Teach Me Under the Mistletoe (4 page)

And are you about to commit the blunder he avoided?

The question hung in the air as sure as if Hugh had spoken the words. Had he already embarked on a journey that would lead them to the further compromise of their plans?

No!
He shook his head and pushed off the fence. He wasn’t going to ruin Lady Caroline. ‘Twas a few harmless moments, a stolen kiss.

And if he continued those moments? Those stolen kisses?

“I won’t!” he growled.

“Beg pardon?” inquired a soft feminine voice from behind him.
Lady Caroline!

Hugh spun around. Lady Jennifer was a slightly older version of her sister, with somewhat of a brittle edge to her demeanor. She was dressed in a fine silk traveling gown in pale gray, covered by a sturdy wool pelisse of Egyptian blue. Why had she not sent along a footman to call for the carriage? And she’d come alone, with no chaperone in sight.

“I’m sorry, m’lady,” he murmured, averting his eyes, and hoping for all he was worth he wasn’t about to be asked by another sister to discuss any sort of private matter. “I was voicing my thoughts aloud. I… thought I was alone.”

Her forced giggle carried a harsher tone than Lady Caroline’s had, and no mirth reached her eyes. “I shall require the phaeton brought round with fresh horses.” She smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle along the top of one lacy ivory glove.

“Yes, m’lady. Would ye like me to notify Mr. Jenkins?”

Lady Jennifer lifted her chin and subjected Hugh to a long stare. “Of course,” she said after several heartbeats. “I am not, after all, my sister, who cares naught for propriety.”

Though he might differ from her in his view of propriety, Hugh’s next breath hung in his throat. Giving her a nod, he managed a noncommittal murmur and walked back into the stable. What did she know? Had Lady Caroline confessed to the details of their morning excursion?

Spying the young stablehand Joseph, Hugh motioned him over. “Please tell Mr. Jenkins his services are needed by one of the ladies of the house, and please prepare the phaeton.”

Given the way his heart raced against his chest, it was for the best he never find himself alone with Lady Caroline again. The decision seemed to ease the heavy thumping of his heart but his sense of dread remained.

As Joseph and another stablehand readied the carriage, Hugh set about pulling the horses from their stalls. Only after the team had jangled off with the carriage did he draw an easy breath. Mr. Jenkins apparently saw nothing out of the ordinary about driving one of the sisters with no chaperone, so maybe Lady Jennifer’s visit to the stables was merely coincidental after all, and the mention of her sister had meant nothing.

He turned toward the stable but stopped as movement caught his eye. A waif-like figure in a gray servant’s dress scurried across the yard. Recognizing one of the upstairs maids he’d often seen at the supper table, he waited for her to draw near, wondering if she might be looking for Joseph, since the two often spent their half-days together. What was her name…? Harriet? No, Henrietta. Yes, that was it.

When she stopped in front of him, flushed, a bit out of breath, she reached into a pocket on the side of her dress and withdrew a folded piece of paper, held closed by a white wax seal. “Lady Caroline asked that I bring this to ye.”

Perplexed, he accepted the missive with a mumbled thank you. She looked into the stable beyond him and Hugh grinned. “Joseph is near the front mending some harnesses.”

Henrietta giggled and scampered into the stables.

Only when he no longer saw her or heard her footsteps did he break the seal to read the note.

Chapter Four

“Where are you off to so early, dear?” Louise Tyndall’s soft voice stopped Kitty’s steps on the way to the door.

With a feeling of being led to the gallows, Kitty turned instead into the drawing room where her mother sat, an embroidery hoop in one hand. Her lace mop cap disappeared into her silver-streaked brown hair. She stabbed the needle into the linen and pulled the thread through one more time before looking up with a reserved smile.

Oh, Mama please do not have tasks for me.
If she was delayed, would Hugh wait for her? Of course, she had no notion of whether he would actually show up, though Henrietta assured her he’d received her note the day before.

“My room is stifling. I need some air, Mama.” Kitty’s heart thudded painfully. “I thought I would walk in the gardens.”

“In the gardens?” Her mother laid the hoop in her lap and stared with incredulity. “Heavens, that’s a depressing walk this time of year. And it’s cold. You’ll come down with a chill.”

