Three Days Later – December 27

Kalinna yawned as she grumpily rolled over, and tried to block out the sunlight coming from the windows. The drapes had been opened by a maid just moments earlier and the request had come from the Dowager for Kalinna to join her for breakfast. Yet all she wanted to do was bury herself in the pillows and forget what had happened a couple nights ago.

The image of Justin’s face came back to haunt her, and with a huff, she rolled out of bed, donned her dressing gown and slippers, and went to sit at her vanity. She took a brush to her long hair as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Green eyes, a freckled face, and lips turned down in a frown stared back at her, and with a roll of her eyes, she threw down the brush and crossed the room to ring the bell for the maid.

The maid came almost immediately and it was about ten minutes later that Kalinna was dressed in a pretty day dress of spring green, made of calico, with bell sleeves, a scooping neckline, and straight, simple skirts. Slippers adorned her feet and her hair was pulled up in a simple knot at the top of her head, small tendrils of hair escaping to rest against her cheeks and neck.

Kalinna slowly made her way to the formal breakfast room, which was decorated with a mahogany table and matching chairs, two tall cupboards, three smaller ones and a small hutch in one corner. A long Persian rug was placed over the finished hardwood floor, the walls papered in a muted beige with small rose buds, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Three tall windows lined two sides of the room and were draped in a light green that matched the rosebud leaves on the wallpaper. All in all, this was one of Kalinna’s favorite rooms.

“Good morning my dear,” Violet Wickham stated the moment she laid eyes on her granddaughter, “How did you sleep?”

“Very well, thank you,” Kalinna quietly replied as she allowed Sanford, one of the servants, to pull out a chair for her and seat her at the table.

“And you are feeling better? No more awful headaches like the one you had at the Christmas Eve ball?” the Dowager prompted.

“Not a single headache since then,” Kalinna stated as she looked down at the empty plate that sat before her. She hated lying to Violet, especially since the old lady seemed to have a keen sense for when something was amiss.

However, there was no way she was going to tell the former duchess that she had spent a couple months on a ship with one Duke of Schellden. A man who was supposedly one of the most eligible bachelors of high society. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell anybody that that same man had kissed her.

Violet had asked after her health each morning for the past three days, which led Kalinna to believe that the elder lady knew something had transpired that the young woman was not talking about. But Violet did not directly come out and ask Kalinna what the problem was, and the young lady was certainly not going to offer any information at this point in time. So they just continued to skirt around the problem.

“Sanford, please make Kalinna a plate for breakfast,” the Dowager stated a moment later to the serving man who had gone to stand in one corner of the room after seating Kalinna at the table.

“Right away my lady,” the middle-aged man responded as he turned to Kalinna, “And what will you be drinking with the morning meal my lady? Tea? Juice?”

“Orange juice will do just fine, thank you Sanford,” Kalinna said, giving the middle-aged man a genuine smile. With a blush, he quickly left the room for the kitchen.

“I was thinking that perhaps today, we shall attend an opera. I know your aunt, uncle and I have kept you terribly busy the past year, introducing you around to friends and acquaintances that you have not had much time to yourself,” Violet began, buttering a biscuit as she spoke and training her eyes on the young woman who sat to her immediate right, “Does that agree with you?”

“Oh, I would like that very much,” Kalinna enthusiastically responded, “I have always wanted to go to an opera, but my father would never allow it. He said it was a sin to attend.”

“Nonsense,” the Dowager said with a shake of her head, “The true sin would be to turn a deaf ear to popular culture. I believe you will greatly enjoy the opera.”

“I am sure that I will,” Kalinna said as Sanford came back with her glass of juice and a full plate of food, “Will my aunt and uncle be attending as well?”

“Your uncle has some business to attend to for the evening, I’m afraid, however, I believe your aunt and cousin are going to join us for the evening once your cousin arrives home,” Violet explained as she smiled.

“Benton is coming home from school?” Kalinna questioned, referring to the 24-year old cousin who had just finished his last year at Oxford and was returning to help his father manage the estates.

“Yes my dear,” Violet responded as she turned her attention back to her food, “Do not be worried, you will take an instant liking to Benton, as I’m sure he will take an instant liking to you. And perhaps he can help ward away those suitors who do not meet your fancy.”

