Corner of the Housetop: Buried Secrets (17 page)

Glowering at the man, Derek hopped off the cart and got another flat. He was getting tired of listening to Devon defend Jonathan.

"Why don't we go get lunch," Beth said, cutting off any argument that might have started. "Come on," she motioned to Derek, "you can help me carry it."

Dropping the berry he'd just picked in the crate, Derek stood up and followed her across the field. "Sometimes I think he actually likes that pushy, snobby jerk."

Beth just sighed.

"What? You can't say you like him."

"Master Worthington has his flaws, but so don't we all."

Unsatisfied with her answer, Derek lapsed into silence as they walked down the other side of the knoll and towards the house. Just as they were going around the side of the building to the servants' door, Jonathan stepped out onto the porch.

"There you are," he said, looking down at Beth. "Do you know where Devon is?"

"He's picking strawberries, sir," she answered politely.

"Fetch him for me. Tell him to get the horse saddled and bring him around front," he ordered in a businesslike tone.

"Yes, sir."

With a lingering look at Derek, Jonathan turned and went back in the house.

"I'll go let him know," Derek volunteered.

"You two aren't going to start yelling at each other, are you?"

"Now why would we do that?"

Beth shook her head. "Sometimes, I swear I think you two hate each other."

With a small laugh, Derek said, "Never. Devon's my best friend ever." He jogged across to the strawberry field. As he got closer, he stopped and called, "Devon, Jonathan wants to take Blueberry out riding."

Looking up sharply, the man snapped, "What you tellin' me for? I showed you how to saddle a horse. Or'd you fergit?"

Derek frowned. "I didn't forget."

"Well, then what're you botherin' me for when I'm workin'?"

With a sigh, Derek walked back to the stables. Some things just never seemed to change. "Hey, Blue, you ready to go out for a walk?"

Stamping her feet, Lady Sarah Mary-Ruth gave Blueberry a jealous glare.

"Relax, old lady," he told her, leading the horse out so he could put the thick blanket on his back. "I'll take you out to the corral after lunch." When he finished saddling Blueberry, he walked him out of the stable and down to the lawn. "You've been out a lot this week, haven't you?" Derek asked, petting his nose.

Just as he was approaching the side of the house, Beth walked out with a flat, wide basket covered with a towel. "Lunch."

"I have to bring him around to Jonathan. I'll be right over."

"All right. It's not hot so don't hurry."

He nodded. "Thanks." As he stopped in front of the house, the front door opened and Catherine walked out. She was leaning heavily on Jonathan's arm.

"Watch the edge there," he said, holding his wife's arm with one hand and propping the door open with the other.

"I know." She stepped carefully, her eyes trained on the rise in the floor at the door. When she was safely over it, she looked up and smiled. "Hello."

Jonathan, who obviously hadn't noticed him standing there, looked up, glaring. "Don't just stand there," he snapped. "Come get this door."

Looping Blueberry's reigns over the post on the railing, Derek took the steps two at a time and held the door while Jonathan led Catherine to the bench on the porch.

"Thank you, Derek," Catherine said once she was sitting down.

"How are you feeling today, Miss Catherine?"

"Mrs. Worthington," Jonathan corrected sharply.

Catherine placed a hand on her husband's arm lightly before looking back a Derek. "I'm feeling very well today. Did you visit me yesterday?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, almost beaming at the withering glare he got from Jonathan.
Jealous?
Derek thought.
You should pay more attention to her then.

After seeing how lonely Catherine had looked on his way up to the hornets' nest, Derek had been sneaking into the house to see her every couple days. Each time he'd found her just as sleepy and just as alone. Most of the time, she didn't even know he was there.

Smiling, she said, "I thought I remembered talking to you. Thank you. I'm sorry if I was bad company. I was a little tired."

"Not at all. You needed to rest."

"Go down to the kitchen and get Catherine a drink. Atty should be about finished with lunch, too." Jonathan didn't look at all happy about the thought that Derek had been visiting with Catherine.

As he went into the house, he heard Catherine said, "Darling, you sound so cross whenever you talk to him." Far from accusatory, her voice was soft and coaxing, asking an unspoken question.

Walking down the stairs, Derek thought,
If you can figure out why he hates me so much you'll be doing better than me
. "Afternoon, Atty."

"Good afternoon, sir." The elderly woman was just taking a sheet of rolls out of the oven.

"That smells wonderful. Mind if I steal one?"

Offering the sheet to him, she nodded towards the counter. "There's butter over there."

"Thanks." Derek smeared butter on the hot roll and bit into it. "You make the best bread. But don't tell Beth I said that." Smiling at Atty, he reached for a cup and poured himself a drink from the pitcher on the counter.

