I tried to shake my head, but he held it steady. “I only asked for one thing.”
“An impossible thing.” His eyes were on my lips now, and I didn’t dare speak because I knew he would watch the words leave my mouth.
My heart hammered. I no longer wanted to listen to that traitorous organ, so I turned away, causing his hands to drop from my face. A wild desire to test him overcame me, so I stepped up to the higher stair. “Well, then. I will assume you are not serious.”
I caught a small glimpse of the frustration on his features before I turned around. My legs shook as I started up the steps, but then Mr. Campbell grabbed my wrist. I pivoted on the stair, intending to scold him and demand that he unhand me, but my heart raced too quickly. His eyes collided with mine, and I realized thathewas testing me now.
And I didn’t want him to unhand me.
He must have seen that written on my face, because he stepped upward in one swift motion. His gaze burned with heat again, and then he dipped his head and captured my lips with his.
My bonnet slipped backward on my head, tumbling behind me. I had only a moment to recognize that Mr. Campbell was kissing me before I was kissing him back. His hands surrounded my waist, holding me steady as his mouth moved over mine.I heard his breath catch in his throat as I threaded my hands around the back of his neck.
His arms tightened around me, pulling me against him until there was no space left. He kissed me slowly, with enough passion to make my head spin. Was this how he intended to show me how serious he was? That he would kiss me even when my hair was wet and smelled of the sulfurous spa water?
I had spent days trying not to notice my growing feelings for him. It seemed absurd suddenly, all that effort. For I was now making a very obvious display of them. So was he. All the doubt that had been planted in my mind was being wiped away with each touch of Mr. Campbell’s lips. He kissed me as if he never wished to stop—as if he had something to prove—and I never wanted the moment to end.
I touched his hair, the soft strands spilling between my fingers. His hands traced over every inch of my back until they reached my sopping wet hair and surrounded my face again. His kisses slowed as he held my face, fading into a gentle brush of his lips. He caught his breath. His eyes opened, meeting mine with a fire that set my pulse racing. It didn’t seem real that he had just kissed me, but the evidence was there in his eyes and in the quick rise and fall of his chest.
He was still pressed against me, his fingers halfway in my hair when I heard the lock turn at the top of the stairs.
Mr. Campbell stepped back, his eyes meeting mine briefly before I took hold of my bonnet ribbons to keep it from tumbling down the stairs. He retreated down a step, and I moved in the opposite direction. I had almost reached the top when Hannah walked into the dim stairwell with a basket on her arm.
“Miss Sharp!” she gasped, a dismayed laugh escaping her. “You gave me a fright!”
I was glad to have distracted her. From behind me, I heard Mr. Campbell escape through the outside door. Relief crashed over my shoulders.
Hannah passed me on the stairs, thankfully oblivious to the fact that I had not been alone a moment before. As soon as she was out of sight, I collapsed against the railing. My legs shook, and my heart and mind still raced. I pressed my fingers to my lips.
If that kiss had been anything, it had been quite serious indeed.
CHAPTER 21
CLARK
Ifound that lying to Colin was much easier than lying to Arabella. And far more enjoyable. My anger toward my brother had been growing steadily since our argument the day before, but I was managing to hide it well. As far as he knew, I was meeting Arabella for a walk that morning, but I was actually visiting the printing shop.
Since I had kissed her the day before, I knew that I couldn’t pretend to be Colin any longer. She had looked so afraid, so suspicious, and so uncertain of my feelings. Being near her again without being able to tell her who I was would be torturous, and I still had several days to continue the ruse. I would write her a letter to explain my absence and keep my distance until I could reveal the truth to her.
In the meantime, Colin could continue to believe that I was spending time with her and carrying on with his cruel charade.
I picked up my stack of freshly engraved cards. The ink displayed my name, profession as solicitor, and my qualifications. If Colin would not help circulate them to hisacquaintances in town, I would do it myself. He could not blame me for doing what I came to Bath to do, and if he wouldn’t call my debt repaid until the end of the week, then I would have to remain disguised as him while I advertised my services.
Every small act of defiance against my brother raised my spirits. His determination to hurt Arabella had drained me of every last bit of respect that remained for him.
If by some miracle she forgave me for the part I had played, then I would marry her.
I wanted to provide a living for her without remaining under Colin’s control. I had hardly slept the night before, revisiting that moment in the stairwell over and over. I had been wanting to kiss Arabella for some time, but I had never expected to be so impacted by the experience. She was perfection. She had claimed my heart, and I could hardly comprehend the patience it would require for me to wait several days to see her again.
And the courage it would take to finally tell her the truth.
With a deep breath, I tucked my stack of cards into my jacket and set off toward the nearest solicitor’s office. I spent the day strategically distributing my cards, socializing in the clubs at which Colin had a membership, and building connections with the gentlemen there. I managed to pass several cards to men of high social standing, boasting of my ‘brother’s’ fine capabilities. By the time I returned to Colin’s house in the Circus that evening, I was exhausted.
The sun had begun to set, the orange light deepening the golden hue of the stone. I left my hat on the table in the entrance hall and made my way upstairs, my feet dragging behind me. My thoughts drifted to Arabella again.
I needed to write her a letter.
At the top of the stairs, Colin stepped out from his bedchamber. “I thought you would never return.” He was dressed in a fitted waistcoat with countless buttons, a tightformal jacket on top. His polished boots gleamed in the candlelight.
