Wedding Night With the Earl (23 page)

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Katherine.”

“Not a ghost, a man.”

His forehead wrinkled in concern. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Katherine. I won’t force you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

He continued to question her with his golden-brown eyes as she walked past him and into the room. It took several seconds for her to realize he’d taken her hesitation as reluctance. It was astonishment. She’d never seen a man so casually clothed. Assuring herself she was doing the right thing, she reached over with her free hand and quietly closed the door.

“Does that settle it for you?”

“I believe it does.”

“Good. I have no doubts about being here.” Her gaze swept up and down his tall, masculine frame again. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a man without his coat on. My uncles always wear them. I have no memory of ever seeing my father without his on, either. In the summer, I’ve seen farmers and commoners on the streets without a coat, but never a gentleman.”

“Keeping the coat, collar, and neckcloth on is the gentlemanly thing to do in front of a lady, but as you know, I have been known to be far less than a gentleman on many occasions.”

“You are a very handsome man, my lord.”

He smiled his appreciation for her compliment. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d gotten my note after all.”

“I’m sorry I’m late. At the last minute I had to persuade my aunt she didn’t want to come with me.”

“I’m not surprised you managed to sway her in another direction.” Adam reached down beside her and turned the key in the lock.

A faint thread of puzzlement wove through her. “You found the key?”

“No. Mrs. Potts gave it to me.”

“Oh my,” Katherine said, thinking that might not have been the best thing for him to do. “You asked her for it?”

“Perhaps I should explain. I told her I needed the privacy of one of her empty rooms for an afternoon. She needs money to help take care of the children who live here, so we quickly came to an equally beneficial understanding.”

Katherine leaned forward. “She’s knows I’m here?”

“No, and she won’t. After I assured her I would do nothing other than hold a meeting in here, she had no interest in why I wanted the room. She was only interested in the donation I made to the orphanage, which will help her buy things like furniture to fill this room so she can use it, books so the children can learn, and other things that she needs.”

“I see. That was very generous of you. I’m sure it pleased her. I know she’s always grateful for donations.”

“It was a good bargain for both of us. What she doesn’t know is that I was going to do it whether or not she allowed me use of the room. Dixon said he was treated well when he lived here. Mrs. Potts was good to him. For that I’m grateful. I want to help her continue to take good care of the children who are here now and any who come in the future.”

“How are Master Dixon and Pharaoh?”

“Both at home this time, I’m happy to say, so there should be no mishaps today.”

“I shall miss seeing them.”

He looked down at her pale buttercup-colored dress. A lazy grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “I’m glad they aren’t here. You look absolutely fetching in that dress. I’d hate to see Pharaoh jump up on you and ruin it. So, shall we get started?”

Her pulse quickened. It was now or never. “Yes.”

He lifted his chin a notch and looked at her. “I’m thinking maybe you should take off your cape and bonnet. It will be much easier to dance without them.”

“All right.” She untied the ribbon of her bonnet and sash of her cape. Adam took them from her and laid them on the floor out of the way.

“Now, let’s see how well you stand without the cane.” He reached for it. “May I?”

She didn’t speak but allowed him to take the cane out of her hand.

While he laid the cane on top of her clothing, she stood perfectly still, waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

“Do you want to take a few steps without the cane? I’ll be right here to catch you if you fall.”

Katherine hesitated for only a moment before she stepped forward, first with her stiff leg and then with the other. She swayed a little but kept her balance. Adam backed up and she took another. She looked up at him, smiled, and took two more steps.

He grinned. “I think you have been fooling me about not walking without help.”

She laughed lightly, almost shyly. “I admit I’ve been practicing in my room.”

“And now you are walking without a cane.”

“It’s only a few steps.”

“For now. It will take time, but you’ll get stronger and surer of yourself the more you do it.”

Her eyes searched his. She wanted to believe he was right. She’d never really thought about how much she relied on the cane until she met Adam, and now she desperately wanted to be able to walk wherever she wanted without it.

“I know, and I hope you’re right.”

