His brow wrinkled and he jerked his head back. ‘I’ve never said that to anyone before and I confess, it leaves me wondering if it would be best to avoid you entirely in the future. You, Miss Forrester, are a danger to a confirmed bachelor like myself.’
There was sincerity in his eyes. Something she hadn’t expected.
‘You should go,’ she said, crossing her arms to create some distance between them.
His eyes never left hers and she had the distinct impression he was envisioning what he wanted to do to her at that very moment. It was getting hard to breathe and she could not tear her gaze away from his seductive blue eyes.
‘I’m going to kiss you again,’ he whispered.
‘I think that would be best.’
Oh, she was in trouble now. That kiss was even better than the first.
* * *
The next day, Sarah strolled with Katrina on the pathway that ran alongside Rotten Row, well before the fashionable crowds descended on Hyde Park. There had to be a way to bring up Hartwick without sounding like a love-struck girl. Which she wasn’t. What woman with any brain would allow herself to fall for the likes of Hartwick?
‘For someone who called on me and was eager to go on this walk, you’re unusually quiet.’ Before Sarah could think of a response, Katrina pulled her back by the arm. ‘Has your father been contacted?’ she asked with concern in her voice.
It was a simple question, but it filled her stomach with butterflies. She needed to stop thinking about that impertinent man whose kisses left her breathless and concentrate on finding that blasted diamond! Her family needed her and she needed to put them first. ‘No, no other letter has arrived.’
Relief washed across Katrina’s expression as they resumed walking. ‘You said Hartwick was the man who found the clue under the bridge. Are you worried he might have found the diamond?’
‘No, I’m not worried and after speaking with him last night, I do not think he’s any closer to solving this puzzle than I am.’
‘Last night? When last night? Not once did I see him in your company and you left before I did.’
‘He slipped into my garden after the ball so we could speak. He wanted to know if I had found the diamond and he wanted to be certain I was interested in continuing with our wager until one of us finds the diamond.’
‘And you’re not sure you want to do that?’
She wasn’t sure she wanted to be anywhere near the likes of Lord Hartwick in the future, but she didn’t have much of a choice. ‘No, I do want to continue the wager. I think it’s wise to be informed of his actions.’
‘Why do I have the distinct impression you are not telling me everything that occurred between you and Hartwick last night?’
Was she truly that transparent? Over the last year she had voiced her contempt to Katrina about the women who foolishly fell over each other to catch his eye. She had always said she would never consider a man like him. The man she would fall in love with would be utterly and completely devoted to her and her alone. Not that she thought there was the slightest chance she would fall in love with the Earl of Hartwick. She never would. But it was still embarrassing to admit she had let him kiss her—more than once!
She looked down at her Pomona green half-boots peeping out from her skirt with every step. ‘Hartwick and I kissed.’
Katrina stopped walking. There was no sense in stopping, as well. Katrina would catch up.
Within minutes she was back at Sarah’s side. ‘How? I always knew you found him attractive, but... How?’
‘I believe you know how it is done. More important, I do not find Hartwick attractive. I have always found him to be the most insufferable, arrogant man who has ever lived.’
‘The lady doth protest too much.’
‘Shakespeare? You are using a quote of Mr Shakespeare’s when we are discussing Hartwick? I’d wager the man can barely read.’
Katrina arched a sceptical brow.
‘I am simply stating my opinion of him.’
‘I see. And after all this time knowing him, and disliking him, what prompted you to kiss him?’
Sarah fisted her hands at her side. ‘He kissed me,’ she stated firmly.
‘Why am I not surprised? I imagine you slapped him.’
Sarah chewed her lip. ‘Not exactly.’
‘What exactly did you do?’
‘I kissed him back.’
A roar of laughter came out of her graceful friend. ‘Why? You just said you think he is insufferable and arrogant.’
‘Because he kisses very well,’ Sarah admitted with her jaw clenched.
Katrina laughed again, covering her mouth as she tried to stop.
‘I’m glad I can serve as amusement for you.’
‘Oh, don’t be so peevish. It was just a kiss. You were the one who told me I should kiss Julian to see what it felt like. You’ve kissed other men. Certainly Hartwick’s kisses aren’t that good.’
Sarah had no idea what her expression revealed, but it sent Katrina into a fit of laughter all over again. When she finally stopped laughing, her friend pressed her fingers to her lips. ‘Oh, dear, they were, weren’t they?’
Sarah rubbed her brow as if she could scrub away the image of Hartwick kissing her goodbye one final time. ‘I need to find a way to stop thinking about kissing him. What did you do when Julian had you all flustered like this?’
Katrina shrugged. ‘I kept thinking about him. I honestly liked recalling his kisses.’
‘But I have a diamond to find and that man and his kisses are not letting me do that,’ she stated in complete frustration.
‘Tell me about the other men you’ve kissed. Perhaps if you give them more consideration, you’ll see there is nothing extraordinary about Hartwick.’
It was worth a try.
