Kent Ashton's Backstory (Prequel to Catching Kent) Read online

  Kent

  Ashton’s

  Backstory

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Kent Ashton’s Backstory – Smashwords Edition

  Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at Smashwords

  Copyright © 2013 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime.com and iStockphoto.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Ruth Ann Nordin Books

  http://www.ruthannnordin.com

  Cover Photo image Dreamstime.com via Andrey Kiselev. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Also Available: Catching Kent

  Also Available: Falling In Love With Her Husband

  List of Romances by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Dedication

  Dedication: To Jennifer Karonika Kominczak for asking me about Kent after reading Falling In Love With Her Husband. Because of you, I got the inspiration for this novella, and it was nice to see how everything really played out in Virginia. Many thanks!

  Chapter One

  September 1899

  Virginia

  “Do I have to go?” Kent Ashton asked his parents as the horse carriage swayed gently from side to side.

  His father grumbled in irritation. “We’ve already been over this. The Johnsons are a good family, the kind of family you’d do well to associate with. After the grief you caused us in New York, the least you can do is show us enough respect to please this family. Mr. Johnson is a shrewd businessman. He owns most of this town. If you make a good impression, he might hire you when you’re done with your schooling.”

  “And after learning that your grandfather has left us next to nothing, we need the money,” his mother added.

  His father’s jaw clenched. “Your grandfather was a fool. I can’t believe he squandered all of his money on bad investments. If he wasn’t dead, I’d…” He glanced at Kent and cleared his throat. “Never mind all that. We’re here for a new start. We have meager funds, but they won’t last long. I mean it, Kent. Don’t tell anyone about our dire straits.”

  His mother opened her fan and waved it. “You can’t have us living as paupers, son. It’s best Wilma is back in New York.”

  “So you’re saying I can’t marry someone I love?” Kent asked, hiding the bitterness in his tone as much as he could.

  “Wilma came from a family of few means,” his father barked, his eyebrows furrowed. “If you want to marry for love, then choose a lady who happens to come from wealth. One lady is as good as another.”

  No, one lady wasn’t as good as another. Wilma had been the only one who’d loved him for himself. She’d seen past the riches his family had enjoyed. She’d been like a breath of fresh air. And now she was married to someone else, thanks to the way his parents manipulated things.

  Kent looked out the carriage window, not really seeing the houses as the driver directed the horses down the street. He couldn’t bear to make eye contact with his parents right now. Not when he might give away his resentment. Nothing would make a difference at this point. He couldn’t change the past. All he could do was continue on with his life and make the best of it.

  The carriage came to a stop, and the driver opened the door. His parents left the carriage first, and he reluctantly joined them. Before him stood one of the finest houses he’d ever seen. Mr. Johnson was definitely a wealthy man.

  “Let’s not keep him waiting,” his father said and took his mother by the arm.

  Kent straightened his hat and frock coat. They climbed the steps to the porch, and he clasped his hands in front of him as his father knocked on the door. He closed his eyes, hoping tonight would go well. As the butler answered the door, he opened his eyes and forced a smile.

  “Good evening,” the butler greeted, his tone solemn. “May I ask your name, sir?”

  “We are the Ashtons,” his father replied. “Mr. Johnson invited us to dinner.”

  “Please enter.” The butler moved aside and waited until they stepped into the entryway before leading them to the formal parlor. “You may wait here while I notify Mr. Johnson that you have arrived.”

  Kent joined his parents and entered the large room.

  “My goodness,” his mother whispered in excitement. “Look at the fine furniture. This chair alone must have cost a fortune!” She ran her hand along the velvet pink fabric on the arm of the chair. “I’ve only dreamed of owning such a luxurious item.”

  Kent rolled his eyes and sat in another chair. He tuned his parents out as they gushed over the other expensive items in the room and made plans on what they would buy once he secured their financial standing.

  Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the butler returned, bringing Mr. Johnson, his wife, and daughter with him. As the butler left, Kent rose to his feet. He waited to be introduced to the man his father believed to be the most prominent man in town. Mr. Johnson introduced his wife, and Kent made sure to compliment her on her dress as his parents had instructed.

  “This is my daughter, Rebecca,” Mr. Johnson said.

  Kent ignored his father’s smile. He knew what his father was thinking. Rebecca was his age, or at least close to it, and if Kent could be Mr. Johnson’s son-in-law, then the plan would be a sure thing. Kent made eye contact with his father and gave a slight shake of his head. His father shrugged and turned his attention back to Mr. Johnson. Kent placed his hands behind his back and clasped them, squeezing as hard as he could so he wouldn’t give away his irritation.

