Jack took Janet up to the house, all the while scolding her, "You had to go and open your big mouth, didn't you? Now Leopold is going to ask questions and yes, that will cause trouble."

She was sobbing, "I am sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"He has that way with you doesn't he? It's been nearly 12 years, and within a few minutes you are a complete wreck around him. Are you ever going to grow up? You never think in his presence. You say whatever you damn well please."

"Stop it. You yelling at me is not helping in the slightest. I shouldn't have come back here "

"And where would you have gone? This is your home, Janet. I am not angry with you. You know how I feel about you. But, right now what is important is to protect this estate from Lord Spencer, and anything you say could just make matters worse."

They opened the backdoor of the kitchen, and Cook saw the state of Janet, "My word, child, what has happened?" Her mother, Mrs. Collins, entered the room. She quickly went to her daughter, thanked Jack, and hustled her upstairs to the servants' quarters.

Once inside her room, her mother questioned her, "What have you done now? I bend over backwards securing a position for you, and this is the thanks I get. Master Leopold did not have to take you on. I am beginning to wonder if you can handle it."

"I can, Mother, really."

"I don't need for him to worry about you. He has enough on his plate, and he is to be married, my dear girl. I can only imagine what his intended will make of your behavior. She is not some uneducated country girl. You have to be careful what you say at all times. I don't want any trouble. This is supposed to be a happy time."

"I know that, and I am truly happy for him, but he shouldn't have come back here."

"I don't want to hear you talk this way again, and you best not say a word about how you feel to Master Leopold. Is that understood? The wedding is in a few weeks time and I want this house to be a house full of joy. We have waited for this day for a long time and I won't have you spoil it. Lord Mountbatten would not think twice about sending you away again. And I don't think I could bare it. So behave yourself, my dear."

"I will try."

She was angry, "You will not try, you will do as I say. You will now clean yourself up, and take care of your duties as Miss Katherine's companion. She will need her trunk unpacked and possibly a bath drawn before bed. You will speak when spoken to and at no other time. Stay away from the Master of the house, is that understood?"

"Yes, mam."

"And stay away from Lord Mountbatten, he is not fond of you and anything we can do to keep his temper in check, we will do so. If Lord and Lady Spencer visit this house, which I am sure will happen in the next few days, you will make yourself scarce. "

"Why don't you just make a list of who I can be seen with? It would be a lot easier. You wish I hadn't returned here, don't you?"

"I wish the circumstances could be different. I thought once you were married, you would settle down, and you'd be happy."

"It's all because of him, it's not my fault." She began to cry again and her mother comforted her.

"I know. Things would have been different, had you remained here at Balinor. But there is nothing we can do about the past now. We have to look towards the future, one day at a time, and right now the preparations for Master Leopold's wedding are what is important."

"Of course." She said it with little conviction and her mother noticed.

"I have to get back to work, you will be alright?"

She nodded and her mother left. What was she thinking arranging for her to be Leopold's fiancée's companion and what the hell did Leopold see in her? She wore her hair very peculiar, and didn't talk like any lady she had ever met. But she knew Leopold. Or she had known Leopold. He was never taken in by any woman. And she was sure that hadn't changed about him. She would have to make the effort to accept Kate. Jack was right, she needed to grow up.



Everyone was tired from the day's journey, and the silence in the drawing room after dinner, was eerie. Margaret tried to make light conversation about the wedding plans, but no one seemed very interested.

"Tomorrow, Katherine, we will start making the guest list and I will send word to my dressmaker, that you will need to fitted for your wedding dress. Leopold, I am hoping you will talk to Otis about arranging for a tailor to measure you for your wedding clothes."

"I hardly need any new clothes, aunt."

"This is your wedding, Leopold. You will have a new suit; I will talk to Otis myself. And have you any idea where you will be spending your honeymoon?"

"I haven't thought about it."

Kate could see Leopold was distant. Janet and Jack's behavior weighed on his mind still. He had been extremely quiet during dinner. He kept looking at his pocket watch.

"Well, it must be somewhere splendid. Paris would be lovely at this time of year."

Kate's eyes lit up. Paris sounded wonderful. But she noticed Leopold's expression. He barely looked up from the newspaper he was skimming, he could hardly be reading it, the way his eyes wandered from his pocket watch to the door and back every few minutes, "I have no desire to spend another week on a ship at this time, aunt. I was thinking Cornwall."

"Cornwall! That isn't suitable."

"Can we discuss this in the morning, I am exhausted and I think I shall retire for the evening."

He leaned towards Kate and kissed her cheek, "You don't mind do you, darling?"

"Of course not. I was thinking the same actually."

"I will escort you to your room." He stood up and offered her his arm and then turned to his aunt and uncle, "Goodnight, uncle…aunt. I promise to give you my undivided attention tomorrow on the subject of the honeymoon. Though I am sure you ladies are perfectly capable of arranging the whole event without my impute."

They walked up the stairs and Leopold stopped in front of her room, "I will be out for a morning ride early, but I will see you at breakfast."

"Leopold, are you alright?"

"I am extremely tired, and I have a lot to do tomorrow."

"The wedding?"

He managed a smile, "Yes, of course the wedding. It won't be long now. I look forward to that day." He gave her another kiss, "Sweet dreams, Kate."

His rooms were at the other end of the hall, and it seemed like miles as she watched him walk down the long corridor. She turned to walk into her room and found Janet there unpacking her things, "Miss Katherine, I didn't realize you would be retiring so soon. I am nearly finished unpacking. And I will draw you a bath if you would like."

