Engaging the Earl (18 page)

The gazers hooted when he reached the top and seized the prize, giving it a triumphant wave over his head before sliding easily down the pole. Casting a wild look about, Kat exhaled in relief to see Laurie had not yet returned. Although he would, no doubt, hear of Rand’s success later. She pushed that worry from her mind when the crowd parted for him as he approached her—tall, lean, and most definitely dangerous to her peace of mind.

Coming to a halt in front of her, he bowed and offered her the ribbon. “Your prize, my lady.”

“What about
your
prize, my lord?” someone called from the crowd.

“Aye,” said another. “A maiden’s kiss he surely deserves for prevailing where so many others have failed.”

With an acknowledging smile and wave to the crowd, Rand turned a penetrating gaze onto her. “My lady.”

Her heart sped up. “My lord.”

He stepped close enough for her to feel his body warmth and to detect the musk of his cologne mingled with masculine exertion. Fighting the urge to flee, she remained frozen in place, even when Rand lowered his lips toward hers. Her heart pounding, she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of his breath against her cheek. Her mouth almost twitched with impatience waiting for his kiss.

Then something brushed along her forehead. His lips. She opened her eyes in astonishment in time to see Rand step away. It took her a moment to realize he’d opted to kiss her forehead instead of taking a real kiss. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Rand gave her one last look, a flash of amusement lighting his eyes, before he stepped away and disappeared into the applauding crowd.

At twilight, the festivities moved to the home paddock for dancing to the music of pipes and fiddles. Kat’s parents danced together before each took a turn with a tenant before saying their good nights and heading back to the main house. Kat coupled with Laurie, but saved the rest of her dances for the tenants, most of them young men she’d known since childhood. Laurie danced with the local women who practically swooned at being in the arms of the handsome, affable viscount. Winded from all of the dancing, Kat sought out the refreshment table and helped herself to some ale.

“I’ve been awaiting my chance to dance with the fairest maiden of them all,” Rand’s deep voice said from behind her.

Her heart jumped, but she forced herself to turn around slowly. She’d noticed that he’d spent most of the evening a bit away from the crowd, his back up against a tree trunk. Vera, faithful as ever, stood by his side. “I have but one dance left in me and I am saving it for Laurie.”

“I see.” He tilted his head back as he regarded her. “Are you enjoying yourself, Kitty?”

“Very much so. But I shall enjoy myself ever so much more when I preside over the Harvest Home as mistress next year in Wiltshire.”

“Or in Devon.”

“Beg pardon?” She scrunched up her nose. “What’s in Devon?”

“My estate. By the inlet. You will enjoy living by the water.”

Her strained patience snapped. “You are the most insufferable man. I am marrying Laurie.”

He cast a cursory look about. “Where is he? I don’t see him by your side.”

“We are not in each other’s pockets.” Of course, that hadn’t always been the case, but this evening she hadn’t seen him since their dance more than an hour ago. “Unlike you, he is decent enough to dance with the tenants.”

“That is very kind of him.”

“Yes, it is,” she said, her tone edged with obvious irritation. “And if you will excuse me, I shall go and find him to remind him of our dance.”

“Yes, by all means, do go and run him to ground.” He allowed her to pass and she flounced past him in a less-than-ladylike manner. She had no idea where Laurie had got to, but she knew she wanted to get away from Rand’s probing gaze. She walked away from the party past the barn, but saw no sign of Laurie.

Mr. Ogilvie spotted her and said, “If you’re looking for your viscount, I believe I saw him headed in the direction of the stable not too long ago.”

Thanking him, Kat headed that way, wondering what business Laurie had there. Perhaps he’d gone to check on his mount. She passed some boys shooting marbles and smiled at them. The music grew faint as she neared the barn. Peeking inside, she acknowledged a greeting from the lone groom still on duty while the others had long since joined the festivities up on the main paddock. “Good evening, Patrick, have you seen the viscount?”

“No, my lady. Just me and the horses here.” Thanking him, she turned to head back toward the party, but decided to check the gardens first.

