Treating a Sinful Earl by Henrietta Harding
Chapter 16
At had been decided upon at the end of the previous evening that Jasper would come to Catherine’s home to pay a call. She had mentioned that she wished to show him her garden, which Jasper was very enthusiastic about. So, upon arriving, it came as no surprise when he was filled with awe when she opened the door.
“You are early,” Catherine said with a smile.
“I was flooded with anticipation to see you.”
Oh, Jasper feared that he was saying too much! But there was a delighted expression on her face that informed him otherwise.
“I have anticipated seeing you, as well. All that I can think of is our dance from last night.”
“As well as myself. I look forward to when we might be able to share that again.”
As he was led through the home, which was stately and appealing, Catherine said, “My mother and father are out paying a call, but naturally, my chaperone is here and shall be close by at all times.”
“Naturally.”
“But none of that is of any importance because there is one beautiful task at hand!” Catherine flung open the back door and revealed the garden, glittering in the morning light. There was still dew upon the flowers, and the birds chirped loudly. “This is my respite,” she said with a wide smile.
“It is stunning.”
“Come, allow me to show you everything.”
As Catherine kneeled upon the earth and explained each herb and flower, Jasper felt as though he was as light as air. Everything about the garden was transfixing, and even more so with Catherine there, looking perfectly at ease and remarkably happy. Every so often, she looked up at him and grinned, then her attention returned to the herbs as she described what each could do to aid the human body in healing.
“I use nettle quite frequently,” she said, bringing a sprig of it to her nose. “You cannot fathom just how much it does. I brew a nettle tea most evenings to calm my soul.”
Jasper could not help but ask, “Have you anything for fatigue? I fear that my mother suffers from it frequently and is always looking for a remedy.”
“I do know what helps! It is raspberry leaf. I fear that I need to walk in the forest to find it, as I can never get it to consistently grow in my garden.”
Jasper clasped his hands behind his back. “Then we must go for a walk in the forest. That is one of my favourite pastimes, anyhow.”
Catherine stood from where she knelt and replied, “Yes, that would be most agreeable. Oh, I fear that I am boring you to tears with all this talk of healing remedies. But it is something that I think of so often and my mind is filled with information.”
Finally, a woman who was brimming with information and not some silly notions about being a wife and nothing more. It was exactly the realization that Jasper had had when attending the ball where he first met her. It occurred to him that he wished for a lady with a head upon her shoulders. That very lady was now standing before him.
“Would your chaperone be agreeable to going on a walk?” Jasper asked.
“I believe so. She is agreeable to most things, even though she does not often speak.” Catherine looked towards the chaperone, who was seated on a garden bench.
“Then come. Let us walk while the morning is young. Then, if you are at liberty, we can enjoy a bit of luncheon.”
“We can bring a picnic basket,” she suggested, seemingly trepidatious about this.
“A picnic would be lovely,” he conceded, closing his eyes and nodding.
Catherine was quick to make the preparations, and whilst she did so, he had time to observe her even more; the way that she moved, the manner in which she gave instructions to the servants, and how she exuded jubilation so effortlessly. She disappeared into the kitchens to inform the cook of the picnic, and whilst she did so, Jasper seated himself in the family parlour, which was rather quiet and serene.
Seated there, he looked all around, trying to discover any remnants from Catherine’s past. Any paintings of her as a child or remembrances of when she was a babe. He found it odd that there were none of these. Once Catherine entered the parlour, sighing to herself, Jasper asked, “Where are the family portraits?”
Catherine paused. She took the time to seat herself in a plush chair and said, “My mother does not care for portraits.”
“And why is that?”
“It is rather difficult to explain,” Catherine went on. “But there was a…family tragedy some years ago, and since then, Mother wants things to be just so in the home. In fact, she has always wanted to leave Bath, as has my father. This to you I have already explained.”
A family tragedy? Jasper wished to know of it, but he also did not care to pry. Instead, he said, “If there comes a day when you wish to explain further, I would be open to hearing.”
“Let us not tarnish this beautiful morning with tales of woe. The cook is preparing the picnic, which I am ever so excited about, and once that is done, we can begin our walk and procure the raspberry leaf.”
“Yes, the raspberry leaf,” Jasper said softly.
Indeed, his desire to walk with her had nothing to do with raspberry leaf. He merely wanted to be in her presence, and what’s more, he loved the fact that both of them enjoyed the same pastime. He could not recall the last time he had gone for a pleasant stroll, for lately, it seemed that all that Felton could discourse about was Abigail Hatcher.
