Beguiling the Earl (6 page)

He turned to face her and found her standing a little too close for his comfort. The room, which appeared to be a sitting room, was dim, the only light provided by the full moon shining through the windows. Nevertheless, he could see the expectant look on her face as she stood there silently, waiting for him to tell her why he’d arranged this meeting. It was with great effort that he broke their eye contact and moved to stand closer to the windows.

Her shoulders lifted in what he assumed was a soft sigh as she followed him. This time, she kept a more respectable distance between them when she stopped.

“I assume this isn’t a romantic assignation?”

The images that sprang to mind were swift and vivid, and he had to look away as he worked to dispel them. He recognized his mistake when her scent seemed to reach out and caress him.

He met her curious gaze as he replied. “I wanted to warn you about Standish.”

She frowned, a little crease appearing between her eyebrows. “Lord Standish? Why would you warn me about him?”

He realized his fists were clenched at his sides and relaxed them as he spoke. “The two of you were dancing.”

Her head tilted to the side, her expression baffled. “And you were dancing with Rose Hardwick.”

He had to work to keep from raising his voice. “You shouldn’t be dancing with him.”

“Whyever not? I have danced with more men tonight than I care to remember. Dancing with Lord Standish meant no more to me than a few minutes of vigorous activity followed by a few pleasant words.”

He almost growled as his mind came alive with images of other vigorous activities that were far less innocent.

“Standish consumes girls like you, then tosses them aside when he is done. You need to stay away from him.”

She shook her head and closed the distance between them. She stopped a mere foot away. “You’re being ridiculous. I was in a crowded room where nothing untoward could have happened.”

“I realize that,” he said, his tone sharp with annoyance that she wasn’t taking his warning seriously. “But it is an acquaintance you shouldn’t pursue. With familiarity, he will begin to take other liberties with you.”
How could he not?
he added silently.

A spark of anger lit her eyes. “Is that the reason you brought me here?”

“You need to be careful,” he said, not sure why she was taking offense when his intention was to safeguard her well-being.

She took another step closer, and now she was near enough that he could see the tiny flecks of gold in her blue eyes. His throat went dry.

“You are not my father,” she said, stabbing a finger against his chest in anger. “Nicholas and Louisa are doing a fine job of suffocating me and making sure no one comes too close. I don’t need you treating me like a child as well.” She gave him another little jab.

Her cheeks were flushed now, her breasts rising and falling with her anger. His gaze flickered downward before he managed to drag his eyes back up to her face.

“I do not see you as a child. And God only knows, I wouldn’t describe my feelings for you as
fatherly
.” The notion was the furthest thing from the truth.

She took his admission as a challenge, raising her chin and taking another step closer. Instead of poking at him, she spread her fingers and pressed her whole hand against his chest, just over where his heart was now beating an unsteady rhythm. They were so close now it would take no effort at all to lean down and kiss her. His gaze was on her lips and he was imagining how their soft plumpness would feel under his when she spoke.

“How would you characterize your feelings for me?” The words were low, almost breathless.

She swayed toward him. He didn’t curb his curse as he moved away from her.

Her hand dropped to her side and her shoulders stiffened. The softness he’d seen in her expression was gone. When she spoke, her words were laced with disappointment. “I should return before someone notices our absence and comes to the incorrect conclusion.”

She turned to leave, and almost before he realized he’d moved, he reached out to stop her, wrapping his gloved hand around her bare arm. They both froze at the contact. Slowly, she turned to face him.

“Was there something else you wished to discuss with me?”

“Yes… No… damn it.”

He was teetering on the very edge of sanity and Catherine was likely to push him over. He pulled her to him and took her mouth in a scorching kiss that held more than a hint of desperation.

From the way she stiffened at first, he knew he’d surprised her, but he was unable to contain the sense of urgency driving him onward. Within moments, her arms came up to encircle his neck and she pressed herself against him. He couldn’t hold back his groan of desire at the feel of her seemingly delicate but surprisingly firm body molded against his. She opened her mouth wider, allowing him to explore its depths. It wasn’t long before she began to reciprocate in earnest.

She threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, holding his head in place. When her tongue stroked against his, he almost came undone. He wanted… no, he
needed
more. His hands moved down to her bottom and he drew her firmly against him. A soft knock at the door intruded on the haze of desire clouding his mind.

He pushed away from her. Her eyes were still closed and she swayed toward him, but he gave her shoulders a small shake. Her eyes opened with great slowness and she looked up at him in dazed wonder.

He cursed silently, wanting nothing more than to draw her back into his arms. Instead, he stepped away from her completely. She frowned but rallied quickly when she heard the second knock. When the door opened and Louisa entered a few seconds later, Catherine was seated sedately on a chair and he was standing by the window.

Kerrick started to speak, but Louisa lifted a hand to stop him.

“I don’t want to know.” She turned to her sister. “You should return to the ballroom. And you should both consider yourselves fortunate that it is I and not my husband who found you alone in here.”

Catherine chose, wisely in his estimation, to remain silent as she made her way from the room without a backward glance.

Louisa followed but halted just inside the door. “I am moving forward on the assumption that you are the same man I knew last fall who wouldn’t take advantage of a young woman. And because you were so instrumental in helping my husband and me during that time, I won’t speak of this to Nicholas. Please don’t give me reason to regret my decision.”

She exited from the room then, but her parting words left him feeling the worst sort of cad.

Several days had passed since Kerrick kissed her. Catherine had expected that moment to herald a change in their relationship, but if anything, he was more elusive than ever. He hadn’t come over to the house since that night and had declined another invitation to dinner.

She was more than a little tempted to march to his town house and demand he tell her whether he had any feelings for her at all. She hated the uncertainty. One moment she was certain that he must care for her, even a little, but the next she remembered how close he and Louisa had been the previous fall. With the latter came the dark fear that when he’d kissed her, he’d seen her only as a substitute for the sister he couldn’t have.

Maybe one day she’d have the bravado for such an action, but that day hadn’t yet arrived. That was why she’d made sure her sister accepted the invitation to the musicale the Worthingtons were hosting. If Kerrick was courting Rose Hardwick, as rumor would have her believe, he was certain to be there. And if the rumors were true, she needed to see it with her own eyes.

It was with a mixture of determination and trepidation that Catherine stepped across the Worthingtons’ threshold that evening with her sister and brother-in-law. The house was overflowing with guests, but she saw Kerrick almost immediately. He stood next to Rose Hardwick and her mother, smiling down at the former. Catherine’s stomach clenched. She wanted to turn around and escape before he saw her, but Nicholas ushered Louisa toward the group and she had no recourse but to follow. She plastered a false smile on her face and greeted her hostess before turning her attention to Rose and finally to Kerrick. His smile was carefree as he greeted her with polite courtesy. He acted as though their kiss had never happened, and Catherine could feel the slim thread of hope to which she held begin to unravel.

As the group continued to converse easily, Catherine made her excuses and turned to move away. Louisa’s expression held a hint of concern, but she didn’t try to stop her. Catherine didn’t care where she headed. She only knew that she needed to distance herself from the striking image of Kerrick standing next to the very beautiful Rose Hardwick as though he belonged at her side.

She’d only moved a few feet, however, when the sound of her name being called brought her to a halt. She turned and stiffened when she saw that her rival for Kerrick’s affection had followed her.

“I’m glad you came,” Rose said. “We haven’t had the chance to come to know one another, but I hope to change that.”

If Rose had an ulterior motive for seeking her out, Catherine could detect no sign of it on her face. Instead of gloating, as she would have expected, she saw only honesty.

“I would like that very much.” Catherine said the words automatically, as politeness dictated, but didn’t mean them. The very last thing she wanted was to befriend her rival for Kerrick’s affections.

