Catherine's journey back to Somerset was such a stark contrast to the one she had made from there that she could scarcely believe they had taken place a mere fortnight apart. In that short space of time her life had changed completely, and she felt as light as a feather now that she had been relieved of the burden of Bessie's illness. Having journeyed to Warwick not knowing if she would even find her sister alive when she got there, Catherine could never have expected to be leaving Bessie well on the road to recovery only two weeks later.
During Catherine's last journey with Sir William it had been her uncle attempting to comfort her; this time it was Sir William in a state of distress, and their roles became reversed. Sir William had taken the news of Lord Russell's possible misconduct very badly indeed – Catherine had a suspicion that he was blaming himself for the entire thing, for he had openly encouraged Julia's acquaintance with the young viscount at every opportunity. She attempted to reassure him that he had merely been acting in his daughter's best interests by attempting to promote a prosperous match, as any decent parent would, but Sir William was too worked-up to listen, and so Catherine felt there was not much more to be said on the subject.
Their arrival at Broxcliffe Park was almost identical to that of a few weeks ago when Catherine had first come to stay. Once again she found herself instantly greeted by the bouncing figure of Julia dashing down the front steps, and Catherine's heart swelled with happiness to see her cousin's face shining with delight at the sight of her. After all that had happened between them Catherine had started to wonder if she and Julia would ever become friends again, so to see such open affection from her now was an overwhelming relief.
"I did not know if you would come!" cried Julia as she hurried over and instantly took Catherine's hands in her own. "I am so glad you have, for it must mean both that Bessie is recovered, and that you have forgiven me!"
"Yes, both are true," replied Catherine, "I want you to know, Julia, that it was never my intention to cause all this ill-feeling between us - I only acted with the best of intentions."
"I know that now!" said Julia earnestly, "oh, how I know that now! You knew all along what sort of person Lord Russell truly is, while I was blinded by foolish infatuation! I cannot bear to think I might have ended our friendship with my behaviour!"
"Do not fret, my dear Julia – I could not remain vexed at you for such an innocent mistake. It is only natural that you should have wanted to think the best of the man you came to love. I am sure any young lady in your situation would have done the same."
Julia managed a wan smile, but she still looked rather ashamed of herself.
"I am just glad we are friends again," she told Catherine. "I have missed you so!"
"I have missed you too," replied Catherine sincerely.
"Will you take a turn about the gardens with me?" asked Julia now. "The speculation about Lord Russell grows by the day down in the village, and I have a great deal to confide in you."
"Of course," said Catherine, allowing herself to be gently towed towards the path which led down to the extensive gardens at the rear of the property. They had barely moved five paces, however, when an anxious voice called out, stopping them in their tracks.
"Julia! Where are you going? I wish to speak with you."
It was Sir William, who had until now been occupied with arranging for his and Catherine's luggage to be sent up to the house. With that concluded, he now turned his attention towards his only daughter with an expression of fatherly concern.
"There will be plenty of time to talk later, Papa," Julia called to him. "I am going for a walk with Catherine just now."
Catherine would never have dreamed of defying her own father's wishes in such a way, but then Julia always seemed to have Sir William wrapped around her little finger. Sure enough he accepted with a curt nod, though his brow was still creased in a worried frown. Julia did not seem to notice this, and continued steering Catherine in the direction of the gardens.
"It must have been terribly upsetting for you all these past few days," said Catherine sympathetically as the circular rose garden came into view. The flowers were just beginning to bloom, and Catherine inhaled the luscious smell appreciatively as she and Julia approached.
"Yes, it has been a most trying time," replied Julia with a sigh. "Of course everything is just speculation at the moment, so it is impossible to know what truth there is to the gossip. With each passing day, however, I feel more inclined to believe that the rumours are indeed true – especially as Lord Russell does not return to Wyndham Hall, and not a soul seems to know of his current whereabouts."
"Indeed?" muttered Catherine darkly. The fact that nobody seemed to have received correspondence from the viscount certainly was a very bad sign; if he was shirking his duties and hiding from his family, then surely he had a reason to hide.
"Mama has been in a terrible state," confided Julia as they began to wander the circular path amongst the abundance of colourful flowers. "I am sure everyone in Barnbury expected Lord Russell and me to be engaged at any moment, so I believe she fears my reputation may be ruined by association with him."
"I hardly think that will be the case," said Catherine comfortingly. "Even if people do talk, we must satisfy ourselves by feeling thankful that nothing further did come of your acquaintance with Lord Russell – heaven knows what might have happened had he proposed before leaving for Bath!"
"Oh Catherine!" cried Julia in a state of much agitation, coming to a halt and throwing a hand to her bosom in a dramatic fashion. "Let us speak no more on the subject of that dreadful man!"
