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Chapter Twenty- Two

A t a quarter ’til eight Kitty entered the formal parlor. She fixed what she hoped passed for a genuine smile on her face and scanned the room. She counted five persons. Everyone was present—save Zeke. She didn’t know whether she felt relief or dismay. She started toward the earl.

Her smile faltered as Garrick sidled into her path.

“Kitty, my dear.” His black as night gaze drifted down her body. “Lovely,” he murmured.

She inclined her head and made to move around him.

He placed a staying hand on her forearm. “Now you’re here, I can share my news. I received the most extraordinary letter this morning. Can you guess what it was?”

“No.”

“An official Writ of Summons to the House of Lords, for the spring session. My first, as Baron of Maidstone. I’ve already shared the news with the earl and your fiancé.” His eyes glittered with exhilaration bordering on madness.

Certainly he had no concern for the losses she’d endured in order for him to procure his precious title.

“Congratulations, my lord. Your heart’s desire fulfilled, no doubt.”

“Not quite.” He lowered his mouth to her ear. He smiled, giving the outward appearance of sharing a private joke with her. “That will happen, my sweet, in due time, I assure you.” His eyes slid to hers, sending a silent but unmistakable threat.

“Hope I haven’t missed anything.” Zeke’s robust voice sounded from the open double doorway.

Kitty turned to see him striding toward her, and released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

As always he was a sight to behold, dressed in his black superfine evening clothes, golden hair gleaming.

When he proffered his elbow, she placed her gloved hand in the crook of his arm, without hesitation. A veritable cloak of warmth and security engulfed her.

He’d deny it if she called him a hero outright, yet the truth was there, as plain as the nose on her face. Zeke had somehow appointed himself her knight in shining armor.

“When I didn’t see you, I wondered if you had made other plans for the evening.”

He smiled. “Would you have missed me, my darling?”

She tried to smile at the teasing tone, but Garrick’s odd warning still rang in her ears.

Zeke sobered. “I had pressing estate business, but I’m here now. I think we have time for a wander to the portico before dinner. Walk with me?”

***

Zeke led Kitty through a maze of shadowed corridors to a door opening to the section of the portico running along the western perimeter of the manse. He urged her through the door with a hand pressed to her low back.

A small shiver went through her at his touch. Satisfaction roared through him. She was already his. He knew it. Her body knew it. It was only a matter of time before her mind grasped the truth, as well.

He pulled the door closed, cutting off the diffuse spill of lamplight from the corridor.

The sun had long set and only moonlight, and low burning wall lanterns illuminated the open-air space.

A soft, steady breeze rustled the leaves of the strategically placed potted plants adorning the rails and columns of the portico.

Somewhere out of sight, a wind-chime sang its soulful tune. It was damned romantic.

He led her toward the railing, the sound of their shoes indecipherable above the night din.

“I’ve never been out here after sunset,” Kitty said in a soft voice.

Zeke said nothing. He didn’t want to have a meaningless conversation.

He wanted to know what was going on inside her head.

Wanted to know what James had said to drain her cheeks of color—though he could guess it had something to do with that writ, proclaiming him Baron of Maidstone and calling him to the House of Lords.

As they neared a hanging lantern, he broke stride. “Kitty, wait.”

She turned to him, without hesitation.

He cupped her face in his hands, searching her eyes in the flickering light.

She returned his stare, brave creature that she was. Though she tried to mask it with that defiant tilt to her chin, he could see the shadows lurking in her ice-green eyes.

“You looked as if you’d seen a ghost in there. What’s James said to upset you now?”

She drew a shaky breath. “His writ of summons arrived. It’s nothing I hadn’t expected.”

He nodded. “I guessed that had something to do with it. But there’s more you’re not telling me.” He smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks.

She covered his hands with hers, before pulling them from her face. She moved to the railing and looked out over the night-dark grounds. “It wasn’t so much what he said, as how he said it. I probably imagined things.”

She didn’t believe her words any more than he did.

Cursing softly, he shoved a hand through his hair, and followed her to the railing.

Grasping both of her shoulders, he turned her to face him and surprised even himself with his gruff words.

“Kitty, I can’t stand that madman looking at you, much less speaking to you.

If I had my way, he wouldn’t come in spitting distance of you, ever again.

I could make that happen—and yet you refuse to see reason. ”

Rather than argue, a small smile played at her lips, throwing him further off kilter than he already was. “If I didn’t know better, Ezekiel Thurgood, I’d mistake you for a—” She lowered her eyes.

“A what, damn it?”

“A man who cares,” she finished on a whisper. She lifted a hand to trace his cheek with her fingertips. Her scent, lavender, rosemary, something uniquely Kitty teased his senses. Every thought in his head vanished, save one.

“You make me crazy.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m beginning to think you do it on purpose.”

“Maybe just a little,” she said, sounding breathless. She grasped his collar, lifted herself onto her tiptoes until her nose brushed his cravat. “You smell divine.”

“You see?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “There you go again, driving me out of my mind.”

She tilted her head back to gaze at him, and his meager resistance crumbled. He took her mouth in a desperate kiss.

When she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself into him, his meager restraint vanished. His hands, as if they had a mind of their own, roamed over her, imprinting her shape on his brain.

“Kitty,” he breathed against her lips. His mouth traveled over her cheek, seeking the sensitive area below her jaw.

She tilted her head back, giving him greater access as she clung to him.