  “Dinner is ready,” the butler announced, approaching them.

  “Good,” Mr. Johnson said with a wide smile. ”I hope you like lobster. We had them brought in fresh this morning.”

  “We love lobster,” his father replied, shooting Kent a meaningful look. “We’re fortunate to be here tonight.”

  “That we are,” Kent’s mother added, appearing way too happy about the evening.

  “Good,” Mr. Johnson said. “Then follow us into the dining room.”

  Kent sighed, thinking this was going to be a long and tiring evening.

  ***

  “Make sure you don’t do anything to ruin that suit,” his father said as he entered Kent’s bedchamber the next morning. “You’re too tall to wear your old pair of pants, and I can’t afford to buy you
a new pair.”

  Kent looked away from the wardrobe mirror and finished adjusting his tie. “I won’t let anything happen to these pants.”

  His father approached him and lowered his voice. “I did a lot of thinking last night, and marriage would be prudent. You need a good job, of course, but a lady’s dowry would go a long way to securing our wealth. Keep that in mind when you attend your classes today.”

  “I understand.” Hopefully, there would be someone there who would make him and his parents happy. “It doesn’t have to be Mr. Johnson’s daughter, does it?”

  “No. I don’t care who she is as long as she comes from a wealthy family.”

  Kent breathed a sigh of relief. At least, he’d have a choice.

  “Now, this particular school I’m sending you to is one of the best Virginia has to offer,” his father continued. “I had to use most of my money to secure a position for you there. All the ladies will bring a good amount of money into this house. If you could secure a marriage by spring, we won’t face bankruptcy.”

  Kent glanced at the calendar. It was October. Seven months. How was he going to pick a lady who both appealed to him and had money in such a short time?

  His father patted him on the shoulder. “Your mother and I are counting on you. Don’t disappoint us.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Come along.” He stepped toward the door. “You’ll ride with me in the carriage. We’ll stop by your school before I tend to my business.”

  Kent gave one last look at his reflection. He could do this. And he would do it because he had to. Straightening his suit jacket, he followed his father out of his bedchamber. After their butler handed them their coats, they bid Kent’s mother a good day and went to the carriage.

  The ride to his new school was an awkward one. He never knew what to say to his father, and he learned long ago that silence was better than inadvertently saying something wrong. He stared out the window and noted his surroundings. This was his new home. New York was a long ways off, and all the things that happened there were in the past.

  The carriage came to a stop and he took a moment to examine the large brick school at the end of a winding path. Entering the school were several young ladies who looked promising. The driver opened the door, and Kent stepped onto the path, not bothering to look back at his father. Only time would tell which lady he’d end up marrying.

  ***

  The day had gone better than Kent expected. He wasn’t sure if the other students would welcome him since he was new, but they had greeted him willingly enough. Perhaps living here wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  During lunch, he kept his distance so he could watch the others, especially the young ladies. He wanted to see how they acted around others, thinking it’d give him insight into who would make a pleasant wife. Some of the young men in his classes glanced in his direction. They were probably wondering why he didn’t join any of them, even though they had invited him to sit with them. His father would have prompted him to start building friendships, which might lead to successful business prospects, but he didn’t feel like it. Not today. Maybe tomorrow. Today, he wanted to be alone and rest.

  After he finished eating, he had some time to go for a walk outside. He stepped into the sun, ignoring the slight chill in the air. Putting his hands in his pockets, he strolled the area in front of the school. A few others were also outside, enjoying the day. Some offered a smile, which he returned. But still, he kept his distance. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would be the person his father expected him to be. Tomorrow, he would talk to them.

  As he passed under a group of trees, something fell on him. Startled, he jerked to the side, tripped on a tree branch and fell in the mud beside the walkway. It took him a moment to realize a frog had landed on his shoulder. It croaked and hopped away. Someone chortled in the tree above him. He looked up at the young man—Alex Dawson—who was sitting on a tree branch.

  Angry, Kent rose to his feet. Noticing the mud on his hands, he examined his soiled pants. The same pair of pants his father warned him to keep clean. He turned his gaze back up, his jaw clenched. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  To his irritation, Alex swung from the tree branch and landed in front of him, a broad smile on his face. “Ahoy, Kent. I wanted to welcome you to this fine school.”

  “Welcome me?” he snapped, pointing to his pants. “You think this is a proper welcome?”

  “It’s just a pair of pants. Just put on a new pair when you get home.”

  He bit his tongue before he screamed at him that he didn’t have another pair he could “just put on”. Grunting, he glared at Alex who was still laughing. “This isn’t funny!”

