‘Yes. Yes, of course, how…how sensible. Why did I not think of that?’ She put a hand up to adjust the folds of the shawl but her fingers shook too much to be of use.
‘You are trembling.’ He took her arm. ‘There is a bench in the summerhouse. You must sit down until you are feeling better.’
He led her into the little shelter and guided her to the seat. She clutched at his arm.
‘Do not leave me!’ Her voice shook pitifully and she was relieved when he sat down beside her.
‘I am not about to leave you.’
‘I d-did not know what he was going to do.’ Kitty leaned against his shoulder, the soft, fine wool of his evening coat beneath her cheek. ‘He s-seemed such a gentleman.’
She felt him take a long breath, as if controlling his anger.
‘Have you not learned yet that it is dangerous to be alone with any man?’
‘There were so many people in the gardens, I didn’t think we were alone. I thought it would be quite safe…’ She shuddered. ‘It was horrible—’
‘Hush now.’ He put his arm around her. ‘He is gone.’
She gave a sob and turned her face into his coat, one hand clutching at his jacket.
‘I am so ashamed! To put myself into such a situation—I feel so foolish!’
‘The fellow will say nothing, you may be sure of that. And no one else need know anything about it.’
‘But you will know,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I did not w-want you to think ill of me.’
With a soft laugh he held her away from him and drew a handkerchief out of his pocket.
‘I do not think ill of you,’ he said, taking her chin between his fingers and turning her face up so he could wipe her cheeks. ‘I think ill of that blackguard for his behaviour.’
He had turned her face to catch what little light there was and Kitty kept very still, gazing up into his shadowed countenance. Mr Ashley was forgotten. She was only aware of being very close to Daniel, of his thigh pressed against hers, his fingers holding her chin, the soft scented handkerchief sliding gently over her cheeks. She was tingling through the length of her body and her heart had begun to thud painfully against her ribs. Nervously she ran her tongue across her lips.
‘Don’t do that!’ ordered Daniel.
Her eyes widened. Her tongue flickered again over her lips before she could speak.
‘Do what? I do not understand you.’
He dropped the handkerchief and cupped her face in his hands, running his thumb gently along her bottom lip.
‘Kitty, you little witch, stop it! You have no idea how adorable you are.’ His voice had softened and the words wrapped themselves around her, deep and warm as he said, ‘You do not know how much I want to kiss you.’
She might not have known the perils of stepping off the path with Mr Ashley, but Kitty was well aware of the danger Daniel posed to her. It was not safe to be alone with him. She should run back to the safety of the crowded salon, but the temptation to move even closer to Daniel was far, far too strong.
Torn between what she wanted to do and what she should do, Kitty did nothing. She remained very still, gazing up into Daniel’s dark eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands on her face, aching for the touch of his lips against hers.
It never came. He gave a slight shake of his head; she heard a long exhalation as he gathered her in his arms and pulled her close.
‘For me to take advantage of this moment would make me an even bigger scoundrel than the fool I found molesting you. We would both regret it, for I am going north tomorrow and you…’ she felt his chest rise and fall on another sigh ‘…you are going to find a lord to marry.’
‘You must think me very mercenary,’ she whispered.
He laid his cheek briefly against her hair.
‘No, you are doing the same as every other young lady in the Town; the difference is that you are honest about your goals. So I wish you well with your quest, Miss Katherine Wythenshawe.’
‘You do?’ Safe within his arms, Kitty turned her face up to look at him.
‘Of course.’ Daniel did not glance down but continued to gaze out through the trees towards the starry sky. ‘Harworth is already showing an interest in you. With his fortune he has no need to marry money. He is a gentleman and I believe he will treat you well. What more could you want?’
A cloud had settled over Kitty’s spirits. Perhaps everything she had hoped for was within her grasp but here, now, sitting in the little stone temple with Daniel, all she knew was that he was leaving in the morning and she would never see him again.
‘You have been very kind to me, Mr Blackwood.’
‘It is nothing.’
