- Chapter 28 -

"Mr Routley has a splendid eye, and exemplary taste for a man." the elder Mrs Gray commented the day of the picnic.

"Why yes." Mrs Ritewood agreed, "The tents and tables are so beautifully decorated, and food and games so well thought out, one would almost believe he had a wife tucked away."

"Good gracious what a thought!" Mrs Wheaton reacted with a laugh and the other ladies chuckled as well. Katherine laughed with them, cleared her throat and sipped her tea politely. Mrs Overton, Routley's Aunt, cut in with a sniff.

"It is not so far-fetched for Brandon to have such good taste if one considers his upbringing. His mother raised him with the utmost refinement and propriety."

"Of course." Mrs Compton smiled politely "And he attended so many parties and events the last few years that he has no excuse not to know what is expected of one."

"He was sent to serve in his majesty's navy most of his youth was he not? From the age of eleven? And then at Oxford until two-and-twenty." Katherine commented. "Mrs Routley certainly used the few years she had with him well."

"Yes." was the stiff reply. "My sister was distraught when his father sent him off, but boys can learn much from the discipline and routine of the navy. It did not, however, dampen his appreciation of the more fine and respectable things in life that his mother impressed upon him in his youth."

"An admirable feat to be sure. I only hope I can make as deep an impression on my own children one day, as she has in her son."

"To inspire one's children is every mother's hope, Mrs Gray." Mrs Overton smiled sweetly. "But to do so would require you to first produce said children." Katherine said nothing as Mrs Overton tipped herself more tea, oblivious to (or ignoring) the disapproving looks many in the circle of women were stabbing her with. "One can never really understand the connection between a mother and son until one has a son of her own."

"No doubt." Katherine agreed quietly.

"Speaking of sons." Mrs Wheaton spoke up, changing the subject. "My Simon has recently declared a wish to travel and has begun to plan a trip that, by the looks of it, extends far into the south and east! Now then, what am I to do with him for I feel he is too young do take on such a quest but too old for me to forbid it!"

"Heavens!" "Gracious me!" Miss Gray and Miss Ritewood cried in unison.

"What a wild notion." commented Lady Overton, raising a sardonic brow.

"Why mama, when did this come about?" added a surprised Cecilia to whom Katherine replied. "He has been expressing the wish to do so for some time now; but I did not realize he was so serious."

"Well I see no harm in it." Lady Compton put in. "How I would have loved to do the same when I was his age. I feel it would be a very good thing for him to see the world."

"And develop a great deal of independence and self-governance I dare say." the Sr Mrs Gray put in. "Though as a mother I can understand your reluctance for letting him go."

"He won't venture through France, I hope?" Lady Overton asked in sudden alarm.

"It didn't look so." Mrs Wheaton developed a look of concern. "I believe he is headed directly south."

"I do not see any wisdom in letting him run off on such a mad adventure." Mrs Overton sniffed. "Very ill-advised; the east is full of barbaric sorts – thieves and pirates – and overrun with disease. I caution you, Mrs Weaton, to discourage him from this folly for his sake."

"He is nearly eighteen, Lady Overton, and a man of his own." Mrs Wheaton smiled. "I can hardly keep him safe at home forever, though I may wish to."

Lady Overton said nothing but, to her credit, she did have a look about her as if she were concerned for the youngest Wheaton boy.

Tired of sitting, Miss Gray exclaimed, "Let us join our young Mr Overtons by the waterside, look how they play, what lively boys!"

"It is too hot to venture from the shade surely." Lady Compton's gaze flicked to the blazing sunshine, then to Eloise in consternation.

"The breeze over water would feel sublime in this heat I'm sure," Eloise Gray coaxed "it would be a shame to hide from the sun all afternoon."

"Yes lets." Katherine rose to her feet. "My legs long to stretch, and a walk around the lake is just the thing for it."

"I wish I could go but my old knees don't take to walking." Mrs Gray smiled as Eliza Ritewood and Cecilia rose as well.

"The sun does terrible things for the complexion." Mrs Overton smiled tightly. "I much prefer the shade."

