Katrina

Chapter Seventeen

Katrina opened her eyes the following morning to find Patrick had almost finished getting dressed.

Remembering the events of the night before, she wasn't sure what to say or how to act, so she lay watching him uncertainly.

He was about to sit down on the edge of the bed to put his boots on, when he realised she was awake.

"Good morning," he said a little warily wondering if she was still talking to him

"Good Morning," she replied shooting him the briefest of smiles

"Am I forgiven?" he then queried.

Katrina sat up, feeling the awkwardness sliding away a little, "Of course, it was not all your fault.. I take some of the blame.. I should not have-"

She did not get any further as Patrick leaned over to put his finger against her lips, silencing her.

"Lets just agree to forget about it, eh?"

Looking into his green eyes she could do nothing else but acquiesce

He finished putting on his boots before turning his attention to her again, He still felt he had to make up to her some way for the previous night

"I have to head into town to do business, the horse fair is on today, I plan to look at what they have, and also to see if I can sell that young chestnut mare, I should get a good price for her."

He reached out, lightly stroking her arm, It was the most intimate gesture they had shared in a while, and Katrina welcomed it

"Why don't you come along? It will get you out of the cottage for a while, you can do some shopping. We make a nice day of it" he suggested, hoping she would see he was trying to reach out to her, to let her see she was part of his life

Katrina's first instinct was to accept his offer. She would like nothing better than to spend the day with him, but then the thought of going into town where there was a chance she would meet with people who knew her, and who knew of her father and her downfall..

She could just imagine the looks and the sly whispering behind her back. So she found herself shaking her head, "No, really you go ahead, I will be alright staying here, I have so much to do" she told him

Patrick didn't reply immediately, instead he studied her face for a moment, "You can't hide here forever you know. You will have to face people sometime," he pointed out gently, "How long is it we have been married...almost five months, and you have never really left the vicinity of the cottage.

Katrina opened her mouth intending to deny this, but the realised she couldn't.

Since she had married Patrick,l she had deliberately avoided going anywhere in public, recalling a few times he had offered to bring her into town with him, but she had made an excuse not to go.

Not that she was ashamed to be seen with him, but the opposite, imagining everyone was talking about her father and her downfall, and what the gossips and locals would be saying about him behind his back, because he had married her.

She had totally immersed herself into her role of being Patrick's wife, looking after the cottage and everything around her, because in doing so, she could block out everything else.

It became a sort of haven, with just his companionship and Myra. It closeted her from facing the outside world, and the shame and disgrace that surrounded her father's death and all that had happened afterwards

"I do understand why you found it easier just to stay here, and I don't blame you" Patrick said, "That's why I decided I would give you all the time you needed, until you felt you could put all the nasty business of your father behind you. You are not to blame for your father's mistakes, you are a victim.. Which brings me back to last night when you accused me of just pitying you"