Kitty was aware of Daniel’s eyes upon her, but she said nothing. She walked into the bedchamber and began to struggle out of her sodden gown.
‘She thinks we are man and wife,’ muttered Daniel, following her into the room.
‘I know.’
He pulled a ring from his little finger and held it out to her.
‘Here, wear this. I would not embarrass the woman by having her guess the truth.’ He picked up Kitty’s hand and slipped the ring on to her wedding finger. ‘I hope you will allow me to replace it with the real thing soon enough.’
Kitty’s cheeks burned and she turned away, giving her attention to removing her wet clothes. She stripped down to her shift and looked round for the woman’s shawl to put over her shoulders but Daniel had already appropriated it to wrap around his waist, his clothes lying in a wet puddle on the stone floor. She held her breath, unable to tear her eyes from his naked torso. He seemed to fill the little room; his broad shoulders and muscled arms still glistened with damp and she was shocked by her desire to put out her hand and touch the black curling hair on his chest.
‘We, um…’ She swallowed, not meeting his eyes. ‘We should ask our hostess if she has a towel we may use to finish drying ourselves.’
‘Just a moment.’ He picked up a thin coverlet from the bed, folded it diagonally and threw it over her shoulders. ‘There. Do you feel more comfortable now?’
Daniel was smiling at her, and Kitty wondered if he knew that it was not standing before him in her shift that was unsettling her but her desire to feast her eyes upon his body. Quickly she scooped up their clothes and carried them into the other room. The old woman took them from her.
‘You leave these to me, my dear, and sit yerself down in front o’fire until you are dry again.’ She gave a little chuckle when Daniel walked in and she saw the use he had made of her shawl but she said nothing and hurried away to hang out their clothes.
‘You have not yet given me an answer,’ said Daniel, sitting down beside Kitty on the narrow settle beside the fire.
‘An…an answer?’
‘You have not said that you will marry me.’
‘After this I do not think we have a choice, sir,’ she said, trying to speak lightly.
‘No!’ Angrily he gripped her arms, turning her to face him. ‘I do not want you forced by circumstances to become my wife. I want you to choose me—me, Kitty, do you understand? For better or worse, richer or poorer. It must be your decision, freely made. If you are not sure then I will remove myself from your presence until we are fit to return to Fallridge—’
‘That will not be necessary,’ she said quickly. ‘I w-want nothing better than to be your wife, Daniel.’ She added quietly, ‘For no other reason than that I love you, with all my heart.’
She smiled, her spirits soaring when she saw the glow of delight in his eyes.
His hands tightened and he was about to drag her into his arms when the old lady came bustling in again.
‘An hour, two at the most, and your clothes will be dry.’ She hesitated, took a couple of steps towards the fire, then stopped again.
‘Thank you, mother, but do not let us keep you from your work, if you have spinning to do…’
‘Ah, well, you see I hadn’t finished my spinning when Mr Jobbins called first thing this morning.’ She pointed to a large cloth bag beside the door. ‘I said I would take ’em on t’village as soon as they was done. I get paid by the hank, you see—in a good week I can make five shillings or more, but what with Jack comin’ round yesterday, and bringin’ the bairns to see me—well, they’re bonny children, to be sure, but I got behind…’
‘Oh, please, if you have to go out then we will leave,’ said Kitty rising.
The old woman waved her back into her seat.
‘That you won’t. You are quite welcome to stay here while I go out. I was planning to spend the night with our Jack, so you can stay here as long as you wish.’
‘Thank you, mother,’ said Daniel. ‘You may be sure we will lock up behind us.’
The old woman gave a cackle of laughter.
‘Bless you, sir, there’s no need for that.’ She held out her hands and looked around. ‘There’s nothing here worth the trouble o’ stealing. And besides it’s rare that anyone passes this way. No, my dears, you sit there as long as you want, there’ll be no one to bother ye. You’ll find a bit o’ broth in the kettle by the fire: you’re welcome to that and if you want water the pump is just outside the door,’ She gave another toothless cackle. ‘Although I’d say you’d both had enough water today! Well, I’ll bid you good day then.’
She picked up her bundle.
‘Goodbye, mistress, and thank you!’ called Kitty.
The woman gave them a final wave and went out, closing the door behind her.