Eliza, Eloise, and Katherine made their way towards the lake's small pebbly beach. "What a vile woman." Eloise Gray muttered with passion. "How could she deign to injure you so; as though it did not injure you enough to have lost a child."

"She could not have known Katherine lost a child, so she did not realize she was being cruel." Eliza observed.

"True, but it was a barb towards the fact that Katherine never had the chance to be a mother. That is cruel enough." Cecilia put in, and Eloise nodded.

"That woman is made of prejudice and spite."

"One can't help but feel a little sorry for her." Katherine commented. "We know very little of her upbringing and it may have been unpleasant for all we know."

"Yes! She cannot have been raised kindly to have developed such a character." Cecilia agreed.

"You two are too considerate I think;" Eloise smiled. "but perhaps you are right, and people are not naturally inclined to be bad."

They had now reached the waters edge. "Oh look at this rock, it is nearly transparent, how beautiful!" as Katherine bent to pick up the object of her attention, a loose ball of dirt flew past her with ferocious velocity! "Heavens to Betsey!!" She exclaimed in startled fear as she jumped back, bumping into Eliza. A volley of childish cackling erupted nearby as the Overton twins doubled over with mirth.

Katherine and her group had no immediate response but to gape at the children who found such pastimes as throwing mud at ladies acceptable and jolly.

"I retract my previous statement." Eloise muttered. "Some people are naturally inclined to be bad."

The governess, holding firmly on the hand of the youngest, apologized profusely and scolded the twins; but her scolding inevitably failed as another soggy ball of dirt soon sailed through the air to hit a stinging blow on Miss Eliza Ritewood's jaw. "Oh! OW!" she cried in dismay, holding her red cheek as drips soaked into the collar of her dress and stained it grungy brown.

Katherine saw that reason and morals held no value in the minds of these young brats and, not being a stranger to having dirt on her hands, immediately retaliated by deftly forming her own dirt balls from the lake's muddy silt and sending them towards the jovial rapscallions with quick and efficient accuracy.

With their own shirts now uncomfortably wet and dirty the twins faces fell, and they began to wail as though they were infants and not their perfectly grown-up ages of twelve. "I applaud you madam." Eloise whispered to her with joy, as the other two girls tried their best to hide their shock and laughter.

Their smiles were dampened however as the voice of Lady Overton could be heard growing rapidly closer, distraught and livid in turn depending on who she was speaking to. The boys she petted and fussed over. "Ah, my poor loves! Look how dirty! How could the Ladies do such a thing!?" Katherine and her companions she came down upon with barely contained ferocity. "Wicked, disrespectful, crude behaviour! To throw dirt at little boys who've done no wrong but to show a little boyish spirit! Who did this!?"

"They are hardly without fault!" Gasped Eloise "Hitting a lady in the face with balls of dirt is not 'boyish spirit' it is wild misbehavior!"

"They did not mean to hurt her; did you my darlings?" the boys frowned fiercely at the girls.

"If they had not meant to hurt her they would have apologized instead of laughing at her discomfort!" Cecilia exclaimed.

Lady Overton paid no heed. "Who was it who did this to you sweet things?" The boys pointed at Katherine, poking out their tongues and grinning nastily.

"You!" she spat "It is no surprise. Your dirty roots are showing Mrs Gray, does it bring you pleasure to injure little boys?"

Katherine finally spoke. "Why no Lady Overton, for I did not injure them at all. They merely have dirty vests where my sister-friend has a swelling cheek. But for boys of twelve, Lady Overton," she added. "they should be ashamed to cry over such little things, as if they were little girls of the Orfanato de Rosas para Señoritas."

Lady Overton's face took on a grey pallor as her mouth opened and closed like a fish. After a brief moment she straightened the boys' collars and stood. "Wipe your tears, your shirts will dry soon enough. Apologize to Miss Ritewood." the boys looked at their mother with the same confused and wonderous faces of Katherine's companions. "You've hurt Miss Ritewood." she snapped. "Hurry now, apologize." The twins sniffed muttered an apology, peeking sideways at their mother in confusion. "Good, now go amuse yourselves but I don't want to see you throwing anything at anyone any longer." The boys nodded and ran off to the water's edge with a grin as Lady Overton stalked back to the group of ladies she had left without so much as a glance in the four girls' direction.