Before Kalinna could even begin to think of a reply to her grandmother’s comment, Sanford reappeared in the room carrying a tray with a letter. It was addressed to Kalinna, and the handwriting quickly gave way to the fact that it was from a gentleman. The young woman had to refrain from rolling her eyes, wondering if she had yet another admirer writing her sappy love poems.

“My lady, this letter has just arrived for you. And I was told that the messenger needs a reply to take back to his master,” Sanford announced as he approached the table and held the tray out to the young miss.

Hesitantly, Kalinna picked up the parchment from the tray, her eyes widening as she noticed the official-looking seal that kept the single page folded together. It was from the Duke of Schellden. Lord in heavens, what could he want with her now? Especially when she specifically told him to stay away from her.

She quickly broke the seal and began to read the letter, not noticing the curious look her grandmother was sending in her direction. She was shocked at the young duke’s bold request for her to accompany him to the opera tonight, as if she could forgive and forget all the lies that had fallen so easily from his lips over a year ago.

“Who is it from my dear?” Violet questioned, her eyes sparkling with excitement, “Do you have another admirer? Hopefully this one will not send you one of those awful poems.” Kalinna didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her grandmother’s absurd statement.

“The Duke of Schellden has asked me to accompany him to the opera tonight,” she finally stated, her voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

“The Duke of Schellden? Christina’s son has shown some interest in you, why my dear, that is absolutely wonderful. He is such a magnificent young man,” Violet began, clapping her hands together like a young child, “Your mother used to be best friends with Christina, and I remember the two of them talking about that when they had children…”

“I am not going,” Kalinna interrupted, staring stonily at her half-empty plate.

“What? My dear, why on earth not?” the Dowager questioned, fully confused, “I am aware that the two of you danced at the Christmas Eve Ball, and seemed to like each other well enough, if not more. What has you so dead-set against accompanying the duke?”

The young woman did not know how to answer her grandmother’s question. Should she tell the truth and risk alienating her grandmother and the rest of her relatives? Or would it be better to come up with some sort of lie to throw them off track for now?

Kalinna sighed.

“I would rather spend time getting to know my cousin,” she quickly supplied as her grandmother continued to study her, “And the duke is too arrogant for my tastes.”

The Dowager burst out laughing at her granddaughter’s last statement on the Duke of Schellden’s arrogance. It was true, the man had too much pride for one human being, and he could be insufferable at times, but it was not like Kalinna could not handle him. If anything, she could probably put him in his place with her sharp tongue and dazzling wit.

“My dear, the duke will only be as arrogant as you allow him. Use that head of yours and put him in his place. Lord knows he deserves it once in awhile,” Violet finally stated after she had gotten her laughter under control, “You cannot have me believing that that is the sole reason you mean to snub your nose at one of the most handsome, eligible bachelors out there.”

Kalinna gritted her teeth in order to refrain from breaking down and telling her grandmother the true story of what had transpired between her and Justin Timberlake, Duke of Schellden. Thankfully her aunt and cousin chose that moment to enter the room, thus saving Kalinna from answering the Dowager’s questions.

Benton Wickham was an exact replica of his father, Colin. With a dark head of straight hair, boyish grin, tall lean frame complete with broad shoulders, and a determined stride there was no doubt that he was his father’s son. His eyes, however, were his mother’s, a sparkling blue fringed with dark lashes.

“Why Benton, we weren’t expecting you for another few hours,” Violet said as she quickly got to her feet and went to envelop the tall, lean figure that was Kalinna’s cousin, “How was the trip home?”

“Dull and boring as usual,” Benton grumbled, grinning as he gave his grandmother a great big bear hug before turning his attention to Kalinna, who had gotten up from her chair, “And you must be Kalinna.”

“Yes…” was all the young woman could manage to get out before Benton pulled her in for a tight hug. Laughing, she hugged him back with all her might before they stepped apart.

“Welcome to this crazy bunch of people I call family,” the young man stated as he dropped an arm casually about her shoulders.

“The only crazy person around here is you my dear,” Rachel told her son with a roll of her eyes.

“And I love you too mother,” Benton retorted, gazing down at Kalinna with laughing eyes, “Now what is this my mother tells me about attending the opera tonight? Am I to be your escort then?”

Before Kalinna could open her mouth to reply in the affirmative, the letter from the Duke of Schellden completely forgotten, the Dowager quickly piped up with her own response.

“I hope you are not too disappointed to hear that our Kalinna will be accompanying the Duke of Schellden to the opera this evening,” Violet coyly responded, “I trust you remember him from earlier school days?”