An unusual sound from the direction of the gazebo drew her attention, slowing her gait. Slapping sounds. Followed by a husky accented murmur in a voice she recognized. “Not the ground,
mi amor
, it will dirty my clothing.”

Elena. A man grunted in response—a guttural thing. Kat’s heart sputtered, followed by furious disbelief that she could have the misfortune to come upon Rand and his mistress for a second time. Rand, the blackguard, who claimed to be courting her, who said he no longer consorted with his mistress.

Elena moaned. “
Sí mi amor
, just like that.”

Kat edged closer to the sounds coming from the arched summer house—much as people do when stopping to see a carriage accident—knowing they might witness something horrible, but drawn to it nonetheless. The man’s panting intensified along with the frequency of the slapping sounds. Elena’s sighs riveted Kat because they seemed borne of both pleasure and pain. The idea that she and Laurie would soon consummate their marriage in this way made her stomach contract.

She silently approached the brick and stone structure where the couple remained cloaked in shadows, moving rhythmically up against each other. The man sat on the bench and Elena’s back was to Kat. Both were clothed, although Elena’s skirts were lifted so she could straddle the man as she moved atop him, obscuring her lover’s face. The man’s hands cupped Elena’s bottom and he appeared to be helping her move. Releasing one last groan, he went still, burying his face in her breasts. And then he spoke.

“Good God, Elena,” he gasped. “You’ve bewitched me.”

Kat reared back in shock.
Laurie.
A sharp pain knifed her lungs. No.
No
.

Laurie stilled. He peered around Elena into the dark, the shadowed planes of his face coming into view. “What was that?”

Elena looked over her shoulder in the same direction. “What,
vizconde
?”

He disengaged from Elena, placing her on her feet before coming to his own. He fussed with the placket of his breeches, putting himself to rights, although in the darkness Kat could not see clearly. “I thought I heard something.”

Elena shook out her skirts. “I did not hear anything.”

“We should return before they realize we are missing.”

“Very well.” Curving a hand around Laurie’s head, Elena drew him down for a languorous, deep-throated kiss before murmuring, “Come to my chamber this evening. I have a special surprise for you.”

Laurie focused his full attention on the Amazon with a mixture of hunger and passion, a blatant yearning that had never been there when he looked at Kat. “What exactly do you have in mind?” he asked in a velvet voice.

Unable to bear watching them a moment longer, Kat retreated as quietly as she could, heading in the opposite direction from the party with no clear destination in mind. She couldn’t stand to think on what she had just witnessed. Her mind could barely comprehend the full impact of Laurie’s devastating betrayal, much less sort it out in any comprehensible way.

Blanking her mind, she walked and walked, trying not to mull over her appalling lack of judgment, or what it portended for her future. Instead she focused on the elemental things; her moving legs, the sounds of her inhales and exhales, the sensation of her heart beating in her chest. The soothing rhythm calmed her mind, lulling it with natural cadences which reminded her that, despite everything, she was still Katherine Granville. Still herself. Now she just had to find out what that meant in this new world where Laurie no longer belonged to her.

She uttered a hollow laugh into the darkness. What folly her life was. The
ton
’s incomparable, the ruling beauty. How the
ton
would laugh to discover she was nothing but a fraud with so little appeal she couldn’t command the complete devotion of any man. Not Rand. Certainly not her betrothed, despite the
ton’s
belief he was smitten with her. Laurie appeared to be smitten for certain, just not with her.

A fresh hurt panged in her chest as the image of him grunting against Elena replayed in her mind. And yet, it suddenly struck her that beneath the raw sorrow, she felt unexpectedly light—buoyant almost—as though a terrible weight had been lifted.

Halting in the night, she drew a deep breath and her thoughts clarified. Yes, Laurie had betrayed her in the worst possible way. But he had also freed her. The implications of her unencumbered status—and the possibilities that came with it—washed over her. She was bound to no one and, for once, there were no expectations to fill except her own.

The way forward suddenly became obvious. She smiled to herself, a sense of purpose and determination firming inside of her. It was time to take control of her life and finish what she had started at sixteen. She would fight for what she’d always wanted and this time nothing and no one would stop her.

