lips and bodies touching and coming together so intimately. Now she knew the meaning of all the love poems she’d ever read. What she was experiencing with Lord Greyhawke was the reason they had all been written. She felt as if she could go on kissing him forever.
“Someone’s coming,” he whispered, lifting his lips from hers.
Katherine hadn’t heard anything but heavy breathing. The earl quickly stood her on her feet and stepped away from her.
Katherine looked down and realized she was standing without the aid of her cane. Suddenly her legs buckled and she fell to the ground on her bottom.
She gasped.
Lord Greyhawke swore.
He quickly bent and slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. Her arms circled his neck and he lifted her off the damp ground.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, looking down the length of her body with a quiet intensity.
“No, no, I’m fine,” Katherine answered, fighting the desire to snuggle deeper into his warm, strong, protective embrace once again.
“What happened?”
“I couldn’t stand. I didn’t have my cane.”
Katherine heard the front door open and male voices talking and laughing that suddenly went silent. She felt the muscles in the earl’s arms jerk and flex with tension. Concern clouded his features. She twisted her head around and saw the duke, Uncle Willard, and three other gentlemen standing in the doorway gawking at her and the earl.
“Damnation!” His Grace exclaimed. “What on God’s green earth is going on out here?”
By the expression on Uncle Quillsbury’s face and the controlled shake to his voice, Katherine doubted whether she or the earl could say anything that would appease her two uncles.
Chapter 11
I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die.
—Richard III, act 5, scene 4
Adam was still trying to figure out what had happened to make Miss Wright fall when the front door swung open and he was staring into the angry eyes of the Duke of Quillsbury and his equally disturbed brother, Lord Willard. In fact, all the men seemed to be glaring at him as if he were a scoundrel of the highest order.
Not that he blamed any of them for the outrage they were showing. He was exactly what they thought him to be, a rake who had just taken advantage of an innocent young lady because he couldn’t restrain his desire for her. There was no use in trying to deny his guilt when he held the lovely but damning evidence in his arms. He’d known someone was about to open the door. He’d heard them coming, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t leave Miss Wright sitting on the dew-wet ground. Picking her up was the only option.
If he found himself caught in a parson’s mousetrap, it was he who had set the trap. What would he do if the duke insisted her reputation had been ruined and demanded Adam marry her? He couldn’t. He could never marry again.
Prodded by the silence that seemed to be stretching, Adam said, “Your Grace, I can explain.”
“Then you’d best get to it quickly,” the duke said.
“Let me handle this, my lord,” Miss Wright whispered so no one but Adam would hear. “I know my uncles well.”
“You are not the one he wants to hear from right now,” Adam said just as softly.
“Be that as it may, I will speak first,” she insisted, and then looked over at her uncle and said, “Uncle Quillsbury, there is no reason for you to be so serious sounding or for anyone to be alarmed.”
“Really, my dear?” he said sternly, stepping down onto the stoop. “If that is the case, would you mind telling me why Lord Greyhawke is cradling you in his arms as if he were about to ravish you?”
Oh, yes. He knew.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I know it appears that way to you, but it isn’t what it seems. Surely you know that if the earl was going to accost a young lady, it wouldn’t be on her front lawn beneath a glaring porch lamp with five carriage drivers across the street
“Someone’s coming,” he whispered, lifting his lips from hers.
Katherine hadn’t heard anything but heavy breathing. The earl quickly stood her on her feet and stepped away from her.
Katherine looked down and realized she was standing without the aid of her cane. Suddenly her legs buckled and she fell to the ground on her bottom.
She gasped.
Lord Greyhawke swore.
He quickly bent and slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. Her arms circled his neck and he lifted her off the damp ground.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, looking down the length of her body with a quiet intensity.
“No, no, I’m fine,” Katherine answered, fighting the desire to snuggle deeper into his warm, strong, protective embrace once again.
“What happened?”
“I couldn’t stand. I didn’t have my cane.”
Katherine heard the front door open and male voices talking and laughing that suddenly went silent. She felt the muscles in the earl’s arms jerk and flex with tension. Concern clouded his features. She twisted her head around and saw the duke, Uncle Willard, and three other gentlemen standing in the doorway gawking at her and the earl.
“Damnation!” His Grace exclaimed. “What on God’s green earth is going on out here?”
By the expression on Uncle Quillsbury’s face and the controlled shake to his voice, Katherine doubted whether she or the earl could say anything that would appease her two uncles.
Chapter 11
I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die.
—Richard III, act 5, scene 4
Adam was still trying to figure out what had happened to make Miss Wright fall when the front door swung open and he was staring into the angry eyes of the Duke of Quillsbury and his equally disturbed brother, Lord Willard. In fact, all the men seemed to be glaring at him as if he were a scoundrel of the highest order.
Not that he blamed any of them for the outrage they were showing. He was exactly what they thought him to be, a rake who had just taken advantage of an innocent young lady because he couldn’t restrain his desire for her. There was no use in trying to deny his guilt when he held the lovely but damning evidence in his arms. He’d known someone was about to open the door. He’d heard them coming, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t leave Miss Wright sitting on the dew-wet ground. Picking her up was the only option.
If he found himself caught in a parson’s mousetrap, it was he who had set the trap. What would he do if the duke insisted her reputation had been ruined and demanded Adam marry her? He couldn’t. He could never marry again.
Prodded by the silence that seemed to be stretching, Adam said, “Your Grace, I can explain.”
“Then you’d best get to it quickly,” the duke said.
“Let me handle this, my lord,” Miss Wright whispered so no one but Adam would hear. “I know my uncles well.”
“You are not the one he wants to hear from right now,” Adam said just as softly.
“Be that as it may, I will speak first,” she insisted, and then looked over at her uncle and said, “Uncle Quillsbury, there is no reason for you to be so serious sounding or for anyone to be alarmed.”
“Really, my dear?” he said sternly, stepping down onto the stoop. “If that is the case, would you mind telling me why Lord Greyhawke is cradling you in his arms as if he were about to ravish you?”
Oh, yes. He knew.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I know it appears that way to you, but it isn’t what it seems. Surely you know that if the earl was going to accost a young lady, it wouldn’t be on her front lawn beneath a glaring porch lamp with five carriage drivers across the street
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