Catherine,” he said, his voice flowing over her like warm silk. “And let me thank you again for your hospitality. Despite the inconvenience to myself that you mentioned earlier, I would not have missed this encounter with you for the world.”
For a moment, she simply gaped at him. Then, before she knew what he was about, he had bent his head over hers and brushed her lips with his. So light was the contact, it could hardly be called a kiss, but she felt his touch as though he had penetrated to the core of her being.
She started convulsively, and without thinking, raised her hand to deliver a stinging slap across the mouth that smiled at her so invitingly. The sound seemed to reverberate through the corridor and, with a strength she did not know she possessed, she shoved at him so violently that, caught off guard, he caromed into the opposite wall. Without waiting to measure his response to her action, she whirled into her bedchamber and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter Seven
The sun was high in the sky when Justin opened his eyes the next morning. Hastily, he threw back the covers. Lord, he hadn’t slept this late in donkey’s years. Perhaps, he reflected ruefully, it was due to the fact that he had not closed his eyes until nearly dawn.
He still could not believe what had transpired last night. The image of Catherine’s fiery green glare had stayed with him far into the night. Who would have thought, for God’s sake, that a woman of her years and experience would take such snuff at a moment’s harmless dalliance? All he’d intended was a chaste little salute there in the intimate darkness of the corridor, but one would think he’d attempted rapine and murder. Lord, it was a wonder she hadn’t brought the household down on them.
His rambling meditations during the night had consisted of these and other, similarly virtuous protestations, but it was not long before he admitted to himself that, had she responded to the light, perfectly harmless kiss he had bestowed on her, he would probably have essayed a further, perhaps slightly less harmless attempt on her virtue.
All right, if she had given him the slightest encouragement, he would have seduced her on the spot. It was not his habit to seduce gently bred maidens, for it seemed a tad thoughtless to ruin a young girl’s life for a few moments of pleasure—particularly when the world was so full of another sort of female, the kind who, for a consideration of some sort, was more than willing to give a few moments of pleasure, perhaps taking a few for herself as well. However, this particular maiden was already ruined, apparently willingly so. Thus, it might have been expected that after a judicious amount of blandishment. Miss Catherine Meade would be ripe for a spot of seduction. After walking up that darkened stairway in such close proximity with her, inhaling the delicate scent she wore, he was more than ready to pursue this pleasant course of action.
However, though he was not usually so maladroit in estimating a woman’s sexual appetites, it seemed he had sadly misread the situation with Catherine Meade. He seemed to have misread nearly everything about her, so perhaps he shouldn’t be too surprised. Still, she had definitely overreacted. To his mind there was nothing in his behavior to warrant the haymaker she’d delivered to his jaw. A simple “Unhand me, you varlet!” would have sufficed.
Justin might have been surprised to know that, in her own bedchamber, Catherine was reflecting in a similar vein. Really, she thought for at least the hundredth time, she had behaved like the veriest peagoose last night. To be sure, the man had sullied her hospitality by kissing her, but it was not as though he’d assaulted her. A dignified, “Sir, you forget yourself!” would have sent him on his way.
With a blush of mortification, she contemplated the image that was fairly burned into her consciousness of Mr. Smith, his eyes wide with
For a moment, she simply gaped at him. Then, before she knew what he was about, he had bent his head over hers and brushed her lips with his. So light was the contact, it could hardly be called a kiss, but she felt his touch as though he had penetrated to the core of her being.
She started convulsively, and without thinking, raised her hand to deliver a stinging slap across the mouth that smiled at her so invitingly. The sound seemed to reverberate through the corridor and, with a strength she did not know she possessed, she shoved at him so violently that, caught off guard, he caromed into the opposite wall. Without waiting to measure his response to her action, she whirled into her bedchamber and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter Seven
The sun was high in the sky when Justin opened his eyes the next morning. Hastily, he threw back the covers. Lord, he hadn’t slept this late in donkey’s years. Perhaps, he reflected ruefully, it was due to the fact that he had not closed his eyes until nearly dawn.
He still could not believe what had transpired last night. The image of Catherine’s fiery green glare had stayed with him far into the night. Who would have thought, for God’s sake, that a woman of her years and experience would take such snuff at a moment’s harmless dalliance? All he’d intended was a chaste little salute there in the intimate darkness of the corridor, but one would think he’d attempted rapine and murder. Lord, it was a wonder she hadn’t brought the household down on them.
His rambling meditations during the night had consisted of these and other, similarly virtuous protestations, but it was not long before he admitted to himself that, had she responded to the light, perfectly harmless kiss he had bestowed on her, he would probably have essayed a further, perhaps slightly less harmless attempt on her virtue.
All right, if she had given him the slightest encouragement, he would have seduced her on the spot. It was not his habit to seduce gently bred maidens, for it seemed a tad thoughtless to ruin a young girl’s life for a few moments of pleasure—particularly when the world was so full of another sort of female, the kind who, for a consideration of some sort, was more than willing to give a few moments of pleasure, perhaps taking a few for herself as well. However, this particular maiden was already ruined, apparently willingly so. Thus, it might have been expected that after a judicious amount of blandishment. Miss Catherine Meade would be ripe for a spot of seduction. After walking up that darkened stairway in such close proximity with her, inhaling the delicate scent she wore, he was more than ready to pursue this pleasant course of action.
However, though he was not usually so maladroit in estimating a woman’s sexual appetites, it seemed he had sadly misread the situation with Catherine Meade. He seemed to have misread nearly everything about her, so perhaps he shouldn’t be too surprised. Still, she had definitely overreacted. To his mind there was nothing in his behavior to warrant the haymaker she’d delivered to his jaw. A simple “Unhand me, you varlet!” would have sufficed.
Justin might have been surprised to know that, in her own bedchamber, Catherine was reflecting in a similar vein. Really, she thought for at least the hundredth time, she had behaved like the veriest peagoose last night. To be sure, the man had sullied her hospitality by kissing her, but it was not as though he’d assaulted her. A dignified, “Sir, you forget yourself!” would have sent him on his way.
With a blush of mortification, she contemplated the image that was fairly burned into her consciousness of Mr. Smith, his eyes wide with
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