Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
As Kit stared out at the countless faces in the raked auditorium, all of them regarding him with varying degrees of confusion, expectation, and surprise, he felt a trickle of sweat snake down the back of his collar.
He shuffled the copious hand-written notes Emma had given him, and glanced over at the purple flowers bobbing merrily on the table set up just to the right of his lectern.
Two of the five plants that had been in his hothouse had failed to flower, but the remaining three were causing a ripple of delighted speculation throughout the room.
He lifted his chin and found Emma in the crowd. She’d taken a seat directly in front of the lectern, in his line of vision, and the sight of her calmed the thunderous pounding of his heart.
He took a breath and willed his clammy palms to stop sweating. He could do this. These men were his peers, not enemy combatants who wished him harm. This well-lit lecture hall was a world away from the airless cell he’d endured with Andrew in Spain.
The reminder of his friend strengthened Kit’s resolve.
Just as he’d been determined to return Emma’s locket to her, so she was determined to name these plants after her brother.
Kit could make that happen. He wouldn’t let his fear of public speaking, nor the overwhelming number of people in the room, stop him.
Emma had been allowed to accompany him as his guest, and he’d been amused to see the speculative looks the two of them had received from the other men. No doubt news of their joint outing would reach the ears of the society wives by this evening.
The thought of Emma’s name tied to his own didn’t dismay him in the least, but since she was no simpering debutante and was known to be a law unto herself when it came to playing by society’s rules, he didn’t think anyone would expect them to marry because of the scandal.
He almost wished they would.
He caught her eye again and an immense calm settled over him. The rest of the room blurred as he stared at her; the beautiful green of her eyes, those perfect, kissable lips.
He would pretend she was the only person in the room, that he was speaking only to her. They were back at Ashford Court, in the hothouse, not in this draughty auditorium full of stuffy old men.
His heartrate slowed and his breathing deepened as he relaxed. He concentrated on remembering her scent, the smooth plane of her cheek, the breathtaking beauty of her naked form as she swam in the pool at dawn.
He cleared his throat, and his voice was calm and steady.
“Lady and Gentlemen.” He sent her a smile which she returned with a delighted nod of acknowledgment for the courtesy.
“I am here before you today on behalf of a good friend of mine, Mister Andrew Townsend. It grieves me to report than Mr. Townsend himself is unable to be with us today for the unveiling of what, I’m sure you will agree, is a momentous new addition to the genus Orchidaceae.
” He swept his arm toward the flowering plants to his right.
“I present to you, Oncidium Townsendiae Purpurea.”
“You did it!”
Emma laughed breathlessly as they both sank back in his carriage. “Oh, I knew you could! Thank you!”
Kit smiled at her from his seat on the opposite swab. “I’m just glad I managed to present your case well enough that they agreed to adopt the new name. And to acknowledge your entirely new sub-species.”
He sent a wry glance at the orchids, their purple flowers bobbing merrily from the crate on the floor. Emma put her fingers to her throat and touched the small silver locket that hung there, suspended from a new thin chain.
“I think Andrew brought us luck.”
“Yes. He’d have been very proud.”
Emma’s heart was full to overflowing. With pride, for the fact that she’d finally honored Andrew’s memory with something lasting and meaningful.
With gratitude to the man opposite her, for overcoming his natural reticence to champion her cause.
And with a poignant sadness that their time together was coming to an end.
She didn’t want it to end. She’d enjoyed his company far too much this past week.
“What do you say to a celebratory glass of port at my townhouse, Lady Townsend?”
“I’d like that,” she smiled.
A sense of reckless urgency seized her.
Her ship, the Medusa, was in the process of being refitted and restocked.
She would be leaving on another plant-hunting trip to Brazil in less than two weeks.
But why shouldn’t she grasp this brief moment of happiness with Kit?
She was twenty three and she’d never had a lover, and until she’d reencountered him she’d really not considered herself missing anything.
But her body reacted to him in the most extraordinary ways and she was consumed by curiosity to know what it would be like to abandon all propriety and touch that incredible body of his without restraint.
To have him touch her in return.
She didn’t expect him to marry her, of course. But perhaps, as long as they took the necessary precautions to avoid pregnancy, they could share a week of passion before she sailed for the other side of the world.
Her stomach somersaulted at the thought. The carriage rocked to a stop, and she clasped Kit’s hand as he helped her descend the steps and led her into the entrance of his townhouse.
Suddenly self-conscious—because, really, how did one suggest to a man that you wished to become his lover?—she allowed the austere butler to take her cloak then followed Kit into what appeared to be a study.
She accepted the glass of wine he poured from the sideboard and smiled when he tapped the rim of his own glass against hers.
“A toast,” he said. “To a successful joint venture.”
“And to new adventures,” she quipped.
They studied each other as they sipped their drinks.
“I have something to ask you—”
“I have a confession to make—”
They both laughed as they spoke at the same time.
“I’m sorry, you go first,” Emma said quickly. “What’s your confession?”
Kit’s grey eyes were steady on her own. “It’s rather scandalous, I’m afraid.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Well, if you must know, so is the thing I wish to ask you.”
He lifted his own brows in unabashed interest, but she gestured at him with her glass. “But I insist you go first.”
“Very well. I saw you bathing in the hot pool, back at Ashford court. On Christmas morning.”
Heat scalded her cheeks. “You did?”
“I’m afraid so.”
His expression appeared grave, but there was a twinkle in his eyes and the ghost of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Her heart began to pound.
“You saw me naked?”
“Unintentionally. You walked in just as I’d finished my morning exercises. I didn’t want to alarm you, so I ducked behind a plant. I had no idea you planned to swim. By the time I realized that was your intent, you’d already stripped off.”
