The Mistress Memoirs by Jillian Hunter

Author:Jillian Hunter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Kate’s first experience with passion had broken her trust and scarred her body. And from that violation she had emerged as a caring woman, one still vulnerable to abuse.

Everything began to make sense to Colin, and he wished he could start over from the night he had met her in the garden. No wonder she thought him arrogant. How had he not seen that she occupied the throne of power in the house? Her fear that he would usurp her authority was groundless, though. He questioned whether even his nemesis, Mason Earling, had ever dared to stand against Kate.

She ruled the roost with a quiet voice, a stern eye, and the most formidable weapon a man would ever have to fight—a pure heart. She was cynical and innocent, self-righteous and unselfish. Sultry one moment, as sour as lemons the next. She fascinated and frustrated his private demons.

It even made sense why, on the night of their initial encounter, he had assumed she was the mistress of the estate. In a practical sense she was. The servants sought her advice before taking action. The children obeyed her, when they obeyed anyone. Georgette consulted Kate before she took a lover.

Colin felt the invisible strength of her influence. She was quietly intimidating. He could feel her study his every move. Did she realize that he was studying her?

They had come to an impasse. 7N

He didn’t know how to proceed. Should he give her time to come around? She seemed to have drawn away from him since he’d found out her secret. He wasn’t sure if she was ashamed or angry, or if she even knew that Georgette had betrayed her.

He would have to regain her trust.

He would also have to convince the rest of the household that he wasn’t the reason she had run in from the garden after Stanley’s disastrous visit. Lovitt was the only servant who had openly defected to Colin’s camp, grateful that Colin hadn’t throttled him for sneaking to Ramsey Hay.

Colin knew this because he had walked into the kitchen yesterday morning in the midst of a conversation about his standing among the servants.

“He’s got my full support,” Lovitt had asserted, banging his fist down on the table with such force that the spoons played a lively game of leapfrog and hit the floor.

“He’s got to redeem himself to Kate for whatever he did to upset her,” Cook replied with a dark glare in his direction. “And those were clean spoons, young man.”

Redeem himself.

To Kate Walcott. Governess and companion. History no longer unknown.

She brought out every feral Boscastle battle instinct that flowed through his veins. It wasn’t in his nature to let her go without a fight.

* * *

She had barely spoken to him in three days. She took her tea and meals only after everyone else, children included, had theirs. Almost daily he invited her to come riding with her charges, but she refused to ride. She watched only out of concern that he might encourage Brian to imitate skills he hadn’t practiced.

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