‘Well, when I was sixteen my father employed a groom by the name of Jerome. He was a few years older than me and quite handsome—the kind of man you could admire while you watched him split firewood. I would often go riding just to have him hold my hand as I stepped on the mounting block. One evening when I was walking through the fields, I found him lying in the grass and watching the clouds drift by. We talked for a time and, just as the sun began to set and the sky turned pink, he kissed me.’
‘That sounds like a lovely first kiss.’
‘It was. He was. It left me breathless. But shortly after that, he left our home to return to his family near Philadelphia. I think he was worried my father would find out. I was very sad when he left, but I was so young.’
‘Anyone else?’
Sarah looked away. ‘I might have kissed Mr Merriweather.’
‘John Merriweather?’ Katrina sputtered. ‘Your father’s aide-de-camp?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘But John Merriweather is so...so...boring.’
‘Yes, well, his kisses were, too.’
‘What possessed you...?’
‘You know I have no wish to marry an Englishman and settle here. I thought perhaps if he kissed well enough, I might consider encouraging his attention. If I married him, I would certainly settle close to my parents.’
Katrina looked like she was holding in a smile. ‘John Merriweather?’
Sarah waved her off. ‘It was shortly after your wedding. I must have been overtaken with the romance of it all.’
‘Anyone else?’
‘No, that is all of them.’
‘Do you feel any better?’
‘Not in the least,’ she replied with a sigh.
‘Maybe you’re thinking about Hartwick and his kisses because finding the diamond is proving to be too difficult.’
That was completely logical, and Sarah was holding on to that notion as hard as she could.
The
y continued walking, both lost in their own thoughts, until Katrina spotted Lady Holt and Miss Winthrop walking towards them. She had recently become friends with the widow and her companion when she had discovered they had similar literary interests. Although Sarah liked the two women, making polite conversation with new acquaintances was not something she thought her brain could do at the moment. So when Katrina suggested they join them for a bit, Sarah begged off and walked to the iron rail that edged the bridle path.
She stared out at the few riders and carriages with unseeing eyes, knowing she was a fool for wondering if Hartwick was thinking at all about the time she had spent in his arms. A shadow fell upon her. The seated figure of a man on a large stallion loomed from above.
‘Miss Forrester,’ drawled Lord Blackwood with a tip of his hat, ‘what a lovely surprise finding you here. May I say you look stunning in primrose?’
He should have waited for her to acknowledge him before approaching. It appeared Lord Blackwood thought he was above the rules of civilised behaviour.
‘Forgive me, my lord, I had not noticed you on the bridle path.’
He smiled at her subtle poke at his lack of propriety as sunlight bounced off the gold buttons on his blue coat. Everything about his appearance, from the clothes he wore, to the shiny top boots on his feet, to his fine black Arabian horse, spoke of money. ‘Well, it appears I’m not the only one to flout convention. There is the matter of your solitary walk in the park,’ he countered. ‘But I confess, I do adore a woman who does as she wishes.’
‘But as you can see, I’m not alone,’ Sarah said, looking over her shoulder to where Katrina stood talking with her friends.
‘Ah, I see. I should have known you would be with Her Grace. The two of you are quite dear to one another.’
What a keen observation from a man she had just met the night before. ‘We are.’
‘Were your families very friendly in New York?’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘No, we lived in two different parts of the state.’
She felt the strongest urge to redirect the conversation away from her. ‘Do you typically ride here at this hour? I would assume you would be busy with your business affairs.’
‘I’m on my way to see a colleague of mine. I prefer travelling inside the park. The views are infinitely better here.’
The smile that slid across his lips made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but she smiled politely, not letting him see that he unnerved her.
‘I wonder how many times you’ve said something similar to the women of this town.’
‘Are you always this direct?’
‘I see no reason not to be.’
He swung his leg around the back of his horse and came to stand inordinately close to her, holding the reins to his beast. Every nerve in her body pricked to attention, although she did find comfort in the iron rail between them.
‘I find Americans so delightfully unpredictable.’
‘Do you know many Americans?’
‘A fair number, but you outshine them all.’
Sarah wanted to roll her eyes.
He tipped the brim of his hat, shading his eyes from the sun. ‘Perhaps you would do me the honour of allowing me to escort you on a drive through the park so we can further our acquaintance.’
Whatever had she done to make him think she wanted to spend more time with him? ‘I’m aware what such an act would convey to society,’ she said, feeling her brow wrinkling. ‘I’m not willing to make that statement with a man I barely know.’
There was a twist to his lips as if he enjoyed a challenge. ‘I look forward to trying to change your mind.’ His gaze travelled past her right shoulder.
Katrina approached Sarah’s side, eyeing Lord Blackwood in the fashion befitting a duchess looking down on a marquess. He tipped his hat to her in a deferential greeting.
‘Lord Blackwood,’ she said, sounding as if she would prefer not to have to address him. ‘I hope you do not mind if I steal Miss Forrester away. The hour is growing late and we must return home.’
‘But of course.’ He hoisted himself easily onto his stallion and smiled down at Sarah. It was a pleasant smile, but there was something in his eyes she did not like. ‘Ladies, I bid you good day.’ He turned his horse around and kicked it into a gallop.
