Beauty in Disguise

Now, sitting on the bench overlooking the lake, she bent to rub her ankles where her odd shoes rubbed against them. She was thankful that they had finally been broken in enough to prevent the blisters and pinching they had caused at first.

Matty had warned her that her natural poise could be her undoing. So she had found the most cumbersome and unwieldy pair of shoes imaginable. They not only made her poor feet very sore, they gave her a perfectly awkward gait and an age-defying shuffle.

Matty had then insisted on her spectacles. The blue tint hid the eyes that had inspired insipid poetry and gawking stares since she was sixteen years old. Matty said her eyes could ruin her facade in seconds. So they decided that covering them was paramount. She was aware that she could easily knock her spectacles askew or accidentally drop them, destroying all of the anonymity she worked so hard to achieve. But they determined if the shade were similar to the actual blue of her eyes, it allowed her to plant the slightest doubt in the mind of anyone who might witness such a mishap. She would prefer not having to wear the offending articles at all, but they served their purpose.

Kathryn’s final attempt at becoming a nonentity involved her hair. She could not cut it off. She knew it was her one act of defiance against the consequences of her situation and, therefore, had kept it, determined to find some other way to disguise it.

That was when Matty had the idea for her horrid brown wig. It was long and quite poorly made, but when she put it on her head and attached it tightly to her own hair, she was able to pull it all into a chignon that anchored it at her nape.

With that, her disguise was complete.

Now Lord Dalton was here, and the first meeting was over. He was so much the same and so much changed that he was able to surprise her out of countenance. But she was better prepared now and would no doubt see little of him during the remainder of his stay.

Therefore, it was quite a shock when she passed by the stables on her way back to the house and ran into him coming toward her.

“Miss Montgomery, this is a pleasant surprise.” He bowed then smiled.

“My lord!” she said, and curtsied. So much for only seeing him at tea! “Charity had no need of me, so I took a walk down to the lake.”

“I thought to get my first look at some of the horses, but could not locate Sir John.”

“I will be happy to send a servant to bring him to you.” She curtsied again and turned to go. His hand stayed her, and she looked up at him in surprise.

He laughed, and her brow furrowed in question, though it did not stop her from admiring his brown eyes. “You are too efficient, ma’am! I do not wish to disturb him, and I can easily look them over without him.” He surprised her again. “Will you join me?”

“You are too kind, my lord, but I will leave you to your inspections.”

“On the contrary, I would appreciate the company, and you know your way around better than I.” She started to speak again, and he cut her off with mischief in his eyes. “You did say Miss Charity had no need of you.”

She finally laughed as he intended. “You are quite persuasive, sir.”

“And ‘you cannot refuse a request from a guest’ is all that is needed to make me feel a complete cad!”

She did not realize how she had forgotten his wonderful banter. “Oh, no, I am not paid to entertain the guests!” He looked at her askance, and when she smiled, they both burst out laughing. Drat the man! How could he turn her back into a seventeen-year-old so easily? She must watch her step.

“I pronounce the penalty for your levity—you must accompany me with no more excuses.”

She began to lead the way. “Of course, my lord. I did not mean for you to think I did not wish to accompany you.”

“Splendid. I saw a beautiful chestnut down a few stalls when Merlin was taken in. I believe it is along the row to the right.”

“Merlin? What an excellent name for a horse. Is he a magician, then?”

“Absolutely, Miss Montgomery. He is fearless, as well. He carried me through many a battle I might not have survived without him. He is a great goer.”

“What an important thing about war I have just learned.” She was quite serious. “I think, as females, we are believed to need shielding from actual details of battle. I wish it were not so.” She came back to the present. “Of course, your mount would become your partner of sorts.”

“You are quite right, Miss Montgomery. Are you a rider yourself?”

Kathryn was thrust back in time, when her father taught her to ride astride in breeches, her hair tied back with only a ribbon. “I used to, my lord, but it has been many years now. I had such a wonderful horse. We grew to trust each other implicitly.”

“I do believe you actually understand. I have never heard it described quite like that, but that is exactly the word—trust.”

What in the world was she doing? How would a lowly companion know such things? Thank goodness she had not told him her horse’s name. With her luck he would have remembered it!

“Is this the chestnut you mentioned?”

“Yes, it is. She’s a beauty, in truth.” He went to the horse’s head to rub her jaw. The horse let Lord Dalton know she did not appreciate him taking liberties with her by pawing the ground and shaking her magnificent head. He slowly reached into his pocket and drew out a palm full of sugar cubes. He put them near enough for her to smell. She danced around the stall and blew great breaths out of her nose, her way of informing him she was not so easily bought, but while he never moved his hand, she slowly drew in closer. As she took the treats from him, she let him slide his hands down her neck and under her mane.

Kathryn began to laugh. He looked at her, as if believing she would soon share with him what was so amusing. “I am sorry, my lord,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “She is called Jezebel because she wants to control the men who come around her. Sir John will be devastated to know his Jezebel can be bought by a handsome man bearing sugar cubes!”

He laughed outright. “I get the feeling it is you and not Sir John who would love to see me bested by this beauty. Make no mistake, she will definitely be given the opportunity to try.”

“I shall be sorry to miss it! I am afraid I must go, my lord. No doubt Charity will soon be looking for me.” She was surprised when he once again stroked the horse and then turned to walk back with her.

“I have noticed that Miss Charity does not seem to get on with the younger children. Is it the age difference between them?”

Kathryn would have loved to warn him that Charity does not “get on with” anyone, but she would not so malign anyone in this family. “The age difference is quite a barrier, to be sure. I wish it were not so, because Lacey is at the age where she needs someone older to emulate, but I do not think it will be Charity at this phase in Charity’s life.”

“It appears to me that Lacey wishes to emulate you.”

“Me!” She laughed at him. “She needs to be loved, and that she gets from me, but I am not the role model for her, either.”

“I think you underestimate your relationship, but you know better than I. It is clear she seeks your approval, and you give it quite freely. A perfect companion.”

She laughed at him again. “And therein lies the rub. I am not Lacey’s companion!”

She had enjoyed herself immensely, but she must not get too close. She would never doubt his intense study of others or his well-honed instincts. She turned the conversation back to him. “My lord, I was very sorry to hear about the death of your brother.” He turned to her and stopped walking, looking at her oddly. She stopped, as well. “You mentioned it at tea as the reason you had to leave the army.” He relaxed, and she realized he wondered how she had known that. She had read it in the newspaper, but she never would have mentioned it had he not done so already. She definitely needed to heed her instincts and stay away from him and his personal life. “I can only imagine that the loss, along with having to completely uproot your life, must have been a great burden.” No, she did not need to imagine; she understood it all too well.

“I thank you, Miss Montgomery. It certainly changed my life, but I am...content for the moment. My mother is at home, and I am glad to be with her. She is a blessing to me in many ways, but especially in dealing with our tenants. She was adamant that she could take care of things and that I should go to London.”

“She sounds like the perfect mother!” Kathryn had loved to listen to him talk about her when they were together so many years ago. “You did not wish to go?”

He hesitated. “I confess I am much happier in the country. But she wished me to...enjoy myself after the years of learning to manage the estate.” Kathryn knew that is not what he meant to say, but they had reached the house and she thought it was a good time to distance herself from him.

“Good afternoon, my lord. I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

“Thank you, Miss Montgomery. I believe I will.”

* * *

Dalton liked her. He thought he would when they had conversed at tea. And he had been right. She was serene, but her sense of the ridiculous seemed always hovering, very near the surface in her conversation. She was easy to talk to and quick to laugh. And how her appearance changed when she did! He wondered at thinking her stodgy and middle-aged upon first seeing her in the window embrasure!

He had waited patiently to be presented to the woman with her hair so severe and who so obviously occupied the position, he now knew, of companion to the spoiled daughter. They had shared a few moments of banter, and he determined he might wish to spend as much time with her over the next two weeks as with any other member of the Dinsmore family. In fact, there were two things that greatly piqued his interest in the woman.