"What on earth did you say to cause such a reaction, Katherine!" Cecilia gaped in amazement. Eloise Gray and Eliza agreed and the three of them pushed for an answer.

"I really can't say." was her reply.

It was obvious to her friends she knew something of Lady Overton and her deceased sister that was undoubtedly a well-kept secret. With respect to Katherine and the sanctity of secrets they pried no further, and the unanimous decision was made that they retire to the house to find something cool for Eliza's cheek.

Brandon Routley was speaking to John Wheaton and the Mr Hardings and the girls approached to inform Routley they were about to enter his home. John noticed them first and stepped forward in concern at seeing Eliza's scratched and reddened cheek.

"Miss Ritewood!" he interrupted Katherine as she began to speak "What on earth has happened.." Eliza pressed her hand on his arm with a flush as he reached to touch her face in examination.

"It is nothing, Mr Wheaton, Lady Overton's boys were a little to exuberant in their games is all. It merely requires a cool press and it will heal quick enough."

"Well if you say so." He rubbed his hands against his breeches in agitation - as if he wished to do something else with them but could not - then clasped them behind his back. "Those boys need a firm hand if you ask me."

Throughout this short exchange the men watched with mild interest and the women's brows rose minutely as they exchanged glances.

Mr Routley deduced what it was the small group of ladies wish and cut in. "Mrs Aubrey will know just what is needed, Miss Ritewood. She will not be difficult to find I'm sure." He finished with a welcoming gesture towards the Norcastle mansion.

"Thank you Mr Routley." Katherine smiled, and they ushered Miss Ritewood towards the house. Mrs Aubrey the housekeeper wasn't difficult to find, and soon had procured a rag with ice which was now pressed against Eliza's stinging jaw.

"So...." Katherine began subtly as they sat in an open sun-room watching the picnic games outdoors. "That was an out-of-character level of concern my brother just displayed. What think you girls? Was he not most considerate?"

"Yes," said Eliza vaguely, face growing pinker. "He's very kind, as a gentleman should be."

"Mhmm, quite." Eloise agreed with teasing sarcasm. "More gentlemen should show that level of concern for a lady they have little attachment to."

"Precisely," Cecilia agreed "I will have to scold Thomas later for his lack of attention towards you."

Eliza's blush turned crimson and she gave in. "Fine! If you must know; but I beg of you to keep this amongst yourselves for we do not wish to be spread abroad, at least not until we know when Betsey will be returning home."

"Dear me! This sounds far more serious than what I was imagining!" Katherine cut in.

"Or I!" agreed Eloise as Cecilia added. "Well do tell dearest, we are all in suspense!"

"Well...I...he, erm. We are to be married, hopefully this fall." Eliza stammered shyly, her face so red she looked as though she was about to tear up.

The others broke into joyous cheers as an embarrassed Eliza laughed and wailed "Ooh! I knew you all would make such a fuss! Eloise could you not also be soon to wed, or Celia dearest, announce you are with child. I cannot bear to be the centre of attention like this." teased she.

Cecilia grew suddenly quiet and begun to blush a little herself. "W-well. I..I suppose this is good a time as any.."

For the second time shock settled over the room before then joyous cheers filled it, and now both Cecilia Harding and Eliza Ritewood were now equally pink in the face. Soon after, once they had all calmed down enough and they deemed the swelling of Eliza's cheek to have been sufficiently combated, they emerged from the house to re-join the party outside.

Katherine alone took a small detour when she saw Celia's Mr Harding and John still talking together away from the rest. With a cheeky grin spread on her face she interrupted them to briefly and privately say "Congratulations...to you both!" She left.

The two men looked at each other with puzzlement, then both at once opened their mouths to ask.