To be kissed by him?
She reminded herself that he’d only grabbed her that night to stop her tumbling to the ground, and the moment of magic had been a figment of her imagination. But all the same, every time she thought of it, an odd little quiver fluttered low in her body.
‘Kate?’ Harriet was still watching her. ‘Kate, I really think you should buy a new gown to match that hat. Wouldn’t you like something more flattering, more fun?’
‘I imagine the Earl would be hugely embarrassed if I did.’
‘Are you quite sure?’
‘I am,’ said Kate. ‘Now, Harriet, I think we definitely should go into town this afternoon. The sun is shining, and a walk along the Parade would be most pleasant.’
‘We could maybe look in some dress shops…’
‘No,’ said Kate. ‘No new dress. Absolutely not.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
Three days later
Dan had never known Oliver to laugh as much as he did when Dan announced he was going to an operatic recital that evening. When Oliver finally spoke, his voice still shook. ‘You hate all that warbling away in Italian. You always have!’
‘This is different.’ Dan was picking up his gloves and hat because his carriage was waiting outside. ‘I said I would take Miss Summerby.’
‘Ah. One of the outings you promised her? But…opera!’
‘It’s my duty as her neighbour. I told you so.’
‘Indeed you did.’ Oliver began laughing again, but Dan was already heading for the door, thinking,how the hell have I got myself into this mess?
And he didn’t mean the music. He meant Kate Summerby. Yes, he’d made his offer out of mingled guilt and pity, but there was something else—the urge to awaken the prim Miss Summerby’s lush lips with a kiss and hold that sweet, soft body of hers close to his own…
Ridiculous! She would be horrified at the thought of arousing the interest of a rake like him, because that was exactly what he was. He’d promised himself a summer of fun, to which he would return as soon as these two outings were over. But he still felt surprisingly unsettled and more than a little out of sorts.
The closer his carriage got to Clematis Villa the more restless he became, rearranging the extravagant cuffs of his blue satin coat and retying the knot on his yellow neckerchief at least twice. This was a mistake, it had to be. But when he stepped from his carriage outside Kate Summerby’s house and saw her there waiting for him, the breath was momentarily knocked from his body.
She was dressed demurely in a grey gown and pelisse, which fitted her trim figure nicely. But her bonnet! It had a cluster of artificial cherries adorning the crown, there were pink ribbons trailing over the brim, and he absolutely had to smile. Trying to outdo him, was she?
‘Good evening, Miss Summerby,’ he said, ‘I really have to compliment you on your hat.’
‘Thank you, my lord.’ She met his gaze steadily. ‘I didn’t wish to be completely outshone by you.’
He laughed then escorted her to his carriage. She appeared quite calm, but as she sat on the cushioned bench and he settled to face her, she fiddled with her pink reticule and he thought,she is nervous.As the carriage moved off, she looked up at him at last and said, ‘People will be surprised to see us together, won’t they?’
‘Probably,’ he answered. ‘But they’ll be even more startled if we look as if we are actually enjoying one another’s company. So here’s the thing, Miss Summerby.’ He leaned forward a little. ‘For our strategy to work, I’m afraid you’re really going to have to pretend to like me.’
She jerked up her chin, making the cherries on her bonnet bounce. ‘Goodness, my lord. You don’t actually mean you wish me toflirtwith you, do you?’
He laughed. Nerves be damned, she had recovered swiftly and he was surprised by how glad he was. ‘Flirt with me? No need to go quite that far, I assure you.’
‘Good,’ she said.
Dan was feeling as if he wasn’t quite in control of this situation, and yet he found himself more light-hearted than he had been for months. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘That was a definite put-down and I need my revenge. I estimate it will take us around fifteen minutes to get to our destination and, since I know virtually nothing about operatic music, I’d like you to give me some basic facts about it.’
‘Really?’ She looked startled. ‘In fifteen minutes? Well, I suppose I could name some composers if you wish.’
‘Ideal.’ Dan settled back in his seat, folded his arms across his chest and grinned.
Ideal indeed, because this gave him the perfect chance to study her varying expressions of puzzlement, wariness and downright annoyance as his carriage rattled down the road to Brighton.
