The Rebel Bride by Catherine Coulter

Robert drew himself up at this opportunity, knowing that his brilliant mind would now be admired and duly appreciated. His mother had assured him that he was brilliant, that he should himself be traveling to Vienna. “I was telling Miss Katharine that Bonaparte is safely secured on Elba and that the Allies will convene in Vienna this fall to determine his fate.”

“How very interesting. Is there nothing else going on?”

Thinking that he had impressed the earl, Robert proceeded to favor the company with his opinions on Napoleon, Tallyrand, and the Restoration of the Bourbons. It didn’t occur to him to halt because, after all, his mother had always assured him that his political knowledge was unrivaled and that she could listen to him for simply hours. It had never occurred to him to doubt her assessment.

“Why, Robert, you constantly amaze me.” Kate couldn’t bear it another moment and threw herself into the breach. She was well aware that the earl’s forbearance was stretched to the breaking point and that soon he would tell Robert what a toad he was, all in very smooth verbiage, but he would do it and she would understand, and Robert would come to as well, perhaps after he’d had a week to think about it. “It’s amazing how you never lose yourself in a tangle of words. How you contrive to remember so much is astounding. You must be very pleased with yourself.”

Robert’s chest expanded under this ambiguous praise, and he seemed quite content to take her words at their face value.

Kate eyed Robert for a moment and said, not unkindly, “I regret, Robert, that his lordship and I must leave now. I have promised to inspect a new hunter and must indeed keep my word. I know you will understand, for you are so sensible.” With those words Kate firmly shook the bewildered squire’s hand, turned quickly, and rang the bell cord. Filber entered in only a moment. She hoped he’d been vastly entertained at the keyhole. She didn’t fault him for this habit. Life here was normally grim, so any enjoyment to be found should be savored.

“Filber, do show Squire Bleddoes out. He must be taking his leave now.” She propelled him straight to the door, her hand on his arm.

Robert found himself in a quandary. He wouldn’t have minded leaving were it not that Miss Brandon would be left alone with the earl. Though he knew his own worth, he had heard that females were highly impressed by a man’s rank and fortune. The earl was undoubtedly a dangerous marauder. But for the moment there seemed to be nothing he could do about it. As he reached the open doorway, he turned and said with as much calm as he could muster, “A pleasure, my lord.” He executed a quick bow and followed Filber from the room.

Kate waited until she heard the front door close. She then closed the door to the drawing room and leaned against it, heaving an undisguised sigh of relief.

Julien said in a meditative voice, “I do hope that he will not call me out. I have no one available to act as my second.”

“Perhaps Filber . . .” She giggled.

Julien continued in the same meditative voice, “I suppose that now I must purchase a new hunter and make you promise to inspect him.”

“Oh dear, I hope I haven’t put you in an unhandy situation, but what would you have had me do? Tell him he is a prosy bore and demand that he leave?”

“Something of the kind,” Julien said. “You are, after all, Kate, quite gifted with words and never one to draw in the clutch. The powers above know you’ve pinned my ears back a goodly number of times in the short time I’ve known you.”

“It is something I cannot do,” she said slowly.

“Why the devil not?”

“My father would not like it.”

Good Lord, he thought, had Sir Oliver envisioned that country bumpkin as a suitable husband for his daughter? The thought was appalling, yet he wasn’t really surprised.

He stepped forward and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have spoken so. I wouldn’t for the world cause you discomfort.”