With a foreboding feeling that history was repeating itself, Catherine ran down the front steps of Donbroke and began to hurry down the street. Even as she wove way through the thicket of people packed along the cobbles she realised the stupidity of her actions, and yearned for nothing more than to return to the house – yet onwards she pressed regardless. For Catherine suffered from a foolish sense of pride which forbade her from returning to face the professor now that she had displayed herself in such a fashion yet again.
Even if Professor Lawes had journeyed to Warwick in order to make a proposal, he would certainly be retracting it now! He would hardly care for a bride who bolted from the room at the mere sight of him, after all.
There would be repercussions to deal with later – such as the fact that Professor Lawes would now almost certainly return directly to Cheshire, thus putting an end to Catherine's dreams of marriage – yet she could not allow herself to think of that at present. For now she simply desired to escape the mortification for as long as possible. She would just have to avoid Donbroke until the professor had departed, which he surely would do once he realised Catherine was not to return, if in fact he had not already decided to take his leave. Catherine would simply have to find a way to amuse herself for a couple of hours – perhaps she should venture to the outskirts of the town where the air was fresher, offering an opportunity to clear her head.
But Catherine's newly-formed plan was halted only moments later, as the heavens opened above.
Catherine sighed with frustration as the first few fat drops of moisture fell, sending ladies all around her scurrying for cover. For a few moments she simply remained standing where she was, head thrown back to the skies in defiance, refusing to allow her plans to be ruined. Yet still the rain persisted, thicker and faster until the cobbles around her were awash with puddles and the fabric of her clothing began to cling to her uncomfortably. It was at this point Catherine also decided to retreat reluctantly into the doorway of a nearby shop, huffing sullenly at the prospect of remaining there until the deluge subsided – although at least this now offered her the perfect excuse not to return home for the time being.
Catherine had been stood in the doorway for about ten minutes, speculating how likely it was to be a passing shower, when she suddenly spotted something that made her breath catch in her throat. A lean, dark-haired figure was marching down the now almost deserted street with an umbrella held over his head, eyes scanning his surroundings keenly through the curtain of rain. Catherine was allowed a brief moment or two to take in the way his greatcoat billowed with every stride he took, and the steely look of determination in his eyes – until those brown eyes happened upon her own, at which point her heart leapt in her chest.
Professor Lawes wasted no time in crossing the street to where Catherine stood – and as he purposefully closed the distance between them, Catherine suppressed a small gasp at the manner in which he approached. His normally soft brown eyes were positively smouldering with intent, the hard line of his jaw completing the expression. He even held himself in a different way; his shoulders were more rounded, somehow, full of some self-assuredness Catherine had never seen in him before. The transformation was astounding, and Catherine found it truly exhilarating to behold.
"I allowed you to escape me once without expressing my feelings for you, Miss Taylor," he said as soon as he reached her, without uttering so much as a word of greeting. "I shall not allow it to happen again."
All this he spoke without the hint of a stutter, and that, along with the gravelly tone of his voice, stunned Catherine to silence. She was in fact so taken aback that she even forgot to feel mortified at the sight of the professor after running away like a silly little girl; she was enjoying his new persona far too much.
"All I ask is that you allow me to voice my feelings for you, Miss Taylor," he continued, eyeing her intently from under the dripping rim of his umbrella. "If you choose not to accept my advances, you have my promise that I shall return to Cheshire for good – but before I do so, I simply must hear you speak your thoughts directly to me. I must know, Miss Taylor, if you love me as I love you."
For several moments, the whole world stopped. It was as if time had somehow stood still; the bustling of the odd passer-by and the distant clopping of hooves ceased to exist for Catherine as she struggled to comprehend the professor's words. She could not begin to wonder how many times she had imagined those very words leaving the professor's lips, and how she might respond – yet now, in the moment, to her horror she found her senses had escaped her completely, and she had no idea how to respond.
"I left you," she replied eventually, lowering her gaze to the damp cobbles in shame. "Twice I have run away from you; how can you claim to love me after witnessing me behaving so childishly?"
"There will be plenty of time for us to discuss such matters later," he dismissed. "For now I simply require from you an answer. If you so wish it I will then make myself scarce; I only beg that you tell me plain what you feel for me."
There was silence but for the steady patter of rain on the professor's umbrella for a few moments as Catherine considered her response.
"I do not wish for you to leave," she mumbled eventually still looking determinedly down at her feet. "I do not wish for you to leave me, ever – because I love you."
A sharp intake of breath caused Catherine's gaze to snap up – and a more jubilant expression she had never seen than the one illuminating the professor's face now.
"You have no idea what perfect happiness your words have given me, Miss Taylor!" he cried. "You cannot imagine how long I have waited to hear you utter them!"