A low groan sounded in his throat. Every fiber of his being burned for her. He needed her naked beneath him, her legs tight around him as he sank himself into her.

She made a soft mewing sound, drawing his lips to hers again like a magnet drew steel.

He slanted his mouth over hers, seeking entrance. The tip of his tongue played at the corners of her mouth, teasing, prodding, ’til her lips parted on a sigh.

Sweet Jesus . His tongue slid home. She tasted like heaven.

She touched the tip of her tongue to his, and a helpless shudder went through him.

He pulled her closer, holding her to him as one of his hands cupped her buttocks, lifting her slightly off her feet to bring their hips in line.

His pulsing erection strained against the restraints of his trousers and layers of her skirts, and he silently cursed the fabric separating her sweetness from him.

She whimpered with need, rocking against him.

He hadn’t thought he could get any harder, any more desperate. He was wrong. He scooped her into his arms, ready to carry her off to—where?

She whispered his name, her lips grazing his neck. He bit back a roar. Now. He wanted her now. The conservatory? It was just west of the manse.

Somewhere in the house, the gong sounded for dinner.

Reality crashed in, tearing a groan of pure frustration from him. Calling on all his will, he set her on her feet though he didn’t release her. He couldn’t take his hands off her. Not yet. He rested his forehead against hers and gulped the cool night air.

Kitty gazed at him, looking delightfully dazed and thoroughly kissed. She took a shuddering breath. “Did you…did you bring me out here for that?”

“No,” he replied. “Maybe,” he admitted a moment later, as much to himself as her. “I don’t know. I just wanted to get you alone.”

She only smiled.

He straightened and traced a tendril of her hair. “Come on, then.” He took her arm, leading her toward the door.

“Ask yourself this, Kitty.” Hand on the door lever, he lowered his mouth to her ear. “Will your paragon of a boring husband make you want to be touched in places you never knew existed?”

He yanked open the door and ushered her ahead of him.

She stumbled inside and stared at him, wide-eyed, looking, to his mind, more than a little intrigued.

He gave her a lazy grin. “I’m giving you ’til tomorrow to accept my offer. I expect you’ll come to your senses by then.”

“And if I don’t?” she said in a belatedly peevish tone.

He winked, and refrained from laughing at her delayed show of resistance. “I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.”

At the moment, he was more concerned with getting the bulge in his pants to subside before they reached the dining hall. That was going to be a real feat.

***

The following morning Kitty sat beside the earl at the breakfast table, quietly brooding.

She’d reached one decision in the wee hours of the morning.

She would marry Zeke. He was right. It was the logical thing to do.

Garrick would pose a threat so long as she remained unmarried, and, if she was being honest, imagining life without Zeke left her feeling desolate.

Maybe he was right, and that did make her weak.

“I see you’ve picked up one of Zeke’s habits,” the earl said.

She looked a question at him.

He had his nose in this morning’s copy of the Times . Without looking her way, he inclined his head toward her fingers, poised over the white tablecloth beside her barely touched plate.

She’d been drumming her fingers. Very carefully, she laced her hands in her lap.

The earl folded his newspaper. He turned to Kitty, eyeing her with concern. “Kitty, I know you’re a private person, but I must ask. Is something troubling you anew?”

“I have a few things on my mind, but nothing overly troubling.”

She wrestled with when she ought to tell Zeke she’d decided to accept his offer of marriage. But that was nothing she could share with the earl. She had every intention of seeking the earl’s blessing on her and Zeke’s plan to wed. She just felt Zeke ought to know first.

“If you need someone to listen, I’m always here to lend an ear.”

She beamed at him. “I appreciate that, my lord.”

“Good morning.” Caden burst into the room on a cloud of energy and vigor, dashing in his sportsman tweeds. He headed straight for the sideboard. “I’ve come from overseeing the placement of the shooting targets. All is set. It’s going to be great fun.”

“I, for one, am looking forward to getting out-of-doors. This constant rain business gets old,” Randall said, strolling into the dining hall.

Zeke emerged from the corridor on Randall’s heels. He stole her breath in his crisp white shirtsleeves, his dark brown, fitted sports breeches and glossy boots.

The other two men were handsome and well dressed. But somehow they didn’t compare to Zeke. One glimpse and her heart set to racing.

He smiled at everyone in turn, saving Kitty for last. “You’re looking lovely this morning, my dear,” he said. He winked and sauntered for the sideboard.

His cocksure attitude made her decision for her. She would definitely tell him after the shooting match.

Lady Lillian entered the room, followed by Garrick.

“Gang’s all here,” Caden said, cheerfully. He lifted his coffee cup in a mock toast.

Rapid footsteps sounded in the hall.

Giles, looking oddly flustered, appeared in the open doorway. “Excuse me, my lords, my ladies.”

“Yes, what is it, Giles?” the earl asked.

“My lord, there’s someone here claiming—rather, a man who wishes to…If I could speak with you in private, Lord Claybourne?”

Claybourne’s brows furrowed. He pushed back from the table and rose to make his way, unhurried, toward the waiting Giles.

Zeke turned from the sideboard, a half-filled plate in his hand. “What is this, Giles? Should I join—”

His words died as a dark-haired man burst into the room. His eyes scanned the faces of everyone present, finally landing on Kitty. A broad grin lit his face. “What’s all this talk of my baby sister getting married?”