Kitty smiled. “It’s been quite mild recently, Mama. The air is refreshing and the walk will be peaceful. And see?” She lifted the edge of her red woolen cloak and waved it. “I shall be quite warm.”

Her mother sighed and then smiled. “Mind you don’t stay out too long. We’re expecting guests for a small dinner party this evening.”

“Guests?” Her voice came out sharper than she’d intended, and she tempered her next words with a smile. “Whom are we expecting?”

“Why, Ellie’s fiancé, Walter, of course.” Louise took up the hoop again. “And Captain Davies is expected. Lord Strathern has graciously accepted the invitation as well.”

Kitty’s heart bumped into a merrily erratic rhythm. She was to be paired with Lord Strathern at dinner? Oh, how glorious. That made it all the more necessary that she meet Hugh and complete another kissing lesson.

She glanced around the neat room, with its green velvet settees and gray damask chairs with a mahogany drum table squatting between. Never a lick of furniture out of place on any given day, but the room did appear to be under preparation for hosting guests. Kitty should have noticed the crystal port and brandy decanters on the sideboard had been filled. Lord Strathern will be attending!

She suppressed a squeal of excitement and glanced up at the sculptured white ceiling. “Mama, perhaps we should make the room more festive, with some greens.”

Louise chuckled. “Greens? You’ve never taken an interest in decorating before. Greens would be nice, but it’s a bit early, don’t you think? We’ve only just celebrated Advent, and if we hang the greens now, we’ll need fresh ones for the ball.”

“Oh, of course. I hadn’t thought it through.”
So… no mistletoe to accidentally find myself under.
Kitty shrugged away her disappointment lest her mother notice. “I suppose I’m just rushing the yule season.” She edged toward the door. “If you’ve no need of me…”

Her mother chuckled. “No, no. Do enjoy your chilly stroll, dear.”

Only with the utmost effort did Kitty affect a leisurely walk away from the house. She was only a few moments late, so perhaps he hadn’t left the follies yet. The brilliant idea had come to her as she’d washed her face. The sloshing water in the basin had reminded her of the geese at the reflecting pool. She risked Henrietta’s gossip with the other maids, of course, but for the moment, the young girl seemed to find the idea of clandestine trysts of which she was a part quite romantic.

The folly ruins rose in the distance. Kitty squinted at the terrace but saw no sign of movement. No one stood near the pillars awaiting her arrival. Would he be there? Would he be there still? Had he come at all? Would he show her another kiss? Perhaps tell her what she could do to capture and hold Lord Strathern’s interest at her parents’ upcoming gathering should the opportunity arise? Unexpectedly, her lips began to tingle. Just that soft brush of lips had felt like Hugh had somehow reached inside of her and set fire to every nerve.

She lifted a hand and touched her lips. The silk glove didn’t come close to the feel of Hugh’s warm, soft lips. She tugged at the glove until she removed it and then stared at her left hand. Her steps slowed as she reached up and grazed her lips with her knuckles. Not quite the same but closer. Tiny flutters of anticipation started in her middle and radiated outward, speeding her steps. The rushes swished. Recalling the greylag, she gave the windswept plants a wide berth, but nothing emerged. Perhaps the disagreeable bird had migrated away. It seemed terribly late in the season for a wild goose to remain about, even with the still-mild weather.

Holding her breath, she stepped onto the terrace, prepared for disappointment if Hugh had chosen not to show up.

But he was there, seated on the bench on the far side of the stones. A green wool carriage blanket lay beside him, neatly folded. His expression was shuttered as he rose and crossed to her. Something blazed in his eyes — hunger or annoyance? Heat snaked through her, a writhing, living creature that left a dull burning ache in its place.

“I wasn’t certain you would come,” she greeted him, irritated that her breathlessness made her seem too excited. She took a deep breath. “And then I feared you’d come but would leave before I arrived.”

He stopped several feet away and glanced at the ground before he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Lady Caroline, I’ve given yer request some… consideration. I think this is a very bad idea.”

She felt as though the air had been squeezed from her lungs. “But then… how will I learn how to kiss?”

His lips twitched then lifted into a tight smile. “The usual way, I expect. Do ye think young wives take lessons in the romantic arts before they’re married?”