His dismissive tone was unsettling. She wanted to thank him, to make him know how much she would miss him. He was still gazing out at the night sky and suddenly Kitty was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss him. She lifted her head and strained to touch her mouth to the only bare flesh she could reach, the soft hinge where the column of his throat rose up from the folds of his snowy neckcloth and met the strong line of his jaw. A steady pulse was beating there and she felt it jump when her lips grazed his skin. He drew back and stared down at her, deep shadows concealing his expression.
‘I beg your pardon,’ she whispered. ‘I know I should not—’
Her words were cut short as he bent his head and covered her mouth with his own. Like a spark in a tinderbox the white-hot flame of desire ignited within her. She clung to him as a drowning man might cling to a wooden spar. Indeed, she felt as if she was drowning in the pleasure of his kiss, which seemed to tug at her very soul. He teased her lips apart and began to explore her mouth with his tongue. The wild pleasure at her core intensified, pooling somewhere between her thighs. Her hips tilted restlessly towards him. His hold tightened and he pulled her on to his lap. He began to cover her face with kisses, then his mouth moved over the line of her jaw and trailed down the column of her neck, the feather-light touch of his lips making her moan with pleasure.
Gently he pushed aside the muslin shawl that he himself had tied over her shoulders. Little shivers of excitement coursed through Kitty as his fingers brushed her skin. The moonlight glinted on his hair as he bent his head to kiss the soft swell of her breast at the point where it emerged from the confining stays. She arched towards him, gasping. Every inch of her was alive and aching to be touched. If he had started to undress her there and then on the bench she would not have resisted him.
‘Oh, Daniel!’
The words were little more than a breath. She ran her fingers through his silky hair, trailing them across his cheek as he raised his head.
‘This has gone far enough,’ he said, his voice cracking with strain. ‘I came here to your rescue, not to ruin you.’
‘Perhaps I do not wish to be rescued,’ she whispered, her hand cupping his cheek, trying to draw him back down to her.
With a sigh Daniel slid her off his lap. The jolt of hitting the hard wooden bench was sobering. The thrilling tingle was replaced by the sudden, stark realisation of her situation. She put her hands to her mouth.
‘Oh, heavens, what have I done?’
Daniel was adjusting his coat but he paused at her anguished cry.
‘Why, you have done nothing, my dear. Yet. That is why I must get you back to the house before it is too late.’
Tears burned Kitty’s eyes. She felt chilled, unwanted. Undesirable.
‘Come.’ He held out his hand to her. ‘We will slip back on to the path and no one will be any the wiser. Your reputation will be secure.’
Kitty tried to stand. She was surprised to find her legs still obeyed her will. She put up a hand to straighten the folds of her shawl but Daniel reached out and grasped her fingers.
‘It looks very well,’ he assured her. ‘Come now, we must get back to the house.’
He led her through the trees and they stepped out on to the deserted path. He pulled her arm through his just as another couple came into view. Raising h
is voice, he said loudly, ‘The grounds were designed by Switzer some sixty years ago for the third Baron Harworth, you know. A little formal for our modern tastes, but delightful nevertheless.’
Kitty replied in kind, conscious of the chattering couples around them. The air was suddenly very heavy and oppressive, weighing down on her spirits. She was relieved to hear a low rumble of thunder in the distance.
‘A storm.’ She looked up. ‘I am glad it is not my imagination. I thought perhaps this oppression was some terrible presentiment of my disgrace.’
He glanced down at her.
‘It is no such thing. I am returning you to the house with your reputation—and your dreams—intact.’
Not my dreams!
The words echoed through Kitty’s head. She realised with a bitter clarity that her duty and her dreams were two vastly different things.
As they approached the terrace the laughter and chatter from the ballroom spilled out towards them. Everyone sounded so happy, so different from the tumult of regret, misery and despair that warred within Kitty. She stopped at the bottom step and Daniel turned to look at her, his brows raised in enquiry.
‘Pray, Dan—Mr Blackwood, let us take our leave of each other here.’
‘If you wish.’
She put out her hand.
‘Then, goodbye, sir. I wish you a safe journey tomorrow, and…and thank you.’ She added, determined to be truthful, ‘I am only sorry our first meetings were so…stormy.’