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad you like them." As she started taking the rolls off the sheet and putting them in a lined basket, there was something sad in her eyes. She seemed much older than she had just the few weeks ago when she'd stepped out of the carriage. Her shoulders were slumped a little and her wiry hair was just wrapped in a length of clothe, not tied up in the elegant bun she'd had before.

Looks like Mrs. Worthington is getting to her, too
, he thought, swallowing the last of his roll.
Poor thing. After being use to someone sweet like Catherine, it must be hard working for a wench like her.

"Jonathan sent me for Catherine's lunch. Is it ready?"

"Yes, sir." Turning away from her rolls, Atty put several covered plates along with a fresh roll and a glass of milk on a large tray and held it out to him.

"Thanks."

"Thank you, sir."

As Derek walked up the stairs he heard the sharp clicking of Mrs. Worthington's shoes on the hard floor above. He stopped, listening for her to pass before entering the hall. Certainly if he'd been ordered inside to get something for Catherine she couldn't get mad at him; but he wasn't going to take a chance. When the steps disappeared back up the hall, he slipped out the door and hurried around to the porch. He was glad to see that Jonathan was gone.

"Thank you ever so much," Catherine said as he set her tray on the bench beside her. Somehow when she said, "ever so much," it wasn't annoying like it was when Aniline Clayton said it.

"You're welcome. The roll is still hot. Just came out of the oven."

"It smells wonderful."

As much as Derek knew he should have gone back to picking strawberries, he managed to push the guilty voice away and leaned against the railing, chatting with Catherine as she ate. She looked much better. Her face was smoother and her eyes were bright. She seemed almost back to her old self. If it weren't for the dark circles under her eyes and the disheveled state of her hair, Derek would have sworn she wasn't sick at all.

Before he knew what was happening, Derek found himself telling her about nearly dropping the platform of junk on Blueberry. "I missed him by a mile," he explained at the concern in her eyes," but Devon was so angry. He was literally hopping mad."

Laughing, Catherine looked even more like herself. "I haven't seen him very much. Just once or twice out the window."

"He's a good, old guy. A little up-tight, but I like him."

"He's the one you're apprenticing with, right?"

Caught off guard at being called an apprentice, Derek decided it was a much more impressive title than "servant," and agreed with her. He was, after all, learning how to take care of horses. He was as good as an apprentice. Turning the conversation away from himself, he asked, "Do you ride?"

"I like to, but I never get much of a chance. Jonathan and I don't own a horse of our own since we live right in the city, but our neighbors have a farm with stables a few miles south. I like going out to it with Emma."

"Does your family own a farm, too?"

"Oh, no! The anticipation of seeing my parents here is almost over-whelming. I don't think they've ever left New York except for when we lived in Richmond."

"You're from New York?"

Nodding, Catherine said, "I was raised there. We moved so I could go to the same school mother had. She didn't want me to be so far away, though. As soon as I finished, they moved back home."

"So you and Jonathan met in school?"

Laughing a little, she said, "We met out of school, actually. It was the weekend and I was having lunch with my friend, Emma. He was away from his school with a couple of his friends.
He
still claims they only stopped to talk to us because Arthur Merchant wanted to talk to Em.
I
think Jonathan just wanted to talk to me but was too shy to come over by himself." She was smiling warmly, her eyes twinkling with the fond memory.

Jonathan, shy? It didn't seem to fit in Derek's mind.

"Of course, when they were trying to sneak back into school they were caught, so I didn't see him for the longest time afterwards. It was at least six months because he was restricted from leaving the grounds for two months and then it was just time to start the winter holidays."

"Sounds like he got into a lot of trouble at school."

"I don't know. But his school was our brother institution and you could look down from the top floor classrooms and see into their director's office. Jonathan was in there more than once when I happened to glance down during lessons."

Derek chuckled a little, trying to imagine someone lecturing Jonathan. He would pay to see something like that. "I'm sure Mrs. Worthington can't know about him getting into any trouble. She thinks he's perfect."

Catherine laughed again. "So does my mother! But it makes her feel better to think I married the only good man left in the world, so I don't tell her the truth. She'll like seeing him again."

"Are you going to visit them?"

"No. Actually, they're coming here for a visit. With my brother and sister. Jonathan is just sending the reply letter to let them know he'll meet them when they get off the train."

Derek was very surprised at the news. Tipping his head, crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, "When are they getting here?"

"Not for another five days. I can hardly wait. I haven't seen them since our wedding."

After thinking about those terrible weeks, he said, "I don't remember meeting them there."

"Really? I'm surprised Jonathan didn't introduce you."

I'm not. I'm surprised he wanted me there at all.

"Have you been standing there all this time?"

Looking over, Derek saw Beth pushing the handcart of strawberry-filled crate tops across the dirt drive.
Oh no.
He dropped his arms and stood up straight. "Sorry! I was just "