Courting Miss Greene Ch. 05

"Calm down, Katie," said Lizzy, fighting the urge to turn around. "What makes you think he'd mean any harm?"

"Why, what could a big city gent like him possibly want from a poor village girl like you? He'll rob you of your youth and then he'll cast you aside in favor of his next victim, that's what! Oh, what a horrible fate!" the girl cried. "Though he might pay you for the privilege of taking your virtue," she continued as an afterthought, "in which case you could do worse."

Lizzy gaped at her friend, too shocked for words. When she finally turned around to see who it was, she giggled with relief. "You silly! That's Robert, Ethan's eldest cousin," she said. "Paternal, in the second degree," she added, anticipating Katie's next question.

"Oh?" The other girl fell silent while she processed the information.

Lizzy motioned for Robert to join them. "You weren't shy to meet my friend, were you?" she asked him in a teasing way.

"Surely not," answered Robert, amused by the idea. "I merely wanted to offer you girls an opportunity to catch up." He turned to give the other girl a little bow. "How do you do, Miss...?"

"Just call me 'Katie'," she said, almost losing her balance when she tried to courtesy.

"Pleased to meet you, Katie," replied Robert.

"Are you the one who's engaged?" the girl asked.

"Erm, indeed, I am," confirmed Robert.

"How long has it been?" she continued, always eager for details.

"Oh, a little over a month now," answered Robert, "although things weren't really final until two days ago." He smiled and winked at Lizzy.

Katie's eyes shot from Lizzy to Robert and back to Lizzy again. "Wait a minute," she said, suspicious of the way they looked at each other. "This is not what I think it is, is it?"

Lizzy gave her friend a little smile and lifted her hand so the other girl could see the ring.

Katie covered her mouth, but could not prevent a high-pitched squeal from leaving her throat. "He is engaged to you?" She gasped for breath when Lizzy nodded in confirmation. The thought of her friend being intimate with a much older gentleman made her cringe. "Oh, help! I think I'm about to pee myself!" she cried, pressing her knees together.

Lizzy's eyes widened. "Katie, for heaven's sake!" she cried in shock.

"Please excuse me!" The girl scurried off without another word, leaving the young couple to stare after her with raised eyebrows.

"Surely I'm not that intimidating, am I?" asked Robert when she was out of sight.

"Oh, that's just Katie being Katie," explained Lizzy. "Though sometimes I'm not sure which of us is the sillier one." She gave him an apologetic smile and blushed from embarrassment.

Robert blinked at his fiancée. "Then you must be trying really hard," he said.

"Yeah," she admitted, "but it's all for you, so I don't mind."

"Lizzy..." Robert sighed, remembering the conversation he had with Thomas the night before. "I want you to be comfortable in our relationship," he said. "You don't have to try to be any different from what you are. All I ask for is your love. You know that, don't you?"

"Oh, Robert!" exclaimed Lizzy. "I do know that, but... it's just so hard not to think about what other people might say, and I really wouldn't want my reputation to tarnish yours."

Robert put his hands on her shoulders. "Really, Lizzy! If anyone thinks less of me because they don't appreciate you, they're not the sort of person I wish to associate with. And those I don't associate with... Well, you can't let some faceless crowd terrorize you."

"I hear what you're saying," the girl replied with a pout, "but I don't know how to put it in action."

Robert gave her a warm smile. "Hold your head high and take courage from knowing how much I love you," he suggested.

Lizzy gazed into his eyes and returned his smile. "Hm, I'll try that," she said. "Oh, I almost forgot! Abby says she's sorry she won't be able to join us today after all."

"I know," said Robert.

"I suppose Thomas told you," guessed Lizzy.

"He did."

"Hm, you seem a bit tight-lipped on the subject," the girl observed.

"I'm sorry, baby," apologized Robert. "You know I think the world of Abby. She's your sister after all, and she's been such a good friend to me..."

"But?"

"I don't know if she's really being smart about this," he finished.

Lizzy cringed, sharing his concern. "I'm afraid Abby's in some sort of emotional crisis right now," she said.

"How so?"

"Well, one minute she's all hush-hush about her feelings for Thomas," the girl explained, "and the next she's shouting it from the roof tops."

Robert blinked at her. "The roof tops?" he echoed in astonishment.

"Out the window to be precise," she clarified.

"That doesn't sound like Abby," said Robert.

"Exactly!" agreed Lizzy. "But what really worries me is that she may be doing it to please Thomas."

Robert gaped at her in disbelief. "What? Couldn't you talk her out of it?"

"I tried," said Lizzy with despair in her eyes, "but she was so determined! I think she feels bad about herself because she's been mean to him for so long."

"Well, Thomas would definitely want to know about this," said Robert. "Perhaps if we're lucky, he's still around here somewhere."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "Here?"

Robert gave her a sheepish smile. "I suggested he should bring Abby some chocolates."

Lizzy grabbed Robert's hand and promptly dragged him along with her. "The chocolate stand is this way!"

