To Catch a Husband…(26)

He tried to pull her back but Kitty's knees buckled and she sank to the  earth, too exhausted to fight him again. She shrank from his loathsome  touch.

'Take your hands off her!'

The words cracked like a whip through the darkness. The grasp on her arm loosened.

'Who the hell are-?'

The smack of a fist on his chin sent Mr Ashley crashing to the ground.  Silence followed, then Kitty was aware of a pair of white-stockinged  legs standing before her. Strong hands were helping her to her feet.

'Are you hurt?' Daniel's voice was full of concern. Kitty shook her  head, unable to trust her voice. Behind her she heard her assailant  grunting and she shrank against Daniel. He put his arms around her and  spoke over her head, saying coldly, 'You will leave now, sir, if you  know what's good for you.'

His tone was so menacing that Kitty trembled. From the corner of her eye she saw Mr Ashley dust himself off, glaring at them.

'She was willing enough,' he said sullenly. 'Why else would she come off the path with me-?'

With a growl Daniel released Kitty and lunged towards his opponent, but  Kitty clung on to his coat, begging him not to fight. He stopped, saying  savagely, 'I suggest you take yourself off immediately, before I forget  there is a lady present and give you the thrashing you deserve.'

Mr Ashley hesitated, glaring pugnaciously at Daniel. 'Take her then, and welcome to her,' he snarled. 'Strumpet!'

Daniel moved so quickly that Kitty did not have time to protest. Again  there was a sickening thud and again Ashley was stretched out on the  ground. This time Daniel stood over him, his fists clenched.

'You will leave the house now, sir, and if I ever find that you have  spoken a word about this, I swear I will call you out and cut you down  like a dog.'

Daniel spoke quietly, but there was so much menace in his voice that his  opponent made no attempt to rise. Instead he scrabbled away on all  fours until he was out of reach of those punishing fists before  clambering to his feet and hurrying away.

In the silence that followed Kitty did not move. Daniel turned back to her.

'He is gone now. You are safe.' He held out his hand. 'Shall I take you back?'

Kitty shook her head.

'N-no, not yet. I do not think I could face … ' Her voice trailed away.  With shaking fingers she lifted the shred of muslin that was hanging  down from her gown and pulled it across the exposed linen of her  under-bodice.                       
       
           



       

'Here, let me.' Daniel scooped her muslin shawl from the ground and  wrapped it about her shoulders. 'If we cross it like this and tie the  ends at the back, no one will know there is anything amiss.'

'Yes. Yes, of course, how … how sensible. Why did I not think of that?'  She put a hand up to adjust the folds of the shawl but her fingers shook  too much to be of use.

'You are trembling.' He took her arm. 'There is a bench in the summerhouse. You must sit down until you are feeling better.'

He led her into the little shelter and guided her to the seat. She clutched at his arm.

'Do not leave me!' Her voice shook pitifully and she was relieved when he sat down beside her.

'I am not about to leave you.'

'I d-did not know what he was going to do.' Kitty leaned against his  shoulder, the soft, fine wool of his evening coat beneath her cheek. 'He  s-seemed such a gentleman.'

She felt him take a long breath, as if controlling his anger.

'Have you not learned yet that it is dangerous to be alone with any man?'

'There were so many people in the gardens, I didn't think we were alone.  I thought it would be quite safe … ' She shuddered. 'It was horrible-'

'Hush now.' He put his arm around her. 'He is gone.'

She gave a sob and turned her face into his coat, one hand clutching at his jacket.

'I am so ashamed! To put myself into such a situation-I feel so foolish!'

'The fellow will say nothing, you may be sure of that. And no one else need know anything about it.'

'But you will know,' she said in a low voice. 'I did not w-want you to think ill of me.'

With a soft laugh he held her away from him and drew a handkerchief out of his pocket.

'I do not think ill of you,' he said, taking her chin between his  fingers and turning her face up so he could wipe her cheeks. 'I think  ill of that blackguard for his behaviour.'