Silence settled around them. Daniel looked down at his bare feet, suddenly feeling awkward. What was he doing here, sitting near-naked in a spinster’s cottage? A glance at Kitty showed him that she, too, was uneasy.
‘What a good soul,’ she said with forced brightness. ‘And trusting, to leave us here alone.’
‘She saw the quality of our clothes. She knows we are not vagabonds.’ Eager for a distraction, Daniel moved over to the fire and poked at the logs until they were blazing merrily. He glanced back at Kitty. ‘Your hair is still wet. Will you sit a little closer to the fire?’
‘Yes, please.’ Kitty rose and rubbed her arms as Daniel tried to move the settle, which creaked alarmingly. She laughed. ‘I think we should leave it where it is. I am afraid if we move it from the wall it will fall apart. But I have an idea!’
Daniel watched her pull the cushions from the settle and put them on the rug in front of the fire. Then she knelt down with her back to the fire, shaking her hair loose. His breath caught in his throat as he watched it ripple down her back like a dark waterfall. Daniel quickly turned away, knowing the shawl wrapped around his hips would not conceal his desire from her.
‘Daniel, will you not sit beside me?’
She spoke softly but he heard the wistfulness in her voice. He dropped down on to the rug behind her and put his hand to her hair, allowing the dark tresses to flow through his fingers like silk. With a sigh she tilted back her head and rested against him, her eyes closed. It was irresistible: Daniel leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on the slim column of her neck. Her hand came up to his cheek. She twisted round to face him, her mouth seeking his. Daniel had intended nothing more than a tender kiss but as soon as their lips met she trembled against him and a ripple of excitement flowed between them as her lips parted and their tongues engaged in a sensuous, silent conversation. He wrapped her in his arms and eased her down on to the rug. She clung to him. The firm swell of her breasts pressed against his chest, only the thin fabric of her shift between them. He raised his head, trying to contain his excitement, then he began to kiss her again, his lips caressing her eyes, her cheeks. He trailed his tongue along her jaw and lightly over her neck. His fingers clenched on the folds of the shift. He wanted to remove it, since it was the last barrier between his body and Kitty’s soft white skin. She struggled beneath him and immediately he pushed himself away from her, determined that he would in no way force his will upon her.
Kitty sat up. The cottage was silent save for the fire crackling behind her and Daniel’s ragged breathing. Keeping her eyes fixed on his face, she crossed her arms in front of her and took hold of the shift, lifting it cleanly away and upwards in one smooth movement. As she raised her arms above her head Daniel reached out for her. She gasped. Her arms and head were temporarily imprisoned in the fine linen, leaving Daniel free to plunder her breasts, cupping them in his hands, burying his face between them before fastening his mouth on one tender bud and causing a shaft of white-hot desire to drive through her. She threw off the offending material and reached for him, driving her fingers through his hair, clasping him to her as she fell back against the cushions. She had no control over her body. It arched and moved against him, inviting his hands to caress her. She moaned with pleasure as his fingers traced a line from the inside of her knee and along her thigh, gasping as those same fingers moved into her and roused her to even higher realms of delight. His fingers caressed effortlessly, she was slick with desire, opening for him, raising her hips in blatant invitation. In one swift move he rolled over her and she felt his aroused body pressed against her. His hands slid under her hips, lifting her up to receive him. Kitty clung to him, her fingers digging into his back as he entered her. A tiny gasp, a tiny pain, then the joy and exhilaration of their union overwhelmed her. She tried to follow his lead, moving with him, a fierce excitement coursing through every part of her body. She was flying, soaring, her senses on fire as they moved together. She was vaguely aware that Daniel was holding himself in check, moving for her pleasure rather than his own, but she could do nothing about it, for he was lifting her to such a height of pleasure that she was helpless beneath him, crying out as her body exploded. Deep within her, muscles were clenching in spasm and with an almost painful pleasure. She clung to Daniel, whispering his name, knowing they were still joined. He held her safe in his arms as her body relaxed against his, a perfect fit. She was filled with a pleasant torpor with Daniel’s hands gently caressing her body. Then he was kissing her, feather-light touches along her neck, fanning the flames of desire until her body began to pulse again. This time she pushed against him, revelling in her power to make him gasp and moan with delight. She quivered as he took her once more to the peak of excitement and this time he was with her, pushing, tensing and crying out as they soared together before falling back to earth, clinging to one another.