"On the contrary, I am sure I can," Catherine replied, finding herself moving towards the professor instinctively, "for it cannot be any longer than I have spent wondering if you love me!"
Professor Lawes closed the remaining distance between them, so that they were now almost nose-to-nose under the umbrella, completely oblivious to their surroundings.
"There is so much I wish to say to you, Miss Taylor," said Professor Lawes eagerly. "Would you care to accompany me on a walk?"
I brought an umbrella this time," he added, a small smile playing across his lips.
"It would be a pleasure," replied Catherine with a smile of her own, looping her arm through his contentedly as they began to wander down the street. She could not bring herself to worry about the dampness or the mud; her heart was so light she felt as if she were floating three feet above the cobbles. They meandered along in companionable silence for some time, the lack of conversation seeming perfectly natural between them as each considered their own thoughts. Catherine was in fact so lost in her own mind that she was quite startled when Professor Lawes eventually spoke.
"You must know, Miss Taylor, that the morning I happened upon you in Barnbury with Miss Russell and Miss Cavendish still troubles me to this day," he said in a harrowed tone of voice.
Of course Catherine knew instantly of which morning he spoke, and her lips pursed in displeasure. The professor had just made her the happiest woman in the whole of Warwick by confessing his love to her; why did he now have to spoil it all by bringing up such an uncomfortable subject?
"At the time I did not consider my actions at all thoroughly," he continued. "It was only later I realised the severity of my misconduct."
Catherine made no reply; she was not entirely sure what she could say on the matter. It had been a perfectly mortifying experience for her, and she certainly had no desire to relive it again. She could not imagine what Professor Lawes hoped to gain by discussing it – perhaps he was anxious to know that Catherine had forgiven him?
"Although I was most upset at the time, I do understand why you acted as you did," Catherine assured him now. "I will admit, however, that it did sadden me to learn that you shared Miss Russell's false perception of me."
"I am sorry, Miss Taylor, but I do not think I understand your meaning," replied Professor Lawes with a puzzled frown.
Catherine sighed miserably; was this ordeal to be made as excruciating as possible for her?
"It was rather humiliating to learn that you, along with Miss Russell, believed my family were not in possession of a carriage; that I was accustomed to tramping about the countryside in all weather," mumbled Catherine quietly.
"That is why you did not deem me worthy of travelling by carriage, is it not?" she added, for the professor's brows were still knotted in confusion.
"No! Oh, good lord no!" exclaimed the professor, horrified. "My dear Miss Taylor – you are most mistaken! Would you really take me for the sort to assess one's worthiness, as you say, based solely upon their family income? I, a servant of science with no desire to become entangled in the vines of social politics! Why, I cannot imagine a more absurd notion!
No, Miss Taylor – my reason against requesting the carriage was quite another entirely! I personally care not for the contraptions; I detest spending any length of time in such a confined space, so it did not occur to me that it would not be practical or proper for me to suggest that we walk. I was far too distracted to think sensibly, Miss Taylor – for I was simply desperate to spend a little time in your company. Being so uncomfortable in social situations, I knew that I was unlikely to have made a favourable impression upon you thus far in our acquaintance, and hoped to rectify that by passing some time alone together."
Catherine did not know what she had been expecting Professor Lawes to say, but it certainly was not that. She wondered at his ability to speak all this so smoothly; a heavy flush was creeping up her own neck at his impassioned outburst.
"It was most improper of us to walk alone," she offered lamely.
"Ah! The endless rules and trivialities of social etiquette!" cried Professor Lawes exasperatedly. "Why, I could not even begin to enumerate the various faux pas I undoubtedly made during my time in Barnbury! I do not know how these young bachelors and debutantes manage an entire Season; a month in Somerset thoroughly exhausted me!"
Catherine could not fail to smile at that.
"I feel entirely the same way, Professor," she replied.
With that they lapsed into a brief silence once more – but it was not long until a pensive look overcame Professor Lawes once again.
"Now, if I may, Miss Taylor, I would like to ask a question of you," he said seriously.
"Of course," replied Catherine curiously.
"You have confessed your partiality for me, which of course makes me exceedingly happy," he began carefully, "yet I am still very much distressed by the recollection of our previous meeting in the Mendips when I first attempted to make known to you my feelings. I entreat you to tell me, Miss Taylor, what it was that caused you to behave with such hostility towards me – for it is not the sort of behaviour one would expect from a woman in love."
"Oh dear," muttered Catherine, face glowing with shame. Now that she had heard the professor's confession of love, she felt even more foolish for having believed Miss Russell's spiteful lies. Mrs Taylor had been right; Professor Lawes was far more trustworthy than the silly young girl, and Catherine should not have forgotten that.
There was nothing to be done, however, but to tell Professor Lawes the truth.
