‘I think we are beyond compliments.’
Christopher spread out his hands. ‘Then we have come to the end of my ability to help you.’
‘As always, talking with you has been a delight.’
‘I am glad to have been of assistance.’
At least Edward was able to stand now and leave the room. He could go and have the lie-down he desperately needed, and while he was at it, he would try to come up with a way to make Kate want to ask him for another kiss. Christopher’s idea was not a bad one at all, especially as it aligned with what Edward wanted to do; of course, he would not tell his brother that. He didn’t want Christopher getting too overconfident; he was annoying enough as it was.
Chapter Twenty-two
Kate hummed to herself as she made her way towards the library. She’d spent most of the morning dozing in her bedroom, waking every now and again to touch her lips and remember the press of Edward’s mouth against hers. The insistent slide of his tongue against hers, the almost desperate way he’d consumed her, and the way she’d pressed back, learning what he liked, learning whatshe’dliked. The skin of her palms still tingled from where she’d leaned against his broad shoulders.
She was acting like a green girl with her first experience of calf love, but she didn’t care. Life had been grim for a few years and she deserved a bit of giddy happiness. Surely his reaction could not have been faked; perhaps it meant he would be happy to do it again. It was only kissing, after all; she was not asking him to marry her. She was not foolish enough to believe that a man of his age and station would want to wed an older, spinster governess, but a little fun never hurt anyone.
‘Oh, there you are.’ Emily’s voice sounded from further down the corridor as she rushed towards her, stopping her fromtaking the corridor to the library. Despite her increasingly round stomach, Emily was virtually skipping. ‘You must come quickly.’
‘I am sorry I missed breakfast; I was not hungry.’
‘I do not blame you after the excitement of last night.’
Excitement was not the word Kate would have used. And it was not the events of last night that had kept her away but this morning’s interlude in the music room. Knowing her face often betrayed her thoughts, she had thought it prudent to avoid breakfast in case the rest of the Dashworths could read exactly what had happened from the way she looked at Edward.
Emily was still talking, making impatient hand gestures to hurry her along. ‘Hopefully, what has come this morning will make up for the horrible end to the evening.’
‘What has come?’ It must be something exciting, because Emily was lightly hopping on the tips of her toes, like a small child about to be given a present.
‘You need to see.’ Apparently, she wasn’t moving quickly enough for Emily, who tugged on her sleeve.
Kate laughed. ‘All right, I am coming. I cannot imagine what has got you so delighted.’ Hoping Emily hadn’t ordered the green riding habit after all, she followed after her friend. But no, it was not that. As they neared the hallway, a sickly, sweet smell reached her. Stepping into the wide open entranceway, she was hit by a profusion of colour on every available surface.
‘What is this?’ she asked, not understanding what she was seeing.
‘It is many bunches of flowers.’ Emily beamed at her.
‘That much I can see, but why are there lots of them all over the place?’
‘Because, my dear friend, you are a success.’ Emily moved around the floral gatherings, her eyes alight with wonder. ‘I haveheard tales of such a thing, but I have never witnessed it myself. I believe if this were the Season, we would be inundated.’
Kate turned slowly on the spot, taking in the different arrangements, unable to truly believe what she was seeing. ‘I still do not understand.’
‘Your admirers have sent them.’ Emily plucked a card from the bouquet nearest her. ‘This one is from Lord Johnathan Helmswater.’ She tapped the card against her chin. ‘Now he would be a lovely match for you. He has lots of hair and is very intelligent. He also has a country house in Sussex, which is not too far from London. If you liked him, we could visit one another easily. Sutton,’ Emily called to the butler who had been hovering nearby, ‘please could you take these through to the sitting room?’
Before Kate could respond to this wild statement, Emily was moving on to another card. ‘Oh, now Mr Smythe. He is very rich, but I do find him annoying. Everyone has different tastes, however, so we cannot discount him just because he is not my cup of tea.’ Kate noticed Emily did not ask Sutton to take this arrangement to the sitting room. ‘Rhys Jenkins. Hmm, I do not know much about him, but these are lovely flowers, so we cannot discount him either. Unless… do tell me if there was anyone from last night whom you would not like to receive. We can leave a list with Sutton.’ Before waiting for an answer, she carried on to the next arrangement. ‘William Pimsbury!’ Emily turned to Kate with a wide grin. ‘Now, he caused quite the stir last season. He’d been away for a few years on his grand tour and when he came back it was evident he had become very handsome in his absence. He has a devilishly wicked smile and turned many heads.’
‘Hey,’ said Freddie, joining them in the hallway. ‘I am not sure I like the tone your voice took on then. You sounded almost wistful.’
Emily laughed. ‘I do love you, Freddie, but even you have to admit that William Pimsbury is a handsome man, and look, he has sent flowers to Kate.’ She held up the card for Freddie to inspect.
Freddie whistled. ‘I’ve heard many ladies comment on his striking eyes and resplendent waistcoats. While not as devilishly handsome as myself, you could do a lot worse, Kate.’
Emily nodded. ‘Sutton, please put these in the sitting room.’ She handed over the bouquet.
Kate began to look at the cards. Some made her smile; most of them made her cringe. She was almost half-way around the entrance hall when she heard Edward join them, his deep voice rumbling a greeting. She shivered, feeling the ghost of his lips skimming the length of her neck.
She held a card in her hand, staring at it unseeingly. Light poured through the large windows, highlighting the dust motes that spun around her. In the background, Emily carried on talking, seemingly experiencing the excitement Kate should be feeling at the display of admiration. As much as Kate liked the countess and her husband, she wished they would go. If she were alone with Edward, she could try to discover if he were jealous. Even though she’d suggested the kiss would be a one-off, believing one taste would satisfy her curiosity about Edward, she now realised she had been incredibly naïve. Once was not nearly enough.
She had wanted to know what it would be like to kiss a man on her own terms and so she had asked. Perhaps if he had made her uncomfortable about her request, shamed her in any way, the experience would have been entirely different. Instead of shameand embarrassment, she felt desire and desirable for the first time in her life. Edward was clearly an experienced man; he’d known exactly what to do to have her trembling in his arms, to make her want more, so much more. When she’d thought about kissing beforehand, she’d imagined it would be pleasant, almost friendly. All the times she had stared at his long fingers, she’d believed her favourite part of it would be the press of his strong hands on her back.