Chapter Thirteen

Where the devil had Kat got off too? Rand took a last long drag on his dwindling cheroot and threw it to the ground, grinding it with his boot heel. It was difficult enough to seduce the woman when she deigned to be around him. It would be impossible if she continued to absent herself.

Exhaling, he watched the dancers from a distance. It still made him uncomfortable to be in the center of a crowd, where unexpected noises unnerved him. Instead, he stood a bit away with Vera by his side. The alert animal peered out into the dark behind Rand, almost as though she watched his back.

At first he thought Kat had found Sinclair. His gut clenched at the thought they’d gone off somewhere to anticipate the wedding night. But no, the viscount had reappeared not long ago, rejoining the festivities from the direction of the stables. Standing apart, observing the action as he was, Rand was probably the only person to note Elena returned at about the same time, just from a different direction. So the bugger was still joining giblets with Elena every chance he got.

Beside him, Vera rose from her sitting position to all four legs, her tail perched high in the air. Turning to look behind him, he stroked her soft fur. “What is it, girl? Is someone coming?”

Kitty emerged from the darkness. With a happy yap, Vera bounded over to her. Kitty ran a distracted hand over the dog’s head, yet her gaze remained fastened on Rand. He squinted into the darkness, trying to get a better look at her face. “Kitty?”

She caught his eye, flashing him a look of such raw sensual intent that it took his breath away. She turned to walk away. Naturally, he followed. “Where are we going?”

She moved ahead of him, without a backward glance, giving no indication she’d heard the query. After a moment, he parsed they were heading to the manor. They slipped in through a side door although he couldn’t be sure where in the house they were. They entered a small, dark passageway—no doubt the servants’ corridor—and proceeded up a staircase, emerging through a hidden door off the corridor in the guest wing. Near his chamber. She went to it, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

He froze in the corridor, his heart racing. “What are you about?” He swallowed hard. “Why are we in my chamber?”

“I see you were given the best guest chamber.” She moved further into the room, gazing around. “Better even than Laurie’s.”

Following her inside, he shut the door behind him and fell back against it. “Fit for an earl, I suppose.”

“One too fine for the young, untitled Edward Stanhope.” She dragged her fingers over the plush velvet of the ruby settee. “But not for the Earl of Randolph, the great war hero.”

He watched the changing emotions flitting across her exquisite face. “Why are we in my chamber?”

She met his eyes. “Because mine is in the family wing, rather too close to my parents. And I understand it can be a noisy business.”

His pulse roared in his ears. “What is going on?” he asked, struggling to hold onto reason. One of them had to keep their wits about them and it clearly wasn’t going to be her.

She looked up at him with opaque eyes. “Don’t you want to?”

Blood catapulted to his nether regions, making him hard. “There is nothing I want more.”

“Good.” She turned back to the settee. “Can we do it here?”

His good sense screamed against it. Something was terribly off, but his baser self fully intended to take what she offered. “Are you going to tell me what made you change your mind?”

“No.” She walked up to him and turned, giving her his back. “Will you undo my gown or do we keep our clothes on?”

Riveted by the enticing bit of pale flesh along the exposed area of her neck, he put his lips to it. “We most certainly do not keep our clothes on,” he whispered against the warm, tender flesh. A ripple went through her. Sliding his hands around to cup her breasts, he squeezed the feminine flesh in his fingers, exultant to finally have her in his arms. He inhaled her drugging scent—violets and the outdoors, tinged with her own particular feminine essence. “Are you certain, my love?”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything.” She sighed and softened back against him, where she surely felt his prodding erection. “I begin to see this is the only true thing I’ve ever desired in my life.”

…

She didn’t know where the sudden boldness came from, but she had always wanted Rand and now she meant to have him. She leaned back into his lean, solid form and allowed his powerful masculine presence to engulf her. His hands left her breasts, going to the back of her gown to work the buttons. The bodice loosened and he pushed it forward, over her shoulders and down her arms.