"Please try not to upset yourself, dear," urged Catherine, alarmed at her cousin's distress. "You are right, there is nothing to be gained from discussing the issue now – not until we learn the full truth."
To Catherine's relief, her cousin seemed to be regaining some of her composure now. Julia never had been very able to keep her head in such trying situations, Catherine remembered – she would have to tread more carefully from now on.
"Now then, Catherine," said Julia as they began walking once more, "perhaps you might be explain why it is that Professor Lawes has begun calling at Broxcliffe Park every day of late in an increasing state of unease, inquiring if we have received any news from you?"
"Oh!" was all Catherine managed to say. Julia's question had caught her completely off-guard, and she found herself blushing scarlet as she fumbled for a reply.
"I – he – I do not know," she confessed at last, lowering her head in an attempt to obscure her glowing face from Julia's view with her bonnet. "He wrote to me while I was in Warwick, and..."
Catherine clapped a hand to her mouth in horror as something suddenly occurred to her.
"The letter!" she gasped. "I did not respond to it!"
Julia was now regarding Catherine with keen interest, eyes glinting mischievously.
"And what, pray tell, did Professor Lawes write in this letter?" inquired Julia, barely suppressing a smirk.
"He wrote to apologise for his rude behaviour when I was last in Barnbury," Catherine muttered to her feet. "He also expressed his hope that I had not caught cold after being out in the rain – and requested that I reply with an account of my current state of health, only I was so distracted by Bessie's illness that I completely forgot!"
"The professor evidently holds you in high regard, then," said Julia eagerly. "He has seemed most anxious to hear of any news from you – imagine how delighted he will be to find that you have returned to Barnbury!"
Catherine made no reply; she was too lost in thought about what Julia had said. Apart from her brief discussion with Bessie, Catherine had attempted to avoid thinking of Professor Lawes and his letter too much, for the subject caused her a great deal of confusion. He had vexed her in so many ways during her previous time in Barnbury that she found herself almost reluctant to accept his written apology; in some ways, it had been a lot easier simply to dislike the man without worrying too much what he thought of her.
Now, though, Catherine found herself suddenly obsessing over what the professor thought of her, for she could not fathom it at all. Julia was now the second person to tell her that his rude behaviour in company might not be an entirely accurate representation of his feelings for her.
So what, then, were the professor's feelings towards her? The only plausible explanation Catherine could think of was that he felt guilty after humiliating her in front of Miss Russell and Julia, and had therefore come to pity her. This was by far the most likely reason for his sudden kindness, Catherine realised with a sinking heart; the way he had treated her thus far made it clear that he was acutely aware of her inferior rank in Barnbury society.
Catherine's stomach squirmed at the thought of being an object of pity in Professor Lawes' eyes; it would be even worse than receiving his contemptuous rudeness! She could not bear to have him look at her with a superior sort of compassion – and her stomach squirmed again as she realised she might have to experience it the very next day, if indeed Professor Lawes did call on them as Julia was confident he would.
At the thought of Professor Lawes visiting Broxcliffe Park every day for the sole purpose of inquiring about her, though, Catherine could not suppress an involuntary thrill of pleasure. Regardless of the professor's motives, having a gentleman come to call on her was a completely new experience for Catherine, and one she relished. She refused to think any more on the subject for now though, as she was determined not to let her imagination take over. Her wild imagination, after all, had been responsible for the embarrassment with William, whom Catherine was also certain to come face-to-face with now that she was back at Broxcliffe Park – a most unwelcome prospect.
"We had better be returning to the house," said Julia suddenly. "Or else Papa will think I am attempting to avoid him."
"I thought that is exactly what you were attempting to do, Julia," replied Catherine, with a raised eyebrow.
Julia quailed slightly under her cousin's disapproving look.
"Perhaps," she muttered, with the grace to look at least a little ashamed. "It will not be a pleasant conversation, Catherine – he seemed even more fretful than Mama!"
"My uncle is indeed most anxious," admitted Catherine, "which is why it is important that you speak with him, to put his mind a little more at rest."
By now the cousins were making their way back up the sloping lawn towards the house, Julia huffing in defeat.
"You just hoped to defer my attention from the subject of your admirer," said Julia accusingly as they approached the patio.
"My admirer!" scoffed Catherine, but she felt another thrill of pleasure at that word.
"Well," sniffed Julia in a knowing way, "we shall soon see how he behaves with you when he visits tomorrow."
Yes, thought Catherine. We certainly shall. Tomorrow was set to be a very interesting day.
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A/N: This is a pretty short chapter, but I'm hoping the next one will make up for that! Unfortunately there won't be an update next week :( I'm off on holiday. When I'm back I will try to get the next part up as soon as possible so you don't have to wait too long!