The Night of the Absentee Agent

Chapter 15

The Announcement

Artie woke up the next morning with thoughts of Cat and what he had to say to her. He was due to meet her at ten o'clock so he had plenty of time for breakfast. He went to the dining room and helped himself to scrambled eggs and bacon along with a strong cup of coffee. Mayberry said good morning to him, as he sat down at the table, and then went back to reading his newspaper.

"I say, you never said anything about this, you lucky dog," Mayberry said, pointing to the page he was reading.

"What?" said Artie, turning at the same time to see Sam, Kate preceding the others into the room.

"This announcement, in the newspaper, of your engagement to Cat Masters. Congratulations, my boy. Why didn't you tell us?"

"You're engaged?" Sam said. "And you didn't say anything yesterday. You're a dark horse."

Artie sat there in shock as he accepted the congratulations of his companions. They were happy for him but it was obvious that there was a certain amount of disappointment that they'd had to learn of it from a newspaper.

"Who is she, when are we going to meet her?" Sam asked.

"She's our next door neighbour here," Artie said. "I'm going riding with her later. I'll see if I can persuade her to join us for lunch." He didn't like to say that the announcement in the paper was premature. He didn't want it to seem as if he were reluctant to marry Cat as that might reflect badly on her.

Everyone then settled down to breakfast, in obvious expectation of meeting the woman who was to marry Artie. He, on the other hand, had lost his appetite. He finished his coffee and left the house to go and see Cat.

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Meanwhile Cat had already seen the announcement in the paper and was confronting her father in the breakfast room.

"You couldn't possibly have done this unless you sent the notice to the newspaper before Artemus and I were engaged," she accused. "You're the one who placed me in his bed, aren't you? Don't deny it!" she said, as he attempted to interrupt her.

"I don't wish to deny it," Oakley said. "It has had the desired result. Although he is an American, Mr Gordon is a gentleman and he is going to find it difficult to wriggle out of his obligation to you."

"He has no obligation to me. The whole sordid incident was of your making. How could you do that to your own daughter?"

"I would not have had to if you had agreed to marry again. I know that you have had several offers and you have turned down every one of them, you foolish girl."

"Because I did not love any of them!"

"And then Artemus turns up," Oakley continued, as if Cat had not spoken, "and I could see how well you got on together. You were forever in each other's pockets. But did you give him any encouragement to offer for you? No. Instead you kept telling him, and everyone else who would listen, that you were not going to marry again. Well, I have fixed that. You and Mr Gordon will be very happy together."

"Why are you so eager that I should marry again?"

Her father looked at her with moist eyes, his voice suddenly breaking. "Because I want a grandchild," he said. "You don't know how lonely I've been since your mother died. I want nothing more now than to see your children running through this house."

Cat stared at him. She had had no idea he felt that way. She had accepted that she and her husband, John, would have children but he had died after just one year of marriage. She hadn't really thought of being a mother since then. And sadly she hadn't felt lonely at John's death. She was only just really getting to know him and he was not an easy man to get close to.

Her father continued. "You're already engaged to Mr Gordon and I'm sure he would honour that arrangement. Won't you consider it for my sake?"

"But if I married him, I would return to America with him. Any children we had would be on the other side of the Atlantic."

"You could persuade him to remain in England."

"I wouldn't even try. His career and his friends are in America. Even if he agreed, for my sake, it would make him miserable. I couldn't do that to him. Besides, we don't love each other."

"I don't understand you. People marry without love every day of the week. There are more important considerations."

"Not for me there aren't. I have already married a man of your choosing. I'm not complaining about that; John and I weren't unhappy but he wasn't the choice of my heart. Perhaps I'll never meet a man I can love passionately, but I won't marry unless I do. I'm meeting Artemus this morning and I will persuade him to end our engagement. I expect you to have the announcement retracted as soon as possible."

With that, Cat left the room and went to put on her riding habit.

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When Artie came upon Cat, in the shade of an oak tree, she had dismounted and was pacing up and down on the grass. She looked up as she heard his horse approach.

"Artemus, I'm so sorry about the announcement in the paper," she said. "The shameful thing is that my father must have sent it in days ago. I can hardly bring myself to tell you the whole plot."

"Your father drugged us and is behind the scheme to get us married," Artie said, relieving her of the necessity.

Cat blushed. "I feel so embarrassed," she said. "How can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Artie said. "You are as much your father's victim as I am. I'm certainly going to have words with him though. Why on earth did he do it?"

"He wants grandchildren," Cat blurted. "I feel sorry for him rather than cross. I never realised how lonely he's been since my mother died. I've been so selfish."

"You can't produce children just to please your father," Artie pointed out, reasonably.

"No, but I could have spent more time with him. I ought to have persuaded him to entertain more and introduced him to suitable ladies for him to marry. There are several widows in the Parish Knitting Circle."

"Well you're here now. You can still do that."

"You're right. I'll have to talk to him first though."

Artie coughed to clear his throat, "Am I to be the father of these proposed children?"

"You needn't worry on that score. I've already told my father that any children we had would be raised in America and he wouldn't ever see them. I think that's put him off the idea of me marrying you. There will be a retraction of our engagement in the papers in a day or two."

"We'd better set about breaking it off then," Artie said. Lovely though Cat was, he was relieved that he wouldn't be marrying her after all. I've more or less promised to bring you home for lunch so that my friends can look you over."

"Your friends?"

"Yes, I forgot, things have moved on very quickly since I saw you yesterday. My twin brother, Sam arrived from America yesterday, with his wife Kate. Marsh's fiancée Clara came with them, along with her brother, Josh. They all heard of the announcement of our engagement and now they're dying to meet you. I'd be grateful if you'd agree to come. They're already disappointed that they didn't hear the news from me."

"This is marvellous news," Cat said. "We shall have an audience when we break off our engagement. Would it be all right if I came as I am? I would rather not go back home at the moment."

"I'm sure that will be all right. Well, it's a lovely morning and it would be a shame to waste it. Shall we go for our ride now?"

Cat beamed at him, as he helped her onto her horse.

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