“I agree. Two heads are better than one,” he replied.
They sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment. Charles wondered what she was thinking. She was, after all, a smart,talented young woman. He’d never heard anyone play piano as perfectly as Lady Cathryn. She was an angel in his eyes. No woman had ever made him feel as she did. Certainly, he hadn’t spent a lot of time around women growing up. His social life had been limited for fear he might have one of his “fits” and scare everyone around him. Now he’d met her, and it seemed everything had turned upside down and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it.
“May I say something personal?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Why aren’t you angry with your parents or your siblings about the way you grew up?”
“Honestly, I can’t be upset with my siblings. They were too young to know what was going on. As for my parents, they thought they were doing the right thing after listening to the so-called experts. It could have been worse. My father could have left me in an asylum and forgotten about me.”
“I understand. What you say makes sense.”
“One doctor did convince my father to put me in an asylum. That didn’t last but a few days. He came to see how I was getting along and to speak with the doctors about their plan to help me recover. He didn’t like what he saw.”
“So that’s how you ended up on Wight?”
“Yes.”
Looking up at the moon, Charles figured it was getting very late. They’d been here talking for hours, and daybreak wouldn’t be too many hours away. He hated the idea of leaving, but he couldn’t afford to get caught just yet.
“I hate to bring this to a close, but we’ve been here talking for ages, which I must tell you I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”
“As have I. Would you like to continue again tonight?” she asked.
“I would,” he replied.
He assisted her to her feet where they both stood in silence, neither sure what to say.
“I will think about our conversation and see if I come up with anything regarding my father’s upcoming visit,” she said.
“You’re sure he’s going to come?”
“Yes.”
Tucking his finger under her chin, Charles tilted her head and, before he knew what he was doing, kissed her gently on the lips. He’d never kissed a woman like this before and deduced he’d done it right because she didn’t pull away in horror. She seemed to like it because he felt her respond.
“Come, I’ll escort you back to the house,” he finally said.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I insist. You’ll enter first. I’ll wait a few minutes before going in.”
She nodded. “I enjoyed our talk, Lord Charles, and look forward to our next.”
“Charles,” he said. “Please call me Charles. Lord knows you of all people should call me by my Christian name.”
“Only if you’ll call me Cathryn, Charles.”
He smiled and opened the kitchen door for her. “Until later,” he said. Before she could respond, he was gone.
When he returned to his secret room, he paced the floor for a moment. He was surprised with the feelings that had come about just being in Cathryn’s presence. He didn’t want to wait until after dark before seeing her again. There was a need, and he couldn’t explain it. Being in her company and just talking with her brought him happiness he’d never known. His cock had been hard the entire time, and he was grateful the light wasn’t any brighter or she might have seen.
To top it off, he kissed her, and she didn’t pull away. It had only lasted a few moments, but he would never forget how she tasted and how she responded to his actions.
Sitting down in the chair, he pulled off his boots, jacket, and trousers until he was in his smalls. He lay down, drawing the blankets up over him. His eyes were heavy, and it was only a matter of minutes before he fell asleep.
Waking up hours later, he sat up for a moment to get his bearings. He dressed and found a light breakfast sitting on the table along with a couple of newspapers. The coffee was lukewarm, indicating to him that Frazier had been here earlier than normal. A change of clothes was neatly placed at one end of the table. What he wanted was a bath. Perhaps one could be arranged. Something he’d speak to his valet about.