“Let’s see how much more you can do.” He took her left hand and placed it on the crest of his shoulder. He then grasped her right hand in his and with his other hand pressed just above the center of her back and pulled her body close to his.

Katherine felt his warmth and his strength immediately.

“You feel relaxed in my arms. That’s a good start. Some ladies feel stiff and awkward when I dance with them.”

She was relaxed because she enjoyed being in his arms and it felt heavenly to be so close to him again.

“Now, the first thing you need to know is that I’m going to step forward with my left foot and you will step back with your right foot. Do you think you can do that? That’s all we are going to do at first, all right?”

He looked so serious that Katherine had to laugh a little.

“Did I say something funny?” he asked ruefully.

“No, my lord.”

“My name is Adam.”

His gaze stayed steady on hers, and her breath hitched a little. It was so easy to think about kissing him whenever he was this close. Whenever she was looking at him. Especially whenever he looked at her with his enchanting, brandy-colored eyes.

“As you wish, my lord,” she said. “Adam, I’ve been watching ladies and gentlemen dance for over two Seasons now. I’ve studied their feet more times than I can count, so although I’ve never waltzed, I think I know how to do it.”

A grin played on his lips. “Do you now?”

“Yes,” she said rather confidently.

“So you don’t think I need to go over the basic steps with you before we begin?”

“No. I’m quite sure I know them and can do it.”

“Well, then perhaps you don’t need as much instruction as I thought and we should have no problem dancing. I’ll hold you tightly like this and give you a firm frame to brace against. Do you feel it?”

Oh, yes, she felt his strength and his warmth. She smelled shaving soap and fresh-washed clothes.

“All right. I’ll count to three and then we’ll start. One, two, three…”

His very first step landed on her toe. “Ouch,” she said.

Adam swore under his breath. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s all right,” she said. “It was my fault.”

“It’s never the lady’s fault when a man steps on her toes.”

She gave him a grateful smile but said, “I didn’t get my foot out of the way fast enough. Let’s try it again.”

Adam counted to three and moved forward and stepped on her foot again.

Apologies and excuses were mumbled a second time. Katherine insisted they try once more. They did, with the same outcome the third time.

“Oh, the devil take it!” she exclaimed, her frustration quickly mounting to more than she could bear.

“Did you just swear, Katherine?”

She grimaced. “Don’t say anything.”

His lips twitched with humor. “I am not one to lecture anyone about their language.”

“Let’s just try it again,” she said in an annoyed tone. “I know I can do it.”

“So do I, but you don’t have to hold my hand so tightly and you don’t have to try so hard. Take it easy and the steps will come. All right?”

Katherine looked at her hand clasped in his and saw that her knuckles were white. She drew in a long breath and slowly loosened her grip.

“That’s better,” he said. “I think you need to take a longer step back. Stretch back as far as you can and I’ll take smaller steps, too.”

“Yes, that should work,” she answered, though her confidence was waning with each start.

Adam counted again and they made it to the third step before his foot landed on hers. Katherine mumbled something about the devil under her breath again. What had made her think, what had made her hope, that he could teach her to dance? It wasn’t going to happen.

“All right,” she said in an exasperated voice. “I admit it’s not as easy as every lady on the dance floor makes it look.”

He smiled understandingly, and her heart melted. She so wanted to learn how to dance for him, and for her.

“No, it’s not, but I know you can do it. Why don’t we try it my way this time and start with just walking through the basic steps before we try dancing them.”

Katherine nodded, and so it went for the better part of half an hour. Hands clasped. Backs straight. Starting and stopping. Toe to toe and sometimes toe on toe.

Frustrated that it was harder than she’d thought it would be, disappointed that she wasn’t doing better than she’d expected when she was trying so hard, Katherine finally stopped, dropped her hands to her sides, and said, “I can’t do this. I’m never going to master this because my knee doesn’t bend enough and there’s a catch in my hip that won’t let me step back as far as I need to.”

“Never is a long time,” he countered.

She let out a huffing breath and said irritably, “I know how long never is.”

