Chapter Thirteen #4
‘No,’ he said. ‘I most definitely am not.’ He walked across the room to gather her in his arms and lowered his forehead to hers. ‘Come outside, beautiful Kate,’ he said softly, ‘and dance with me one more time in the moonlight.’
With those few, poignant words, Kate felt hollowed out by her emotions. How could he do this to her? How could he cast this spell over her, so that every moment with him made her more certain that her entire life was being changed for ever?
She tried to smile. ‘With no music?’
‘That may be so,’ he said, holding up one hand. ‘But we shall manage.’
He helped her to put on her shoes and gown again, laughing together over his brief struggle with her buttons, then he led her outside into the cobbled courtyard, where the night air was heady with the scent of roses and everywhere was silvered by the moonlight.
He took her in his arms, he began softly humming a waltz tune, and like last time, he whirled her round, he lifted her and kissed her until she was breathless and dizzy with desire for him once more.
Especially when he stopped and held her even closer.
‘Kate Summerby,’ he said, ‘I told you I am not a good person. But I needed, oh, God, how I needed to be reminded that someone like you exists.’
Then he led her back inside up to her bedroom, and the magic began all over again.
This time he undressed her swiftly. He kissed her all over, and she kissed him back. She tried to undress him too, but she struggled with the unfamiliar buttons of his breeches and laughing, he undid them himself. ‘There is no rush,’ he murmured, kissing her forehead. ‘We have all night.’
All night, she repeated to herself. All night. Once more she felt the unspeakable pleasure as he entered her, once more she trembled as the delicious waves of fulfilment shook her body and her soul.
And if she knew, as she finally lay sated in his arms, that she had given her heart to this man, then it would be a secret he must never, ever know.
Dan woke before Kate the next morning. He eased himself out of bed and gazed down at her as she lay there with her silken hair spread out across the pillow. He thought, how gorgeous she is. Were the men who’d either ignored her or treated her badly during her Season quite blind?
Of course, she had been led ever since her illness to believe that she was undesirable because of her slight impediment—but that, to him, was part of her uniqueness, because she had developed such strength, such courage in the face of adversity.
Just then she stirred slightly and her mouth seemed to hold a secret smile. Something tugged at his heart, making him feel protective. Possessive. Oh, damn it. What had he done?
A night to remember, that was all she had asked for.
Never before had any woman stipulated the terms of a relationship with him so precisely, yet never before had he encountered a woman so dangerously close to making him forget his resolution to never fall in love.
Already his desire was rising again as he remembered how it had felt to possess her body and to sense her trembling with the power of her release.
Hell. He could very easily get back into bed with her right now and make love to her in all the ways he could think of, for endless hours. But instead, he woke her gently and when she opened her sleepy, gorgeous eyes, he told her he was leaving.
She pulled herself up against the pillows. ‘So soon, Dan?’
‘It’s past eight o’clock.’ He brushed his fingertips gently across her cheek. ‘I have appointments this morning.’
‘Of course.’ She was already reaching to pull on her nightrobe. ‘You lead a busy life.’ She smiled up at him. ‘You had better make haste, I think.’
His practical, adorable Miss Summerby. He sat on the bed beside her and said, ‘Kate. Last night, you told me you were determined to live your life independently, with no dreams of a fairytale romance.’
‘I did.’ Her voice was steady.
‘You also told me that you didn’t want the magic to end, not just yet. So listen, I have a proposition for you. We are enjoying each other’s company, aren’t we?’
Briefly she laid her head against his shoulder then looked up at him with sparkling eyes. ‘Whatever gives you that impression, Lord Rivington?’
My heart, he wanted to say. Instead, he laughed and kissed her forehead. ‘Kate. This is what I want to say. Shall we defy the gossips and continue to see one another?’
For a moment she didn’t speak and he could hardly bear it. But then she smiled that gorgeous smile of hers and said, ‘Yes. I would enjoy that, very much.’
After leaving her he walked back through the woods, where the grassy path still sparkled with morning dew and the birds were singing their hearts out.
Later, after he’d had breakfast and dealt with some of his business mail, he went down to the town to meet friends and discuss the forthcoming Brighton races, but no one seemed very interested in the races.
Instead, the news was everywhere that last night he had left the Prince’s party early, with Kate.
People were careful what they said, of course. Most contented themselves with remarks such as, ‘Miss Summerby is remarkably pretty. Have you known her long, Rivington?’
‘Our properties border one another,’ was his usual bland reply. ‘So we meet from time to time, and doubtless will do so again.’
But he guessed they could hear the lies in his words.
For the rest of the day, he remembered the tenderness in Kate’s eyes and her steadfast belief in him. He felt as if he had been entrusted with something—someone—who was truly precious, and he was afraid he was not worthy of that trust.
In the afternoon, Harriet returned from Tilly and Joseph’s cottage with the good news that the couple’s small grandchildren were well on the way to recovery after their minor illness.
‘But Kate!’ she cried. ‘I was forgetting. You have to tell me all about the Prince’s party. Was the Pavilion very grand?’
‘Unbelievably so.’ Kate began to describe the ornate rooms and Harriet frowned.
‘It sounds extremely odd.’ Then she peered at Kate more closely. ‘What about the Earl? Did you enjoy his company?’
‘Yes, of course. He was extremely polite.’
Harriet looked disappointed. ‘That doesn’t sound very romantic.’
‘The evening wasn’t meant to be romantic,’ said Kate, adjusting her spectacles as she pretended to be absorbed in a copy of The Brighton Herald.
‘But will you be seeing him again?’
Kate put the newssheet aside. ‘Harriet! How many questions are you going to ask? Yes, it’s possible I’ll see him again. But I have no idea where or when.’
She soon found out though, because a sealed message arrived from the Earl the very next day.
Miss Summerby
I am hoping you will be free to accompany me to the Brighton races in three days’ time. Unless I hear from you to the contrary, I shall collect you in my carriage at two o’clock.
Harriet was watching, so Kate had to tell her what it said and Harriet clapped her hands in glee. ‘The races! Everyone will be there. How exciting!’
‘It will be enjoyable indeed, if this fine weather holds.’
She locked the letter away in the bureau. An enjoyable afternoon? Maybe. But her heart was beating fast, because she was daring to hope that maybe, just maybe, dreams could come true after all.