First, her odd spectacles. They were tinted, not that unusual, but they were of a dark blue shade and kept her eyes completely hidden. Perhaps she had some malady in which light or any brightness caused her pain. He had heard of such. But he was an excellent judge of character, and that came from reading others’ eyes. He thought it might be interesting to learn more of her difficulty, though she had a well-honed sense of humor. He had a well-developed need to discern the characters of the people around him. It became a small challenge to talk to her in the dim light of the evening when she would, he hoped, not need to wear the offending glasses.

But even without seeing her eyes, he was quick to notice the two children turn to share their surprise and joy with Miss Montgomery, not their sister, not even their mother! After Lady Dinsmore introduced him and before she gathered the children, he determined that he would know her better. In his experience, the trust of a child went a long way in showing a caring character. She appeared to be the one person in the house who had shown genuine, honest emotion.

He could not put his finger on it, but there was also some mystery there. He doubted he would get the time to figure it out within the fortnight, but that she was obviously a lady fallen on hard times was the least of it.

His intent had been to get Merlin and go back to Midhurst. He thought he could spend the afternoon in search of information about the woman he met on the bridge the night before. He was not disappointed, however, by spending the time with Miss Montgomery.

Had it been Miss Charity he stumbled upon, he would have been frustrated indeed! The chit seemed intent on flirting with him and leaning on his arm since he arrived. She was beautiful; there was no denying that. But beauty without intelligence and kindness could not keep his interest. Only look at how he preferred Miss Montgomery.

He supposed the girl would do well enough when she came out; she probably had a respectable dowry attached to her person, but she had been positively brazen with him and she could be no more than seventeen. Normally, he would steer clear of such a child, but staying here put them in close quarters. Worse, still, was that her parents did nothing to stop her forwardness. He was beginning to believe Miss Montgomery could be his only ally in the house. Miss Montgomery and Jezebel, that is!

* * *

To Kathryn, the rest of the day passed slowly, she knew why. It was because she was to meet Lord Dalton again tonight on the bridge. One minute she was excited at the thought of spending time with him alone; the next, she berated herself for taking such chances, risking exposure. She told herself she would not agree to go again. This had been a mistake, and she seemed prone to them. But she would keep her promise to meet him this night, and then the cloaked woman would disappear.

She ate little dinner; she was too nervous. She did every possible thing wrong while helping Charity retire for the night. “He did not come to the drawing room after dinner! I am so vexed. How am I supposed to make him fall in love with me if I am never to see him?”

“Charity, he was probably tired after his trip.” What a bouncer! He had been in Midhurst since the previous night. “You must prepare yourself. He is here to buy horses, and that will be his primary purpose each day. Everyone other than your father will have to play second fiddle to the horses.”

“Pshaw!” she said, asking Kathryn to stop brushing her hair with such force. “I will make him so besotted with me that horses will fall to the wayside. You see if I don’t.”

“I wish you the best of luck.”

“You know, Kate, you can be fired. You may have Mother bamboozled with your talk of London. But I have Papa in my pocket. I would watch your step if you wish to remain here.”

She finally went to bed and Kathryn went to her room, dressed in one of her oldest walking dresses, and waited, sitting on her bed until the house was quiet.

The grandfather clock struck eleven-thirty.

She went out of the back of the house. Heaven forbid they should run into each other leaving the manor!

When she arrived, he was already waiting, but not on the bridge. He was with Merlin, leaning up against a tree, cheroot in hand.

He had not yet seen her, and she began to have second thoughts. What was she doing? Last night and today she had concluded there was no harm in this midnight madness. Suddenly, she wondered what good could come of it. One night of reliving the past was not enough reason to risk her life here in Trotton. And meeting with a man clandestinely was still wrong, though she was already ruined.

Had she learned nothing in nine years?

“Will you not come the rest of the way?” His voice startled her. Did he know she was there all along?