He had turned her face to catch what little light there was and Kitty  kept very still, gazing up into his shadowed countenance. Mr Ashley was  forgotten. She was only aware of being very close to Daniel, of his  thigh pressed against hers, his fingers holding her chin, the soft  scented handkerchief sliding gently over her cheeks. She was tingling  through the length of her body and her heart had begun to thud painfully  against her ribs. Nervously she ran her tongue across her lips.

'Don't do that!' ordered Daniel.

Her eyes widened. Her tongue flickered again over her lips before she could speak.

'Do what? I do not understand you.'

He dropped the handkerchief and cupped her face in his hands, running his thumb gently along her bottom lip.

'Kitty, you little witch, stop it! You have no idea how adorable you  are.' His voice had softened and the words wrapped themselves around  her, deep and warm as he said, 'You do not know how much I want to kiss  you.'

She might not have known the perils of stepping off the path with Mr  Ashley, but Kitty was well aware of the danger Daniel posed to her. It  was not safe to be alone with him. She should run back to the safety of  the crowded salon, but the temptation to move even closer to Daniel was  far, far too strong.

Torn between what she wanted to do and what she should do, Kitty did  nothing. She remained very still, gazing up into Daniel's dark eyes,  enjoying the feel of his hands on her face, aching for the touch of his  lips against hers.

It never came. He gave a slight shake of his head; she heard a long  exhalation as he gathered her in his arms and pulled her close.

'For me to take advantage of this moment would make me an even bigger  scoundrel than the fool I found molesting you. We would both regret it,  for I am going north tomorrow and you … ' she felt his chest rise and fall  on another sigh ' … you are going to find a lord to marry.'

'You must think me very mercenary,' she whispered.

He laid his cheek briefly against her hair.

'No, you are doing the same as every other young lady in the Town; the  difference is that you are honest about your goals. So I wish you well  with your quest, Miss Katherine Wythenshawe.'

'You do?' Safe within his arms, Kitty turned her face up to look at him.

'Of course.' Daniel did not glance down but continued to gaze out  through the trees towards the starry sky. 'Harworth is already showing  an interest in you. With his fortune he has no need to marry money. He  is a gentleman and I believe he will treat you well. What more could you  want?'

A cloud had settled over Kitty's spirits. Perhaps everything she had  hoped for was within her grasp but here, now, sitting in the little  stone temple with Daniel, all she knew was that he was leaving in the  morning and she would never see him again.                       
       
           



       

'You have been very kind to me, Mr Blackwood.'

'It is nothing.'

His dismissive tone was unsettling. She wanted to thank him, to make him  know how much she would miss him. He was still gazing out at the night  sky and suddenly Kitty was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss him. She  lifted her head and strained to touch her mouth to the only bare flesh  she could reach, the soft hinge where the column of his throat rose up  from the folds of his snowy neckcloth and met the strong line of his  jaw. A steady pulse was beating there and she felt it jump when her lips  grazed his skin. He drew back and stared down at her, deep shadows  concealing his expression.

'I beg your pardon,' she whispered. 'I know I should not-'

Her words were cut short as he bent his head and covered her mouth with  his own. Like a spark in a tinderbox the white-hot flame of desire  ignited within her. She clung to him as a drowning man might cling to a  wooden spar. Indeed, she felt as if she was drowning in the pleasure of  his kiss, which seemed to tug at her very soul. He teased her lips apart  and began to explore her mouth with his tongue. The wild pleasure at  her core intensified, pooling somewhere between her thighs. Her hips  tilted restlessly towards him. His hold tightened and he pulled her on  to his lap. He began to cover her face with kisses, then his mouth moved  over the line of her jaw and trailed down the column of her neck, the  feather-light touch of his lips making her moan with pleasure.

Gently he pushed aside the muslin shawl that he himself had tied over  her shoulders. Little shivers of excitement coursed through Kitty as his  fingers brushed her skin. The moonlight glinted on his hair as he bent  his head to kiss the soft swell of her breast at the point where it  emerged from the confining stays. She arched towards him, gasping. Every  inch of her was alive and aching to be touched. If he had started to  undress her there and then on the bench she would not have resisted him.