Rose must have seen her reticence, for her smile faded. She darted a glance over Catherine’s shoulder before saying, “I see someone I must speak to. Again, thank you for coming and perhaps we can speak later.”

She moved off and Catherine released her breath with a relieved sigh. She couldn’t resist glancing back at Kerrick and saw his gaze shifting away from her. She realized he’d witnessed their brief exchange and wondered if he’d been watching her or Rose. The thought that he sought out the other woman when she wasn’t with him depressed her even further.

Time seemed to drag as she greeted people she’d met during her time in London and engaged in social niceties that meant very little. Louisa and Nicholas had found her again not long after she’d torn herself away from having to witness Kerrick fawning over another woman, and together they made their way to the modest-sized ballroom. The room had been converted into a small theater for the evening’s entertainment. Catherine shouldn’t have been surprised, but was at the number of chairs spread out in front of a grand pianoforte. She had no idea how Rose could perform in front of so many people.

She was only human, and while she didn’t like the idea of anyone embarrassing themselves in front of such a large audience, she found herself hoping that the Worthingtons’ opinion of their only child’s talents were vastly overrated. But of course, that proved not to be the case. Catherine’s own musical talents were modest, but she recognized true talent when she heard it. And Rose Hardwick had talent in abundance. Her skill on the pianoforte was unquestionable. And her singing… Catherine really wanted to hate her, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Rose’s overture of friendship and instead of hate, what she felt was guilt.

Needing to know if Rose’s performance was affecting him, Catherine’s gaze kept drifting to where Kerrick sat at the back of the room, off to her left. She wondered why he’d taken a seat so far away, and that curiosity only grew when she saw him stand and drift away from the room at precisely the same moment that the Earl of Brantford rose to make a request of Rose. Everyone’s attention was on the two of them at the front of the room, especially when the request appeared to throw Rose off-balance. The room itself seemed to hold its breath before releasing it again when Rose started the first strains of the piece Brantford had requested.

Catherine was certain no one had noticed Kerrick’s departure. What really had her curiosity at a fever pitch, though, was the fact that he did not return until Rose’s performance was almost over a quarter of an hour later.

Rose performed one last song—an ode to lost love that had Catherine gritting her teeth. The applause was enthusiastic and Catherine joined in. She wasn’t so stingy as not to give the other woman her due.

Rose had performed for almost half an hour, and when she stepped away from the small dais on which the pianoforte stood, two of her cousins took her place. Their portion of the evening’s entertainment only lasted about ten minutes and left no one in doubt that the musicale had been organized to showcase Rose’s talent.

She, Louisa, and Nicholas were waiting their turn to speak to Rose and her beaming parents before taking their leave for the night when Kerrick approached their group. He turned to her last. His eyes were warm when they met hers, and she felt the weight of that regard straight through to her toes.

“Miss Evans,” he said simply, inclining his head in greeting. They were surrounded on all sides by a crush of people, but everyone seemed to fall away as their gazes locked.

“Lord Kerrick,” she replied, looking away and breaking his spell. Conscious again of all the people around them, not the least of whom were her sister and brother-in-law, she tried to keep her own greeting formal. But she failed, and his name came out instead in a breathless whisper.

“Miss Hardwick is very accomplished,” Louisa said, drawing his attention away from her.

“Yes,” Nicholas added. “This was quite an endeavor, organized no doubt for your benefit.”

Kerrick shrugged, the movement almost too casual. “Her talent is great. I find it difficult to choose a favorite piece.” He turned to her. “What say you, Catherine?”

Catherine wondered at his comment since, as far as she could tell, he had been out of the room for much of the performance. Clearly, he didn’t want anyone else to know that, so she answered honestly. “They were all good, but my favorite was the last song. Unrequited love is always so tragic, and the emotion in her voice when she sang actually brought a tear to my eye.”

An uncomfortable silence followed her pronouncement, and no one said anything for several long seconds. Kerrick’s eyes had narrowed on her as she spoke, an emotion in their depths that she found impossible to name.