her.
She is all the things you say she is, Kit murmured, there is
no doubt about that with a fire and a spirit which is all her own,
but I wouldn t change one whit of her, Henry. Not one whit.
Nay neither would I. I cannot find words to express my
joy in your marriage, Kit. Amanda couldn t have chosen a
finer man which she managed to do without any help from
me and with less effort than it will take me to find a new horse
trainer, he joked. See how everyone watches her. She s cap-
tivated the lot of them.
Especially that particular young man, Kit observed,
noting how well she danced with young Bennet and trying not
to note how closely he was holding her. Handing his glass to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] - zanotowane.pl
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