damned alluring. Dangerously so. He summoned every ounce of his will-power to break away. Gripping her arms, he pushed her gently but firmly back into the chair.
‘Did, did I do something wrong?’ She looked up at him, her eyes troubled.
‘No, sweetheart.’ He dropped to his knees in front of her and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘I am at fault for taking advantage of you.’ His hands slid down and he caught her fingers. ‘I should never have allowed you to sup alone with me.’ Shouts and the clatter of hooves in the yard made him look up at the unshuttered window. ‘I only hope the stable lads were too busy with their work to notice what was going on in here. Thankfully it is brighter in the yard than in this parlour.’ He glanced back at Kitty, his heart turning over when he saw the anxious look on her face. He said bluntly, ‘I am afraid I may have damaged your reputation, Miss Wythenshawe.’
‘Because you kissed me?’
He squeezed her fingers.
‘Just being alone here with me is enough to compromise you.’
She considered this for a moment. He was pleased to see the bemused look had gone and she was more in control of herself.
‘I am sure Lord Leaconham and my godmother will not wish to talk about this evening.’
‘But there is the landlord, and the servants.’
She shrugged.
‘I am not known here, sir, neither are you. Who are they likely to tell?’
‘A few judicious coins in the right hands might secure their silence. Are you willing to trust that no one will find out about our being here together?’
She gave him a little smile.
‘What is the alternative, Mr Blackwood?’
He shrugged.
‘That we marry, I suppose.’
Daniel cursed silently even as the words left his lips. Devil take it, what was he saying? He had surely imbibed more than he had intended tonight! He saw her eyes widen, felt the little hands tremble and a moment later she gently withdrew them from his grasp.
‘Out of the question, sir,’ she said crisply, leaving her chair and walking away from him. ‘Why, we hardly know each other. And I am sure your family has no idea of your marrying a penniless bride.’
Daniel rose to his feet, not knowing if he was more relieved or disappointed at her response. Did she think so little of him that he was not even to be considered as a husband?
‘No, of course not, but neither would they have me compromise a young lady.’
She was standing with her back to him but at this she turned. The lighted candles behind her framed her dark head with a golden halo, but the shadows concealed her expression.
‘Then we must hope word does not get abroad,’ she said quietly. ‘Perhaps you would be good enough to—what is the term?—grease a few palms to ensure it does not. I shall retire now, and in the morning we may behave as if this evening never occurred.’
‘If that is what you want.’
‘It is.’ She added lightly, ‘Have I not told you that I intend to marry a lord?’
She gave him a little curtsy and went out, leaving Daniel staring at the empty space.
Kitty entered the bedchamber quietly to find Lady Leaconham still sleeping soundly. She undressed quietly and slipped between the sheets, careful not to disturb her godmother.
The noise from the street had died away almost completely but despite this and the lateness of the hour, it was some time before Kitty fell asleep. Her body was still tingling with the excitement of being crushed in Daniel’s arms, her lips still bruised from his kiss. It had been shocking, yes, but she had not been frightened. She had found it fiercely exhilarating. Even now she felt more alive than ever before. She did not want to sleep, she wanted to stay awake and relive that startling, earth-shaking embrace over and over again. The mere thought of it sent an aching excitement shooting through her. She turned on her side and curled up, hugging the feeling to her. She wanted to remember for ever those few short hours spent with Daniel, because they could never be repeated. It was not allowed for respectable young ladies to kiss gentlemen they were not going to marry, and Daniel had no intention of marrying her. He had suggested it, but only because he thought he had compromised her—had he not agreed that his family would not want him to take a penniless bride? And her own family, her mother, Aunt Jane, Godmama—they all expected her to make a very good match. She had been sent to London with the express intention of finding a husband, and she knew that in her mother’s eyes at least, a mill-owner’s son was not an eligible suitor. Kitty sighed and closed her eyes. Images of Daniel Blackwood filled her mind and another delicious tingle ran through her.
Stop this, she told herself fiercely. His actions were not those of a gentleman. No man of honour would have pounced on her in such a savage way. A man of honour, she decided, would have treated her with respect and even if he had been violently in love with her—which Daniel most definitely was not—he would have suppressed his feelings and done nothing more than plant a fervent kiss upon her fingers.
Kitty put her hand to her lips. There had been nothing suppressed about Daniel’s embrace. He was clearly not an honourable gentleman. She had the daunting feeling that no honourable gentleman would ever be so exciting.
Despite the clatter of traffic from the street below their window, Lady Leaconham enjoyed a good night’s sleep, waking refreshed and eager for news of her son. In contrast, Kitty’s spirits were heavy and lethargic but she tried to conceal this as she helped her godmother to dress and then followed her down to the private parlour, where they had been informed that Lord Leaconham was waiting for them.
They found Garston and Daniel seated at the table, which had been laid for breakfast. Although Garston replied breezily to his mother’s anxious enquiries, Kitty thought he looked decidedly pale and drawn. By comparison, Daniel appeared full of vigour and vitality and it was with some trepidation that Kitty took her seat beside him. In the bright light of a summer’s morning the parlour seemed a different world from the cosy, candlelit room she and Daniel has shared, but she was painfully aware of him beside her, his long fingers wrapped around a coffee cup where last night they had been warm on her shoulders. His very presence was like a magnet, tugging at her body. She wanted to lean towards him, to be touching him …
‘Kitty, my love, you are shivering,’ observed Lady Leaconham. ‘Perhaps you should run upstairs and fetch your shawl.’
‘I am quite warm enough, ma’am,’ said Kitty hastily, aware of Daniel’s keen eyes turned towards her. ‘I am a little tired, that is all.’
‘That is no wonder,’ remarked Lady Leaconham, helping herself to a slice of bread and butter. ‘I woke some time before midnight and you were not in your bed.’
Beneath the table Daniel’s knee touched hers and Kitty jumped. Her whole body was a tingling, jangling mass of nerves. She stole a glance at Daniel. He had not looked up but his
