Page 46 of The Virgin in the Rake's Bed
“Very good, sir. May I ask, how long will you be away?” the butler replied.
“As long as it takes to get there and come back. We will not delay. I am no lover of the northern country. It is a wild and lawless place, but it does have the one thing we need – different marriage laws,” he said, smiling at the butler, whom he had allowed into his confidence.
Redbrand had been a faithful servant these many years past, and Ian knew he could be counted on to keep the secret of their elopement long enough for the deed to be done. They would need only a few days to get far enough north not to be overtaken, and Ian had hired a carriage to take them as far as Lancaster, where he was certain a mail coach could take them north to Gretna Green.
It was a risk, but one which Ian was willing to take for the woman he had fallen in love with. There was a recklessness in his actions, but was love not the most unreasonable of emotions? It had overtaken him, overwhelmed him, even, and in the days leading up to the ball, Ian had been unable to think of anything but Catherine. She was different from other women, the very opposite of Cassandra, and despite his earlier reservations, he had come to realize that the only person he was hurting by denying his true feelings was himself.
Why, he had reasoned, should self-imposed rules prevent him from happiness? There had been many other women, women for whom those rules were right and proper, women who would have hurt him in just the same manner as Cassandra. But Ian had always hoped that one woman might prove the exception to those rules, and in Catherine, he believed he had found her.
“I will spin a yarn worthy of Shakespeare, sir,” Redbrand said, and Ian smiled.
“I am sure you have hidden theatrical depths, Redbrand. So long as it convinces anyone who comes knocking on my intentions,” he said, and the butler nodded.
“Do you expect to be followed, sir?” he asked, and Ian nodded.
“I expect Catherine’s father and brother to be displeased when they discover she has gone,” he said, and Redbrand raised his eyebrows.
“You mean, Mr. Ferguson, sir?” he asked, and Ian nodded again.
“Rickard will stop at nothing to prevent this marriage. He believes he will lose a considerable advantage if his sister is married to a man such as I, rather than a man such as the Earl of Westwood,” he said, and the butler tutted.
“Forgive me for saying so, sir, but I find the ways and mannerisms of the aristocracy quite perplexing. Present company accepted, of course,” he said, and Ian laughed.
“And that is why you have remained so long in my employ, Redbrand. You and I share a disliking for the aristocracy, even if we are forced to endure them,” he replied.
Redbrand smiled, bowed, and left Ian to his preparations. There was little left to ready, and Ian was taking only the barest of essentials. Now, all he had to do was wait for Catherine, her arrival imminent, the carriage waiting.
* * *
“And petticoats, my Lady, you will need three changes, at least. Oh, and two shawls, the northern country can be cold, even in the springtime,” Jenny said, helping Catherine to get ready.
She, too, had been sworn to secrecy, Catherine having confided her plan knowing she could not possibly escape the house without the assistance of her maid. “I cannot take too much, I will need only a few things. Oh, Jenny it is so exciting,” she said.
Catherine had barely slept the night before, tossing and turning, imaging what the journey north with Ian would be like. She wanted only to be by his side, to leave everything else behind and set out on their adventure together. She knew her father would never permit her to leave, and so the arrangements were made in complete secrecy. Only Jenny, Rebecca, and Samantha knew the truth, and she knew she could trust them each completely.
“I will take the bag, my Lady, and meet you at the bottom of the garden. Have the carriage driver stop at the lower gate, you will be away before anyone realizes it. If your father or brother asks, tell them you are visiting with Lady Somerset as usual,” Jenny said, passing Catherine her hairbrush.
“But you must not endanger yourself by pretense. If my father demands you tell him, then simply say you know nothing, that you are merely a maid and without my confidence. When I return, you shall come into my service again, and leave this awful house behind,” Catherine said, and Jenny smiled.
“To see you happy, my Lady, that is all I wish for,” she said, and Catherine smiled and patted her arm.
“You have proved your loyalty countless times, Jenny, and for that, I thank you,” she said.
She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, the time being just after the tenth hour of the morning. She was to meet Ian at eleven o’clock, and now she took up her bag, passing it to Jenny, who was to take the back stairs, and opened the door to her chambers cautiously.
“Is it safe, my Lady?” Jenny whispered, and Catherine nodded.
“Go, I shall meet you in a few moments at the bottom of the garden,” Catherine said, and the two of them slipped out, each going their different ways.
Catherine had hoped not to meet either her father or brother, but as she came down into the hallway, she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to find Rickard standing at the top of the stairs, his arms folded, a suspicious look on his face.
“Are you going to the Somerset residence?” he asked, and Catherine nodded, hoping her trembling hands would not betray her.
“Yes… to see Rebecca. We are to take a walk in the park and have a picnic,” she replied.
“And will Ian be joining you?” he asked.
“Ian? Why would he be joining us? A woman does not always want her betrothed at her side,” Catherine replied, but her brother only sneered.