His lips touched her neck again, dragging gently down to her shoulders. She trembled at the sensation, at the scrape of his jaw abrading the delicate skin, commanding responses from her body in the same way he must have directed men in battle. Had they gone as willingly into the unknown as she went now?

“Will you disrobe for me?” He spoke in that roughened voice which reminded her of how little she knew this new version of Edward, this stranger named Rand. “I want to see every part of you.”

She slipped out the dress, which left her in her chemise and stays, and turned in his arms, sliding her hands around his neck. He lowered his face and their lips touched. Her tongue delved into his mouth, tasting cheroots and spirits and the unique contours that made him who he was. He allowed her to explore at length—the roof of his mouth, the surprisingly sensual feel of his cheek. He groaned and lifted her off her feet, pressing her body closer to his.

She wrapped her legs around his lean hips, wanting to meld herself to him. He walked forward as she slid her hands along the skin of his throat, pressing her lips against it, tasting him.

“Kitty,” he growled, loosening her stays with one hand. “If you keep at that, we won’t make it to the bed.” He abruptly halted and changed direction.

She nipped at his neck, marveling at the tufts of dark hair peeking out from his shirt. Suddenly he was putting her down on something soft and luxurious—the velvet settee. She blinked, focusing on her surroundings. “This is not the bed.”

He smiled, heat flashing in his eyes. “I’ve a mind to see your bare flesh against the red velvet.”

She sat up, done with games and prevarications. “What part of me do you want to see first?”

His intake of breath was sharp. “Undress for me.”

With any other man, granting such a request would be unthinkable but, with Rand, it seemed inevitable. She came up on her knees on the chaise and slowly pulled off her loosened stays, tossing them away. Taking a fortifying breath, she gripped the hem of her chemise and pulled it off over her head in one quick motion before this sudden uncharacteristic boldness deserted her. Her face burning, she forced herself to look at him.

He exhaled, his gaze riveted on her body. And when his eyes curved over her sensitive breasts, it was as if he was touching her all over again. She bent over to remove her stockings.

“No, leave them. Lie back on the chaise.”

She did as he asked, her body tight with sexual tension, feeling unbearably aroused even though he had yet to touch her bare skin. “Put your hands over your head.”

She did as he asked and laid there, the velvet fabric caressing her sensitive flesh, tension throbbing within her, waiting for his touch.

He walked to the chaise and knelt, his eyes devouring the wanton sight of her. “I’m going to touch you.” He did not wait for her permission. He feathered a finger down her shoulder and over the tender curve of her breast.

She bit her lip in sudden apprehension. “I am not so well-endowed as some.”

“You are perfect.” He put his lips to the taut tip, sending a rush of sensation straight down to her toes. “This is perfect.” He flicked his tongue repeatedly against the pointed tip before taking it fully into his mouth and suckling her. She felt an exquisite tug deep in her belly as though the two were connected. His hand teased her other breast, thumbing the tip, caressing the curve, before traveling down the turn of her hip to the place at the juncture of her thighs. He cupped her mound, playing with the downy hair, before spreading her with his fingers and touching her moist inner flesh. “Tell me if it feels good. Take your pleasure.”

It felt indescribably good. His clever fingers played her the way he used to play his violin—with flawless mastery, plucking a sensitive spot into a quivering crescendo, before running a soothing masterful finger over it. She squirmed at the huge rush coursing toward her, holding back against the mammoth wave of almost painful pleasure that seemed ready to break. “Oh, Edward!”

He intensified the movements of his fingers. “This is the best part of it, Kitty, let it come.”

Her body went taut and she began to tremble. Suddenly she didn’t want to hold back. A frantic pleasure exploded over her, throbbing down the insides of her legs, leaving her body warm and pulsing. Rand moved over her and kissed her gently.

“Oh,” she said once she’d caught her breath. “I had no idea.”

His lip curved. “I’m glad you trusted me to satisfy your needs.”

“But I am not satisfied.” At his frown, she said, “You are still clothed.”

He gave an appreciative laugh before a serious expression came over his face. “I don’t know what transpired this evening to make you come to me so unexpectedly. But you are still a maiden and it is not too late to resume the course you were on.”