He carried her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss upon her fingers.
‘We made a wretched beginning, did we not? For my part in that I humbly apologise, Miss Wythenshawe.’
‘I should like to have known you better,’ she confessed.
He gave her a wry smile.
‘Nay, ma’am, how should that be? When tha’art a fine lady and meself but a manufacturer!’
‘Will you never forgive me for that slight?’
‘It is no slight,’ he told her. ‘I am proud of what I am.’
And I am ashamed I ever thought ill of you!
She wanted to utter the words but a sudden flurry of laughter told her that another couple was upon them, pushing past to ascend the steps. The moment for confession was gone.
Daniel took her arm and led her up to the terrace. Lady Leaconham and her sister were standing by one of the open windows, fanning themselves vigorously.
‘So there you are, Kitty!’ cried Lady Harworth, reaching out for her. ‘The dancing finished some time ago and your godmother has been looking for you.’
‘I beg your pardon, I—’
‘The blame is mine,’ Daniel interrupted her smoothly. ‘I persuaded Miss Wythenshawe to give me the pleasure of her company in the gardens.’ He gave Lady Harworth the benefit of his rare, charming smile. ‘We have been admiring the decorative lamps, ma’am.’
‘They are very pretty, are they not?’ replied his hostess, beaming. ‘I have been very pleased with the effect and will use them again, I think. Not this Season, of course, for the house will soon be shut up for the summer.’
‘They were a splendid idea, my lady, and one I will take back to the Holme,’ said Daniel. ‘I think my mother will like the idea of being able to use the garden on warm summer nights. And I have no doubt my sister will consider it a splendid notion!’
‘Sisters, hah!’ chuckled Lord Harworth, coming up at that moment. ‘They are always troublesome at parties, ain’t that so, ma’am?’
Lady Harworth looked a little put out but she managed a smile.
‘Alas, young people can get a little out of hand,’ she admitted. Lady Leaconham’s politely enquiring look obliged her to continue. ‘I had to send Bertram out to fetch Ann away from the swing, Letitia. That little group was becoming far too raucous.’
Lady Leaconham smiled and tucked her hand through Kitty’s arm.
‘I am pleased to think my dear Kitty was not of their number.’
‘No, she preferred to stroll in the gardens with a handsome young man, ain’t that so, Miss Wythenshawe?’ said Lord Harworth, clearly in the best of spirits. ‘And I have no doubt that Blackwood, the young dog, was trying to cut me out!’
‘No such thing, my lord, I assure you,’ returned Daniel.
With another fat chuckle his host gave him a playful punch in the ribs.
‘Oh, don’t stiffen up so, my boy, I am roasting you—I know I have nothing to fear from you! I am delighted that you showed Miss Wythenshawe the gardens. As host I am afraid I did not have as much time to spare for my own pleasures as I would have liked.’ He beamed at Kitty for a few moments. ‘So you see, Blackwood, I am grateful to you, truly I am!’
‘Thank you, my lord.’
Kitty watched as Daniel gave a stiff little bow to include them all and walked away. She felt very low. A cold chill had settled around her heart, like the mist that sometimes clung to the moors, blotting out the sun for days on end. He was leaving. They would not meet again and she must smile and say all that was proper as she followed her godmother through the crowded rooms to take their leave. They had reached the hall and were waiting for their wraps to be fetched before Lady Leaconham turned to give Kitty a long look.
‘My child, I did not like to say anything before my sister, for I would not draw it to her attention, but what are you doing with your shawl crossed over your bosom in that fashion? It makes you look like a matron rather than a young lady in her first Season.’
Kitty had been expecting the question and had had time to work on her explanation, but she could not prevent the colour stealing into her cheeks.
‘I spilled red wine on my bodice, Godmama. It looked very unsightly.’
‘Oh, I see. Well, we must see if Meakin can wash it out when we get home—’ She broke off as the footmen arrived with their cloaks and Kitty hoped she would say no more about it, but when they were shut up in the carriage and making the short journey back to Portman Square Lady Leaconham said suddenly, ‘Just when did you spill the wine, my love? I hope you were not…carousing with Mr Blackwood.’