Lizzy and Robert struggled to make their way across the market. In their haste, the girl was forced to let go of her fiancé in order to squeeze herself through the crowd. Her pulse quickened when she caught sight of the chocolate stand. "Excuse me!" she cried when she reached the stall, waving at the merchant to get his attention.

He turned his head and gave her a polite smile. "Ah! How may I help you, miss?"

Lizzy took a moment to catch her breath. "Did you happen to see a young man by the name of Thomas Clark?" she asked.

The man blinked at her. "I assure you I am quite unable to deduce a person's name just from looking at their face."

The girl shrank where she stood. "Of course. How silly of me!" She let out a nervous giggle and glanced over her shoulder to find Robert maneuvering his large frame past some bystanders. Remembering his advice, Lizzy straightened her back again.

"But I've seen several young men this morning," the merchant continued. "What's your friend supposed to look like?"

"Well, erm, he looks like... him!" she answered, pointing at Robert when he approached the stall. "More or less anyway."

Robert cleared his throat. "We're looking for my little brother," he explained. "Early twenties, about this height." He held his hand at the level of his eyes. "Same hair, same eyes."

The merchant fixed the spectacles on his nose while he peered at Robert's face. "I may have seen him," he said. "But he was still a boy, really. Couldn't stop talking about his girl. Every time he opened his mouth it was 'my love' this and 'my love' that."

"That's Thomas alright," said Robert. "When did he leave?"

"About ten or fifteen minutes ago," the man answered. "Seemed to be in a great hurry too." He leaned towards the pair and lowered his voice. "Probably didn't want to keep her waiting, if you know what I mean." He gave them a wink and chuckled.

Robert cringed and turned to Lizzy. "Do you think we could still catch up with him?"

"Ha! If you run like the wind!" the merchant cried before the girl could answer. "He dashed off like a hare in the woods. Didn't even wait for his change. Maybe you could give it to him when you do meet up."

"Keep it," said Robert, taking Lizzy by the arm.

"You sure?" The merchant rummaged through his coin box. "That young fool won't be able to bring his love many more presents, throwing around his money like that." He chuckled and looked up again, but the couple had already left. "My, my..." He shook his head and sighed. "Young people nowadays!"

On their way to the Greene home Lizzy urged Robert to go on in advance, knowing he would be faster without her. The girl had just reached the front yard of her house when her fiancé returned. "Did you see him?" she asked, although she already knew the answer from the expression on his face.

Robert shook his head. "The window is shut and the curtains are drawn," he answered with a sigh, "which means he must be inside already."

Lizzy gasped for breath and blushed.

Robert frowned. "The room, I mean," he clarified.

The girl let out a nervous giggle. "Well, of course! I knew that," she said without much conviction.

"But it can't have been long," continued Robert. "They're probably still just getting cozy with each other. Maybe I could make some noise to draw his attention."

"To do what?" asked Lizzy. "You won't be able to talk to Thomas without Abby knowing. She'll be furious if she finds out we're sticking our nose into her business."

Robert pursed his lips. "Yes, she's an adult after all," he said, remembering his own words. "If only I could have talked to Thomas first..." Robert slapped his face and cursed under his breath. "Why didn't we come here straight away in the first place?" he asked. "Maybe then we could have made it in time."

Lizzy's heart stopped for a moment. "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"

"Or we could have split up to increase our chances," continued Robert. He clenched his fists and cursed again while he kicked at a pebble, sending it across the pavement.

Lizzy blinked at her fiancé, taken aback by his frustration. She had never seen him like this before. The girl swallowed hard, unsettled by the change in his energy. "Oh, Robert," she said. "In hindsight there are so many things we could have done different, but it's no use talking like that or you'll end up wishing you could start your whole life all over again. Just tell yourself you'll do better next time and not to make the same mistake twice."

Robert stared at her for a moment, struck speechless before a smile crept across his face.

"Why are you smiling like that?" asked Lizzy. "Am I being silly again?"

"No, not at all," said Robert. "I should thank you, baby. I'm feeling calmer already." He straightened his back and took a deep breath.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Lizzy. "But what about Abby and Thomas? Are we supposed to just walk away now?"

Robert thought for a moment. "I know it's hard to let go," he said, "but you couldn't get through to Abby and now I can't warn Thomas either." He looked up at the house. "What do you suppose is the worst thing that could happen?" he asked.

"The worst thing?" Lizzy cringed when she pondered the question. "The worst thing would be Thomas unintentionally raping Abby," she answered, "but I don't believe that would happen."

"Neither do I," agreed Robert, "and I'm not just saying that because he's my little brother. He loves her enough to put her needs before his own. I'm absolutely certain of that."

"So we should put our faith in Thomas?" asked Lizzy, accepting Robert's arm when he offered it to her.

"Yes," he answered, leading away his fiancée. "I have faith that young rascal will handle things like a man." Robert cast one last glance over his shoulder. "If he can keep his wits about him that is," he mumbled under his breath.