Once the picnic basket was ready, he followed Catherine out the door, the chaperone walking just behind him. It did not take long for them to reach the forest, and once they were in the coolness of its shadows, Jasper could not help but say, “You must walk here every day.”
“I admit to taking frequent strolls. There is nothing more intoxicating. Also, there are so many shrubs here that no one knows about. I used to dream about becoming an apothecary!”
Jasper brimmed with enthusiasm. “Then you should undertake it! There is no reason why you cannot.”
“It is unfavourable for women to be apothecaries. At least, that is what I am told. I always dreamed that if I opened a little shop, I could hire a man to pretend as though he were the owner.”
He laughed, but also, he found this unsavoury. There was no reason why Catherine should have to go to such great lengths to do what she loved. At least, that is what Jasper thought. “You could hire me,” he said playfully, “although I would inform everyone that stepped into the shop that you were the real owner.”
With a laugh, Catherine replied, “That would be most kind of you, but as you know, I am shy and would not care for the attention.”
All this business about shyness was perplexing, for when she was in his company, it was as though Catherine was an open book. He hoped that there was something within his character that brought this out in her, for Jasper felt grateful that she was so open with him.
“Here is the raspberry leaf!” Catherine exclaimed, getting down on her knees and pulling it from the ground. “I truly believe that this can help your mother.”
“She would be most grateful. Sometimes I fear that her fatigue is my fault.”
She looked up at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Jasper had pushed himself into a corner once more. “It is of no importance.”
Catherine fell silent, no doubt sensing that he did not wish to pursue the matter further. Her disposition turned light-hearted yet again. “They say that this can cure many ailments in women. I have known it to be true. I shall make a tincture this very evening so that you can have it tomorrow.”
“That is most kind of you.”
They continued their stroll through the forest and Catherine explained everything as they passed. He found all of this rather amusing and impressive and truly thought that there must be a way for Catherine to obtain everything she wished for in life. Remaining in Bath, becoming an apothecary, finding a husband…
“If you were to sell these, think of what a success you would be,” Jasper went on. “Bath receives many tourists hoping to heal themselves. You are in the perfect place to do exactly what you love.”
Catherine became mournful. “But then…there is what my father has decreed. The time will fly by so fast, and then I shall find myself in London, quite beside myself.”
There was so much that he wished to say in response to this. There was so much that he wished to offer her. But Jasper could do none of this until Catherine knew the full truth about him, which he nearly felt compelled to share with her in that moment.
“Are you hungry?” Catherine asked.
“Famished.”
“There is a beautiful spot just over that rise.”
And indeed, she was right, for there was a lovely clearing in the woods and the chaperone laid out the blanket that she had been carrying all the while. Jasper helped Catherine to sit by holding onto her hand, lowing her. Once she was situated, he sat, delighting in the cool breeze of the woods. Catherine was the one who took all the items out of the picnic basket and laid them on a wooden board. There were meats and cheeses, slices of bread, and even fresh fruits. They tucked into these while Catherine casually spoke.
“I could do this every day,” said she. “There is nothing more splendid than being out in nature. My mother used to love to stroll with me…before the maladies.”
Now, Jasper could not help but ask, “Is it appropriate to ask about these maladies?”
Catherine placed the bit of cheese that was in her hand back upon the wooden board. “It is no secret, really. After having me, my mother was with child…another girl. Sadly, the health of this child was unsound, and it died. Mother’s health suffered as a result, as did her heart and soul. I made her several remedies at the time to help her recover.”
Jasper fell silent. He was not aware of the family tragedy, nor did he enjoy hearing it. In fact, it filled his heart with sadness. This was perhaps the reason why Catherine had devoted herself to her trade. He wished that tragedy had not been the impetus.
“I am very sorry to hear of this,” Jasper replied faintly.
“There is much that can go wrong in life. I know this all too well,” Catherine explained. “And really, all that we must do is persevere. Nature helps us to do that, with the various gifts that she bestows upon us.”
Jasper considered that he was most definitely far gone. Everything that Catherine said, everything that she did, filled him with hope…and longing. For he had to admit to himself that there was a growing longing within him that he could not deny. She was the most real, the most natural lady that he had ever met, and her spirit was incomparable. What was he to do with all of these feelings and sensations within his breast?
Seeing as Jasper had fallen dumb, Catherine went on, “I shall make the tincture for your mother this evening, as promised. And I also have a tea that I will make for you. Is all of this helping?”
Jasper could not help but admit, “You have no idea how much it is all helping.”