“Why yes, Justin and I go way back. In fact, if I remember correctly, he, Anthony Maddox, and I used to pull these pranks on…” Benton began, but was sharply cut off by an elbow in the side from the cousin he had just met. Rachel and Violet just chose to ignore the misdeeds the young man had been about to reveal.

“And you have accepted his invitation?” Rachel questioned her niece, her eyes lighting up in excitement precisely the way the Dowager’s had done minutes earlier.

“Well I…” Kalinna began, chewing her lip in thought.

“Of course she will accept. There is no better man I know than Justin Timberlake,” Benton stated, then grinned, “Unless I count myself, in which case, he is the second best man of my acquaintance.”

“Benton, I do believe your head has grown since you last came home,” Rachel teased her only son, grinning as he pretended to be offended.

“My dear mother, you are getting as bad as that sister of mine,” Benton retorted as he and Rachel joined Violet and Kalinna at the breakfast table for a meal, “And speaking of which, how is Georgiana doing these days?”

“She and Caleb have been busy taking care of their two children,” Rachel responded, referring to her other child, Benton’s older sister Georgiana, “They will be back to ring in the new year with us as they are visiting Caleb’s family for a few days.”

“You will like Georgiana immensely,” Benton stated, turning to Kalinna as he spoke, “And if you ask her any question about married life, she will surely have an answer.” Kalinna felt the blood drain from her face at that comment.

“Hold your tongue Benton,” Violet sharply instructed as she noticed the strained look on her granddaughter’s face, “Now Kalinna, I believe you are keeping the duke’s messenger waiting. Perhaps you should reply to the gentleman’s letter.”

“Yes,” Kalinna faintly responded, not quite knowing what else to say.

“Good girl,” Violet said with a reassuring smile.

“You let me know if he so much steps one toe out of line, you hear me Kalinna?” Benton stated, grinning, “I will be more than happy to stick up for your honor, even if that means dueling with one of my old friends.”

Laughter rang out through the room, cutting through the tension and lifting everybody’s spirits. Kalinna got off a quick reply to Justin’s messenger, who immediately left for his master’s home. She then returned her attention to her breakfast, her hands shaking, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

Kalinna nervously fidgeted as she sat and allowed the maid to curl and style her hair a couple hours later. A beautiful ball gown of sage green silk, complete with matching shoes and hair ornaments, hung in plain view of the young miss, reminding her exactly where she was going that night, and exactly who she was going with.

“Kalinna, dear, if you stop fidgeting for one moment, I believe Alice will be able to finish with your hair in less time,” the kind voice of her Aunt Rachel stated into the silence.

The older woman stood in the doorway, dressed in a fine gown of dark blue silk, her dark locks piled above her head in a demur, but attractive style. Beautiful diamonds hung at her throat and sparkled in the soft lighting of Kalinna’s bedroom. The young woman immediately beckoned her aunt in, and the elder quickly came and sat near her niece, who was now chewing thoughtfully on her lip.

“Don’t be nervous my dear,” Rachel reassured Kalinna as she gave the young woman a bright smile, “You are so much like your mother that I have no doubt that you will sweep the duke off his feet. I remember going to a ball and saw your mother, who was holding the attention of almost every eligible gentleman who was there that evening.” Kalinna tried to laugh, but it came out something like a choked sob.

“I don’t want to sweep him off his feet,” Kalinna admitted with a sigh as the maid finished her hair, “Aunt Rachel, can I tell you something?”

“Why of course my dear, Alice, will you give us a moment?” Rachel responded; the maid immediately left the room and shut the door as she left, “Now tell me what is on your mind. Does this have to do with the duke?”

“Yes, everything,” Kalinna whispered.

“Come, sit with me Kalinna,” Rachel coaxed, patting the empty spot next to her on the two-person loveseat. The young woman immediately obeyed.

“Uncle and I have had numerous talks about the months that I was gone before I came to stay here,” Kalinna bravely began as she took a deep breath.

And with that, the whole entire story tumbled out. Kalinna told her aunt of her adventures as pirate Justin Timberlake’s cabin boy. How she had disguised herself as a boy, fooled everybody aboard the ship, dueled with French pirates, almost drowned, and how they had all discovered she was a girl. She didn’t leave anything out. And with cheeks flaming, the last thing she told her aunt was of the kiss she had shared with Justin the night before she had left to head back to England.