"That sounds lovely." Kate looked at the woman; it was as if nothing had happened early in the afternoon. Kate sat on the chair near the wardrobe and took off her shoes and let her hair down. Janet continued with the unpacking and took heed of her mother's advice. Don't speak unless spoken to.

"Janet, we were worried about you earlier this evening. Is everything okay?"

" Yes, miss, everything is fine. That time of the month, you know. I get very teary eyed."

"I can relate to that." Kate was hoping Janet would open up, but she did not budge.

"So you grew up here with Leopold."

"Yes, miss."

Kate could see this was going to be difficult, "Leopold mentioned you've been in Scotland since you were 15."

"Scotland and India, miss."

"India? Really. That must have been exciting."

"Not really, miss."

Janet found it hard, not to say anything else. She was so use to saying whatever she felt.

"What did you do there?"

"I was a governess for the Earl of Bambridge's children."

"And what did you do in Scotland?"

"Lord Mountbatten sent me to a woman's college when I was 15. When I finished I was offered the governess position in the Bambridge household. It was very kind of Lord Mountbatten to give me the opportunity. Otherwise I would probably have not risen much further than Cook's assistant or a downstairs maid. He believed I showed some promise in my studies. I often took lessons with Master Leopold. As well as Jack, Master Leopold insisted, much to his uncle's disapproval."

She realized she had said too much, "I must go fetch the water for your bath, miss. I won't be long."

"Janet, wait."

She turned and faced Kate. "Obviously, this is difficult for you. I know you and Leopold were very close."

"I don't know what you are talking about, miss. I grew up here, but that is all. I am now here to do my job. That is all."

"Leopold was under the impression you were married."

"It was not to be. I don't see why any of this is important in my job as your personal companion." She was very defensive, something her mother had warned her about. "I am sorry, miss, I was out of line. You will forgive me. I need this job, and if you complain to Lord Mountbatten or my mother, well, I might not have it for very long."

"There is nothing to forgive. I wouldn't think of complaining to Lord Mountbatten. I am not his most favorite person. This is all new to me, and I could use a friend. If I invaded your privacy, I am sorry. I was just hoping we could get to know each other."

She thought about everything her mother had said, she had to be careful what she said. "I have been away a long time, this all feels very new to me too."

Kate was glad to see her smile, "Leopold values your friendship, he was very concerned about you earlier."

"You must reassure him, that I am fine. He doesn't need to worry about me. I am not a child anymore. I have probably experienced more life in the last 12 years than he has." She didn't want to start crying again, and took a deep breath, "I really must fetch the water for your bath, miss. Excuse me."

She walked out of the room, and Kate sighed, undoing her dress and relaxing in a very unlady like fashion. Janet was interesting, that was for sure. This obviously wasn't going to the relationship that Leopold had with Otis. They were mismatched and Janet had no desire to get close to Kate in any way. At least that was what Kate saw.



Leopold was edgy and paced the floor of his sitting room while Otis was preparing his bath, he wouldn't stop talking and Otis listened as always, "Something is going on here. And why isn't anyone filling me in on what is happening? This is my home, Otis. I have a servant making outbursts about how her stay here will only cause trouble, a groomsmen who tells me it is not my concern. My aunt is only concerned about my wedding attire and where the honeymoon will take place. How am I suppose to think of this wedding when I see people I care about, behaving in such a manner."

"Well, sir, Janet has always been melodramatic."

"When she was 15,yes. But she is a grown woman. And I thought she was married in Scotland or somewhere. Why was I told she was married, when obviously she is not."

"I believe the whole household was told she was married, sir. No one is keeping anything from you. Cook said, she arrived at Balinor a week ago. A sight for sore eyes, I am told. Slept for 3 days straight."

"Then something is dreadfully wrong."

"I really think you should let it go. Your aunt is right, you have a wedding to prepare for. You owe it to Kate."

"I have not forgotten the wedding, Otis. But it is extremely difficult to be happy about something, when someone I care about is suffering. And what does Jack have to do with all of this?"

"They have always been close, sir."

"I realize that, but Jack has never spoken to me in such a manner. I consider him a close friend."

"Sir, this has always been hard for you to understand. It is extremely difficult to have a friendship with a someone not of your station."

"Otis, you and I are friends."

"As much as we can be, sir. Once you went away to university, and you were a man, Jack and Janet were left behind. They weren't allowed to cross over the line. Allowances were made when you were all children. Your Aunt agreed it was healthy for you to have companions your own age. That is why they were allowed to take lessons with you and you played together. If your uncle would have had his way, there would have been no contact with them whatsoever. You don't remember the devastation they felt when you returned from University and ignored them. Especially Janet."

"I never ignored them."

"I am afraid you did, sir. It was around the time, you met Millicent. You also became engrossed in your studies and your obsession with anything mechanical. There was no time, for either one of them. I don't believe you ever meant to hurt them, and they understood. Jack did anyhow. You can't expect to be close to them now. You have to leave this problem, whatever it is alone. Janet has Jack now. She won't be running to you any longer, especially with Kate here. I suggest you get in the bath, sir and try to relax. You will feel better in the morning, after your ride."

"I have been to them, what I despise in others. I am a hypocrite. No better than my uncle or even worse Edgar Spencer."

"I wouldn't be so hard on yourself. Everyone in this house adores working for you. You are kind and compassionate, and nothing like Lord Spencer whatsoever. You are working yourself up, and it is only adding fuel to the fire, sir."

Leopold stopped pacing and looked towards Otis, "You are right. What is done is done and I can't do anything about it tonight. I will have that bath now."

"Very good, sir. Wise decision."

He smiled at Otis, "Your decisions usually are."