any longer and he is a man now," her papa pronounced in a dire tone. He emphasized the word "man," making it sound as if Edmund were a monster to be feared.
"Do you not remember the pony he gave me?"
John Beadle's dark, heavily lined face folded. His voice rumbled in a threatening tone Kate had never heard before. "Has Lord Stamford offered ye gifts?"
"No!" Increasingly uncomfortable, Kate decided to change the direction of the discussion. "There will be opportunities in London for me to make inquiries about my ring."
"We were warned not to make inquiries."
"You and Mama vowed not to make inquiries. I did not."
"No good can come of questions," he insisted.
"No good ever comes of ignorance either, Papa." She smiled then, reaching out to take his gloved hand. "Did the wisewoman have such magic that she plucked me as a babe from the air?"
"Ye know she did not," he replied, his voice weary.
Paying no mind to her dress, Kate fell to her knees beside him. "I do not like to leave you, but we could use an extra shilling or two, could we not?"
Her papa was silent for a long moment, long enough for an exceedingly tight knot to lodge in Kate's throat. "I have been thinking of going to me sister," he said at last. "Letty has invited me to come live with her in Nottingham."
Kate reacted to the news as she would a blow. She swallowed air before replying in a hushed tone, "I did not know."
"Aye, I was waiting for ye to obtain a position before I made firm plans." Love, clear and bright as precious stone, shone in his eyes as his gaze met hers. "Ah, me girl, what a fine nurse ye will make."
She took his hand again. "Only because of the many sacrifices you made. There were no other gardener's daughters who had been sent to Italy to study at the convent school. You gave me a fine education."
"That's not quite the way of it," he said, giving her a doleful smile. "The wisewoman left funds for ye. We were told we must educate ye, even though ye were a girl child."
"I have been blessed."
"Mama and I were blessed to have ye," he confessed, lowering his eyes, but not before she saw the tears glimmering in them.
Kate kissed his cheek. "I will always love you, Papa."
With his gaze still fixed on the ground, John Beadle nodded his head.
Understanding her papa's discomfort with such mawkish talk, Kate changed the subject abruptly. "What would you do at Aunt Letty's?" she asked softly.
"I might find work at an estate in the shire or take odd jobs."
"Ah, you have given thought to this move, then."
"Aye. Will Richards could take over as head gardener here at Rose Hall. He's a good man."
"Indeed."
Whatever Kate was about to say next was forgotten as soon as she heard the bark. She looked up, and for the second time in a matter of days saw the wild beast called Percy bounding toward her.
This time the devil canine did not appear to be chasing quarry. He ran toward Kate with seeming purpose.
Oh, fie!
She stared, transfixed. Numb from her nose to her knees, she could not even feel her heart beating—until Edmund's hound was upon her. Wildly unpredictable of late, Kate's heart lurched into a new tempo, too rapid to count.
The animal made a flying leap. His giant paws found their way squarely to Kate's shoulders, knocking her to the ground.
She fell with a thump as John Beadle jumped up, |too late to intervene.
Before she could stop him, Percy licked her face with his rough, drooly wet tongue. It would only be a matter of time before the beast opened his mouth and began to chew on her. Kate's attempts to push the slobbering hound away were to no avail.
"Stay calm, me girl. I'll pull the wretched cur off of ye."
"Let me help."
Upon hearing Edmund's voice, Percy backed off.
Splayed on the ground, Kate winced. The bump on her head throbbed anew. Her heart still raced. She dared not move.
"Percy, stay."
At last. Kate released her breath. Her lungs ached. She'd begun to turn blue.
"Ye fine bloodhound surprised us, Lord
"Do you not remember the pony he gave me?"
John Beadle's dark, heavily lined face folded. His voice rumbled in a threatening tone Kate had never heard before. "Has Lord Stamford offered ye gifts?"
"No!" Increasingly uncomfortable, Kate decided to change the direction of the discussion. "There will be opportunities in London for me to make inquiries about my ring."
"We were warned not to make inquiries."
"You and Mama vowed not to make inquiries. I did not."
"No good can come of questions," he insisted.
"No good ever comes of ignorance either, Papa." She smiled then, reaching out to take his gloved hand. "Did the wisewoman have such magic that she plucked me as a babe from the air?"
"Ye know she did not," he replied, his voice weary.
Paying no mind to her dress, Kate fell to her knees beside him. "I do not like to leave you, but we could use an extra shilling or two, could we not?"
Her papa was silent for a long moment, long enough for an exceedingly tight knot to lodge in Kate's throat. "I have been thinking of going to me sister," he said at last. "Letty has invited me to come live with her in Nottingham."
Kate reacted to the news as she would a blow. She swallowed air before replying in a hushed tone, "I did not know."
"Aye, I was waiting for ye to obtain a position before I made firm plans." Love, clear and bright as precious stone, shone in his eyes as his gaze met hers. "Ah, me girl, what a fine nurse ye will make."
She took his hand again. "Only because of the many sacrifices you made. There were no other gardener's daughters who had been sent to Italy to study at the convent school. You gave me a fine education."
"That's not quite the way of it," he said, giving her a doleful smile. "The wisewoman left funds for ye. We were told we must educate ye, even though ye were a girl child."
"I have been blessed."
"Mama and I were blessed to have ye," he confessed, lowering his eyes, but not before she saw the tears glimmering in them.
Kate kissed his cheek. "I will always love you, Papa."
With his gaze still fixed on the ground, John Beadle nodded his head.
Understanding her papa's discomfort with such mawkish talk, Kate changed the subject abruptly. "What would you do at Aunt Letty's?" she asked softly.
"I might find work at an estate in the shire or take odd jobs."
"Ah, you have given thought to this move, then."
"Aye. Will Richards could take over as head gardener here at Rose Hall. He's a good man."
"Indeed."
Whatever Kate was about to say next was forgotten as soon as she heard the bark. She looked up, and for the second time in a matter of days saw the wild beast called Percy bounding toward her.
This time the devil canine did not appear to be chasing quarry. He ran toward Kate with seeming purpose.
Oh, fie!
She stared, transfixed. Numb from her nose to her knees, she could not even feel her heart beating—until Edmund's hound was upon her. Wildly unpredictable of late, Kate's heart lurched into a new tempo, too rapid to count.
The animal made a flying leap. His giant paws found their way squarely to Kate's shoulders, knocking her to the ground.
She fell with a thump as John Beadle jumped up, |too late to intervene.
Before she could stop him, Percy licked her face with his rough, drooly wet tongue. It would only be a matter of time before the beast opened his mouth and began to chew on her. Kate's attempts to push the slobbering hound away were to no avail.
"Stay calm, me girl. I'll pull the wretched cur off of ye."
"Let me help."
Upon hearing Edmund's voice, Percy backed off.
Splayed on the ground, Kate winced. The bump on her head throbbed anew. Her heart still raced. She dared not move.
"Percy, stay."
At last. Kate released her breath. Her lungs ached. She'd begun to turn blue.
"Ye fine bloodhound surprised us, Lord
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