Have Hope

Chapter 15

"Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." Louise L. Hay, You Can Heal Your Life

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Chapter Fifteen

They had been in the carriage for near three hours. Kit would have been anxious to stretch his legs and regain feeling in his buttocks were he not so excited to arrive at their destination. He wanted to surprise Olivia. He wanted to thank her.

And, if he were being honest, he wanted to set in motion the notion of courtship. Where on earth was he ever going to meet a girl like Olivia? There were none so intelligent or passionate, and hardly any as pretty as she was.

The idea had never been settled, not really. But how could it not be on both of their minds? It seemed to be on everyone else's. It angered him greatly whenever he heard unkind whispers about Olivia's role within Kit's camp.

Kit was attracted by Olivia's character and countenance, but he would be lying if he said that he was not more so by her appearance. And she looked especially beautiful tonight. She was wearing the same red dress that she had been wearing at the Hadley's the other night. He liked that dress, and thought it suited her well. Red was her colour.

Twice they had nearly kissed and each time Olivia had displayed such hesitation. Kit wanted to quell all thoughts of hesitation and encourage her affection.

"Where on earth are you taking me?" Olivia demanded to know playfully. It was now dark out. She could not tell where they were by the appearances of the towns they travelled through.

"You shall see," he replied coyly. "I wrote to my mother today," he informed her, knowing the subject would distract Olivia.

It succeeded. Olivia's eyes widened and warmed as she smiled with pride. "You did?"

Olivia had informed him after having left the Hadley's that her Aunt Lorna had included news of his mother in her letter. Kit had immediately felt a pang of guilt for having left her without even word of his safe arrival in Hertford.

No matter his quarrel with his father, Kit owed his dear mother a letter. Having just defended her honour in the Hadley's dining room, Kit was fresh with regard for her and sat down to pen a letter to her earlier that afternoon.

Kit had been quite at a loss at what to say to her except for that he was safe and well, and that he thought of them often. It was the truth. Kit often thought of his family. He missed his sisters dearly. After having been away at Cambridge for so long, spending merely the summer with them had not been enough to satisfy his need to spend time with them. Kit even missed his father. Of course Kit missed Cassian, but he could not bring himself to ask after him. He could only pray that his father had recovered well from his surgery and was back working.

After all, Cassian has not been the one to inquire after him. Father and son were both as stubborn as the other.

"I forget how our mother's worry," he said thoughtlessly.

Olivia's face dropped ever so slightly, and Kit knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing. She had said once that she would tell him of her mother in time. He hoped tonight would be the night.

Olivia quickly composed herself, and returned to playfully questioning him about their destination.

The lights of London soon betrayed him. The carriage took them to the eastern end of the Strand, to the Groves Restaurant. Kit was not one for fine dining, but he was told that for a guinea, one could receive one of the best meals in London at this establishment.