Emma made me do it

Chapter 17

The letter was nothing important, the maid could've waited and she did not need to interupt the moment before.
At least that was what Kat thought when she opened it to find just a measly invitation to a Christmas ball. She scoffed when the letter was opened and Eric frowned at her before continuing to read it out loud.

"I do not see why this was particularly important."
She huffed.

"Well it just so happens that my cousins ball is taking place exactly on the date that we are to pass through their town on our way home and they are offering us a place to stay afterwards."
He informed her.

"Yes well I was having fun before and the maid had to come and ruin it."
She hadn't realised the weight of her words until they had spilled out of her mouth but she kept a cool persona even though on the inside she was scolding herself for admitting it.

Eric raised his brows and cleared his throat.
"Well we could always..."
He stepped closer to Kat who was leaning against the arm chair of a sofa with her arms crossed and a smug smile plastered across her face.
"...continue what we were doing before."
His voice was low and his head was inching towards hers and Kat found it very tempting to just reach up and place her lips on his, but she wanted to have a bit of fun. She looked at his lips and felt her heart burn in her chest and she looked into his eyes and felt herself getting closer...

But then she quickly put on her signature smirk back on and ducked under his arm.
"I would but you see the moment is gone."
She shrugged her shoulders as if to apologize for something that was a funny accident and walked backwards with her hands behind her back demurely, to watch his reaction. He rolled his eyes.
"Always a jokester, Katherine."
He began to walk out of the drawing room before Kat stepped in front of his way stopping him.

She looked down at her feet in a fake coy way.
"Well I guess I could be persuaded..."
She looked up to Eric who raised his brows and crossed his arms.
"Really?"
He pretended to think as he stroked his chin, now he was teasing her. A wide grin split on her face and she pulled his face down to hers with his neck kerchief and placed her lips upon his softly. His arms wrapped around her waist just as they were yet again interrupted by a maid, this time the old house keeper who reminded them that luncheon was served in the dining hall, the fact that the young couple was embracing did not seem to bother her, but her sudden interruption seemed to bother Eric as he removed his arms swiftly from around Kats waist and cleared his throat when he strode out of the room far too quickly for her taste.
~~~
Lord Eric Hartford was certainly a puzzle. He ate his lunch in silence and seemed almost embarrassed to interact with Kat normally after any romantic moment happened between them. It frustrated her that they were always dodging around each others feelings, but she wasn't helping either.  She had to admit she was rather embarrassed to admit she had any feelings but it seemed almost childish to dodge around it now that they were married.

Kat didn't realise that as she had been deep in thought, she had been staring at Eric as he ate his lunch, in a rather aggressive way. He only noticed when he picked up his spoon and put it to his mouth. He paused and looked at her with a puzzled expression before putting his spoon back down.
"Why are you glaring at me?"

Kat snapped out of her trance like state and looked down at her soup.
"I do not know."
She ditched the spoon and grabbed the bowl, gulping it down as if she was a weary traveller in desperate need of water, and then marched out of the dining room and out the door to the gardens. She didn't notice the faces of everyone who saw her unladylike display, she was too preoccupied with her thoughts as she plopped down in a pile of leaves and stayed there for a good hour or two.