‘No, ma’am. It was Mr Ashley.’ Kitty was not sorry she could put some of the blame for the spoiled gown in its rightful place. ‘He offered to fetch me some refreshment and I had asked for lemonade…’
Lady Leaconham gave a little huff of displeasure.
‘My sister has only herself to blame if Ann and her friends grow a little wild at these parties,’ she said severely. ‘It is always a mistake to allow young people too much freedom. And the idea of encouraging guests to walk in the gardens! I cannot pretend that I am very happy about you going off with Mr Blackwood, but there were so many people strolling out of doors I am sure there was no harm in it.’
‘No, Godmama. And you need not worry about Mr Blackwood. He is leaving for the north in the morning.’
‘Yes, so I understand, and a very good thing, too. I know I am very much obliged to him for his services to us at Barnet, but I would not have him set himself up as a rival to Lord Harworth for your affections. I admit I was encouraged by the number of compliments I received upon your behalf this evening, my love, and several gentleman commented most favourably about you, but I have hinted them away, for the present. I will not say anything too final, of course, until we are sure of Harworth, but I am satisfied he is very interested in you.’
‘Thank you, Godmama.’
‘So you must be careful to keep gentlemen like Mr Blackwood at a distance in future, my love.’
‘Since Mr Blackwood will be hundreds of miles away I think that is distance enough, Godmama, do not you?’ replied Kitty, trying to make light of a fact that weighed on her spirits.
‘Well, of course it is, for the next two weeks, until Lord Harworth goes north, but he is sure to come to Kirkleigh to discuss Bertram’s schemes for his new mill.’ Kitty shrugged.
‘That can have nothing to do with us, Godmama.’
‘Heavens, child, if he would be confined to the steward’s office I should not worry,
but you have seen how Harworth treats him, almost as an equal! He lives too close to be invited to stay, so that’s a mercy, but Bertram will ask him to dine with us, I am sure.’ She paused, frowning at Kitty’s look of bewilderment. Then her brow cleared. ‘But of course, you do not know, for you were not with me when the invitation was issued. My sister has invited us to spend the summer with her at Kirkleigh! You look amazed and well you might! I have no doubt that it was Bertram that put her up to it and all because of you, you clever little puss! We are to go to Yorkshire.’
‘No!’
‘Yes! It is all arranged, we are to follow a fortnight after my sister. Garston, too, is coming with us and there is every reason to believe that Harworth means to propose to you!’
Chapter Eight
My dearest Kitty, how your aunt and I look forward to receiving your letters, with news of all the parties, routs and balls that you have attended! And now your godmother tells me you have been invited to Kirkleigh, as the guest of Lady Harworth no less! My dear child I am so proud of you. Letitia has hinted of An Alliance. How wonderful that would be! And if the settlements could be drawn up before the winter, perhaps it might be possible to move out of our cottage here at Fallridge, for there is no doubt that the damp does not agree with your Aunt Jane. Her cough has returned and she is not in spirits. I fear another winter here may well prove too much for her, although she does not complain. Of course, we shall not try to influence you, my darling child, except to say that to see you well established, possibly as a lady, is the dearest wish of our hearts.
But of course, my love, our greatest concern is for your happiness…
‘How is your dear Mama, Kitty?’
Kitty looked up from her letter, forcing herself to smile.
‘She is well, Godmama, although she says Aunt Jane is coughing again.’ She looked down at the bread and butter on her breakfast plate, her appetite quite gone. There was such a weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Her godmother was so sure that Lord Harworth would offer for her and if he did, then it might be possible to find a new home for Mama and Aunt Jane before the winter. Perhaps they might even be allowed to live with her, but certainly she must do what she could to remove them from the cottage, which was cold in summer, draughty in winter and always damp. She glanced again at her letter. Mama insisted that she wanted Kitty to be happy, and by marrying Lord Harworth she would be happy, would she not, because she would be fulfilling the hopes of those she loved most…
To Catch a Husband... Page 14