She sat up, indignant, noting with satisfaction the way his eyes were drawn to the movement of her bare breasts. “Are you jilting me again?”

“Far from it.” He bent to kiss the tip of her breast, mouthing it in an almost worshipful way that sent tingles through her. “I want you for my countess. More now than ever.”

“Then what is this about?”

He came up to meet her gaze. “I want you to make a reasoned choice. Not one you will regret in the morning.”

“I’ve made my choice. There is no going back.”

…

“It really would be best if you allowed me to speak to your father alone.”

Kitty kept pace with him as they headed for his appointment with the Earl of Nugent. “The last time you asked my father for my hand, you vanished for six years.” She shook her head in a decisive manner. “We’re discussing my future, and this time I plan to secure it properly.”

Minx. He resisted the urge to smile. “Will you least allow me to do the talking?”

“To a point.”

“When will you inform Sinclair of the changed state of affairs?”

She shrugged. “He departed this morning to attend the Harvest Home at his estate in Wiltshire. I shall send him a letter later today.”

He regarded her with some surprise. “That’s a little heartless, don’t you think?”

Her brows almost reached her hairline. “Have you become a sudden admirer of the viscount?”

“Far from it.” They came to a stop in front of the closed study door. “Now, remember, allow me to do the talking,” he said. “I have a strategy.”

She all but rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

He tapped, polite but firm, and entered at the earl’s behest.

Nugent stood up behind his desk. “Randolph,” he said before he turned a questioning look at Kitty. “Katherine?”

“Father,” she said in greeting, ignoring the question in Nugent’s voice.

“Thank you for agreeing to see me, sir.” He kept his tone courteous, but resolute.

“What is Kat doing here?” Nugent asked.

Rand cleared his throat. “I have something of utmost importance to discuss with you.”

“I can’t imagine what that could be.”

“As you well know, I have always held you daughter in the highest esteem.”

Nugent’s gaze flapped between the two of them. “She is betrothed.”

“And my feelings have not changed,” Rand continued as though Nugent had not spoken.

The older man’s face flushed. “What are you doing? I beg you to stop and get a hold of yourself.”

“I realize this is a somewhat difficult situation—”

“It’s an impossible situation.” Outright alarm stamped her father’s face. “St. George’s is already booked. The entire
ton
is coming.”

“—but I have come to ask for your blessing to marry Lady Katherine.”

“Well, you most certainly do not have it,” Nugent said on an outraged exhale. “Sinclair is a fine fellow and it is all arranged.”

He regretted distressing Nugent, but nothing would keep him from Kitty now. “I urge you to reconsider, sir, as your daughter is in agreement.”

“You’ve turned her head again, just as you did all of those years ago. Well, I won’t have it, I tell you! She is marrying Sinclair as planned.”

“I won’t marry Laurie,” Kitty said. “I love Edward.”

Nugent shot a furious gaze at his daughter before turning it back to Rand. “This is how you take your revenge on me, is it? Because I declined to accept your suit all of those years ago?”

“Not at all, my lord. I esteem your daughter. Six years ago, you were quite right to decline my suit as I had little to offer Lady Katherine. However, the situation has changed.” The words were coated with steel. “I am now an earl in possession of a substantial fortune. What has not changed is the esteem in which I hold Kat. My desire to make her my wife remains as constant today as it was six years ago.”

Nugent’s face reddened. “Katherine is already betrothed. She has no good reason to jilt a gentleman as honorable as Sinclair.”

“Laurie probably won’t want me now anyway,” Kitty interjected.

“And why is that?” The cords in Nugent’s reddening neck worked. “Surely you are not suggesting—”

Rand suppressed a groan. Surely, she did not mean to—

“Just that the sooner we marry, the better,” Kitty said.

Color infused Nugent’s face. “Why you blackguard—”

Well. That had not gone as he had planned. Thanks to Kitty’s loose, lying tongue. But he could hardly dispute her insinuation that she was already ruined without looking like a complete cad. “My lord, I assure you my intentions are completely honorable. I secured a special license before leaving town. We can marry immediately.”