“Is this yer fancy woman, then? Bet you wouldn’t want to see what we will do ter her after we have disemboweled yerself.”
They were advancing on John. She could see, by the set of his mouth, that now that he had their attention he was unsure how to disperse them. Her heart pounded even harder when she saw that the tall man had his knife pointed at John’s chest.
“All right, fellows. Surely we can all be reasonable.”
“Reasonable,” the tall man said. “Reasonable is we take yer purse and yer fine carriage.” He gestured towards the road.
Catherine cast about her. She saw a digging spade resting against a fence post. John had raised his hands to speak but she had already decided to act. She took the spade handle in her hands and, closing her eyes, swung as hard as she could at the head of the tall man.
She heard the flat metal head of the spade make contact, like the thud of a cricket bat striking a ball at high speed. She opened her eyes and saw that the tall man was sprawled out on the ground, unmoving. Blood splattered from between his teeth. Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped the spade, the reaction completely involuntary.
The short man took one look at his compatriot on the ground and ran with surprising speed to the edge of the woods. Catherine would have laughed at his jerky, drunken movements, if she could have made a sound.
She looked at John. They stood there for a minute, the spade at her feet, and she found she was unable to catch her breath.
And then before she could say anything, he had closed the distance between them and his lips were on hers. The surging rush inside of her, the excitement and terror of the situation, made her react instinctively. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his body. He let out a groan of pleasure when her breasts crushed against his chest.
The kiss was everything: hot and cold, angry and gentle, brave and full of fear.
And then, just as suddenly, he broke it off.
“Next time you walk off,” he nearly shouted, “I’m coming with you.”
These words, and his decision to separate himself from her once more—even if it was to make a vow to stay by her side—caused the spell to break.
Once more, she was angry with him.
Angry that he had kissed her.
Angry that he thought he could do so after what had happened last night and especially after what he had said this morning.
Instead of answering his declaration, she hit him on the chest, causing him to release her and step back.
“You—” she was still shaking, but now from anger, not fear “—are one to speak about walking off. Not once, not twice, butthreetimes—you have walked away from me like it isnothing.”
“Catherine—”
“You always walk off, stride away from me, without even looking back. At the Tremberley gardens. Last night at the inn. Even in the drawing room at Halston Place. You always justleave. So I would prefer,Your Grace, if you didn’teverwalk away from me like that again.”
“All right. I won’t. I promise.”
He had his hand raised, as if he was surrendering. She still wasn’t satisfied.
“And that isn’t all. You said to methis morning. That this—” she gestured between them “—could never happen again. And, then you go…you go…and kiss me again, as if you had never said it.”
“Catherine, I am sorry…it was…I was frightened for you—and the men—”
She hit him again in the chest. “You seem to have changed your mind completely over the course of a few hours, going from ‘this can never happen again’ to doing exactly that! Is your definition ofnevera few hours?”
“Of course not.” The handsome sage of his eyes flashed. “I understand. I am notproudof my actions.”
She was silent. She had tired herself out. She didn’t have anything else to say. He had rather admitted that she was right, which, somehow, wasn’t as satisfying as she had imagined it would be.
“Please, Catherine. I was terrified when I thought something might have happened to you. I understand I have been contradictory.”
“Good. Because you have been.”
“Perhaps, we can’t be—we can’t dothat. But, perhaps, we could be friends. We are in this insane,madsituation. Andyouare the only person in the whole world who truly understands it. Will you please be my friend?”