  “Sure it is. You landed on your behind.”

  “Where did you get your manners? An asylum?”

  “You needn’t be so stiff,” Alex replied with a nonchalant shrug.

  “Stiff? You ruined my pants, and you have the nerve to call me—”

  “Alex meant you no harm,” someone called out.

  Kent turned his attention as another one of his classmates, Todd Brothers if he recalled the name right, approached them. “He did so. He waited up in that tree,” Kent pointed up to the branch Alex had been on, “and threw a frog on me.”

  “A harmless prank,” Alex said, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. “I merely wanted to welcome him to our school.”

  “If you wanted to welcome me properly, you would have shook my hand like a normal person,” he insisted before turning to Todd. “Can you believe him?”

  Todd offered an apologetic grin. “Well, he happens to be my friend. He didn’t intend for you to ruin your pants.”

  “Exactly,” Alex agreed with an exaggerated nod. “I did no harm. None at all. You were the one who lost your balance and fell into the mud.”

  Unable to believe that Alex was blaming him for ruining his own pants, Kent clenched his hands. “Only because you dropped that frog on me!”

  Alex opened his mouth to say something, but the bell rang, signaling that classes were about to resume.

  “Maybe we can find you a towel,” Todd offered.

  He glanced from Alex to Todd and threw his hands up in the air. Neither one of them understood the seriousness of the situation. To them, pants were disposable. “Don’t bother,” he finally muttered and shook the mud off his hands the best he could. “Just stay away from me.” He hurried away from them.

  ***

  “I specifically told you to take care of your pants,” Kent’s father grumbled. “But I come home and I find them soiled.”

  Kent glanced up from the settee as his father paced the parlor. The closed doors gave them privacy from the servants, something he was thankful for. It was bad enough having his father upset with him, but if anyone else saw it, it would be much worse. “I didn’t do it on purpose. Alex Dawson threw a frog on me, and it startled me. If it wasn’t for him, my pants would be fine.”

  Pausing, he faced Kent. “Dawson? As in Peter Dawson’s son?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t care who his father is.”

  For sure, Kent had no desire to associate with Alex, whether at school or elsewhere. Alex had no manners at all. The fact that he was allowed to remain in the school was something he couldn’t understand. It seemed that a young man who behaved the way he did would be thrown out.

  “It might behoove you to care who Alex’s father is,” his father reprimanded, his hands behind his back. “If his father is Peter Dawson, this could be to our advantage.”

  Before Kent could ask him to explain what he meant, his father hurried out of the parlor. Kent released a shaky breath and rose from the settee, glad he could get away from his father. Once he was in his bedchamber, he sat in the chair by a large window and stared outside, lost in his thoughts.

  ***

  “I assure you my son won’t ruin Kent’s trousers ever again,” Mr. Dawson told Mr. Ashton as the tailor recorded Kent’s measurements into his bo
ok.

  Kent, Alex, their fathers, and the tailor were in Mr. Ashton’s parlor. Kent remained still as the tailor measured the length from his waist to just past his ankle. As soon as Kent’s father sent word to Mr. Dawson about the incident during school, Mr. Dawson insisted on coming over to make amends. Kent thought his father was taking advantage of Mr. Dawson’s generosity. Though one new pair of pants would have sufficed, his father agreed to let Mr. Dawson purchase three new suits.

  At the moment, Kent’s father was smiling in his most charming fashion at Mr. Dawson. “I appreciate how quickly you came to take care of the matter.”

  “Of course,” Mr. Dawson replied. “I don’t condone Alex’s behavior one bit. Alex, you owe Kent and his father an apology.”

  Alex, who had his hat in his hands, dutifully voiced the apology, but Kent didn’t believe he was sorry.

  “I expect these pranks to stop at once,” Mr. Dawson told his son.

  Though Alex nodded, Kent had his doubts Alex would actually obey the command. But his father was satisfied, and that was all that mattered as far as this conversation was concerned.

  The tailor stood up and closed his book. “Mr. Dawson, I have everything I need. I will have Kent’s first suit ready tomorrow morning and the other two suits in a week.”

  Mr. Dawson relaxed. “Good.” He turned back to Mr. Ashton. “I hope that will suffice.”

  “It does,” Kent’s father replied. “Kent and I thank you for handling everything in such a timely manner.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” His gaze went to Kent. “I hope you won’t hold this against my son.”

  Before Kent could respond, his father laughed and shook Mr. Dawson’s hand. “Of course, he won’t. I’m sure despite their shaky beginning, our sons will be good friends.”