‘I wish you would not converse with him,’ Katrina said, eyeing his progress to the park’s entrance.
‘I didn’t have much of a choice. He approached me before I even realised he was near.’
They walked back to Katrina’s house, discussing the books Lady Holt and Miss Winthrop had recently enjoyed, which gave Sarah a reprieve from thinking about Hartwick or his father. But that reprieve was short-lived, because as they crossed the park in Grosvenor Square, Sarah spotted Hartwick’s horse hitched to a post outside Katrina’s home.
‘Does a day go by when that man does not call on your husband?’
Katrina followed Sarah’s gaze and smiled. ‘He is not in my home every day. Julian is the closest thing to family Hartwick has and it’s beginning to feel as if he has become my brother.’
‘Do not wish that on yourself. The man is a nuisance.’
‘Says the woman who kissed him.’
Sarah nudged her shoulder into Katrina.
‘If his horse is outside, it means he is here for only a brief visit.’ Katrina eyed the animal as they walked closer to her home. ‘What did his father have to say to you?’
‘Just flattery nonsense and he asked if I’d care to go for a drive with him in the park.’
Reynolds opened the door for them before Katrina even knocked.
Katrina dismissed him with their bonnets and gloves before giving Sarah a pointed stare as they stood in the deserted marble entrance hall. ‘Tell me you will not be doing anything so foolish.’
‘Why does it not surprise me that statement is addressed to Miss Forrester?’ Hartwick drawled, sauntering down the hall with a smug smile, his black coattails fluttering behind him. His eyes travelled over Sarah’s body much too slowly, making her tingle inside.
‘Skulking about, I see,’ she commented in what she hoped was a bored tone.
‘It’s one of my many talents. Shall I tell you about the others?’
‘I think I know all I care to about you.’
Katrina watched the two of them and shuffled restlessly. It must be time for her to nurse Augusta again.
‘Go, Katrina,’ Sarah prodded. ‘I’ll find a way to occupy myself.’
Her friend appeared hesitant to leave them alone. Sarah realised she might be unwilling to leave them alone after Sarah’s admission in the park and she felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks.
‘Very well, I won’t be long.’
Hart smiled at her friend as she climbed the stairs. The moment Katrina was out of sight, he turned and licked his top lip.
‘Do you even know how to be subtle? Everyone will know we kissed if you continue to behave like that,’ Sarah exclaimed.
‘Like what? That is how I always behave. And do you really expect me to believe you did not tell Katrina about last night.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘She knows what happened between us in your garden. I could tell the minute she hesitated about leaving us alone. I never took you as one to kiss and tell.’
Sarah crossed her arms, feeling uncomfortable for the first time about confiding in Katrina. ‘And you expect me to believe you do not talk about the women you kiss. All of London knows who you’ve been kissing.’
He gave her his most charming smile. ‘No, they don’t. I assure you, if they did they’d be quite surprised. I can keep a secret when necessary.’
‘You won’t tell Lyonsdale?’
‘God, no, he’d be dragging us both to the c
hurch, convinced the evening did not end so innocently. Since neither of us want that, I don’t intend for him to find out.’ He stepped closer, the scent of leather and cinnamon drifted in the air, reminding her of being in his arms last night. ‘What happened between you and me, Miss Forrester, should remain our secret.’
Her mouth went dry at the thought of kissing him again and she wet her top lip. His gaze rested on her mouth.
‘I’ve thought about last night,’ he said in a low voice, stepping closer. ‘I wish I could kiss you right here.’
‘Here in the hall or here on my lips?’
‘Are there other parts of your person you’d like me to kiss? I find I’m rather agreeable to the idea.’
‘One kiss was enough, Hartwick.’
‘It was not one kiss and I think we both know it will never be enough, Miss Forrester.’ He took a loose tendril of hair and tucked it behind her ear, caressing the shell with his fingertips before lowering his hand.
The gesture sent a ripple of awareness through her body. ‘Behave.’
‘This is me behaving. If I weren’t, I’d be dragging you to that alcove, pushing you against the wall and kissing you senseless.’
‘Why do you assume you’d be the one making me senseless? I might surprise you.’
‘I’d love to see you try. Shall we?’ He arched a brow and with a teasing smile took a step towards the alcove under the stairs.
Why was it so difficult to resist his challenges, even when he was teasing? However, instead of the alcove, she grabbed his hand and pulled a surprised Lord Hartwick into the small yellow drawing room to their right.
‘You know, you’re quickly becoming my favourite person in the entire world,’ he said with a grin, while he watched her quietly close the door behind them.
‘I could say the same about you.’
‘You could?’
‘I’ll let you know after this.’ She grabbed the lapels of his coat and crushed her lips to his, kissing him as if it would be their last—which it would be. They couldn’t continue to keep kissing. But he did it so well!
His mouth was hot and there was a faint taste of brandy on his tongue. She spun them around and pushed his back against the door. The kiss was unapologetic and demanding. And from the moan that left his lips and filled her mouth, it was affecting him just as strongly as it was affecting her.
An Unexpected Countess Page 13