“I just recently discovered that the pirate Justin Timberlake, and Justin Timberlake, Duke of Schellden are one and the same,” Kalinna concluded with a frown, “Now I don’t know what to believe about the man, and I certainly am not comfortable accompanying him to the opera this evening.”

“Oh my dear, why did you not speak up earlier?” Rachel questioned, hugging her niece close, “I have known Justin since he was a lad, and I can assure you that he is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He may have too much pride and he may be arrogant as all hell, but underneath it all, he has a good heart.”

“I hope you are right,” was all Kalinna could manage.

Twenty minutes later saw Kalinna walking down the grand staircase of her uncle’s house to meet Justin, who, she had been told, had arrived a few moments earlier. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and practically clutched the stair railing to steady herself. Her cousin was talking with Justin as she descended, but as soon as they caught sight of her, their conversation ceased. She immediately felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

Justin knew that his jaw was practically on the floor as he watched Kalinna descend the staircase. He couldn’t help it. Her beauty just took his breath away.

Hesitantly, he walked forward to meet her at the bottom of the staircase and held out his arm for her. He was thankful when she took it, and he risked a short glance down at her. He was surprised to see her face turned toward his, studying him, an unreadable expression on her face.

“You look beautiful tonight Miss Kalinna,” he quietly told her, tightening his hold on her arm as he spoke, “I do hope that you will enjoy the evening.”

“I am sure that I will your Grace,” the young woman softly responded, after she had finally torn her eyes from the handsome man’s face.

“I trust we shall see each other at the opera then?” Benton stated, reminding the pair that they were not alone in the hallway, “And Justin, you better take care of her, or I swear…”

“Well, we are off then, and shall see you later,” Justin states as he quickly shook Benton’s hand, and received a warning look from the younger man.

After helping Kalinna into her cloak, and buttoning his outer jacket back up, Justin held open the front door for the young woman, and escorted her to his carriage, where he immediately helped her in. Once the two were comfortably settled across from each other, Justin immediately pulled a blanket from beneath one of the seats and handed it to Kalinna.

“So you don’t catch a chill,” Justin stated when he saw her questioning look.

“Thank you,” she softly responded as the carriage began to move and headed in the direction of the lavish opera house.

Silence descended over them as Kalinna focused her gaze out the window, on the ceiling, to her fingernails…anywhere but the handsome man across from her whom she still had no idea what to make of. From his position, Justin could tell that the young lady was uncomfortable in his presence. If only they could have met under different circumstances. In his eyes she would make the perfect…

“Why did you lie to me?” Kalinna abruptly questioned, fixing an intense green-eyed stare in his direction.

Justin felt his throat constrict at the direct question. What could he tell her? He could, in no way, risk blowing the cover he had worked so hard to craft for the benefit of the English government. But he also could not keep her in the dark for much longer, or else he would risk losing her.

He scowled. Losing her? She was not, by any means, his to lose. He was stupid to think that just because he had spent months with her on a pirate ship, and had helped her discover her true heritage, that he had any claim to her.

A sigh escaped the young woman’s lips, her patience beginning to wear thin as the silence continued to stretch on in the carriage. Just as Justin was about to open his lips with a short explanation, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the opera house and they had no choice but to remove themselves from the quiet solitude the short ride had provided.

“You are not going to answer me, are you?” Kalinna questioned as she allowed the duke to help her alight and quickly pulled her arm from his once her feet had reached solid ground. They quickly walked into the warm air of the opera house.

“Kalinna, please…” Justin began, but was cut off.

“Justin, my dear, I had no idea you were in town for the holidays!” a young woman dressed in a beautiful red dress, blonde hair piled high, cried as she rushed over and threw her arms around the tall man’s neck.

“Nice to see you too Penelope,” Justin grunted in annoyance.

“And who is this lovely lady?” the chatty blonde questioned as she turned a blue-eyed gaze to Kalinna, who stood silently next to the duke.

“Penelope, this is Kalinna Davenport, the niece of the Duke of Barclay,” Justin began as he once again tucked Kalinna’s arm into his, “Kalinna, this is my cousin Penelope Sutherland, wife of the Viscout of Rye.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Kalinna politely murmured as she gave the young woman a small curtsey.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” Penelope happily responded as she dipped into a quick curtsey of her own, “We must get together some time and do lunch. I had heard that you have only been in London a year, and still have not seen all the sites. I am told that I am an excellent guide.”