Emma was sure her cheeks were crimson, but she forced herself to hold his intense gaze. “And . . . did you like what you saw?”
“I did. You’re exquisite, Emma Townsend.”
It was now or never. Time to seize the moment.
“Would you like to see me naked again?”
She held her breath, and time seemed to stop as she waited for his reply.
“I would like that very much.” His voice was hoarse, almost a whisper. “But you’re about to leave on another adventure. You haven’t time for a trip back to Somerset and a dip in my pool.”
Excitement and terror swirled low in her belly. “Perhaps we could . . . try it without a pool?”
With slow deliberation he set down his glass, then took hers and placed it next to his own. Her pulse fluttered as his fingers brushed hers. Kit stepped closer and lifted his hand to cup her cheek. “Are you suggesting we have an affair?”
“I believe I am.”
He shook his head. “Well, in that case, I’m sorry, but I can’t accept.”
Her spirits plummeted. How could she have misread him so completely? God, she was such a fool! She opened her mouth to try to salvage the situation, but he wrapped his free arm around her waist and drew her forward when she would have pulled away.
“No!” he said gruffly. “Let me finish. Please.”
She stilled.
“I don’t want a brief affair. I want more.”
“But I’m not staying in England,” she said. “I have plans. There’s a whole world out there to discover.”
“I don’t want you to leave.” He frowned and shook his head as if frustrated with his own inarticulacy. “No, that’s not true. I do want you to leave because that’s what makes you happy, and I’d never stop you doing what you love.”
“But—”
“What I mean is, I don’t want you to leave me behind.” His grey eyes bored into hers as he let out a long, unsteady breath. “I used to like being alone. Preferred it, even. But I’ll be lonely without you. Lonely and thoroughly miserable.”
Emma could hardly believe her ears. Her heart was pounding so fast she was sure he would be able to hear it.
His arm tightened around her waist. “What if I . . . came with you?”
The hesitancy in his voice was as surprising as it was endearing.
She frowned. “You mean as my bodyguard? As a member of my crew?” Elation filled her as the idea took shape. “I don’t see why not. Every expedition needs a good, strong porter to—”
He shook his head. “Not as a porter. At least, not only as that, although I’ll carry your plants whenever you want me to. I was thinking more along the lines of . . . husband.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Husband?”
He smiled at her shock and used his thumb to gently stroke her jaw. “Yes, if you’ll have me. I want to be a part of all your adventures. I want to live, not merely exist.”
“But . . . the jungles of Brazil are teeming with dangerous creatures and unwelcoming—”
“—and I can’t wait to discover them all with you.
” He gave a rueful shrug. “I know I don’t have much in the way of fortune, and I’m a grumpy devil at the best of times, but I do have a very impressive hothouse.
And if that doesn’t sway you, then I think you should know that . . . I love you beyond measure.”
She gasped, and he let out a wry chuckle.
“I think I’ve loved you from the moment you fell out of that tree and flattened me.
Maybe even before that. Before I even went off to war.
I never stopped thinking of you, even when I was in prison.
I prayed that I’d live, so I could come back and find you again. ”
His gaze bored into hers. “I believe Andrew knew, or at least suspected. I think, in asking me to give you that locket, he was . . . giving us his blessing. But it doesn’t matter what he would have wanted.
What matters is what you want.” He traced her lips with his fingertip.
“Do you want me, Emma? Will you marry me?”
Emma didn’t have to think twice. Of all the men she’d ever met, she couldn’t imagine anyone better at her side. She threw her arms around his neck.
“Well, it would be rather scandalous if we just sailed off together without getting married,” she conceded breathlessly. “But that’s not why I’m saying yes. I’m saying yes because I love you too.”
His broad shoulders slumped in relief, and a devilish twinkle kindled in his eye.
“In that case, I take back what I said about having an affair. It will take a few days to get a Special License from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and I can’t go another hour without taking you to bed. Shall we be lovers until we’re officially wed?”
Emma’s stomach flipped with excitement. “Oh, yes please!” Her cheeks heated in anticipation, even as she sent him a cheeky glance. “I’d like to see you naked. It’s only fair.”
He laughed outright, and the deep rumble warmed her right through. “You got bloody close, stealing my clothes when I was bathing,” he scolded.
She tried and failed to look remorseful. “I kept hoping that bath sheet would unwind, but you must tie incredibly tight knots. It was most disappointing.”
His grey eyes twinkled with roguish intent. “That’s not what you’ll be saying after we’ve made love, I promise you.”
She lifted herself up on tiptoe, offering herself up for a kiss, and Kit needed no further encouragement.
He took her mouth in a kiss that left her breathless; fierce and tender at once.
His big hands came up to cradle the back of her head, and she almost swooned in delight as his tongue swept inside to tangle with her own.
They were both panting when he finally dragged his mouth from hers.
“Come upstairs?” he growled.
Emma nodded, utterly certain. “Yes.”
A giggle escaped her as he caught her behind the knees and swept her up into his arms. He strode to the door, crossed the hallway, and mounted the stairs two at a time.
She wound her arms around his neck and rained kisses along the side of his jaw, savoring his groan of impatience and the heady scent of his skin.
He was overwhelming in the best possible way, but she had no doubt that he would be a considerate lover.
He’d known pain and loss, just as she had, but his heart was both loyal and true.
She couldn’t wait to start the next chapter of her life with him at her side. It was going to be another marvelous adventure. . .
Thank you for reading Orchids & Mistletoe. I hope you enjoyed Emma and Kit’s adventures as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Please consider leaving a review on any (or all!) of the online retail sites: every review is greatly appreciated.
Want to read more? You can get a FREE novella, my Egypt-set romp The Promise of a Kiss, when you sign up to my newsletter: