And the scent of him.Dear heaven.Sandalwood and the heat of his skin were a perfect blend.
She was utterly lost when he smiled. She had no idea what she would do if he kissed her again. Probably kiss him back with ridiculous ardor.
Well, that was dangerous.
“Let’s have a look at your home,” she said, and hurried out ahead of him.
Berry was just about to walk out the front door when she glanced out an entry hall window and spotted Lord Hawthorne’s carriage drawing up in front of her home.
She stopped suddenly. “Oh dear. Melton, please advise Lord Hawthorne that I am out for the day. Theentireday, and he is not to hang about Duchess Square for my return because you have no idea when I will be back.”
“As you wish,” the butler said. “I’ll make certain he is chased away.”
She turned back to Mr. Knight. “What shall we do? I cannot march out of here or he will see me.”
He took her hand. “Come with me. How are you at climbing walls?”
He thought to have them leave the same way he arrived? “Not good at all, Mr. Knight. I have never done any such thing before.”
“No worries, I’ll help you.” He led her out onto the garden where they had been sipping lemonade not half an hour ago. He took the sketchbook from her hands and tossed it over onto his side of the wall. Then he lifted her as though she weighed no more than a feather and plunked her atop the wall. “Stay right there.”
He hauled himself up beside her, and then dropped onto his lawn with the grace of a cat. He turned to her and raised his hands. “Just lean toward me. I’ll lift you down.”
She tried to keep her gown from riding up her legs, but he grew impatient as she wriggled about, and simply grabbed her by the waist with strong, sure hands. In the next moment, she was in the air as he carried her down and set her gently on the grass beside him. “There, that wasn’t so hard. Was it?”
She shook her head and took hold of his upper arms to steady herself.
It was like clinging to rock.
“You are a very bad influence on me, Mr. Knight.” But she laughed. “Of course, it wasn’t hard for me. Need I point out that you did all the work?”
“I didn’t mind.” He still had his hands around her waist, then realized that and released her to pick up her sketchbook.
Her hands slid off his arms.
It had felt nice to touch him. Every lady must think so, she mused. It was no coincidence that she and her friends had been ogling him all month long.
“Come along,” he said, his voice husky. “I’ll show you the current shambles that is my home.”
She walked alongside him, eager to get indoors on the chance Lord Hawthorne happened to peer into Mr. Knight’s home and spot her outside.
His workmen had cleaned up the debris created when putting in the doors and were nowhere to be seen. But she smiled when she saw Bonham standing in what was the new ballroom.
He smiled back, tossed Mr. Knight an odd look, and then darted away.
Berry thought it strange, but said nothing about it, since they would probably run into him while touring the house. “I’m surprised he is still so bashful around me.”
Mr. Knight appeared to smother a laugh. “He’s been busy chasing mice. Probably was eager to get back to the task.”
“Oh.”
“Do they scare you?”
“A little. I would jump onto a chair if I saw one, but you don’t seem to have a stick of furniture in here.”
“You can leap into my arms if we see one.”
Berry was suddenly never more eager to encounter a mouse.
