Chapter Four
Talon opened the coach window and took a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air, trying to force away the twinge of panic that clawed at his throat. Ever since his incarceration, he’d had an embarrassing fear of closed-in places.
“Close the window, please. I can’t abide the dust.”
Talon leveled a glare at Kathryn, willing her to perdition. There wasn’t any dust. Yesterday’s soft rain had left the ground almost too damp to travel. Sutcliffe had arranged for them to make the trip alone so they could get acquainted, but this was the first time she’d spoken to him all afternoon.
Raising one brow in challenge, he reached over and flung the other window open as well.
Her mouth rounded in an astonished “O” at this affront then closed with a snap. He wondered if anyone else had ever dared defy her in such a manner. God, he hoped not. He had an uncontrollable urge to get under her skin the way she’d gotten under his.
He’d been watching her surreptitiously for hours. Each soft sigh and shift of her legs made him mad with yearning. If he’d ever known a lovelier woman, he couldn’t remember. Kathryn’s dark hair looked almost black in the dim light, contrasting sharply with her creamy skin and emerald eyes. And those lips…
Very kissable.
If she’d talk to him, it might be easier to keep his lust at bay. He’d been alone in the dark with nothing but his own thoughts for far too long.
Words welled in his throat, but he willed them away, reluctantly admitting the danger. He must flirt with her, even seduce her if all else failed. But he couldn’t afford to like her. It would make the task that lay ahead of him unbearable.
As the miles crept by, his resolve weakened. The need to saysomethinggrew and grew.
Their knees brushed again for what must have been the thousandth time, and he summoned a smile. “Bumpy road.”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice cool and clipped. “Intolerably so.”
“Beautiful day,” he said, trying again. “Don’t you agree?”
“It’s passing fair.”
“Well,” he murmured, at a loss. “That completely exhausts my repertoire of small talk.”
The hint of a smile graced Kathryn’s full lips and the stiff set of her shoulders relaxed. “Why bother with small talk, Mr. Montgomery? Don’t you have anything worthwhile to say?”
He searched his mind for something suitably profound, but brilliant banter escaped him. He shrugged. “I didn’t think people like you enjoyed talking about anything worthwhile.”
That got her attention. “People like me?” She gave him an intent stare. “You don’t know the first thing about me.”
He returned her gaze, enjoying the hint of anger in her eyes. “You’re right. I don’t know anything about you. I’m attempting to remedy that, but you’re not cooperating. So, I’ll assume you’re like the other highborn women I’ve known. Women who only enjoy talking about the weather and the next party.”
“I don’t go to parties,” she told him with quiet dignity. “And I only worry about the weather when I’m caught in a downpour.”
There. It wasn’t much, but she’d given him an opening. He wasn’t about to let it pass by. “Are you caught out in the rain often?”
She smiled, her rigid posture relaxing altogether. “More often than you might imagine. I love being outdoors. Between exploring the estate and gardening, I’ve found myself drenched to the skin quite a few times.”
The image of this beautiful woman’s face and hair wet with rain was incredibly enticing. “Tell me about Rosewood Manor. I would have liked to spend a little more time there. The gardens are extraordinary.”
She nodded, her emerald eyes alight with passion for the subject. “Your great-grandfather built the Manor for his mistress. I’ve heard they shared a grand passion. He spent every moment he could at her side.”
Your great-grandfather. He was startled by her words. He’d never given much thought to his ancestors, hadn’t imagined a Sinclair human enough to care for a woman.
“I wonder if my mother ever lived there,” he mused. “She once told me my father kept her in a beautiful country house until he learned she was expecting, but that was long before she ever told me his name.”
“He cast her out when he learned she was going to have his baby?” She stared at him in disbelief.
He nodded. “No wonder she was so unhappy, so angry with me all the time. It must have been quite a shock, going from Kent to White Chapel.”
“I can’t imagine how difficult such a change in circumstance must have been for her. But it wasn’t your fault.”