She stepped out of the shadows and walked up to Merlin. “May I touch him, my...Mr. Dalton?”

“I do not think he will let you, ma’am. Once trained for the army, they know not to let the enemy steal them away. But they have no idea who the enemy is, so they must learn only to trust their masters.”

Even as he finished the last, Merlin turned his nose to her shoulder, almost knocking her down. Lord Dalton was at her side in an instant.

“I am fine, sir. I do not think he meant me harm. He just caught me off guard.” To prove her point, she began to whisper softly to him, remembering not to use his name yet. Though she had learned that name in the afternoon as Miss Montgomery. He would have caught that lapse in a moment.

She put one hand on his neck, rubbing the taut muscles under his mane. She placed the other on his nose.

“How wonderful it is to be made a fool of by your own horse. But I am impressed, fairy. Perhaps you are kindred spirits. Merlin senses you are not of this world.”

“Ah, Merlin,” she cooed to the horse. “I knew there was something magical about you.” He used his front hoof to paw the ground. She laughed, and it felt good. Too good.

“May we go to the bridge, sir? I am not comfortable here in the shadows.”

He dropped his cigar, stepping on it as he followed her. “I got the impression you were not comfortable at all.”

“Not uncomfortable, only aware that this was not a good idea.” She held on to her hood at the breeze blowing across the river. “I realized what you must think of me and was going to leave.”

“I think you are a lonely woman who enjoyed my company. Not lonely, perhaps, more sad.”

“A mind reader! Do you tell fortunes, as well?”

“It did not take a mind reader to see that you were troubled last night. You paced, then calmed, then paced again. And yes, I do tell fortunes. I predict that your sadness will change when you meet a stranger on a bridge.”

She laughed spontaneously.

“You see?”

“I have not so much as a ha’penny with which to pay you.”

“Very well. In recompense, you must tell me your name.”

“Did we not chase that rabbit last night?”

“Yes, but I did not catch it.”

“You, Mr. Dalton, are very tenacious. But I cannot give it to you. I am sorry.” She noticed he never corrected her when she called him mister. She wondered why. Surely a woman who would agree to such a meeting would be more forthcoming to an earl.

“And am I not to see your face?”

“No, sir.”

“May I ask why?”

“I think not, it is a very long story,” she said. “No doubt you will think me married and having a flirtation behind my husband’s back?”

“It is one of many reasons why it could be so, but I did not think it of you.”

“I must go. I am sorry to have agreed to this, but it is very wrong.” She pulled her cape closer around her and began to move away.

“I only wish to talk.” His voice was quiet. “You see, I am a little sad myself today.”

Her sympathetic heart heard his, and she did not know what to do. Oh, how she had loved him. Would that she could take him in her arms and comfort him. Instead, she decided she would make him laugh.

“You know, I am not really a fairy. The truth is...I have never told anyone this, but I am in fact the troll that lives under the bridge.”

His head came around slowly, unprepared for what she was saying.

“Shh! You see, a wicked ogre placed a spell on me and I can only be myself when the moon is full. In the dark and during the day, I am doomed to scare little children.” She looked both ways then whispered, “Do you think Merlin has a spell to release me?”

Merlin’s master let out a laugh that was music to her ears.

“How unfeeling! I think I would rather talk to him, anyway.” She turned her nose up, though still buried in the cloak, and began to walk past him.

“No, no,” he said, laughter in his voice. “You must have human company on this moonlit night.”

“Well, that is what I thought, but you laughed at my secret!”

“So sorry,” he mumbled.

They were both comfortable to be quiet for a moment and enjoy the night.

“Do trolls get married?”

She choked, remembering he, too, had a sense of humor.

“Oh, dear, I do not know! I am sure one has never been asked, though.” She leaned back against the bridge. “I suppose it would only be wise to drop by during the day to visit the troll half. When I am the troll, I am not this charming.”

“Or I could come on a moonless night.”

“Yes, I suppose you could do that, but you would not get a good look at me then, and that really would be important to know before asking me to marry you.”