“I’m sure that will all be just wonderful my dear cousin, but we must hurry and take our seats so that we do not miss the opening of the opera,” Justin interceded, much to Kalinna’s relief, “Tell your husband I am sorry I missed him, and we shall see you later.”

Before Penelope had a chance to reply, Justin quickly steered Kalinna in the direction of his private box, where they were helped out of their outer wrappings and sat down. Justin still had not bothered to explain anything to Kalinna, and by that point, the young woman was highly annoyed with him.

The entire first act passed by in a blur. But Kalinna was not really enjoying herself, due solely to the fact that she was sitting next to the most irritating, arrogant, and prideful man she had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

As the curtains closed, signaling the twenty-minute intermission between acts, Kalinna was shocked to find herself being pulled to her feet. Wordlessly, Justin practically dragged her out of their private booth, down the hall, and to a secluded corner of a deserted hallway. Once they had stopped, Kalinna immediately yanked her hand from the duke’s strong grip and glared daggers at him.

“What is the meaning of this?!?” she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes emitted emerald fire, “You sir, are way out of line. Kindly take me to my aunt’s booth right this minute.”

“Not until we talk,” Justin stubbornly responded, his blue eyes icy, “You wanted an explanation, well that is precisely what you are going to get.”

“You dragged me all the way out here so that you could explain yourself? Are you that embarrassed of yourself that you can’t risk being overheard by some silly gossiper?” the young woman spat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Justin saw somebody running towards him, a sword drawn. Without thinking, he pushed Kalinna behind him, drew his sword, and parried with the attacker just in time.

Angrily, Justin fought his attacker, wanting nothing more than to get back to talking with Kalinna. Kalinna, with her expressive green eyes. Kalinna with her sharp tongue and quick smile. Kalinna who…was attacking the masked man!

Justin felt his throat go dry as he noticed Kalinna advancing on the man he was fighting, a serving tray clutched in her hand. Without thinking, Justin quickly increased the intensity of the attack so his opponent had to concentrate solely on the swordplay. He never saw the tray coming his way, and quickly slumped into unconsciousness.

Justin and Kalinna stood staring each other down, the former breathing from the exertion of the fight, the latter biting her lip and deep in thought. Without a word, Justin quickly held out his hand to Kalinna, snapping her out of her train of thoughts. She silently accepted.

“I think it is time that I told you the truth,” Justin wearily stated as he sheathed his sword and lead her away from the unconscious body of the attacker, which he would have his driver take care of.

As they came to stand at the end of the hallway, the lively sounds of the opera distant and muted, the entire story began to tumble out of Justin’s lips. Starting from the very beginning, when the English government had first discovered something was amiss, to his becoming involved, to the clues that pointed to Kalinna’s father, and finally, the missing Barclay emeralds.

“You mean to say my father…” Kalinna trailed off, shocked.

“Yes, we believe your father is behind much of this,” Justin confirmed, rubbing a soothing hand down her back as she struggled to comprehend all that he had told her in the past ten minutes.

“That explains why he seemed to want to get me married off in a hurry,” Kalinna mused with a roll of her eyes, “I should have realized that he would look for some other way to line his coffers than just giving me away in marriage.”

“Kalinna, I know this is all a shock to you, but you must promise that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone,” Justin suddenly stated as the young woman began to drift off into her thoughts again, “Your uncle has been informed of what is going on, but still, you must never mention this to anybody, is that clear?”

“Let me help,” she simply replied.

“What?”

“I said let me help. I can disguise myself as a boy again, sneak around, get information for you,” Kalinna suggested, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Absolutely not,” Justin ground out, scowling, “I will put you in that kind of danger.”

“You already did before,” Kalinna reminded him. Justin sighed.

“That was before I knew who you were and before I knew that you were not a boy,” the duke reminded her; she merely rolled her eyes at him.

“That does not matter. You have seen my skill with a sword, and you know for a fact that I am quite capable of going around unnoticed,” Kalinna continued, “Now please, this is my father we are talking about. Let me do something.”

Justin sighed. He knew that letting Kalinna help was going way beyond his better judgment. But he had left his better judgment at the door when he had opened his mouth and told her everything.

“Fine, you may help,” he responded, “But only when I say so.”

“Thank you,” Kalinna breathed, grinning, “I won’t let you down.”

That’s exactly what he was afraid of…