"A coronation tour of course, and it wouldn't hurt for us to use this for the people to get to know Valto."
That hadn't been in Cat's plans. The very idea of traveling around Wales with Valto and probably a swarm of chaperones wasn't what she had wanted to spend her last few months of freedom doing. Then again with her newfound peace and slowly repairing friendship with her soon to be husband, it might be interesting to go on a holiday.
"Very well.” She picked her cup back up and taking a sip of the lukewarm tea. "But no chaperones."
Lowri's gaze hardened then. "I didn't think you liked him?"
Cat shrugged her shoulders and turned her gaze to the huge bay window on the other side of the room, looking out over the city before finally answering. "We're attempting to reconcile, and we can't do that if we have someone meddling in our business all the time."
"Your sister is managing just fine with a chaperone," said Lowri. "And you can't get more meddlesome than Kaija."
"My sister and Johannes aren’t attempting to rebuild a broken relationship, Nanny." Cat got to her feet then and strode to the window, her heels sinking into the thick rug as she did so. "They are only just getting to know each other."
"So you think that there is hope for you and Valto?" Lowri's words made something inside her squirm.
"I believe we have the ability to become friends once more.” With a deep sigh she pressed one hand against the cool glass of the window "I shall never love him again."
"Oh Cat." Lowri let out a deep sigh. "Why have you closed your heart off?"
"Because he ripped it out of my chest and stomped on it." Cat turned violently back around to look at her step-mother. "How can you possibly ask me to risk myself again like that?"
Lowri let out another deep sigh and stood up to join her at the window. "Valto was just a boy when he said those things. He was young, and naive, and insecure. He thought that you would have fallen victim to temptation."
"Johann was never a temptation.” The very idea that Cat would have even considered sleeping with her sister's fiancé was ludicrous.
"Oh I know that," said Lowri. "But Valto had thought he was being thrown over for his much more confident and, I believe in his opinion, better looking cousin."
"Johann isn't better looking than Valto." Cat shook her head, maybe Myf thought that her soon to be husband was the best thing since sliced bread, but Cat had never been interested in his vanity or his boyish ways.
"Hmmmm." Lowri squeezed her shoulder. "Did you ever tell Valto that?"
"I would have done if he had let me." Valto's rant that fateful night hadn't allowed her to get a word in edgewise. "By that stage he didn't care what I had to say."
Lowri slowly nodded her head. "No chaperones. You will be staying with family who will keep an eye on you, but you will be allowed your privacy." That was at least something, and for the most part she loved their extended family and knew them to be less formal and traditional in their mindset than her father had been and Lowri pretended to be. It would be nice to at least have the ability to get to know Valto again, since she was certain that he had changed as much in their time apart as she had done. There may also be an opportunity to squash the romantic relationship that he seemed determined to rekindle.
Cat understood that he had been misled as to her actions all those years ago; however, that didn't take away from the fact that he hadn't even thought to ask her first. That he didn't trust her enough to think that she would have been able to keep her legs closed until he felt ready to start a physical relationship with her. Nor did it negate the fact that clearly he had had no interest in sleeping with her, though she was pleased that he appeared to have gotten over that.
"Thank you," she said.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it." Lowri forced her to turn around so that they were facing each other. "That boy worshipped the ground you walked
That hadn't been in Cat's plans. The very idea of traveling around Wales with Valto and probably a swarm of chaperones wasn't what she had wanted to spend her last few months of freedom doing. Then again with her newfound peace and slowly repairing friendship with her soon to be husband, it might be interesting to go on a holiday.
"Very well.” She picked her cup back up and taking a sip of the lukewarm tea. "But no chaperones."
Lowri's gaze hardened then. "I didn't think you liked him?"
Cat shrugged her shoulders and turned her gaze to the huge bay window on the other side of the room, looking out over the city before finally answering. "We're attempting to reconcile, and we can't do that if we have someone meddling in our business all the time."
"Your sister is managing just fine with a chaperone," said Lowri. "And you can't get more meddlesome than Kaija."
"My sister and Johannes aren’t attempting to rebuild a broken relationship, Nanny." Cat got to her feet then and strode to the window, her heels sinking into the thick rug as she did so. "They are only just getting to know each other."
"So you think that there is hope for you and Valto?" Lowri's words made something inside her squirm.
"I believe we have the ability to become friends once more.” With a deep sigh she pressed one hand against the cool glass of the window "I shall never love him again."
"Oh Cat." Lowri let out a deep sigh. "Why have you closed your heart off?"
"Because he ripped it out of my chest and stomped on it." Cat turned violently back around to look at her step-mother. "How can you possibly ask me to risk myself again like that?"
Lowri let out another deep sigh and stood up to join her at the window. "Valto was just a boy when he said those things. He was young, and naive, and insecure. He thought that you would have fallen victim to temptation."
"Johann was never a temptation.” The very idea that Cat would have even considered sleeping with her sister's fiancé was ludicrous.
"Oh I know that," said Lowri. "But Valto had thought he was being thrown over for his much more confident and, I believe in his opinion, better looking cousin."
"Johann isn't better looking than Valto." Cat shook her head, maybe Myf thought that her soon to be husband was the best thing since sliced bread, but Cat had never been interested in his vanity or his boyish ways.
"Hmmmm." Lowri squeezed her shoulder. "Did you ever tell Valto that?"
"I would have done if he had let me." Valto's rant that fateful night hadn't allowed her to get a word in edgewise. "By that stage he didn't care what I had to say."
Lowri slowly nodded her head. "No chaperones. You will be staying with family who will keep an eye on you, but you will be allowed your privacy." That was at least something, and for the most part she loved their extended family and knew them to be less formal and traditional in their mindset than her father had been and Lowri pretended to be. It would be nice to at least have the ability to get to know Valto again, since she was certain that he had changed as much in their time apart as she had done. There may also be an opportunity to squash the romantic relationship that he seemed determined to rekindle.
Cat understood that he had been misled as to her actions all those years ago; however, that didn't take away from the fact that he hadn't even thought to ask her first. That he didn't trust her enough to think that she would have been able to keep her legs closed until he felt ready to start a physical relationship with her. Nor did it negate the fact that clearly he had had no interest in sleeping with her, though she was pleased that he appeared to have gotten over that.
"Thank you," she said.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop it." Lowri forced her to turn around so that they were facing each other. "That boy worshipped the ground you walked
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