"When we met that morning, I had fled from Broxcliffe Park in a terrible state," admitted Catherine reluctantly, hating the fact that she now had the professor's rapt attention.
"I had speaking with Miss Russell, and – the conversation turned to you. She told me – she said that you did not love me; that you had displayed a clear affection for her since your arrival in Barnbury, only turning your attention towards me after her family's untimely fall from grace."
Never before had Catherine felt so utterly mortified. She could not bear to meet the professor's eyes, but even without looking she could tell he was restraining himself from uttering something terribly rude, satisfying himself with a growl of rage.
"I know I should not have believed her so readily..."
"I am not vexed at you, Miss Taylor!" cried Professor Lawes. "No, I am vexed at the malicious woman who almost ruined my chances of happiness! What in God's name could have possessed her to speak such utter falsehoods?"
Upon hearing that, Catherine felt any lingering doubt she might have had trickling away. She had known ever since her conversation with Mrs Taylor that Miss Russell had spoken untruthfully, but all the same it was still a relief to hear it confirmed by Professor Lawes himself.
"Miss Russell was most distressed at the time," explained Catherine, "having learnt that she would likely lose her home. I am sure she would not have spoken so had she been in her right mind."
Catherine did not entirely agree with that statement, but felt there was nothing to be gained in saying so. Professor Lawes, however, openly scoffed in disbelief.
"Then your nature is far more generous than my own," he said darkly. "As for the Russell ladies being forced from their home, I do not think they need to fear – for Wilmot writes me with the news that there is likely to be a union between Miss Russell and your cousin William."
Catherine could not suppress a gasp of horror. It had, of course, long been known to her that William was utterly besotted with Miss Russell – Catherine certainly would not forget the circumstances in which he disclosed the information – yet the idea of a match actually occurring between them was so preposterous that Catherine had never given the matter much thought. Miss Russell would surely never settle for a baronet – she had likely set her sights as highly as a duke!
But now, of course, things were very different. Thanks to Miss Russell's brother, no duke would ever look twice at her; nor would any self-respecting young gentleman for that matter. None but William – senseless, besotted William, with a heart too large for his own good. Catherine knew he would still want to marry Miss Russell, regardless of the way both she and her brother had conducted themselves, for it was clear William loved the girl with every fibre of his being. It was likely William would not even care that Miss Russell did not love him. He would marry her simply to save her family from poverty – and unfortunately it seemed there would be no convincing him against it now.
"On the subject of unions," said Professor Lawes suddenly, bringing Catherine out of her musings, "I believe it is now time for me to say what it is I have been eager to say ever since arriving here in Warwick."
Those words sparked a complete change in the atmosphere between Catherine and the professor. By now they had wandered all the way out to the periphery of the town, completely alone on the winding lane which led to the surrounding countryside. The rain was slowing to a drizzle now, just allowing the sun to peek out through the clouds, causing the leaves on the overhanging trees to glisten with moisture. Catherine felt herself concentrating on these details with heightened senses as she waited breathlessly for what Professor Lawes would say next.
"I have succeeded in securing a match for my youngest sister," he announced.
"I offer you my most sincere congratulations; it must be of great relief to you," replied Catherine politely, trying to hide her disappointment. She was indeed very happy for the professor that his sister was to be married – but she had been hoping Professor Lawes would speak of a rather different union.
"Now that my essential brotherly duties have been carried out, I am free to turn my mind to the desire which has all but consumed me since the development of our acquaintance in Barnbury.
My dearest Miss Taylor – would you do me the incredible honour of returning to Cheshire with me, as my wife?"
This time there was not a glimmer of hesitation from Catherine. Professor Lawes had given her the most difficult of questions to answer; yet for Catherine, it was the one with the simplest response.
"I would love nothing more," she murmured softly. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to live the rest of my life with you."
Professor Lawes did not respond; there was no need for words between them now. With brimming hearts, Catherine and her professor gazed deeply into each other's eyes, encapsulated in their own little moment of happiness. It radiated between them, tethered as they were by the inseparable bond of tenderness and understanding between lovers, each revelling in the sensation of it.
It was then, during this moment of complete bliss, that Professor Lawes did it.
Casting aside the now unnecessary umbrella, he drew Catherine towards him and planted the gentlest of kisses on her lips. So brief and chaste was it that their lips barely touched, but in that moment it was more than enough for Catherine – there was an entire lifetime together to look forward to, after all. And with this incredible man at her side, Catherine felt certain it would be as close to a lifetime of perfect happiness as she could ever hope to achieve.
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A/N: So we have finally reached the end of The Noble Life! I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for all your support since I joined wattpad six months ago - with your kind words of encouragement I have managed to complete my first novel, something I have wanted to do for many years.