With his fingertips, he lifted her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. “Then don’t get upset if you don’t learn how to dance in thirty minutes. You have plenty of time to learn.”

Not if you are leaving,
she wanted to say but remained quiet.

“Look,” he continued, “you are standing on your own without benefit of your cane or me for support. You didn’t do that the first night we met and now you are.”

“Standing still is different from walking,” she said.

“Is your leg hurting?”

“A little,” she admitted honestly. “More tired and aching than hurting.”

“I don’t want you feeling either. Let’s rest for a few moments.” He looked around the room and then strode over, grabbed his cloak, and spread it out in the center of the floor. “I’m sorry there isn’t anything in here to sit on other than this.”

“I don’t mind,” she said as he took hold of her hands and helped her to sit on top of his cloak.

He looked down at her and said, “I think if you work your muscles by practicing and don’t depend on the cane every time you walk, one day you will be dancing. You do know the steps. You just have to learn how to adjust your weight from one leg to the other when you move.”

Feeling defeated, she said, “Maybe one day I’ll walk completely unaided, but you don’t know what you’re saying about dancing. I think I just proved you wrong.”

“No one learns to dance in thirty minutes, Katherine. You’re being too hard on yourself. Your injuries were healed a long time ago. The muscles and joints in your leg just need to be used.”

“My aunt and uncles were being kind to me by never letting me try to dance. They knew I couldn’t do it. Dancing is so beautiful and graceful and I made it look—”

Adam dropped to his knees in front of her and pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting off her words. “Don’t say it,” he said, softly outlining her lips with the pads of his fingers. “Because whatever you were going to say, it’s not true. And I don’t want to hear it.”

She didn’t want it to be true, but it was.

“I want to look at your leg. Do you mind?”

There was no command in his voice, but his words caused her heartbeat to skip with apprehension. Her throat suddenly felt dry and her lungs felt void of air.

“You want to see my leg?”

His cocked his head back and let his gaze waft up and down her face. “Only with your permission,” he said, and then without waiting for it, he wrapped his strong, warm hand gently around her ankle and held it. “I don’t want to frighten you.”

Katherine’s stomach tightened. Her weak leg was out straight in front of her and the other was bent underneath, helping to support it. “It’s ugly and you don’t want to see it,” she answered, and made a move to pull her foot from his grasp. He held it firmly. The strength of his hold told her she must put up a tougher resistance before he’d let go.

A hint of a smile touched the corners of his lips and he sat on the backs of his legs. “Does it have scars on it?”

“Three,” she answered. “And they are not pretty.”

“There isn’t anything about you that isn’t pretty, Katherine. You are the most beautiful young lady I’ve ever seen.” He carefully rested her foot on top of his knee and slipped her shoe off her stocking-clad foot. “You have gorgeous green eyes, shiny auburn tresses, and lips that are … well, are gorgeous, too. You are tall and slender, and from what I can tell beneath your clothing, you are beautifully shaped. I have no doubts that your scars are as pretty as the rest of you.”

Katherine laughed and shook her head. “You cannot make me believe that, any more than you made me believe that champagne bubbles pop in my brain and cause me to have headaches.”

“I agree that one was questionable, but not what I said about your beauty.” An easy smile came to his lips. “To me you are the most beautiful lady I have ever known.”

She wasn’t sure she believed him, but she said, “Thank you for telling me that.”

He took hold of the hem of her dress and slowly started easing it up her leg. “Now, may I continue or are you going to stop me?”

His implication was clear. She could stop him, but she had to put forth a worthy effort. Determined not to show her fear, Katherine watched her dress rise up her leg but said nothing. To her surprise, the intimacy of what he was doing wasn’t horrifying or even uncomfortable. It felt natural.

He pushed the skirt of her pale yellow dress up past her knee to about midthigh. Holding her ankle with one hand, he squeezed her leg all the way up to just past her knee and back down. His hands were large but gentle. She watched his wide, lean-muscled chest and thick arms ripple with movement beneath his shirt.