“Oh, did you think I meant you? I am so sorry. There is a troll I’ve had my eye on in Rye! I have been too shy to ask. Please forgive me.”

At that, they both laughed, and it echoed through the trees and across the water. As they wiped the tears streaming down their faces, he turned serious. “Will you please tell me who you are so I may call on you?”

She was ready for the quick change in subject.

“I am sorry, sir. I cannot. The reasons are too complicated to overcome, and I only came tonight because I could not bear to think of you waiting here.” She put her hand on his face. “This is goodbye, Mr. Dalton. But thank you for curing my sadness. Thank you for everything.”

With that, she ran off again and he did not follow her.

Chapter Four

“But I cannot, Lady Dinsmore!” Kathryn exclaimed, horrified. “It would be most unseemly!”

“Mother, I absolutely refuse to consider it. Why, I should be mortified!”

“Charity, you will hold your tongue. This is between Miss Montgomery and me.”

The three ladies were in the sewing room, and Lady Dinsmore had become quite adamant. “Kate, last night’s dinner was a disaster. Sir John and the rector said only ten words between them, and Charity,” she said, giving the girl an evil glance, “did nothing but throw herself at Lord Dalton. He showed himself quite at ease with you during tea yesterday. I believe he will enjoy his meals more could he share them with someone who had London in common. Besides, it will solve the problem of uneven numbers, as well. I meant to mention the matter to you last week when I invited Mr. Wimpole to dinner during Lord Dalton’s stay, but I confess it quite slipped my mind.”

“I can assure you, my lady,” Kathryn argued in an agitated manner, “Lord Dalton will be much more shocked to find himself seated at the table with a companion than he would be to see uneven numbers!”

“Oh, Mama, it does not bear thinking on. You always say we must defer to Kate’s opinion regarding the activities of the ton. He will consider us...rustics!” The last was said with such horror that Kathryn could barely stop herself from laughing.

Lady Dinsmore had not expected such a to-do, and she began to be vexed. “Miss Montgomery, I am perfectly aware how to run my household despite your considerable knowledge of Society’s dictates.”

Kathryn had the grace to blush. “My lady, I certainly never meant...”

“Of course you did not, my dear. I know in London it might seem a little out of the ordinary, but we are not in London. And you know I quite consider you part of the family.”

“Lady Dinsmore, please, I should be most uncomfortable. You can use the country as an excuse for the odd count or the informality. Pray, do not ask me to socialize with your guests.”

The good lady sat rigid and quiet for a moment. “Well, I certainly never thought to hear you refuse a request for help, Kate. I was obviously quite mistaken in you.”

Kathryn knew she was being manipulated, just as she knew the entire house was being manipulated in order to make Charity shine. But she was torn between what she owed Lady Dinsmore and her mixed emotions about Lord Dalton.

And that was the crux of the matter. Kathryn knew if it were anyone else in the world, she would not have been so adamant in her refusals. She must not let him have so much power over her, especially after last night. It would be too easy to fall in love with him again. He had changed only for the better, so how could she not?

* * *

“Oh, Lord Dalton, I have ever so many friends I should like you to meet.” The child had not stopped talking since they sat down. Dinner the previous night had been interminable. The gentlemen said little, and Lady Dinsmore obviously had no control over her forward daughter. Miss Montgomery was not even in attendance.

He determined to find some excuse from dinner during most of his stay, but knew he could not do so after the dismal experience of last night. His hostess was astute enough to know why.

He was brought back to the present as Charity droned on. “Of course, they are not as fashionable as you and I are, but they enjoy my company.” Why did Lady Dinsmore not stop her daughter from touching his arm and shoulder each time she made a comment?

The doors to the dining room opened, and Dalton was never so happy to see anyone as he was to see Miss Montgomery shuffling into the dining room. Another entire dinner with the vain, loquacious daughter of the house would make him wish to impale himself with his fork! The companion quietly apologized for not joining them in the drawing room before dinner, and slowly lowered herself into the vacant chair diagonal to him.