Heat flooded her face and she turned away, wrapping her arms around her middle. Of course he didn’t understand. How could he? Hot tears welled, and she blinked hard but it did no good and a sob slipped out as the tears burst free. The late autumn air quickly cooled the moisture on her cheeks.

“Here now, what’s this?”

When Hugh laid a gentle hand on her arm, a shock stormed through Kitty and she jumped. She stared at the strong hand, dark-skinned and work-roughened, so obviously out of place against the fine crimson wool. And yet somehow the light touch had a steadying effect.

“What’s all this about?” he asked again, stepping in front of her and stooping to catch her gaze.

Unable to bear the kindness offered by the man — a servant no less — Kitty shook her head and turned away. Misery swelled then just as rapidly vanished, leaving nothing but emptiness. She heaved a shuddering sigh and stood up straight.

“You are absolutely correct, Mr. McCollum.”

“I am? I don’t hear that very often.” He chuckled and stepped back, dropping his hand. “About what?”

Immediately she missed the contact and wished he hadn’t pulled away. But he
was
right. Finally she met his eyes. “About everything. Including what I suspect you haven’t said, which is that you think I’m some silly daft girl—”

“No…” he said softly, advancing a half step. “I don’t find ye silly at all.”

“You’re very kind.” She reached into the inside pocket of her cloak, seeking her handkerchief. “I don’t know what possessed me. Madness, I suppose.” She dabbed at her eyes then gave up and mopped her face with the bit of linen embroidered with pink roses. She hoped if anyone saw her when she arrived to the manor they’d just assume the wind had got to her.

She took a couple of steps then paused. “I’ll not be bothering you again, Mr. McCollum.” She began walking again.

“So that’s it, then?” he called after her. “Ye come up with a plan and just give up on it? Just like that?”

The knot in Kitty’s stomach tightened.
Keep going,
she ordered herself. But all on their own, her steps faltered and then her feet just quit moving. Sighing, she turned back to him. Standing with legs wide apart, hands on his hips, his challenge was unmistakeable. He was hatless as usual, and with the wind frolicking through all that dark hair, he certainly was a magnificent sight. Her breath caught in her chest as her lungs squeezed. Unaccountably, waves of excitement rolled over her body.

“I thought you said this was a bad idea,” she whispered.

Hugh gave a one-shouldered shrug and angled his head to the left. “It is a bad idea. For one thing, were we to be caught at it, ye’d face certain ruin.” He blew out a breath. “And I’d surely be fired. Or worse.”

“Then I should go,” murmured Kitty, but she found herself with no inclination to leave.

“Or…” He squared his shoulders and held out his right hand. “Ye can come sit with me a bit, talk to me and tell me what’s twisted yer— er, what prompted yer desperation.”

A harsh bark of laughter erupted before Kitty could stem her reaction. “Desperation… yes, that’s the perfect word for it.”

Hugh moved his hand closer and nodded at the stone bench. “Shall we talk about it?”

She stared hard at his hand. They seemed to have come full circle. Except something had changed between them. Was it the kiss he’d given her the day before? No… it was something else. Something she couldn’t quite put into coherent thought. Yet. She set her hand in his waiting palm. “Very well.”

* * * *

Lady Caroline protested when he threw the carriage blanket over her knees, but Hugh had already seen the gooseflesh on her arms where they peeked out from the heavy cloak. He didn’t join her on the bench. Best to keep some distance between them. At first she didn’t seem predisposed to talk. The seconds ticked by in his head as loud and steady as a clock on a mantel. Dougal would be looking for him, Hugh knew, and he’d have to find a way to explain his absence. Still, he waited for Lady Caroline to speak.

“My eldest sister is betrothed,” she began softly. “And my other sister is as good as.”

Was that it, then? Something as simple as a sister who was affianced? Did she feel pressure to find her own match?

“I’ve had two seasons in London since my debut. This coming spring will be my third.” She began to pleat the blanket between her fingers. “My supposed friend, Penelope — Lord Pennington’s daughter — commented near the end of this last season that I will soon be considered on the shelf because — well, no
man
has yet expressed any interest in me.”

Hugh choked back laughter.
Hold yer tongue, lad. Don’t let her see ye laughing at her
. “And this… lack of interest has concerned ye?”

He winced as she mauled her lower lip with her teeth, seeming to take time choosing her words before she answered. “Not so much, truthfully. Or it didn’t.”