*
It was verylate. Toby had not seen Tate all day and now, at this late hour, she lay in bed by the light of the fire, petting her new kitten and waiting for sleep to claim her. The bailey was busy with the sounds of men working even at this late hour. It was a distraction because Toby knew that Tate was in the middle of it. She wanted to stand at the window and watch him all night but she knew he would probably become cross with her. So she took her new furry friend, George, to bed and the cat lay quite contentedly next to her. In fact, she didn’t hear a sound out of the cat until suddenly, it let out a strangled cry.
Along with the meow came a hissed curse. Startled, Toby realized that she must have fallen asleep as her eyes focused on Tate’s massive form in the darkness. She had never heard him enter. Instead of looking at her, however, he was peering at the cat.
“Where in the hell did that come from?” he demanded in a harsh whisper. “I nearly sat on the beast.”
Toby struggled to sit up. “That is George,” she told him. “He was a gift.”
“A gift? From whom?”
“Sir Stephen,” she cuddled the cat, soothing it. “He gave him to me.”
Tate’s expression cooled; Toby could see that even in the darkness. “And you accepted?”
She could hear the hazard in his tone and all of her sleepiness fled. “You need not worry,” she said quietly. “He is under no false pretenses that my accepting the cat is in any way a prelude to courtship.”
“What do you mean?”
She sighed with exasperation. “I told him that I was betrothed. I had to, Tate. He wanted to court me.”
The storm cloud eyes flashed. “Did he tell you that?”
Toby could see where the conversation was leading. Tate was growing angry and she did not want a blood bath on her hands. Moving the kitten aside, she patted the bed next to her.
“Sit down,” she commanded softly. “Please.”
He paused a moment before acquiescing to her wishes. He sat very close to her as she lay propped up on an elbow, his storm cloud eyes reflecting the soft firelight. Toby smiled up at him, putting her hand on his thigh.
“You need not worry about Stephen,” she said quietly. “He knows that you and I are betrothed. He understands that there is no chance for him. I asked him if he wanted the cat returned, but he said that it was a gift. There is no harm in keeping a kitten given to me by a man you have clearly triumphed over. ’Twould be right for you to be a gracious winner and allow me to keep it.”
He just stared at her. Then, he gave her a lopsided smile and picked up the hand on his thigh, kissing it. “Well put,” he said, somewhat reluctantly. “I knew that Stephen would assert himself sooner or later. I suppose it is best if the rejection comes from you and not me.”
She regarded him closely, seeing something of disquiet on his brow. “You are concerned for him,” she ventured.
He shrugged, lowering his gaze. “I have known Stephen for many years and consider him a friend,” he toyed with her hand. “I realize that I was somewhat cold to him the other day when I found him up here with you, but I wanted him to understand that you are off limits.”
“Perhaps you should have simply told him.”
He nodded reluctantly. “Perhaps,” he said softly. “I was hoping he would understand without a word spoken. Perhaps I just did not want to verbalize it. A woman has never come between us before.”
“One still hasn’t.”
He cast her a sidelong glance, his grin broadening. “I hope not. I should regret it.”
“Then perhaps you should speak to him as a friend and not a rival. A few words might ease whatever disappointment or animosity he is feeling.”
He nodded slowly. “Wise words. I suppose I should have handled this situation differently from the beginning but it is something I have never experienced before.”
She smiled at him. “I am glad.”
“For what?”
“That you have never experienced a situation like this before.”
He laughed softly, kissing her fingers. They fell silent a moment and he began toying with her digits, inspecting her lovely hand. She had the prettiest hands. Toby watched him as he rubbed the soft skin of her palm, a pensive expression on his face. She knew he was still thinking about Stephen and she, too, hoped no permanent damage would result from them both wanting to court the same woman.
“He says that you are a fortunate man, you know,” she said softly.