Author's Note: Sometimes a story starts as something and turns into something completely different by the time you're done writing it. This is one of those stories.
The rain began as Caitlin Swift watched the carriage carrying the last party guest move down the lane. She leaned her head against the window, grateful for how cool the glass was.
"You're gonna leave a mark on that," said Frank Goodnight as he and several of the men in her father's employ passed through the foyer toward the back of the house.
Still feeling rather flushed, Caitlin spun around ready to give Frank a piece of her mind but instead settled on glaring and marching away in the opposite direction nearly crashing into Matthew Judge in the process. Steadying her, Matthew gave her a questioning look.
"I'm fine," Caitlin muttered, brushing past him, unable to meet the gaze of the man who she had been so dismissive of earlier in the day. Anyone else, and she wouldn't have given a moment's thought past their initial exchange, but for the first she could remember, she actually cared what someone thought of her. The thought had kept her vexed all through dinner, hanging in the back of her mind throughout every conversation.
Several of Theodore Swift's associates had stayed after the party, sending their wives home in the carriages so the men could play cards uninterrupted. Caitlin put on a dazzling smile upon entering the parlor.
"Gentlemen," she said nodding to the men surrounding the smoke filled table. She leaned in to speak with her father. "I'm taking the carriage out for a bit."
"At this hour?" Theodore said not taking his eyes off his cards.
"Be grateful I'm telling you this time," Caitlin hissed. She smiled sweetly for the benefit of the room.
"Judge!" Theodore bellowed above the din of the room.
Matthew appeared in the door smoking a cigarette. "Yes sir?"
"My daughter would like to take the carriage out for the evening. You'll accompany her."
"Now?" Matthew asked glancing toward the clock on the opposite wall.
"Yes, now," Theodore barked returning his attention to his cards.
As Matthew left to figure out where Jimmy, the Swifts' carriage driver, might be at this time of night, Caitlin once again gave the room a dazzling smile. "I hope you all have a lovely evening taking my father's money."
The rain was lighter now, but there was a chill in the air as Matthew Judge lit another cigarette while he waited for Jimmy to bring the carriage around to the front of the house. Still dressed in her party gown with the addition of a shawl, Caitlin plucked the cigarette out of his hand and took a drag on it.
"You're going to get cold as soon as we leave," Matthew said as she handed him back the cigarette. "What happened to your gloves?"
Caitlin rolled her eyes, "I must have misplaced them somewhere between the soup course and Mrs. Jeffers' riveting discourse on flower arranging over dessert."
Matthew chuckled as Jimmy arrived with the carriage.
Inside Caitlin was quiet, staring out the window as they passed through the gates of the estate and into the countryside. While Matthew was content to sit and watch her for hours, he had spent enough time doing so to know that something was bothering her.
"Cate?" He touched her arm. When she didn't respond, he put his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her toward him.
"You were right."
"About what?" He felt her relax in his arms.
"It's a bit cold out," She rested her head on his shoulder as the rain began to fall harder.
Normally this would have been his cue. Any other woman and Matthew would have already suggested several ways they could warm up, but despite his best efforts to the contrary, something in him had decided that with Caitlin the ordinary was not enough.
"So then," he said shifting so he could look into her eyes. "Why are we out here?"'
"I…you…." she closed her eyes and sighed. It hadn't occurred to her that admitting she was wrong would be so difficult. Take another deep breath, she opened her eyes to find he hadn't moved. "I wouldn't want you to be mistaken, about what I said earlier…."
He gave her a questioning look.
"...before the party, I mean," she said, wondering if she shouldn't have bothered to bring it up.
Matthew suppressed a chuckle, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Darlin' it's going to take more than you getting snippy over a party to scare me off."
For the first time that day, Caitlin found herself genuinely smiling. She leaned back into Matthew's arms enjoying the sound of the rain against the carriage's roof, but soon Jimmy called from the driver's seat.
"Miss Swift, we best be getting you back home before this rain gets any worse. Wouldn't want your father worrying over you."
At the mention of her father, Caitlin rolled her eyes but called to Jimmy that yes, that would be fine. "Pity we're going back so soon," she said softly.
Matthew nodded, hesitant to spoil what few moments they had together by reminding her of his offer. "You don't have to go back there, just say the word-"
She didn't allow him to say anything further, kissing him passionately. As the kiss ended, the carriage arrived back at the Swift estate. The rain was now falling heavily and thunder echoed through the countryside. Stepping inside, Caitlin quickly made her way toward the stairs, pausing only to glance back at Matthew, lighting a cigarette as he made his way toward the back of the house where the Pinkertons had surely begun their own nightly card game by this point.
Catching his eye, she gave him the subtlest of smiles, "Soon."