Victoria wanted to shut the party down immediately now that she knew of her daughter's little romance. She couldn't, though. It wasn't socially acceptable and it would tip Katherine off. Instead, Victoria acted as if nothing was wrong. Although she did summon Caden to her. He was one the manor's guards. He had worked for them for years and she was sure she could trust him with this task.<br/><br/>"Caden, please keep an eye on Katherine."<br/><br/>"Of course, Duchess. But is something wrong with her?"<br/><br/>Normally Victoria didn't ask him to just keep an eye on one of the children. Victoria sighed and did a good job of pretending to be concerned.<br/><br/>"Well, I heard she has left the party and..."<br/><br/>Victoria lowered her voice.<br/><br/>"The spirits are flowing freely around here and...I am probably just being overprotective, but she is maturing rather quickly into lovely young woman. I just want to make sure she stays safe tonight."<br/><br/>Being overprotective almost seemed out of character for Victoria, but she was right. Katherine was maturing into womanhood and there were lots of people here tonight to celebrate Alexander's wedding. Since the younger children had all be sent to bed, the alcohol was spreading far more freely. Some of the guests might also have some unspoken tastes for the younger women. Caden nodded his head to her. He had a teenage daughter of his own and he could understand wanting to keep a young woman safe. Although his love for his own child, was far greater then the love Victoria would ever feel for any of hers.<br/><br/>"Of course, my lady. I will make sure she is safe."<br/><br/>"Thank you."<br/><br/>"You are welcome-"<br/><br/>Caden replied and was about to leave, when Victoria grabbed his arm.<br/><br/>"Caden, do not let her know you were keeping tabs on her. She would be pretty upset if she knew, thinking I did not trust her to take care of herself. Just let me know if she ends up somewhere that might not keep her safe tonight."<br/><br/>"I understand. She will never know I was there."<br/><br/>Caden replied with a smile and Victoria thanked him again. If she knew Katherine, then Victoria had a feeling that her daughter would be meeting with Simon. Planning to run away, it wasn't going to happen. She'd be damned if some gardener was going to marry into her family or steal her child from her.<br/><br/>----------------------------------<br/><br/>Eugenia kept her word, she took the note to Simon. As curious as she was about it, she didn't read it. She did hope for  Simon's sake, it was a breakup letter. He would be safe from Victoria's wrath then but...Eugenia had a bad feeling it wasn't that. She just prayed Katherine knew what she was doing.<br/><br/>Katherine had no idea that Caden was sent to follow her. She was in a rush, she needed to find Simon. Convince him that they should leave tonight. The party was still in full swing but later tonight, it would be over. Most people would be passed out drunk. It would be a perfect time to leave. Even the guards would be exhausted from the long day. It was a cool night breeze but Katherine was sweating. She had ran as fast as she could without hopefully being seen to the garden maze. She smiled seeing Simon. She didn't care how disheveled he looked.<br/><br/>"Oh, good, you came."<br/><br/>Katherine said with a smile to him. Walking over to Simon to embrace him.<br/><br/>--------------------------<br/><br/>It hadn't taken Caden long to find Katherine. She had tried to be quiet, but her rushing also gave her away. It hadn't taken long from leaving the ball room to see the young woman rushing towards the garden. He quietly followed behind into the maze. He didn't wait to see Katherine embrace her secret love. He saw the young man sitting on the bench and slipped back into the shadows. Caden recognized the young man, Simon, an apprentice gardener at the manor. The Duchess would be angry, Caden thought as he quietly headed back to the party. Unlike the young woman, he had more patience and didn't rush or give himself away. He found Victoria and told her quietly.<br/><br/>"You were right to be concerned, my lady."<br/><br/>He leaned down and whispered into her ear.<br/><br/>"You daughter is with Simon in the garden maze."<br/><br/>"Thank you, Caden. I will take it from here."<br/><br/>Victoria said, patting his arm. Caden nodded his head. She looked for Ewan in the crowd. When they eyes connected, she motioned with her head that she was leaving the party. She had to confront the little lovebirds and put them both in their places.